I was listening to LBC on my way in – and my way in took longer than usual because Bob Crow was muscle flexing seemingly just to see if they still worked. Not that well – judging from the reluctance of the very decent staff on the Underground who went to work anyway and did not uniformly abandon Londoners. Three cheers for them!

Anyway – point is – discussion was on the investigation by the man appointed by No 10 to investigate Ministers misdoings etc to look into the case of Shahid Malik, Minster in the Justice Department who had to step down when it was brought into question whether he had paid a market rent on his three bedroom house in Dewsbury. Mr Malik did step down – but always protested his innocence.

Philip Mawer, who investigated the alleged transgressions and breaking of the Minsterial Code, has found Mr Malik did not break the Ministerial Code. Now James O’Brien, presenting said program, made an excellent point. Publish Mr Mawer’s report. If Shahid is innocent – and we must presume he is if the report says so – then let us see the evidence and how the investigation was carried out and what it looked into.

Old Gordon has been blubbing all over the TV that the old order of secrecy and the Gentlemen’s Club is dead. But if they don’t publish – then it’s long live the old order and business as usual.

How could he fail this first test of the new way? James O’Brien is spot on – we need to see for ourselves because we no longer trust. It’s sad – but we must be shown the proof.

It’s not fair on Shahid either – as if they don’t publish – he looks guilty even though he has been proclaimed innocent. And the reason that No 10 and the Justice Department gave James O’Brien for not publishing was ‘privacy’! I kid you not. As if they couldn’t redact any really personal and private stuff.

So – no change there! And this is deadly serious because we do need to prove to the British people that we have changed, that MP’s, Ministers etc cannot get away with it and must live and die by the same rules as the rest of the population. In fact, until we have earned back trust – we will just have to keep on proving ourselves and proving ourselves – over and over again.

Gordon – publish or be damned! Well – you’re already damned – but the rest of us who want to feel proud again of serving as MPs want real change. You have to publish. You have to demonstrate that the words of sorrow and contrition and change pouring out of your mouth were not just words.

And as for Shahid – he is now back in the fold as Communities Minister (I think) – and surely he deserves to be exhonerated publicly with the findings of the report and not begin his new ministership (if that’s a word) with any question marks over his past expenses.