The radio news is full of MPs bleating about how unfair it is that the rules on reasonable expenses have been changed after the fact. It's called retrospective legislation chaps - just like the rules that have been introduced by this government that put us ordinary mortals at a disadvantage. Tax laws are replete with retrospective changes to close loopholes introduced by the poor drafting of legislation in the first place - for example, the infamous (if you are a contractor) Section 58.
Funnily enough, this page makes almost the same the point I was going to:
"One former contractor ... commented 'How would some Cabinet Ministers feel if the rules on MPs expenses were changed retrospectively and they were forced to pay back all the money they had claimed for so called second homes? Apparently, it is OK for them to use loopholes in the rules but it is not OK for the rest of us.' "
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). I have no objection to such programmes in principle - as long as the people who want to watch them pay a digital, cable or satellite provider for the privilege of doing so. But to pay for it out of taxation is a sad reflection on the cultural expectations of the Beeb for society.
Personally, I abhor all this litigation culture stuff: people ought to take responsibility for their own actions rather than always blaming someone else for accidents. Of course, sometimes there is gross negligence and that ought to be punished in the criminal courts - but not the everyday stuff that can happen to us all.