MPs Expenses

When my Ex Wife became Tax Inspector, there is a heavy clue there why she is my ex, she had to travel to Edinburgh for training. While personally I dislike the term training as you train a dog you educate people, as a graduate on a fast track civil service programme that was what they called it.

I personally was shocked by the way that she was able to claim advance expenses. As there was a tariff for what was allowable, she was able to claim the maximum amount yet spend only part of this on the actual costs of travel and living costs. Especially as she went with several collogues and as the training was going to last for a year they rented a flat, each was making about seventy five pounds tax free. I told her that I felt it was wrong, especially as her job was supposed to be stopping people who are on the fiddle.

To me it looked and felt wrong, immoral, as this is tax payers money. While I have no problem with the expenses being generous enough so that the people are not uncomfortable or inconvenienced. Nor should a civil servant be left out of pocket or placed in a situation where they are susceptible to a bribe. However, if it looks and feels wrong, even if it is within the rules, it becomes a form of corruption.

When the present system for enabling MPs to claim for the costs of being a Member of Parliament were introduced it was needed. The previous system meant that only the rich were properly able to carry out the full duties of an MP for their constituents. And these changes are very recent, the past thirteen or fourteen years.

However, the way that they are furtively trying to hide the details makes MPs look like they have their snouts in there and are engorging themselves.

Then the sudden announcement that Gordon Brown, our esteemed leader (in a truly north Korean sense), now wants MPs to have a daily allowance for attending parliament instead of second home expenses, well this just has so much comic potential.

I can see it now the MPs having to turn up for registration, then as soon as the bell rings for the fist class... Well some will be behind the bike shed smoking, others will be bunking off and playing truant... It will end up with some MPs being given detention.

Why do I get the feeling that this is being done for political reasons?