Re: 鈥淛ames departs after report says he improperly claimed benefits,鈥� May 17.
The legislative assembly expense scandal has reached its conclusion with the report from retired justice Beverley McLachlin and the abrupt retirement of the clerk, Craig James. The 鈥渃ulture of entitlement鈥� finally caught up with James, who apparently exploited non-vigilant oversight and a lack of clarity about who was in charge.
Lost in the conversation is the role of the press in this saga. James worked at the legislative assembly for decades. Was the culture of entitlement and lack of accountability a new phenomenon? Was the fact that the Legislative Assembly Management Committee never met not news?
Was the complete lack of oversight of public spending not news before Darryl Plecas became Speaker? Or was the press simply willing to accept a legacy culture of entitlement as appropriate or inevitable?
Alan J. Wainwright
Victoria
