MPs and their ruddy expenses...Are we surprised?

[MrsMerryHenry]

Whoever heard of a squeaky-clean politico?

"60k is not very much at ALL for a job of that seniority, most MPs would earn far more if they did something else"

I beg to differ MP. My MP is very evidently unemployable in any other sphere (except very possibly a public sector quango).

I have just been re-reading The Silver Chair with DS, and this para came to mind:

"... the Head's friends saw that the Head was no use as a Head, so they got her made an Inspector to interfere with other Heads. And when they found she wasn't much good even at that, they got her into Parliament where she lived happily ever after."

Quattrocento! If you're poor you get sub-standard care in the community, if you're loaded you go to Westminster.

I'm annoyed by the sheer sense of entitlement and wounded facial expressions!

It makes me so, so angry. I'm self-employed and there's barely anything I'm allowed to set against tax, let alone go out and buy TVs, private security (wtf??) and pushchairs, then get the money handed back to me (I'm not complaining I can't claim, btw, just illustrating the 'one law for them, one law for us' principle).

I listened to 'Any Questions' today and was a bit disappointed there wasn't more audience booing when they raised this! But in 'Any Answers' an accountant rang in and made the point that MPs are self-employed when it suits them, but also claim to be 'employed' for other purposes, all to their own financial benefit.

It stinks, I'm afraid. However much they whine that 'it was all within the rules.'

I firmly believe that most MPs wouldn't be capable of a £60k job outside the House of Commons.

And sorry but being an MP is not difficult - you certainly don't need any qualifications for it and most of them have no idea what they are talking about. Listening to the idiots on Select Committees is hilarious - they can't ask proper questions because they can't be arsed to understand the subject.

Most Ministers are hopeless and rely on Civil Servants knowing what they're doing.

I think we could halve the number of MPs overnight and no-one would notice or care.

It's staggering isn't it?
My friend is a journo on Telegraph. I'm going to get the inside story from him.
Mind you,although guilty of many things,I would never accept notion of Gordon and Sarah Brown as being careless with public money.No way.They're just so obviously not liek that.

The other greedy fuckers though....

'I would never accept notion of Gordon and Sarah Brown as being careless with public money'

Not sure why you would be worried about Sarah Brown claiming expenses when she isn't a politician?

And didn't Gordon Brown put his (formerly second home) Westminster flat in his wife's name and then designate his Scottish constituency residence as his second home....which he then claimed gardening and cleaning expenses for??

I include spouse at evidently peopel are claiming for family, unless bloke who claimed for pantyliners (yeuch) and Tampax has something to tell us?
Fair point thoguh re GB and homes.

anyone else see this as a politically motivated campaign by the Telegraph? They know that disafected Labour voters are more likely not to vote than Tories.

Metella I agree with you, most MPs do precious little for their money. Time we reduced the average salary for MPs, I think and provided additional payments for those who get off their butts and do something, like regularly attending select committee meetings. It's not like there is any shortage of candidates or that you actually need the number we have now. At least we wouldn't need as many if they were more accountable, including being elected by fairer means.

Maybe we should have performance bonuses for MPs - voted on by their constituents.

MPs should be able to have support staff to help them manage correspondence with their constituents - but with good support staff we don't need lots of lobby fodder.

tatt, I love your idea of "performance bonuses for MPs - voted on by their constituents".

Let's hope the taxman starts to take an interest in Ms Blears

Outrageous - claiming second home allowance on a property she tells the Revenue is her main home, enabling her to diddle us ordinary people twice!

Tatt, of course it is.They've had this info. for a long time!
(Same happened in dying days of Tpories and the sleaze stuff of course.)

In theory, the Telegraph started on the cabinet (after all, they are the government in power) and will move on to the rest of the MPs in due course. But of course it's a Tory paper...

Will be interesting to see how the Tories come out of this - Cameron's been VERY guarded in his comments, no doubt well aware many of his own side are just as bad.

Nick Clegg's been a little stronger, wonder if the Lib Dems are generally less grasping?

Yes, I can't help but thin Tories have had noses in trough for just as lnog if not longer.
One expacts greed from Tories though,it's even more disappointing in left wingers.
(And i am loyal torygraph reader althoguh not Tory.)

As a loyal reader, have you noticed lots of errors creeping in recently? Just interested as they've sacked most of their subs. Am waiting for the first big libel case to hit the nationals because the buggers think they don't need anyone to check copy, the dunces!

'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'

No I'm not surprised.

All this belly-aching about poor little us on £60k is even more unjustified when you consider the four-day week and very long holidays from Westminster. The whole-time equivalent salary would be around £80k, I reckon, on a rough and ready calculation. (I know they have constituency work too, but still think the point is justified.)

Someone should crunch the figures and include earnings from second jobs - would be interesting to see if all the ones who are raking it in as non-exec directors are also claiming the maximum allowances.

Why do they claim for food and why do they claim for food when parliament are off on their long hols they arent there are they?

lovely comment in the Times today - "Not only do MPs have their snouts in the trough, but they bought it on expenses, had it embellished with mock Tudor beams and acquired similar troughs for other homes dotted around the country. "

And some reports about what the Tories are up to include Sir Nicholas and Ann Winterton claiming "rent" for a property they bought outright then gave to a family Trust or Greg Barker claimed £43,000 in second-home allowances while insisting the constituency house where his estranged wife lives is his main residence ? even though he left her for a gay lover in 2007. Guess that sort of thing is why Cameron is keeping quiet.

It seems to be a tory - Philip Hollobone - with the lowest expense claims so all praise to him.

The Wintertons have been outed before for preposterous expense claims, IIRC.

Hobhey, that's a pertinent question - why the hell SHOULD they be able to claim for food? Especially with all those heavily subsidised restaurants in the House.

Yes, I've eaten in H of C (bil works there).Costs bugger all.
It reminded me of my boarding school.
Just with alcohol.
Big comfy club for overgrown schoolchildren.

If the Sunday times is to be believed, it is all part of the culture within the houses.

You get voted in then you behave like everyone else. To not make the claims marks you out and you get spoken too. Told not to rock the boat etc.

A fundamental lack of moral fiber and backbone.

Can the crappy labour party teach those skills as part of PSHE or Citizenship lesson??

Why the hell are they allowed to keep the second homes?. Fair dos - let then live in, and maintain to a decent standard a second home near Westminster BUT when they cease to be an MP the property (and contents) should be allocated to a new MP.

I see the Speaker was acting like a little child today - more concerned with the fact that they've been caught out rather than with the facts.

Michael Martin was a flaming disgrace today. Or very funny - can't quite decide whether to be outraged or amused.

The guy is so thick he gives short planks a bad name. Good grief, all three leaders of the big parties have apologised, but Martin thinks the right line to take is to attack the leaker, the papers and any MPs who dare to admit the whole thing stinks? AND he wants to waste even more taxpayers' money calling in the cops. Has he not learnt from his shameful behaviour over Damien Green?

It's like they gave the job to the applicant who came bottom of the aptitude tests...