Iain Macwhirter
MPs expenses
Expenses: MPs in the right, shock.
MPs were in the doghouse again last week – or should that be the duck house – over their expenses. Employees at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, who process MPs’ expenses claims, say they have been threatened, insulted and abused. Called “f..ing idiots” and “monkeys” by irate MPs one of whom described their computerised system … Continue reading
Christmas in the House
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: twelve bags of compost; eleven hanging baskets; ten Tudor beams; nine toiltet seats; eight trouser presses, seven leather arm chairs; six porno films; five flat screen TVs, four Ikea kitchens; three garlic presses; two second homes and a duck house in a bell … Continue reading
What about the homeless ducks?
But what about the ducks? Has anyone thought about them? It’s all very well cutting MPs expenses, but what about the mallard community, deprived of shelter at this crucial time of the year. As the duck houses of Britain fall into decay and disuse, we face a major scandal of homeless ducks, geese, coots, … Continue reading
Nepotism -keep it in the family.
“Bob’s your uncle” always struck me as a curious catch phrase. Why should Bob being my uncle be of any benefit to me? Well, phrase is said to date from the 1880s when, the Prime Minister, Robert Cecil, appointed his nephew, Arthur Balfour, to the prestigious and lucrative post as Chief Secretary for Ireland. … Continue reading
MPs Expenses: what is to be done.
“It’s a revolutionary moment”, said the former standards commissioner, Alistair Graham. “This is like the storming of the Bastille, only the prisoners aren’t being let out”. The historical comparison was perhaps a little over the top, but everyone seems to accept that British politics will never be the same. The question is, what comes next? … Continue reading
Give MPs a proper job.
Why have members of parliament lost their sense of purpose and self-respect? Why do so many of them apparently see elected office as a means of enriching themselves rather than improving the lives of their constituents? The reason is that ordinary MPs in Westminster have very little power: they are in a very real … Continue reading
Martin Bell and the expenses scandal.
“A Very British Revolution – the expenses scandal and how to save our democracy” By Martin Bell. Icon Books “Honesty, integrity, openness, objectivity, leadership, accountability and selflessness” – these were the seven principles of public life set out by Lord Nolan’s committee standards in public life in its 1995 report into the sleaze scandals … Continue reading
MPs expenses- how did we get here?
“UK opposition leader dumps lawmaker over duck pond”, said the Taiwan News. It was the story that caught the imagination of the world. The duck island, charged to expenses by theTory MP Sir Peter Viggers, turned the great British parliament into an international laughing stock. Quackers…out for a duck…you silly ducker”. The pond ornament was … Continue reading
MPs expenses- unfair to the pig community
It’s the question on everyone’s lips. Can you get swine flu from sticking your snout in the trough? Should the snuffling pigs of parliament and the City be required to wear face masks while in the pursuit of self-enrichment. Snout to snout contact can only be a major transmitter of the deadly disease, which has … Continue reading
Look-at-me MPs is not the answer to sleaze
A national newspaper phoned me last week asking if I was planning to stand against any of the sleaze MPs caught in the expenses row. My first reaction was that I couldn’t imagine see myself sitting in parliament with Esther Rantzen and I don’t look good in white. But, look, you should never rule anything … Continue reading
Iain Macwhirter 