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| Hugh Muir's diary An end to all that flipping and trousering. Salvation is here. But it never comes cheap• No foolproof way to measure the damage inflicted on the political life of the nation by the parliamentary expenses scandal, but the cost to the taxpayer is becoming a little clearer. About £500,000 recouped so far, and it would have been even more if Sir Thomas Legg, the auditor, had gone in hard, demanding repayment of profits from flipping houses and capital gains tax evasions. The honourable member for trouser-gate may reflect that things could have been much worse. But if the questionable claims amounted to a pretty penny, that figure will be as nothing when set against the costs incurred so far in catching errant members and establishing the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the watchdog that will now lead the drive against dodgy claiming. This year the quango's budget will be £6.5m. Add to that another £393,000, the cost of the inquiry already conducted by the committee for standards in public life. Big figures all round. Next year, when MPs' salaries and allowances are paid by the new authority, led by Sir Ian Kennedy, its budget will be around £175m. Keeping parliament on the straight and narrow is a pricey business. Poor old taxpayer. Just can't win.• And poor old peers. For the wives of the male peers are allowed to take their titles, the House of Lords was told on Monday. But husbands of the female peers have to use their own names. "Equality has to start here in the chamber," said crossbencher Baroness Deech of Cumnor in the county of Oxfordshire – ably supported by Baroness Trumpington in the county of Kent. At last, a touchstone issue for the masses. Yes, the battle starts right there.• The polls are close, opinions are shifting – just nine points between Labour and the Tories, according to pollster ICM. So this is no time to be accused of favouritism. Hence the agonies at Radio 4 last week over the last in the series of Jonathan Myerson's Number 10, a drama about a fictional Labour prime minister. Executives went into meltdown after someone realised that the show – having recently and accurately predicted a sequence of events such as the arrest of a Tory MP for talking to a whistleblower – ends with the election of a Tory prime minister. The fear was that the BBC, always in the crosshairs, would be pilloried for bias. After furious debate, the broadcast went ahead, in the hope that the whole thing would pass unnoticed by anyone who would make mischief. And it did. Until now. Available on BBC iPlayer until Friday.• Worrying times for fans of the French Elvis Johnny Hallyday, and tense moments for the many thousands who hold tickets for the ageing rocker's concert marathon Tour 66. The superstar has been ill – he spent some of this week unconscious in hospital in Los Angeles – and fans worry now that his infirmity will prevent him from completing the remaining 20 dates. It is for his managers to tell the world whether he will be fit enough to carry on playing in January. Today's the day. And though he is little known in the UK, the decision will excite some interest in the capital, for insurers Lloyd's of London have a lot to lose if Hallyday is judged too stricken to continue his multimillion-pound rockfest. Reports suggest that Lloyd's, having taken expert medical advice, may argue that Hallyday was already less than fighting fit when he set out for LA four days after an operation in Paris, and therefore brought the situation on himself. The scenario all seek to avoid is that Hallyday (pictured) isn't fully recovered by January from back trouble and an infection, but nevertheless feels obliged to pick up his famous guitar to avoid financial calamity. His bed gown would get in the way, the drip would fall out. It would be him, but it wouldn't be the same.• Finally, off went Home Office minister Meg Hillier to Liverpool to promote the ID card scheme, despite resistance from the natives. She arrived with iron resolve and armed with all the arguments. But alas without her own ID card, which she had left at home. Easily done.Hugh Muirguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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