Readers of one of the local papers will see in tonight's edition that the Labour MP for this area has joined with Scunthorpe's Labour MP and taken out a full page ad in the paper promoting the alleged policies of the Labour Government. No mention however was made of their rises in fuel duty, car tax, national insurance or their cuts to local services such as the Probation Service.

You might well say that is their prerogative and normally I would agree. However, on closer inspection it is clear that this piece of shameless self-promotion has been paid for not by the MPs or Labour, but by you and I. The advert is paid out of the controversial Communications Allowance which uses taxpayers money to allow MPs to promote themselves locally. It is basically politics on the rates.

I warned a few months back that as we get closer to the election Labour would use more and more taxpayers money to try to con people into supporting them. Alas, I have been proved correct.

Considering this advert coincides with yet more fuss over MPs allowances this is a massive own goal on the part of the Labour MPs!

Most amusing of all is that they couldn't even come up with an original title for the ad, they stole the title of my regular and FREE local newspapers! Oh well, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It is just a shame that you and I have to pay for their poor attempt.