How the other half thinks.

For years I've been a poster on various message boards under the name SWL. Some here may know and recognise me and they'll also know that Jury Team and it's principles could have been written for or by me. One board that I've had a number of bitter debates on over the years is the BBC H2G2 board, a site started by the late Douglas Adams. It attracts a certain type of people, you could say. When I signed up as a candidate for Jury Team, I swore off posting on H2G2 until after the election due to BBC electioneering rules. But I still check it out each day, as you do.

It seems others don't have the same opinion of the current expenses scandal that the majority of the population does. A thread was started today titled "Wouldn't you?".

Wouldn't you ... make the best of any expenses and allowances available if you were an MP. that is?

Be honest!

Some of the responses -

Yes, of course I would. And I'd invent some self-justification in my head if anyone challenged me on the morality of it as people do in these situations.

There's been a lot of talk about "pigs at the trough" and huffing and puffing about the outrageous singular immorality of MPs. Hogwash (no pun intended), anyone who knows anything about the general public will know that if they have the chance of getting something and making someone else shoulder the bill they'll do it.

Some of the expense claims are a bit dodgy but in the end, if they allow them to claim for a second home then that's mostly all that they have done as far as I can see.
Hazel Blears (noisome as she is) did exactly what I considered a couple of years back to avoid capital gains tax on a house sale. In that case I think you'd have been stupid not to do it given that it's within the law. Turned out it my case I'd no need but the potential hole in my finances from capital gains tax made me look into avoiding it quite heavily.

So yes, I'll say yes, I probably would.

Is it just me?

By the way, the full thread can be found here

It's interesting that some people actually seem to not mind what's been going on. Even more interesting that these are the same people who bang on about poverty and iniquity in the world.

Strange, strange people.