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Some long overdue comments on this outrageous tide of events. I have been reading and listening to lots of comments about this and I want to throw my opinion hat into the so-called ring......here goes......
(a) I don't think MP's should be chastised without examining each case closely. Those who have followed the rules first of all need to be separated from those who have broken the explicit rules laid down by the Parliamentary authorities and/or the Fees Office.
(b) Of course those who have broken the rules explicitly need to be duly and swiftly punished - which, given the nature of the very public role and duty that MP's have means losing their seat/standing down at the next election AS WELL AS prosecution. I am heartened to see some reports saying that HM Customs and Excise (Excuse me, it has been rebranded as a part of Labour's spin on the administration of government - I should correctly say HMRC - HM Revenue and Customs) are fully prepared to look into the tax affairs of MP's AND high-ranking ministers (Yes Chancellor that means you - using accountants to post tax returns when it is prohibited for Joe Blog to do so) and if tax law has been broken will go ahead with pressing for a prosecution - so the message is, don't mess with your Majesty's Crown Mr Darling because she has her ways of coming back and biting you where it quite rightly hurts!
(c) Those MP's who have kept within the rules first of all need to be recognised for doing so.
(d) THEN, we can look at those who have followed the rules and quite rightly criticise them for the levels of their expenses claims. If you feel as a member of the public that you have lost trust in your MP because of the level of those claims, express that opinion at the ballot box, but by no means put these MP's in the same camp as the others. Where there has been an "abuse" in the sense of a high quantity of claims, let's voice our discontent but also recognise that no rules have been broken and the problem is WITH THE RULES THEMSELVES - now on course to change.....and this is how our system works! Cast your mind back to but a month or so ago and we were criticising Harriet Harman because she threatened an immediate change in the law to force Goody Goodwin to give his pension pot back - we were absolutely aghast were we not at the thought of a British Government and Parliament legislating at will to scapegoat one man - a man who is certainly greedy but broke no laws. Many were saying that the law must change and then we can prevent future Goody Goodwin's - and quite right. The same principle applies here. Don't abuse MP's because they stayed within the rules - QUESTION their need to claim highly BUT focus on the changes that need to be made and then let's move forward. Focus the negative energy on those who must be purged from this political system that is in a dire mess.
(e) My final point - Reading one article I realised that we can't leave human nature out of this equation - of course it is not a justification for what has happened (especially as this scandal spreads to the EU Parliament) but there is a certain side to many of us I'm sure that would take benefits offered to us as a part of our jobs and try to realise as many of those as possible.........if it is within the rules to stay at any hotel on a business trip, wouldn't you stay at the most comfortable one that would be allowed? However perhaps there is further debate necessary on this when it comes to spending public as supposed to private funds......and I duly take note.
All in all what this expenses scandal reveals is a rot at the heart of our political system - let's go back to 1997. Now I see what has been happening. Loony liberals bringing in political correctness, legislating for every conceivable outcome with armies of pen-pushers, and then sweetening their large majority of MP's on the backbenches by taking away the real power of Parliament (their power) and replacing it with endless benefits and handouts to fatten the pigs up and make it impossible for them to ever leave their constituency seats. Rotten to the core now be the system! Thank whatever God you believe in that Michael Martin is out.....good riddance for his arrogance and absolute contempt for the British Parliamentary System - however I hope his demise followed by Gordy's doesn't force these two Scots back home where they will finally be prepared to cut the Scottish political elite and Scottish public from the United Kingdom of (what-used-to-be-known-as-this wonderful) Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Thanks for Reading.......
P.S One final thought - as this spreads to the EU and expenses scandals are uncovered there - if this is what the "elected branch" of EU "government" does, need we say more about the stomach-churning possibilities of the unelected Commission and European Council? Well, let's not forget the European Commission events of 1999....a past experience to sweeten the taste...........
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Some long overdue comments on this outrageous tide of events. I have been reading and listening to lots of comments about this and I want to throw my opinion hat into the so-called ring......here goes......
(a) I don't think MP's should be chastised without examining each case closely. Those who have followed the rules first of all need to be separated from those who have broken the explicit rules laid down by the Parliamentary authorities and/or the Fees Office.
(b) Of course those who have broken the rules explicitly need to be duly and swiftly punished - which, given the nature of the very public role and duty that MP's have means losing their seat/standing down at the next election AS WELL AS prosecution. I am heartened to see some reports saying that HM Customs and Excise (Excuse me, it has been rebranded as a part of Labour's spin on the administration of government - I should correctly say HMRC - HM Revenue and Customs) are fully prepared to look into the tax affairs of MP's AND high-ranking ministers (Yes Chancellor that means you - using accountants to post tax returns when it is prohibited for Joe Blog to do so) and if tax law has been broken will go ahead with pressing for a prosecution - so the message is, don't mess with your Majesty's Crown Mr Darling because she has her ways of coming back and biting you where it quite rightly hurts!
(c) Those MP's who have kept within the rules first of all need to be recognised for doing so.
(d) THEN, we can look at those who have followed the rules and quite rightly criticise them for the levels of their expenses claims. If you feel as a member of the public that you have lost trust in your MP because of the level of those claims, express that opinion at the ballot box, but by no means put these MP's in the same camp as the others. Where there has been an "abuse" in the sense of a high quantity of claims, let's voice our discontent but also recognise that no rules have been broken and the problem is WITH THE RULES THEMSELVES - now on course to change.....and this is how our system works! Cast your mind back to but a month or so ago and we were criticising Harriet Harman because she threatened an immediate change in the law to force Goody Goodwin to give his pension pot back - we were absolutely aghast were we not at the thought of a British Government and Parliament legislating at will to scapegoat one man - a man who is certainly greedy but broke no laws. Many were saying that the law must change and then we can prevent future Goody Goodwin's - and quite right. The same principle applies here. Don't abuse MP's because they stayed within the rules - QUESTION their need to claim highly BUT focus on the changes that need to be made and then let's move forward. Focus the negative energy on those who must be purged from this political system that is in a dire mess.
(e) My final point - Reading one article I realised that we can't leave human nature out of this equation - of course it is not a justification for what has happened (especially as this scandal spreads to the EU Parliament) but there is a certain side to many of us I'm sure that would take benefits offered to us as a part of our jobs and try to realise as many of those as possible.........if it is within the rules to stay at any hotel on a business trip, wouldn't you stay at the most comfortable one that would be allowed? However perhaps there is further debate necessary on this when it comes to spending public as supposed to private funds......and I duly take note.
All in all what this expenses scandal reveals is a rot at the heart of our political system - let's go back to 1997. Now I see what has been happening. Loony liberals bringing in political correctness, legislating for every conceivable outcome with armies of pen-pushers, and then sweetening their large majority of MP's on the backbenches by taking away the real power of Parliament (their power) and replacing it with endless benefits and handouts to fatten the pigs up and make it impossible for them to ever leave their constituency seats. Rotten to the core now be the system! Thank whatever God you believe in that Michael Martin is out.....good riddance for his arrogance and absolute contempt for the British Parliamentary System - however I hope his demise followed by Gordy's doesn't force these two Scots back home where they will finally be prepared to cut the Scottish political elite and Scottish public from the United Kingdom of (what-used-to-be-known-as-this wonderful) Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Thanks for Reading.......
P.S One final thought - as this spreads to the EU and expenses scandals are uncovered there - if this is what the "elected branch" of EU "government" does, need we say more about the stomach-churning possibilities of the unelected Commission and European Council? Well, let's not forget the European Commission events of 1999....a past experience to sweeten the taste...........
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