Sir, Our resentment about MPs’ expenses (Comment, Mar 19) is probably a symptom of deeper resentments, namely: the weight of legislation whose impact on us MPs either do not understand or exempt themselves from; the number of unelected agencies with right of entry to our homes; the taxpayers’ money that the National Audit Office regularly reports has been wasted; the index-linked pensions that no one in the private sector can afford; the secrecy of many bodies such as family courts; and the sense of there being far too many MPs.

David Ellis, Kenilworth, Warks

Sir, Peter Riddell (Comment, Mar 21) is spot on: we are now grossly over governed and over legislated. Years ago I heard Harold Macmillan speaking about his early days as an MP. The House of Commons sat for about three 8-to-10-week terms in the year; MPs passed a few laws and then went off and managed estates, operations, businesses or professions. The Civil Service ran the country.

How many of today’s professional politicians have any experience of managing anything? They sit for so long that they feel they must justify their existence by passing more and more laws. Then they spend millions on consultants to advise them what to tell the experts to do in all the professions and in industry. What a waste.

Norman Hampel, Denham, Bucks

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