Several trees have been felled to cover the MPs’ expenses story over the last week and there is little that I can add apart from my horror at some of the more excessive stories and my disappointment that the majority of the MPs who are working hard trying to
accomplish what they set out to do when seeking election, are being tarred with the same brush. Local councillors tend to get written off as feathering our own nests as well, despite the fact that there is no scope for expenses as far as I am aware, beyond travel for lead councillors representing the authority on official non-political business.
Gordon Brown hasn’t come out of this well but he has been consistent in his slightly creepy detachment from reality. Have a look at these two videos of interviews filmed a couple of weeks apart. The first is a Channel 4 interview about the Youtube appearance and his 11th hour backtracking from a daily allowance (known in Brussels as SOSO – sign in, sod off.) The second is a more recent appearance on BBC when he was caught on the hop by David Cameron’s firm line. Both times he tried to accuse the interviewer that they had their facts wrong. Both times, the interviewer was spot on.