Cheap shot

It would be understandable for anyone picking up today’s local paper to think that Swansea West MP Alan Williams had been outed in the parliamentary Ex-files. But although the website version of the same story carries the claim ‘MP used taxpayers' cash to buy dog bowl’ – the story turns out to be more of an over-heated dog’s breakfast.

Williams, who is a respected parliamentarian and Father of the House, has been identified by the Daily Telegraph as one of the so-called ‘saints’ whose expense claims were minimal compared to the excesses of some MPs, but that didn’t seem to deter the Beans on Toast who cannot resist a cheap shot and a front page headline.

The website articles claims that “questions have been asked” about his purchases – which don’t actually include a dog bowl - but fails to come up with a name as to who’s doing the asking. The many inconsistencies in and between the website & printed versions strongly suggest that the query comes from someone in another profession that has a ‘creative’ approach to job & travel expenses along with a nice line in free gifts, samples and freebie holidays to supplement their salaries.

Some might say that the local paper is just doing its job, but the majority - who know that Alan Williams has done a damn sight more for the people of Swansea West than the Evening Post could begin to claim when it comes to serving the community (and has been a lot more modest about it) – will see it very differently. And it might well transpire that this second view is shared by Mr Williams’ lawyers as well.