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[HolyCount]

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!

[eddie]

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

[amigov6]

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.

[Martin_1962]

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

[albitz]

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.
Then we could dig up Guy Fawkes and see if we can breathe some life back into him.
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.

[HolyCount]

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.
Then we could dig up Guy Fawkes and see if we can breathe some life back into him.
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 !!!!!

[Nickbat]

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.
Then we could dig up Guy Fawkes and see if we can breathe some life back into him.
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

[jerry]

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( )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!!

[albitz]

.......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.