The arrogance of New Labour power.

It’s been there sometime now; every now and again it will rear its head. In fact the arrogance of New Labour has been known for a while. In this context Michael Martin’s, the Speaker of the House of Commons, attitude toward British tax payer’s money has a pedigree. A baleful precedence. ‘Form’ as I believe the police say of ex-convicts…

But his arrogant belief that he can do what he wants with British tax payers money is, following a request by the Taxpayers Alliance, to be investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner. In particular his wife’s jollies around town in a taxi paid for by the British public to the tune of £4200 will be at the centre of the possible misappropriation of public funds claims.

And it was in response to this news that the Labour Peer Lord Spate, incandesant that his mate Gorbals Mick was being investigated, spat in to a BBC camera saying “What’s the Speakers wife supposed to do? Get on a bus!”. Oh how power corrupts! As long as she’s paying then I don’t care how Mrs Martin gets around. What was shocking was Spate’s attitude to other people’s money. To say nothing of the position of Speaker that Martin represents. His position should be one of aloofness, above the affray of the mud slinging of party politics. But now he never will be, and for that alone he should go.

In response to Lord Spate I would say that when your married to a man who already earns £138,000 a year courtesy of the tax payer, has £700,000 spent on your official residence and has claimed over £75,000 towards the cost to your second home then your wife is unlikely to need to take the bus anywhere. Even it is to cement that phoney working class image he still tries to cultivate simply to raise his own stock among voters. While on the subject it’s unlikely that Lady Spate will be in need of a bus pass just yet. He claimed £4500 in travel expense last year and over £20k in ‘overnight subsistence last year alone.