MPs expenses - a new window of opportunity

What a surprise. After three years troughing Tom Wise has been charged 38 days before the European Elections. I'm sure our darling state, who consider membership of the EU to be a matter of national security, had nothing to do with it. Still, at least UKIP can say that they get rid of their bad apples, unlike other parties.

But now Gordon Brown has made an announcement that he wants MPs to clock in and out, just like MEPs.

Gordon Brown was blasted yesterday after rushing out plans to clean up MPs' expenses that could see them pocket up to £260 a day extra just for turning up.

The Prime Minister wants to introduce a Brussels-style daily allowance system which could see them get as much as £174 a day for accommodation and £86 for meals on top of their £64,000 basic salary.

MEPs of course who were subject to considerable attack by journalists last year following a secret report the European Parliament refused to make public. The leader and Chief Whip of the Tories in Brussels lost their positions although not their salaries, of course.

Den Dover was the one who I think must have had a dad who was the judge in his case. Michael Lea of The Sun caught him signing in at 7 in the morning before following him catching the eurostar home, and if memory serves me correctly took a lovely shot of him with his mouth open.

Now, Dear Old Den took the case to court saying that he was paid that day because he was up until the early hours working hard. What can you say to that? I seem to recall Godfrey Bloom writing at the time saying many the time he caught the lift, bleary eyed at 4 in the morning after working for hours on amendments for tractor brake lights. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

So should these proposals go through - although it looks highly unlikely - at least it opens a whole new opportunity for journalists to camp outside offices or barriers catching out MPs signing in and then buggering off.

And that's without even monitoring what they're up to.

Because of course, now 75% of our laws come from Brussels, it can't be a huge amount. Maybe whilst these expenses are being altered they should also cut the salaries to show a true representation of how much power they now have? Okay, you'd have to get them to admit that we've handed over the vast majority of our law making abilities to a group of fanatical civil servants, but MPs are nothing if not honest, loyal and true.

And just for good measure.