See, we're going to give you a salary AND an allowance for, y'know, turning up to work.

When is reform not really reform at all? When it is Gordon Brown's plan to change the MPs expenses system:

Gordon Brown has said MPs' second homes expenses should be replaced by a flat-rate daily Commons attendance payment.

Commons attendance payment? So, we are going to pay MPs an allowance for turning up to work? You what now? What the bleeding hell is their salary for then? And what other job will give you an allowance for turning up to fucking work? Other than, you know, your wage or your salary?

And this is meant to restore people's faith in the system? We're going to have our faith restored by paying MPs an allowance on top of their salary for turning up at their place of work? Yeah, that'll restore my faith in our MPs. My faith that they are a bunch of money-grabbing, shifty lazy bastards who want booting out of the corridors of the power as soon as possible.

Instead, let's go with my plan for MPs expenses. Every single receipt for every single expense should be visible to the public. It should be in both the national and local news. We should know exactly how much each and every MP is costing us. And then we can make the decision at the next election as to whether we keep them on or not. Furthermore, if an MP has lost a receipt, then they refund the public purse from their own purse.

One thing, and one thing alone, will restore public confidence - transparency. Anything else - including all this freeform bullshit about attendance allowances - will do nothing other than increase the naked contempt the electorate feels towards their MPs.