Park Life

GG can't really defend those comments being made in that Mosque and silly of him to try. Tbf Christian Vicars up and down the land tend to be too busy arguing about tea making.

In fairness the ~£300,000 did (IIRC) include average committee work, which is very well paid for the amount of hours it takes (which again is why they don't like those league tables). Which is one of the reasons why a backbencher can be on nearly as much at a front bench minister. What 'committee work' is paid for and who pays it? Never mind league tables, have you any evidence at all to back up your claims? Genuine question by the way, you may be right but you're the first person I have heard talk about these mysterious payments. I would have thought the press would have been all over it if it were true given the present climate, why aren't they? The av directorship pays 25k a year for about a weeks worth of turning up and looking interested.

Unfortunately Fop can take an even longer one than yours.

About fukin time. My old amd machine was one of the stable I ever had.

Chezzy's and Renton always do it and try to derail what is an otherwise interesting debate. And in this case they are doing it on purpose. This is clearly an issue of breach of trust and good practice. Trouble with you Parky is that analytical thought isn't your strong point. You'll believe any old cobblers if it suits your prejudices. I still love you for it though. I see what you're doing here.

Chezzy's and Renton always do it and try to derail what is an otherwise interesting debate. Rubbish, you quoted some random figure and I pulled you up on it. You then couldn't back that figure up with anything on the entire internet. And now you claim I've derailed the discussion? I know my local MP quite well and although I haven't seen his bank account I know enough to suggest you're talking cobblers Fop. For the record, I think it's a pretty stressful and difficult job which should come with adequate renumeration. The present system obviously is not working or at the very least is not being seen to be working though, and needs changing. Simple. Who is he?

What happened to Trevor Francis's promising management career?

Not really on the same scale is it lanky?

Chezzy's and Renton always do it and try to derail what is an otherwise interesting debate. And in this case they are doing it on purpose. This is clearly an issue of breach of trust and good practice.

No they've clearly been caught taking the piss, hence the massive back track. They have 2nd and 3rd jobs. They claim all travel expenses and 2nd home costs. They often make their wives or other family members their secretary or admin (another 30k allowance).

Accontant does mine.

FRANCIS MAUDE MP AND HIS OTHER HEAD IN THE TROUGH STUFF. 1. Remunerated directorships Prestbury Holdings PLC (chairman); non-investment financial services. The Mission Marketing Group (non-executive chairman from 1 February 2006); an advertising group. UTEK Corporation Inc (non-executive); a technology transfer company based in the US and listed on the Alternative Investment Market in London. 2. Remunerated employment, office, profession etc Member of Barclays' Asia-Pacific Advisory Committee. 4. Sponsorship or financial or material support A donation received through Conservative Campaign Headquarters used to support my office in my capacity as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office from John Coldman. (Registered 15 May 2008) Temporary secondment of a member of staff each by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Boston Consulting Group to the Conservative party's Implementation Team, which reports to me. (Registered 26 February 2009) In 2008 the Horsham and Crawley Conservative Association received donations from the Horsham Parliamentary Dining Club of which I am chairman. (Registered 26 February 2009) 5. Gifts, benefits and hospitality (UK) My wife and received tickets for the Conservative Party's 'Black and White Party' on 4 February 2009, paid for by Mr Christopher Moran, of London. (Registered 4 March 2009) 8. Land and Property Interest in a residential investment property in France. Rental income from property in South London. Just printing money really. Av Dir secondment fee is around 25k per dir . So you can see here he's netting another 100k. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/francis_m...orsham#register

That would be a significant pay cut. If they just got that (as Fop's said most are on ~£300,000 effective salary, with many breaching £400,000+ - not including their private interests, just what they are getting for being MPs). Outraged? Are you saying tax evasion by democratically elected officials is ok? The average salary is 65k http://www.parliament.uk/faq/members_faq_page2.cfm So the average expense claim per year is 235k per MP? Er, no, its not. Private interests are utterly irrelevant. Cant believe you and Parky (seemingly intelligent) would invoke private interests in a discussion on appropriate benchmarked remuneration. Not when it takes up their time when they should be MPing supposedly. Shall we perhaps have a gander at their voting records?

In this case I'd have to disagree. It's the people....Cunts to a man/woman. Need shooting.

That would be a significant pay cut. If they just got that (as Fop's said most are on ~£300,000 effective salary, with many breaching £400,000+ - not including their private interests, just what they are getting for being MPs). Outraged? Are you saying tax evasion by democratically elected officials is ok? Most have directorships and consultancies for each the base level of payment is around 25k a year for about 10 days work. Some take fees for a myriad of other stuff and it is rumoured fees for going on telly.

MPs expenses: The best of the begging letters Many of the expenses claims submitted by MPs were accompanied by begging letters in which they use a variety of bizarre excuses for why they need money to do up or refurbish their second homes. Here is a selection of what was said in some of them. By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter Last Updated: 1:29PM BST 09 May 2009 "From a natural justice perspective I feel a justifiable exception would be the fairest manner to deal with the current situation" – letter from Labour MP in 2006 on why he should be allowed to claim for a £3,100 Sony 40 inch TV "I object to your decision not to reimburse me for the costs of purchasing a baby's cot for use in my London home...Perhaps you might write to me explaining where my son should sleep next time he visits me in London?" – letter from Labour MP in Nov 2004 Related Articles Greg Barker: The £320,000 profit on flat bought with taxpayer help "The work surfaces are no longer hygienic and the sink unit, which is an old brown plastic double bowl, is scratched and very ugly" – letter from Conservative MP justifying the £5,347.36 cost of his new kitchen at his flat in 2007 "Ref: claim for lounge corner unit: if you feel this is excessive can I say that due to size and layout of the room a normal three-piece suite will not fit. This 'corner group' fits perfectly" Labour MP writing to the fees office in August 2006 "Old flat. Facilities out of date. Decrepit. Health reasons. Update. Living in slum. On advice, called in contractor. Recommended kitchen and bathroom replacement" – note made by official in fees office of conversation with Labour MP who had claimed £12,400 for work to his flat "I would be very grateful if (the expenses) could be paid in the last round of the year on Friday. Otherwise I might be in line for a divorce!" – letter from Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary in 2005 after making a single claim of £16,500 on his London flat. "Reducing the payment by over £1,000 affects my cash flow. Please expedite the payment" – letter from Tory MP whose expenses payment had been reduced by the fees office "I appreciate you are under severe pressure... but, as I explained on the phone, I am away for two weeks and I don't want to leave my family destitute" – letter from Labour MP to fees office[size="3"][/size]

Most have 2nd and 3rd jobs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...sexpensesvideo/ Nice bits of video of the main culprits looking sheepish....

Tony Blair re-mortgaged his constituency home and claimed almost a third of the interest around the time he was buying another property in London

Julia Goldsworthy’s home spree as deadline loomed: MPs' expenses Julia Goldsworthy, the Liberal Democrat local government spokesman, spent thousands of pounds on expensive furniture just days before the deadline for using up parliamentary allowances. By Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor Last Updated: 9:44AM BST 13 May 2009 One of Britain’s youngest MPs made the claims, including a rocking chair and sofa bed, in March 2006 - shortly before she bought a London flat. The public finances also met the cost of stamp duty, legal and surveying fees for the property. She has since moved and now rents out the flat. Related Articles Andrew George's daughter used expenses flat Menzies Campbell's £10,000 bill for flat overhaul Nick Clegg pushed expenses claims to the limit Nick Harvey gets £30 a month to watch TV sports on TV Vince Cable asked for backdated payment MPs' expenses in depth Miss Goldsworthy, 30, who is regarded as one of the party’s rising stars, was elected to Parliament in 2005. The records disclose that for the first year that she was an MP she lived in a house jointly owned with her sisters. During this period, she claimed more than £300 a month for mortgage interest costs. She also made claims to help cover council tax, utility bills, cleaning, insurance and large food bills. In March 2006, Miss Goldsworthy bought a flat in the same house and costs totalling more than £3,000 associated with the purchase were billed to the taxpayer. The monthly mortgage interest on the flat was more than £900.

How Nick Clegg pushed expenses claims to the limit: MPs' expenses Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader who has championed the reform of MPs’ expenses, claimed the maximum allowed under his parliamentary second home allowance. By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent Last Updated: 8:59AM BST 13 May 2009 Nick Clegg: claimed £23,083 in one year Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley As well as submitting regular claims for food, gardening, furniture and decorating at his constituency home in Sheffield Hallam, Mr Clegg put in his telephone costs, including several international calls to Colombia, Vietnam, and Spain. Records seen by The Daily Telegraph show that Mr Clegg regularly claimed at or just below the maximum possible under the Additional Costs Allowance, which may be used by MPs to run a second home. Related Articles Nick Harvey gets £30 a month to watch TV sports on TV Vince Cable asked for backdated payment Julia Goldsworthy’s spending spree as deadline loomed Chris Huhne, a millionaire but you buy his HobNobs Lembit Opik wanted £2,500 for a plasma TV Menzies Campbell's £10,000 bill for flat overhaul Last year, he had his expenses docked after exceeding the £23,083 maximum by more than £100. His office manager wrote to the Commons fees office: “This month’s claim takes Nick over the allowance total (just).” The disclosure came as Mr Clegg made a series of high profile media appearances criticising the allowances system. “People will just simply despair that all politicians look either ridiculous at best or corrupt at worst,” he said. Mr Clegg has also frequently made play of the issue of MPs’ expenses during regular clashes with Gordon Brown. Last month, he stormed out of a meeting with the Prime Minister in protest at their inability to agree a system. Within six months of being elected to Parliament in 2005, Mr Clegg bought a house in his constituency and began charging monthly interest repayments of £1,018 on the £279,000 mortgage on his expenses. He also submitted the stamp duty, land registry and legal costs, totalling £9,244.50. Over the following months, he fitted the house with a £2,600 kitchen, and had £5,857.63 worth of decorating done. He claimed for carpets, a laminate floor, tiling and sanding, curtains, blinds, curtain rails and repairs to a garage door. After a shopping spree at IKEA in 2006, he submitted claims for items including cushions costing £4.99, a £2.49 cake pan and £1.50 paper napkins. The following July, Mr Clegg had £680 worth of gardening carried out, including work to “build small wall in rose garden”, followed by £760 for the repair of his garden path. He wrote to the Commons fees office: “When I bought the house the garden had been neglected for years and was very overgrown. The work undertaken was to deal with this and get the garden back into a position where it can be maintained easily going forwards.” He then employed a gardener to work for four hours a week, submitting claims for £260 a month. In a form covering the period Aug 2 to Dec 13, 2005, Mr Clegg submitted a claim that included £1,657.32 for food. Last summer, the Liberal Democrat leader said the pressures of the financial crisis had forced his family to stop shopping at Ocado, the online retailer that distributes groceries from the Waitrose supermarket. The claims also include two bills for the Liberal Democrat leader’s home phone in Sheffield, one for £105.88 and the other for £121.56. These detailed four calls to Colombia, including two mobile phones, three to Vietnam, including two mobiles, and 21 calls to Belgium, including six mobiles. Apparently he was one of the biggest critics of the expenses scam.

A whirlwind swept through Westminster todayas the main political parties ordered their MPs to pay back excessive expenses and promised to end the worst abuses of the system immediately. On a dramatic day when the parties finally responded to the anger in the country it was David Cameron, the Tory leader, who moved most quickly, directing eight shadow cabinet members, including his closest political allies, to write cheques to refund the taxpayer for improper claims or face the sack. Last night, in a series of television interviews, Gordon Brown said Commons officials would meet again tomorrow to work on plans for an independent figure to lead a team tasked with going through the past four years' of receipts for every MP before ruling on whether the claim was legitimate. But the Tories contested any suggestion that an agreement had been reached last night. The communities secretary, Hazel Blears, also appeared on television brandishing a cheque she said she intended to send to the Inland Revenue, saying she planned to pay back the £13,332 made by avoiding capital gains tax when she sold one of her homes. In a press conference today Cameron said he was shocked by revelations that party grandees, playing to the worst ­Conservative stereotype, had been claiming for chandeliers, moats, horse manure and the cleaning of swimming pools. The Tory leader ordered backbenchers, including some of the most senior figures in his party, to follow any payback instructions from a newly established party panel or face expulsion. After addressing an emergency meeting of his parliamentary party, he said: "People are right to be angry that some MPs have taken public money to pay for things few could afford. You've been let down.

Why have you got 6?

Man U drawing tonight would be ideal.

Tormented by it apparently.