The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: sellickbhoy on June 05, 2009, 02:05:39 pm

Title: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: sellickbhoy on June 05, 2009, 02:05:39 pm: right, a lot has come out in the open recently and the public are rightly unimpressed and angry - but what is the way forward?

should all these MP's be sacked? should we have by-elections in each constituency where an mp is found to have been fraudulently claiming?

I actually think we should cut them a little slack. I believe there is a culture of MP's making claims - and in those cases where the claims are within the rules but judged to be unethical or against the spirit of the laws, i don't think any punishment should be metted out other than a public dressing down

Instead, i think the rules should be completely overhauled and an MP's expenses dept set up to audit each claim in detail. Each claim by an MP should also be published on a web page that can be publicly scrutinized in real time

The 2nd homes allowance needs to be overhauled - with MP's living in homes owned by the government or rented - and not houses that can be bought and sold by the MP

Any new MP's found to be diddling the system after this overhaul can be sacked, but i don't think you can blame the current mob for the greed and claim culture that exists - it has been there for years

of course, any MP who has stepped outside the rules should be severely punished and i think the judge should make an example of MP's and give them tougher sentences than you or I might receive - to make a good example of them and to others.

thoughts on how we handle these thieving greedy gits?
Title: Re: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: jameslindsay on June 05, 2009, 02:37:26 pm: They should not be allowed to leave politics with any pay off or any pension! I know someone that had a public profile job, did something daft and left the service with nothing!!! This is a person that was tipped to go high up the ladder in the profession and was humiliated for what they did, now struggles to find any "decent" empolyment.
Title: Re: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: rustyme on June 05, 2009, 04:12:57 pm: my view is they knew they were on a good fiddle and made the absolute most of it , and they have been well and truly caught. Now because they made the rules , and most of them are solicitors or barristers !!!!, they would make those rules so as to make it almost impossible for any of them to get prosecuted ,as it has now been stated by the police . They know they were fiddling otherwise why would even one of them pay a single penny back ??? let the voters kick them out , this is happening already really . It makes me sick , even Kirkbride and McKay will receive hundreds of thousands of £ to help them leave the houses of parliament ? Anyway , kick the fraudsters , the embezzlers , the thieves out at the next elections , end their gravy train . Make new laws LAWS that is , that they have to stick by like the rest of us , and start a fresh . There are honest people out there , and they would make better MP's, than the out and out criminals ,that seem to think they can do whatever they want and get away with it . End ALL second home payments , there are plenty of buildings that could be used as a dormitory type housing for MP's while in London . It could have a canteen to supply food , why do they need anything better than the rest of us have ? Do they always have to be the ELITE ? NO. No expenses at all , they do the job because they want to , not because they see it as a way to make money . It should be a vocation to be an MP , not a money earning career. That doesn't mean they should be paupers , but why do they have to become millionairs ? out of our pockets !!! A decent wage for a decent days work .

cheers

Russ
Title: Re: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: Farmer on June 05, 2009, 05:58:07 pm: With respect, any public funded organisation that encourages its employees to maximise the drawing of expenses whilst publicly appearing to have 'capped' wages does so to mislead the public and is therefore acting in a dishonest manner. To a man/woman every MP knew that the expense system was flawed and open to misuse - but this didn't stop many of them taking advantage of the situation and lining their own pockets at the public's expense. They were all quick to vilify any senior bank official or city worker for taking pre-agreed pensions and bonuses but all the time they continued to milk the public purse for their own selfish interests.

Personally, I believe that anyone found to have taken advantage of the system should be removed from office and Parliament with immediate affect and should not be allowed to continue drawing payment from the public purse nor should they receive any financial aid to 'help their transition from public life' - if they have been caught doing wrong they should be punished - by legal action as and where appropriate - but definitely by immediate dismissal from public service.

I accept that the problem has existed for many years, but that does not excuse those in power from being compliant in it continuance - to accept that that's just the way things work, when you know its wrong shows a weakness of character and a lack of integrity.

It must be possible to provide decent accommodation for MP's whilst they are in office and I can see no public advantage in paying the individual costs for either purchasing, renting or maintaining a private dwelling of/for any MP.

Damn right the rules need to be changed...but they will need to be FULLY transparent and available to public scrutiny and all MP's expense claims should be legally audited and published.

Sadly, even though we can exercise our vote as and when given the opportunity to do so, we will be hard pushed to put our trust in anyone who is a member of either of the main political parties and just as wary with those who come forward from some of the more obscure ones...where's Screeming Lord Such when you need him...at least we knew he was bonkers!

Sorry to go on...I'll pop off and have a lie down in a darkend room for a few minutes.

Regards, Farmer
:farmer:
Title: Re: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: jameslindsay on June 05, 2009, 06:06:28 pm: Here, here Farmer
Title: Re: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: rustyme on June 05, 2009, 06:49:47 pm: looks like the government is imploding at this moment . They have been trounced in the local council elections, we can only wait and see what happens in the EU results over the weekend , but everyone seems to think they will be much worse or at best as bad . Lets hope and pray that Brown finds some integrity and walks .....although I won't hold my breath on that one.

cheers

Russ
Title: Re: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: jameslindsay on June 05, 2009, 06:59:32 pm: Quote from: rustyme on June 05, 2009, 06:49:47 pm
looks like the government is imploding at this moment . They have been trounced in the local council elections, we can only wait and see what happens in the EU results over the weekend , but everyone seems to think they will be much worse or at best as bad . Lets hope and pray that Brown finds some integrity and walks .....although I won't hold my breath on that one.

Mr Brown is going nowhere me thinks
Title: Re: clearing up the MP expense scandal
Post by: rustyme on June 05, 2009, 07:11:34 pm: yes I agree James...I think he will only leave kicking and screaming (in a straight jacket !!!). Mind you ...he may have saved his government ?, maybe his party ?, the UK ? maybe even the world (again), he has given Alan Sugar a job ....WTF ?......I have to do a Meldrew and say " I don't believe it !!" The bloke has lost the f***ing plot . Next thing he will be claiming his right to the throne ... King Gordon , Gordon the gopher more like !!! ....

cheers

Russ