Snouts In The Troth

[Red diesel]

Sorry about the last post - i know politics is a sensitive subject for some folk - i only made these comments because the post was going in a thread about politicians. Im not one of these guys who rams his opinions down other peoples throats

[Bibbs]

Sorry about the last post - i know politics is a sensitive subject for some folk - i only made these comments because the post was going in a thread about politicians. Im not one of these guys who rams his opinions down other peoples throats

Pff, stop with the apologies

I may not agree with someone, but as long as their opinion isn't blinkered I'm happy to debate.

Wait till I start a rant on religion or the weather ;)

[Bizarra]

Sorry about the last post - i know politics is a sensitive subject for some folk - i only made these comments because the post was going in a thread about politicians. Im not one of these guys who rams his opinions down other peoples throats

Don't worry I'm from here too, & couldn't have put it better, & would have been a lot more rude about it

Biffo is from what I regard as my native County. I had great hopes for him, now I hope he gets kicked out asap.

I don't know if it is possible to get anything better, but at least we can hope for a Government without a tradition of "Brown Envelopes"

It is good to see the 2 new candidates for Fine Gael. A breath of fresh air, one hopes.

Apologies to our UK friends, to whom most of that will be Double Dutch :P

[chatman]

Well the old saying... The Horse has already bolted... .. after leaving the stable door open.... Is quite adapt here. MP's all backing this new system.. after they have filled there pockets and houses, not forgetting moats as well... Next they will vote in a pay rise because they cant cope on £64k a year :crybaby:

MPs' expenses: Speaker announces tough new rules

Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker, has announced a "robust" set of new restrictions on MPs' expenses, which have been issued with immediate effect.

Published: 9:02PM BST 19 May 2009

Michael Martin and the House of Commons: MPs' expenses: Michael Martin 'to stand down'

The Speaker's position became untenable after he lost the support of the chamber over his handling of MPs' expenses system Photo: REUTERS / PA

At 7.30pm on Tuesday evening Mr Martin, who earlier confirmed his resignation over the allowance system scandal, outlined the rules to the House of Commons after they had been agreed in a meeting of the party leaders.

They included a ban on claiming the second home allowance for furniture, household goods, gardening and cleaning, and a £1,250-a-month cap on mortgage interest payments.

The practice of switching the designation of main and second homes – known as "flipping" – will also be banned for the rest of 2009-10 unless there are exceptional circumstances.

MPs who are married or live together will only be entitled to one person's second home allowance and MPs who sell a property will be required to be "completely open" with HM Revenue and Customs as to whether they are liable to capital gains tax.

Details of expenses claims will be published on the internet by the Commons authorities every three months.

"If there is any doubt about the eligibility of a claim, it will be refused," Mr Martin warned.

As he rose from the chair following the short statement there was a spontaneous round of applause from MPs in the chamber.

The Committee on Standards and Privileges later announced that it had authorised parliamentary standards commissioner John Lyon to hold inquiries into Labour MPs David Chaytor and Elliot Morley – who both claimed expenses against mortgages which had already been paid off.

However, the probes will not be launched until after Scotland Yard has decided whether to open a criminal investigation.

A spokesman for the committee said: "The committee has agreed with the commissioner that he should not proceed with these inquiries until the Metropolitan Police, with the CPS, has completed its consideration of whether criminal inquiries should be instigated into these matters."

Both MPs referred themselves to the commissioner after allegations about their claims surfaced.

[Bibbs]

And the Labour speaker has stepped down (first in 300 years I believe).

Yay, justice at last?

Nope, he'll just move onto the Lords for a higher paid job and one we can't get him out of.

And it looks like his son will take his place. Nepotism at it's self serving best.

[hertsnminds]

If it's OK for the politicians to set the pay rises for the public sector Health Service, Police, Armed Forces etc then those people should be setting the salaries for politicians. Let's see how restrained the MP's are in giving pay rises then. What value would a nurse give a politicians job?

[Bizarra]

This is a very goo, short musical skit I received from Canada this morning. "Worst Slide Story " Go on have a laugh

http://www.newsday.com/media/flash/2009-04/46217527.swf

[Raistlin]

If it's OK for the politicians to set the pay rises for the public sector Health Service, Police, Armed Forces etc then those people should be setting the salaries for politicians. Let's see how restrained the MP's are in giving pay rises then. What value would a nurse give a politicians job?

Nuffink

[balli hi]

And the Labour speaker has stepped down (first in 300 years I believe).

Yay, justice at last?

Nope, he'll just move onto the Lords for a higher paid job and one we can't get him out of.

According to yesterdays daily express , " disgraced Michael Martin will get a £77,000 a-year pension for life and a peerage , despite being shamed as the worst commons speaker in 300 years "

It does'nt surprises me really , as bibbs has indicated , they'll just find another way of making sure that he stays on the gravy train !

[Bibbs]

I To quote a few people on Piston Heads, becaust they say it better than I can.

As I said on the other thread, Gormless Brown describes Hazel Blears' expenses claim as "totally unacceptable behaviour, but she has not broken the law, she has not broken the rules of the House of Commons." He has also said that any Labour MP found breaking the rules will be slung out.

So to paraphrase, any Labour MP found behaving in a totally unacceptable way will keep their job.

Heh, I just remembered this. Remember Sir Fred Goodwin (retired RBS boss) and his pension?

Harriet Harman said:

The Prime Minister has said it is not acceptable and therefore it will not be accepted.It might be enforceable in a court of law this contract but it's not enforceable in the court of public opinion and that's where the Government steps in. .. I do want to be clear that the Prime Minister has been quite emphatic about this that he regards it as unacceptable

I don't think they're taking much notice of the court of public opinion now

So who remembers Harriet Harman getting on her high horse about Fred Goodwin's pension and talking about the "court of public opinion" not allowing it? Where is she now? Tail firmly between her legs now that the "court of public opinion" is against her and her parliamentary colleagues. The stench of hypocrisy.

All from this long running thread :

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.a...%20exes%20early

But I tend to agree ..

[Bibbs]

http://www.order-order.com/2009/05/ft-catc...et-moran-lying/

If Margaret Moran was not toast already, she definitely is now. The FT has caught her using her Commons office to promote her husband’s firm “EQN”. Then they caught her lying about it.

Wow, just wow. So it's not bad enough we pay for her 4th home (a villa which she rents out), but she also uses her influence to make sure tax payer money goes to her husbands company. But then denies it, even though the FACTS are out there.

Okay, I think doing it is bad enough, then lying about you doing it, and then actually getting caught when you know people think you are lying?

We pay her wages, pension and husbands wages.