UK MP's expenses

I have to say I am enjoying all the relevations coming out of the UK in recent days and watching the MP's squirm (especially Sinn Fein). Do you think our politicians are running around behind the scenes to make sure that their detailed expenses will never see the light of day. I suppose over here, we are a bigger fan of unvouched expenses so we wouldn't get the same detail as say £390 for horse manure as one MP claimed for!

Have to admit I was enjoying watching them squirm on the news last night, horse manure was just one example, others included bath plugs, dog food, cleaing the swimming pool and in one case the moat around the house.

Throw in Joanna Lumley and her Gurkha campaign and in particuler her staring at the immigration minister when he was making a speech and all in all, a bad week for the Govt over there

Interestingly I thought the guy(and I can't remember his name or exact role) who was on the BBC last night and said that this could be the best way of stopping the gravy train because suddenly it was all transparent made a very valid point. If TD expenses were crystal clear and vouched for via receipts, one would wonder how much they'd be claiming over here

I wonder who the "Irish family" are that own the property rented by Sinn Fein? Is the rent "market rent"?
UK MP's are being criticised for costs associated with renting/owning property in London so they can be close to Westminister. But since Sinn Fein are not attending Westminister how do they justify such large rental expenses? I would have thought that they still have enough left from the Northern Bank exercise to fund their campaigns (todays events in Cork re the charging of a senior Sinn Fein member in relation to money laundering might be interesting).

Conan said:

I wonder who the "Irish family" are that own the property rented by Sinn Fein? Is the rent "market rent"?
UK MP's are being criticised for costs associated with renting/owning property in London so they can be close to Westminister. But since Sinn Fein are not attending Westminister how do they justify such large rental expenses? I would have thought that they still have enough left from the Northern Bank exercise to fund their campaigns (todays events in Cork re the charging of a senior Sinn Fein member in relation to money laundering might be interesting).

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Yeah Gerry Adams was on the news the other day saying he earned the same industrial wage as his driver and that most of the money goes into the party and the community. Of course there is no mention of that lovely holiday home that he owns in Donegal that is supposedly worth close to a million and mortgage free! Now, where did that money come from?

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/a...is-not-always-where-their-vote-is-995246.html

Apparently they rent the flat at over twice the market price

I also enjoyed the MP who had to claim for cleaning his moat!

Sunny said:

I also enjoyed the MP who had to claim for cleaning his moat!

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Was just going to say that - a particularly surreal and amusing example I thought.

So far the Lib Dems are squeaky clean I think - if it stays that way it could do them the world of good in these disgruntled times.

It just goes to demonstrate the old idiom "those in glass houses". While the analysis was on Government Ministers and Labour MPs, the tories were just a bit too high and mighty about it. Yet everyone knows all MPs are at it so I can't really believe the stupidity of some MPs for criticising others when they know that a simple FOI request will show up their own fiddling.

Though I would ask people to reserve their outrage and disgust to the unlikely event that at no point in time have they ever taken advantage of or "padded out" an expense form.

Still, looking at that list, from moats to helipads, a bit of softcore smut on the telly doesn't look too outrageous a claim now.

Latrade said:

Still, looking at that list, from moats to helipads, a bit of softcore smut on the telly doesn't look too outrageous a claim now.

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lol good point.

The Lib Dems voted to a man (and woman) last year to veto M.P's attempts to not have to disclose expenses. Had they voted in accordance with the two other parties then non disclosure of expenses would have been enforced and non of the revelations would ever have come to light ....the Gravy train would have continued to steam down the line ever onward.
Here of course the enactment of non disclosure is being implemented as we speak following the vote by T.D.'s to keep their expenses and attendance records a secret.
Because what ever "they" can do in the UK you can bet your bank balance an Irish TD can do it a hell of a lot better !!!