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And frankly, it doesnt matter what those authorities discover. Because it will happen again. And then it will happen again. And then it will happen again.

We are fools. All of us. MPs, journalists, parliamentary scrutineers, the voters. We are the children who keep putting our hands in the fire in the expectation that this is the occasion we wont get burnt.

We have created a system of financing our democracy that has become an embarrassing, unsustainable, farce. A farce that we are all responsible for.

We create an environment where MPs are terrified of being seen to have their snouts in the trough. So they refuse to award themselves a pay rise, and instead try various tricks, flicks and clever accountancy ruses to supplement their income. Then when we in the media uncover and expose those ruses, the public cry: look, we knew it! Snouts in the trough again!

In the wake of the expenses scandal it was agreed by everyone MPs, press, the public that the issue of MPs pay should be referred to an independent adjudication panel. And so, to great fanfare, Ipsa was set up. And what did Ipsa decide? It decided that MPs should be awarded a 10 per cent pay rise. At which point there was uproar. The same MPs, press and the public who had been demanding and welcomed Ipsas establishment declared the whole thing a disgrace and demanded Ipsa be disbanded.

To see just how ludicrous things have become, look at one of the key defences issued this morning by both Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind.

Both are claiming that they were not involved in negotiating the establishment of commercial contracts in their parliamentary offices. Why are they placing such significance on where these negotiations or non-negotiations took place? Because if they did negotiate in their offices then technically they are in breach of the rules. But if theyd just walked out of those offices, crossed by the lights, and walked into Costa Coffee to hold their meeting, it would have been fine. This is utter madness.

What is even more mad is the solution to all this is staring us in the face, and has been for years. Whack up MPs' pay to 150,000, have annual rises set by an independent panel, and say thats it. No outside interests, no lobbying, no commercial deals. Youre an MP now, thats your job, and its a full-time job.

Thats an outrage people will cry. How can we justify paying them that at a time when everyone is being told to tighten their belts?

This is how you justify it.

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Want to kill cash for access? Simple - whack up MPs' pay to 150,000