Expenses scandal - the whitewash continues

First Nadine Dorries was cleared of wrongdoing by John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, now Julie Kirkbride. Montgomerie's piece on the Dorries white-wash suffices to explain why he now takes his rightful place among the Cūli emeritus causa.

Of course "parliamentary standards" is an oxymoron, and anyone in the real world who did half the shit these women perpetrated might have legal problems, but I suppose Lyons was influenced by some kind of misplaced gentlemanliness. Dorries remains in parliament, whereas Kirkbride at least had the grace to stand down at the last election. Hubby Andrew Mackay does not do so well:

We are very disappointed that, even after seeing the Commissioner's full report, Mr Mackay maintains that he did not break the rules, when it is quite clear that he did. Mr Mackay has already paid a high price for making such a serious misjudgment. The very fact that Mr Mackay is no longer a Member of Parliament shows what a heavy political price he has paid. He has also repaid a considerable sum of money. Nonetheless, we expect Mr Mackay, having read our Report, to apologise for the breach in writing. Had Mr Mackay still been a Member of this House, we would have recommended that he apologise on the floor of the House by means of a personal statement and we would have recommended a period of suspension from the service of the House.

Oooh! An apology to the House and a period of suspension! No wonder he took his fat pension, resettlement allowance and all the rest and stood down along with his virtuous wife.