Greed of elected members

I was incensed, to put it mildly, to read that Tony Blair will receive millions from his memoirs on the American lecture circuit, due to their admiration for him. It's just a pity that the British people do not feel the same.

If this is the case, he and all politicians should not be allowed to claim any sort of pension, where personal wealth gives them an income above the state pension. This would then leave more money for those who really need help in their old age.

Equally irksome was the fact that MPs run up huge bar bills in Westminster, where binge drinking is rife, and spend no less than three quarters of a million pounds on wine alone, courtesy of the great British public.

However, to read that taxpayers subsidise catering in Parliament to the tune of about £5 million, is nothing short of scandalous. Having subsidised canteens for working staff is one thing, but not for highly paid MPs.

Now it seems, our 646 talking shop overpaid part-timers want a £40,000 pay increase, and say they are overworked. In addition to allowance and expenses this can increase to around £200,000. In 2005 they claimed a total of £80 million in expenses.

It's a safe bet that whatever they receive, the other set of part-timers in Cardiff Bay will want the same. No council tax or mortgage worries for them. More wealth to the already well off, whilst ordinary folk struggle to get by.

As for the much debated legacy that will be left behind by Tony Blair and his government, it's quite simple really - from Great Britain to Little Britain in nine years.

Bernard Jones, Newtown