Mp's exps...we deserve them

bbmac

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There is an old saying that states that '..we get the politicians we deserve.' I think this is very true, it's no good moaning that the Mp's have had their noses in the trough, when we were all too busy worrying about who was going to win X factor, or get voted out Big Brother, or what Jordan was up to.

The last politically active generation was in the 1980's (cnd, anti-thatcher etc..) and but as times have gotten easier, and peace has been taken for granted. this and the increase in living standards has produced a lazy generation that has let the politicians and the 'elected dictatorship' get away with it. And now we scream,... too late, the deed is done...Will it invoke a whole new political alertness and interaction, I doubt it, ...What's happening in Emmerdale? (innit!)

As an aside there is a conspiracy that this says that this deluging the masses with entertainment devices and mass 24hr media is an attempt to steer them away from political interest so the shadowy forces can impliment their plans of one world govt, whilst no-one is looking, but, hey, that's another story.
 
Every time I re-read 1984 it scares the cr@p outta me just that leeeetle bit more. Considering how long ago it was written, it's scary just how much of it is absolutely bang on.
 
You always get a few rotten apples; this time it's the whole bloody crop.
They tell us what to do whilst legally stealing from us - Gordon frackin' Brown and his "moral compass" - stinking hypocrites.
Richard
 
All three parties will try and scapegoat a few MPs to detract attention from the reality of widespread abuse and appease public and press outrage. They will continue to emphasise "within the rules", change the rules, ban the ones who actually broke the rules for a fortnight and/or remove the party whip from them.

As well as their theft, what also sticks in my craw is their attitude of righteous indignation now they've been outed; they have no sense of right and wrong and yet have the power to moralise to us.

They are like shoplifters with their mates on the tills and in security and keeping all the CCTV discs. When someone publishes the CCTV images, they scream "unfair" "the images have been stolen", "call in the police to find the thief" !
Come back Guy Fawkes, all is forgiven.
Richard
 
Plenty of us are politically aware and don't watch much in the way of pap on the TV, and we certainly don't deserve to have our earnings stolen from us for the personal use of MPs.
Neither am I into all the world conspiracy crap.
BUT BUT BUT one thing is for sure, our MPs plus all the MEPs and the Euro bureaucracy DO conspire to screw us - and succeed handsomely. :(
Richard
 
Actually I think they are worse than social security scoungers, because the MPs are very well off - and getting richer and richer from stealing from us.
 
Let's have a poll and vote for Richard to oust out the lot of em' and become a dictator. Oops, I'm overlooking something aren't I? Dictators tend not to rely too heavily on polls. Oh well Richard, it's the thought that counts eh!
I'm going to flip the coin here and say that I have some sympathy (not a lot, but some) with the 'titions. After all, every job has a few perks, right? I'm not sure I could honestly say that if I was in their shoes that I wouldn't take advantage of the system as they have done - or lose much sleep worrying about it if I did. He who casts the first stone etc.
Tim.
 
Actually I think they are worse than social security scoungers, because the MPs are very well off - and getting richer and richer from stealing from us.

I think the bigger crime isn't that they're well off (because, tbh, it's not like all of them are rich beyond the dreams of avarice, and frankly my builder earns an absolute packet without being branded 'rich') it's more because they are almost all very well educated, and therefore have the benefit of a decent intellect coupled with a relatively sophisticated world view that should be more than enough to inform them that what they are doing is basically wrong.

What needs to happen imho is that, if there isn't already, there needs to be a clause in the expense legislation that states that MPs need to be adhering to the spirit as well as the letter of the law.

Of course, that also means that joe public should do the same, and people conveniently forget that. I don't subscribe to the idea of one rule for some, and another for others, but imho that has to cut both ways. Laws for MPs shouldn't be less stringent than for the public, but that doesn't mean they should be MORE stringent either.

So that means that as a society we either condemn people looking for loopholes to exploit or we don't. At the moment what I smell is a faint whiff of hypocrisy fuelled by the tabloids.

My $0.02 - can't imagine I'll get 100% of p[osters agreeing with me but fair enough I say.

GJ
 
Let's have a poll and vote for Richard to oust out the lot of em' and become a dictator. Oops, I'm overlooking something aren't I? Dictators tend not to rely too heavily on polls. Oh well Richard, it's the thought that counts eh!
I'm going to flip the coin here and say that I have some sympathy (not a lot, but some) with the 'titions. After all, every job has a few perks, right? I'm not sure I could honestly say that if I was in their shoes that I wouldn't take advantage of the system as they have done - or lose much sleep worrying about it if I did. He who casts the first stone etc.
Tim.

I'm inclined to think some "professions" should go beyond self interest - even if enlightened self interest (to coin a phrase).
Doctors, judges, our elected representatives etc.

I rather fancy a temporary (life perhaps) period of my dictatorship, benign of course - except for those I don't like - in which case those individuals will be errr.... renditioned.
I'm very benign, no termination with extreme prejudice etc.
I will be ably served in that regard by a Mr.Jack Bauer.

OK, I will start a list of those to be renditioned......number 1, everyonerich, number 2 Gordon (Thievin') Brown, number 3 Fred (steal your bread) Goodwin.

I will also have awards for public service - the girl who forced the House to reveal the "expenses", Jacqui Smith's husband for services to democracy and the porn industry, and a posthumous VC for Mr.Guy Fawkes.
 
Gets my vote Richard!
Although I'm curious to know what everyonerich has done to warrant being No. 1 on your hit list?
 
Can we add Hazel Blears to that list. EVERY photo of her at the moment shows her smiling smugly as if this is some minor PR gaff and it will all go away if she just smiles enough as if to say 'move along, nothing to see here'.

Really winding me right up.
 
Gets my vote Richard!
Although I'm curious to know what everyonerich has done to warrant being No. 1 on your hit list?

isnt the whole point of a dictatorship is that your vote isnt needed? :cheesy:

Can we add Hazel Blears to that list. EVERY photo of her at the moment shows her smiling smugly as if this is some minor PR gaff and it will all go away if she just smiles enough as if to say 'move along, nothing to see here'.

Really winding me right up.

Modern politicians have all been trained to be media-savvy, which is irksome.
They all smile their fixed, artificial smiles. Tony Blair was the worst. You can clearly tell the teeth-bearing was false.

They are all briefed to butcher truth to spin things in their favour. Most of them are lawyers, and are trained in the art of manipulating information.

They get their PR people to make photo-opps to boost their image.

It is a disgrace, but, as bbmac points out, we get them because the electorate loving moaning and whining, but can't be bothered to do anything to fix it when the opportunity arises.
 
Only kidding about "everyonerich" - the nick came to mind as being suitable for our thieving MPs !
I'm more than happy to remove him from the coveted number one spot and replace him by that ultimately squashable frog on amphetamimes aka Hazel Blears.
Richard
 
it is terrible and all, but I couldn't help but laugh when I heard about the claim for cleaning a moat and a joke helipad
 
Poor MP caught between a rock and a hard place imho. The minute you STOP having the moat cleaned, and one of your servants falls in and catches Cholera you'll be up to your armpits in health and safety officers and ambulance chasing lawyers before you can say "pondscum". I feel sorry for that one. No-one ASKS to be born into the aristocracy y'know...
 
...And let's make it law that they must be an Mp full time beacuse at present all their outside interessts and earnings suggests that they only represent their constituents on a part time basis, yet accept full time earnings and expenses for doing so. I don't even care if we have to increase their salaries to attract a better class of Mp, so long as 'out of pocket' expenses are indeed for 'out of pocket' situations and any benefits in kind are treated as such for tax purposes.

What is also so galling is that in repect of the freedom of information act that was envoked to get at this info before the Telegraph paid for the leak; The Govt tried to seek an exemption for Mps' exps etc !! incredible .
 
Tie up a prison ship on the river alongside the House, then they have lodgings, no commuting to and from work, (though hopefully some will be so pissed they will fall off the gangplank and drown our sorrows as well) and second class rail fare paid to their constituencies once a week.
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