All aboard the gravy train?

(c) maurice

I’m hungry, it looks appetising, I order the frittata. And potatoes. And veg. And to top it off, a drink and dessert. I’m not one for extravagant lunches, but it only costs £1.20. This is the House of Commons after all. Even in my university days I wouldn’t get away with such a cheap lunch. My initial thoughts at the time have been confirmed; MPs have subsidised themselves one hell of a lifestyle.

A number of MPs are immoral, greedy two faced Shylocks of the modern day who deserve to be kicked out of public office, consigned to the annals of an ancient history. But I am starting to feel quite uneasy about the sheer scale of public backlash against anyone in a suit who walks within the SW1 area.

This is simply unfair. Many MPs work incredibly long hours and spend large amounts of time frustrated in their attempts to genuinely change the lives of their constituents for the better, often in vain. Cambridge MP David Howarth of the Liberal Democrats would be entitled to a second home, yet doesn’t claim it on expenses, despite his constituency being farther away from Westminster than say, I don’t know, Jacqui Smith. Labour’s John Mann is one of the most decent politicians there is, and has long fought the expenses system.

Many of us have taken advantage in our own profession. ‘Put it on expenses’ is a common theme of most work environments, and whilst MPs are doing so on the taxpayer, there is a difference between Michael Gove’s one off £500 hotel bill and Hazel Blears’ efforts to squeeze every last penny out as possible.

The problem is certainly not the Howarths and Manns of parliament, or even Gove’s slightly bizarre receipts, but those such as Jacqui Smith and Blears who do it because they are simply greedy. But don’t tarnish all MPs with the same brush. Are all estate agents pushy salesmen who would sell a dead horse to their mothers? Do all charity workers persistently follow you down the street?

The moral of the story is that not all politicians, even some of those implicated in this scandal, are greedy, vicarious individuals. There are a few, but it’s the same in every walk of life. Politicians are no different from any other set of people, and this is a point that sadly lost on the public. And it is precisely this unaware, over opinionated viewpoint that has infected the populace which causes the likes of Gordon Brown to spend more time on makeup and Youtube videos than actually reforming the expenses system.

The content of this article is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of The Vibe.