And the band plays on...

It appears that the Right Honourable Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood's ongoing audition for a lead role in one of the less salubrious soap operas continues. The story so far...

David and Tessa love each other. Tessa has risen from being a psychiatric social worker to being a senior member of her friend Tony's government, whilst David has a successful legal career, helping people to manage their financial affairs. He's so good at this that Tessa trusts him entirely to manage their household finances. He does ask her to sign the occasional document but she trusts him, even though some of the numbers are quite big. He knows what he's doing, after all...

But what Tessa doesn't know is that David has another life as an international wheeler dealer, and that some of the people he advises are not the sort of people who she might want to be associated (although her friend Tony on the other hand...). They are very generous towards him but there's nothing wrong with the odd gift, is there? It is vaguely troubling that the Italian authorities keep asking to see David, but it isn't as though we have any connection to the Italian government. We do? Really? I really must ask my friend Jack. And they're somewhat to the right of Genghis Khan? Well, that doesn't make them bad people...

Suddenly, all these ghastly people with cameras are outside the house, asking questions about mortgages. What is their problem? Why do they suggest that helping rich people pay as little tax as possible is contrary to the supposed principles of her political party? And why is David so irritable?

He's used my position to gain influence? He's told people that he has the support of my friend Tony? How could he do that? Does he not understand what people will say about me? And, more importantly, about Tony? Tony is going to be so angry! It's no good, it's all over between us, or at least, so I'm told...

Alright, this might be a bit of an exaggeration. But the fact that David Mills makes his money by helping rich people to avoid paying their fair share in taxes is morally repugnant. And if Tessa Jowell doesn't understand that by doing so, she ensures that the money has to be found from somewhere, and that that somewhere is from people who don't have access to tax avoidance devices, i.e. the poor and the morally upright, then she has no right to stand up and say how much she cares about building a fairer society. I'm sorry about her marriage, and nobody deserves to have their relationship dissected by the Daily Mail, but she really does need to resign so that she can take a course of morality and ethics.