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Expenses fraud is a crime: No ifs no buts

By John Hirst

Expenses fraud is a crime: No ifs no buts

"Michael Martin, the Speaker of the House of Commons, has launched a High Court legal challenge to stop details of Gordon Brown's personal expenses claims being made public".

How many times have I heard the government state if we have nothing to hide we have nothing to fear?

There is something wrong with the government challenging its own legislation in the High Court. There is something wrong with the government employing a firm of lawyers at the public's expense to prevent the public examining MPs expenses. It is ridiculous to claim that it is on security grounds, a desire to keep MPs addresses secret, that the government is acting. Even more absurd is the claim "It is also arguing that MPs should not have to disclose the details of their expenses because they did not know at the time they made the claims that they would be made public". If there is nothing dodgy what difference does it make?

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on March 26, 2008 (boomark / email).