PAIN PER VIEW...

This photo shows Second Home Secretary Jacqui Smith desperately launching into an attack on her husband Richard Timney`s throat, as the news has broken that Timney has been caught watching late night pay per view `adult` channels. Now, what goes on behind closed doors in the privacy of one`s own home is one thing, but there are differences in this case. The first is that presumably Mr. Timney was enjoying his late night entertainment in the family`s second home in Redditch, whiling away the early hours whilst his wife was sound asleep in her sister`s back bedroom in south London, which is apparently the family`s main residence, thus attracting up to £24,000 a year in taxpayer funded `expenses`in the second home.

As Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith is entitled to appoint a parliamentary advisor and she has done so. None other than the aforementioned Mr. Timney, who is paid £40,000 a year (allegedly) of taxpayers money presumably for offering `parliamentary advice` to his wife. All within the rules, of course, but whatever happened to the spirit of the rules, which clearly need overhauling and fast?

In regard to the `adult film` viewing, well I guess Mr. Timney can do as he pleases, but what is not acceptable is for the subscriptions for him to pursue this particular peccadillo to be claimed as expenses, again to be paid by the taxpayer and thus stretching the doctine of pay per view beyond reason. To be fair, Jacqui Smith has swiftly apologised and has promised to pay the subscription charges back to HM Treasury, but I suspect - indeed, I hope - it`s too little, too late. The damage has been done and she should really resign from the gravy train as soon as possible - like tomorrow.

It would be easy, cheap and trivialising of this whole affair to suggest, for example, that with a wife like Jacqui maybe Mr. Timney should attract at least a degree of understanding. But the seriously depressing thing is that, once again, the taxpayer has been taken for granted by a political culture that appears self-serving, out of touch and arrogantly unrepentant. Maybe this apparently trivial straw might finally have broken the back of any patience that may have remained, for one thing is sure - this ain`t no way to run a railroad.