The Last Straw

Jack Straw, the Uk JUSTICE SECRETARY over-claims on his expenses for 4 years and says that he has done nothing wrong. He adds that accountancy is not his strongest suit. Well if he can't add up and he is not honest, and how do you explain such repetitive errors other than dishonesty, or perhaps, incompetence, what does he bring to the cabinet table? 

Alistair Darling does not appear to know whether he is coming or going, after repeatingly changing his mind over the the location of his "second home", each time, surprisingly, to his advantage in being able to claim more and more to feather this "nest". He even claimed for the cost of running his home in his Scottish constituency when living at our expense at No 11, long after the parliamentary commissioner told the Government, of which, remember, our darling friend is a member that this was "wrong".

Hazel Blears, responsible for housing policy, also had this inability to decide just where she lives, claiming for expenses at several homes, and the costs of furnishing them, in a short period of time. Her claims, we are told, are within the pound to the maximum permissible under the rules. Perhaps she can give the Justice Secretary a hand with his accounts. 

Even Gordon Brown has been in on the act, both when he was Chancellor and since becoming Prime Minister.  He appears to have paid for little of his own living costs since moving into No 10 on becoming Prime Minister nearly two years ago. 

The culture secretary says that he has "under claimed" by more than £40K, but what does that say about the "culture" by which his dishonourable colleagues appear to live? MPs have been in the privileged position to set down the rules by which they can be reimbursed, the costs of working in more than one geographical area, their constituency and Westminister. Their belief, in setting the current rules, that these were fair, reasonable and decent can only reflect on the morals by which they live. 

According to the Daily Telegraph, the list goes on. We have only had the first batch of these revelations leaked to us. No doubt over the coming days and weeks we will receive more stories of greed concerning other members of this House of Wastes. 

"Good lord" Mandelson, we are told, went on to claim expenses on his home even after giving his resignation, so we can expect a flurry of claims from at least the Government benches during the next few months as they must all, surely, question their position after the next election. 

Perhaps the next Prime Minister should be looking to employ Gordon Brown's cleaner to clean up the mess that the present Government has left us with, but no doubt it will be us that will be paying the bill.