If the law is in the way, change it?

Anyone who works in private industry, or even in the public sector, knows what a chore it is to have to produce receipts and act responsibly in use of funds. They have to answer to their employers.

Not MPs, it seems, they are self employed and do not have to answer to us their employers in any great detail over their expenses.

Yesterday's announcement, made on a good day to bury bad news, - when all were concentrated on the the third runway at Heathrow and a non-announcement on compensation for Equitable Life policyholders , is in defiance of a High Court Order under existing law which applies to them.

So the way out is to remove their need to observe the law, which applies to everyone else including councillors. "All animals are equal but some (the law makers) are more equal than others"?

It is true that MPs expenditures will be slightly more revealing, but the categories are so wide as to be virtually worthless. Thus "furnishings" will cover so many different things that we shall never know how far they have indulged themselves in any direction.

At a time when politicians are held in such low esteem, even contempt, this represents another dent in democratic accountability. We are talking about very large sums of money, well over £100,000 in many cases for all expenses, and to disguise by including large groups does not help.

It is to be hoped that a large number of MPs will speak and vote against the proposed exemption from the law which is to be debated next week. Even if they are defeated by an arrogant, gravy-train riding, self-seeking majority, it is to be hoped that sufficient of them will considering publishing a breakdown of their expenses and so shame the rest in their secrecy. At a time of recession, when many of us are losing jobs, homes or savings income while the gold-plated MPs are to have pension enhancement, it is imperative that they are seen to be behaving sensibly.