Lord Taylor found Guilty

Yet another parliamentarian has been found guilty of falsifying his expenses, the excuse being made by his barrister was that he had undergone a drop in salary when he agreed to take on the unpaid role of a working Conservative peer in the House of Lords and had been told by senior peers it was normal practice to make false expenses claims "in lieu of salary".

The prosecution barrister Helen Law made an important point to the jury:
"Just because your job doesn't pay you much doesn't mean you can put your hand in the till. You ask for a pay rise, and you explain why it isn't enough. If it doesn't go up, you leave and you get another job."

There are a lot of our moaning MPs who should take note.
If they feel that they could get another job at more pay go and get it - in most cases I doubt if they could, and certainly not outside politics. If they claim, as Lord Taylor did, that they are in public life to "help people" and not for the money, then I would suggest the salary paid to the average C of E clergyman would be appropriate.