Austin Mitchell's Response to Expenses

Austin Mitchell's letter in response to his expenses, flies in the face of what other MPs are doing. About his claims for ginger crinkle biscuits, bottles of whiskey, gin, Branston pickle and claim for re-upholstering sofas. He said his sofa was:

stained with Branston pickle, whisky, and gin

Which did make me laugh, and using humour to diffuse a situation can work well. Yet I wonder under the present public feeling whether he's either; very courageous or mad to say that?