Thursday 10 December 2009

EXPENSES, EXPENSES, EXPENSES

There are so many things to discuss in the newly-released expenses papers. I suppose that there is enough material for seriously cutting up the ruling classes for the next 6 weeks.

They are still at it. You’d have thought that they would have been scared off by all the fuss that was made by the Daily Telegraph in the summer, but I suppose many of them are past caring now. They are only here for the next few months. They may as well go out with a bang. So, less than 24 hours after Darling announced tax increases on people earning as little as £20,000 a year, documents showing a complete lack of repentance on the MPs’ and Lords’ parts was sure to rock the expenses scandal back on to the front pages.

Among the things that amused me most were:

• Quentin Davies (Labour) (pictured), claiming £20,000 for the repairs on his bell tower at his country mansion. Well worth every halfpenny of tax payers’ money Quentin old thing. We can’t have his bell tower falling on the serfs and crushing them. OK, he was refused, but he had the nerve to ask and he did get over £5,000 for roof repairs.

• Gordon Brown (Labour) got his downstairs toilet done up, at an amazing cost of £2,700. If that’s what it cost to redo his toilet, imagine the cost of redecorating his living room! Prudence obviously doesn’t stint himself when we're paying. Apparently he offered to pay back £500 for the painting of his summerhouse, admitting it could be “questionable”. Yup, remembering the maxum that expenses must be vital to doing the job, I think I can imagine somehow being able to be an MP without having my summerhouse painted...

• Jackie Smith (Labour) managed to get a new TV, DVD player and a double bed for the price of only £1,400. I’m seeing a connection here to some of her older claims...... wink wink.

• Peter Viggers (Duck House) (Conservative) (You’re going to love this). £8,000 for lawn feed and gardening (he must have a massive lawn, there are OAP couples that live for a whole year on less than that), and £669 for shutters (well, you can’t help your constituents if you don’t have shutters now, can you?)

The whole nasty, embarrassing mess is spread over a wide range of newspapers, but I got my information mainly from the Daily Mail. (Always good for a bit of pursed lip, shaking head and tutting disapproval is the Mail).


A lovely additional piece of information picked up on a comment on Lobbydog’s blog was the cleaning bills for a certain Graham Allen, Nottingham North:

http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/graham-allen/Graham_Allen_0809_ACA.pdf

It appears that Mr Allen among other things gets his shirts dry cleaned, rather than bother with the nasty nonsense that the rest of us have to put up with, you know, washing them, drying them and ironing them and then hanging them up. Maybe something about the delicate skin of a member of the ruling classes that just couldn’t be doing with that nasty soap and conditioner that the rest of us ordinary people have to put up with. But apparently, according to the receipts, we also have the honour of pay for his, or his wife’s, or... whoever’s blouses! Well, don’t that beat all!

It’s nice to see in this world of rapid change that there are still some things that you can count on....

8 comments:

  1. Quentin Davies [traitor and opportunist]:

    This man is honestly a good embodiment of what Labour [is it still new labour] has been brought to.

    They are the home of the political cameleons, principals? Public schooled? Hypocrit? Well Labour is the home for you!

    Does anyone think that Brown should run a campaign poster with him pointing reading:

    "We want your bank balance!"

    :)

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  2. Evening Dean.... Quentin crossed the floor, didn't he? LOL. Even New Labour don't normally have bell towers on their country estates .... Miles too classy.

    Is it still New Labour? you ask. I don't know really. Maybe it's New New Labour now, whitewashes even whiter.... he he

    I should think though that Brown would get little out of folk's bank balances. Most of them seem to be permanently in overdraft. :)

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  3. Just like the UK under Labours tax and spend instincts!

    But yeh, old Quentin is too much of a reminder for me of Ashdowns "hubble bubble toil and trouble" speech, which really cut me deeply at the time [though I was back then a yung eight-year old Thatcherite nipper, with some startlingly Maggiesque views...]

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  4. An 8 year old Thatcherite Dean.... That's a frightening thought. I'm glad you got over it. I don't remember any of that "hubble bubble" stuff.. you want to explain?

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  5. Daft thing is a lot of people will still vote for the corrupt barstewards.

    Not me though, I wont vote Lib/Lab/Con ever again.

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  6. Tris,

    Sure thing, see this link here, it has a clip of Ashdown saying thev little speech:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/the_daily_politics/6967366.stm

    "HUBBLE, BUBBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE; THE TORY PARTY'S REDUCED TO RUBBLE"
    Paddy Ashdown, 1997, he was refering not just to our destruction, but to the elements who defected across to the New Labour party by 1997..

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  7. QM:

    It never ceases to amaze me. I just watched the last part of the History of Scotland programme on iplayer and that anyone in this country still votes for Labour is beyong my comprehension.

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  8. Thank you Dean... and thanks for that link. Loads of goodies on there to watch:

    "I've got a little list" is a good laugh. I have one of them too. And there are a lot of greedy politicians at the top of it, who stole a lot more money from us than the benefit scroungers ever managed.

    "Go back to your constituencies and preare for governmnet" is another one I can't get over. I mean there's being prepared and being prepared....

    And "You'll won't be here in 30 or 40 years time" with a wee baby Willie Hague is unmissable.

    "Wherever I am and whatever I do, I'll be making money...erm no, I mean I'll be with you", would bring tears to a glass eye (no offence Mr Brown).

    And poor old Wolfgang being bundled out and held prisoner for daring to say that Jack Straw was talking nonsense, when we all know that Jack Straw is the biggest purveyor of rubbish the country has ever known.

    It's a bundle of laughs..... I'd avdise everyone to have a look.

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