I was tidying my home office out the other day and found a "colour supplement" that the Daily Telegraph produced at the time of the MPs expenses scandal.
It listed every MP, what they had claimed (both good and bad) and highlighted some of the worst offenders.
As I read through it I found my anger begining to rise again (as it had when the scandal first broke).
There were MPs who avoided capital gains tax on houses sold, MPs who switched their "second home" half a dozen times so they could buy new things for different houses, MPs who bought TVs for £2,500 and put them on expenses and much more besides.
Two of the worst MPs, who claimed for mortgage repayments AFTER they had paid off their mortgage, have both since been sent to prison so some were punished.
But overall they should all be ashamed of themselves and have little right to critisize tax dodgers.
p.s. I should point out that the colouir supplement also highlighted the "good" MPs who lived in cheap accomodation, or did not claim many expenses, or did not buy a second home even though they were entitled to and so on. they were not ALL bad (but many were !).