Julie Kirkbride on expenses

The embattled Julie Kirkbride has been defending herself in the Times. The comments make it clear that she has failed.
I think her defence is not too bad, there ARE big outgoings involved in being an MP, that’s for sure. So there are some reasonable things to be claimed for on expenses.
BUT, it seems like she wants every essential thing in life to be paid for by the public purse, which is what WAGES are for. I have to pay rent and bills out of my wages, i’d dearly love to get my employer to pay for them for me. All this on top of the fact that she herself earns £60k+ as an MP, plus the fact she’s bloody posh to start with.
But the thing that stinks is her refusal to acknowledge the fact that she and her husband broke the law on the two houses, plus i don’t see how those photos of her (paid on expenses) are really essential to her job.
In a way it’s sad that people get party political over this, but then we have HUGE houses, duck houses, chandeliers, moats, tennis courts etc. Which are all Tory claims.
Labour haven’t come out of this great with the housing, but it’s one hell of a difference in the things claimed for.

The comments are very critical of her for using the ‘wife and mother’ excuse. Don’t know if that’s fair or just public anger, having no children of my own i can’t compare. She certainly doesn’t seem to spend much time with her child...