Gangsters

The national news here regularly features stories about armed gangs, their murderous feuds and raids on banks and cash in transit. Maybe these things happen on a similar scale at home but don’t rate a mention in the press – given that the thievery (are those really expense claims) carried out by Westminster MPs makes most organised crime look petty!
Was minded to consider this when I heard from my old friend Jimmy C. He claims to have been a civil servant for his working life but now spends most of his time on the Costa del Sol or in Thailand – makes you think??
Talking about MPs, I have been following the Telegraph’s reports of their expense scams this week – partly because it makes a change from local coverage of the fate of Brian Cowen and Fianna Faill in the upcoming local and European elections. I think that Jeff Randall has it down to a tee in his comment on Friday describing old Gorbals Mick as the “chief of staff of the ‘fill yer boots faction’ inside Westminster”. Can you imagine this going on while Betty Boothroyd was Speaker? Still Mick is part of Flash Gordon’s support pack and probably safe in his lucrative position and the lifetime pension and other benefits that go with it.