Call him what else you like, but does anybody really, really think that Gordon Brown is a crook?
Yes, I do.
Now why don't you stop writing crap in The Times and go suck the crook's cock, you mendacious little shit.
please spare me the sanctimonious holier than thou attitudes.
happ096please spare me the sanctimonious holier than thou attitudes.
I am quite prepared to cast the first stone.
These politicians have cynically manipulated and abused the system for personal gain, they are morally corrupt, self-serving little shits and no right to have any respect from the people that they are supposed to represent.
Ms Ussher asked permission to carry out a full refit of her run-down Victorian house in south London.
She is said to have contacted the Commons fees office within 12 months of becoming an MP in 2005, despite having already lived at the house for some five years.
Ms Ussher, who was not a minister at the time, wrote: "The basic situation is that this house was relatively cheap to purchase but requires quite a lot of work."
She then listed repairs which she hoped to carry out, including a bathroom which did not "function" and "peeling" walls in the shower room.
On the cover sheet of her printed letter, Ms Ussher scrawled: "I am aware this takes us over our limit - please pay as much as you are able!"
In the end, Ms Ussher received the maximum permitted under the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) for 2005-6 - £22,110.
I expect BM would have been happy to fix her bathroom, on his usual terms whistle:Yes... she wouldn't have got it done for twenty-two grand... whistle:
Only because it would never have been finishedevil:
Only because it would never have been finishedlol: lol: lol:
Cynical?QuoteMs Ussher asked permission to carry out a full refit of her run-down Victorian house in south London.
She is said to have contacted the Commons fees office within 12 months of becoming an MP in 2005, despite having already lived at the house for some five years.
Ms Ussher, who was not a minister at the time, wrote: "The basic situation is that this house was relatively cheap to purchase but requires quite a lot of work."
She then listed repairs which she hoped to carry out, including a bathroom which did not "function" and "peeling" walls in the shower room.
On the cover sheet of her printed letter, Ms Ussher scrawled: "I am aware this takes us over our limit - please pay as much as you are able!"
In the end, Ms Ussher received the maximum permitted under the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) for 2005-6 - £22,110.
Cynical?QuoteMs Ussher asked permission to carry out a full refit of her run-down Victorian house in south London.
She is said to have contacted the Commons fees office within 12 months of becoming an MP in 2005, despite having already lived at the house for some five years.
Ms Ussher, who was not a minister at the time, wrote: "The basic situation is that this house was relatively cheap to purchase but requires quite a lot of work."
She then listed repairs which she hoped to carry out, including a bathroom which did not "function" and "peeling" walls in the shower room.
On the cover sheet of her printed letter, Ms Ussher scrawled: "I am aware this takes us over our limit - please pay as much as you are able!"
In the end, Ms Ussher received the maximum permitted under the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) for 2005-6 - £22,110.
She was a local councillor here a few years back. Career politician through and through; IIRC little or no contribution to the community. ::)
Dissolving Parliament could be the only way to rescue MPs' reputation amid growing public fury over the Westminster expenses gravy train, Gordon Brown has been warned.
With yet more senior politicians embroiled in the latest tranche of claims revelations, former Commons deputy Speaker Lord Naseby said an early general election was needed to save the "foundations of democracy".
The call came as the House authorities mounted a desperate rear-guard action to shore up trust in the allowances regime.
An independent audit unit is to be created - at a cost of £600,000 a year - to monitor claims.
Meanwhile, some "clean" MPs started venting their anger at colleagues for bringing the scandal upon them.
Lib Dem frontbencher Lynne Featherstone said she was "ashamed of my brethren", insisting they were getting "due punishment".
"You can or should be able, whatever your circumstances, be able to judge right from wrong," she told Sky News.
Labour backbencher Kate Hoey laid into millionaire tourism minister Barbara Follett for spending £25,000 on security patrols outside her Soho home.
"I would need to have someone really convince me that an MP can claim that amount of money for personal security, when I know that in my constituency I have women who walk home late at night who would love to have somebody paying for them to have personal security," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
A major alert and full-scale security operation was launched today after traces of morals were found in Westminster. Police were called and roads surrounding both No 10 and the Houses of Parliament were blocked off in what is believed to be one of the most serious incidents in recent history. However after 2 hours of going through MP expense claims, the police forensic team concluded that it was a false alarm.Indeed... Vote Libertarian Miss D.... whistle:
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Turpin of the Metropolitan Police says that it was all an elaborate hoax. "Whoever did this was a seasoned liar, an expert at deceiving people and very, very slippery. He or she has probably been a politician for many years."
Business Secretary Peter Mandelson gave this warning: "People like this are troublemakers. Neither they nor their morals have any place in a modern government.
It has now become pointless in revealing who has scammed what ( even if it is within the friggin rules) . All it shows is the widespread level of abuse that this ridiculous system has permitted for many many years and the inherent culture of greed that exists throughout noooo:
Immigration minister Phil Woolas has threatened legal action over "disgusting" allegations he claimed for women's clothing, nappies and comics.
Not as much as this chap:QuoteImmigration minister Phil Woolas has threatened legal action over "disgusting" allegations he claimed for women's clothing, nappies and comics.
Not as much as this chap:QuoteImmigration minister Phil Woolas has threatened legal action over "disgusting" allegations he claimed for women's clothing, nappies and comics.
I can't wait to see what cartoonists are going to make of that.
Oh what a surprise:Talking of utter, utter bastards! cussing:
"The Telegraph also has details of the expenses of Keith Vaz, a former minister who now chairs the home affairs select committee.
Mr Vaz reportedly claimed £75,000 for a Westminster flat although his family's home is 12 miles away in Stanmore."
The utter, utter bastard. evil:
Westminster authorities spent £100,000 on a lavish redecoration of the grace-and-favour house for the officer who oversees MPs’ expenses, The Times has discovered.
The property at 3 Parliament Street used by the Clerk, the Commons chief executive, received a top-of-the range makeover, with a £39,000 kitchen, bespoke furniture, including a “butler’s tray”, and granite work surfaces. The same inventory also lists two Ionic columns costing £963.
Oh what a surprise:Talking of utter, utter bastards! cussing:
"The Telegraph also has details of the expenses of Keith Vaz, a former minister who now chairs the home affairs select committee.
Mr Vaz reportedly claimed £75,000 for a Westminster flat although his family's home is 12 miles away in Stanmore."
The utter, utter bastard. evil:
£100,000 home makeover for man in charge of MPs' expensesQuote from: Times OnlineWestminster authorities spent £100,000 on a lavish redecoration of the grace-and-favour house for the officer who oversees MPs’ expenses, The Times has discovered.
The property at 3 Parliament Street used by the Clerk, the Commons chief executive, received a top-of-the range makeover, with a £39,000 kitchen, bespoke furniture, including a “butler’s tray”, and granite work surfaces. The same inventory also lists two Ionic columns costing £963.
Source (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3308659.ece)
Thirty-nine thousand Pounds for a fucking kitchen! Explode:
Perhaps he works part time somewhere... as a rent boy... whistle:Oh what a surprise:Talking of utter, utter bastards! cussing:
"The Telegraph also has details of the expenses of Keith Vaz, a former minister who now chairs the home affairs select committee.
Mr Vaz reportedly claimed £75,000 for a Westminster flat although his family's home is 12 miles away in Stanmore."
The utter, utter bastard. evil:
£100,000 home makeover for man in charge of MPs' expensesQuote from: Times OnlineWestminster authorities spent £100,000 on a lavish redecoration of the grace-and-favour house for the officer who oversees MPs’ expenses, The Times has discovered.
The property at 3 Parliament Street used by the Clerk, the Commons chief executive, received a top-of-the range makeover, with a £39,000 kitchen, bespoke furniture, including a “butler’s tray”, and granite work surfaces. The same inventory also lists two Ionic columns costing £963.
Source (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3308659.ece)
Thirty-nine thousand Pounds for a fucking kitchen! Explode:
If it helps your blood pressure he is a known shirtlifter who has three other homes that he shares with his boyfriend. One in South Africa, One in Portugal and One in Islington ~ These are in addition to the Grace and Favour property that the expenses refer to. He writes books (8 so far) and has worked for Parliament since joining the Commons Clerk's Department in 1967 when he left university ~ How the hell did he acquire that sort of money on Civil Service pay?
Properties valued at over £5million and a lavish lifestyle plus travelling between all these homes ~ that is a lot of buggery if I may say so.I'm sure I wouldn't know the going rate... whistle:
Properties valued at over £5million and a lavish lifestyle plus travelling between all these homes ~ that is a lot of buggery if I may say so.I'm sure I wouldn't know the going rate... whistle:
Progress... redface:Properties valued at over £5million and a lavish lifestyle plus travelling between all these homes ~ that is a lot of buggery if I may say so.I'm sure I wouldn't know the going rate... whistle:
I'll PM you the current price list shall I? 8)
BTW What happened to your Avatar ~ It's sort of shrunk ..... LL didn't wash it did she?
If it helps your blood pressure he is a known shirtlifter who has three other homes that he shares with his boyfriend.
One in South Africa, One in Portugal
Claim: According to the Telegraph, the Labour MP for Luton South spent £22,500 treating dry rot at the coastal property in Southampton she had designated as her second home - even though it was a two-hour drive from Parliament and 100 miles from her constituency.
Response: Ms Moran said her partner had worked in Southampton for 20 years and that she could not "make him come to Luton all the time". She said: "I have to have a proper family life and I can't do that unless I share the costs of the Southampton home with him." She said all her claims were within Fees Office policy and that she had done nothing wrong. Ms Moran said there had been some "inaccuracies" which were "probably actionable" in the Telegraph reports, which had given "the incredibly misleading impression that somehow we have been dodgy, that we have been fraudulent or corrupt".
QuoteClaim: According to the Telegraph, the Labour MP for Luton South spent £22,500 treating dry rot at the coastal property in Southampton she had designated as her second home - even though it was a two-hour drive from Parliament and 100 miles from her constituency.
Response: Ms Moran said her partner had worked in Southampton for 20 years and that she could not "make him come to Luton all the time". She said: "I have to have a proper family life and I can't do that unless I share the costs of the Southampton home with him." She said all her claims were within Fees Office policy and that she had done nothing wrong. Ms Moran said there had been some "inaccuracies" which were "probably actionable" in the Telegraph reports, which had given "the incredibly misleading impression that somehow we have been dodgy, that we have been fraudulent or corrupt".
That has to be one of the most pathetic excuses I have ever heard. My dad is a civil engineer who has worked all over the country as well as overseas. When he is working in the UK and the project he is running is too far away from home to commute daily he will live in digs and come back at weekends yet my parents still manage a 'proper family life' as you so arrogantly put it. Tell me, how many other families have someone who works away from home because they have to? Yet you are justifying buying your second home in SOUTHAMPTON!!! The second home allowance is supposed to support MP's allowing them to live in both their constituency and London so how the hell do can you justify our paying for work on, lets be honest here, your holiday home. This property has no benefit for your constituents and as such should never have been claimed for.
Oh what a surprise:
"The Telegraph also has details of the expenses of Keith Vaz, a former minister who now chairs the home affairs select committee.
Mr Vaz reportedly claimed £75,000 for a Westminster flat although his family's home is 12 miles away in Stanmore."
The utter, utter bastard. evil:
I see that Squirrel Nutkin has 'decided' to pay £13k in sales tax. I guess that Gordo's temper tantrums do have some uses after all. whistle:
I see that Squirrel Nutkin has 'decided' to pay £13k in sales tax. I guess that Gordo's temper tantrums do have some uses after all. whistle:
How much feckin money does she have in the bank that she can just write a cheque for £13k without batting an eyelid noooo:
As has been mentioned in far more notable blogs than mine, the fact that they are repaying it is - to an extent - an admission of guilt. If a burglar returns a TV to the owner then he also could expect a criminal record and/or fine. Why not with these people?You have a blog...?
And who would like a side bet that whatever they repay will be made-up in other ways, not yet in the public eye?
As has been mentioned in far more notable blogs than mine, the fact that they are repaying it is - to an extent - an admission of guilt. If a burglar returns a TV to the owner then he also could expect a criminal record and/or fine. Why not with these people?You have a blog...?
And who would like a side bet that whatever they repay will be made-up in other ways, not yet in the public eye?
I'll drag the link out of you will I? ::)As has been mentioned in far more notable blogs than mine, the fact that they are repaying it is - to an extent - an admission of guilt. If a burglar returns a TV to the owner then he also could expect a criminal record and/or fine. Why not with these people?You have a blog...?
And who would like a side bet that whatever they repay will be made-up in other ways, not yet in the public eye?
Yup, only an occasional thing though, in bouts of semi-sobriety 8)
I'll drag the link out of you will I? ::)As has been mentioned in far more notable blogs than mine, the fact that they are repaying it is - to an extent - an admission of guilt. If a burglar returns a TV to the owner then he also could expect a criminal record and/or fine. Why not with these people?You have a blog...?
And who would like a side bet that whatever they repay will be made-up in other ways, not yet in the public eye?
Yup, only an occasional thing though, in bouts of semi-sobriety 8)
Shite then...? ::)I'll drag the link out of you will I? ::)As has been mentioned in far more notable blogs than mine, the fact that they are repaying it is - to an extent - an admission of guilt. If a burglar returns a TV to the owner then he also could expect a criminal record and/or fine. Why not with these people?You have a blog...?
And who would like a side bet that whatever they repay will be made-up in other ways, not yet in the public eye?
Yup, only an occasional thing though, in bouts of semi-sobriety 8)
Not yet, I don't really like it redface:
It seems Ed Balls is in the firing line. OH reports he tried an injunction against the Torygraph and it was not allowedWhat happened to your popcorn...? Popcorn:
:popcorn
Old Holborn just gave it away on GOM! point:I'll drag the link out of you will I? ::)As has been mentioned in far more notable blogs than mine, the fact that they are repaying it is - to an extent - an admission of guilt. If a burglar returns a TV to the owner then he also could expect a criminal record and/or fine. Why not with these people?You have a blog...?
And who would like a side bet that whatever they repay will be made-up in other ways, not yet in the public eye?
Yup, only an occasional thing though, in bouts of semi-sobriety 8)
Not yet, I don't really like it redface:
Seconded...Apparently Fabian Hamilton has been a very naughty boy, claiming mortgage expenses while living with his mother.
Lets see Gordo handle this one.
He forgot he had paid off his mortgage.
He FORGOT Banghead Banghead Banghead
This is surely an open and shut case of fraud - he should be sacked today and a criminal investigation started immediately . Even he couldn't argue that this was 'within' the feckin rules noooo:
Old Holborn just gave it away on GOM! point:I'll drag the link out of you will I? ::)As has been mentioned in far more notable blogs than mine, the fact that they are repaying it is - to an extent - an admission of guilt. If a burglar returns a TV to the owner then he also could expect a criminal record and/or fine. Why not with these people?You have a blog...?
And who would like a side bet that whatever they repay will be made-up in other ways, not yet in the public eye?
Yup, only an occasional thing though, in bouts of semi-sobriety 8)
Not yet, I don't really like it redface:
Norman Baker, the LibDem MP for Lewes who has been at the forefront of criticism of MPs over expenses claims, has today come under fire in his local newspaper, the Brighton Argus for claiming £7,500 rent for his parliamentary office - a building which he owns.”
An MP who led criticism of Parliamentary expenses has admitted claiming about £20,000 from the taxpayer to rent an office he already owned. Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, claimed the cash to rent a constituency office in the building he had bought as his own home.
The 51-year-old has become a regular “talking head” on news programmes in recent days and repeatedly condemned the extravagant expenses claims which have outraged the nation this week.
His political opponents last night branded him a hypocrite after details emerged of his arrangement to claim money to rent the office space at the house he owned in High Street, Lewes.
Mr Baker said yesterday he had checked he was not breaking any rules before buying the house and making the claims. He said he had claimed roughly £7,500 a year for about three years after buying the house for £310,000 in September 2000.
He told The Argus: “I was entitled to claim money from the taxpayer for the rent of an office to carry out my parliamentary office.”...
Julian Lewis, a Conservative MP who crossed swords with Mr Baker when the Liberal made comments to a national newspaper in a story about Mr Lewis's expenses claims, said: “It is utter hypocrisy.
Squirrel Nutkin may have been the first to pay it back but she still hasnt directly said that she was in the wrong.
Apparently Fabian Hamilton has been a very naughty boy, claiming mortgage expenses while living with his mother.
Lets see Gordo handle this one.
We usually get about 33% turnout in the village and think we've done well. No-one lives more than half a mile from the polling station noooo:
Local Tories rang and asked if we wanted a lift one year ~ I couldn't not tell them I am the key holder to the polling station because I live opposite.
I know this will never happen but recent events have got me thinking. What would happen if nobody at all turned out to vote in a general elextion or everyone ticked a 'none of the above' box?
She is skinny, and thus susceptible to being crushed/squashed. Best not.
If she were sprayed with Vaseline she might flesh out, like
What on earth goes on in your world noooo:
She is skinny, and thus susceptible to being crushed/squashed. Best not.
If she were sprayed with Vaseline she might flesh out, like
She is skinny, and thus susceptible to being crushed/squashed. Best not.
If she were sprayed with Vaseline she might flesh out, like
She would be welcome to take the upper position cloud9:
We've been corrupted as well eeek:
Hang on ~ this is "The Commons" wherein we are supposed not to engage in banidage and the like.
Hang on ~ this is "The Commons" wherein we are supposed not to engage in banidage and the like.
I think it may be acceptable to do that.
Badinage however, is strictly verboten.
Hang on ~ this is "The Commons" wherein we are supposed not to engage in banidage and the like.
I think it may be acceptable to do that.
Badinage however, is strictly verboten.
I note that no MP has made an 'honest mistake' or 'error of judgement' that resulted in underclaiming ;)lol: lol: lol:
I note that no MP has made an 'honest mistake' or 'error of judgement' that resulted in underclaiming ;)lol: lol: lol:
Quite so Uncle...
OH is going for a walk soon. I think I'll tag along...Is it next week... I could come too... whistle:
http://bastardoldholborn.blogspot.com/2009/05/coming-soon.html
I missed it ~ have to catch up on iplayer sometime.
That Margaret Becket.... noooo:I note that no MP has made an 'honest mistake' or 'error of judgement' that resulted in underclaiming ;)lol: lol: lol:
Quite so Uncle...
Wot he said Uncle, Question Time made interesting viewing last night.
David Chaytor has become the second Labour MP to admit claiming thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money for interest on a non-existent mortgage, it emerged last night.
The MP for Bury North will pay back £13,000 claimed on expenses after telling The Daily Telegraph that he had made an “unforgivable error” by continuing to submit monthly claims for £1,175 for months after the loan was paid off.
I still think it the best show in town. lol: lol: lol:Bunch of complete censored: say the Virtual Pubbers...
"Houses of Parliament" Now showing on a news channel near you
"It's a riot" says Quentin Letts
"Never Laughed so much" says Nick Robinson
"F*CKING TROUGHERS" says Old Holborn
"The best thing in London ~ you couldn't make it up ~ Funniest thing since the French Revolution" says The Times
THE expenses scandal is poised to claim its biggest victim as Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker held responsible for blocking reform, suffers a volley of damaging allegations this weekend.
For the first time one of his former aides has broken ranks to speak out about his “reign of terror” that allegedly prevented officials from defusing the expenses crisis.
Martin is also facing questions after three senior law enforcement officials appeared to challenge his account of the botched police inquiry into Damian Green, the Tory MP.
One of our local MPs exposed as trougher this morning. Why am I not surprised? No news yet on mine and Growler's useless inflatable MP evil:I think this is Day 11?
This Scandal Just Got a Whole Lot Worse
Iain Dale 11:17 PM
The expenses scandal takes a new twist tonight. The Telegraph reveals that the House of Commons Fees Office has been complicit in allowing MPs to overclaim thousands of pounds in illicit mortgage claims.
House of Commons officials colluded with MPs to let them make inflated claims on their mortgages, leaked internal documents seen by The Daily Telegraph have disclosed. Parliamentary authorities, overseen by Michael Martin, the Speaker, gave secret permission for some MPs to over-claim for thousands of pounds in home loan interest in deals that led to the systematic abuse of the taxpayer-funded expenses system.
Ben Chapman, a Labour MP, admitted last night that he was allowed to continue claiming for interest payments on his entire mortgage after repaying £295,000 of the loan in 2002. Over 10 months the arrangement allowed Mr Chapman to receive £15,000 for the part of the home loan which had been paid off. Last night, he said he would not give back the money.
Permission to claim “phantom” mortgage payments is understood to have been offered to several MPs before 2004. It was stopped after Commons officials admitted it should never have been allowed. Michael Martin has been Speaker since 2000 and was therefore ultimately responsible for the arrangements – which has never been independently investigated. The arrangements – for which the justification is not clear – came to light in the claims files of Mr Chapman, the Labour MP for Wirral South.
Mr Chapman, who has been a ministerial aide, approached the fees office at the end of 2002 to explain that he was repaying £295,939 of the mortgage on his designated second home in Lambeth, south-east London. This reduced the interest payments – met by the taxpayer – from £1,900 to £400 per month.
“By paying off capital I am forgoing interest and investment opportunities elsewhere,” he told the fees office.
He and an official “thus agreed that the mortgage should remain for ACA (Additional Costs Allowance) purposes at the original amount”.
An email between senior officials within the fees office discusses Mr Chapman’s case and discloses that it is not unique. “… I have heard similar arrangements being agreed to in the past,” one said. “Personally, I do not believe that such an arrangement should ever have been suggested.”
Things just got a whole lot worse. Someone in Parliament must take responsibility for the laxity of the Fees Office. Ultimately the Speaker is responsible, but there are officials who earn six figure salaries who need to be held to account too. They should be named and shamed. And then sacked.
Who's the MP for Golders Green? whistle:
Expenses
Figures in brackets are ranks. Parliament's explanatory notes.
Type 2007/08 (ranking out of 645) 2006/07 (ranking out of 645) 2005/06 2004/05 (ranking out of 659) 2003/04 (ranking out of 658) 2002/03 (ranking out of 657) 2001/02 (ranking out of 657)
Additional Costs Allowance £23,083 (joint 1st) £17,211 (459th) £0 £0 £0 £15,000 (521st) £15,333 (joint 319th)
London Supplement £0 £904 (49th) £2,613 £1,618 (joint 1st) £1,574 (joint 1st) £0 £0
Incidental Expenses Provision £21,328 (141st) £20,385 (322nd) £19,868 £19,298 (joint 144th) £18,756 (joint 302nd) £18,218 (joint 241st) £17,062 (joint 264th)
Staffing Allowance £88,910 (277th) £87,237 (177th) £82,673 £77,511 (joint 87th) £73,764 (65th) £63,931 (342nd) £53,481 (91st)
Communications Allowance £9,390 (242nd) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Members' Travel £5,905 (406th)* £5,090 (466th)** £2,616 £4,680 (546th) £3,726 (569th) £3,558 (578th) £2,840 (571st)
Members' Staff Travel £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Members' Spouse Travel £0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Members' Family Travel £0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Centrally Purchased Stationery £2,104 (17th) £3,879 (28th) £3,496 £3,260 (44th) £5,574 (8th) £2,971 (25th) £1,152 (278th)
Stationery: Associated Postage Costs £4,630 (89th) £10,105 (34th) £8,878 £7,405 (74th) £13,117 (14th) N/A N/A
Centrally Provided Computer Equipment £1,378 (joint 81st) £1,175 (joint 136th) £0 £1,875 (joint 357th) £1,875 (joint 350th) £1,875 (joint 342nd) £1,875 (joint 322nd)
Other Costs £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Total £156,728 (153rd) £145,986 (154th) £120,144 £115,647 (481st) £118,386 (346th) £105,553 (481st) £91,743 (241st)
* Regular journeys between home/constituency/Westminster: Mileage £5,292 (84th). Other: European £613 (91st).
** Car £5,090 (139th).
Speaker to resign at 2.30
I think it will be immediate. After yesterday's performance he knows the game is upYou can meet up for a drink when he gets back to Glasgow.
Esther Rantzen WILL stand at the next election in Luton South.
happy001 happy001 happy001
listair Darling is among nine cabinet members who used £11,000 of taxpayers' money to pay for personal accountancy advice, the Daily Telegraph has said.
Hold on. This is the guy who, together with Gordon Brown, actually devised the tax system. Now it seems he doesn't understand it.
Why the hell is he Chancellor of the Exchequer? Wouldn't it be a good idea to have someone in that post who can count to 12 without taking his shoes and socks off?
He's come up with a tax system so cumbersome, convoluted and unwieldy that he has to employ someone to explain it to him. What chance do the rest of us have? Unlike Darling and his colleagues, we can't just shove it on expenses along with everything else.
Dominoes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8070742.stm
Announcing her decision, she said she "must take into account the effects on my family" of the row.
Dominoes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8070742.stmQuote from: A BitchAnnouncing her decision, she said she "must take into account the effects on my family" of the row.
Keep digging love! Never mind your constituents and the tax payers that funded your largesse... noooo:
"But until this week's furore, it didn't cross my mind that I had done anything wrong."
They are not exactly poorly paid, even without expenses.Yes, but all that responsibility Uncle... ::)
cussing:
(https://www.virtual-pub.com/SMF/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.postimage.org%2FPq_HVSJ.gif&hash=5439c0e8188e12cfbd5105a0dc1448509afe68d7) (http://www.postimage.org/)
Not to mention the pressure of filling out expense claims. noooo:I thought you said not to mention it??? Banghead
Downing Street has said that "to the best of our knowledge" ministers named in the Daily Telegraph "appear to have honoured their tax liabilities".
"We are in the process of checking whether ministers... are paying the tax that is due," a spokesman added.
More than 40 Labour ministers were reimbursed for help with tax returns.
I don't think they should be hanged, a far more appropriate punishment would be to ban them from claiming any expenses, cancel any pension or payout, pay then the minimum wage (suspending it entirely if they don't do their job) till they go, ban them from taking on any extra jobs and if they go before a general election make them pay the admin costs if they quit beforehand & trigger a byelection.Or simply hang them...? rubschin:
Has he actually 'misclaimed' any expenses though? rubschin:Whoo cares Uncle? String im up with the rest of them! cussing:
Has he actually 'misclaimed' any expenses though? rubschin:
The MPs who stand down following the expenses scandal will cost the taxpayer more than £1 million over the next year.
Conservative Julie Kirkbride and Labour's Margaret Moran have become the latest to succumb to intense public pressure and have announced they will not be standing at the next General Election.
Ten other MPs are also stepping down following the revelations in the Daily Telegraph.
It has emerged they will each receive salaries and gold-plated pensions as well as generous "redundancy" pay-outs of between £32,000 and £65,000 when they leave office.
noooo: noooo: noooo: noooo: noooo: noooo:
Chancellor Alastair Darling is facing further potentially damaging allegations about his expenses.
The Daily Telegraph says he claimed for costs on a flat in south London while claiming allowances on his grace-and-favour home in Downing Street.
A spokesman for Mr Darling said the allegations were "simply untrue".
Sir, There has been much discussion as to the number of MPs who deserve censure. I suggest the following answer. There was a crucial vote on the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill on May 18, 2007, a Bill designed to prevent the FoI Act being applied to MPs’ expenses. Only 25 MPs opposed this Bill. Thus, 96 per cent of MPs showed distressingly little interest in the public’s right to know about their expenses. We may take that figure as an approximate indication of the percentage of MPs deserving of censure.
She today said that her decision had nothing to do with the on-going MPs' expenses scandal.
She said she wanted to spend more time with her husband, Bill, and children, Alex and Nick.
Children's minister Beverley Hughes has also announced said she will stand down due to "family circumstances".
Good riddance to the “I’m not incompetent” Hughes. Not much. Couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.
I've heard that MPs are only allowed to enter Bluewater if accompanied by a hoodie.
Blears gone too! That should please Nick!
PMQs should be fun today!Even Gordo must be shitting himself today - FFS how can you talk your way out of this lot...? Shrugs:
So the vultures are circling and about to pounce ....but if Gordo goes who the hell is there that could possibly take over rubschin:Me! angel1
What can possibly go wrong?Nuffink! razz:
They're running this story on the news as I type. Diane Abbott MP, Caroline Flint MP, Shaun Woodward MP all think that Purnell was wrong in resigning and shouldn't have cited brown as the reason he went. You could almost hear each one saying, "Me sir, me sir, can I have that job sir"
Just what has Gordo got on Sugar? "Gordon's experience as Chancellor make him the best man to get the country through the economic crisis".He prolly bought an Amstrad 512 and hasn't paid for it yet...
Selling the gold reserves at a loss, destroying private pensions & either blithely ignoring or totally missing the nbvious warning signs regarding the economy before all hell broke loose.
Let's be honest here, if this was one of your Apprentice shows Alan you would just have 2 words for Gordo "You're fired!"
Just what has Gordo got on Sugar? "Gordon's experience as Chancellor make him the best man to get the country through the economic crisis".He prolly bought an Amstrad 512 and hasn't paid for it yet...
Selling the gold reserves at a loss, destroying private pensions & either blithely ignoring or totally missing the nbvious warning signs regarding the economy before all hell broke loose.
Let's be honest here, if this was one of your Apprentice shows Alan you would just have 2 words for Gordo "You're fired!"
When will he go I wonder...? rubschin:Ladbrokes now have the election in October at 5/2.
I think Broon will go within a weekI agree... difficult to see how he can cling on... noooo:
I think Broon will 'go' within a week
John Hutton has resigned!!Excellent!
They're running this story on the news as I type. Diane Abbott MP, Caroline Flint MP, Shaun Woodward MP all think that Purnell was wrong in resigning and shouldn't have cited brown as the reason he went. You could almost hear each one saying, "Me sir, me sir, can I have that job sir"
eveilgrin:They're running this story on the news as I type. Diane Abbott MP, Caroline Flint MP, Shaun Woodward MP all think that Purnell was wrong in resigning and shouldn't have cited brown as the reason he went. You could almost hear each one saying, "Me sir, me sir, can I have that job sir"
I see that Flint has now resigned and rounded on Brown. Somebody else obviously got the job she wanted. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned eh
Sugar offered a role as "Enterprise Czar". FFS evil:
I knew Peter had all these great qualities, I didn't know that 18 months ago he became an expert in emailing and texting!
He's sweating like a pig!lol:
And in one bound, she was ... in the shite!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8097955.stm
Cynical?QuoteMs Ussher asked permission to carry out a full refit of her run-down Victorian house in south London.
She is said to have contacted the Commons fees office within 12 months of becoming an MP in 2005, despite having already lived at the house for some five years.
Ms Ussher, who was not a minister at the time, wrote: "The basic situation is that this house was relatively cheap to purchase but requires quite a lot of work."
She then listed repairs which she hoped to carry out, including a bathroom which did not "function" and "peeling" walls in the shower room.
On the cover sheet of her printed letter, Ms Ussher scrawled: "I am aware this takes us over our limit - please pay as much as you are able!"
In the end, Ms Ussher received the maximum permitted under the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) for 2005-6 - £22,110.
She was a local councillor here a few years back. Career politician through and through; IIRC little or no contribution to the community. ::)
It can only getCynical?QuoteMs Ussher asked permission to carry out a full refit of her run-down Victorian house in south London.
She is said to have contacted the Commons fees office within 12 months of becoming an MP in 2005, despite having already lived at the house for some five years.
Ms Ussher, who was not a minister at the time, wrote: "The basic situation is that this house was relatively cheap to purchase but requires quite a lot of work."
She then listed repairs which she hoped to carry out, including a bathroom which did not "function" and "peeling" walls in the shower room.
On the cover sheet of her printed letter, Ms Ussher scrawled: "I am aware this takes us over our limit - please pay as much as you are able!"
In the end, Ms Ussher received the maximum permitted under the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) for 2005-6 - £22,110.
She was a local councillor here a few years back. Career politician through and through; IIRC little or no contribution to the community. ::)
My oh my.... way back on page 2... and now
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8106193.stm
Out!
Just sell your motor bike, you know it makes sense angel1eeek:
How very revealing ::) ::)
(https://www.virtual-pub.com/SMF/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg44.imageshack.us%2Fimg44%2F2694%2F73072584.th.png&hash=a5e6f427b0661cd6fe44b16cde6516ac3d2e0840) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxrjS0i)
Just sell your motor bike, you know it makes sense angel1
Oh no it can't ~ all the details that enable one to see the "fiddles" have been blacked out of the grounds of "Security"
Meanwhile Kate Hoey has had her expenses detailed on her website for ages.
http://www.katehoey.com/myexpenses.htm
It gets worse, Blears somehow survived the vote of no competence.
Gordon Brown has admitted recent events have been among the worst in his political life and made him think he could "walk away from this tomorrow".
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194340/MP-tried-claim-money-lessons-love-expenses-investigation-reveals.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194340/MP-tried-claim-money-lessons-love-expenses-investigation-reveals.html)happy001
point:
'I attended the course on "intimate relationships" because I thought it would help me better understand the complex relationships that so often featured in the cases of constituents who had asked for my help.char048
Somehow I don't see the CIA coming in to repair her pebbledash. noooo:
A Labour MP being investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for claiming over ?100,000 in allowances for his second home is stepping down.
Harry Cohen, who says he is the most professional MP his constituents have ever had, including Winston Churchill, will go at the next general election. Party workers of his Leyton and Wanstead constituency in East London were informed last week.
Sources close to the party say that after 26 years representing the constituency he wanted to spend more time with his wife who is in poor health.
Jacqui Smith has to say "sorry". Gosh.
cussing:
MPs determined to get round new rules banning family members from working for them in the wake of the expenses scandal are considering ?swapping wives? with other MPs.
Prof Sir Ian Kennedy will chair the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the Speaker of the House announced today.
http://order-order.com/2010/03/12/baroness-uddin-no-charges/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+guidofawkes+(Guy+Fawkes'+blog+of+parliamentary+plots,+rumours+and+conspiracy) (http://order-order.com/2010/03/12/baroness-uddin-no-charges/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+guidofawkes+(Guy+Fawkes'+blog+of+parliamentary+plots,+rumours+and+conspiracy))
Angry9: Angry9: Angry9: Angry9: Angry9: Angry9: Angry9:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pola_Uddin,_Baroness_Uddin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pola_Uddin,_Baroness_Uddin)
drumroll:
Another trougher in court!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8691861.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8691861.stm)
I have e mailed him to congratulate him on his prosecution eveilgrin: