Expenses Expenses Expenses

You may have (though probably not) noticed a pointed quietness from yours truly on the issue of MP's expenses. Believe me - this is not because I have any reservations about calling out the trough-snuffling MPs for what they are: corrupt, and unfit for public office.

I'm just immune to caring about it. I really just - don't - give - a monkey's. And admittedly, this is probably A Bad Thing.

But it is no surprise to me to learn that many of our public representatives are looting the public purse; that we live with a parliamentary system that is endlessly exploited by those within it for their personal gain. This, for me, is not news. It is a boring, disappointing formality of political life in this country. It doesn't rile me into a state of angry-Mr.-Blog-Twice-A-Minute as it seems to do with many of my fellow bloggers. The predictability of the whole thing - of the angry bloggers, and the weaselling justifications of the apologists, and the clamouring of political leaders to "seize the initiative" - does never cease to at least amuse me. But I feel rather aloof from the whole farcical saga.

Of course, deep down, it does annoy me. It irritates me. The egregious misuse of public money always annoys me. But the very last thing all these stories of MP's expenses do is surprise or outrage me.

I suppose, for me, I just feel that if your beef really is political corruption - and I would say it is one of mine - then there are so many larger and more important examples of waste and political corruption that, in their frenzy to nail MP after MP on their expenses claims (quite rightly, don't get me wrong), some on the blogosphere seem to be overlooking.

QUANGOs.

Fake charities.

The non-existent (as of yet) and consistently delayed Iraq War inquiry.

The corruption of corporatism and lobbying - big business and big government joined at the hip for the purpose of their gain, not ours, and the revolving door scenario between senior corporate employees and senior parliamentarians.

That's four far more pressing examples of waste and corruption, in terms of proportion. Next to these, all the recent elaborate expense claims border on trivialities. Now like I say, I do understand that it's a matter of principle, and I hate the fact that crooks are taking our money to watch "Ben Dover and the Cyberdykes" and buy bath plugs (which I hope aren't somehow indecently connected) - but I just wonder if we aren't missing the bigger picture. The expenses saga is undoubtedly one of the more overt examples of how b*ggered our political system is - but that said, it is just one of many, and a proportionately modest example at that.

So that's why I'm not being such a zealous activist in the cause of exposing our corrupt MPs, though perhaps I should be. I'm just not catching Expensivitus (or better, still, MPs-are-swine Flu) like a lot of other bloggers are.

That said, do sign the petition, co-authored by the TPA and FOI campaigner Heather Brooke, calling on all MPs expenses to be