MEPs: Show me the money

What are the European Parliament election candidates fighting for?

Some of them will claim they want to represent the Irish people, though they will have signed a legally binding contract with their parties to abide by the whip system, so they will be voting fodder for their leadership, much like a backbench TD, and there will be no room for standards.

But every elected MEP will make sure to claim every cent available from expenses and allowances, not because they’ll have incurred such costs, but because they can. The basic, gross monthly salary of an MEP is €8,020.53, up from €7,956.53 in 2012.