Tony McNulty and the Adventure Of His Parents' Home

The cry went out again yesterday - from an MP, of course. The increasingly common cry of "I've done nothing wrong!" This time, the person protesting was Tony McNulty. The kind of person who could only become a Minister in the real fag end of a once popular government.

And what was McNulty's crime? Aside from being part of Gordon Brown's cabinet (a crime that really should warrant the death penalty) McNulty was claiming expenses on a second home - like so many other MPs. However, his parents were living at the second home. He claims that he was making considerable use of it, and therefore the expenses are justified. I made considerable use of my parents' home - mainly when I was growing up there - but that's different, of course. McNulty is an MP, and therefore should be allowed to fleece as much money as possible from the taxpayer through the immensely generous expenses system.

Which is the whole problem. For what it is worth, I don't think McNulty actually broke the rules - but I'm pretty fucking sure he knew he was taking the piss. But the rules are so outrageous, and so insulting to anyone who actually has to fund these fucking MPs, that not breaking the rules really isn't the point. The rules allow you to rinse the system for your own financial benefit. But just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should do it. The rules are a fucking outrage, they need changing.

In fairness McNulty acknowledges this:

"I have said these things need to be looked at," he said. "There are anomalies."

Wild applause for the man, please. For having the fucking gall to claim the very rules he is exploiting need to be changed. The concept of leading by example is utterly alien to McNulty. He is perfectly happy to call for changes to the rules, knowing that his fellow MPs will resist them for all they are worth, but until those rules change, he is more than happy to suck the public purse dry in return for the privilege of serving his constituents and acting as a Minister of the State.

There is nothing original in noting that an MP is a hypocritical wanker; yet time after time we get new examples of the absolute contempt they feel for everyone bar themselves.