Hard Times For Some

One of the illusions pushed by politicians and the media was that during the recent economic downturn - "We are all in this together." This illusion is easily exploded by some recent figures about MPs expenses. 'Despite the furore of the expenses scandal just five years ago, MPs claimed £103m in 2013/14 -  up from £98m the previous year and slightly more than they did at the high watermark of £102m set in 2008/09. Higher staffing spend is one of the reasons that MP expenses claims have started rising since they were brought down when a tougher system was introduced in the wake of the scandal. In new figures, the parliamentary watchdog revealed that almost 170 MPs employed relatives or partners - a slight increase since last year.' (Guardian, 13 September) We are all in this together. The working class are in the economic mire and the MPs are up to their necks in bumper expenses. RD