Expenses Freedom of Information : Villains and Heroes
We know who the villains of this charade have been; the Speaker, the backbenchers of the parliamentary Labour and Conservative Parties. Gordon Brown has nothing to be proud of, he constantly failed to push reform forward because he could not carry his backbenchers. The YouTube debacle was his last minute desperate attempt to be seen as a reformer. Disastrous.
The shameful Members Estimate Committee, particularly Sir Stuart Bell, has done everything in its power to frustrate meaningful reform. Clegg’s LibDems have been better, though they have their embarrassments too (yes, Guido means you Lord Rennard). Cameron too has bitten the bullet even though he must know there are going to be a heck of a lot of revelations about his party. The Conservative Chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin’s role has been very suspect and it is fair to say that Cameron’s stated position and the behaviour of his Chief Whip have often appeared incompatible.
So much for the villains, who are the heroes in this affair? One heroine stands out. Heather Brooke fought for years to get the details of MPs use of the public’s money into the public domain. She fought the parliamentary authorities long and hard in the courts. The deviousness of the parliamentary establishment can’t be overstated. This is her victory.
She was aided and abetted by the press, particularly some of the tabloids, freedom of information campaigners, pressure groups like the Taxpayers’ Alliance and last but not least, bloggers. There is one more hero who should not be forgotten, the person who has blown a digital whistle on this whole charade. It does not matter if the whistleblower has done it partly for money. Mercenaries can sometimes fight heroically for freedom.
Well done Guido!
Labourlist in trouble again….
It’s all unravelling. So is this whole fucking charade of ‘public service’. Nice one to the whistle-blowers, moles and other dirt-diggers. Can I knit you a nice cardy, in thanks?
*tears*
I shall raise a glass or two (bottles more like) to whoever leaked this stuff. A weekend of fun is in the offing.
Heather Brooke should be knighted. This is a service to the British people, to see their ‘leaders’ exposed as shameless fraudsters.
Certainly second that!
Cannot ordinary nobodies recommend people for honours?
Can somebody start a petition on the No 10 website proposing her for an award in recognition of her services to freedom of information and hastening much-needed reform in the Parliamentary expenses system? I’m not sure if this is a suitable proposal for a petition. If such a petition managed to gather a momentum of support then it might act as a powerful message to those in power as to the strength of public feeling. I’d certainly recommend her for a gong…
Well done Heather
Is she Gordon Brown’s cleaner?
Your photo of our heroine Heather is too cropped – Heather’s not just a brainy dedicated campaigner you know! She has other attributes that your co-conspiring Heather worshipping readers can also appreciate and admire!
See here for example:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566757/Meet-redhead-FINALLY-forced-MPs-publish-expenses.html
She is rather delectable…yummy yummy.
A cracking candidate for “Tottywatch”, surely Guido?……………. I certainly would!
she’s better as a red head, makes her eyes stand out more. Her web site has two good pics on it at the bottom of the first page.
Love the freckles!
Forever Heather…
Nice Totty.
On seeing the name Heather Brooke, I was under the impression the original internet queen of deepthroat had a new vocation. Still- congrats to this Ms Brooke for some sterling work.
Heather Brooke is hot.
Err…first!
No chance – numbers can be rigged (see No2 of the caption comp).
Perhaps if you hadn’t hesitated?
I couldn’t, I was wiping me knob-end with a tissue.
Your honesty does you proud.
The whole sorry mess reminds me of the ending of Animal Farm, when the pigs start looking, dressing, acting and snorting like humans. Only Napoleon Brown, Snowball Smith and all the other little piggies have been gorging on the myth that they are public servants like TwoLoos “Man of the People” Prescott.
It was all started by the President Elect of the EUSSR – Mr Blair – who fiddled the House of Lords and bribed a Commons he hardly ever turned up to (a bit like his role in the Middle East) – so that he and his henchmen could hold sway over a corrupt and venal, but very obliging bunch of odious crooks.
The problem is somebody voted them in,liebour was voted in three f*kin times,three chomps at the trough.
As the great Jim Morrison said; ‘People are strange’. He could have said ‘stupid’ but that wouldn’t have flowed so well.
As long as we are given Hobson’s Choice, every 4 or 5 years, some ©unts will have to vote some other ©unts into power. Doesn’t mean the voters are ©unts.
Andrew Sparrow has this to say, ref calling in the fuzz to find and shoot the messenger. It is a summary of advice from the CPS over the Green affair.
“The advice was that if the contractors [putting the documents on to computer disk] had leaked this information, that would have been clear breach of their contract. If the Commons employees had leaked it, that would have been a clear breach of their employment contract. But neither of these would have constituted a crime. The commission also considered the issue of theft, but the advice was that the Theft Act defined theft as denying the rightful owner of the possession of their goods. Making an extra copy of something does not deny the owner possession of it. The commission was told that they were not in the realms of intellectual property. There was an issue around selling personal data, but the Commons tried arguing at the Freedom of Information tribunal and the high court that this information was personal data and that argument was rejected by the court. So it wasn’t really clear that there were grounds for calling in the police.”
So unless intrepid Labourgraph reporters dun a Watergate, someone is wasting police time
Wasting Police Time is a criminal matter which can carry up to 6 months in prison.
Wasting Police Time – section 5(2) Criminal Law Act 1967
(Archbold 28-224)
The offence of wasting police time is committed when a person
* causes any wasteful employment of the police by
* knowingly making to any person a false report orally or in writing tending to:
* show that an offence has been committed….
Examples of the type of conduct appropriate for a charge of wasting police time include:
* false reports that a crime has been committed, which initiates a police investigation;
* the giving of false information to the police during the course of an existing investigation.
The public interest will favour a prosecution in any one of the following circumstances:-
* police resources have been diverted for a significant period (for example 10 hours);
* a substantial cost is incurred, for example a police helicopter is used or an expensive scientific examination undertaken;
* the accused knew, or ought to have known, that police resources were under particular strain or diverted from a particularly serious inquiry;
* the report is persisted in, particularly in the face of challenge.
See CPS guidance on Public Justice Offences.
When do we see the speaker’s expenses?
and will he resign?
Will his wife ever be arrested?
A right little piggy, and biased too.
A bit like sanctimonious Martin “Omerta” Bell in the Guardian today.
He sat among them for years and knew what was going on but refused to blow the whistle.
Now he’s thinking of standing again at the next election against – surprise , surprise another Tory – as if Jacqui Smith, Hoon and company don’t exist.
No doubt he’ll be back on the BBC pontificating on the moral questions but he’s just as guilty as the rest, as he passed no comment on what was happening around him.
Llebnitram
Oh no not again! Hypocrite of the first order and a Labour pawn who lied to the electorate – who thought he was an ‘Independent’ Read all aobut it here:
http://www.guardianlies.com/Section%205/index.html
Re 147, I’m referring to MPiggy Matin Bell – I wonder what expenses he claimed btw
Dont worry there is a full enquiry into mp’s expenses currently underway chaired by the errr….Speaker.
Please can we get someone to stand against Gorbals at the next election – by convention the main parties won’t stand against the Speaker so it’s a two horse race with the person with the guts to stand against him…
Hang the fuckers!
Nowt to say – hey up Guido!
Nice to see a pretty face on here instead of the mugshots we are used to.
Indeed, there should be more pictures of the greatest Home Secretary ever. And the performers that she pays for me to watch.
Cooo – eee
Congratulations to Heather. Even though Gordon and co are clearly unembarrassable, let’s hope that when Cameron’s stuff comes out, he realises that we have to have a proper clean up for the next government.
Someone should tell Michael Savage about Jacqui Jackboot husband’s interest in gay porn.
Ooooh nice one
*looks up email address*
Careful Plato – you’ll be in the email database associating with a known undersrable.
Make that “undesirable”
*Grins and rubs hands*
That’d be good for a larf!
This whole thing bores me Guido, a lot of hot wind and self righteous puritanism.
Tune in to something else then
Interesting. So you see nothing wrong here. Perhaps HMRC would like to look at your expenses.
Go and fiddle with your expences then
If you pay tax it should interest you. If you are in receipt of money from the state like the people who refer to themselves as “hon” and “right hon” then of course it can only bore you frighten you.
You clearly don’t pay tax. Also it’s not just about being ripped off by our elected representatives it’s about their hypocrisy and lying. Vile people.
She’s got come hither eyes. Bet Mandy hates her.
Well done to Heather Brooke. Yes, she is very attractive, and it is such a refreshing change to have a good looking person doing good things. Rather than the ugly socialists who have made this country such an ugly place to live. I hope that blogs such as this don’t forget her in the coming years when a more amenable government might be persuaded to give her some form of recognition – the Trinity Cross for instance.
I can’t believe [well yes I can but that's another matter] that peeps of religions other than the national one of England have found a way to complain about the Trinity Cross medal – on the basis that it is ‘Christian’ and therefore demeans their human rights FFS.
Plato = Card Carrying Atheist.
As a Knight of the Moroccan Order of Ouissam Alaouite, I have never objected to the medal of our proud Order bearing the Muslim confession of faith in its red enamel centre.
Professional victims, Plato. They’ll look tirelessly for something to be offended about.
And because of their low self-esteem, they will always find something.
This is disgusting. As a Christian currently living in a Muslim country, I could just imagine what would happen if I was to make the same arguement in reverse.
The taking of extreme offence from Muslims who think that the UK should “convert” to Islam is a huge problem in the UK, we need our judiciary to stand up for what we have always belived in.
Sir William 62, big up to you. I would of course not complain if I was offered an honour from a Muslim country, I would accept it and feel pleased that the country chose to honour me. Why can’t Muslims in the Christian UK believe the same…?
Hey! Itsa whata Silvio Berlusconi wasa doing ina Italya pointing outa that socialista are a ugly!
Three cheers for Heather!
And a quiet boo for me for never having heard of her or this campaign until it all blew up!
Its the slow smouldering silent ones you want to watch out for
Yes Well done that Woman.
I had almost forgotten that it was Hether Brooke’s efforts that had brought all this about. Her Country owes her a great debt, though I somehow doubt she will be awarded the honours she deserves.
Heather is American. Says a lot about us Brits that we did not start this process. She was used to openness in American government and could not believe the secrecy surrounding, amongst other things, MPs’ expenses.
So she would have to be nominated, as I understand it, for an honorary Honour.
She has a number of campaigns going, one of which is relevant at present in light of the government’s wish to privatise the Ordnance Survey. As Heather says, we, the taxpayers, have already paid for everything produced by this organisation, so why should it be privatised and we then have to pay again for the data our taxes have already purchased. In the USA such data is freely available to companies that may then add value to the raw data for subsequent sale. This openness has lead to a growth in applications of this and similar data. See her web site yrtk.org for much more detail.
The lady certainly deserves an honour.
If Chapaquidick Kennedy can be knighted, she certainly deserves a greater honour. Perhaps a seat in the Lords, Lady Brooke of Information.
Yes, full marks to Heather Brooke. We owe her one….
Indeed we do Hugh, I’m sure we’d all like to give Heather the one we owe her!
I’d give her one….
Standby for an increase in swine flu. Over 600 MPs now feeling pig sick thanks to our heroine Heather.
Guido, why are you not pressing individual correspondents on this? The MSM all meekly accept the lie that ‘its all within the rules’?
The claims for cat food, pot plants, patio heaters, barbecues……NONE of them are within the rules because they are not related to the MP’s function…..unless I’ve missed St Jacqui griddling burgers at the despatch box during home office questions…..?
So why, why is nobody of the people who are supposed to be our representatives in the MSM asking the right questions……how did those pots plants help? Did the cat do constituency work? How did the fact that your microwave was sparkling aid you in your fight for social justice Prime Minister?
If Gordon Brown doesn’t really want to put the domestos down his own toilet, or wipe the sink clean at the end of the day he has my wholehearted sympathy. Neither do I. But whether these mundane tasks are performed or not has NO bearing on his doing his job as an MP or PM. He pays someone else to do it, fine. But it is fraud to claim that back from the taxpayer, pure and simple. Within the rules…no.
Their acquiescence shows them to either be as out of touch or as morally bankrupt as the politicos. So press them Guido, as they sure as hell don’t listen to us.
Four more UK soldiers have just died in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, back at home, there’s all this grubby self-enrichment of those who sent them there. Blair now has 6 homes. Quite a contrast.
The Blairs are a pair of c unts on the make !
…and one of them is a Cpl Kumar Pun, from the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Should be interesting when the one eyed snot eater reads out his name at midday on Wednesday.
RIP Mr Pun, you were prepared to die for the country that does not wish to let your honourable colleagues live here…
From Richard Littlejohn today re. mediocre Jaqui Smith “……..She maintains that her family house in Redditch is her second home, so she can claim tens of thousands of pounds in parliamentary allowances to which she is not entitled.
But she also registers the Redditch property as her principal residence with her local council, which means she won’t have to pay capital gains tax when she comes to sell it.
Meanwhile, she pretends to the Commons fees office that her sister’s spare bedroom in South London is her ‘main’ residence.
And that allows her famously to charge ‘second home’ expenses for Redditch – up to and including the kitchen sink, a patio heater and her husband’s pornographic movies.
This isn’t just an abuse of the system, it’s wholesale theft and criminal deception. In any other line of work she’d be helping the Fraud Squad with their inquiries. ……”
Perhaps Redditch Open Prison should be her 2nd home for a while ???
(And Brown maintains that this is all “within the rules”? )
Totally unacceptable for any minister, but particularly so for the Home Secretary. If there is any justice then plod should investigate her – after she’s resigned of course.
That is Homes Secretary. She owns two of the things or one as the case maybe.
This is what should happen.
1. Home sec resigns
2. Visit from knacker
3 Report to Crown
4. If sufficient evidence based on the facts and not on who she is then prosecution for Fraud.
5. Appropriate sentence if convicetd.
6. assets seized under proceeds of crime act .
7. All money deemed to be gained by fraud repaid in full.
8. Public apology.
Next…
“mediocre”! – are you feeling generous today?
and what makes it worse in the case of Smith is that as Home Office minister she has always been entitled (and still is) to a grace and favour residence in London with all expenses paid and no need to put in any claims at all
yes, her husband could wank himself silly on the taxpayer ‘cos the TV bill would have been part of the normal running expenses of the house and we would never have known-
she passed up all this so she could work a grubby little racket with her sister claiming her sisters front bedroom as her “second home” and probably splitting the proceeds
the thing that really repells me is the small time crookedness of it all and the complete lack of any grandeur of criminal design
hardly in the Madoff league.
This is fraud, plain and simple. The council should ask her to clarify which are her first and second homes. She can’t have it both ways…
My favourite bit of the Telegraph’s coverage of cabinet snouts in the trough was the focus it put onto Prezza’s food consumption (maximum for every year) toilet seats (repaired twice), lavatory fixings and £658 for repairs to ‘a section of drainage’.
It’s a wonder the strain of disposing of the thousands of tons of foul-smelling dung from that fat bastard’s fat arse didn’t collapse Hull’s entire sewage system.
So confirming what we always suspected. That he really is full of shit.
Yeah but he gets fed then decides he don’t want it anymore…how many refunds did get?
That’s why Hull City Council recently spent £350 million upgrading it’s storm drains because when it rains and Prezza’s in town, the whole system blocks up.
Heather Brooke? Fiesty young filly, I should coco, what!
I can’t help thinking that this is a stitchup for the Tories as the MSM get the Labour sleaze out of the way now and then use the weekends and the days running up to the June elections to make way for a drip-drip of Tory dodgy expense claims.
More here
Yes – women like Heather Brooke and Joanna Lumley offer a wonderful contrast to the back-scuttling bottom-feeders like the Ginger Stump or Jacqui the Cockney Slapper.
Jackboot Jacqui Smith is a Worcester woman.
Why does she sound as though she’s looking after a whelk stall then? Perhaps she’s just trying to talk posh because she’s Home Secretary (that is until she’s sacked)
Yeah – she’s got some (Wocester) sauce
When you say “bottom feeders” are you referring to them as pond scum or ares lickers? On second thoughts – that question is probably rhetorical.
He who is free from sin, cast the first stone
Ha ha, son. I’m chucking a huge one. Must dash; my pension is capsizing in a dinghy off the coast of Ireland.
Yours for a fiver
Jesus put that rock down this minute !
Pravda saying plod being called in to deal with leaks
Jesus, they really are spiteful little shits, aren’t they?
They shoud be in the HoC makeing arrests.
They’re all in hock
Idiots! Leeks should be dealt with by chefs!
No wonder my cesspit smells of wild garlic and porcini ravioli with a hint of parmesan
Nothing wrong with mercenaries:
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries
These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth’s foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling,
And took their wages, and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth’s foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.
A.E. Housman
Oh Dear
The Pigs are now calling in the Pigs to investigate this expenses “leak”.
I wager not one MP will be investigated for criminal activities though.
I wish I could get the police round so quickly, when my house was broken into it took hours for just some standard PC’s to arrive nevermind CID!
Even orwell did’nt foresee this one.
Didn’t even realise that there could be an organisation worse than Ingsoc – Scotsoc.
How very dare you, Guido, the McMental is certainly not to blame! Over on Sky News he is telling it as it is; apparently when challenged about the expenses, Mr McBroon said “The system doesn’t work. I’ve said it doesn’t work, it’s got to be changed. We voted for change and that change has got to come quickly.” He added “It was’nae me! It was’nae me! I said to them big boys wot done it, don’t you do that but they did it an’ then they ran away”.
“Mercenaries can sometimes fight heroically for freedom.”
Guido, You’ll have to a lot fucking better than that to get Joanna Lumley championing your cause for a comfortable old age.. – still no harm in trying !
So I see the police are to be called in over the CD of the scumbags expenses. Will these Hunts at Westminster never learn?
If they’ve done nothing wrong (as the scum keep claiming) then why hide it?
I had to laugh at rent a gob Hazel Blears running away from the TV cameras.
I don’t suppose they will use their ID card slogan, if u’ve nuffink 2 hide then u’ve nuffink 2 fear.
Hmm, I smell a distraction.
“If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear”.
Isn’t that what they tell us about ID Cards or the DNA database?
They’ll end up looking like twats like they did with the Damian Green episode.
If they think the people are going to be distracted from the real issue, then they’re sadly mistaken.
Listen to you all, just accept you are mostly on the wrong side of 35, ditch the ‘with the kids’ wide eyed stupidity and belief that you are involved in something meaningful and get on with your lives.
Yes Derek
my taxes ,your taxes are being used therefore you and I have a say what happens,if your not interested in where your taxmoney goes that’s up to you,why don’t you go and watch tv or get a life.
Which side’s the wrong side ?
The lower side.
When I was 35 I had an eff-off huge mortgage and no money.
I’m 58 now and my mortgage is paid off and my savings are considerable.
So ############ to the lot of you!!!
Maybe if you paid your taxes and didnt rely on hand outs from the state you would feel differently !
Brown didn’t fiddle anything … he forged that cleaning receipt to his brother so he didn’t look like the only boring MP not on the fiddle.
When I go outside for a fag break can I claim that as an expense?
Of course, and don’t forget to put the packet of fags and the match you used on expenses.
Did any rain fall on your jacket when outside? You could claim for the cleaning too.
simple solution to quote Kenny Everett “Round ‘em up put ‘em in a field and nuke the bastards”
Or
Build a mp’s halls of residence it can be as plush as you like with all the mod cons like pool, gym, dominatrix chamber all the things they love. It would be easier on security and MI6 would love it as it would halve their budget on spying on the mps
Would Harriet be the dominatrix ?
Bit scary.
And then nuke the halls of residence.
ffs she’s a ginger minger!! Are you Hunts so hard up??
Daft Tory twats.
Anyway Guido, who’s this “mercenary” you speak of? It can’t be you, you wouldn’t big yourself up…. would you
Not Derek, just more interested in righting the terrible shit visited upon this country over the last ten or so years in terms of disastrous policy than strapping on the old tall hat with a buckle and screwing up the face in contorted self righteousness. Lot of villagers carrying torches up to the monsters castle/chavs throwing stones at prison vans.
Oh, and looking forward to a few pleasant pints in the sunshine.
They’re not in the prison vans, they are still in power. Once they are brought to justice, we can relax. Surely you can see that the policy f*ckups and the stealing are inseparable: they are all part of the same malaise, of believing that appearances matter more than reality, and having no clue what a moral compass is, let alone using one. There is no attempt to get policies that work, all that matters is how they will play politically. And why does it matter a Prescott’s dump what age we are? We’re not trying to get down with the kinds, you are.
Sorry typo, “kids”
The worst of this is that these corrupt bastards have passed some of the most repressive and intrusive laws in our history whilst thieving from us on a grand scale. The slightest transgression of any of their thousands of laws is jumped upon and heavy fines are issued with the burden of proof in many cases being upon us to prove ourselves innocent.
Now we can see why they needed to steal so much of our money for these invented misdemeanours. The bastards want stringing up.
This may be a little late, but I am I the only one to have noticed the similarity between Hazel Blears’ ‘ .. UTube if you want to..’ and Mrs Thatchers famous ..’ U T urn if you want to. the lady’s not for turning..’. If Im right, was HB or her speechwriter aware of the resonance? And if so, what was her underlying message?
A little late but a welcome reminder.
Why the hell has no-one stepped up to the front line and created a financial fund to obtain car window stickers for people to bye denoting “Stuff Labour Like They Have Stuffed You”
as an example.
Being in my mid seventies £25.00 would make a hole in my weekly costs,so come on Guido with your many contacts give this idea some thought,and support the 65% who want Labour Out.
Luvvly Jubbly,you know it makes sense
There was one years ago which said ‘Don’t blame me, I voted Tory’.
Gordon just said on the Telly. “MPs have to live in two places at once”
No they don’t Gordon.
Omnipresence now? The list of this fecker’s talents would shame an Apprentice contestant. Next week – Foundation Wave Parting.
Bi-location. Omnipresdcence would be if they were everwhere at once. Remember Visit Wales It would visit you if it could!
My thanks.
I vote that McSnot’s torso should kept be in Fife, and his head on a pole outside the Tower of London.
Well the seem to believe two things at once !!!!
224-6
Wagon Wheels?
Who funds the ‘Taxpayers alliance’?
Is it one of the usual non tax paying spread betting company millionaire types?
If it is the ‘Taxpayers alliance’ won’t be paying any tax soon because they won’t have any money.
I object to you hounding Shaun Woodward – leave the man alone he’s had a hard day avoiding answering questions about his expenses
Shaun Woodward makes the celebrated Vicar of Bray look like a man of principle !
Yeah!
Oh the humanity!
How dare these uppity taxslaves demand value for money and accountability?
The job of the taxslave is to work like dogs to fund the lifestyle and ambitions of the commissars and KNOW THER PLACE?
Not the taxpayers, unlike you and your thieving mates.
The power of the Chief Weasel has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminished. The ferrets and stoats may only gorge. So they do. Weep for the parliamentary democracy we once inhabited.
How ironic, Guido, that the banner ad on this story thread about the serial abuse of the ‘John Lewis list’ should be none other than John Lewis.
It’s called placement,where else apart from Parliament do they talk about the John Lewis list
Keyboard’s knackered.
Yes, a modern day heroine.
Inspired by Mr Fawkes list of excuses post I have created BULLSHIT (EXCUSE) BINGO for fellow conspirators to play over the weekend. Prizes are on offer, sort of.
Not Guido’s invisisble tea-shirt offer is it SB.
Not even that good.
The worst thing about these revelations of petty venality on the part of some of our politicians is that they reinforce the general disillusionment with our politics and our politicians, just at the time when we desperately need widespread public support for action by governments everywhere (and governments are staffed by politicians) to get us through a massive global financial and economic crisis caused by a handful of much greedier private sector financiers, not at all by politicians. Bloggers, and the parasites who merely comment on blogs (mostly skulking behind pseudonyms), might pause before they join in the sneering clamour of contempt and hatred of our politicians, to consider whether a few injudicious claims for bath plugs and new boilers for second homes are really so much more wicked than the money-grubbing greed and deliberate obfuscations of what the bankers and hedge fund managers and co. were doing with other people’s money to make millions for themselves while bringing down the whole financial system on which millions all over the world depended. Let’s keep this thing in perspective, OK?
Brian
http://www.barder.com/ephems/
Brian,
whilst I agree that the reporting of the expense claims could have been constructed to cause maximum damage to the Labour party in the run up to the June elections and perhaps that there are questions to answer about the leaking of the material to the Telegraph I think you are rather missing the point here. There has for a long time been a huge public appetite to shed some light on the expense allowances enjoyed by our “honourable” members of parliament. It is all well and good to suggest that the media and the blogosphere have between them whipped up the frenzy of public opinion (congratulations on picking out one Guido’s more vitriolic contributors to illustrate your point). However let us not forget that when evidence comes to light of of the sheer scale of generous allowances available and paid for by the taxpayer (see John Lewis list etc..) of which many of us can only dream of in these tough recessionary times, does it not make you question why disclosure has attempted to be blocked at every turn by Parliament? I make comments on Guido’s site and I take great exception to being labelled a “parasite”. I am an average earning ordinary working man who takes great interest in understanding where his income goes. MP’s ultimately have a duty to us to provide an effective democracy at a value that is fair to all. Let us not forget that an expense is just that. Not a target to be reached.
Now Brian, here is an alternative perspective for you to consider. Why did a so-called “socialist” government spend its time in office cosying up to bankers and hedge fund managers by implementing light touch regulatory frameworks that allowed the culture of greed to overwhelm the global financial markets? And now, in an amazing and hypocrital volte face, that same government turns it’s back and crys foul at the mess the city got us into. It wouldn’t be the rules would it …. no, definitely the fault of the greedy bankers. Move onto expenses and, hang on a minute…., no it’s not our fault, it’s the rules that’s the problem. Can you see the difference? No, because there really isn’t one. We are not sneering Brian – that would simply imply that we do not care – we are totally and utterly indignant.
For my response to an almost identical comment on my own blog, please see
http://www.barder.com/ephems/1705#comment-84881.
Why doesn’t Woodward let his butler answer the questions.
The problem is this: our way of governance has been overrun by tawdry, mean spirited, little people riven by petty ambitions and nasty, ugly values.
It is at last clear that the country is run in a third rate way because it is run by third rate people.
if found to have defrauded the taxpayer … make them resign and force a by election. Full blown general election anyone?
Yep I would love there to be a full election now…but there wont be.
If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play, so be it. I am ready for the fight. The fight against falsehood and those who peddle it. My fight begins today. Thank you and good afternoon.
excuse me while I just go and count my teaspoons
Compared to these fucks Aitken was honest. The arabs paid for his stay at the Ritz, not the poor bloody taxpayer.
and that which he done wrong was paid for by some porridge, not like these lying fucks !
Well done Guido Fawkes for your part in outing these scoundrels. Keep up the good work.
Yep, agreed
)
“Mercenaries can sometimes fight heroically for freedom.”
If you say so.
Het es en vos?
Arrest them all on suspicion of fraud and thake their DNA!
If you are listing heroines, don’t forget Elizabeth Filkin – “Elizabeth Filkin’s departure from her role as parliament’s sleaze watchdog is as mired in controversy as most of her time in the job.
Having won her appointment in February 1999 Ms Filkin’s investigations into Keith Vaz are said to have prompted whispering campaign attacking her reputation.
And she has come in for more public criticism from the plain speaking former Speaker Betty Boothroyd who complained about the high-profile Ms Filkin maintained.” – BBC 5/12/2001
What I want to know is who was the male MP (now retired) who claimed for two packs of Tampax?
My money’s on Blair – I wouldn’t put it past that hideous wife of his to freeload her fanny-rags out of the public purse – ’cause she’s worth it.
Or maybe Little Lord Fondlebum. I’ll leave you to concoct your own reasons – this is, after all, a weblog with decent standards to uphold.
According to the ITV news it was a Tory who claimed for Tampax
This is not a weblog with standards that protect criminals to uphold. In fact the problem with the UK is that NuZanuLieBore (war criminal, lying, thieving incompetent scum) have simply exploited the fact that the Brits have been traditionally uncomplaining high standards kind of peoiple.
Maybe a Tory did claim for tampons, or a Labour Jock for a 5p tescos bag…semantics. They are proven criminals. Election? forget it. AK-47s.
Would this be the same Sir Stuart Bell who doesn’t even reside in this country never mind his constituency for most of the year?
The people of Middlesbrough are waking up to you you Hunt.
Three cheers for the Brigade of Palace of Westminster Gurkhas who fight for freedom and knowledge on such poor mercenaries’ pay.
Fwooooar ! Heather Brooke!
badda badda badda shawiiiiing badda!
Surely the way The Prime Minister G.Brown pays his flat cleaning bill , if it is correct , via his brother to the cleaning company to lessen National Insurance Contributions then it amounts to tax evasion by all three of them.
HMRC please take note.
Police called in:
Police were this afternoon asked to investigate the leaking of MPs’ expenses as public anger mounted over the extravagant claims.
The news that Commons authorities have asked the police to move in came as Cabinet ministers shamed by their expenses claims united to put the blame on other people .
The Prime Minister, whose claims included cleaning services organised by his brother, said “the system” was at fault.
Lord Mandelson accused the press of smearing politicians while Hazel Blears, who listed three different addresses as her second home in the space of a year, said it was all approved by Commons officials.
Public beheading called for. UP THE REVOLUTION.
Just watched ITV news with Mary Nightingale quizzing Harperson on expenses, vis a vis two toilet seats and john Prescott. Harperson was banging on about expenses being for basic necessities for a 2nd home to enable MPs to do their job and the brilliant Mary utters “Horse manure”. Harperson blinks and says “Pardon”?
Mary replies “Horse manure, one of the MPs was claiming for horse manure”. It was one of those priceless moments. The girl deserves a promotion.
On the same news wires as the death of 4 more soldiers 2 of them Gurkhas, who they are seeking to deny British citizen ship.
You politicians are venal corrupt pigs and you make me sick.
4 soldiers killed in action, Parliament politicians justifying their greed. Sums up Liebour Britain.
Yeah I won’t get distracted at all. Who do you reckon will win Britain’s got talent tomorrow?
“…the lady’s not for tubing” is the logical continuation. Was it a hint that she is not the colonic irrigation culprit?
I considered one of these stickers, but eventually decided it would guarantee a keying if I parked it in Paisley.
“Death to the Whigocracy” would be a better one, as it would confuse the hoodies and polytechnic history graduates who never got further back than WW2 evacuees.
That would be poetic justice, as most of our transplant organs go to foreigners, in the interest of “fairness”. So if you see a plumber with a glass eye and a face like a dog’s ares, you’ll know the surgery was successful.
Oh I wish Id seen that, can someone put it up pllllllleeeeeeeeeeease !
Vaz is a fucking c unt
Swiss Bob – can you fit this onto one of your bingo squares?
The conduct of government rests upon the same foundation and encounters the same difficulties as the conduct of private persons:that is , as to its object and justification, for as to its methods, or technical part, there is all the difference which separates the person from the group, the man acting on behalf of himself from the man acting on behalf of many. The technical part, in government as in private conduct, is now the only one which is publicly or at any rate generally recognised, as if by this evasion the more difficult part of the subject, which relates to ends, could be avoided. Upon ‘ the law of nature and the law of revelation,’ Blackstone said, ‘depend all human laws.’ This quaint language, which would at once be derided if it were introduced now into public discussion, conceals a difficulty which is no less ours than it was our ancestors’. C.H.Sisson
As she is an American, it’s not possible to put her forward for an Honour. Though I am sure there are other awards she could be put forward for.
http://thatsnews.blogspot.com
She’s British – parents and passport.
Great stuff, inspiring. But what are we all going to DO ABOUT IT?? You still only have the option to vote for these corrupt parties. How about a MILLION PERSON MARCH on Parliament? Bring the entire city to a stop? A general strike until they reform themselves? Or better still, a new REFORM PARTY with all existing MPs and party members excluded from membership – only ‘ordinary people’ would be allowed to stand?
Great idea, but power corrupt’s. It’s throughout history.
[...] (1)November 2004 (3) As indeed many bloggers say, for example politicalbetting has this, Guido has this.Well done Heather, and thank you very much.I don't actually think the system of MP's [...]
PRESCOTT needs TWO TOILETS cos he is so FULL OF SHIT!
At last, a Guido blog post that is more than Schadenfreude. Kudos to you and to Heather Brooke (whom I’d never heard of, but then I don’t have the fortune to live in Brownland). I will no doubt soon be disillusioned, but she seems by your account to be a (gasp!) principled human being in politics. I give her 10 minutes.
Nice to see you giving a dishonourable mention to ‘Sir’ Stuart Bell, Guido.
The man should be sacked by his constituents at the next election because he has no interest in them whatsoever.
Is that likely? I think not!
Those who vote for me are the lowest of the, chavvy, drugged-up, dole-scrounging low. They haven’t got a clue about Politics and long may that continue because it enables we to keep happily pocketing expenses.
Teesside Tom, you are deluding yourself if you think I will lose my seat at the next election. In fact, thanks to the widespread ignorance of my electorate I will doubtlessly be one of the very few Labour MPs left!
Ker-ching!!!!
This guy is my MP.
He spends most of his time in France and despite spending decades in Parliament he’s never risen higher than church estates minister. Who says scum always rises to the top?
The local Labour association quite happily informed us few Tories that they have de-selected in for the next election. Some new young face is being wheeled in. Apparently, his relationship with the local Labour hoons is so acrimonious that they didn’t even bother to invite him to the selection process. Given that the local Labour party can’t stand him why does Middlesbrough elect him? Because you could put a red rosette on a donkey here and they’d vote for it. SIGH……
[...] Tireless in her efforts to achieve greater political openness, including MPs expenses, she has been credited by Guido Fawkes for her part in this. She even inspired this humble FOI request…. 0 Comments [...]
A poem by A E Housman entitled:
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries
These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth’s foundation fled,
Follow’d their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth’s foundations stay;
What God abandon’d these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.
Mercenaries are often honerable – and worth their pay.
Heather Brooke- a fantastic megaphone for the voiceless majority
According to the paper I read yesterday(Can’t remember which one) Hillary Benn MP has played fair by expenses, He’s my local MP too, I may decide to vote this time as I’ve given up hope in the past.
http://www.writetothem.com/
This is a site to try to actually get in touch with your regional representative..enjoy the moment before they invade another country to deflect opinion.!
Dear British tax payer
What are we, the employers of what I can only describe as people (MP’s) who knowingly walk a tightrope verging on dishonesty even if it is “within the rules”
Stephen fry needs his expenses investigated after his admission on tape, probably frauding the taxpayer run BBC ..But nowt will happen either.!, talks like he’s from another planet.
Joanna Lumley-just how good did she get Woolas MP to squirm on film..Priceless, Deserves an award “Maybe a paxman medal if one exists” Lol.
This bunch of mendacious s—s need to be exposed to the closest scutiny
T’would be hoped that prison sentences would follow, but I’m not holding my breath!