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Every little helps - today. And while he dealt with the big picture of the ballooning budget deficit, also being addressed by the Chancellor just across town from here today, the focus was on the cost of politics - always a popular tub thumper.

He'd obviously had his staff out conducting research around Westminster.

"Walk into a bar in Parliament and you buy a pint of Foster's for just £2.10.

That's a little over half as much as in a normal London pub.

And in the restaurants on the Parliamentary estate, you can treat yourself to a 'Lean salad of lemon and lime marinated roasted tofu with baby spinach and rocket, home-roasted plum tomatoes and grilled ficelle crouton' for just £1.70.

That's all thanks to you - taxpayers' cash subsidising a politician's food and drink.

We all have to eat, we all sometimes want a drink, there's nothing about this job that forces us to eat or drink any more than if we did something else.

So with the Conservatives, the cost of food and drink in Parliament will be increased to match the prices normal people pay in cafes, restaurants and bars around the country."

Given that the Assembly made such a big deal of leading the way for Westminster with Sir Roger Jones' pay and expenses report (a report, which incidentally, many AMs are still hopping mad about) it's hard to see that the Assembly authorities could continue with the pretty generous food and drink subsidies in Ty Hywel.

What was that about living on rations...?

Meanwhile I'm off to pay for my own orange juice while we discuss the weeks and months of "political turmoil" to come. Not my words by the way, rather those of someone who's looking forward more than most to the battle to fill Rhodri Morgan's shoes.

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