Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Nickbat on 09 May 2009, 22:22:54

Title: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Nickbat on 09 May 2009, 22:22:54
The latest from the drip-drip Telegraph revelations:

Miss Kitty Ussher, a junior minister wanted £20k to renovate her home and get rid of "bad taste" Artex ceiling:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5301423/MPs-expenses-minister-Kitty-Ussher-used-allowances-for-20000-house-make-over.html


Sinn Fein: half a million for second homes:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5301510/MPs-expenses-Sinn-Fein-claimed-500000-for-second-homes.html

It seems like this is going to run and run. Will we ever trust MPs again?
 :( :o
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Del Boy on 09 May 2009, 22:24:52
Quote
The latest from the drip-drip Telegraph revelations:

Miss Kitty Ussher, a junior minister wanted £20k to renovate her home and get rid of "bad taste" Artex ceiling:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5301423/MPs-expenses-minister-Kitty-Ussher-used-allowances-for-20000-house-make-over.html


Sinn Fein: half a million for second homes:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5301510/MPs-expenses-Sinn-Fein-claimed-500000-for-second-homes.html

It seems like this is going to run and run. Will we ever trust MPs again?
 :( :o
Did you honestly trust them in the first place??
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: iainb on 09 May 2009, 22:46:44
TBH I think the whole concept of the professional MP is totally corrupt.
They dont work within commerce and have little experience of buisness.
They seem to look after there own intrests first and then look after there own family second.
 But worse than that they allow them selves to pass laws to keep quiet about what perks they have allowed for them selves.
 I am self employed and the taxman is the only person alive who scares me,but this bunch of numty's have made them selve exempt for such examiation
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: albitz on 09 May 2009, 23:38:22
No Sinn Fienn MP has ever taken up their seat in Westminster,they wont swear allegiance to the crown,so for them to claim half a million quid of British taxpayers money for 2nd homes in London is fraud,pure and simple.I dont believe they could have got away with it without a nod and a wink from the powers that be.The price of appeasement? >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: p j morgan on 10 May 2009, 00:04:43
they are all the same .the telegrath as opened up a real can of worms !worms being the right word.and when questioned where do they get the excuses from ?they make me laugh ! >:(
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: albitz on 10 May 2009, 00:11:10
The police are now involved,NOT to investigate the thinly veiled fraud but to investigate the source of the leak to the Telegraph.
We are becoming more Soviet like by the day. >:( >:( >:(
I heard somewhere thet Hillary Benn only claimed a few hundred quid,if he can do it why cant the rest of them.
The MP for Luton claimed a large amount for a second home in Portsmouth!! (iirc)she said this was because her partner works there. >:( >:(
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: p j morgan on 10 May 2009, 00:20:47
they will have some one from the met who will look into it ,it will take about three months to investigate and by then we will have forgotten all about it ! >:(
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Pitchfork on 10 May 2009, 08:55:13
Nobody goes into politics for altruistic reasons!! :(
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: KillerWatt on 10 May 2009, 08:57:45
Quote
they will have some one from the met who will look into it ,it will take about three months to investigate and by then we will have forgotten all about it ! >:(
The investigation was concluded before it even started, we just won't get to hear the results of the "findings" for 3 months or so ;)
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Debs. on 10 May 2009, 10:40:27
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.......Will we ever trust MPs again?

Did we ever! ::)
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: willyboy on 10 May 2009, 11:57:28
Quote
Quote
.......Will we ever trust MPs again?

Did we ever! ::)


My thoughts exactly Debs  :y
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: doog on 10 May 2009, 14:49:01
i think anyone who wants to become a MP should immediately be banned from  ever becoming one

Doug
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: crazyjoetavola on 10 May 2009, 14:55:24
Quote
No Sinn Fienn MP has ever taken up their seat in Westminster,they wont swear allegiance to the crown,so for them to claim half a million quid of British taxpayers money for 2nd homes in London is fraud,pure and simple.I dont believe they could have got away with it without a nod and a wink from the powers that be.The price of appeasement? >:( >:( >:(


You have that in one alb :y
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Debs. on 10 May 2009, 15:56:11
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i think anyone who wants to become a MP should immediately be banned from  ever becoming one

Doug

Indeed! :y

Politicians go into politics because they are not fit for any other walk of life......when they come a`canvassing; treat it like you`re interviewing them for a job: ask them what qualifies them for the position and have they any appropriate exam-certificates. ::)

but.....
Don`t vote for any of them, it only encourages them!  ;)
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Varche on 10 May 2009, 16:19:09
Best approach would be the MP has to live in their constituency. (That would seem reasonable as they then represent their constituents. If they choose not to no allowances payable.

For trips to London for parliament then they could stay in a hostel. (Buy a hotel down on its luck from the recession). I would dock them pay for every day NOT in the houses or representing their constituency apart from agreed holidays.

I still maintain though that it is a small potatoes compared with other waste of taxpayers money. Just one example is the £40 million a DAY to be in the Euroland club (well half in!).

Varche



Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: HolyCount on 10 May 2009, 16:37:04
Quote
Best approach would be the MP has to live in their constituency. (That would seem reasonable as they then represent their constituents. If they choose not to no allowances payable.

For trips to London for parliament then they could stay in a hostel. (Buy a hotel down on its luck from the recession). I would dock them pay for every day NOT in the houses or representing their constituency apart from agreed holidays.

I still maintain though that it is a small potatoes compared with other waste of taxpayers money. Just one example is the £40 million a DAY to be in the Euroland club (well half in!).

Varche




Totally agree Varche -- they could use part of the Houses of Parliament - I am sure it's full of unused space!!!

It might be a drop in the financial ocean, but it's more the principle -- I know everyone hates civil servants --- but if one of them ( and by "them" I mean the coal face workers not the Whitehall mandarins) double claimed for any allowance there would not be any "I paid it back because I claimed in error" or " accountancy isn't my strong point" .... they would be dismissed (and it does happen!!). Manny civil servants work in London, but live elsewhere -- they have to use hotels (sometimes paid for -- but at much ...MUCH .. lower rates than MPs and they actually have to attend work to get the pay) ... or suck it up out of their own salaries!
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: eddie on 10 May 2009, 17:02:09
I,m sure there are plenty of tower blocks in and around the Capital that could be given a new coat of emulsion,and used to accomodate them all. Free buses in the morning and evening to get 'em back and forwards to work.

I,m on £6.00 an hour and I still pay Income Tax--I,m not happy about this lot at all. Sooooooo frustrated!
How the F*** do they justify claiming for so many petty things,and engineering things to squeeze more for them selves.
And to cap it all theres talk of freezing the minimum wage to help the economic crisis--bunch of bloody self-abusers.

Gonna learn to fly and get me a 747 >:(

eddie
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: amigov6 on 10 May 2009, 17:25:22
I agree some claims are bordering on the ridiculous, £1.50 for farleys rusks, £1.50 for jellied eels? Same as most of us i work for less money, live in a modest semi (set in surrounding mortgages)!!! My wages go into the bank & once everyone's had thier hand in the pot i get along on what's left.
     Point being tbh if i could claim what they do i would, break it why not. The fault lies with them having the opportunity to do so which hopefully is being addressed now. ::)
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Martin_1962 on 10 May 2009, 17:29:40
Quote
The police are now involved,NOT to investigate the thinly veiled fraud but to investigate the source of the leak to the Telegraph.
We are becoming more Soviet like by the day. >:( >:( >:(
I heard somewhere thet Hillary Benn only claimed a few hundred quid,if he can do it why cant the rest of them.
The MP for Luton claimed a large amount for a second home in Portsmouth!! (iirc)she said this was because her partner works there. >:( >:(

Quite likely to be the next leader of the opposition
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: albitz on 10 May 2009, 21:02:16
There will be an obselete olympic village in Stratford,with plenty of empty accomodation (fit for the worlds best athletes) in just over 3 years time,turn it into dorms for the politicians - sorted. :y
Then we could dig up Guy Fawkes and see if we can breathe some life back into him. :y
I note that Cameron and Clegg havent been putting the boot in over this.They know that its their turn in the next few days. ::)
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: HolyCount on 10 May 2009, 21:04:56
Quote
There will be an obselete olympic village in Stratford,with plenty of empty accomodation (fit for the worlds best athletes) in just over 3 years time,turn it into dorms for the politicians - sorted. :y
Then we could dig up Guy Fawkes and see if we can breathe some life back into him. :y
I note that Cameron and Clegg havent been putting the boot in over this.They know that its their turn in the next few days. ::)

One of my ancestors was implicated in that plot -- but never stood trial --- they lopped his head off for something else later !!!!!
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: Nickbat on 10 May 2009, 22:38:24
Quote
There will be an obselete olympic village in Stratford,with plenty of empty accomodation (fit for the worlds best athletes) in just over 3 years time,turn it into dorms for the politicians - sorted. :y
Then we could dig up Guy Fawkes and see if we can breathe some life back into him. :y
I note that Cameron and Clegg havent been putting the boot in over this.They know that its their turn in the next few days. ::)

Yep, here you go:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5305293/David-Camerons-shadow-cabinet-drawn-into-expenses-scandal-MPs-expenses.html
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: jerry on 11 May 2009, 00:11:09
We were talking about this at work and someone did make a sort of fair point in that there are a lot of people making a lot of money-eg prem football players/ tv celebs -whose expenditure on most things would seem insane to us. The salaries of most MPs is dwarfed by what these people earn yet MPs are supposed to run this country( ;D)and as such have far greater responsibility. My response to this was that ,in their position and  in their job, they are supposed to represent us and we have no choice but to pay their wages and that is the difference. As such, they should be accountable to us as taxpayers. Unfortunately, like most people , they are out for personal gain as much as prem footballers are. Lets face it, most people try and milk expense accounts for as much as they can from private companies and MPs are no different-its just that its our bloody money!!
Title: Re: This is getting surreal!
Post by: albitz on 11 May 2009, 00:49:17
.......they also spend a lot of time and effort trying to convince us that they they are the countries moral gaurdians,the most worthy,upright citizens in the land,above reproach.
I think recent events have shown in a very stark manner that the governance of the country is in an awful state,the electorate have little or no confidence in those who govern them,and if they had a shred of honour or decency left,they would dissolve parliament and call an election for the good of the country and democracy.
This is a genuine crisis, but they are trying to bullshit their way out of it -again.