An expendable Lord

On 25 November 2011, expenses cheat, Lord Haningfield, was quoted thus by The Daily Mail:

“I have had to remortgage my house. I am 70. I am pretty much destitute. I have never had that much money... I am now going to have real, real problems for the rest of my life surviving…

I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. I clearly was… I probably didn't have time to think because I was too busy trying to save money for the taxpayer… I thought I could vary between the categories, it was my mistake and I apologise for it. But I WOULD NEVER HAVE COMMITTED ANYTHING I THOUGHT WAS A CRIME. I WOULD NEVER HAVE COMMITTED ANYTHING I THOUGHT WAS A CRIME IN MY LIFE…

LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED HAVE JUST PAID MONEY BACK.... I don't think 85 per cent were staying all the nights in London. My name was well down the list of total amounts. I just think it was easy to prosecute me because of the fact that they were able to trace my movements in coming home. Because of the police prosecution I couldn't be dealt with the same way as the other people.

IT IS JUST BECAUSE THE HOUSE OF LORDS SYSTEM WAS SO CONFUSING AT THAT TIME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE CLAIMED THINGS THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE. I feel obviously that I had a hard time by it. That is why it has hurt me so much. NO-ONE WOULD HAVE DREAMED IT WAS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AT THE TIME.

I think I have really paid my debt to society if I was wrong. I think people need to understand that. It has been absolute hell for the past two and a half years and I am sorry.”

No-one would have dreamed taking more than they were entitled to was a criminal activity? You're wrong their, Milord. Even now, most Brits would. But you are a member of the trough-gobbling elite, a slitherer up the greasy pole. You lot think you are immune to the sharp sting of British justice and most of the time you are correct in thinking this.

For a few of you, amazingly, the usual outcome proved NOT to be the case this time around. You would appear to be an expendable Lord. A sacrificial, clapped-out old ram. A sop to the muttering mass.

Don't whine, Milord. You got less than your just desserts. If I was the boss, you'd have been catfood by now.