If the media’s reaction was anything to go by last year’s expenses scandal must have been the biggest political scandal of all time.

Headlines like ‘Parliament's darkest day’ (The Times) and ‘Force alien MPs out of their black hole’ (The Sun) reflected the British publics righteous fury at catching their representatives with their collective hand in the till.

MP’s were accused of abusing the expenses system by claiming for everything from a cup of Horlicks (55p) to cleaning a moat (£2,000).

The leaders of all the main parties were vocal in their criticism of both the system and those who abused it. Gordon Brown said he was: “Angry and appalled” while David Cameron described events as: “Unethical and wrong.”

Not all MP’s were contrite in the face of public anger. Labour MP Michael Connarty asked: “Are we only allowed to buy things from the 99p store?” Mr Connarty claimed £183,466 in expenses for 2007/8 alone.

The people at the Oxford English Dictionary must have been working overtime with all the new words introduced to the language: ‘House-flipping’ switching which of your homes is called your main home to maximise allowance,  ‘Redacted’ trying to censor report by blacking out certain information, ‘Duckhouse’ expensive home for small water bound avian.

After all the fuss only three Labour MP’s and a Tory Lord will face charges for fraud.

Believe it or not this was not the first scandal to hit Parliament in it’s history. Here’s a selection of some of my favourites from the last 100 years. See how you think the expenses scandal compares to these.

5: Stephen Milligan

Almost too embarrassing for words. This promising Tory was found by his secretary after apparently accidently hanging himself while attempting autoerotic asphyxiation. He was naked except for stockings and a black bin liner over his head. Apparently a copy of Razzle isn’t good enough for some people. Mysteriously there was a segment of orange in his mouth.

The coroner recorded a verdict of ‘death by misadventure’ which is one of the great examples of understatement.

4: John Stonehouse

A Labour minister under Harold Wilson in the sixties, the seventies were not such a happy time for Mr Stonehouse.

The owner of several businesses that were in financial trouble Stonehouse started fiddling their accounts. He couldn’t have been that good at it as he soon learned the Department for Trade and Industry were investigating him.

Instead of facing the music he decided to fake his own death by leaving a pile of clothes on a Miami beach. Obituaries were published while he was secretly fleeing to Australia with his secretary (whose other job was as his mistress).

Despite using several false identities he was spotted and arrested. While awaiting trial he amazingly continued to serve as an MP. Perhaps the reason he wasn’t sacked straight away was that if he had been Labour would have become a minority Government. He got 7 years.

3: Jeffrey Archer

Where to start? Lord Archer has been involved in so many scandals I guess we’ll just stick with the big one.

In 1987 Archer sued the Daily Star after they reported that he paid Monica Coghlan, a prostitute, for sex after a representative of his was filmed giving her £2,000 in £50 notes.

During the trial Archer relied on the evidence of his wife Mary. Coghlan’s character came under intense scrutiny and she was forced to defend herself for sleeping with married men.

While giving guidance to the jury the Judge, Mr Justice Caulfield, asked them who they would believe, the “fragrant” Mrs Archer compared with Coghlan who he said provided “cold, unloving, rubber-insulated sex in a seedy hotel room.”

Archer was awarded £500,000 in damages.

In 1999 a former friend of Archer, Ted Francis, and his former PA Angela Peppiatt told the News of the World that they had proof that Archer had lied during the trial. At the time Archer was the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London.

Archer had to withdraw from the campaign to defend himself against these allegations of perjury. Seeing as he was guilty as sin this didn’t take long and he got four years and had to pay back the £500,000 and reportedly £1.3 million in costs.

While in prison he wrote 3 volumes of diaries which were said to have earned him over £1 million.

For further reading see the insider trading scandal involving Anglia and the financial irregularities involving the Simple Truth charity for Kurds in Iraq.

2: Jeremy Thorpe

In the early 1970’s a former male model named Norman Scott claimed to have had an affair with then leader of the Liberal Party Thorpe in the early 1960’s (a time when homosexuality was still illegal).

Thorpe denied this and was found to be telling the truth by a Liberal Party inquiry. This did not stop Scott making the claims.

So far so typical Liberal Party scandal (see Mark Oaten) but in 1975 things took a darker turn.

Scott was out walking a friends dog Rinka on Exmoor when he was attacked by Andrew Newton, who had a gun. Newton shot Rinka then aimed the gun at Scott. Unfortunately for Newton the gun misfired and he was arrested (who says there’s never a policeman around when you need one?).

After serving a year or so for dogocide Newton claimed he had been hired as a hit-man to kill Scott.

Thorpe was tried for conspiracy to murder in 1979. Former Liberal MP Peter Bessell claimed that he had witnessed plans by Thorpe and others in the Liberal Party to shoot Scott and drop his body down a mineshaft. His evidence lacked credibility however as he had sold his story to the Sunday Telegraph in a deal that would see him earn more money if Thorpe was convicted.

Thorpe was cleared after the judge gave a summing up strongly in his favour though the jury was still split.

In a further twist then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, asked to see Scott’s security file to see if there was a conspiracy to damage Thorpe.

The file was missing.

1: The Profumo Affair

This one really has it all. Sex, lies, spies and of course politicians.

John Profumo was the Secretary of State for War (now known as Defence) in the early 60’s.

He had a brief affair with showgirl Christine Keeler. So far so typical.

The problem was that Keeler was also having an affair with Soviet spy Yevgeny Ivanov.

Seeing as this was at the hight of the cold war the implications for national security were obvious.

Profumo then lied to Parliament saying that there was “no impropriety whatever" in his relationship with Keeler. In fact he had broken it off after being warned by MI5.

Although no proof was ever found MI5 agent Peter Wright in his autobiography Spycatcher claimed he was convinced that an attempt had been made by the Soviets to gain secrets from Profumo through Keeler.

I guess after all that charging the taxpayer for your bath plug doesn’t seem so bad, does it?