The front page of today's Daily Post is a further example of the expenses scandal getting out of hand. Wanting to get their bit of the action the Daily Post has "exclusively" discovered that the three Plaid MPs used some of their incidental expenses allowance to pay for legal advice regarding the Iraq war.
The Daily Post seems to think that this is wrong, because it means that "Labour supporters forked out" to fund a campaign to oust the Prime Minister. Rather a pathetic claim to make. As all tax payers pay towards all MP's costs, Plaid supporters will pay a damned site more per head to Labour Tory and Lib Dem MP's than than any taxpayer pays for the cost of Plaid MPs. And all of the MP's expenses put together will be chickenfeed in comparison to the billions that opponents of the illegal war have had to fork out to finance the military campaign.
What ever one's opinion of Plaid Cymru, Tony Blair or the war in Iraq, it should be clear to any unbiased observer that getting legal advice about the activities of the government of the day is a legitimate way for oppositions politicians to hold the government to account.
This is a non story and is more of an embarrassment to the Daily Post for reporting it than it is for the three MP's concerned.
I defended Elfyn Llwyd, Hywel Williams and Adam Price on Radio Cymru for their use of their office costs allowances for legal advice on the issue of holding Blair to account. You do not need to agree with their viewpoint to accept the fact that research is a legitimate use of office allowances and contribute to a degree to an equal playing field for opposition parties. After all, ministers can call upon the support and research of the entire civil service.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Elfyn llwyd has claimed to be whiter than white throughout this expenses scandal. I therefore find his monthly claim of £400 for food as disclosed by the Daily Post(the max. you can claim without the need for any supporting paperwork) to call into question this claim of probity.
Whilst he is in London Elfyn often works as a Barrister - does he split his food expenses on the basis of the amount of time spent in Parliament and the amount of time spent working? And how much food do you need to consume over 16 nights (4 weeks per month 4 night per week) to claim £400? I understand that his boiler was not working but was his kitchen out of action as well?
I thought that Elfyn would have been above such blatant maximising of his allowances but apparently not....