A Sop?
When Stormont Live began this afternoon I wasn't sure how the government's proposals on MP allowances would impact here. As the programme ran on, I looked at the detail of the and realised that Northern Ireland was potentially being exempted from the second home change. Jim Nicholson reckons that's a sop to Sinn Fein, who would balk at an attendance based flat rate if that meant they had to take their seats. Conor Murphy argues that the public should be more exercised about those MPs who are using allowances to employ relatives and pay mortgages on second homes.
This should make the deliberations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, fairly interesting for observers here. The Commitee is charged with deciding when the flat rate is introduced here and with examining the rules on employing spouses and other relatives.
I'm 
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