The Greens fess up to “making a mistake” in the way they used the accommodation subsidy for the benefit of their communal super fund; and Labour colleagues again rush to the defense of fellow MP Chris Carter over the largesse of his and his partner’s travel costs.

Meanwhile Finance Minister Bill English remains battered, bruised and potentially out of pocket over his Ministerial housing accommodation; and PM John Key travels business class to New York with his wife and children in “coach” on the same flight at their own expense.

The Hon Dr Michael Cullen spat the label of “rich pricks” at National in the early days of the Clark Government. Although on retirement he tried to expunge this jibe, it seems to have found deep roots in the political psyche. 

Not only does National not harangue the abuses of others, but by its actions, it is beginning to affirm its wealth.

Apparently it is excusable for the sanctimonious Green’s to rort the system, and a Labour MP to travel on the most tenuous of causes, but the current Government feels it must account to different standard.  Hence English foregoes legitimate expenses to keep his family together in Wellington, and the Prime Minister’s wife travels coach to the USA on “government business.”

There is a double standard, and it is that we are in an age when our politicians know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Tags: Bill English, Chris Carter, Double standards, Expenses, Greens, John Key, Labour, Michael Cullen, National, Travel costs

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 2:13 pm and is filed under Media landscape, PR Matters, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.