We’re not told who made them, but according to Reuter, every member of Russia’s 450-seat State Duma lower house of parliament took delivery of a top-of-the-range laptop with colour screen, built-in mouse, facsimile modem and printer, worth $4,000, intended to help the deputies organise their parliamentary work and paid for out of state funds; some deputies apparently rushed to install as many computer games as possible in the machine, and one was fascinated to discover the existence of a new game, The Siege of the White House, based on the fighting last year at the old Russian parliament building between forces loyal to President Boris Yeltsin and his conservative and communist opponents; the members are meant to return them once their stint in office is over, but one deputy told journalists he doubted whether this would happen – Of course, we do not need such computers… Of course each of us has taken one… And of course no-one will return it after our term expires he said… Of course…
