tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post5417613028602763219..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: Michael Gove Lances the BoilIain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-53816176110520615942009-05-24T13:17:14.269+01:002009-05-24T13:17:14.269+01:00A reason tactical move by Gove, if you've been cau...A reason tactical move by Gove, if you've been caught out with no reasonable excuse except that everyone was doing it and you weren't as bad as some of the others, the best bet is to come clean before as sympathetic an audience as you can muster.<br /><br />As someone who stopped voting Conservative because of the sleeze associated with the Major years, in light of Michael Gove's consistant neo-con type position on foreign affairs (particularly the Middle East, coupled with the recent expenses disclosures, his presence on the shadow front bench devalues Cameron's claims to transparency and compassion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-60168573585853279872009-05-20T00:29:44.032+01:002009-05-20T00:29:44.032+01:00We all know Michael Gove is a carpet bagger. Howev...We all know Michael Gove is a carpet bagger. However, being a sofa bagger too is just intolerable.Stephen Gashnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-11449769202850919392009-05-19T21:19:00.000+01:002009-05-19T21:19:00.000+01:00To Anonymous (5:24pm)
I am not suggesting that Ki...To Anonymous (5:24pm)<br /><br />I am not suggesting that Kirkbride is the sleaziest of of a very sleazy bunch or suggesting a Martin Bell like campaign. <br /><br />I am undoubtedly a conservative supporter though not a member. I hate the Brown and new Labour government with a passion but the thought that the incoming government could be significantly populated with people like Kirkbride who would like to weather the storm and pass this off as a error of judgement by her husband while insisting that what she did was "within the rules" sickens me to the stomach.<br /><br />Kirkbride just happens to be a sitting MP on my patch in Worcestershire. I sincerely hope that the Bromsgrove Conservative Party has the backbone to deselect her and offer the Bromsgrove electorate a fresh Conservative candidate at the next election. If they don't deselect her then the only alternative is for someone to stand against her as an independant conservative so that the electorate have the option. <br /><br />In football parlance the chant for Kirkbride would simply be "You're not fit to wear the shirt". Frankly as a conservative voter I expect higher morals from all Conservative candidates when it comes to spending public money than I do from Labour and for that reason she has to be held to account.Premier League Wolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-36343791410039732932009-05-19T18:40:00.000+01:002009-05-19T18:40:00.000+01:00Vaizey-another of WISTERIA Dave's millionaire mate...Vaizey-another of WISTERIA Dave's millionaire mates in the trough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-53635766891625970432009-05-19T18:27:00.000+01:002009-05-19T18:27:00.000+01:00It was a wise move holding the meeting in a church...It was a wise move holding the meeting in a church. How many people would feel comfortable letting rip in a church.<br />I live in Surrey Heath and would like to have asked Mr Gove why he does not. Elstead is not in his constituency I believe it would come under Guildford. The MP for Guildford does not claim 2nd home allowence unlike Mr Gove who has claimed full amount since he has been elected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-79774767062165603412009-05-19T17:24:00.000+01:002009-05-19T17:24:00.000+01:00To Premier League Wolf:
Interesting point you rai...To Premier League Wolf:<br /><br />Interesting point you raise about being prepared to stand as an independent Conservative at the next election.<br /><br />I would go slightly further however, in a fresh start for the next parliament. <br /><br />Bearing in mind this is not a party political issue, in so much that members from all parties are 'at it' to some extent, what is needed is for people to come forward a la Martin Bell in 1997 and stand against the sleaziest of the sleazy, hopefully on an unopposed basis - other parties to stand aside to give the independent a clear run.<br /><br />Obviously there would be a limit to the number of campaigns that could be run like this, and that the main parties would still hold the vast majority of seats, but a message should be sent out loud and clear the British public will not tolerate this kind of behaviour anymore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-18516112566963481792009-05-19T17:07:00.000+01:002009-05-19T17:07:00.000+01:00Old school Tories will learn the hard way...
I...Old school Tories will learn the hard way...<br /><br />I'm really disappointed in the handsome and charming Ed Vaizey. What a let down...<br /><br />I always suspected he was a 'career politician' anyway. Especially after those silly comments he made recently > when he was in Oxford Literary Festival with Iain.<br /><br />>>>>"Someone asked about Barack Obama and how he had inspired a generation. With what, asked Ed. By constantly repeating the mantra of "Change we can believe in"? "OK, I can do that too," said Ed, "but I'd prefer to treat people as adults."<<<<br /><br />Well those words have come back to haunt Ed Vaizey. Shame shame shame on handsome Ed for dodgy expense claims!<br /><br /><br />Perhaps now Ed knows why people are inspired by the thought of real hope and change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-27797065126456587132009-05-19T14:37:00.000+01:002009-05-19T14:37:00.000+01:00While he is to be credited for having the balls to...While he is to be credited for having the balls to face the angry public, repaying the money is undoubtedly a calculated gamble at trying to hang onto his seat. <br /><br />Unless Kirkbride stands down or is deselected in Bromsgrove I am willing to stand against her as an independant conservative at the next election on a pledge of being willing to follow the conservative whip should I be elected. In my opinion she is pretending nothing wrong has been done. Sorry but I dont think her proclaimed innocence will wash with the Bromsgrove electorate and she should go. I am not a conservative party member.Premier League Wolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-82628982757199467102009-05-19T14:18:00.000+01:002009-05-19T14:18:00.000+01:00It would be a shame if Gove was deselected as a re...It would be a shame if Gove was deselected as a result of this furore. I regard him as being one of the Tory Party's more effective front benchers.not an economisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08679610738502901666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-90321421398640126592009-05-19T14:00:00.000+01:002009-05-19T14:00:00.000+01:00Would love to know where this was publicised - I l...Would love to know where this was publicised - I live in Surrey Heath and wld certainly have gone if I had known about it.Cathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11573378963737598424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-32713565408712488182009-05-19T12:39:00.000+01:002009-05-19T12:39:00.000+01:00Will read the media take on Mr. Gove later but I b...Will read the media take on Mr. Gove later but I believe the initiative / task of facing constituents is his job so well done for attending this HR performance review.<br /><br />Too many unanswered questions for me.<br /><br />(i) Why does he need a second home in first place? – <br /><br />a. Surrey Heath is catered by South West trains Farnborough to Waterloo and takes 38mins around 7.30am each weekday. 10min walk Westminster.<br /><br />b. £7000 for furnishings is the daily equivalent of a £100/night hotel for 70days in constituency p.a.(>ave.) and comes without risk of capital loss to taxpayer.<br /><br />(ii) Why did the family need to be in the constituency on the night a hotel cost £500 and when did he repay it?<br /><br />a. His constituency secretary, if not himself, would surely have been familiar with economies in the area and reasonable cost of local hotels<br />http://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/leisure/tourism/accom/default.htm<br /><br />Though by no means in league with the headline scum, and stretching the Wholly, Exclusively and necessarily test, I just don’t accept that he carries integrity with the moral compass test. If the constituents are truly happy then the ballot box will speak. We reap what we sow.No Societynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-14389967433263884892009-05-19T12:33:00.000+01:002009-05-19T12:33:00.000+01:00He had not sold any property or made any profit at...He had not sold any property or made any profit at the expense of the taxpayer. <br /><br />Yet - I presume he has pledged to handover any gains arising on subsequent disposals - or is he saving that up to bolster his meagre MP's pension. <br /><br />Of course his boss is sitting on a c300K capital gain on his Cotswold cottage courtesy of our providing a c£300k mortgage - so perhaps this is one boil he didn't want to lance?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-79216340070204442612009-05-19T11:57:00.000+01:002009-05-19T11:57:00.000+01:00I would respectfully suggest that his goose is coo...I would respectfully suggest that his goose is cooked either way.<br /><br />Many would have already made up their minds as to his guilt and will act accordingly at the next election.<br /><br />Did he vote for Transparency on MP’s expenses I wonder?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-71098641282643971422009-05-19T11:44:00.000+01:002009-05-19T11:44:00.000+01:00While MPs who have defrauded the taxpayer should b...While MPs who have defrauded the taxpayer should be jailed and those who have obviously manipulated the system for their own profit (through "flipping", for example) should be sacked, a number of MPs who have been featured in the Telegraph appear to me to have done little wrong.<br />Gove may well be one of the latter category but the redesignation of his second home means he has questions to answer.<br />It is neither against the rules, nor the spirit of the rules, to seek help with the necessary expenses of a second home (in cases where a second home is necessary for geographical reasons).<br />You can argue that some of the furniture etc purchased by MPs has been unnecessarily expensive but buying a £1200 television when you might think they should have made do with a £700 version is not the same as declaring for a non-existent mortgate.<br />As for Mr Gove, only the detail of his spending on his "second" homes could tell us whether he "flipped" for financial reasons or, as he says, for family ones. I haven't seen anything damning reported (no dry rot treatments etc), unless others know different.<br />Personally, I would not expect MPs to repay profits made on their second homes unless they were also protected from any losses. Investments can go down as well as up.Jon Foresthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16493976824580772807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-72841670118392875632009-05-19T11:32:00.000+01:002009-05-19T11:32:00.000+01:00You're a party-pooper Ian. Why wasn't your banner ...You're a party-pooper Ian. Why wasn't your banner '.. Pricks the Boil', thus opening the floodgates to a torrent of Carry On jokes ?View from the Solenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00930587784230398787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-80850536244162144112009-05-19T10:53:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:53:00.000+01:00I`m amazed (well not really) that people are havin...I`m amazed (well not really) that people are having a go at Michael Gove for calling a public meeting about this issue. Every single one of his constituents were given the opportunity to question him personally.....dont knock it peeps...its what each and every one of the greedy barstewards should be doing....<br /><br /> Wish mine would..although from what I hear Mr Malik might be answering to the Police first...lets hope so eh..Mirtha Tidvillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07940977481295375071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-24667654771683118502009-05-19T10:34:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:34:00.000+01:00Dissolve Parliament immediately.
The public - as ...Dissolve Parliament immediately.<br /><br />The public - as well as the Parliament/media/authorities - need at least a month to get clear exactly who has;<br /><br />1.) stolen/defrauded and hence face criminal investigation<br /><br />2.)exceeded the spirit of the rules (the moats/TV's etc)and face a damn good grilling from their constituents and subsequent deselection.<br /><br />3.been TOTALLY trustworthy and without any blame for their expenses claims and can continue in the knowledge they are to be trusted by their constituents.<br /><br />To carry on with Parliament now until July is unrealistic.<br /><br />The expenses system needs to be re-written by the end of May (listen to Steve Easterbrook,CEO of McDonalds UK,appearing on last week's Question Time, who cannot believe that cash expenses has been handled in this way - it would never be so in any business in this country and he rightly says this can be sorted within 48 hrs).<br />Once the system is sorted,we then have a General Election circa early July.<br />There is now a constitutional crisis,not just surrounding the behaviour of the Speaker,but the whole Parliament.It must be dissolved and the whole thing re-built with the electorate deciding who remains an MP,which current MP's are not re-elected and which new MP's are elected (hopefully a load of Independents,as the whole Party system has corrupted the way Parliament behaves,especially under the Brown administration which does politics before anything,including the safety and wellbeing of this fine country.<br />By the way,how interesting that it takes a man who runs a chain of fast food outlets to bring the greatest clarity to the table.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-88884155115768930252009-05-19T10:33:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:33:00.000+01:00I think this is a biased report, but as I think th...I think this is a biased report, but as I think those of us on the left need to start preparing for a post-Labour government we should hope to see more people like Gove (pro-arts and culture; clearly able to argue a point; and as far as I know pro-Europe) in top Tory ranks.Paul Halsallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01602075031268155220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-4437238957945274672009-05-19T10:30:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:30:00.000+01:00The main issue for any "miscreant" candidates is h...The main issue for any "miscreant" candidates is how well their opponents can play their behaviour at the next election. And their majority too, obviously. Gove seems safe enough, though in these circumstances a high profile can be a double-edged sword.<br /><br />The more complex the explanation for the behaviour, the more problems the candidate will face.<br /><br />Those with simpler black/white soundbitable explanations will fare better.<br /><br />Without mentioning any names, I've read an explanation recently which is so confusing I still don't understand it. Even with the best will in the world it leads one to suspect obsfuscation, and I suspect that's the way the lectorate will see it too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-87717045305349662442009-05-19T10:27:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:27:00.000+01:00All of them who could be bother to turn up.All of them who could be bother to turn up.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-45511819274044699562009-05-19T10:16:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:16:00.000+01:00I won't comment on the propriety or otherwise of M...I won't comment on the propriety or otherwise of Mr Gove's expenses, but full credit to him for calling a meeting and stating his position.<br /><br />Actually, I didn't think the thousands he spent on furhishing his second home seemed at all excessive. I am always staggered by the insurance value of just all the kitchen items in our house, let alone everything else that make a house habitable.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13775753218753337766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-77940238164584919462009-05-19T10:10:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:10:00.000+01:00Nice try but in percentage terms how many of his e...Nice try but in percentage terms how many of his electorate were at the meeting?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-68109878255579927942009-05-19T10:08:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:08:00.000+01:00It was a gamble, and one that may not pay off..It was a gamble, and one that may not pay off..Kate.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-52295542038470463102009-05-19T10:06:00.000+01:002009-05-19T10:06:00.000+01:00Brave! I doubt if the good people of Camberley ha...Brave! I doubt if the good people of Camberley had plans to lynch him.<br /><br />As for his choice of hotel, he stayed at the Pennypark hotel. Well, read what booking.com have to say abou this hotel:<br /><br />In 123 acres of rolling Surrey parkland, this stunning manor house was originally built in 1849. Today, it houses a 5-star luxury hotel with a superb spa, spectacular bars and 2 fine restaurants.…<br /><br />Mr Gove obviously appreciates the finer things in life, at taxpayers' expence.D P Dancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990699680441312349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-60088645891743649562009-05-19T09:42:00.000+01:002009-05-19T09:42:00.000+01:00Good on him for facing the music. I would have pac...Good on him for facing the music. I would have packed a revolver and a cyanide capsule if I was him. At least he isn't weasling out of his responsibility, like so many.Ed Westhttp://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/edwestnoreply@blogger.com