She’s on Question Time right now, defending her expenses claims.

I’d like to know how she defends having her security detail (Highly trained gents who have spent a lot of time in Herefordshire and other interesting spots) pushing her shopping trolley around my local Sainsburys. How she thinks that having these poor chaps (decent men, to a T) asking me to move my car so the arrogant tw@ can park hers.

No, **** off. I’ve parked there legally, now you do your shopping yourself you troughing, caravan driving, fake smiling, pathetic excuse for a politician.

(And don’t even get me started on Labour MPs trying to get me moved out of my favourite table in my favourite local curry house!)

don’t even get me started on Labour MPs trying to get me moved out of my favourite table in my favourite local curry house

It sounds like a conspiracy to me Captain – I reckon you’re a marked man.

Well, obviously , Ernie! 😀

own her with a copy of the Guardian*

*with a copy of the Socialist Worker rolled up inside

Has there been discussion on here on the idea of a “Green List”?

If MP’s are serious about showing rectitude and probity over expenses they should be willing to submit themselves to scrutiny over their expenses claims. They should be transparent about removing all obstacles to FoI enquiries on the subject. Furthermore they should agree (with the “help” of the electorate they represent) on a set of criteria on what constitute “reasonable” claims.

As a result there would be a list of incumbent MPs who are “green”, another list who are “amber” and a third list of those who made “honest mistakes” or “accounting errors”. This wouldn’t preclude anyone from standing for re-election but it might assist the lumpen proletariat in their decisions at the ballot box.

I normally steer clear of political threads on here but this latest round of conceit and hubris really enrages me.

I think I’ll write to my MP….

As a result there would be a list of incumbent MPs who are “green”, another list who are “amber” and a third list of those who made “honest mistakes” or “accounting errors”. This wouldn’t preclude anyone from standing for re-election but it might assist the lumpen proletariat in their decisions at the ballot box.

Good thinking.

write to your MP?

what on earth for?

do you not think that posting on an internet forum about mountain biking and Kylie is democracy enough?

do you not think that posting on an internet forum about mountain biking and Kylie is democracy enough?

😀

Yes. Sorry.

(tugs forelock)

Stuartie-c is your MP Gordon Brown too?

do you not think that posting on an internet forum about mountain biking and Kylie is democracy enough?

Kylie?

NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!

A&A is where it’s at, when will you lovers of the aged Antipodean faghag realise this? 😉

I suspect that there might a reasonable amount of MPs on your green list stuartie_c. Unfortunately none of them are making the headlines at the moment. Take Jeremy Corbyn for example, he hasn’t claimed anything in the seven years to 2007-8 for the additional costs allowance. But that’s hardly headline grabbing news is it ?

Stuartie-c is your MP Gordon Brown too?

No, I’ve got Willie Rennie (Lib Dem). I think I WILL actually write that letter. Can we mobilise the STW troops to do the same?

What patronising hogwash might we get in reply?

Thank God the Tories are beyond reproach in this matters as they are in all things

Ernie – I’d be delighted to see lots of green-list MPs as it might restore my faith in this democracy. My naively optimistic vision is a future parliament where everyone is on the green list and there are new, unambiguous rules in place to regulate expenses.

Junkyard, they’re not. They are far from it, in fact. At least, however, Cameron has actually done something about it.

This green list idea is a good one. I like it a lot.

This proposal knows no party boundaries – Labour, Tory, Lib-Dem, other – any politician who is taking the piss will have to face the inqusition music.

Cameron has actually done something about it.

Yes, but like with all the other politicians only after they got caught with their pants down.

I think it would be best to vote BNP as their MP’s havent claimed any expenses whatsoever . . . hang on a mo that will be because there arent any BNP MP’s . . . err forget that

😆

El-bent – How exactly would Cameron have known what claims Tory MPs had submitted to the House of Commons Fees Office before the story broke ?

what we should do is what a group on radio 5 live proposed….

namely to go down to the MP’s second home and to request access to do a inventory of all the items claimed for the second home to ensure that they were still there

its brilliant in its simplicity and should have a TV camera crew there to record the moment, don’t care what party just alternate

… so why have you replaced your Laura Ashley coffee table with one from Ikea?…. you can already feel the moment

El-bent – How exactly would Cameron have known what claims Tory MPs had submitted to the House of Commons Fees Office before the story broke ?

easy, they have been signing them off for the last 6 months ready for publication

Take Jeremy Corbyn for example, he hasn’t claimed anything in the seven years to 2007-8 for the additional costs allowance. But that’s hardly headline grabbing news is it ?

Not surprising that, though, is it? He’s the MP for Islington North, which is an Inner London constituency, which means he is not entitled to claim it!
http://www.parliament.uk/about_commons/hocallowances/hocallowances06.cfm

At least, however, Cameron has actually done something about it.

Oh the irony of the “do nothing” scum finally “doing something”.

stuartie_c, I like your green list.
Here’s a nice compare and contrast –

Margret Moran MP for Luton South
Claim for second home (in Southampton)
Additional Costs £22,343

Kelvin Hopkins MP for Luton North
No claim for second home.
Additional Costs £1,242

They both live in the same road.

At least she hasn’t tried claiming for her caravan as a second home.

What we need is a big wall, a big gun and a big bag of bullets.

don’t even get me started on Labour MPs trying to get me moved out of my favourite table in my favourite local curry house!

Sorry, that’s one aspirational step too far. No one has a favourite table in a curry house.

Hmmm my local Mp <spit> is Nicholas Soames who barely turns up to Parliament let alone have anything to do with voting oiks

In fairness, he’s probably having problems squeezing out of the front door on his house.

What we need is a big wall, a big gun and a big bag of bullets.

The Palace of Westminster has a big wall, I’ve a No.4 Mk1 (T) sat in my gun cabinet and I reckon I’ve enough .303 to deal with the worst culprits.

Just give me the nod (and the necessary documentation to make taking up this honorable duty legal) and I’ll be there within a few hours.

Given the fact it is in fact a constitutional crisis, I would say a date for a General Election should be set straight away, and it be made clear that the electorate expect any MP up for re-election to be prepared to answer publically for their expense claims to their local constituency. (thats all of them, not just their local party).

Should sort the wheat from the chaff.

Incidentally, while we’re on about the constitution how about an Abstain box on the ballot paper? I reckon if you had one currently there’d only be about 3 people get re-elected.

I reckon if you had one currently there’d only be about 3 people get re-elected.

Unfortunately if no one votes then the bugger who currently holds the seat remains in it for another term.

But most of these claims are transparent.

As in invisible and can’t be seen as opposed to can be seen by all.

I had some dealings with Jeremy Corbyn when I lived in Islington and I discovered he used to channel a significant portion of his salary into the local party. As far as they go, I thought he was pretty straight (joke). No, what I mean is he was a good bloke.

I’d also be interested to see a list of claims that were rejected by the regulators. The Bill Butler one still strikes me as a shining example of these MP’s mindset.

In the end, one has to confront the following serious question. What aspect of the restoration of trust in politics would be in the media’s interest?

I think this is interesting. Martin Kettle in the Grauniad.

And this is not a “constitutional crisis” in any meaningful sense. It is a spasm of outrage. It is likely to lead to a minor fascist resurgence in the local elections while we’re all on our high horses, but we are a long way off threatening the constitution at this point. 🙂

I am seriously considering standing as an independent in the next election and I think a lot more people should try it as well.

I am not bound to any party, I have no specific leanings to either Tory (sorry Captain), Labour (not really sorry DD) or LibDem (errrrr…) but I am happy to work with them if they have a policy that both fits with what my local area wants and needs, and which I personally have no issues with.

If the whole of Parliment was made up of non-party independents, then I think the whole process of making laws would be better. No party political stuff, just proper debate to convince people that the law is right, just and worthwhile implementing.

How do you think political parties develop?

“proper debate to convince people that the law is right, just and worthwhile implementing.”

Politics isn’t really about law being right (just), though, is it? Legislation is just a tool for political change.

sootyandjim said

Unfortunately if no one votes then the bugger who currently holds the seat remains in it for another term.

Thats the point of having an abstention vote obviously. Its not that no one has voted, it is that they have rejected the candidates on offer. As things stand at the moment I’m prepared to guarantee you that Abstain would win most seats at the current European and Local elections.

BigDummy – said

And this is not a “constitutional crisis” in any meaningful sense

In what way is a considerable contingent of the governing house being shown to be corrupt, with the attendant public outrage, and the systemic inability to act upon it not a constituional crisis? Point 1 we don’t have a written constituion, thus enabling the thieving bastards to duck, dive and make up archaic rules as they go. Point 2 Do you honestly believe this will just die down and go away? (Might I guess from that, that you are close to GB by any chance?)

I reckon this country is actually nearer to open revolution against the system than at any time in my life, which is a loooong time, and the key issue is that unlike the miners strike and the poll tax thing, this is cross class, cross party and unifying the great unwashed in a way I’ve never seen before.