Public Money - Private Gain

The fall and fall of former Scottish Labour MP and former Unison official - Jim Devine - is a sorry sight I feel - even if he did bring the house down on his own head.

But it also highlights the hypocrisy surrounding our Westminster parliamentarians - the lack of common sense rules and standards - and the way in which many have got away Scot-free - with feathering their own nests.

The newspapers reported yesterday that Jim Devine will have to put his London flat up for sale -  in a bid to pay his creditors.

Now that's the right thing to do in the circumstances - but the flat which is on the market for £239,950 apparently - was bought with public money of course.

Because Jim Devine was buying the flat with his MP's second home allowance - paid for by the public purse.

Yet while Jim Devine's private asset - which was bought with public money - is being sold off to pay his debts other MPs - of all parties it has to be said - get to keep these 'ill-gotten' gains.

So while Jim Devine pays the price - others like former Labour peer Baroness Uddin - swan back into public life and a £300 per day tax free allowance.

Yet the noble Baronness has paid back not a single penny of the £125,000 she was ordered to repay - by the House of Lords - for fiddling her expenses.

And the authorities say they are powerless to do anything about it - which is laughable - that's what everyone said about Sir Fred (the Shred) Goodwin's pension - until the media and the public got on his case.

In my view all the Westminster MPs - who have benefited hugely from having a second home in London bought for them by the public purse - should return the proceeds of their capital gain.

After all - the capital gain was purchased with public money - so why should our MPs keep the profit to themselves?