MPs expenses

[Funky_Gibbon 42]

theyre all the same

 

Absolutely true, it's just that these leaks are coming via the Telegraph so they're holding back on releasing damaging information on MPs who are in the party they support.

[iansheff 88]

Thats why there is not a lot of shouting from the other parties, in case they look foolish when their expenses are released.

[alchresearch 215]

They're all quick to say "It's wrong and needs to change" though!

[Greybeard 10]

When will you political pygmies stop resorting to 'Thatcher did it' as some sort of argument?

 

It wasn't intended as any kind of argument, but there's a delicious irony in the situation if indeed she was responsible

 

Tory baddies to be revealed tomorrow I think

[Bassman62 10]

"We were only obeying the rules" isn't a far cry from the 'Nuremburg War Crime Trials' excuse of "WE were only obeying orders".

[green 10]

Why cant their 2nd/3rd homes etc when they are sold, the profits come back to the state. Why should these MPs profit from it, when we paid for their refurbishments, oh and their mortages....

 

Whats the difference between Sir Fred fleecing us of £17 mill and these MP's???? Both of them said they did it within the rules...and not hadnt done anything wrong!

But all of them were morally wrong!

[Tooeg 10]

Tony's is particularly disturbing, he remortgaged his second home at 10 times it original mortgage value, and used the cash to buy his new house. Thus the tax payer has effectively given him a lump of money for his new house. That is jiggery pokery.

Does anyone know whether, when the govt. pays the mortgage payments they just pay the interest or interest and capital. That would be good for a new MP just take a 5 year mortgage, and your house is paid for before you loose your seat at the next election.

[Bassman62 10]

But all of them were morally wrong!

Like I said Nurenburg comes to mind where Herman Goering and his fellow henchmen's claim that they were only obeying orders didn't wash; it shouldn't wash here either.

[Tooeg 10]

A new independent audit unit will now oversee the expenses, oh thats alright then another £600,000, thats £1000 per MP just to stop them fiddling.

600 MPs monthly expences, I would have thought a couple of good wages clerks on£20,000 each could see that off. Thats a saving of £560,000 straight away.

why not fine them 50% of everything they overcharge, that would soon get them in line.

[joey d 10]

Then goes on to email the Labour party to tell them that what they have done is not their own fault?

 

A remarkable email, sent to Labour members by the Parliamentary Labour Party's office and leaked to The Independent, says: "It would be easy for the public to gain the impression from this [media] coverage that MPs are generally claiming excessively or outside the rules laid down by Parliament, which is not the case."

 

The briefing paper, from the PLP's resource centre, insisted that the expenses claims disclosed in recent days enjoyed "the full approval of the parliamentary authorities". Although ministers have refused to say sorry for the way MPs have exploited the system to the full, they began to adopt a more contrite tone yesterday. They admitted that Parliament had been damaged by the flood of disclosures and suggested that reforms to the expenses regime could be endorsed by a panel of the public or "citizens' jury".

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/youre-blameless-labour-tells-mps-as-poll-shows-damage-done-1682647.html

 

Why did he bother apologising when he's sending this message out to his party? how disingenuous is that and why does he say things he clearly doesn't mean thinking he can somehow pull the wool over our eyes?

 

How low can this man go?

[Fogey 10]

Build them a student type halls set up with loads of things they don't need but pay rent for and then means test theyre expenses in line with student loans including assesing the income of parents/spouse e.t.c.

 

Ask them to pay back the loans over the course of the rest of their lives. Completely fair as the majority of MP's today had access to free education. The experience of being an MP looks good as experience on their CV which helps them to get a much better job when they are done.

 

Live on that!

[esme 10]

the thing is these people don't seem to understand that they've done something wrong, yes the claims were within the rules but they are in charge of those rules and any amendments to them, yes the commons committee agreed the expenses and handed over the money and if they hadn't then MP's would have changed the rules to ensure that they did probably putting most of the committee out of a job in the process, now they want an "independent" audit unit in charge, but MP's will still administer the rules and the independent unit will have the same choices their predecessors had, hand over the money or look for another job.

 

I have a very simple solution to the expenses farce

 

take over or construct a tower block within walking distance of westminster, with enough accommodation units for each individual minister, furnish and decorate each accommodation unit identically, allocate the entire first floor to the security services, allocate each minister one unit for as long as they are in office and make them responsible for any damage and then give ministers a choice of standard class train, coach or in extreme cases of distance plane tickets to allow transport between parliament and their constituencies, they don't have to live there if they don't want but if they live somewhere else they pay for it along with any transport costs out of their own pocket

 

this will give them somewhere to stay and work, which is what they say they need on those occasions when they are required to stay in London

 

no money changes hands, the ministers are guaranteed security, they will have all they need in the way of a bed, soft furnishings, cooking facilities, broadband and phone so they can call home and do research, they earn enough to pay for their own food and if not then an allowance of say £20-£30 a week will be more than adequate after all there are two of us in my home and we manage on less than that

 

the problem is ministers would have to vote for this, so I rate the chances of it happening as lying somewhere between infinitesimally small and zero