How MP Tom Watson's pay bill provoked an internet storm

By Tom Scotney on Mar 11, 08 10:00 PM in Politics

The story of West Bromwich East MP and e-government minister Tom Watson and his family's work in politics - netting them a total of £300,000 a year between them - appeared in the Birmingham Post's sister paper the Sunday Mercury a week or so ago.

Taxpayers pay MP and his family £300,000

It flew under the radar a bit. Until, that is, it was picked up by blogger and scourge of politicians Guido Fawkes, who claimed the story as a 'Sunday Sleaze Special' and described the Watson family as setting a record 'for snouts in the trough'

Sunday Sleaze Special: Tom Watson

Which attracted a storm of comments, with "oink oink", "this little piggy went to market... in a gold-plated Rolls", and "If the Watsons disappeared, would anyone notice?" being among the nicest.

But local bloggers sprang to Tom's defence. Over at Bloggerheads, it was claimed out that the Daily Express had also reprinted the story but then dropped it, that the pay was all above board anyway, and that Guido had maliciously made links to shamed MP Derek Conway.

Let's probe some padded expenses

Not to be deterred, the West Brom Blog weighed in, printing a cruel, but hilarious cartoon of Mr Watson, and wondering if this had anything to do with the MPs silence over the Derek Conway affair.

Swiss Family Watson

But Bloggerheads had the final laugh, claiming Guido had stolen the story from the Sunday Mercury in the first place, giving no credit to enahnce his own reputation.

Answers from Tom (plus a few extras)

And so the political blogging soap opera goes on...