After being out of the country for a week and missing most of the row over MPs expenses, I was looking forward to Prime Minister's Questions to see what tactics Brown and Cameron would employ as they tried to inflict the maximum damage on each other while seeking to limit the harm caused to their own party's reputations. It was always going to be the main topic.

When all of the revelations about Mr Brown's various claims first surfaced last week it looked like curtains for sure for the Prime Minister. Political pundits have been predicting, and some even praying, for his downfall for ages now. But that really looked like that was that. Luckily, for those who don't want a Cameron-led Tory government to be in charge for even ten seconds (has anyone read a story anywhere about him accepting a free trip to Apartheid-era South Africa?) the subsequent news that they were all at it - as if that was a surprise - took the heat off Brown at least a little.

That said, it’s definitely not a good look that Health Minister Phil Hope, the MP who has to repay the largest amount of money, is on his side. We could still see Alan Johnson replace him as Labour leader before the next election.

The main surprise is that it's taken so long for things to come to this. The Derek Conway scandal is nearly eighteen months old now. It was as obvious then as it is now that they were all at it. It could well be that the economic crisis has made it harder for MPs to get away with skimming a little, or in some cases, a lot, off the top. Maybe it's the Jacqui Smith dirty movie effect.

Regardless of the hows and whys, it would be very nice to see MPs rather than asylum seekers and immigrants becoming Public Enemy Number One when it comes to taking the blame for draining recources from the country. Asylum seekers are accused of all kinds of scrounging but in most cases have to suffer the indignity of using vouchers rather than hard currency. They are obviously then reminded of their status every time they make a transaction of any kind. And that's even before they are ill treated by the various officials charged with overseeing their difficult situations.

So who won the back and forth? It's looking like it might be the 'heir to Blair.' Maybe Brown should be more decisive and show leadership and all the rest of it. However, the Prime Minister's argument that agreement on the way forward needs to be across all parties is a useful way of reminding voters that this is not just a Labour problem. If he alone sorts it out, he may end up looking like a strong leader, but it will also add ammunition to the perception that The Labour Party should somehow accept more of the blame than anyone else. And it’s never good to rush into anything. However, if Brown wants to save his backside - and that is the number one priority for all politicians -  he's gonna have to implement this transparent system, or get up, get out and so something, as soon as he possibly can. Now the story has blown up as big as it has, his underlings will most likely be a lot more receptive than they were to his YouTube broadcast.

Words: Russell Myrie.