We've reported more on how County Hall has spent public money through its corporate credit cards today, along with some other interesting details about how the taxpayer has picked up the tab for a £4.50 taxi ride made by former chief executive Peter Gilroy.

The County Hall Spending Files>>>

There are some who think we have been wrong to present our disclosures in the way we have; some who think we are being too critical and sensationalising the subject and some who think (wrongly) that there is some other reason for our coverage - which has been based purely on our judgement that it is very much in the public interest and a subject our readers will find interesting to read about - whatever their views.

Others believe that if a public body is embracing transparency, then it cannot pick and choose which transactions it would prefer to be transparent about. One point worth making here is that many of the transactions that we have detailed fall below the £500 threshold set by the government at which all councils will be required to put into the public domain data on all invoices above that sum.

So, had the information not been gathered by a concerned resident and passed to us, a considerable amount of it would never have seen the light of day. KCC has rightly come round to the view that being open is a virtue and one that ultimately will be good for it and the residents it is there to serve.

As its own report unveiling its plans for a new transparency regime says, it is important that residents are able to make judgements about not just the costs they, as taxpayers, are bearing but that they can also make judgments about the value of what is being done with their money.

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Interestingly, the new Labour group leader on the Local Government Association has hit out at the government's transparency plans, asserting that they are a waste of time and councils have better things to do. You can read about it here Some of the comments are illuminating.

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I've blogged a couple of times about how Ed Miliband might play with the voters of Kent - especially the 80,000+ that deserted the party between 2005 and 2010. I've suggested he might become the Iain Duncan Smith of the party. But I was talking to a colleague who suggested a better comparison might be with William Hague, who had an ill-fated attempt to lead the party out of the wilderness after its nightmare of a defeat in 1997.  Just steer clear of the baseball cap, Ed. 

Does it matter in the twenty first century whether or not a politician has sexual preferences?

Not really. What counts is their ability to do their job correctly.

So why the fuss around William Hague and the allegations that he did more than just share a twin-bedded hotel room with one of his aides?

The simple answer is that if he did indulge in activities unbecoming to a married man and it is proved, the former Leader of the Conservative Party will have lied to the public, to his wife, to his party, to the world.

Anyone in public office has to be whiter than white, purer than the driven snow, above suspicion - because we, the electorate - do not trust them.

An exposed liar is never accepted as meeting those standards. Someone in one of the highest positions in British politics must be better than that.

If nothing happened between the two men, William Hague was still damned stupid. He was a Foreign Secretary (a target for governments to pressurise). Yet he shared a hotel room with another man by his own admission more than once.

Mr Hague has been an active politician for more than 30 years: yesterday, he demonstrated he lacks political sense. Rumours (not facts) have dogged him for years, so if he cannot see such an action could be open to question, inference, pressure and embarrassment for the British government what other naive mistakes could he make at the FO?

For that alone, he should resign.

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I must get hold of a copy of the latest horror book: "Tone hates Gord".

I'll make a point of buying it as soon as I see it remaindered - along with Mandy's backstabber… unless someone buys me copies for Christmas.

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News has just reached me that Glyn Thompson, chief executive at Gravesham council, is to retire next year.

He has been one of the people masterminding the transformation of north Kent as part of the Thames Gateway from its earliest days.

I first met him when he was appointed the council's director of environmental services in 1996. He has always been a sincere man, committed to doing the best for his community.

He came from a council with problems: his committee chairman was the maverick deputy leader of Liverpool Council, Derek Hatton. He was able to steer him along the tightrope of what you can, and what you can't, do, and he still grins at the close calls that sometimes happened.

His gentle sense of humour, advice and support will be missed by a lot of people, not least the community he has served so well for 14 years.

One day he was there, as bold as brass. The next Dennis McFarlane's dream world had been shattered.

The Labour councillor and freemason aspired to be Mayor of Medway.

Yet he won't be.

He carried out the most stupid set of benefit fiddles it was possible to imagine.

He claimed a string of benefits every fortnight for at least six months. Most of them were administered by the council that was separately paying him over £8,000 a year in allowances.

Cllr McFarlane blissfully claimed jobseekers allowances, housing benefit and council tax benefit while saying his only income was child benefit.

How he thought he would get away with it he never explained.

The magistrates accepted his guilty plea, gave him a conditional discharge and ordered him to repay the council's costs.

The council then faced an expensive investigation by an imported solicitor who repeatedly chased - and equally repeatedly failed to pin down - the errant ex-councillor to determine whether he had brought his office (and the council) into disrepute. The bill will run to thousands of pounds.

Last night the former councillor was told he was dishonest, lacked integrity, brought the council into disrepute and failed to uphold the principles of public life.

Hang, draw and quarter him?

Send him a bill for the investigation?

Not likely!

All the hours of detailed work and pursuit were hot air: all the independent standards committee could do was to censure him.

It means that if Mr McFarlane decides to stand for public office somewhere else, there would be little anyone could do to stop a man labelled a cheat and a fraud.

He could have been banned for holding any office.

But he had resigned - so he got away with it.

Did he say anything?

No - he didn't bother to turn up.

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Does it matter in the 21^st century whether or not a politician may be gay?

Not really.

So why the fuss around William Hague and the allegations that he did more than just share a twin-bedded hotel room with one of his aides?

The simple answer is that if he did indulge in activities unbecoming a married man and it is proved, the former Leader of the Conservative Party will have lied to the public, to his wife, to his party, to the world.

Someone in public office has to be whiter than white, purer than the driven snow.

An exposed liar could not be accepted, and certainly not in one of the highest positions in British politics.

If nothing happened between the two men (and it is only speculation as far as I can see it) how damned stupid for a Foreign Secretary to share a hotel room with another man, not once but by his own admission more than once.

He has been a politician for more than 30 years: If nothing else, he lacks political sense to see it could be open to question, inference, pressure and embarrassment for the British government. For that alone, he should resign.

***

I must get hold of a copy of the latest horror book: "Tone hates Gord".

I'll make a point of buying it as soon as I see it remaindered - along with Mandy's backstabber… unless someone buys me copies for Christmas.