Margaret Wilson's folly

We've just seen an interesting story in this morning's Herald, and we'll let Clare Trevett give you the details before commenting:

A ruling days before last year's election restored lucrative travel perks to 23 MPs, 12 of whom were not re-elected.

A freeze to stop the retirement travel perks of some MPs from building up was quietly reversed.

In 2007, the Speaker at the time, Margaret Wilson, put a limit on subsidised travel for former MPs so the level of discount for those who were still in Parliament halted as at 2005.

This would have meant MPs elected in 1996 could get a maximum subsidy of 60 per cent.

The reversal means they will be eligible for a 90 per cent discount after the 2011 election.

The subsidy would have halted at 75 per cent for those elected in 1993, but those MPs who left at the last election now get a 90 per cent discount.

Ms Wilson gave no reason for removing the freeze days before the election.

We reckon that this revelation says much about Labour's whole attitude to the 2008 election. By the death throes pof the campaign, despite their bravado, Labour's ruling elite knew that their days in government were fast running out. Could this have been just be another decision by a senior Labour politician designed to increase the burden on her successors?

The dollar amount involved as a consequence of Margert Wilson's decision is small in the overall scheme of things. But it's the principle of the whole thing which troubles us - especially when one considers that Margaret Wilson retired at the last election. Or is that merely co-incidental?