Has anyone noticed how politicians are becoming more and more cocky when their expense claims are made public? The latest Labour Minister to get caught with his trousers down, metaphorically speaking, is Geoff Hoon. But he doesn’t even have the decency to be embarrassed.
He has reportedly been claiming a second home allowance for his Derbyshire home, whilst renting out his London property and living in a taxpayer funded ‘grace and favour’ property. Hoon, uses the same excuse as his other cabinet colleagues, stating that it is allowed to do this according to the rules governing parliamentary expenses. He then pours scorn on his detractors by claiming he doesn’t believe that he has profited out of the arrangement. Does he really take us all for being so stupid that we would believe such a ludicrous statement?
It is not the politicians that are corrupt, because, as so many have lectured us, it is all within the rules governing expenses. But I defy any of them to state that the system itself is not corrupt and who votes on MP’s salaries, benefits and pensions? Yes, exactly, you don’t have to be corrupt to fleece the public, so long as the system is corrupt and the rules obeyed. When David Cameron says “we are all implicated and we must all find a solution“, you just know they are all at it. Little wonder that the public believe our Members of Parliament are self-serving, inward looking chancers who seek to maximise their personal finances at the expense of (no pun intended) the taxpayer and in their usual contemptuous and arrogant manner.
This is further evidence, if any more was needed, that MP’s are completely removed from reality. We have Jacqui Smith claiming for two washing machines, whilst everyone else has to make do with one and now, Geoff Hoon benefiting from two taxpayer funded properties, whilst many people are losing their homes as a consequence of this governments poor handling of the economy. If they (Labour Ministers) are too inept to see that this is wrong, then why the hell are they still in Government? No wonder this country is in such a mess with the majority of MP’s more interested in their own purse than the public purse. I am very, very angry and so should everyone else be. It is high time that the public made clear that they cannot and will not tolerate such contempt from the very people that are supposed to be serving and representing us. This Government has introduced more laws than any other administration, restricting our freedoms and liberties and criminalising what had previously be acceptable, whilst at the same time, exempting themselves from the same standards and laws.
You don’t need the ‘Committee on Standards in Public Life’ to determine that this current expense system for MP’s is a rogues charter and corrupt. By referring this issue to the committee, Gordon Brown has merely delayed the outcome. Moreover, it is a virtual certainty, that he and his fellow ministers want the committee to look at the entire rewards system, doubtless so they can propose a phasing out of the current expense system to be replaced by higher salaries. NO WAY! MP’s cannot reward themselves with higher salaries based on the fact that they will be losing money because they are no longer in receipt of benefits received by way of a corrupt system. If MP’s are to be provided with ANY increase, it must be based on results, not rhetoric and empty promises, that way we, the public, can be absolutely certain that they have no chance of getting the extra money, because not one of them has ever delivered what they said they would. Smith, Hoon and McNulty must be required to repay every single penny of their second home allowance back immediately if the public are to retain any confidence in its MP’s. Further, if anyone else has claimed a second home allowance, regardless of party, in similar circumstances, they must also be ordered to reimburse the taxpayer. In addition, MP’s must give up the right to determine their own salaries, pensions and benefits, they have proven that they are not fit to do so, this responsibility must be passed to a committee of elected members of the public.
April 5th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I could not agree more. Perhaps it is time the public entered a period of civil disobedience, by refusing to pay our taxes? If we all decided to stop paying our council tax, the government would have to start listening, given they haven’t got enough cells to lock us all up!
May 6th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Hoon, the hoon. Takes a demotion from Secretary of State for Defence to Transport. What a slip down the greasey pole that is.
British Politics - the problem with non payment of Council Taxes is that any relutant cuts would deliberately hit the wrong people. These cuts would be targeted at Social Services and Education. Directors of Finance would not cut back on their own administration teams.
Go after this lot for the criminals that they are.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
@ TheBigotBasher: Yes indeed, this was a massive demotion for Geoff Hoon, but not really surprising - I agree, their activities have to be bordering on criminal and if that is the case, they must all be brought to book. However, if they succeed in getting the ‘Exercise of Reasonable Discretion’ Bill through parliament, then there will be no stopping them! More infor here: http://www.power-to-the-people.co.uk/2009/04/mps-seek-immunity-prosecution/
May 11th, 2009 at 8:14 am
I am sickened by the smugness of the greedy and corrupt mp’s attempts to justify their behaviour in the expenses scandal. It is theft from the taxpayer, pure and simple. I lost my job due to the recession, I’m a single man and get £56 a week housing benefit although my rent is £70 and £60.50 jobseekers allowance. The price of a good meal to our well fed and well paid
politicians is what they expect me to survive on for a week.
Its time for the man in the street to make his voice heard and show the government and oposition parties that enough is enough!
May 11th, 2009 at 9:43 am
@ cynical voter: You are absolutely right. MP’s are, in essence, immune from the realities of the recession and economic downturn. They continue to spend thousands of pounds of our money on anything from pot plants, through to mock Tudor beams and expect us to think that is okay, because it “is within the rules”. They are self-serving leeches. They have the bare-faced cheek to call themselves ‘honourable members’.
Real people like you are the victims of their mistakes, largess and greed. They only care about the people of this country when they need our votes. If they had an ounce of decency they would step down and agree never to accept a public sector job again, in addition, they would waive their rights to their pensions, that is what they expect those in the private sector to do. Never again will the people of this country trust another politician. We must all remember, that even those that did not abuse the system, sat idly by whilst others did and they said nothing. That makes them as bad as each other.