The Wilson Doctrine is a ban on the tapping/bugging of the conversations of UK Members of Parliament and Peers. I only know this because of the recent fuss over the alleged bugging of a conversation between Sadiq Khan MP and one of his constituents – an inmate at Woodhill Prison awaiting to hear whether or not he will be extradited to the US to face terrorism related allegations.
There are a lot of questions raised by this report but the one that strikes me the most is: why should an MP, or Peer, be exempt from bugging? Many MPs are determined to subject the general public to this invasion of privacy in order to ensure the security of the realm yet those same MPs are horrified at the thought of being bugged themselves. As we have seen with the recent fuss over political donations and expenses (in both Scotland and England) MPs are not as trustworthy as we would hope and deserve. Not to mention the literal application of “jobs for the boys” by suspended Tory MP Derek Conway.
So, should MPs be exempt from bugging? No! They are no different from the rest of us and just as prone to human (and not so human) failings. In fact evidence suggests that MPs are more likely than the rest of us to bend or break the law and to abuse their positions. So bug them! Maybe the threat that someone might be listening will make them a little more responsible and a lot less deviant 
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