Currently, various details of British MPs' "expenses" have become public knowledge (much to the dismay of the Parliamentary swine). In UK law, and even in the lax parliamentary rules, for expenditure to qualify as expenses, it must be incurred wholly and exclusively as part of your duties.
So what does this have to do with us?
Amongst other examples of porcine traits, male MPs have claimed on their expenses for tampons, nappies (US diapers) and women's clothes - to be used wholly and exclusively as part of their duties!
The inquiring mind asks, are any of these MPs members here? Have any of the UK members seen a male MP utilising any of these purchases?
Comments
MP's expenses
I'd love to force feed a few of our politicians a tampon or two!
Of course ...
... as it's the Torygraph's story they've concentrated on Labour MP's expenses. In any case they were to be published in July and it should be born in mind that none of this would have arisen without the Freedom of Information Act introduced by Labour. So I guess they could be said to have been hoisted on their own petard.
I suppose the answer is to abolish payments of any kind to politicians and they should enter Parliament to do the job for nothing more than the knowledge that they're serving the public.
Geoff
Too suspicious, Geoff
The Tampax were for a Tory MP.
However, the "official" publication in July would have blacked out important items (like the fact that Gordon Brown paid Andrew Brown for cleaning, or that Alistair Darling changed the house labelled his "primary" residence four times in four years, so he could claim expenses for both houses). And if you want to discuss credit and blame perhaps you should discuss the actions of the Labour speaker spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money resisting the implementation of the Freedom of information Act for these expenses.
If you want a solution, I would argue for the Swedish solution - several apartment blocks purchased by the Riksdag, and made available to out of town MPs. No expenses. (The Swedes also publish their MPs' tax returns)
Ahh!
is this the real reason Westminster is called the mother of parliaments :) or perhaps they are planning a 'mix-up-Monday'(tm)
*snicker*
It took me a second to figure out MP=Ministry Personnel
In the states MP=Military Police
Sorry brain cramp. Now, let stories begin!!! I want to read all about Gordon Brown's penchant for tampons, and black lace stockings... ACK!
Lili
http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
MP
stands for Member of Parliament. (Laughably they describe themselves as "Honourable" Members, and in some cases, even "Right Honourable". Right corrupt bastards might be more appropriate)
Yes Canadians read 'Member of Parliament' for 'MP' too, BUT!!
Hey All,
Maybe we can use this little example to try to temember to ALWAYS write out ALL acronyms in EVERY article we write the first time we use an acronym in each article. There are always new readers comeing in and readers for other back-grounds, in my humble opinion it is just the polite thing to do. In Canada we also use 'Arcie Empy' a lot, as an acronym it stands for The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but without the dessert it stands for one of our favourite BCTS writers. (Oh, come on, do I have to be explicit? OK, leave of the pie [py] "dessert". Get it now?)
with love,
Hope
with love,
HER
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
As I understand it...
The information was released by an internal "whistle-blower" and the police were trying to find clues as to his or her identity, according to the Guardian...
Presumably, the MPs involved would prefer this person to be drawn and quartered.
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Don't believe everything you read in the press
There's no doubt, the current system of claiming expenses leaves much to be desired. There's also no doubt that a few MPs have broken the rules. And there's also no doubt the British Press will never miss an opportunity to unfairly present news, if it makes the establishment look corrupt.
The majority of MPs are not breaking the rules, but the trouble is that all MPs are being tarred with the same brush.
Catch the ones breaking the rules and punish them. But what's really needed is a thorough overhaul of the system. I agree with those who say there should be Government blocks of flats and then there'd be no need to provide this difficult-to-administer system, and everyone would know where they stand.
But I disagree with those who say that MPs should have no allowances, so that only the rich can afford to be an MP. That's what was wrong with the old system.