I think many of us have pinched the odd pencil/pen/stapler etc from the office, but the difference with MPs is that they are supposed to be representatives of us poor smuts. They are elected to be the voice of people in their constituency and NOT to fiddle their expenses, not just a couple of quid here and there, but thousands. These MPs knew exactly what they were doing and because of the non exsistent checks on receipts/invoices etc they thought they would not be caught. If this system had gone on undetected they would have just gone on fiddling, they are p*ss*d off because they have been caught.