….my MP. I’ve mentioned him a few times on here before and I absolutely loathe him, not least for breaking a cyclist’s back when he drove out of the Palace of Westminster without looking. This time he feeds my hatred as being the minister responsible for rail fares, yet he refuses to use the train to get to work. He’s got history on this and has spouted all kinds of crap about having to ‘work on the way’ and having to ‘work late sometimes’ and claims the means he CAN’T use the trains. Well you arrogant stuck up tosser, that’s called ‘having a job’ and millions of the rest of us use the trains every day, so you should too.

Here is the latest story that’s boiled my piss this morning

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/06/rail-fares-minister-simon-burns-car-commute_n_2419087.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

Haven’t read the link, but just heard about him on the radio. Sounds a lovely chap..
/read it now.

“I have given up my second home in London and I commute to and from work carrying classified papers which I work on during my journey.”

Cabinet Office officials confirmed that there are no restrictions on ministers taking the “red boxes” that contain their government papers on public transport.

HA HA!! Shafted by Humphrey Appleby 😀

Cabinet Office officials confirmed that there are no restrictions on ministers taking the “red boxes” that contain their government papers on public transport.

this is probably because they can be fully trusted to not lose/leave them on public transport where a reporter will get hold of them!

In what way is he responsible for rail fares? I thought they were set by the market? (Genuine Q – I don’t understand the mechanism).

using the £80,000 a year departmental car service.

Nice. Good to know my taxes are being spent wisely.

clever how they got a picture of him looking like a piggy-faced smug ****, when he’s clearly no such thing

Regulated rail fare (such as season tickets) increases are set by government regulation – and he’s the Minister for that department

clever how they got a picture of him looking like a piggy-faced smug ****

that’s ‘cos he is a piggy-faced smug ****

The minister responsible for rail fares is…..

a self serving w@n£er shock!

Woah woah woah dont be taking my name and use it to describe this loathsome man

Thanks

soz pigface, I’d assumed you were named for the band rather than, …

<snorts>

😳

I suppose that he pays tax on this benefit? After all if you have a company car you can’t claim to and from work. Likewise if you have a fuel card and use it for private use (including to and from work) then you pay tax on that too.

If only there was a contraction of two words (like chillaxing) which fitted this guy.. I saw one such word on Have I Got News For You once. Four letters, one vowel.

No its because I look like a ……… 😥

Apology accepted 😉

To be fair.if he does work on confidential papers on the way and work late, he has a point.
I’m less bothered by his car use, more bothered that he gets free taxi. Any normal person would have to drive himself.

To be fair.if he does work on confidential papers on the way and work late, he has a point.

I beg to differ.

1) he doesn’t have to work on confidential papers on the train, he can do other stuff and the confidential stuff in the office – or just be sensible.

2) Last train from London Liverpool Street station to Chelmsford on a week day is 00:42, so he has no excuse there either.

He’s just the archetypical smug tory fat cat ‘world owes me’ type of thing

The minister responsible for rail fares is…..

Ahhh. I was hoping this post was a word game and had a few well chosen nouns ready 😆

My train fare only went up by 20p a week. Ah well. I’ll just have to have one less copy of the Daily Fail.

I suppose that he pays tax on this benefit? After all if you have a company car you can’t claim to and from work

He’s an MP, so his ‘office’ will be home/constituancy office – therefore the car is a ‘business expense’. Same rule as anyone else based from home.

Typical Govt procurement though, my Driver (when I was SE based) charged a damn site less for the same journey.

got to hand it to them smuc gunts , they would look good in a barrel !

To be fair.if he does work on confidential papers on the way and work late, he has a point.

Loads of people work with confidential papers every day. The entire London intelligence community isn’t driven about in chauffeur driven cars every day.

The entire London intelligence community isn’t driven about in chauffeur driven cars every day.

Either that, or they’re just very good at not being seen 💡

I was hoping this post was a word game and had a few well chosen nouns ready

I don’t see why you shouldn’t give your nouns an airing!

To be fair.if he does work on confidential papers on the way and work late, he has a point.

What does he do that actually needs to be secret? Most confidential government documents are based on the Governments want to hide what they do from the general public rather than any real need for security.

What does he do that actually needs to be secret?

…given the track record of some tory MPs…..

Simon Burns was a rubbish Health minister, is a rubbish Transport minister, and has an excess of arrogance (have you heard him speak?)He’s a social climber amongst a government of those who have been described by one of their own as ‘arrogant posh boys’…….where’s the surprise in all of this?

You have to take your hats off to the sheer sense of entitlement of our wonderfully humble, men-of-the-people, elected representatives

Burns reportedly defended his regular use of the Department for Transport pool car by saying: “I have given up my second home in London and I commute to and from work carrying classified papers which I work on during my journey.”

As if having the indignity of surrendering your second home (as you can no longer scam your expenses to get the taxpayer to pay for it) is just a humiliation too far to placate the frightful plebs. Then they want you to give up your chauffeur-driven car too? Can you imagine such a thing? Do you know who I am?

He’s got a head that’d look good on a spike!

from http://www.simonburnsmp.com/

This website is personally funded by Simon Burns MP, at no cost to the taxpayer

value for money or what?

So either
1.He does not draw a salary then
2.He has a tremendous second income rather than being FT MP
3. He is sponsored by someone or other
4. Website hosting is free
5. he is being economical with the actualitie

Either that, or they’re just very good at not being seen

They can be seen. 🙂

I couldn’t agree with you more Mr Feet of Cheese – what a total ****!!

Having just had to pay thousands for my blasted season ticket and of course with a further “reduced service” to kick the year off, I feel such sympathy for this loathsome “person”.

However could someone so exalted be expected to suffer the effects of his own ridiculous decisions / set a good example for us all to use public transport. ******.

Wish I hadn’t read that now, it’s put me ibn a foul mood. Will have plenty of time to think of him during my chaotic trip home.

Was standing room only on my train home last night

7th January 2913 by gary_foulger, on Flickr

And you have to share your personal space with people who read the Evening Standard! You should have a discount on your season ticket for that, surely?

In 2007, Burns successfully proposed to the House of Commons Administration Committee, of which he was then a member, that Members of Parliament should have “priority access” to services within the Parliamentary Estate. In practice, this meant that MPs could avoid queues for shops, restaurants, bars, computers, photocopiers and even toilets by “pushing in” ahead of visitors or staff. The so-called “queue jumping rule” provoked cross-party opposition from Commons staff and other MPs but Burns trenchantly defended the proposal.

Pitchforks down please, all is now good

Burns on the Train Shocker – Telegraph article

Phew, for a while I thought he was a bit aloof, now I know he is a commoner like everybody else. Best of all though, there ‘just happened’ to be a photographer outside his house at 5.30am to do a photographic diary, including shots of him on the actual train.

I’d imagine that,on seeing the coverage, someone at No 10 ‘had a word’ with a gentle nudge towards the train

I’m sure the handily placed photographers from a Tory leaning paper just happened to be there to preserve the moment for posterity. Give it til the end of the week, til its all died down, and the chauffeur will be back. Along with an even greater loathing of the plebs for forcing such an indignity on him

It really is like ‘this Thick of It’ isn’t it?

The photographer is just so bloody obvious though.

He’ll be on the train on Monday, like these lot have been regulars in Greggs since this picture was taken

Just how ****ing stupid do they think we are?

So a Tory is a lying,chancing hypocrite. Who’d have believed it.

looks like he held his breath the whole way – god knows what he could have caught from the, the … public