Barrett’s Blog

This blog aims to give an insight into the day to day life of an MP, rather than being a political soapbox.

February 2010

4 February 2010

Expenses

Today is the day that the list of MPs who have to pay back some of their expenses is published. Fortunately I am not one of them. About half of the 646 MPs have to pay back something. Some, over £40,000 and many much smaller sums. The problem is that the honest mistake and the fraudulent claim are all seen as the same and once again everyone is tarred with the same brush. This will not be the end of the affair and it will not doubt rumble on to the election and beyond.

3 February 2010

Is this my good side?

Outside Westminster this morning getting some photographs taken today. Later on I discovered that the photographer had been stopped by the police and asked who he was and what he was doing. Am not sure how the police expect to detect the difference between the potential terrorist and the genuine tourist or photographer, but just asking them is unlikely to get the truth out of a terrorist. Unfortunately the photographer had dozens of photographs of me in his camera and not much else. At least the security services should have a good shot of me on their files now.