MPs' Expenses - What can you say?

More revelations about the expense claims of MPs over the weekend. It's difficult to know what to say about the behaviour exposed in the claims. The people involved must be fools if they thought it would never come out. I remember an MP of my acquaintance being quite clear that he would be very careful on expenses and avoid all suspicion of freeloading. That was 20 years ago! This guy was independently wealthy, but even so he was scrupulous about being honest in that respect. On the basis that honesty is the best policy you cannot argue, and on the basis that it would be stupid to be anything else, how right he was!

That said, I do think Gordon Brown has been badly done by - the explanation in today's Guardian ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/may/10/gordon-brown-cleaner-mps-expenses ) of his sharing of a cleaner with his brother and sister-in-law is absolutely clear and understandable, and shows not the slightest hint of questionable action on his part.

Nonetheless, what a mess. And it's all parties. Labour has and will suffer more because it has more MPs and it is the party of power, but the Tories seem to be at it as well according to today's news. Not heard anything about the Lib Dems, but the silence from all parties says a lot. They all expect to be in the barrel over this.

Including the SNP. Alex Salmond's £400 a month for food! Well. You wouldn't have to ask where that goes, would you? Although you would wonder how even he managed to eat all the pies while only attending 6 votes in London in all that time!