Flippin Eck

I came across this picture of a jockey 'riding' a dolphin recently - which brought back memories of the famous American TV show - Flipper.

Strangely enough this conjured up in my mind an image of Westminster MPs - and some of their more unbelievable expenses claims.

Here's another extract from 'No Expenses Spared' - a great book that takes the lid off the MPs' expenses scandal:

"Within a matter of minutes the team had established, by checking publicly available online  electoral rolls and Companies House records, that the Andrew Brown whose name and address appeared on the receipts was indeed the Prime Minister's brother. Clearly the Prime Minister had some explaining to do.

As Prince (one of the investigating team) continued her search, Brown's expenses threw up other potentially damaging material. The Prime Minister had originally designated as his second home a flat in London where he lived with his wife Sarah. But in September 2006, within a fortnight of discovering that Tony Blair would be stepping down as Prime Minister (and hence that he would be moving to Downing Street as his successor) Brown had switched the designation of his second home to his constituency in Scotland.

The implication seemed clear: Brown had changed his designated second home so that he could carry on claiming thousands of pounds from the taxpayer even after he moved into a grace and favour flat in Downing Street.

There was plenty more besides. Brown had submitted two claims for the same plumber's bill, and had been paid twice. At the very least, it amounted to a deeply embarrassing oversight for the then Chancellor of the exchequer. The canny Scot also had an Ikea kitchen installed at a cost of £9,000, spreading the payments over two financial years, which meant that he stayed within the limit for each year's total claim.

There had also been a dispute with the fees office over a £105 children's window blind. Officials, on first seeing a receipt which said simply 'Noah's animals', had apparently assumed it was for a toy, and rejected it. Sarah Brown had written to the fees office on paper headed 'Gordon and Sarah Brown' saying: 'The Peter Jones receipt for window blinds for London accommodation needs to be reimbursed.' The fees office promptly paid up.

The Prime Minister, a self-confessed sports fan, had even put in £36 monthly claims for the cost of his Sky TV package. How would the public feel about stumping up for Gordon Brown to watch live football on telly? Would voters be happy when they found out that they had bought a £265 vacuum cleaner for the then Chancellor, who was at the time paid £144, 520 a year? Or that they had paid for Rentokil to get rid of mice at his home in Fife, at a cost of £352. The list went on and on."

Now what seems remarkable to me is that Gordon Brown did not receive an  even harder time over his expenses claims - because having designated his London flat as his 'second home' for years - he suddenly switched or 'flipped' and started making odd claims in Fife.

Odd in the sense that they had nothing to do with the performance of his duties as an MP - in the House of Commons. Unless you include getting rid of mice in Fife - in that definition of course.

And on a separate note - what was all this about headed paper saying: 'Gordon and Sarah Brown' - now is that terribly pretentious or what?