DazW

iTrader: (1)

He's too busy working on his latest album

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

It's like that on purpose though! It's set up so that they can double / treble their salary via expenses where they pay no tax! You would if you could wouldn't you ...

Now that it's all out in the open though it does may them look bad for staying within the rules they created.

TX.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

+ they get a lot of holidays too, way more than the average person.

TX.

Turbohot

Agreed.

My first curiosity was to find out if Andrew Brown is a professional cleaner If he is, does anyone know his addy? I am looking for a cheap-as-chips cleaner that I can afford If he is not, it is obvious that expenses are being fiddled about by country's leaders. Utter shame, and nice one on The Telegraph for media exposure

By the sound of it, G. Brown is a professional cleaner for sweeping 6K on his bro's name.

The Zohan

No 10 releases Gordon Brown's cleaning contract - Times Online

Turbohot

I haven't read it all, but looking at the "core" issue, the phenomenon is question seems as justified to me now (unless the contract proves itself to be forged and "just born" in forensic tests, to save GB's back ). If GB paid AB to further the payment to the cleaner, he hasn't committed the crime of the decade..
I am just gutted to learn that AB himself is not a cleaner. I would have hired him, and bragged about slavedriving prime minister's brother

SlimJ_2005

To be honest, as much as I disagree with what the MP's are claiming for (second homes then fitting it out with 'luxuries' that are not really required for the MP to do their job...). I bet half of you would, in that position, claim as much as you could even if it is morally wrong.

It makes me angry seeing this lot on TV saying they haven't broken any rules when in fact to me it is clear that they have done! As for the tax payer paying for MPs to have 2nd homes, what happens to these homes when MP's are booted out of office??? They keep them and profit from expenses!

And to anyone that says they don't get paid enough. Look at the mess they have got us into, they are a useless bunch of halfwits that would probably not survive in a decent private sector job, these guys should be paid for on what they acheive and not failure.

Being an MP IMO should be doing it because you want to change things for the better, it should not be about the money and claiming expenses which it seems to be at the moment.

scoobynutta555

Not read the whole thread so I don't know if this has been mentioned. But when an MP loses their seat (as from this year thanks to the speaker and Harriet Harmon) most of the will be entitled to a full years pay, with the first £30k free of tax.

My vote is for a new party who pay their MPs the average national wage (circa £33k) plus travel expenses and modest hotel fees for stopovers.

MPs are supposed to be a representation of us, what better representation than to pay them the national average wage? There seems to be some sort of myth that MPs have to be well salaried to attract 'the right sort of people'. What nonsense, in fact insulting nonsense to many workers out there with sufficient ability to be a member of parliament.

In fact, I can't imagine several hundred 'ordinary' people representing us would have made a worse job than the morally bankrupt trough feeders that now run this country. War in Iraq, massive public sector waste, rafts of big brother legislation, rafts of whole loads of unwanted legislation in fact, etc etc.

I can't even begin to fathom how disillusioned the public are with these tossers.

Turbohot

No, sir. I disagree. I might have pinched a loo roll from the office, but I had a logic behind it. Loo rolls are far too expensive these days, that's why. These MPs are actually taking a pith! Look at their exhausting expenses claims! I'd rather fight for better basic salary, as job as an MP is masively stressful, if done right.

Lol

Reasonable expenses must be claimed. Unjustified expenses will make someone like me restless, because as a responsible post holder, I could be caught, and proper fried for it.

I was recently refused a stapler in my office, because it didn't come out of my budget. They have 4-5 of them knocking about, but the office administrator said that although I can use any of them, but I can't take it to my desk. The very next day, I found another orphan stapler knocking about in one-to-one meeting room. Of course, I fekking pinched it, b@llocks to the admin! LOL at the end of the day, all stationary expense is paid through our national budget, so I am morally right for giving a job to an orphan stapler. I didn't "pinch" **** all to my justification. I actually "took something away" which was not really needed but paid for. I gave it a good use

I gave above^ example to show how ridiculously strict budget and expenses are at places, while leaders go about taking a micky.

Oh, the irony!

Turbohot

I forgot to add, I wouldn't be so blind and heartless to see my country's people struggling in recession, and go around claiming "unreasonable" expenses for two houses and a **** vid.

Amen.

SunnySideUp

I, like everyone else, would claim all I could .......................... are we just jealous?

c_maguire

You've obviously missed your vocation, if only Whitehall were like MI5/MI6 they would have procedures in place to 'find' promising candidates such as yours truly. A missed trick on their part obviously.
Kevin

Lee247

Naaa, just hacked off at the constant taxing of us, to obviously give them a very nice garden with pine furniture
The amount of people struggling to keep their homes, jobs etc and this lot milking the taxpayer for all they can. It stinks

The Zohan

Some people have morals and standards, just because you can claim for stuff like nappies, new bathroom, hose manure, etc does not mean that it is right or you should. It says a lot about the people voted in and those trying to get into the drivers seat.

Do not judge everybody by your own standards Pete.

For example, my mother gets her heating allowance, some £ 300.00 i believe as she is over 85. She cannot return it as they have no mechanism for that. She then donates it to Help the Aged. Why, she does not need it she lives in sheltered accomms with heating provided as part of the deal. She also cleans her own flat! I use this an an examples as i happen to know it is true, i am sure there are many, many more.


I think you will find that not all of the 644 (or so) MP's have been on the take either and some will not do do on principle, maybe not many but some!
As i said, do not judge everybody by your standards

as an example of how bad this is, i know someone who has been quite ill, lost their job and income, cannot claim JSA as have been self employed - they contacted the social fund re a crisis loan and did not qualify as they required the money to pay for medicines they need but cannot get (not covered by the JSA fund), they have been laid off and cannot pay for them. Yet MP's claim for nappies and horse manure - seems really fair!

Leslie

To say that what these pikers were claiming immorally is just a fleabite on the economy is miles away from the real point. Its a bit like that chap who said that the billions of Euro's which have disappeared from the Eu Commissions accounts without trace are nothing compared with the size of the accounts!

An MP is supposed to be an honourable person who can be trusted to do his job of running the country, or seeing that is done correctly at least, without taking advantage of his position to claim money from the public to which he is not entitled. That is why it was said to be unnecessary for them to produce receipts!

As Archbishop Carey said, this load of cheats have voted in their own rules so that they could make a mint out of our taxes and now have been shown up as people which the rest of us can no longer trust in any way!

What kind of a government is that? what sort of an example is that going to set to the rest of the country? Their policies have already brought Britain to the depths of moral depravity and this sort of behaviour will only make it worse.

I sincerely hope that all those who are exposed by the publication of their expenses are voted out by their constituents at the next election.

No one can justify their behaviour regardless.

Les

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

It's just a shame the few mp's with principles are all being tarred with the same brush.

In the 1930's mp's voted themselves a 10% pay cut to show solidarity with the British people. Could you honestly see these shower of thieving scumbags doing the same

Leslie

Yes I agree, there will be honest MP's amongst them. I can't see the ******* showing any solidarity with the people though as you say

Les

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Thing is it is all just a game these days.

This is just another example and in this case it's The Telegraph vs The Government. They may as well sell tickets for these bun fights as that is the way it is going.

I don't care about who has spent what on what or whether it is within the rules etc. The simple fact is that to claim things the way many of them have is morally wrong and especially so in times of economic hardship. To think they were lecturing Frank Goodwin over his morals regarding his pension!!! Hypocrites!

All that is being lost though in the continual uncovering and bickering over the details and the real laugh is that jounalists are amongst some of the worst people I know for 'using' their expense accounts in imaginative ways. You may say yes but that is not our money the journalists are taking.... well it is if they work for the BBC!!!!

I have just watched a comment on Sky News where one of the analysts said that the government lost out over the Gurkha affair becuase they thought the public cared more about immigration issues than the plight of the Gurkhas. Apart from getting that wrong the real question is even if that had been the case what are they doing trying soley to pander to the whims of the public - they need to do what is right even if it might not have been popular with the public.

I would even hazard a guess that while not the most palatable of news stories to have dominating the headlines the expenses row is serving a purpose for the goverrment in that it is once again distracting people from the bigger issues of the recession and the fact that the UK is still sliding further and further towards becoming a lawless nation.

Leslie

Can't really go along with your final paragraph F1 Fan. There is no way that we will forget the recession/depression because of the parlous behaviour of those MP's of all parties stealing our taxes as thay have been, and all tax free too.

I think its more like that the country's economy and its shameful state wiil be even more in the public eye because of their selfish behaviour.

Les

The Zohan

Yup, i am sure the likes of UKIP will benefit, sadly the BNP will as well due to the selfish, me, me, me attutude of the MP's of the main parties, none of wich seem fit to lead us.

What a sh*t state to be in!

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Pity MPs don't get performance related pay.

We could let them take a book from professional athletes and get sponsorship from Nike, although the company would then have to change its slogan from

"Just do it"

to

"Just put it on expenses"

Clean your own house Gordo! Although would you mind awfully cleaning up the country a bit first, it is what you're paid a handsome salary for, after all!

SunnySideUp

£194k isn't a handsome salary though .. is it, really?

Not for what he has to do .. one of the most important men in the world and paid £194k!? There are 1500 people where I work who are on more than that!

The Zohan

He wasn't tricked or made to accept the role or the pay that goes along with it, he chose to Pete, as did the other MP's.

If then the option is to jump on the expenses gravy train or not to is seems many have.


Do you really think it legit to buy nappies on expenses,o or horse manure or refit a house them sell it at a profit, do the same again funding it partly with expenses then moving again in the same year. Is buying **** films an expense.

Why should the tax payer fund this and why would and decent moral and honest MP want the public to???

Would you really put such things on expenses and expect to get away with it knowing the public are paying for it and the money could be better spent on the public services????

SunnySideUp

I was playing Devils Advocate earlier .... suggesting that maybe a lot would jump on the gravy train.

I have a Voluntary Role working in Education - I can claim for petrol and other items of expenditure ... in nearly 10 years of doing the job I have not claimed one penny. I would rather that money be used on a child. Shame the Teachers do not see it in the same way.

So, in answer, I would not take the pi55 out of the public - like some MP's have. To blame the 'process' is trying to divert attention and makes my blood boil.

However, they do not get paid much, in all honesty.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Average age of MP = 50

Annual wage = £64,766 as of 1 April 2009

This compares to national average for a 50 year old:

£36,555

Figures obtained from here:

Unum - Average Wage Depends on Gender and Age Says Unum

That wage is sufficient to attract quality candidates without the extra perks IMHO and compares favorably to other people working in the public service sector e.g. educators. The "big money jobs" are generally not in the public service sector! People know that when they get on board.

hodgy0_2

no wonder the country is the state its in if the MP's have the time to account for 39p bathplugs

on the other hand it does seem odd that the deputy council planning officer for Kent County Council is able to trouser circa 120k a year twice that of an MP

scoobynutta555

I should have thought that the size of an MPs wage and associated allowances would be well down the list of selection criteria of constituency committees, let alone the electorate they represent. I doubt that the pool of candidates would be sufficienty lacking in quantity or quality with a vast reduction of benefits.

Pay them the average national wage with reasonable travel allowances. After all MPs are supposed to be a fair representation of the community THEY SERVE.

scoobynutta555

Regarding pay grades in lesser positions of responsibility, ie planning officers. This opens the whole debate on public pay rates in general. After all, a good deal of debt we are accuring nationally is due to massive public sector pay rates and 'unnecessary' positions.

hodgy0_2

its a universal fact that the "richer" you are the less you pay for things

its the paradox of wealth -- the more you can afford to pay, the less you do pay

Alan Duncan -- one of the richest MP's, who could easily afford to mend his lawn mower out of his own pocket, does he, no, we paid

Barbara Follet -- wife of a multi multi millionaire -- does she pay to have her own windows cleaned, no we paid