The Dredge Report

I don't have a moat; you don't have a moat. You might have thought that moats belonged to the days of yore when knights of Appledore did their deeds of derring-do. Not so it appears. Some MPs have moats and they need cleaning. Naturally this sort of expense should be charged to the taxpayer. How else is a hard-working MP to get a good night's sleep unless he is assured that the burden of moat-cleaning is undertaken by the allowance system? It is reassuring to know is it not that the Fees Office has been so understanding.

But perhaps our MPs are not being so archaic after all. The way the economy of this country is going and the absence of government my mean that we will all need moats in future. Just to be prepared you might wish to clip the article on moat cleaning from today's Daily Telegraph - page 27.