tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212152.post-10812501978093681232008-05-08T16:33:00.004+01:002008-05-08T16:45:05.823+01:00<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2144/2314696603_6943d93850_o.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2144/2314696603_6943d93850_o.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Speaker's barrister yesterday told a High Court judge that forcing MPs to publish their exp­enses is a<span style="font-style: italic;"> "substantial intrusion" </span>into their private lives. Disclosing a detailed breakdown of their claims for running a second home, including addresses, might attract <span style="font-style: italic;">"the mad and the bad</span>... <span style="font-style: italic;">They might simply not want the world to know the details of how they were furnishing their home in some particular respect"</span>, Nigel Griffin QC claimed<span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The Devil puts it well <a href="http://devilskitchen.me.uk/2008/05/humble-suggestion.html">on his blog</a>: </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-style: italic;"><blockquote>Well, might I humbly suggest that—if this is the case—that MPs do not use taxpayers' f***ing cash to buy their furnishings?</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By all means remove the address if they are afraid of the people they supposedly represent - the important principle is that we should know what they are spending <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> money on. It is obvious that they really don't like us watching them pigging out at the trough. <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">They are clearly ashamed of their greed becoming publicly visible.</span></div>Guido Fawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091277669318213298noreply@blogger.com