[Livia]

Originally Posted by waterhog

livia you held back livia - would have hated for you to speak your mind or let off steam - carlm down dear your heart has to recover

Quite rude.

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I was thinking this, if I stole £500 from my work I'd be out on my arse... £5000 and I'd be facing charges. But then I realised what the difference is - I'd be taking money from the profits of a private company (unforgivable!!) whereas they're just taking money from the tax pot. And after all, what is it there for other than for them to feed off of? It's just public money.

Then again... take a look at what happens to a benefits claimant who fraudulently claims £5000. And there's really no difference, then. What are MP's expenses other than benefits?

I don't work for a private employer I work for the government. And I can assure you that if I fiddled £5000 worth of cash or goods I would be arrested, and rightly so. She should have been arrested and charged with fraud. Ignorance of the law is no defence.

If a benefit claimant fraudulently claims money, they should be charged too. Two rights don't make a wrong... and the government have to underline that by making sure their own MPs don't get away with it and demonstrate we're all equal under the law.