I have just read today's Telegraph. In some ways the allegations made against many of the MPs today are the most serious so far. I have to say it is again the Labour MPs who come out worst, but that's no consolation for anyone.
The David Chaytor case looks open and shut and Sky News are now reporting that he has had the whip suspended. Chris Bryant has some "flipping questions to answer. The Telegraph has a large picture of him in his Y fronts above the headline: MP FLIPPED HIS CASSOCK THEN HIS HOME. Tory MP Anthony Steen hasn't got a moat, but he might as well have judging from the items he has claimed. Gerald Kaufman claimed for an £8,000 Bang & Olufsen TV (rejected) and a £1,400 imported rug, while Tam Dalyell must take the biscuit for his £18,000 for booksheles, put in only two months before he retired from the Commons. His justification? "I live in a National Trust property so I can't just buy any old tat". Nor, clearly can the taxpayer. Maybe he regarded it as the equivalent of a retirment clock. Richard Younger-Ross, a LibDem MP also seems to have some very expensive tastes in furnishings and equipment, while Tory MPs Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Crispin Blunt come under attack for their change of properties, although it is difficult to see that they have broken any rule. And I've already covered Nadine in a previous post.
So, another day, another dozen allegations. It is quite clear that the Telegraph could keep this going for quite a few days yet. I can hardly blame them as they have now dominated the news agenda for nine consecutive days. And there will no doubt be more tomorrow.
Right, time to go to the Lloyd George Museum...
47 comments:
Should some of these folk with the landed gentry lifestyles apply for the Chiltern Hundreds as suggested by a writer in the DT this morning? Then they could do National Trust type guided tours of their estates.
Not forgetting Nadine Dorries dubious claims here
Yes I would agree with that, the Labour ones seem to be not just Immoral but illegal in some cases.
I fear that the call for by-elections has something to do with election anoraks rather than a genuine desire for some kind of vengence from the electorate.
I am a LibDem member, who would like to see Younger-Ross at the very least suspended from the Party.
AH: There should be quite a few of them applying for the Chiltern Hundreds, and soon.
The title of "honourable" should also be withdrawn until such time as they have been deemed worthy of it.
There has to be an election in the Autumn now. No amount of spin can keep this Parliament going another year. A summer for the local parties to decide on what to do with their MP, many of whom may have already been suspended and then an election to have a clearout. Otherwise, it will be impossible to have reasoned debate on anything, BBC's Question Time was a farce, no MP with any hint of dodgy expenses can ever go on there again.
Also, Labour's arrogance has gone for ever, they will never again be able to sneer at fat cat Tories as they are no different and maybe worse. No wonder the country is £170 billion in debt this year when these MPs vote for huge and wasteful spending increases
I am not going to claim hindsight, but around mid 2005, I started taking close attention of Parliament and the votes of MPs. The stats and audits of gov projects were just beginning to show how useless this gov are.
However, I was appalled how the Lab MPs just kept going through the lobby, never questioning the gov. Their party loyalty got to a point that I had severe doubts about their integrity. The allowances have been published for years and it was clear that many were claiming almost to the max. Now the detail has come out, the extent and total lack of honesty shown by all parties, does not come as a real shock.
So as they have not intention of holding the gov to account, they are just bought and paid for lobby fodder.
You might have "covered" Nadine in a previous post, but she steadfastly refuses to explain why she thinks Taxpayers should refund to her, the £2190 she claims her landlord owes her.
PS Isn't the term"covered" used in a stud as a euphemism for when a cow has been impregnated by a bull?
Why, when you discuss the Conservative MPs, do you revert to the "they don't seem to have broken the rules" argument.
To remian credible,you really do need to be a bit more balanced
Do they have all of the staffing allowance expenses stuff as well?
I assume they do, and if so this story could run for weeks.
Have to say, Mr Cameron is playing a blinder as he appears to be the only one demonstrating leadership.
I don't necessarily agree with all of his stuff on expenses (I still don't see why MP's should benefit from making capital gains on taxpayer funded property full stop. Never mind just paying the CGT).
I think it's brilliant. Like a sythe through the trenchant, self serving, miserly, impudent and vulgar strata of those trusted with administering Blighty. These are bloody serious times and it's not a priveledge to be an MP - it's a job. Cuts are gonna have to made so why not start with a sword eh? It's fantastic television - whey hey hey. Cheerio - see ya!
Ooops,
p.s.
No coverage yet of the 17% rise in allowances this year or is that a myth that was reported in the Express?
I've just caught up with Nadine.
I reckon that night dancing to Abba with her has blinded you.
Where's her principal home? Her blog is a ridiculous attempt at obfuscation.
Still, truth will out. And so, unfortunately, will Nadine.
I hope a similar scandal one day exposes what certain British MEPs have been up to in Brussels.
And what of the fees office in all this?
If MPs are pigs with their snouts in the trough - then surely the fees office is guilty of dishing up the plentiful slops they’re slurping on?
http://tinyurl.com/qgvj9r
It just get worse. This should have been funny but actually, in the circumstances, it isn't..
Iain why do you say it is "politics" or the "parties" that are shamed by these stories? It is the individuals who made the decisions to steal from the taxpayer. Blaming the "system" is the worst possible thing to do because it ignores the fact that many MPs did not steal money.
Iain, do you think an interview with Elizabeth Filkin would be timely for TotalPolitics?
Here's her resignation letter written to Michael Martin:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/archive/politics/filkin_letter.shtml
This is a conservative blog of course he is biased but we all know that.
Talking as a labour supporter i think its been a bad week for us and it does seem to be the labour mps that are being caught with actual wrong doing.
The conservatives are in trouble with the likes of hogg etc
Mackay 250k expense claim over afew years is more than shocking it will be interesting to see how the tories deal with that.
I retired recently and needed to put some bookshelves in. I don't recall them being a chargeable to expenses.
NADINE DORRIES.
You were quick to defend and link her blog yesterday. But you've gone a bit quiet today Iain. What's your view?
Apart from all the other problems with the Daily Telegraph, it has been blatantly homophobic in its coverage of Bryan and Bradshaw.
Bradshaw is "married/partnered" and the charge against him would not have been made with regard to any heterosexual MP and spouse. [Another reason that "civil partnerships" need to become "marriages"].
Bryant's actions wrt to ACA have no relationship with is former hunt for a sex partner.
I just wonder how the Telegraph will illustrate ant item about Mark Oaten.
There has been a lot of chatter this week about corrupt practices amongst some MPs but one ex MP who appears to have disappeared under the radar is one Anthony Lynton Blair - is it true his documentation was shredded ?
Is anything going to happen about this ??
I'd say that Tory, Anthony Steen wins the prize so far for "Most Arrogant Self Righteous Tosser" after his outburst on Sky this morning. Mind you, he's got a lot of competition from the likes of Beckett, Malik and Kaufmann.
Interesting article on Broon by Ben Brogan, today. Seems there has been some Nokia wanging on an industrial scale this week in Ivory Towers...cant say I`m suprised.
Many people in our country may not be familiar with the Parliamentary term of `Applying for Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds`...lets hope by the end of next week everybody knows exactly what it is!!!!!
Look on the bright side.
A significant percentage of the present shower should be thrown out.
Look on it as an opportunity for politics in Britain to be refreshed.
Roll on the Euro elections and demolition time, for Labour especially.
The DT also sets out some of the MPs who are really honorable. My local MP - celia Barlow doesnt claim any second home allowance - she commutes 60 miles, she is one of a tiny handful, Geoffery Robinson ditto and Kelvin Hopkins, Martin Salter,David Howarth, Anne Milton, Phillip Dunne. Ed Miliband and Theresa May both claim small amounts - which seems legitimate and Widdecombe just claimed £800.
Anon 12.54 - nice. I believe that is the official line. There seems to be speculation about Obama's glittering career. Think i've just bored myself - the salient facts are known.
Mr Smith an excellent idea re Filkin - that was such a hatchet job.
Iain - perhaps you could advise Nadine Dorres on what not to say - here is an extract from her blog:
"Most of us(MPs) live a normal, frugal existence and struggle to pay the bills, just like everyone
else."
that just shows how out of touch she is.
I imagine the papers will have a field day with that juicy justification.
@simon
do you have a link to this interview ? its not on skys website so i doubt its available but thought i'd ask.
Paul Halsall
I hate to disillusion you but the entire world does not run around homosexuals.
When I think of such as Alan Duncan or Chris Bryant I think of them as MPs and gauge their performance on that basis. Like many heterosexuals, bald men, dark-haired women and blue eyed MPs they have been guilty of self enrichment at the taxpayers expenses.
Could you play another tune occasionally?
>>blatantly homophobic in its coverage of Bryan(t)<<
Hardly.
Do you really think a heterosexual MP appearing online in his or her underwear in similar circumstances would not have received a similar treatment ?
Most news stories featuring Galloway still show him in his catsuit.
>>blatantly homophobic in its coverage of ... Bradshaw<<
You can certainly argue that the Telegraph have a case to answer in singling him out, but I think "blatantly homophobic" is a little strong.
Other than enumerating the facts, this is what they actually wrote:
"Mr Bradshaw's claim shows the way in which partners of MPs can benefit from the system. There are a number of married MPs who are also thought to benefit from similar arrangements which are allowed under the parliamentary rules..."
Parliament of clean hands
with each party leader being in office
During this parliament they are equally
responsible for their MPs failings.
And as such should all be held accountable
for the actions of their party.
The conservatives and labour and lib dem
leaders should collectively stand down
as leaders of their respective party's.
And let others be elected in their places
so the British people can elect a Parliament
of Party leaders with Clean hands on the expenses
scandal.
The current leaders can not command the respect of
all the British people and without the moral support
of the electorate the Next parliament will be unable
to carry out the clean up of Westminster the people
demand.
If the party leaders are sincere in the wish
to serve the British people and not just pursuing
personal ambitions .
they should for the sake of the Nation all resign.
It is clear from the expenses scandal and the peers for cash scandal that a radical overhaul of the customs and practices at Westminster is long overdue.
All the evidence suggests that Gordon Brown is content with the status quo so the initiative to change has to be taken by David Cameron.
At PMQ’s on 13 May 2009 David Cameron suggested a compensatory pay rise could be awarded provided the number of MP’s is significantly reduced.
Cameron was absolutely right when he said that the UK is over governed by comparison with similar countries when it comes to the large number of MP’s the UK has at Westminster.
However the problems with Westminster go much deeper.
Recent successive Westminster governments have centralised far too much power in the hands of an elite at the top, and large swathes of MP’s have become mere lobby fodder whose only role is to vote so this elite can have their way, clearly this needs to be changed.
With devolution now functioning successfully in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and more to come, the scope and role of their Westminster MP’s has been diminished substantially so clearly there needs to be significant changes at Westminster to take account of this devolution of powers.
The intellectual quality of a large number of MP’s is now evidently very questionable and so some means of weeding out the intellectually challenged needs to be found.
There are also serious questions requiring addressing regarding the integrity of Westminster controlled elections e.g. ongoing suspicions of gerrymandering and electoral fraud within the postal voting system.
David Cameron will earn the respect and support of voters if he brings forward radical proposals to deal with these issues in the Tory manifesto at the next general election.
@Nigel,
The keep calling Ben Bradshaw's legal partner his "boy friend". Do they call Samantha Cameron "David's girlfriend"?
@Victor,
So what. It's an issue for me. I keep my eye on other issues as well.
I just wonder how the Telegraph will illustrate ant item about Mark Oaten.
May 16, 2009 12:53 PM
a picture of a coffee table.
The Daily Telegraph is obviously trying to win back the mass of readers it has lost recently, especially after its virulent attack on Paul Staines.
The DT immediately exposed his contact but refuse to name their own!
This is somewhat of a nitpick, but the lack of attention to detail in the Telegraph piece is surprising. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown is described as MP for Cotswold and Tewkesbury. Wrong. He's MP for Cotswold - Tewkesbury is a different constituency entirely and has been since about 1992 I believe.
Yes, but there is 'the one', the big one still to come. The ballbreaker that the Telegraph is keeping back as the coup de grace and favour.....
I reckon it will centre around the Balls-Cooper couple.
This is not a party political pissing contest, though as we have more MPs we'd win one of those by sheer weight of bladders. But if it were ...
I'd say that on the Tory side the McKay-Kirkbride conspiracy is hanging like a spectre over all of this. Premeditated, persistent, contrived, dishonest, fairly unapologetic, and at the heart of David Cameron's own team. And she an ex-Telegraph hack.
I think Morley is toast over that re-letting another property thing piled on top of not stopping the mortgage interest claim. Even if there was a genuine error on the interest.
But Chaytor perhaps less so. We'll see. I think his wife may be his main worker! Domestic ahoy!
But McKay-Kirkbride claimed for both their homes for 8-9 years (he says) in a most peculiar and frankly disgraceful way. That must be worth the thick end of £200,000 EXTRA. More than all the pay backs of the 30 or so other pay back troughers so far.
And whatever the pair of you may think I'd say Nadine is in deep doo doo with hers. As I've said in my 1 AM scoop post that wasn't - published belatedly after she'd started to own up - I'm quite sympathetic.
It's not entirely illogical. But it is outside the rules because she is compositing her "main home" from three or four places, not one. And another of these triangles cf Moron, Spelman and even McCarthy.
But in Nadine's case I think the Telegraph were on a fishing expedition. Possibly explaining why they were so disgruntled over her blogging their letter instead of playing their game.
Of course it does beggar belief that the Fees Office pay out very large sums of mortgage interest without 3rd party vouchers. They should obviously be catching mistakes/try ons like this. And if they were checking effectively there'd be no try ons, only mistakes.
Nadine Dorries - I greatly feared what she was going to do against women in the next parliament. That’s now one less worry.
Paul Halsall
All I knew about Ben Bradshaw, until you brought it up, is that he was the Health Minister who said that unemployment was good for mens health - not the magazine. He thought that if they were off work they would see their doctors more.
Yes, for anxiety, depression and sexual malfunctions.
Are you now telling us that he is also implicated in some housing scandal?
Some or all MPs may welcome the outrageous exculpatory words of those of their colleagues at present under scrutiny to the effect that their false claims enjoy a veneer of validity by virtue of the Fees Office arranging settlement.
They should understand that the public see the Fees Office not as exercising check and control, or any guardianship function, but rather in the role of accomplice to embezzlement.
oddly enough you couldn't get enough of 'smeargate' but you seem to be tiring of 'sleazegate' rather quickly. Nothing to do with Tory MPs being dragged through the mud I assume?
It's all wonderful stuff...hurrah for the Telegraph
Given that the D.T. has tried a couple of "non-stories" of reasonable claims by a few M.P.s in amongst the, isn't it somewhat surprising that, given previous media interest in the arrangements of the Balls duo and their second home designation (where there children live and attend school), there has been no mention of them in this ?
Pity - I was looking forward to that ! Vested intersts/friendships at work, do you think ?
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