It looks like a scandal. It is a scandal. Why? Some say it's just greed, others that it is inevitable in a capitalist system! But greed is part of human nature. It is natural for people to want to better themselves, though we are restricted by laws, by our own beliefs and desires, and by the culture of the society we live in ( in other words by what others expect of us).

We cannot condone the activities of MPs who have abused their privileged position, but we should not accuse all equally. Each case has to be examined separately, taking into account all the surrounding circumstances. (The fees office seem to have played a very negative role), MPs may be representative of their electors, in the sense of sharing their underlying beliefs. Yet we do, rightly, expect them to maintain higher standards.

It is true that the way that abuses have been presented make many appear worse than they are. Picking individual items from lists on a receipt can make claims look silly. The press as a whole works under great commercial pressure; it makes mistakes , and is liable to bias. This story has been filtered out to make a maximum impact. MPs who have been wronged may get compensation, but by then the damage is done. We suspect the newspaper's motive has been more commercial than political, but the result is that a new image has sunk into the public mind.

In terms of political policies this row over expenses is largely irrelevant. The political atmosphere, however, could change dramatically. Either it could become either more cynical and negative, or, just possibly, it could raise interest by bringing political principles again to the forefront.