Talk of noses in the trough. The scandal of British MPs boosting their salaries with ridiculously expenses claims has been going on for years. The big issue is that it is they who vote on the system - and they have been getting away with murder. What is so galling to the public is that at a time when Gordon Brown has frittered away billions of pounds to bail out the banks, the MPs have been helping themselves unscrupulously to our money - money we reluctantly pay in taxes.

MPs have jealously guarded their expenses claims in the past, but with the era of openness, there had to come a time when all was going to be revealed - and that is now. The current Labour Government is in its death throes and is almost certain to be ditched by the British electorate at the next General Election. As the ruling party, it was particularly embarrassing for them to be caught up in the scandal. But the Conservative leader David Cameron, who is likely to be the next occupant of Number 10 Downing Street, stole a march by ordering MPs from his party who had abused the system to pay back expenses they did not deserve. He rightly said it was no good saying the expenses were within the law. He realized that the public did not approve - so moved quickly to limit any damage to his party.

The public is fed up with the arrogance of MPs. Not only do they vote themselves inflated pensions, they also make sure they can feather their nests - their first and second homes, sometimes flipping that second home to make more money. It is true that we want to attract top class politicians to serve us. And that means paying them well. They often have to stay overnight in London after a hard day's work in the house of Commons. But to expect us to pay for them to buy a second home there - where prices are among the highest in the world - and then to pocket huge profits is wrong.

Gordon Brown has been like a rabbit caught in the headlights over this issue - and just about everything else he has been confronted with since replacing Tony Blair. David Cameron has pledged to clean up politics if he gets into Number 10. Tony Blair made a similar promise, yet his Premiership was tainted with lies and spin. Hopefully, Cameron will prove to be the real thing and sort out this expenses mess and haul Britain back up into the great country it once was.

The scandal caused by the expenses has rocked Westminster. I would not be one bit surprised if the backlash saw undesirable parties such as the far Right British National Party cashing in with enormous election gains, particularly in the north of England. Few people want that - but if it happens, we can only blame the extravagant behavior of our current MPs and their predecessors.

Learn more about this author, Phil Hill.
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