When it was revealed that the pension of Sir Fred Goodwin, the former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), who led RBS down a such calamitous route that it necessitated a £20 billion Government rescue, was valued at £16 million there was uproar in the House of Commons. Led by the virtuous Harriet Harman, MPs lined up to call out, ‘shame on you’, ‘give it back’, and ‘do the decent thing’. This is what we need in these troubled times; strong moral leadership.

Then we discover our Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, claims her sister’s spare bedroom is her main home and that the detached house she shares with her partner and children is her secondary residence.
The Speaker of the House and Glasgow MP Michael Martin earns a salary of £141,866. He has rented out his London flat while claiming expenses on his constituency home and living in a grace-and-favour (that means it is free) apartment in the Palace of Westminster.

Tony McNulty, the Employment Minister, claimed "second home allowance" for the house occupied by his parents in his Harrow East constituency, in northwest London, from 2001 until earlier this year, even though he moved out in 2002 after getting married for the second time. Mr McNulty lives just nine miles away in Hammersmith.

The list goes on and on and what they have in common is that all the MPs concerned claim these allowances are within existing rules therefore there is no case to answer. So no outraged, moralistic cries of ‘shame on you’, ‘give it back’, and ‘do the decent thing’ necessary here.

So where does the Tory Eton schoolboy ‘Ya Boo Sucks’ Front Bench opposition, who constantly call on the Government for enquiries/apologies/reviews, stand on this matter? Strangely silent is the answer. Could this be because his particular sleaze trough is truly cross-party?

I visited the USA last week and that country is hopeful that President Obama’s new regime will introduce positive results and get them back on the right track. It is nice to hear such optimism in these dark days.
The Obamas are redecorating the White House at their own expense although this isn’t their own family home, whilst UK taxpayers continue to foot the bill to redecorate homes, second homes and free homes for our MPs.

Unemployment in this country has now reached 3 million. And the reaction of our Politicians? Award themselves a 3 % pay rise.

These elected Members of Parliament each have the right to title themselves "Right Honourable Gentleman". It is high time they earned that right, cleaned up their acts and showed some real leadership when this country really needs it.

Why do I think I am likely to be disappointed?