Surprise, surprise. The Top Hat and Tails coalition has hardly got it’s feet under the cabinet table when we discover that political hypocrisy is alive and well in our newly reformed parliament of squeaky clean MPs.
Just when this slimy lot thought it was safe to go back into the expenses office - David Laws, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has had to resign after admitting claiming expenses to pay rent for a room in a flat in Kennington, south London James Lundie
Since 2006, Parliamentary rules have banned MPs from "leasing accommodation from a partner".
As well as resigning from his cabinet role he said he would pay back the £40,000 he had claimed. That’s awfy good of him. This is the guy who, a week ago, was telling us all about the terrible spending cuts that were going to made and how we’ll a have suffer and accept.
The Yeovil MP said he had wanted to keep his relationship with James Lundie private and also queried whether Mr Lundie counted as a "partner" as defined by the rules. As rotten excuses go – that’s right up there.
The best way of keeping it private would surely have been to rent a room elsewhere. I believe in modern parlance that is what is known as a ‘no-brainer’.
This, surprisingly, seems to have eluded the otherwise razor-sharp mind of former Liberal leader Lord Steel when he tells us that: "His mistake did not cost the taxpayer a penny since he could have been paying to rent a room elsewhere.”
Lord Duffer clearly misses the point. It’s not what he paid - it’s who he paid it to. Had Laws been paying to rent a room elsewhere then that would be have been OK. If Steel can’t acknowledge this then he should return to the ‘home for the bewildered’ and prepare for his meds.
Me? I’m sick and tired of these people and their “honest mistakes”.
Take your pick. We either have a parliament full of dumb-fucks or one full of liars.
They must think that the rest of us are fucking stupid.
