Marina Hyde on New Labour’s relationship with money:
It is difficult to think of a more perfect testament to New Labour’s intellectual shallows. On the eve of the most deadly serious budget in decades, Gordon Brown posts a YouTube video in which he announces he has scheduled some inquiry — pre-empting debate about MPs’ expenses. It might as well have been captioned “I can haz bathplug?”.
MPs’ expenses are a cross-party blight, of course. But when historians come to assess this edifying period for our democracy, they may well remark upon what a pity it was that certain members who were so fastidious about their personal outgoings were so profligate and laissez-faire with the public purse. Olympic overspends, a couple of wars – they waved through the lot while perusing the John Lewis electricals catalogue.
New Labour just looked like … well, small-time crooks is the expression … And in the end, it’s the smallness of these people that you can’t get away from.