General Chat

A Conservative MP has defended claiming £500 for petunias and fuchsia for his London flat, in the latest Daily Telegraph expenses claim leak.

Sorry I couldn't bring myself to read anymore:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8069292.stm

I think I must be living in some sort of alternate universe. Duck Islands, Moats, very expensive Petunias. Where are the men with the little white coats?

On another thread, there is news of a young (non-working) mother with many children claiming loads of state benefits.

Freeloaders both - do you think?

Hi Dermot, this is not a thread about people on benefits. It is probably a hard time for many people who are both in and out of work at the moment.

No matter her motivation behind having many children, I imagine the benefits would need to spent on looking after/feeding the children, children are not cheap. Whereas I don't think having a moat, a duck island and petunias would contribute to an mp doing his/her job. I don't think it's the same thing at all.

VOTE Conservative

*gets tax return out and puts down expenses for busy lizzies, begonias, lobelia et al*

Oops, mustn't forget my labour charges for doing my own gardening!

It's a disgrace. They're only supposed to claim for what is relevant to their job. He should be made to pay it back with interest.

Benefit cheats end up in court - usually. Anyone like to bet on any MP appearing before the beak?

How big was the garden in a **flat** to warrant £500. ?boy he was robbed.

He must have had a spectacular display.bet he had them coming out his ears!!

Its an utter disgrace along wiith the rest of the leech MPs

Well I hope those MP's (2 I think) who were claiming for a mortage that had already been paid off, are done for fraud. If it were you or I we would be taken to court and dealt with accordingly. We are not above the law and neither or they, well at least, they shouldn't be!!

In terms of paying their dues, we could start by reminding our MPs of the difference between legal and moral responsibility.

Now be fair - he'd need a very large lavatory brush because obviously he is so very full of sh*t.

I think I'd OK that one ...

Jill

Oh, Jill! You beat me to it!

Now, do you think I could make a claim for me cornflakes and toast, not to mention coffee, every morning? I mean, they ARE a necessity, for me to function .......

Oops, better stop there; some MP's might get ideas ......

Please don't let all these shennigans put you off voting.

Please, please, please vote :)

Who do you vote for - is there anyone left you would trust?
Liz

Hi Liz47.....don't know whether your question was addressed to me personally but I'll reply anyway :)

Been a Socialist all my life but there is no-one to represent me now (:

This time I will vote for the Green Party more as a protest than anything else but in the hope that if enough people vote for the minority parties, or deliberately spoil their ballot papers, the fat cats will sit up and take notice.

Perhaps I should have worded my previous post differently and said...please, please, please attend the polling station and if you can't bring yourself to vote just put a line through your ballot paper.

Jean.

Jean - it was just a general comment, if we have an independent candidate - may vote for him/her.
Liz

Is it me thats doing something wrong ?? I go to work ,like alot of us do ,pay bills etc buy food ,and use my salary ,if the M Ps are claimimg all this on expenses ,what do they do with their salary ? I dont understand why we are paying out for everything and paying them thousands of pounds for the priveledge It beats me ,,,,sorry just my gripe

Chris

Virtue has different definitions in every age. Why has this country produced so many people of supposed intellect without morals & ability without scruples? Goodness knows where honour has vanished to.

you need lots of flowers to hide the smell when your snout and trotters are buried in the trough. Until its sorted out ad proper rules set down it wouldnt matter which party got n it would be to busy sticking it snout into the Westminster trough to care about anything else
Worst is it seems to occur in every country and every political system

Yep if anything like what happenedin Norway when our lot in the Norwegian Parliament got done for claiming too much pension thy at worst got a telling off and allowed to pay it back. This included a few well known international fgures But a single mother who'dclaimed too much Social Security and has paid it back was sent to prison for thirty days
Its the same he whole world over
Its the rich that gets the pleasure
and the poor that gets the blame