When ordinary people cheat it is called benefit fraud but when MPs do the same it is called expenses abuse or Expensesgate…
Some of you may not be aware of this esp. those of you living outside Britain but there has been a relentless media campaign here against MPs making dubious expenses claims
The House of Commons (British Parliament) speaker Michael Martin was forced to resign yesterday.
Some MPs have gone beyond the rules or have used expenses claims to obtain profits such as fitting out houses to sell on, cleaning the moat!!
There is now growing public demand for all those involved (some 50 out of 550 odd MPs are thought to have abused the rules or made false tax claims) to be named, shamed and reprimanded and even expelled from the commons.
To me MPs’ expenses are, in many cases, just a posher version of benefit fraud
(…ps. I wonder what the outcome would be if an independent commission were to investigate our own khaleefas (read MNAs). Perhaps all 300 odd MNAs would have to be expelled from parliament!!)