At least someone in the Westminster village has a sense of humour.
Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, chose to publish his report on MPs' expenses on the eve of Bonfire Night.
So he lit the blue touchpaper and stood well back - and the explosion of anger among MPs wasn't long in coming as he hit many of them where it hurts.
On second homes for MPs living outside London, he proposed a total ban on mortgage interest and said the accommodation allowance should be used only for rent or staying in a hotel - with a commercial agency offering rented properties for new MPs.
And there would be no accommodation allowance at all for those "within reasonable commuting distance of Parliament".
This was defined as within 20 miles of Westminster or a car or train journey of under 60 minutes - a suggestion which had angry MPs brandishing railway timetables and complaining about traffic jams.
The committee also recommended that generous resettlement grants for MPs who step down voluntarily - currently worth up to £64,000 - should be replaced by a flat eight week's pay.
And Sir Christopher went on to call for a ban on MPs employing relatives - which prompted fury among some Westminster spouses, despite a suggested five-year transition period.
Some wives have already contacted the conciliation service, ACAS, to clarify their legal rights as employees. Others have suggested a form of Parliamentary wife-swapping - a sort of:
"You can have my wife as secretary if I can have yours".
The three main party leaders have pledged in general to implement the Kelly proposals.
But this being Westminster, things aren't that simple.
The proposals have now gone to the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, IPSA, which was also established in 2009 to have the final say on expenses.
And the Daily Telegraph, which broke the original expenses scandal, has reported that the head of IPSA, the academic lawyer, Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, is not happy with some of the recommendations.
It has quoted him as saying he has "no obligation" to accept them - which prompted one Labour MP keen on sweeping reform to demand his resignation.
Since then, Sir Christopher Kelly and Sir Ian Kennedy have met to discuss what to do next - a meeting described by IPSA as "good and friendly".
Which is more than you can say about the reaction in the Commons when Sir Ian's appointment was first announced, along with the news that he would be paid up to £100,000 a year, far more than MPs' current salary.
The news was greeted with loud jeering.
