He has bought three flats and claimed the mortgage interest under the system. The second sale saw him make a profit of £37,000. That is more than most of Mr Rumbles constituents earn in a year. His current second home in Edinburgh was bought for £300,000; which is more than the cost of most of his constituents' first homes.

Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal-Democrats, said at Prime Minsters Questions that: "A really simple principle is at stake here. We are here to serve our constituents, not make a fast buck on the property market."

He also said in an interview: "I will come down like a tonne of bricks on any MP who sought to defraud the taxpayer, profit for personal gain in the property market, we are MPs not property speculators."

Mr Rumbles' answer, apart from calling me names, is that everything he does is allowed by the system and wholly legal. That is unquestionably true and I have never said otherwise. It is also true that there are Conservative and SNP MSPs who claim similar expenses.

However Mr Rumbles was the first to buy three flats on the system. Also, I don't live in any other MSPs' constituency.

The whole system of politicians' expenses leaves a bad taste in my mouth but then again maybe that's just the sour grapes.

Yours etc

Stewart Whyte
Crombie Acres
Westhill