It’s expected that the Westminster expenses scandal will earn major parties a thumping at this week’s elections, with UKIP one of the main winners, and the worrying possibility that the BNP could pick up their first seat in Strasbourg.

As others have noted though, a big reason these parties are untainted by the other’s dodgy claims woes is not that they’ve taken a principled stand away from the trough, but because they couldn’t, as they’ve not actually been voted anywhere near it in the first place.

Check out this post by Nosemonkey at EUtopia, where the splendidly schnozzed simian highlights the cases of UKIP benefit fraudster Ashley Mote MEP and alleged exes fiddler Tom Wise MEP (currently awaiting trial).

And over at the always-good-value Lancaster Unity, there’s a compilation of some of the money worries that have dogged the BNP. They only get to have a go at councillors’ exes, poor things, so it seems are reduced to sneaking money out of the pockets of their members like £30k for a (allegedly untruthful) “Truth Truck“.

Don’t let off those MP’s who’ve behaved disgracefully by any means (not all of course – mine is fortunately unscathed in this lot), but don’t go short-changing yourself by protest voting on the expenses issue for a bunch who might well be even deeper in the gravy if they’d only had the chance. Decide this one on the policies you want by checking out EU VoteMatch.