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Speaking of coincidences...

As to the hapless Mr. Martin and those who surround him (with the best and worst of interests at heart), to mangle another of Stephen Fry's inspirational heroes, maybe a case of 'The unspeakable hounding the un-Speaker able'?

Couldn't think of a nicer bunch to watch at work.

I suppose that this matter of MPs expenses and the comparison with journalists is all to do with expectations. Do you expect that a journalist will fiddle the expenses? Do you expect that a builder will overcharge? Do you expect that the vicar will dip his hand into the collection? Do you expect that a politician will tell the truth and act properly? Do you believe that a policeman is bound to be honest about all matters?

Well, depending upon one's own expectations, one provides the answer to oneself. When that self-determined answer is proved wrong, then one's own judgment is called into question. The errors in one's own judgment are the things which cause the real problem for the onlooker. The real cynics never have anything to complain about because they usually have the opportunity of seeing themselves proved right over and over. The real pain is suffered by those who have faith in others; so perhaps the current outrage over MPs expenses is evidence of a less cynical society. However, perhaps this current outrage is simply another peg upon which a cynical society can vent its underlying feelings about things in general.

The public should know a lot more about people's expenses - the private jets of top bankers, the generous allowances of the captains of industry etc etc. And before someone says 'it's not public money' we provide it indirectly as customers.

We should also be told about the House of Lords expenses and more digging is needed into the MEP gravy train, surely the most awash with corruption of the lot.

As for the media, it's scary to contemplate. I can remember working in an ITV company 30 years ago where everyone took taxis to cross the road, and many senior people worked a couple of minutes past the deadline that allowed them to take a cab all the way home.

If the Daily Mail (among others) was as exercised about the top people's perks as they are about the few pounds 'benefit cheats' get away with, this country might get cleaned up sooner.

Just a thought - I wonder what the expenses claoms are of the 25 journalists working on this story for the Daily Telegraph?

IT'S NOT THE MONEY STUPID (NOR MARTIN)

And I do not require them to 'regain my trust' (which they neither had, nor deserved, in the first place).

Leaving aside the active manipulators-for-gain, in all their 57 varieties; the rest are made up of those who connived and condoned - perhaps colluding and conspiring? And if any should say they had no idea what was going down, look on them with pity and ask what they bring to governance. As for Shiny Boy Dave: is he pretending he has only just realised the EU is corrupt? Finally: 'I was an EU negotiator' Clegg; did he not know about EU fiddling from his multilingual magnificence? You'd think he would have picked up a lot of chatter - in all those languages.
I won't bother with Jimmie Brown . . .

No, Enough is enough. No more palatial party-political games. Demolish that den of iniquity. Disperse its awful spawn. If that is governance at it best, let's have none of it.

we know the bbc is only second to bankers in executive terms and conditions as they play fantasy broadcasting with what is these days an unnecessary tax.

We are told these wages and pensions are the market rate. if people want to see what the real 'market rate' is look at what is happening in itv. perhaps we could have a broadcasters executive wives soap?

To be honest, anyone who is stupid enough to sit in a burning building for 20 minutes until someone tells them to leave has to be a politician or a journalist. Anyone with a brain would have legged it long before.