Mice or men?

By common consent Michael Martin is a poor Speaker and not always fair. If his expenses are within the rules, so much the worse for the rules. He draws over £20,000 a year to spend on the only house he owns, while in London he enjoys grace and favour apartments.

He should never have been Speaker anyway. It wasn't Labour's turn, but their new MPs blithely rode roughshod over democratic precedence.

So he is biased, incompetent and expensive. What do the fearless guardians of our government do? They rally round to protect him.

Gordon Brown says he is "a very good Speaker" (complete rubbish, clearly demonstrating Brown's attitude to the truth), Cameron says it is not for him to become involved as a party leader, and Clegg says - ever so little so incoherently. All the MPs seem to be cowering, afraid to put their heads above the parapet.

And these are the people who would lead our country. Pygmies all.

The muddle around MPs' expenses makes the case for Accountable Transparency. The rules certainly need to be rewritten - for instance to stop people like Mr and Mrs Balls, John Cruddas, and the Wintertons abusing housing allowances for their own profit.

And activities like those of the Embezzler Con way must be stamped out.

The key reform then will be accountable transparency. All MPs' claims and expenses must be published on the web in detail (except where the privacy of members of the public might be compromised), so that journalists and diggers can inspect them.

Meanwhile these fearful elected representatives tiptoe around an issue of housekeeping where the remedy is obvious.

No wonder Robber Conway is still an MP.