British MPs' milking their expenses

[vortexring 0]

It's been a contentious issue for a while now; here's some links from the Daily Telegraph which recently published who and what was being claimed:

A couple of IRA terrorists making the most of it:

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

More MPs' doing rather well for themselves:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5298065/MPs-expenses-Four-ministers-who-milked-the-system.html

So who is to blame? The MPs' or their expense system?

Perhaps best of all is the letters they've written trying to justify their claims:

"From a natural justice perspective I feel a justifiable exception would be the fairest manner to deal with the current situation" – letter from Labour MP in 2006 on why he should be allowed to claim for a £3,100 Sony 40 inch TV

"I object to your decision not to reimburse me for the costs of purchasing a baby's cot for use in my London home...Perhaps you might write to me explaining where my son should sleep next time he visits me in London?" – letter from Labour MP in Nov 2004

Brilliant, eh? What I'm trying to figure out is how detrimental to a countries society this behaviour is - Or is it the fault of the society?

Either way, this system of cost allowances is without doubt relevant to a different time, and don't the MPs' know it!

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[shropshire 0]

This time, I feel sure that things will change. These folks have been getting away with ripping of the tax paying public for [a lot of] years but a lot of people are loosing their jobs and homes and pensioners savings are being eroded, so my hope is that the British public will not put up with this 'theft' any longer.

The stolen monies must be paid back. Some of them must loose their jobs (and pensions) and face criminal charges. This HAS to end and end NOW.

[//soap box]

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[vortexring 0]

But the problem is that it they weren't actually committing a criminal act in the majority of the cases (I know, I know!), because they set their own pay and conditions.

Tell you what though, if I wasn't a millionaire already I'd seriously be considering becoming an MP. . .

Still, it's nice to read a press article that can only cause a despicable situation to better itself.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[shropshire 0]

I'd vote for ya

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[jerryzflies 0]

Since when is "Dog Bites Man" newsworthy?

If you can't fix it with a hammer, the problem's electrical.

[Ian84 0]

The quality of politicians in this country has suffered significantly since we started paying them and allowing every populist numbskull to have a say.

*19th century elitism shout*

[rushmc 23]

The MP's or the expense system???

You serious?

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[vortexring 0]

Eh?

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[dreamdancer 0]

Quote

The crisis over parliamentary expenses reached new heights last night as it emerged that HM Revenue and Customs is to investigate whether MPs have deliberately evaded capital gains tax when selling their second homes.

News of an inquiry by tax officials, which follows days of leaks about the way MPs have exploited the Commons' allowances regime for private gain, will inflict further damage on the already battered reputation of parliament.

In a separate development, in an article for today's Observer, Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, describes the behaviour of the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, as "near-fraudulent" in relation to her expense claims.

Smith registered the house she shared with her sister in south London as her primary residence, allowing her to claim the parliamentary allowance of up to £24,000 for her family home in Redditch, Worcestershire, where her husband and children live.

"One has to be careful with the word 'fraudulent'," Graham writes, "because in the criminal sense there needs to be guilty intent. However, it seems to me there may be intent here and in similar cases that have emerged. People seem to be thinking, 'What's the best way to use the system so I can maximise the personal financial return to myself?'"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/may/10/mps-expenses-jacqui-smith

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