Clegg and Cameron seem quiet today don’t they? The usual attack dogs seem strangely muzzled. Chris Grayling isn’t growling. Norman Baker isn’t barking into broadcaster’s microphones. Wonder why? Could it be because no matter what their party, they are all at it?
Communism Good. Capitalism Bad | Mail
Bring Back Coulson | Telegraph
The Case for Gay Marriage | Tim Montgomerie
UKIP MEP Drunk and Drugged Up | Political Scrapbook
Staggers Israel Hating Again | Robin Shepherd
India Should be Giving Us Money | Mail
Harry Potter to Ed’s Rescue | Dot Commons
Labour Would Have Borrowed More | FT
Better Late Than Never | The Commentator
Wallace and Gromit Embarrassed by Miliband Comparison | Indy
Noel Gallagher: Thatcherite | Mail
Will ‘Marital Coercion’ Be Vicky Pryce’s Defence? | Jerry Hayes
David Miliband: Truly Feeble Man’s Self-Pity | Matthew Norman
The West’s Money Go Round | John Redwood
Huhne: You’d Need a Heart of Stone Not to Laugh | James Delingpole
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Guido chuckled at the following exchange he had with a Tory insider:
Tory: “What’s Labour’s position on the Syria crisis?”
GF: “They say you should be talking to Russia.”
Tory: “Labour have been saying that since 1945.”
Maybe if they really wanted to “decontaminate the Labour brand” with business people, they shouldn’t have totally buggered up the economy?
Just a thought.
The Telegraph does the Tories tomorrow, according to Conservative Home
What’s the point in running a country if a few perks on the side cannot be enjoyed?
I have exclusive details about parliament sponsorship over at mines…
Hmmmm… I’m wondering if Dave is sitting comfortably tonight – he and his chums are awfully quiet…
INCREDIBLE- THE BBC WEBSITE IS NOT COVERING THE EXPENSE STORY AT ALL!!!
Guido do us all a favour. Every time you raise this issue, please make it clear that the claim that it’s ‘all within the rules’ is a total lie.
There is nothing wrong with the rules. They are perfectly clear, and they are the same rules as the Inland Revenue apply to any other worker who is claiming expenses. To be reimbursable an expense has to be incurred ‘wholly, exclusively, and necessarily’ in the work of an MP.
Every single person who reads or posts on any of these blogs has to be clearly aware of this, and we have to keep broadcasting the fact until the cheating lying thieves themselves are the only people left trying to make this spurious claim.
You couldn’t expect the great helmsman to know these tiresome little rules, the man has never bothered to do a proper days work in his miserable life.
There is a loud sound of knees knocking coming from the wrong/right.
58
…not even as Chancellor! But then we all know about his bookeeping now
Pugsy: “No individual can claim cleaning cost as an expense. Only a business can do this in the UK.”
Ditto second homes, tv licence fee, repairs to property, etc., etc., etc. Clartmonkey is confusing allowances for business with personal allowances. Since when is being an MP a business? Oh, silly me!!!
Yeah, how the fuck can mock tudor beams, patio heaters, etc, etc be wholly necessary to perform as an MP. Whoever passed these claims needs jailing as well as the thieving bastards who claimed.
As I’ve posted before. When speaking to the taxman about my expenses I asked if I could claim £2000 for a new plasma TV. They said no of course, and said had heard similar requests/jokes more time than they care to remember since the MPs expenses fiasco. If only MPs had to do half the accounting that their wage payers have to do.
Well said Clartmonkey I was coming on here to make the same point. The Daily Mail has today published some of the rules and from what I can see, many of these claims are QUITE CLEARLY NOT WITHING THE SAID RULES.
The spin they would have us believe is that the rules are so vague and confusing that they are open to interpretation leading to wrong claims being made in good faith. That may be the case in some instances but not in others.
There is clear Fraud at play here, clear fraud.
One of the rules states that all claims must relate to “clear usage” ergo all second home expenses where the claimant does not actually live at said address in the manner claimed is NOT WITHIN THE RULES
Another states that claims made must be for “NECESSARY expenditure incurred for an MP to perform his or her PARLIAMENTARY DUTIES”.
Ergo all claims for kitchen sinks, cleaning, gardening etc etc OUTWITH THE RULES.
The defence offerered by many including Brown himself that it was the administration of the claims that was to blame is covered quite clearly by the rule which states that claimants are individualy responsible for there own claims EVEN IF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THEM IS DELEGATED BY THEM TO OTHERS. Ergo not within the rules.
Is our Legal system and Police so compromised by placemen fearing damge to their careers that they are fearful of acting . Obviously YES it is !
Shame, absolute shame on this parliament.
The Green Book is unambiguously clear.
What they did was at best against the spirit of the rules and at worst fraud.
Anyone who sold a house at a profit and received tax payer funds for the payment of fees, stamp duty, maintenance, improvements or mortgage payments should be required to repay the proportion of the increase in value relative to the subsidy received.
Tax payers do not pay taxes to line the pockets of those elected to serve us.
Exactly, Guido. And why the fuck do people like Dave and George with extensive private means need to claim at all? What about public service? Huhnes.
The Tories are afraid that we shall rip off their pants as soon as they get in. They are at it too, all of them you just watch.
Watch your back Guido.
The problem for all of them (not just ZanuLieBorg) is that they didn’t get their terror-police organised in time. They are currently, as Stalin told the IRA angrily, for failing to shoot priests along with plebs, “not really serious at all”.
Telegraph has probably been stung by the criticism it got over smeargate so decided to stump up for this bundle of receipts. Nice that they let PMQ’s headlines filter through before they came out with this bombshell though.
And to dodge Mandelbums accusation of it being a ‘classic smear’ (which is a bit rich!) the Tories will get it in the neck tomorrow. Interesting that the only Tory speaking about it is May – the others must be in it up to their necks. Hmmm… raises the RedRag question of Camerons finances again…
Yes, curious…….
Ammando Iannuci is very angry at Labourlist
Of course they are all at it – and have been so for years.
I think you mean ‘quiet’, not ‘quite’.
Quite right.
Quiet right??
Be quite.
Drollery not trollery – tres amusant.
Quiet Riot – popular 80′s glam rock group.
Hmm you’ve all now gone quite quiet
I’m quiet.
I quit
No! I-I-I-I-I-I-I am a noisy man!
I am a noisy MA-A-A-A-A-AN!!!!
RAAAAAAAAAAARRGHHH!!!!
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
The reticence can’t be surprising.
Are you some kind of prat?
No, numbnuts. Dead brave of you making anonymous remarks like that. Your mates in the students union bar will be very impressed.
Fuck off.
OMG !!
You tell him , Doc x . BTW , are you still free to examine my cervix on Weds , honey ???
E x .
I am
Let him…
Hello.
Hi. Welcome to the madhouse.
Forgive them Father – they know not what they do.
Is one of Cameron’s former aides working for the party and and a lobbying firm at the same time as well as being a parliamentary candidate? Is that allowed? And should they be allowed a parliamentary pass?
Laughing stock around the world…….. and it reflects on us all
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/uk-mps-spend-millions-of-taxpayers-money-to-clean-their-flats_100189903.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/08/content_11338017.htm
Wrinkled Weasel has a strange interview with Gordon Brown on some American show
Moral probity is lacking all round.
What did Phoney Blair say in 97. His government would be squeaky clean. 12 years of New Lab nad parliament stinks worse than ever.
The Brown moron has done nothing for all his pious beliefs.
Incredible how Blaire has managed to shift all the sh!te onto Brown- he was PM while our economy was set up to be destroyed – It is amazing how everyone is ignoring his part in our downfall and focusing on Brown. Where are Blaires reciepts? Why has the DT not shown any of them????
The more we hear, the more we realise how clever Bliar was – got out just at the right time, set Gordon up to take the fall, and managed to amass a nice property portfolio into the bargain – clearly a shining example for young politics graduates to follow. No wonder he was all smiles in 1997. One draw back he did marry a dog – one with the biggest arse in Christendom
There is an all-out campaign to get rid of Gordon Brown. Although it’s the right thing to do for a million reasons, Blair is definately being let off the hook.
I have to state it’s Gordon own pig-ignorant fault. He should just resign and let someone else sort the mess out. The people want an election and he’s not doing it. So he will be destoryed, day by day until he calls an election.
It’s important we keep this pressure up until he calls the bloody election.
Not only a big arse but I have seen better legs on a sideboard.
It makes me sick to think Blair and Brown will one day be honoured for the Pauperisation of Britain. Brown’s cocks will increase child poverty.
I believe the lying little shyster Bliar’s receipts were “accidentally” destroyed moments before they were due to be published.
I’ll have to try that with the HMRC next time I put a couple of houses, plasma screens, BBQs and a dirty whore through my company accounts.
More here from Tony Beelzebub and his evil plottings.
I think he said whiter than white but it was thought to be racist and scrapped as an aspiration (?). Alerted to this risks associated with colour, Gordon has opted for British jobs for British workers.
Even Edwin Ballcocks had to have the obligatory black in shot this morning. Cynical or what? The fuckers use every sad trick they can.
We will ask God to forgive you.
Baker did a short bit on R5 this morning but has indeed been mysterious quiet after that – perhaps he got told to shut it?
He was on Today today. Claimed the moral high ground (as per) so must be confident of his personal probity.
Also on was Bottomley who said he spent £5 yesterday, which is claimable, but that he probably wouldn’t put it in. You can’t say they’re not making an effort.
Baker is straight as they come. Daft as a brush too, but you can’t have everything.
Yes, Normal Bacon was on Toady, right at the end when most sane people have switched off, exhausted at listening to their prattle for 3 hours – but he did his stuff. Shame that a principled MP (yes, I think there is at least one) should be cold-shouldered by members of his own party, never mind the rest.
It’s Friday so they are probably doing consituency work – and thanking whatever God they believe in that it’s not them in the spotlight.
Tomorrow is another day…
Of course they are all at it. Fucking corrupt pigs the lot of them. Clear the whole hog pen that is parliament out and start again. Oh wait, as the EU runs the country now that won’t make any difference at all will it.
so it’s just a clear-out then
you mean Parteh!
Pious beliefs? PIOUS? The only religion the one-eyed (and the other one’s nearly fucked as well) Scottish shit-bucket adheres to is “Power For Me And Fuck The Rest Of You, Including The Party To Which I’m Not Even Elected As Leader.”
I agree but I was trying to be slightly civil.
Fuck being Civil these are grade a c unts were are talking about here.
Just heard Jack Strawman on the World at One… true to form all he could do was keep parroting “Within the rules! Within the rules!” as Guido and others predicted.
Would that someone with a bit of musical talent would whip up a song with Straw, Blears, etc etc all repeating that.
The TWAO bit on Blears was priceless… she apparently ran into her car or somewhere to evade the questions, then they interviewed people in her consituency.
Yeah, she just had time to say, er… “my claims were within the rules”, but then had to rush off for an emergency house viewing.
Hmmmmm *thinks*
They’re tryin to work out wot happens when you fuse BluLabour an some unknown yellow substance together . Will it produce a stable compound an will the public vote for The Conservalibs ???
Who cares ???
Later E x .
Guido, that may be uncharitable, but true.
I think the answer will become perfectly obvious when the Telegraph publishes the Tories’ expenses tomorrow.
This isn’t a party political thing. They’re all as bad as each other.
Oh dont ruin it for me. Today I want to concentrate on Labour-Bashing.
Guido:
‘Baker The Pure’ was on Sky bright and early pronouncing from his lofty tower.
As for the Conservatives, I hope the guilty are being advised of their fate and that something will be said when the TV Channels finally have room to fit them in. They are far too busy dealing with all Labour’s excuses to give air time to other parties.
However, if members of opposition parties are up to their necks in it (though I doubt it will be quite so widespread as in Labour) then they should suffer as well.
There can’t be as many troughing Tories as there are ZNL MPs
as there aren’t as many of them.
What sickens me is that the greedy bastards are doing their best to bring democracy down.
Socialism and democracy are incompatible anyway. To the Party elite, democracy is a mere hindrance to making more money.
Democracy goes hand in hand with the rise of the welfare state (which is basically socialism). The majority vote themselves money from the pockets of the minority. It is liberty and socialism that don’t go together.
If Cameron and Clegg have any nonce about them they will issue a statement that any suggestion of trough snorting from their MP’s will face deselection and then start again and try and get it right for the forthcoming election, whenever that will be. Leaving the corrupt Labour governemnt to whither in the wind.
That’s all very well, but what if it is a shadow cabinet member that they can’t do without.
They are not in power. They need to start with a clean sheet. No-one is indespensible. Leadership is about showing the way and doing it with integrity. If leading members are not whiter than white then the knife cutting the bad eggs from the front bench is better done in opposition. The Government are finding it impossible to do it because they are bad as each other.
Can you imagine what a cabinet meeting is like? You are going to fire me!!!!!!! So then a statement in the house that would bring the corrupt lot down. Remember Geoffrey Howe and he was talking about issues not corruption.
Nobody is indespensible and if someone is found to be a thief – and that is what they are – then they are not the right person to be running the country. It doesn’t matter how well they do their job – they are thieves and should be made to resign from parliament and then arrested. If DC and Clegg can’t see that then they need to resign too. I expect they are both up to their necks in expense claims anyway….
Or they themselves?
There isnt anyone in Government or opposition whom “we cant do without”, we must do “whatever it takes”to restore integrity to the mother of parliaments.
I think you rather assume that Messrs Cameron and Clegg have no embarassments of their own – remember they are MPs.
I am not assuming that at all, although perhaps they considered their position when they declined to support the government in blocking the receipts from being fully disclosed.
In any event if they too are in the trough, the voters can soon put paid to any majority they are sitting on. I expect there will be some interesting results at the next general election.
What’s all this about Cameron having a nonce about him? That’s no way to talk about Dale…
If this has been going on for years, isn’t it strange that Martin Bell has been so quiet ?
As far as I can see the biggest problem with Neil Hamilton was, he was a mere amateur compared to the professionals around him.
He wrote an article for CIF on 6th April last, ‘Bring MPs to account over expenses’; and anther today in the Guardian, ‘Where’s the remorse on MPs’ expenses’? So, presumably, he’s squeaky clean.
WaO announced the death of 4 servicemen yesterday
Curiously it means that Mr Brown at PMQ’s next week will have to stand and announce the death of a Gurka, unless he can swerve that one
He’s probably already cold calling, tryng to find a foriegn PM who’ll let him visit next week. Mugabe could do with the publicity, and they could compare notes and swap tips for trashing an economy and avoiding elections.
Perhaps he’ll get Joanna Lumley to do it.
Colour me stunned
Aye Guido,
British MP’s
These are your true benefit cheats, and the country knows it!
(its all within the rules I made up for myself).
Some of the MPs have probably pushed the limits of what is permissable under the “funny” rules they have set for expenses claims. But I expect there are some who have really “milked it” for all it is worth, and if there are a good number of them then a general election will be needed to weed out the really bad lot I suppose. Perhaps Gordon Brown won’t really have much of a choice, it will be a necessity for the mother of all parliaments!
Could it be because no matter what their party, they are all at it?
Well, duh!?
Sky breaking news
Labour MP found dead in London flat. The circumstances are not thought to be supicious according to Police.
Not if he’d just met one of his constituents.
Nothing on Beeb or Sky websites about this.
J – O – K – E
Three stab wounds in the back….obviously suicide.
After 12 years of piss poor “Scottish” rule leaving us in a lamentable state!
Plus watching the turkies north of the border last night on Question Time, I really think the time has come for English independence.
If Naddine had got her baps out she wouldn’t have got any applause…because she was a “McTory”!
It totally pisses me off that the McSporrans have more civil liberties than us (ie DNA Database)! And their fucking shit head Hollyrood gets held up as beacon to Westminster, when we have to pay for it and it’s a bunch of “Sweaties” running us!
I suspect the ‘audience’ was bought and paid for with BBC tax-pounds, Nadine performed very poorly and dungheaps are a beacon to Westminster.
Nadine just looked plain out of date – in dress and with bottle yellow hair, and in mind too. I think most woman have moved on …..
Now if Nadine’s daughter had got her baps out…
No individual can claim cleaning cost as an expense. Only a business can do this in the UK. These people are evading income tax and NI contributions on their income
Guido. I think you’re right when you intimate that Dave and Cleggy have their own bodies to bury on this one. But why should they act as a convenient deflection device for Nu Lab to scream “Opportunist Politics” at when the MSM and blogosphere are hot on the scent of the SleazeParty?
They’re probably hard at work reorganising their own shadow cabinets ahead of the shit hittting the fan tomorrow, withdrawing whips and de-selecting MPs as required, whereas our PM is doing nothing-again.
I hope you’re right but I expect them to ride it out and not get rid of anyone – if they do that the election results are going to be really interesting this time around.
I can remember a time when if a cop went to court charged with anything from speeding to theft, it was the norm to hear the magistrate/judge say that because the officer held a position in authority, and had knowledge that meant they were in a position to know better, they had breached a trust the public had a right to expect from them. Therefore they would be treated differently and the punishment would be exemplary.
The PM and Cabinet have knowledge, authority and power; it might be said they should provide an example in matters moral, criminal and on questions of behaviour. Not withstanding the fact that things will be shown to be ‘within the rules’, and there are unlikely to be no punishments as such, is it not the case that they are like the criminal police officer of days gone by and the opprobrium directed at the government will be justifiably greater than, say, a low-profile back-bencher or opposition MP?
I don’t think I can justify this intellectually or philosophically, but in the court of public opinion…….
I know I shouldn’t laugh but Ho ho ho ho. How the fuck is he going to sidestep that one if he dares to show up.
There you go Brown. That’s why we owe them a decent pension and a passport.
Yep, unfortunately.
The Telegraph may be saving the juiciest indescretions (of course all within the rules hrmmf) for the Sunday Papers.
I wonder who the targets will be for Sunday, cos that’s gonna SELL PAPERS like crazy.
I have worked out its possible that MP’s could have made over HALF A MILION £ in equity since 1997 purely through the lax rules of the ACA. Let’s assume £20,000 a year of the ACA has been spent on Mortgage Interest for a second home over the last 12 years, at an average interest rate of 4.99%. That’s a mortgage of £400,000 taken out in 1997. Even on a 100% Mortgage the below makes for ridiculous reading.
From the Nationwide House Price Calculator:
A property located in UK which was valued at £400000 in Q2 of 1997, would be worth approximately £1025358 in Q1 of 2009.
An Equity gain of over £600,000.
Talk about GRAVY TRAIN.
How much does the Telegraph cost on a Saturday?? They are about to make a killing
Do you honestly think the Telegraph wouldn’t have started with Labour (on a weekday) if it didn’t have juicier meat on the others?
Or rather: when these expenses become public knowledge in July, we will probably see that there are items listed there that are much juicier than what we’ve seen today, while the juiciest items findable about the other two parties will be on full display this weekend.
And, if darling truffle-digging piggies like Guido do their jobs (and I mean that as a sincere compliment), we will find the early release of the selectively blacked-our expense report to the Telegraph was engineered by some machinating Labour toady.
You read it here first. Unless it’s somewhere else I haven’t read yet.
It hasn’t started with Labour – it’s started with “The Cabinet”. I think there may well be more Labour ones to come – so don’t be too disappointed..
Most of them from all parties. The Labourgraph did cover Tory, Lib Dem and Noo Labour expenses.
Yes, of course they all are. You should continue to zap any corrupt MP regardless of persuasion.
You see, this kind of impartiality is what makes blogs like these so powerful, no cheap party political point scoring (best left to LabourList), just a burning zeal to clear the shit out of the stables.
But this shit has “cascaded” down to all levels of the Government apparatus. Do you not think that Heads of Agencies and Departments do not know the ‘political’ game. You see these words and phrases everywhere and just know that it is political ploy.
What about “learning experience” My favourite that I have personal experience about is “it was an UNINTENTIONAL breach of confidentiality” FFS what would an intentional breach look like then?
According to Sky the Maximum Idiot has spoken…
‘When challenged about the expenses, Mr Brown 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.”‘
The system doesn’t work! Ha ha ha ha ha. For fucks sake. Like his FSA system didn’t work, his tax credits don’t work, his 10p tax didn’t work and his ‘independent’ MPC didn’t work.
So now it’s the ‘system’ to blame. It probably started in America too.
Arsehole.
The system worked well enough when the cleaner needed paying, didn’t it?
Actually the only thing he allowed to be voted on was to require ToryMPs to disclose their out-of-hours income. The rest he voted to kick into touch for another few months.
Gordon Brown, lying again.
lmao. After 12 years troughing in government, Gordon says that ‘change has got to come quickly.”‘
The only way that change will come is by de-selecting ALL the existing MPs.
Candidates for the next parliament should vouch that they are independent of any political party. Any existing MPs that wish to stand again will have to resign from their party.
First job for the next parliament is to ban coercion (whipping) of politicians. A charge of blackmail will fix that one.
Subsequently, referenda on Lisbon, relationship with EU and devolution.
Repeal terror, hate, correctness legislation.
Remove ALL quangos.
Maximun fixed term for all politicians 2 times 5 years ( or 3 times 4 years).
All potential candidates to agree to live in state supplied flats while at Westminster, only allowable expenses are travel costs.
Independent body to control salaries. Only one state funded assistant per MP. ( No problem with using a family member.) Any additional assistants paid for by MP from their taxed salary.
Rant over.
PS
Cameron has 12 hours to expel his miscreants, if not, the next government will not be Tory.
Call in the army. Arrange a confrontation at Runnymede and banish the robber barons.
The ‘system’ would have been perfectly ok if it was not for that bloody Freedom of Information Act.
It’s just really sad that all the people of this country have lost complete trust in their politicians. Why should the young / first time voters turn out for a bunch of crooks?
Because Gordon Brown is best placed to lead the Labour Party to clean up this mess, in his flat, in Downing Street, and in the country.
Ah now I see the six grand was for a economics student to advise him how to get out of this mess – Gordon just put cleaner on the expense chit to fool us.
If the three largest parties are corrupt are there not some Independent MPs? Or even the small lot, like Plaid and the Irish lot -
someone could really twist the knife if they were squeaky clean themselves.
Or are none untainted?
Postal votes will help keep more labour snouts in the trough than many expect.
Postal votes scandals will be bigger than the expenses scandals
Don’t worry too much Postal Vote. It took all the resources they could muster to sort one by-election in the Prime Minister’s backyard. (Although I have to admit that ‘losing’ the Electoral Register was a pretty good trick)
There’s no way they could cope with nationwide elections.
Actually Clegg has not been silent. he’s about the only MP coming up smelling of roses in all of this,
If he’s clean and he gets rid of any LibDem with a dirty snout immediately then he has my vote and many, many others. I will say the same thing for DC but I expect him to have some troubles of his own (then again, I’m expecting the same for Clegg before this is over….)
Oh – I’m a great milker – me!
I milk everything I can!
It’s what I do
If you’d stayed at home and ‘miled’ your husband you’d only be embarrassed about claiming for a BBQ and bath plug.
…and that was on special offer , the parsimonious porker
Sleaziness: it’s in Labour’s D N A.
It is patently obvious that the Tories will get their own smear-fest from the Telegraph. In fact, i’m somewhat suspicious about the leak. Damage limitation and controlled release of information by the government seems pretty likely to me.
Frankly, I don’t care about it very much, nor do I think it’s the seismic revelation or catastrophic catalogue of wickedly that the rest of the population seem to.
I’ve never seen an expense account that didn’t get used liberally. I’ve never met a person who didn’t take the perks they were offered. I’m sure a couple of dozen “anonymous” posters will now say: “I have an expense account and I don’t use it at all, in fact I put my own money into it!”. Yeah. Right.
Maybe they did make the rules and certainly the rules aren’t right, but they are still the rules as they stand. The right thing to do isn’t to harp on and on and on about plugs and carrier bags and saunas and whatever the hell else, it’s to change the rules so that its transparent, fair and respectable, sack anybody who actually went so far the rules were broken, then draw a line under the whole thing and move on.
I know that’s not trendy. It was bash-a-banker last month. Now its bash-a-politican. It’s great fun to assume they are all crooks, all evil and all on the make. I don’t think that’s the case. There are some baddies. There are plenty of decent people in all the parties. Most are just human.
I know I’ll make no friends here by trying to take a reasoned stance, but somebody has to. This is getting ridiculous on all sides, public included.
“It was bash-a-banker last month. Now its bash-a-politican.”
They are all connected.
It was only ‘bash a banker’ because the fucking government decided to use the bankers (and Americans) as scapegoats for their own incompetence of sitting there like idiots while they (the government) fucked up the economy.
So we had Harman giving it ‘court of public opinion’ and Brown et al egging on the media to encourage us all to blame Fred Goodwin and Andy Hornby for the UK’s fucked up economy. Something they finally toned down when Fred’s car and home were vandalised. Government incitement of criminal damage.
This time they can’t blame anybody else. Although Brown is attempting to blame ‘the system’.
You surely will not, Steve.
“I thank thee, Lord, that I am not as other men.”
Luke 18:11.
“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
Matthew 7:1
“Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone”
John 8:7
The rules don’t need changing.
The people need changing. They have broken the rules.
The rules state the expenses MUST be necessary for the MP to perform parliamentary duties. Tudor beams, carrier bag, patio heaters and on and on, are not necessary to good performance as an MP therefore, they are NOT within the rules!!
I concur and will be your friend!
Wednesday 11/12/02 Independent: Cherie and the flats…Government spokesman says:
“We quite understand why some of you have been irritated when the story first broke. It is completely understandable.”
“But there is a lot else happening in the world and I do think it is time to move on.”
Friday 30/1/04 – Independent: BBC / Hutton Report reports Tony Bliar as saying:
“I have no doubt the BBC will continue, as it should do, to probe and question the Government in every proper way. What this does is allow us to draw a line and move on.”
Steve Tierney
“……………then draw a line under the whole thing and move on.”
They can move on all they like – but they are still running up a “Down” escalator into the bowels of defeat.
Fanny,
Im a Conservative, Im entirely happy with the government being defeated. I was just making a call for a little common sense alongside the witchhunts and the ritual burnings.
I probably chose the wrong place to make my stand though, in hindsight. : )
Old Righty agreed though, which is something. That hoary old dog is one of the big beasts of the blogosphere. If I’m gonna have a friend, he’s a good ‘un.
We need a new Mathew Hopkins to deal with these witches and warlocks. I am sure all the bastards are guilty and should well burn at the stake. The witchcraft involves drawing up their own rules and emolluments. I doubt whether Hopkins would find any innocent.
Imagine the joy of seeing the hideously white Harriet Hormone being found guilty and despatched.
Yes, but with all the shit I smear . . . . com’on – get real !!!
Besides – Nothing’s my fault!!
By the way, can anybody quoting Cromwell’s “In the name of God go!” please remember what an utter Hoon he and every other strongman promising to sort out the venality and sleaze of the ruling elite turned out to be?
“Why do we always strive for sleaziness?” he said. “Not because it makes good soundbites. Not because it gives good photo-opportunities. Not because it makes for good PR.
“No. We do it because sleaziness is in our DNA. It’s who we are and what we’re for. It’s why Labour exists. It’s our first instinct and the soul of our party.”
Who claimed for the Tampax? And surely she would need those at regular intervals – second home or not! On the other hand, knowing these devious bastards in New Labour it was probabaly a bloke.
It’s to catch the drips honey!
Kno wot oi mean?
What! You mean she looks after bees as well?
Remember that it has to be in “the purpose of performing parliamentary duties”. Under what circumstances could a box of Tampax be included in that definition?
If it was a woman, why didn’t she buy her own like the rest of the population?
If it was a man, I really want to hear the justification. It will win the Booker Prize for fiction.
Why shouldn’t it be a male MP? There are a lot of cnuts among our male MPs.
You guessed right – it was a man
Theresa May is being wheeled out on every channel. Suppose that means she is the only one in teh clear.
Why should we be afraid?
Because our Government has shown that it believes itself to be and actually is beyond the law.
We know how disgusting and immoral they are and we know that they can do what they want, (without limit) and there is no-one to hold them to account.
Of course, they’re all at it – it’ll be bad for the Tories, but I’m willing to bet that it won’t be as bad as it is for Labour. That’s why Brown wanted to bring the ‘second jobs’ issue in to muddy the waters.
There is something in the socialist mentality, their view that they are the elite representatives of the people and so deserve the best, that has led to their sense of self-righteous entitlement. Really they are just a nasty self-selecting oligarchy.
No doubt there will be some Tory troughers; the Wintertons we already know about and probably a few LibDems as well and don’t forget Robinson of the DUP and I hope all have the Whip withdrawn but for sheer lying,opportunistic,hypocritical,systematic and cynical robbery of the taxpayer vile Liebour is top of the bill
Spot on, Dr Feelgood. Now watch the Beeb and tame dead-tree hacks “big up” the 2nd job angle over the weekend, without pointing out that a second job is an exchange of work/expertise for a wage – from which tax and NI are returned into the economy. Or are they going to argue that the VAT on bathplugs is of equal benefit?
GuidOaf Orcs,
At least you didn’t lift the sound of Conservative knees knocking analogy.
But face it, the game is on now.
In early April they might have shouted:
“You’re in, Blot.”
But now, you’re out.
Enjoy ogling innocent Mums on the school run and cooking orange breadcrumbed food, again.
GRANDMASTER BAITER
“Why do we always strive for sleaziness?” he said. “Not because it makes good soundbites. Not because it gives good photo-opportunities. Not because it makes for good PR.
“No. We do it because sleaziness is in our DNA. It’s who we are and what we’re for. It’s why Labour exists. It’s our first instinct and the soul of our party.”
Soul of the party thing is good.
It’s going to be a great weekend.
Especially as it’s led by James Brown (middle name Gordon).
I feel good!
James Brown served time.
Carry on Cameron is a time server.
It started in America – Johnny Two Jags, eat your heart out
It started in America – hit me, I said now, lie to lie,
prevarication to prevarication
It started in America – so nice, with your bare self
It started in America – I feel good!
The Conservatives will be worse. The Telegraph will see to that.
Hague claims for seventeen pints of best British Bitter every day. Boy George wanted to buy an expensive yacht and put that down as his main residence!
David Cameron claims for new bicycles every two months. It is awful!
Clegg has not applied for anything but Vince Cable has had dancing lessons paid for and Miss Teather has had her receipt for height enhancing high heels shoes turned down!
Hazel Blears has promised to send her furniture back to Mothercare and Harriet Harperson is unhappy that she is a London MP and has not been able to make any money whatsoever. Prescott cannot help breaking so any toilet seats!
Lets all have a collection for the poor bastards. Pity that the only ones to benefit from all this will be the Loony Tunes UKIP lot and the BNP.
Enjoy ogling innocent Mums on the school run and cooking orange breadcrumbed food, again.
That’s an anagram right?
It had me perplexed. I’d like the recipe for this “orange breadcrumbed food”. Sounds OK.
Come on Master Googler add something positive for once!
I think he means the type of cheap instant frozen food found in establishents like LIDL. Much liked by lower class chavvy types.
Gotcha. The breadcrumbs are dyed orange not, say, with orange zest incorporated into the bread. Scrote fastfood: the sort of thing Prescott would spew into a bucket every night?
Aye mee hearties Ee duzz bye all is fish fungers from Midshipman Dannn Hannanna Ee duzz.
Arrgghhh!
Ahoy, caulk, water……caesar, pluto, mickey
Master Wanker is pissed again
Tactics.
If the Telegraph hadn’t started with the Cabinet they would have been silenced before any more details came out.
Brown cannot stop the full exposure now because it will leave everyone with the impression that Labour are the only ones at it.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Rather clever really… I’m sure there’s a hell of a lot more to come for the Cabinet though.
labour fielding nearly whole front bench , spreading the impact , gordons up north , clearly know they have a fight on there hands , but hes not going down well , same old answers apparently
The north is Liebour’s heartland; they must know this is really serious for Gordelpus to start with their client state.
Slow roasting of the Conservatives, how pleasant.
Especially after Carry on Cameron threw away his nice guy image to don Ian Duncan Smith’s ‘I am a noisy man’ disguise in an effort to offer red meat to his slavering and frothing dinosaur base.
A poor move indeed.
But what can you expect from a thick lightweight like Carry on Cameron?
slow roating of the conservatives???? which planet are you on? Are you unable to cast aside your ridiculous party political leanings for one second and agree that if any labour MP found fiddling should be sacked? Most people agree that irrespective of party, bent MPs are unfit for purpose. Do you?
“bent mps are unfit for purpose”
Bit harsh on Alan Duncan that. I suppose it explains why Dale never got selected though.
That’s a bit harsh, my ‘secretary’ did my childminding (feeding the kids orange breadcrumbed food) 100 miles away from my office for nothing and didn’t do any secreatrial work and I was censured for it because it was outside the ‘Rules’ (really!) and so I paid a bit of the money back. Isn’t that enough? I then paid her for the childminding she had previously done for ‘nothing’. I hope that’s all clear then.
It is clear to David Cameron, which is why he didn’t sack me but made me Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, because before that I’d been Chairman of the Conservative Party who is supposed to be in charge of party members conduct, which includes things like questionable claims for allowances and so on.
I think he had to keep me because he’s got so few women on his team.
Ah well, all’s well that ends well. At least my skeletons are out of the cupboard. As for the skeletons to come, well…
Why are you so nasty?
Are you a Conservative?
The Conservatives Party are n’t the nasty party any more; we are !!!!!
Please send me your name and address as you are obviously oblivious to the fact that you are being taken for a ride by Your preferred party of Government. Your blind obedience is one which I wish to capitalise on as there is money to be made from such fuckwittery. I await your reply.
Oh sorry Masterbaiter I see the time of day and as its a Friday no doubt you would have scuttled off to the pub by now . The Council offices will have closed long ago. Monday with suffice.
229Master Baiter
“Why are you so nasty?
Are you a Conservative?”
Why do you post under your real name, wanker? Have you no shame, even as a paid ZaNuLieBor goon?
This they are all the same theme is tiresome. In any group of ten or more people you will find one or two decent, at least. That the majority of the human race are shite is a given and proven historic fact. That some are OK is also such a given and proven fact.
Why do they trough to the max?
Here is why: http://thatsnews.blogspot.com/2009/05/why-they-use-their-expenses-to-max.html
From SKY NEWS today…
Four British soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence has revealed. They died in three separate incidents in Helmand province. The latest two deaths involved a Gurkha and a member of the Royal Military Police. They were killed by a motorcycle suicide bomber whilst on patrol in Gereshk. The soldiers’ deaths made it the bloodiest day for British forces in Afghanistan since June 17 2008 when four personnel were also killed.
How much are soldiers paid ?
No second homes on expenses, multiple plasma tvs, etc etc for them.
Get free food and a bivi though.
Very sad about the four deaths, but things are kicking off over the border in Swat, 143 militants killed.
No, their grub isn’t free.
Well it should be free because it’s rubbish.
What do you expect if you’re thick enough to join the army?
We prosecute benefit fraudsters in this country, not just blame the benefits system. We prosecute thieves in this country, not just blame the shopkeeper for having goods on display. We prosecute speeders, not just say the speed limits are too low.
No one made MPs submit specious claims. No one made the appropriate regulator show undue deference to MPs. Both bodies of men and women have failed in their duties. The claims are only meant for expenses neccessary for an MP going about their job. Regular food bills, expensive tellys and stereos, lightbulbs, tv licences, bathplugs, pornography etc, etc. are expenses you could reasonably incurr just by living, and as such should come out of an MP’s wage not stuck on expenses.
That is the whole point isn’t it?No one forced these MPs to submit specious claims.The fees office is there to pay claims not to police them so claims that the Fees Office approved them are meaningless
Who does police the claims? Not all submissions get accepted as a matter of course. David Milipede had claims rejected, so someone is discriminating as to what is and isn’t acceptable.
Gongs all round for those in the Fees Office? Except the leaker of course.
‘No one made MPs submit specious claims.’
You hit the nail on the head.
But why is it that senior anchor and political journalists seem to miss that pretty simple point?
They are frightened of losing the teat of lobby briefing
The UK Parliament = Misconduct in Public office
OMG! Sorry about my previous posting and the Tampax. Apparently it was a MALE Tory MP but as yet no names have been mentioned. I look forward to the excuses for that one. You don’t think it could have been…? No surely not!
TOO much information…all right, who was it? Do tell
Let’s be fair – perhaps one of them is a hermaphrodite.
Hmmm, who could it be?
I fixed my head gasket wiv hermaphrodite , hun .
E x .
LOL! That brings back happy memories.
RE: MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT’S EXPENSES.
The point being forgotten here is that, even if the Conservatives or Libdems or anyone else has been feeding at the manor from heaven trough, it is still the fault of THE GOVERNMENT.
They, THE GOVERNMENT, should set proper rules. (THERE ARE NO PROPER RULES?)
They, THE GOVERNMENT, should set a good example. (THEY SET BAD EXAMPLES!)
They, THE GOVERNMENT, are responsible for checking that expenses are not abused. (THEY SHOW NO RESPONSIBILITY).
THE GOVERNMENT IS LABOUR.
QED.
No, the fault lies with individuals; they are the venal ones
Lovely word venal. Got THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT in one.
But my you are xanthippe today.
How very jejeune!
Incorrect, it’s a House matter for all MPs not a government issue. That’s why Brown was a prat for the Youtube announcement.
GOVERNMENT is just an alternative term for LEGALISED THEFT. So is BANKING. If you want to find peace of mind then strike out on your own and follow your nose. I did and I felt truely free and then I died.
…..before learning how to spell ‘truly’.
True up to a point the Rules are clear DO NOT SWALLOW THIS LINE that the rules are someway to blame. They are not.
An MP was called before the Fees Office and came in shuffling a deck of cards. The Voter Representative demanded an explanation, to which the MP replied:
“When I see this deck of cards it reminds me of what I am claiming for.”
Ace: That I have only one constituency, which I am supposed to serve.
Deuce: But that I have a home in London, and they are interchangeable depending on which maximizes the benefit to me.
Trey/Three: I can claim for hotel rooms too if I am ‘between second homes’, or use a grace-and-favour apartment, so I can have three places altogether. . . Tynan Wierd Court ‘n’ Sport Correspondent
Gordon’s got four
I’ve been reading a bit of Roman history:
” Upon his [Crassus] arrival in the Parthian camp he was seized and killed by being forced to drink a cup of melted gold as a symbol of his thirst for riches.”
Seems fair enough.
Appropriate punishment for these Hoons and so educational too!I love our ancestors
That’s why Gordon sold all of ours.
Down the river
We could just make them eat shit.
I preferred it when you used the laser…
Bond always laser in the line of duty.
Mmmm. Yum…..
great idea.
Please know that we are doubling our staff to defend all these sleazy bastards…
Growth business you know…
The overwhelming thing that strikes me about the Telegraph stuff is that there seems to be no mention of the vile Ed Balls. Being a scientific sort of chap, I have formulated two hypotheses :
1) Balls and his android wife are whiter than white, cleaner than clean, and have nothing to worry about in their expenses.
OR
2) They are the worst of the lot, and are going to get a right royal rogering on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph.
What is it that chap says ? Ah, yes, f***ing delicious …
Should I buy it then?
Please let it be 2)…:)
Both the Balls claim for their”second home” and are into the taxpayer for over 600 grand so far.This has been revealed before but my guess is that it will be highlighted again
Of course – that’s why they’re not included today!
This is going to be beautiful!!
Couldn’t happen to a nicer pair of b*stards.
Balls for Chancellor? P.M. even? Be lucky to be the teaboy after this.
Is Hazel part of Harperson’s nomenkleptura?
Hazel, the elite privileged class, from Salford? I don’t think so!
They really don’t get on. Hazel and Jacqui on the other hand, do.
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.
Being part of a hard working family/lazy sod,I decided to go and get the smellygraph 2 Tescos sold out,3 newspaper shops sold out,1 COOP sold out,1 garage yes,2 left, other newpapers plenty left,this is a Liebour area so nice one gordo and your clowns esp when mandy calls it a tory paper.
Changing the nominated main home frequentlyto make the most of allowances is apparently known as “flipping” amongst our rulers.Hoon is in the lead with4, followed closely by Darling and Blears
What about Woodward?
Where does he fit in?
Woodward fits in anyway the wind blows the unprincipled slimy bastard !
Let’s hope they’ll all be flipping burgers instead of flipping properties after the Election
Woodward gets his butler to fit in … fnarr fnarr fnarr
Cuckin funts the lot of them. Happy to blame any one and every one apart from those who submitted the false claims in the first place, the MP’s themselves. They fuckin sit there up to their fuckin necks in chateau briand and second homes, content to let the peasants settle for a fuckin crumb off the table. Then they fuckin charge the peasants for the crumb later by introducing a fuckin stealth tax on crumbs.
I wonder how much time the Labourgraph gave the cabinet that it was gonna spill the beans. The Labour MP’s out in force today on any medium they can get, a bit like buses, no where to be seen normally( no one from the cabinet was available for comment) then fuck me, they’re all there! Bet your bottom dollar these swift responses and denials have been worked on all week, in any case you never see an MP on a Friday, he has to go back to his home in his/her constituency, or is that his/her second or third residence? not sure how it works now.
There’s a whoesale box of Tampax just waiting to be won for the first poster who can name the male Tory MP who is reported to put Tampax on his expenses. Pleasssseeeee… who is it?
Some appalling images come to mind!
It could be exciting – he could have been buying them for his boyfriend.
Not that exciting – he was probably buying it for his wife or girlfriend.
Mandy?
Yes ??
How about which one claimed (reputidly) for the colonic irregation.
Wouldn’t be surprised. They are full of shit, after all …
Guido – after all the expenses are laid out, please can you publish an £££ average across the 3 major parties … we can then see which party takes the piss the most
Let’s get hard headed with these hoons. Arise, ye taxpayers and send Gordo’s little Darling an invoice for your share of the tax money they have thrown away. Send it to them again every month and who knows, with their usual monumental incompetence, a few of us might get paid by mistake. And then vote them out.
Labourhome is also very quiet, nothing to say! They are obviosly going back to their roots.
Expence accounts more like.
That’s ok – the “Just for Men” can go on expenses.
This certainly won’t be over by the weekend.
There will be some very “juicy” stuff held in reserve to keep this a running story for as long as possible.
Though one wonders what happened to getting ahead of the News-cycle before it drags you kicking and screaming to somewhere you definitely do not want to be and will not be able to extricate yourself from any time soon ?
Surely Coulson has told Cameron the basics ? That he can get either in front of this, lay down the law and look like a Statesman, or end up looking as complacent and complicit in this disgusting festival of MP Piggery as Brown ?
Public contempt is not exactly the easiest thing to control or “spin” away.
And if this reaches the level of a “my shocking greed and excess is not quite as bad as your shocking greed and excess” Tit for Tat war between the Parties and individuals then there will be few left standing upright at the end of it and fewer still the public will ever respect again.
Still, perhaps a thinning of the swine herd to make outcasts and pariahs of Westminsters Fred Goodwin’s may be required in the environment of a brutal Recession.
Its a good day to bury bad news.
Tough on grime. Tough on the causes of grime. Hence my claim.
You know
“sharing a cleaner”
Seems a rather odd way of describing an arrangement where you split a cleaners bill.
To me ‘sharing’ someone between two men conjurers up an entirely different image…
First
The Conservatives are busy gaming their answers.
And Dave is waiting to see if anybody lied to HQ
more curious…
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2009/05/08/contract_final.pdf
Could the contract be for three different properties? The two Browns and Sarahs?
Otherwise why is Sarah mentioned separately to each of the browns? why are there three different ‘blocks’ of work? (each with a redacted address).
Why would gordons flat take twice as long to clean as his brothers? He didn’t live there at the time, and his brother has family…
What usually gets people is not the crime, it is the cover up…
If brown has lied about the locations he is history… here’s hoping !!
Oh
They have pulled the PDF, because the redaction was just dropped over the text (so removable !).
So I can’t check if it was two addresses or three..
Did anyone get a copy before it went??
BBC News 15.48 – Inspector Knacker may be called in to investigate the “theft” of the data and the “Data Protection Act” breaches.
Reported entirely without irony by the Beeb.
Typical the Commons authorities have asked Police to investigate THE LEAKING of the expenses claims. For fucks sake do these clowns not realise what fannys they now appear to the electorate.
I think after Gordy’s full crotch-shot on You tube, that might be becoming apparent
The message from Eton HQ is BRACE,BRACE,BRACE!
In English that’s pair, pair, pair, isn’t it?
Delicious, Browns brother getting the doorstep challenge on Sky TV Referring all enquiries to Downing Street. Why ?
BLEARS GETTING CHALLENGED AS WELL AND RUNNING WAY !!!
Lamentable….
Cameron is missing the point when he says the answer is to reduce the things MP’s can claim for. The whole scandal in case he hasnt noticed is that they have been claiming for stuff they shouldnt have claimed for anyway !!! Shall we draw diagrams for you ???
BUt they were claiming and getting away with it.
Why?
Are the rules too complex?
Are there too many things that CAN be claimed for?
If so, reduce the legth of that list.
Let them adhere to the HMRC standards.
Like the voters have to.
They were claiming because no one dared challenge them and they could get away with it, thats why !
Tough on grime tough on the causes of Grime.
You’ve been at the toilet duck again, love. By the way – are your home-office permits in order?
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/3599491/telegraph-reportedly-planning-to-do-the-shadow-cabinet-on-monday.thtml
Now is not the time for tedious drivel.
However if you supply your name and address on this blog it would be in line with your level of intelligence.
Not supplying your name and address on this blog will not necessarily indicate that you have a reasonable level of intellignce, since evidence proves otherwise.
So….
BREAKING NEWS : McNulty may be investigated by Police.
I wonder if we have finally reached the point the Italians reached a decade ago; when so many MPs are corrupt that cannot act for fear of destroying the entire fabric of Government.
This is no joke. India, for example, has gone from having one of the cleanest governments in Asia under British rule to having about the most corrupt following independence, and there is nothing they can do about it, since if they tried to clean it up, the entire State would grind to a halt.
A small amount of corruption is a disfigurement of the System, but a large amount eventually becomes the System.
Got this while somewhere on the web.
“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government’
‘A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury’
‘From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship’
‘The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years’
‘During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage”
Alexander Tyler,history professor at The University of Edinburgh 1787.
Great quote – pity it was written by another fucking useless Jimmy (unless he cribbed it from some kid’s WMD thesis that is!).
The only way to avoid the risk of a total disconnection from the political process by huge numbers of the public is for David Cameron to have the courage to announce that all sitting Conservative M.P’s must submit their expenses for independent audit.
They will then only be allowed to stand as a Conservative candidate in the next election if they have agreed to repay all those expenses which have been identified as non-essential to their role as a member of parliament.
p.s. In the meantime would they please stop insulting their constituents by referring to themselves and each other as “honourable and right honourable members”
Absolutely. Cameron and Clegg need to be whiter than white on this, sacking their own hoons no matter who they are. At the moment this is still a “Politicians” story, it needs to be turned around to be a “Labour” story if the Opposition are to benefit from it.
O/T but very relevant to the story. Check out http://www.philpacker.com/ – Army Major paraplegic injured in Basra who has just finished the London Marathon on crutches. He is hoping to raise a million for the “Help for Heroes” charity. Not a more deserving cause, maybe a few of our troughing hoons could help him out…?
[...] Labour equivalent (the stories about which appeared a little earlier). It began with the hints by Guido and the others regarding impending revelations about the Tories, and spiralled rapidly into what I [...]