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Post by swl on May 9, 2009 18:55:47 GMT
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Post by housesparrow on May 9, 2009 19:20:14 GMT
Can't see videos, but did look at the same thing in today's Independent and kept thinking: "blimey, how did they manage to get that so cheap!"
Apart from that, how sad to begin reclaiming expenses for a £1.99 bottle of shampoo, or a £2.99 pizza. Get a life!
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Post by riotgrrl on May 9, 2009 21:19:38 GMT
It's funny, (funny ironic, not funny ha-ha) that all this detail about the MP's expenses is coming out, and it's hard to think of anything in particular to say about it all.
Tory scandals are always sex; Labour are always money.
(I think it was Alan Clarke (Clark?) who first said that, but whoever it was who made this point was probably true.)
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Post by housesparrow on May 10, 2009 5:55:02 GMT
Someone yesterday on the radio was saying that it is "human nature" for people to claim expenses up to the limit. At this point Jack Sparrow let slip that he never claims mileage for work journeys.
Slight Domestic ensued!
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Post by Patrick on May 10, 2009 8:28:43 GMT
On Broadcasting House they've just played a clip of a Labour MP on The Politics show defending her claim for a house in Southampton when her constituency is in Luton. She says that her husband's job has been in Southampton for 30 years and doesn't see why she has to jeopardise that - and her family life with him as a result.
Very sorry (not really) - but if she couldn't find a closer constituency she should have given up! There's nothing worse than an MP who is "air dropped" in by central office or has no legitimate claim on being a local citizen. Labour tried it in Lancaster in 2005, with a woman who lived in London, she was trounced as a result - even though her Conservative replacement was only a little more local as it was!
Will people remember though? After all - There was a "rat run" of Conservative high flyers leading up to the 1992 and 1997 elections as they were given slightly safer constituencies than where they were - the arrogant and much disliked Brian Mawhinney was one. Simply to keep themselves in a job! You woulldn't be allowed to do that in real life? Despite political fashions - surely if you're kicked out as an MP there is probably other reasons for it than just an unpopular Government! Ergo they ought to stay firmly out of it! It smacks a little of keeping on a useless gardener or Admin because you feel sorry for them. Malcolm Rifkind was another one - Air-dropped into a safe seat after being soundly kicked out of Scotland.
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Post by everso on May 11, 2009 17:09:28 GMT
Someone yesterday on the radio was saying that it is "human nature" for people to claim expenses up to the limit. At this point Jack Sparrow let slip that he never claims mileage for work journeys. Slight Domestic ensued! Well, it might be human nature, but generally the ones making the claims are working to someone else's rules on expenses - and are usually closely monitored. The whole thing stinks, and particularly rancid are those MPs who are claiming expenses on their "second" home and then deciding that actually their second home is really their first home when it comes to council tax because if they then sold it as a second home they'd get clobbered for Capital Gains. It's unbelievable that they can get away with what looks to anyone else like plain and simple FRAUD. |
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Post by Patrick on May 11, 2009 17:42:44 GMT
Some twenty years ago my parents had a burst pipe - their three storey terrace (18c so all lathe and plaster ceilings) was soaked all the way through and parquet flooring on the ground floor was floating around in bits. My step Dad being an honest fellow put together their insurance claim with habitual accuracy and complete honesty as to the cost of replacing lost items/repair work.
The insurance company slashed their claim by a third!
Yet we knew, and I think everyone probably knows someone who has lied through their teeth on insurance claims and got every penny of it! Sometimes you wonder whether telling the truth is worth it!
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Post by Patrick on May 14, 2009 10:35:38 GMT
How very "Conservative!"
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Post by housesparrow on May 14, 2009 16:09:51 GMT
A very conservative moat, I'd say Patrick. Round here we would probably have to pay nearly that for someone to clean the garden pond.
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Post by Flatypus on May 14, 2009 17:13:16 GMT
Very sorry (not really) - but if she couldn't find a closer constituency she should have given up! There's nothing worse than an MP who is "air dropped" in by central office or has no legitimate claim on being a local citizen. Labour tried it in Lancaster in 2005, with a woman who lived in London, she was trounced as a result - even though her Conservative replacement was only a little more local as it was! There was one MP at least paid a nice retainer to stay away from his constituency. Mind you, I think that was in 1700-and-something. Supposedly the vote is for the individual as representative and parachuting in like that shows that not even the parties pretend that to be true any more. It's a total disgrace that shows how the system has become presidential. They might as well go over to PR voting for a party list. It's the non-PR nature of the vote that allows them to get away with it. They know they might lose a few as a protest vote but they can afford to. Under a transferable vote quota system constituencies might not be so secure. |
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Post by everso on May 14, 2009 18:12:04 GMT
Glad to hear this evening that Elliott Morley has been suspended and some other cove has resigned. Morley has blamed the "oversight" on sloppy accounting. This is a supposedly intelligent man with his eye on the ball of government. And he didn't realise that his mortgage had been completely repaid and that he was still claiming money. Tosh!! When Mr. E. and I paid the last few bob on our mortgage a while back we knew ABSOLUTELY that we had. The building society wrote and told us. We'd almost had a count-down on it. For christ sake does the man really think we believe him? He's paid back the £16,000, so that's all right then.  Yeah, get caught with your fingers in the till, but if you put the money back and shut the drawer no-one will mind. Huh! |
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Post by Patrick on May 14, 2009 18:31:02 GMT
Glad to hear this evening that Elliott Morley has been suspended and some other cove has resigned. Great interview on PM with Lord Trossack/Truscott - wha'ever! denying he'd done anything wrong - worth a listen. about 15 minutes in I think. |
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