The Whistleblower

Arguably, it's not a great time to be a British politician. You cannot fail to have noticed the press coverage surrounding the publishing of politician's expenses and in particular the misuse - abuse of the second homes allowance. David Cameron announced today that some of the more excessive conservative claims will be paid back, totalling £250,000. It's a sorry tale of vibrating leather chairs, flat screen tvs, duck house constructions and moat cleaning. The Daily Telegraph has left no stone unturned in fine combing the expenses detail. You name it, they've analysed it: biggest claims, worst cover ups, best quotes. In particular we have the opportunity to 'compare and contrast'. It has published the full, unabridged version, prior to the black felt tip pen. The embarrassment has been tangible and heads have rolled. We now have a new Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow. Later on, we may well look back on this period and see that these revelations have had the same seismic effect on UK politics as the Washington Post did on US politics with its revelations over the Watergate affair. The video below is interesting as it is an interview with the very man who gave the information to the newspaper, former SAS member, John Wick. He explains why he chose to be a whistleblower. As usual the BBC has come up trumps with a clear and easy to follow FAQ to help shed some light on the furore behind the revelations and show just how opaque the system can be. It also provides a European perspective on MP's pay packages.