UK government expenses row

[faceless]

Apparently the media have 'broken the story' that MPs have had their snouts in the trough. This seems to be news.

[luke]

who'd have thought it!

[Ash]

luke: how dare you

Adam Curtis talked about this apparent notion of press freedom and openness is his recent works..most of them are in it for the money and power

[11antoniacourt]

[SpursFan1902]

Must have been a slow news day.

[luke]

make that a slow news week ... makes me wonder what else is going on they're not telling us about, like some new multi zillion bank bail out or something!

[SpursFan1902]

Well, you know, Luke, they can't cover everything!

[faceless]

Expenses row: MP who claimed for 500 trees accuses constituents of 'jealousy'
Nicholas Watt,
The Guardian,
Friday 22 May 2009

Were the Palace of Westminster to boast a hair-shirt outlet it would have done a feverish trade over the last two weeks as its members have lined up to publicly apologise for expenses excesses. All that is except one. While his ­colleagues furiously deployed their mea culpas, the veteran Conservative MP Sir Anthony Steen stood firm. After pondering the question of exactly why people were so angry over his claim for the treatment of 500 trees in the grounds of his house, he offered a succinct explanation today : "Jealousy".

Tonight, however, Steen, MP for Totnes since 1974, was forced by David Cameron to issue a strongly worded apology after he blamed constituents for forcing his retirement from Westminster. Steen "unreservedly apologised" after declaring that the public had no right to "interfere" with his private life. Cameron moved against Steen after he appeared on Radio 4's The World at One to lash out at constituents who objected to his claim for the treatment of the trees. "I've done nothing criminal, that's the most awful thing, and do you know what it's about? Jealousy," Steen said. "I've got a very, very large house. Some people say it looks like Balmoral."

Steen spoke out after announcing on Wednesday he would stand down as an MP at the next election. He denied his hand had been forced by Cameron. "The pressure came from the constituents. For the last week I've been taking soundings and they are absolutely beside themselves with anger." Steen later issued an apology after he was upbraided by the leadership for distorting his talks with Cameron. Cameron also forced the former Tory minister Sir Peter Viggers to announce his retirement after Viggers claimed £1,645 for a floating duck island.

If Steen emerges as one of the more amusing sinners in the expenses ­scandal, the Labour MP Laura Moffatt is on course to become the patron saint of the goodies. The MP for Crawley gave up her rented London flat last year because she said the "annual cost did not sit comfortably with me". In her blog she writes: "I never travel first class when commuting and since getting rid of my flat I more often sleep on a camp bed in my office when the house sits late … and have only made one claim for personal goods in 2007/08, under £20, I think, to replace some towels."

-------------------

That 'jealousy' argument is one reason Bush gave as the reason for terrorism - and it's still used by some to this day. It's a bollocks argument. And it always has been!

[btaylo24]

Cant blame em, think the overall majority of people would of done the same. Tried to get as much money as possible. All people care about these days

Barry

[Brown Sauce]

17 grand can buy you a fuckin' boatload of cheap ironing boards.

the thing that winds me up about all this shite, is that long fought for civil liberties and rights have been sequentially robbed, looted or burned by this nu labor govt, with more on the way, and the people either don't care or don't know. For this stuff, apathy or ignorance ain't good enough in my eye.

The torygraph get's it's hands on some expense account fiddles and the country comes to a halt.

If in some sort of levelling process, the twats that are robbing folk of their rights are given the plebian heave ho for robbing them of a few poxy pounds, it might be all ok, though I won't be holding my strawberry scented breath ...

[seshme]

[Ash]

Few months back I was invited by the Royal Society of Medicine in London- i only claimed for my train fare, other transportation costs (TC and on my way back taxi fair)... Now I'm thinking I should've claimed more.. later I can return the money in front of the camera and say whatever i like

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8045869.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8045371.stm

In short, it's nothing new- it confirms of what I believed for long time- that most of the MPs are spineless c***s. All these MPs, accused of abusing the system, have used a notion we (economics students) call 'moral hazard'.

ps1: if they don't film me, I'll make own film and upload it to youtube
ps2: what really annoys me is the fact that media is again diverting our attention from real issues like Economies, water & other natural resources' management, invasions, etc. - at least in terms proportional coverage of this.

[faceless]

I've been thinking about the people who profit a lot from company expenses in private contracts. They say that this is ok because they're not taking money from the public purse. Thing is though, if the company wasn't dishing out all that expense then that money would be counted as part of the company's profit, meaning that it would be taxed at the normal corporation tax level.

So they are taking money from the public purse. I wonder how many of the ones who are so up in arms about this whole thing would be prepared to give up their perks?

[seshme]

Remember though that the private companies are the ones that pay for everything.

For example 60% of the Scottish economy is public sector - that's just money going around in circles. Somehow private companies have to generate enough wealth to fund all of that.

Corporation tax is just one of the dozens of taxes that companies effectively have to pay. If someone is flown down to a meeting and then goes out to dinner with the client on expenses the company is already paying airport taxes, fuel taxes, the income tax and NI of the aircrew and restaurant staff, VAT, excise duties, insurance premium tax, as well as the NI and income tax of the guy they sent to the meeting.

[faceless]

But the person is still getting a nice meal and a frist class flight at the part-expense of the public. Also, a lot of expenses will be tax-deductable anyway...

What's wrong with a fish supper and skype?