The worst was the “flipping”. MPs can claim for their second home if their constituency is away from London. Claims can be larger for second homes than for first homes, MPs switched the designation of their houses from one to the other, depending on where the mortgage was larger. When one house was paid for, the other one became the second home. Hazel Blears, a cabinet minister, flipped thrice, sold a house and pocketed the capital gains, illegally. Alistair Darling, chancellor of the exchequer, who had an official residence, went on to claim for his second London home which he had rented out.

The British people respect their parliamentary system but not the parliamentarians. The anger of the people is palpable. Normally, British politics is remarkably free of corruption. There are no ATM ministries. It is because the public is unforgiving of even small bits of cheating that politics stays clean. All the claims were allowable though the flipping was somewhat ingenuous.

Gordon Brown failed to see the full extent of the damage. He did not see that his party and his government were being blamed. Michael Martin, the speaker, a Labour MP and a Scotsman like the prime minister, had to resign. Jacqui Smith and Hazel Blears have resigned, four MPs have been suspended from re-running by the Labour party and many more are thinking of retiring. So while all parties are guilty, it is Labour which is down in the low 20s in the opinion polls and 20 points behind the Tories. It is even possible that at the next election, Labour may trail behind the Tories and the LibDems in third place.

... contd.