Entitle-itis starts at the top

There are few things all MPs can agree on. Keeping up their taxpaid international travel perks for life is one of them.

Tau Henare and Trevor Mallard might punch each other out in their spare time, but when it comes to full wallets out and the threat their pork might stop flowing they’re like blood brothers.

The sense of entitlement of the country’s most highly-paid beneficiaries crosses all parts of what passes for a political spectrum -- Ministers are 'entitled' to dip into tax purse, said Rodney Hide when taking his then mistress to London; “It's something I'm entitled to,” wailed Roger Douglas when sprung milking the taxpayer for multiple trips abroad to see grandchildren.

So what did the Greens do to upset the apple-sauce cart?

Did they suggest this plunder should go? Did they propose it be stopped altogether? Or be limited only to those currently in parliament

No, they agreed taxpayers should pick up MPs tab for life; they merely suggested the amounts be somewhat limited not be increased.

Because there’s one thing all MPs can agree on, both past, present and future – and that’s that the trough is there for their snouts.

For life.

And face with an opportunity to cut the crap, or even make a stand on principle, newish MP and new Labour leader Andrew Little, who could have argued he hadn’t been responsible for the rort, instead elected to blow whatever chance he had of taking some moral high ground this morning with a fumbling, mumbling defence of the iniquitous status quo.

Because there’s one thing on which all MPs can agree: they’re entitled.