Sunday 30 November 2014

CAN WE PLEASE JUST CLOSE THE PLACE DOWN AND GET RID OF THE UPPER CRUST SKIVERS FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL?

According to Wikipedia, Irene Adams (who had served as her husband's secretary during his time as MP) won Paisley North by-election on his death in 1990. She employed her daughter and son-in-law to work in her constituency office.

When the constituency was absorbed into Paisley and Renfrewshire North she was persuaded to stand down with the promise of a peerage, in order to allow sitting West Renfrewshire MP Jim Sheridan to be selected to fight in the May 2005 election.

On 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created an aristocrat, and was created Baroness Adams of Craigielea, on 28 June of that year.

Retrospectively she was ordered to repay over £5,000 worth of misclaimed expenses when the Telegraph let out the secrets of the extent of our MPs' thieving.

So first of all I'm concerned that Adams managed to get herself elevated to the aristocracy by agreeing to the party’s requests, or demands, that she stand down to make way for Sheridan the Great Britain Football Team manager! It's accepting a bribe really. That is most certainly not what peerages should be about.

Our Irene, sorry, I should speak of her with due deference, what with her being my social better... Her Aristocratic Nobleness the Baroness Adams came to the attention of the Telegraph’s investigations in 2009 when it reported that she had managed to get her grubby noble mitts on around £200,000 in the 30 months that she had been in the aristocratic chamber, despite having only spoken once. 

When the Telegraph had the temerity to ask her about how she managed to cost the country so much for absolutely no return whatsoever, she refused to speak to them, saying she was in interested. 

Aww bless! The common people at the Telegraph just wouldn't have a clue how to interest someone of the upper classes. Munguin didn't even try to contact her (he knows his place), although he covered her story, here.

I’d say that one intervention, her set piece maiden speech was a bloody expensive piece of democracy, but of course there is nothing democratic about the House of Lords, even less so when the ennobled personage is not there on any merit at all, but simply because the party wanted shot of her.

Well she’s back in the news again bless her, because of all the Scottish Labour Lords, guess what, totally undeterred by any criticism, she is the most expensive, despite still not having said diddly squat since that first speech. Last year she cost us £53,000 for absolutely NOTHING.

Of course she is not the only one… just the most expensive and most useless one.

How long are we going to have to pay our share of this anachronistic waste of time and money?

Let’s shut the place down and sack them all. If they want to keep their toy town titles let them. Just let them use them to get jobs or try getting Iain Duncan Smith to part with some dole money.

44 comments:

  1. I was just looking at the comment on the Munguin's link...

    You see, we were always having a laugh and taking the p*** out of Niko.

    I see the predictions for the 2011 election were way off the mark.

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  2. The House of Lords is perhaps the most blatant example of what is wrong with the out-dated, undemocratic, and downright corrupt Westminster political system.

    If UK Government had done the sensible thing when devolution started, and set up an English Assembly, the workload of the UK Parliament would have been substantially reduced. The number of MPs could have been cut and the House of Lords abolished, freeing up space for the English Assembly. There would then have been no problem with the West Lothian Question, and no need for EVEL which will probably turn out to be a horrible fudge and a worse problem than the one which it is intended to fix.

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    1. And, Les, we would have rid this frightful affront to democracy, with people like this woman... sorry ...lady.... feeling free to relieve us of hundreds of thousands of pounds for sitting on her fat backside dozing in a royal place.

      Them and the royal family. Down the dole to stand in a queue with the rest of the people with no jobs.

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    2. Have to agree Les, if the Union is to remain it needs to work and be seen to work. When the regions, yes us and the Welsh and to NI, there needed to be a region called England. Now we all know why there isn't, Westminster would have had to fairly apportion the money and they were never going to do that. No they have the UK expenditure to play with hence all those lovely new roads we are paying for in England.
      The House of Lardy's will never be abolished, preferment rules in England. It is the right of who ever is in charge to reward their best servants, and boy Labour and the Tories use it to ensure silence, to maintain the Status Quo. Labour are cheaply bought by the Establishment, we have to pay for them, not those who put them in the place without any checks or balances.

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    3. It's been in Labour's policy wish list for over 100 years, and the best they could do was remove some of the hereditary lot with people who bought their seats.

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  3. Tris

    It is what makes it clear we continue to live in an elitist, so called democracy which serves itself and a very very small minority. What country in the world would barely report on its government having to borrow 79 billion pounds to get through the rest of the year. Getting rid of the house of the dead would be a start.

    Bruce

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    1. Yes, Bruce. As Les says, we could put the English parliament in the space the old dodgers leave!

      I wonder who lends Britain that kind of money. I wouldn't, knowing that to pay it back a load more poor people will be obliged to starve or freeze.

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  4. While I am completely in favour of getting rid of that bunch of vermin clad spongers, their cost is just a flea bite compared with the huge sums of money ripped off by Cameron's real mates who get handed chunks of the Post Office and the NHS to make oodles of dosh on, and aren't even asked to pay any tax.

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    1. You're right... but they are so sickening, it's always worth having a go at them.

      A lot of them after all, are the ones that are getting the fracking licences, the PO and the English NHS.

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    2. Passing the Post Office Sorting Office yesterday we were moved to say that the SNP had promised to renationalise them and their Union told them to vote NO. You could not make it up.

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    3. Unions might be better trying to look after their members employment rights than following orders form Labour central.

      They should remember that Mandelson tried to sell them off too.

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  5. A fine example, of the modern "socialist" seam running through the "Scottish" labour party. Thy self above party and country but, mostly above the people you are supposed to represent.
    jimnarlene

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    1. Selfless socialists, they are. Up the workers, they cry...

      Hmmm

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    2. Yes indeed but, they mean "get it right up the workers!"

      The working class, can kiss my arse; I'm in the house of sods at last.

      jimnarlene

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    3. Absolutely Jim...

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  6. Blood hell. I can see why they need to freeze working age benefits then. After all Baroness Pigintrough needs to be paid first.

    I've been without internet - the horror - but re my comment in last article it was Andy Wightman of the poor have no lawyers fame that tweeted about how to rig a referendum. Course since I've been disconnected this might have been explained somehow.

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    1. Yes, they may have to reduce benefits to keep old greedy guts in champagne...

      Oh thanks. I couldn't find anything on the net about it.

      Ha... I'm having troubles to day with pages not loading.

      I think it's BT's revenge on me for telling them to stuff their service where the sun doesn't shine.

      Delete
    2. We have Sky, Husband had the misfortune to work for BT for over 35 years, had about a weeks notice and it was don't let the door catch you on the bum when leaving.
      We rid of ourselves of BT within a week of him finishing up.

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    3. Despite being out of contract with them they are charging me £30 for disconnecting the internet... which they won;t actually have to do as Virgin will do it for them.

      Additionally, they are demanded 6 weeks notice of the end of the contract, and ignored the date that Virgin sent them for transfer.

      Does everything with "British" in the name do such a good job of fiddling money out of people?

      Advice : DON'T TOUCH BT WITH A TARRY POLE.

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  7. The No voters didn't want it shut down. Thay voted to keep on paying for people to sit around, doing bugger all, and scooping up taxpayers' money. Unless they happen to be poor, disabled and unable to find employment in this sad country of ours, when they suddenly become "Benefit Claimants" and beyond the pale.
    This is what the 55% of our tragic nation wants. We just have to grit our teeth and suck it up.
    It's not the 1st time it has happened over the last 300 years, and I don't suppose it will be the last.

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    1. Well we would have been without:

      Houses of Lords and Commons
      Financial responsibility for the House of Windsor and it myriad members
      Wars every 6 months
      Nuclear weapons
      English Railways
      London sewers renewal (including the refurbishment of the House of Commons and Lords)
      Crossrail in London
      Upgrade of the Metro in London
      Various road and bridge improvements all over England.

      And I thought Scots had a reputation for being grippy...

      Seems not. We want to use our oil money to support this detritus.

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  8. http://lescunningham.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/could-evel-be-evil/comment-page-1/#comment-31

    Good post here from Les, which I can;t comment on....!!

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  9. Interesting post. I commented thus....
    If EVEL is implemented, I assume if Englands Government reduces public spending, that no Scottish MP has voted for; there will be consequentials to Scotlands budget. With the double whammy of the useless tax raising powers, in the Smith proposals. Putting any Scottish government in a very tricky situation indeed.

    jimnarlene

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  10. I can think of a few descriptions of Irene but "upper-crust" is not one of them. To the tower with the fecking lot of them!

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    1. There was an element of sarcasm implied there, John, but given that she ain't "Irene" but the Noble Baroness Adams, or Lady Adams to the likes of oinks like you and me, we must know our places.

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  11. In this region (SE Asia) we are quite famous for various style of "wayang kulit" or shadow puppeteering. "Main wayang" or orchestrating a shadow puppet show is a a not so subtle of saying somebody trying to pull wool over the eyes (I hope I got this right). I think it is apt because it takes place in the shadows with a puppeteer playing various characters and voices.

    Gideon is now "main wayang". The oldest how-to-win-over-your-electorate trick i.e. build new roads And 25 miles short of the Scottish border. He is going to kick Miliband's arse over NHS too.

    I look forward to the Autumn statement.

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    1. That's exactly the thing when it comes to elections.

      In the run up, the incumbent party always has the whip hand, He can actually do something as opposed to promise something. Of course probably nothing much will happen. They have already discovered that a sizeable chunk of the money for the NHS is money already there...

      But in theory, extra money for England means that we should get some extra money too, although they have become very adept at denying this to us.

      Budgets and Autumn statements before elections are always likely to be a little more generous to ordinary people than other budgets.

      It's the only time we matter a toss to them.

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  12. I could live with the abolition of the Lords. But, I'd not want another elected chamber. We've enough elected politicians sucking the fat out of this country.

    What the Lords is supposed to be is a place of experts, both retired ministers of state and academics, social reformers and ordinary campaigners to help inform legislation.
    It isn't 'sovereign' like the Commons for that reason. It is meant to be filled with people meeting this dignified criterea.

    If it doesn't I blame the political parties. Blair especially.

    However I notice the SNP refuse to proffer candidates for elevation. More fool them! They've stopped Alex joining in on a right big booze-cruise in the 'other place' :P

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    1. I accept that the fact that the lords is supposed to offer expertise, but in reality it doesn't.

      Oh well, you might say that having honed her skills at charging expenses in the Commons, Mrs Adams has exercised them with great skill in the lords, but apart from that, what do you get...

      Well there are bishops and archbishops from one faction of one church. Great. That's sensible.

      Then there are landed aristocracy who bring their expertise in...erm... being landed aristocracy. Which is useful for the likes of you and me, if we happen to have a few thousand hectares and a family pile.

      Then there are those who have paid a vast amount to one or other of the political parties often as a tax break, sometimes from illegally gained money stashed in the British Virgin Islands or some other place of that nature.

      Then there are ex ministers. Once upon a time perhaps that would be the PM, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Finance Secretary... but it's become just about anyone who has held ministerial office and not annoyed the boss.

      I noticed recently some junior minister at the Wales office went to the lords. That's someone like Mundell for heaven's sake. What utter nonsense. They have no expertise.

      If it were a house of experts it would be politically unbiased. Everyone would be a cross bencher. You leave politics and the door and bring what expertise you have (Adams?)

      The SNP, no matter what one thinks of them, deserve some credit for refusing to nominate people for a seat in the Lords. And, when in office having absolutely nothing to do with the other honours from Scotland, leaving that to the civil servants.

      But yeah, Eck would have been ripe for a seat had the SNP been the kind of party that took advantage of that. I hear the drink is of the highest quality there!

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    2. Dean, the Establishment used the HoL's as a way of corrupting Labour. The Scottish National Party are not that stupid. One thing you do not give the British Establishment is a crack in your armour.

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    3. It's called integrity Dean try looking it up in the dictionary.

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  13. Tris,

    Looking back over your link I see that then as now we were making a generous assessment of the "Irene Lady" and Niko apart from Niko's prediction which came back and bit him on the erse!

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    1. I wonder if Niko has had a look back at that link...

      Niko.... Are you there?

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    2. JB and Tris, I too had a laugh at the hapless Niko and his predictions, Has he tried his crystal ball on the General Election yet. For all I know it may be that he gets this one right.

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    3. Any predictions, Niko?

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    4. Ah, sod it, a friend of mine was born with a glass eye and intensive research showed that his Dad had a crystal ball - I''ll get my coat !!

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    5. Boom boom...

      I'll get your coats!

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  14. They will never close the House of Lords- Paw Broon and New Labour could have done it-but its seen as a useful backwater so that Labours top notch individuals and their Union Movement Friends and Backers can enjoy a tasty sinecure on the backs of the mugs who actually work 9-5.
    Paw Broon would have went there too but after saving the world with Prudence,he enjoys a nice little number educating the Yanks in Bank Failure & Assorted Panics
    on their University Circuit(Greenspasm is at it too-and their are rumours that Lord King is thinking of joining up-the three amigos shall ride again).
    As for Lady Adams goodness knows how she survives on that pittance,she must be so angry that the little people can be so ungenerous.

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    1. I'm not sure if there shouldn't be some sort of time ban on these people selling themselves for vast sums of money on leaving office.

      There is for civil servants. The higher up you are the longer the period.

      In the case of the top job, I'd say maybe 10 years.

      It's plain wrong that scum bags like Blair should profit from having been at the top. Memoirs yes; after dinner speaking no. Not unless the money is given to a proper charity.

      And Lords who don't do anything for a whole year should have to stop going to the house and getting paid.

      I think there is nothing so repulsive as a Labour lord. It flies in the face of everything they are supposed to be about.

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  15. In the olden days in India if the Maharaja didn't like you he gave you an elephant, know as a (White Elephant) you couldn't kill it or work it you had to feed it clean it and care for it, it was effectively a drain on your resources.

    There are over 800 White Elephants sitting in the House of Lords, and we can't do a bloody thing about it, unless we are independent.

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    1. Ohhhh... that's interesting. I had no idea the origin of that expression.

      How apposite... you can't work them; you can't really kill them because most of them are, after all, more or less human. But they have to be fed and toileted adn they are a drain on our resources...

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  16. The night the Lib Dems gave up their last remaining principles

    But judicial review goes to the heart of what it is to be a liberal. It is the individual against the state. It is like liberalism triple-distilled and poured into a bottle. One struggles to imagine a more perfect encapsulation of liberal philosophy.

    No Lib Dem MP outside of Sarah Teather can call themselves a liberal this morning. They have betrayed the central tenet of the philosophy they claim to hold dear.


    Ministerial cars for principals sums up this bunch of charlatans, good riddance in 2015.

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    1. Well, they have managed to seal their fate. Perhaps not over this, because, as the author says, no one is much interested in it, but over other things where they stood with the Tories against the people...

      As this bill is all about the grayling creature, who doesn't like to be defeated by actual justice...does anyone know if this will affect us in this country?

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