Shining examples

“I know this isn’t enough and people are angry and it will take time. My single most important thing in my life is my relationship with my constituents in Salford.” Of course it is, Miss Blears: especially when they are likely to take the first available opportunity to end the relationship; probably about this time next year when Gordon finally calls an election.
Suddenly, if the stream of contrite apologies spewing out of Westminster is anything to go by, the penny has, finally, dropped. MPs of all parties now seem to understand that the British electorate is absolutely appalled at the whole expenses scam. They will no longer be fobbed off with references to rules and entitlements. They will no longer shrug at the idea that someone living in a relative's bedroom actually, honestly, believes it to be her main residence. Tory grandees who use the system to pay gardeners and other domestic staff will now attract odium instead of indifference.
And, despite the best efforts of his sister-in-law, Gordon Brown is still going to find it difficult to explain not why he paid someone to clean his London flat, but why he needed a London flat as a second home at all when he has spent the last 12 years lording it up in Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street at the taxpayer's expense.
The other Mrs Brown was just one of a number of extras wheeled out over the weekend to try to lighten the atmosphere surrounding the expenses scandal. Another was ex-MP Matthew Parrish whose brief was to introduce a little levity into the proceedings. This he tried - and failed - to do by making the whole thing sound like a, slightly farcical, storm in a tea-cup, with frequent references to claims for bath plugs and other inconsequential household items ; as if ramping the system to defraud taxpayers of thousands of pounds was no different to padding a claim for car mileage in the private sector. Compounding his obvious ignorance of how the private sector works, Mr Parrish then compared the relatively low pay - his words - that MPs had to endure with the fantastic salaries they would undoubtedly attract if they worked in the Private Sector; as if the City and the private sector were two interchangeable terms.
MPs earn a basic salary of £68,000 without allowances. Compared with the six and seven figure earnings of the average Investment banker, that doesn't sound like a great deal of very much at all. But, it is three times the average wage. And, take it from me, it is a great deal more than many middle managers in the productive sector of the economy enjoy. More to the point, very few of the mediocrities who populate Westminster would actually hold down a job in private industry. That is why they are all so keen to climb the political greasy pole. Because the contacts and experience they accrue during their time in power are about the only marketable attributes they have once they get tossed out of office.
The reason that this and other attempts to downplay the scandal failed was that the Telegraph released details of Tory piggery to set beside the earlier revelations of Labour snouts in the trough. At a stroke, strident Labour claims of political bias were shown to be groundless. More to the point, the latest revelations demonstrated the depth of the corruption inside our political system. It became obvious to every one but Speaker Martin -apparently- that no one was going be able to puncture this particular balloon.
If anything, the more strident the denials become, the more hot air is spouted, the larger the balloon grows. Personally, I believe that at least one major politician might receive a visit from the police in the not too distant future. My nomination is Jacqui Smith although I would be equally happy to see Darling, Michael Gove or Michael Ancram having their collar felt. We live in interesting times.