Turmoil in the Mother of Parliaments
May 11, 2009 Ronan
A particularly foul stink is currently wafting over the Thames in London. Its source is in the Palace of Westminster, the olfactory offense eminating from the bloated collective bowels of our honourable Members of Parliament.
As with most things, it’s a scandal over money. MP’s are paid a base salary of £63,000. They can also claim expenses for second homes in London. Until now, details of said expenses have been out of the public eye, but in recent weeks the cat has slipped out of the proverbial bag. And what a mangy cat it is.
No laws appear to have been broken (the expenses system appears to be governed by no discernible law), but some of the expenses claimed range from the lurid to the ridiculous:
- Second homes not actually in London.
- Second homes in London by MP’s who already live near London.
- Porn movies.
- Repair to leaking pipes under a tennis court.
- Employing workmen to replace light bulbs.
- Etc.
None of this represents industrial scale fraud, but it’s a poor show nonetheless. At a time when the country is in a deep malaise and confidence in the government is already rock bottom, Parliament can ill afford to look like it has its snout in the trough. Her Majesty should dissolve Parliament and call a general election. A hard reboot is required.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
MEP Daniel Hannan also recommends fresh elections, by which I (being a roughshod American) think he means the same thing. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/daniel_hannan/blog/2009/05/11/mps_expenses_sack_the_speaker_and_call_fresh_elections__and_thats_just_a_start
Anyway, send the lot of them home.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
This counts as a scandal in England? In the USA many of our politicians could swap that list in for their platform and it would be an improvement. Get back to me when they are selling their political appointments and we’ll talk.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:08 am
It’s embarrassing, isn’t it? We have similar issues in Prince George’s County. Jacob is right though. Political corruption is a lot worse in the United States.
But that’s no reason to settle. For starters, expense reports should be public. A little sunlight will improve MPs’ judgment dramatically.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Employing workmen to replace light bulbs.
After watching several civil servants running around today trying hopelessly to ascertain the cause of a sudden power outage (one of them fiddling with a computer) and then proceeding to proceeding to the panic stage within the space of about 30 seconds, only to have the cleaning lady flip the breaker and restore light, I can see why members of government with an appreciation for efficiency would turn to an expert…