THE GRAVY TRAIN STOPS HERE

No-one would expect the Telegraph to be a friend of Labour but Peter Mandelson's suggestion that exposing the ludicrous expenses claimed by sundry Cabinet Ministers is some kind of Zinoviev letter scenario is frankly absurd.
Harriet Harman ( see link below) has it right when she says that people are angry - and that people are probably right to be angry - despite the fact that n one of these MPs were breaking any actual rules. Years ago, Labour MP Dave Nellist took an ordinary wage in solidarity with those of us who earn rather less than Cabinet Ministers or MPs. I don't think most of us would expect that MPs shouldn't be paid their dues for working long hours and spending most of their lives ( as most of them do) looking after their constituents.
I don't think anyone reasonably can have a problem with MPs who live outside London having a home near Westminster.Most Northern MPs I know choose the most affordable, modst homes they can. MPs also need staff these days to cope with the mountains of casework they incur. But the latest rash of disclosures is frankly an unaceptable and excessive milking of a system which, as Harman says , needs to change. The payback for the privilege of being an MP is being beyond public reproach. Too many - in all parties - have regarded it as an unstoppable gravy train. It has to stop - now
http://www.politicshome.com/Landing.aspx?Blog=7608&perma=link#