In defence of Stephen Fry

I would like to defend Stephen Fry for dismissing MPs' expenses row.

The major issues are what elections should be decided on. Perhaps he overstated the case, but he is neither a politician nor a journalist. He did not seek a platform to express his views. He was interrupted and responded off the top of his head.

I have no complaints with investigating sleaze – what does bother me is that the story eclipses all others. The intense focus on expenses is particularly myopic parochialism. Other stories are overlooked – but who cares about oppression in Burma, or that innocent people were killed in Afghanistan, or that the people protested about it.

UPDATE
For an interesting “let’s get MPs’ expenses in perspective” post see Between the Hammer and the Anvil.