The Fraudsters' Parliament? -49

Notice the slight change in post title for this post? I decided to cast aside my normal somewhat cynical approach to politicians in the UK Parliament (Having difficulty now using the pronoun 'my'!) in view of the new governement.

Who am I to assume that any consignment of fraudsters and thieves (many of whom managed to hold onto the seats and are still in parliament) cannot have a 'road to Dasmascus' moment and vow meaningfully never again to steal a single penny piece from the taxpaying citizens of the UK?

In this heady atmosphere of bonhommie and general backslapping (makes a change from back stabbing!) I have only five questions;-
1). What news of the 'minnows' and their trial?
2). What news of of IPSA?
3). Anyone know where we misplaced the Fraud Act?
4). Any idea if the new Prime Minister and the new Chancellor will be claiming for a second (or third) home to be near parliament... now that we also pay for them to stay in Downing Street and one or two other 'grace and favour homes'?
5). When will we, the taxpaying citizen voters of the UK, hear the slamming of cell doors behind ALL those politicians who have stolen public monies?

News from Canada!

Those nice people the Canadians are having trouble getting information on the fiddles practised by their MPs...... OOOps! I done it again.... I mean the expenses details of their MPs!

Nothing to worry about though.... Their MPs assert that all is well and therefore there is no need for an independent audit!..... Sounds familiar?

Check out an artice by clicking on the link below;-

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/mps-deny-auditor-general-access-to-expense-accounts-93839254.html

The Fraudsters' Parliament - 46

I decided to do a little research on how my MP in my constituency voted in parliament in the various votes on matters of transparency particular in relation to MPs and their financial arrangements in parliament!

Thanks to  the kind people at http://www.democracyclub.org.uk/

They have sent out questionnaires to as many parliamentary candidates as they could. They have an interesting bar chart showing the number of prospective MPs who have replied. Not ALL parties seem to want to tell us what theey think on certain key matters!


They provided the link so that I could find the voting record of my MP on matters of parliamentary transparency which will take you to http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/.

Click on the link below to be taken to the site. To find out how your candidate voted.... or made themselves scarce... click on the link and put in your postcode in the appropriate box.

http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1569&dmp=996

The Fraudsters' Parliament 43

This article from the online of The Hindu Magazine in India, gives an interesting  viewpoint on the current state of politics in Britain.

Check it out by clicking on the link below:-

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/04/11/stories/2010041150190400.htm


By the way!

I had a nice email from someone at The Times asking if they could print an edited version of one of my comments on their online version. You can read the printed letter plus the original article and my full comment by clicking on the link below;-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article7094391.ece

The Fraudsters' Parliament - 35

I have just found an interesting story about the MPs' expenses scandal posted by the London coresspondent of a Canadian newspaper, The Montreal Gazette. You can read the story on their online edition by clicking on the link below;-

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/SCANDAL+VOTERS+MINDS/2737651/story.html




Tuesday 30th March - update

I have just picked up a story in The Guardian concerning the sending of yet another file about MPs' expenses being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Check out the story  by clicking on the link below;-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/30/new-parliamentary-expenses-file-passed-cps


Are the police finally getting their act together?  No name has been given yet! I wonder if it will be another of the 'minnows' or one of the many in this Fraudsters' Parliament who should be behind bars?

The Fraudsters' Parliament - 34

Well...... They've done it! Those in this Fraudsters' Parliament have made me speechless!

Apparently several have been caught in a 'sting' where they were offered 'consultancy' fees ('bribes' to you and me!) for using their 'influence' with other cronies in this Fraudsters' Parliament!

As I've said, I'm speechless!

Feel free to check out the various slants on the story from the online newspaper websites shown on this blog.

Reuters have the story going global! - What a shower this lot are!

Apparently a lot of 'members' of  The Fraudsters' Parliament are indignant that these people have been up to what they have been...... possibly because they had been left off this particular gravy train?

Apparently one of the MPs caught in the stings claims;-

"I am confident that any investigation from the standards commissioner will confirm that I have always fully complied with the MPs' code of conduct."

Going on the past performance of the parliamentary watchpoodle and the committee of parliamentary cronies who have 'supervised' MPs behaviour in the past, he is probably not far wrong! Do they ALL have a different concept of  'fully', 'complied' and 'code of conduct' not shared by the rest of us?

Apparently a lot of 'members' of The Fraudsters' Parliament are indignant that these people have been up to what they have been...... possibly because they had been left off this particular gravy train?



Or is it that they are playing some sort of perverse game of their own making where they attempt to 'trump' the previous scandal!

One pays offspring large sums of taxpayers' money for 'work' for which there is no formal record!

He is trumped by MP who gets house occupied by parents paid for by the taxpaying citizens of the UK!

He, in turn, is trumped by MP who is told claims were wrong and still walks away with £100,000!

Does every MP in this Fraudsters' Parliament intend to include a paragraph in their post-election CV beginning with;

'And while I was an MP I got away with ....(insert approriate text here).... and was able to bamboozle the parliamentary authorities by ..... (insert appropriate text here).... although it was not difficult because my cronies on the investigating body were ...... (insert appropriate text here)!