Sunday 21 November 2010

A RUB OVER WITH A DIRTY CLOTH: THAT WAS THE CLEAN UP THAT BRITISH POLITICS GOT


Despite a promise, from all the large UK parties, that politics would be cleaned up, in an effort to give us confidence in our, erm, “masters”, it appears to me that nothing much has changed.

Yes, there are a few of the troughing pigs facing a trial, but far too few, and almost none from the so-called upper house, where it seems that the rules allow for fiddling.

Mr Cameron, in an effort before the election, to appear tough on fid
dling and tough on the fiddlers, seems to have backtracked a little, and now that all that horrid nonsense about cash for peerages has faded into the background, some of the people who were turned down last time have found their greasy way to the red benches, so that for the rest of their lives they can join the select few who are entitled!

Cameron also came to the election with plans to change the House of Lords, one of the most ridiculous concoctions in the Western world, particularly for a country that finds itself lecturing anyone who will listen on “democracy”. Somewhat bizarrely then the change that he presents is, well, the addition of a further 50 members, meaning that the total membership will now be over 750.

It’s just as well this country is just bursting at the seams with cash, for each of these people is entitled to well over £300 a day, for just turning up. When you think that the retirement pension is £104 a week, it makes you laugh
that these people can collect three times that and a bit more for turning up, signing in and going to the bar. £1600 a week for getting drunk in bars that we subsidize.

How bloody daft are we?

Well very, if this lacklustre lot are examples of the new recruits:

Robert Edmiston, car salesman who is a hefty Tory donor and whose nomination was turned down previously because of concern about his tax affairs, gets his reward. Edmiston was embroiled in the cash-for-honours scandal and was questioned by the police in July 2006. He secretly lent the Tories £2 million before the 2005 general election, and then converted the loan into a donation contravening the rules. He was involved
in collecting money from rich businessmen for onward transmission to the Tories, thus concealing their identities and in funding their hi-tech call centres in Birmingham. He’ll fit in nicely I suspect. But why would the House of Lords need a car salesman? What does he have to offer, except cash?

Michael Bishop another millionaire donor to the Tories is now Lord Bishop (ha ha) and Stan Fink, one of the big City financiers, who has given more than £2 million to the Tories, is also ennobled. Handy having as a donor someone who has bonuses in the 6 fig
ure bracket.

To Mr Miliband’s credit he refused to nominate some Labour donors, who may, I suspect look for somewhere else to put their money in future. Brave man. However another cash for honours suspect Gulam Noon, will be ennobled for Labour.

Before the election Cameron said that he was concerned by the "suspicion" that "money buys honours". Now it’s no longer a suspicion Dave, huh? You know it does.

In a separate story we now hear that MPs' expense receipts will not be published, because it would cost too much money. That’ll be another 650+ people rubbing their hands together with delight, and they try to work out other ways to make money out of us.

When will we get a government that will get to grips with this scandal? I don’t know about you, but I have absolutely zero confidence in any of them.


Full list of the new appointees here.


Pics: (1) Nice understated little room, cheap to upkeep and clean. Not; (2) Lord Fire Raiser of Invergowrie. Since being released from prison appears to have spoken once in the House but collects hundreds of thousands in expenses; (3) Our Dave snapped by someone other than his personal photographer, and look, the wrinkles are back! Now you see why he needs his own man! (4) Lord Car Salesman, he looks like he may well have snake oil too; (5) The Telegraph’s logo for anything to do with expenses. Love the homeless duck!

19 comments:

  1. It will never change until its turned into a museum as corruption is carved into framework.

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  2. Yes CH, but Cameron was so going to change it, reduce it in size. It's a joke that we have 750 lords and 650 commoners plus Scottish, Welsh, Irish and London Governments, not to mention bloody councils... Some times I wonder if I'm the only person in the country that's not a member of some damned legislature.

    I mean you wouldn't mind so much if the thousands of them ever did anything worthwhile... the the country is verging on third world for all these "brains" on fat expense accounts.

    Guy Fawkes defo had the right kind of idea.

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  3. Isn't it a disgrace so few of these people have ever earned their living getting their hands dirty? No producers/manufacturers and so many from the education and financial establishments.

    How the world has changed in my lifetime and not for the better in many ways.

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  4. I just don't know why we have a house of lords in the 21st century Subrosa, whether they are manufacturers/MPs/teachers/roadsweepers or, as they were previously, the aristocrats (mainly people whose forebrears had bought their titles in some way from the crown or the government.)


    We need and elected Senate like other mature democratic countries, not this bundle of half wits who bought their seat in a retirement home for sookers.

    When will these people in London see that we are on to them. We know they are fiddling. The telegraph in a stragely non-partisan way has told us, and just like big brother... it's watching them.

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  5. Ok Dean...

    What did I say that was inaccurate, that caused you to sigh?

    Did or did not Dave say that he wouldn't tolerate any cheating on the Tory benches? Wasn't he uber strict before the election?

    Isn't he sliding back on this? Isn't he putting in a bloke that broke the rules about loans and gifts and collecting money from othe people to disguise their names?

    Isn't he reviewing all the MPs' expenses' rules that he was so hard line on when he wanted votes?

    Wasn't their a competition to see which one of them (despite them all having to pay money back themselves) could be the hardest?

    Didn't Dave demand that all the shadow cabinet pay the money back without question?

    Wasn't he furious that Liam the Bigot Fox was having none of that and appealed (and lost).

    Now that the election is over he's not so all fired keen on probity, is he?

    And why oh why oh why give 50 people life long titles that you cvan't take away from them, when the idea is to get rid of the bloody place?

    Are they all mad?

    Tell me Dean... but do it tomotrrow coz I'm off to bed right now. :¬)))

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  6. I was thinking more about the bloody upper chamber more generally! Sorry, nothing to do with your reporting :)

    Should have been more specific - its just I uncovered this : LORD NICOL STEPHEN!!!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11796564

    Reform is needed...

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  7. Tris,

    To be fair to MiLord Watson he was a very helpful MP who was very generous with his time before he faced the final curtain.

    To be honest, I think the House of Lards should be abolished and replaced by a benevolent dictator who could over-rule the excesses planned by HMG.

    As I, he says in all modesty, can be benevolent at times and dictatorial at others I think I'd be the ideal candidate and would wish all party support from such as your good self, Dean and Niko. I think I'll do a blog illustrating the fine qualities I would bring to the task. Bring it on!!

    In an emergency I would probably have Cutie Cathy or Jackie as my First, but not last, Lady.

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  8. Disgraceful but then so many Tory and Lib Dem promises were just of the pie crust variety. Intended solely to get them into their grubby sinecures. I have never known a government ditch all its promises so quickly and so transparently. Is it not normal to at least try to implement one or two of your election promises?

    There may be corruption in France and Italy but at least it is stylish and has panache ours is just so seedy and grubby. And the lectures to all and sundry around the world about democracy and good government are just laughable.

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  9. No broken promises out of spite, merely necessity - good government shouldnt be held to randsom

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  10. Things in the Irish parliament seem to be heating up..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD-xxoQwOo4&feature=player_embedded

    Warning--- foul language.

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  11. Dean ...My apologies too. I was thinking... you were criticising what is, after all a bit of bashing, Tories and labour... but bashing nonetheless and you were being an old crosspatch with me about it... :)

    Thanks for the link. I loved this quote which, I am hoping was tongue in cheek!

    "I think it will take quite some to get used to being called Lord Stephen - particularly by my children."

    Well don't worry Mr Stephen, you'll not be getting any stupid titles on this blog.

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  12. LOL John... "the final curt...." oops, ashes to ashes, there goes another one.

    OK. I know you've had a lot to do with our masters and betters, so I bow to your knowledge and seriously, as you know I am at one with you on the kind of stuff you're doing, so if he was a good guy, and on your side, I'm on his.

    You said the same thing a few weeks ago about another high earning peer, Irene Adams, who prior to her elevation to the aristocracy had also been a caring person.

    It's a pity that these essentially good people have become grasping expense junkies. Maybe it would be good idea (heaven forbid) to treat the aristocracy as if they were ordinary people, and demand a receipt for every single item of expenditure, the same as would happen to you or me?

    And if after a while they are seen to be contributing nothing to the work of the House of Lords, they get dumped!

    On the other hand your suggestion for a dictator souds like a plan, although I'm sure my mother was less than impressed with your choice of first lady! (ies)

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  13. LOL Munguin. I'm trying to think of "panache" in connection with Sylvio and Nicholas, and finding the connection quite difficult!

    But I do agree with you. iraq must have democracy, Afghanistan must have democracy... ha ha ha. what about us.

    Government by 33% of the voting population; an appointed House of Lords that the PM can tilt in his direction merely by creating peers, and an hereditary head of state.

    And we tell other people....arghhhhhhhhhhhh

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  14. Oh dear, and I thought our lot were unruly Monty.

    Mind you, the guy is right (and our lot are).

    Ireland is in a mess becasue of the wrong doing (nice mild word for it) of others.

    Idiot boards of banks who hadn't a clue what their staff were doing, or knew fine well, and realised that it would crash one day... a day when they had enough stashed to sod off to Mustique and join Prince William on his honeymoon! (I didn't mean that in a rude way!)

    And now the speculators wuill move on to Portugal and claim their next victim.

    Thanks for putting the language warning on Monty.

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  15. Dean: One of the broken promises is the business of Catholics and the Crown, which I see a liberal MP is going to raise as an "Early Day Motion" (What?!?) And, she is a feminist, so whe wants the matter of succession sorted out in favour of equality of opportunity for women. (I think she fails to see the irony of "equality of opportunity" and "hereditary monachy".

    However, and here's the joke, when asked (by a woman interviewer) if that meant that should Prince William have a daughter first, and that daughter become Queen, her husband should be known as "King", rather than prince, or duke, she said, er, well you can't go around tinkering with everything...

    Idiot!

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  16. tris said..

    " And now the speculators will move on to Portugal and claim their next victim."

    Yes I'm afraid so. That's the beauty of speculators. They don't do emotion or sentiment. It's nothing personal with them. Just business.
    They will force Portugal to increase it's bond interest rates since Portugal is bankrupt and has nothing to show as collateral. All hot air and overpriced property like Ireland.
    Being in the euro means there is no room for manouvere and so it will then need a loan from the ECB and the IMF to fund it's way as bond repayments at 10% and above would further cripple them. Portugal can't devalue like the UK as it's tied to the euro. They're in the same paradox as Ireland was. A strong euro making everything they sell expensive while they need a cheap currency to make themselves competitive. 'Fur coat and nae knickers' economics.
    Iceland had the best plan. Just say no. Default and start from scratch. Iceland have seen how taxpayers continually bail out dodgy banks and even dodgy countries in the EU and are now keen to join the EU. Cheeky beggars.

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  17. Iceland is an amazing place. The ability of 400,000 people to live on a volcanic rock in the North Atlantic with a climate even less agreeable that Scotland's and yet to make a fantastic success out of it, is awe inspiring.

    Any minor setback, like bankruptcy, will only be a short term problem for them.

    http://munguinsrepublic.blogspot.com/2010/03/lyveldi-island-one-of-most-beautiful.html

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  18. There are 7 live webcams(volcano ones in upgrade mode). Its quite strange watching the lifeguards going around in warm clothing in the outdoor swimming pool at Bláa Lónið.
    Reykjavíkurtjörn

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