Same Old Tories…

by Alan Tyers

David Cameron is giving it the “Daddy’s home and there’s going to be trouble” over Tory MP expenses… The Opposition leader began by vowing to bang heads together in his party as The Daily Telegraph’s brilliantly enjoyable exposé of MPs’ bread-dipping rolled on.

Some of the best claims have included: £2,000 for cleaning the moat of Douglas Hogg’s Lincolnshire castle; and five grand for gardening costs including “a helipad” at Sir Michael Spicer’s place (this was explained by Sir Michael, the Tories’ most senior backbencher, as “a family joke”. But not such a funny one that he thought his family should pay for it.)

James Arbuthnot thought it only right that the taxpayer clean his swimming pool (about £1,400 a year) and David Heathcoat-Amory really, really needed 380 quid of our money for a sack of s***. How very appropriate, you might say.

David Cameron has done his level best to convince people that this is a new, different Conservative party – not just a party for the rich, not just the privileged continuing to feather their already massive nests at the expense of the punters.

Well, David, it doesn’t look good.

On this blog yesterday, Greg McDonald wrote that at least this is a democracy and we can vote out the ones we don’t like. And he's right. The only problem is that the Opposition waiting in the wings are, on this evidence, every bit as craven and greedy as the current Government.

Can’t say I fancy voting for any of them, myself.

Comments

[Frank Kirsten]

How is that the Tories are embroiled in the expenses scandal but are getting away with it judging by the local election results. How is Cameron is in the clear when we the tax payer are paying £1700 a month for one of his many homes? He is a multimillionaire. Why are the public so gullible and are voting back in the party that gave us the deregulation mess and were involved in sleaze back then as they are now. The smug Tories and the electors are not for learning.
They opportunity to show them all what we thought of them has been missed again

[Talpino]

Why do these politicians seem to think that waving a cheque and saying sorry makes everything O.K ? If I commit fraud or steal something and the Police come knocking at my door, expressions of regret are not going to keep me out prison.

[Shafted]

Looks like the gravy train has been derailed.

[Graham Beale]

Most businesses are expected to provide a wage and travelling expenses, if the latter is for doing the job. Overnight accommodation is also paid for, if it after 10pm and the people concerned would have more than one hours travelling back home. This is not because the firm is being soft, but for health and safety reasons and the firm needing them to be switched on the following morning. No one wants tired, yawning excecutives making important decisions that could be costly later on. Lets get a move on and get these things changed for the better and get on with running the country properly.

[elizabeth allan]

How can we respect any of our Ministers anymore? They are all guilty of taking the tax payers for a ride and SHOULD be made to pay back expenses claimed immorally. THE RULES MUST BE CHANGED IMMEDIATELY- Now NOT at some later date.

[John Cooper]

It is amazing, these MPs repaying money within and without of the rules that they have claimed are all saying Oh So Sorry. THEY HAVE NO PLACE BEING MPs RUNNING OUR COUNTRY WHEN THEY CANNOT RUN THEIR OWN FINANCES. They all need to go. As for the others, who have been reasonable, but kept quiet, I am afraid their loss is called collateral damage.

[Helpless]

But its the lies told to get the money like stating a room in your sister's home is your main home while your husband and children live in another. What a whopper?

[mike o]

I know a second home that all the MP's can share at a fraction of the cost to the taxpayer. It has all mod cons, tv, games rooms, free food and drink etc..........it's called PRISON!

[Kitty]

Katie - I have never done any of the things you mention. I work for a small wage in an NHS hospital and I have never taken as much as a paperclip. I have never taken towels from a hotel and if I don't use their shampoo, I leave the bottles where they are. I have never claimed benefit or anything I am not entitled to. I have never taken a day off when I wasn't too ill to work, or left early without making that time up. I pay my way and it is difficult, but I can hold my hand up and say I have never stolen or cheated anyone. Thank you!

Just because people 'can' doesn't mean they should and these MPs are supposed to be representing us and leading us. Just because, as so many are bleating 'it was allowable' doesn't make it morally right, now does it? And the reason they are paying back is because they have been caught - not many seem to feel they might have been wrong.

[paul]

It is clear that if you have to work in london but live in Manchester that you need a second home to be provided as part of your Job, however like a company car it should be handed back at the time you leave your job.

Simples

[KJ]

Whilst all this outrage against Mp`s expenses is quite rightly justified, people should start looking closer to home; namely their local councillors. My three esteemed councillors who are rarely seen and who contribute very little to the local community claim over £50,000 pounds every year in expenses between them.This is just one community,mulitply this all over the country and I would imagine the total amount claimed would dwarf our MP`s claims.So why isn`t anyone creating uproar over this?

[Mo]

Why should they get ANY expenses for running their EXISTING homes? It's obscene! When normal human beings have to work away from home they don't expect their company to fork out for lavish refurbishments of their main home??!!!

[Miss Winton]

I agree with all the comments that have been made here, and would just like to say that they should NEVER had been allowed to claim all this money in the first place, surely having a nice yearly pay packet for doing nothing is enough already - if they cannot get home through the week, then they should have a big hotel made for them all to stay in and then they cannot claim back anything, they are a DISGRACE to our country, and we honest working public are left to pick up the pieces again !!!!! ITS NOT FAIR !!!

[Dragons G]

I'm above all the things you mentioned. I was once given £5 too much in change at my overpriced work canteen and thought I'd keep it. I handed it back to them within the hour because I simply couldn't do it.

Vote for me!!! :)

[katie]

I assume everyone commenting here is above pocketing money and/or property they find in the street, taking towels, shampoos etc from hotel rooms, working cash in hand and/or working whilst on benefits, fiddling VAT,tax and national insurance due by accepting cash payments for work they do if self-employed, asking shop keepers (like me) to deduct the VAT "as I'm paying cash" etc etc. These MPs do it because they can and there was no-one to say that some of what they were claiming was ridiculous and immoral; but it is interesting the outcry since the country as a whole is littered with people who happily do some or all of the above but think its outrageous when an MP pushes his or her luck on their expenses. It is deplorable what has been claimed by some of them, but those that have never done any of the above are the only ones that can complain in any real way. If you really think MPs should be above all that behaviour then they are just people like the rest of us - some of them push their luck whether rich or not. The system will change but they have all been getting away with it for years.

[Rip Toff]

As to where are the police in all this,They are too busy looking for the whistleblower, or turning up in force to find out who scratched Goodwins car.

[Elaine]

Why should MPs be entitled to expenses anyway, normal working class people don't get that or people who have second homes so why should MPs? They also get paid loads more than us so shouldn't need to claim expenses anyway!!

[Rip Toff]

Just for imformation, the committee that check the expenses consist of 5 people, to see to the claims of 620ish Mp`s. They have said that it is up to the Mp himself to make sure the claim is valid(or we`ll take your word for it mate!) Guess who they work for? they are not independent. As for Illegal, expenses are to "allow an MP to do his job properly" So,buying a barbie or hiring a gardener is fraud. How does not paying capital gains help to do your job? you try doing any of these things to the tax office and see how illegal it is, technically or otherwise.

[Tim Baker]

If I walked into a shop & stole £249.99 from the till & no one noticed,I would go back every day & keep doing it until I got caught, after all if I offered to pay it back would the shopkeeper forgive & forget?
I think not
We should not allow these greedy cheats to get away with it, they should all loose their jobs
The 2nd point is if you as an MP feel you are entitled to all this money why are you now paying it back & how can you afford to pay back up to £40,000 in one go if you have not been stealing this money & hording it.
Perhaps Guy Falkes was right all along.

[sean]

with the amount mps already get for doing the job they do so badly why should the have the right to claim more money on so called expenses , would this happen to the ordinary man or woman who works a damn sight harder for there smaller salery yet still has to suply by there own means every day living expenses .all mps are supposed to represent the people who voted for them not rip them off in this way . if this was the ordinary worker claiming for these expenses would they get then ,i very much doubt it they would soon be investigated for fraud ,wake up you bunch of usless layabouts and join the real world where we all have to live day by day on what we can earn and not steal off the general public

[Janet Disturnal]

If you go back over history people could only become MPs' if they could afford to. Mind you, then they still had corruption!
Can we really hope for a government that thinks that what they have done is ok, when you have people who are losing everything.
We are taught that if you can't afford something you can't have it.
Wake up and listen to what the people are saying.
Get your houses (pardon the pun) in order or pay the consequences as the ordinary person has to.
We would be out of a job if we did this to the degree the MP's have and probably prosecuted.
What a pity all parties seem to have MP's who can't manage on the wage they have and who will we vote for next election?

[Dragons G]

Exactly, my point was that they can't be done for fraud as it isn't fraud and they aren't the same as benefit thieves.

[Brian Avery]

Funny is'nt it that all these MP's keep saying on TV and other media that the present system must be changed. I wonder if that is because they have been caught out at last?

[Dot]

Well, of course not. Why make up rules for claiming money that make you out to be thieves.

Nobody is that daft, not even this set of idiots wev'e got in power at the moment.

[Dragons G]

I don't think that they've actually done anything illegal in a technical sense.

The claims are put in to be authorised by another body. The department/person who's being authorising these crazy claims should have a hell of a lot to answer for.

What they did was immoral but not illegal.

[Anidea]

Just like most of the other comments on our MPs expenses I am beside myself with rage at the shear disregard and contempt for the British public shown by the self serving and greed driven members of Parliament, and with elections on the way both local and European plus next year’s general election just who can we now trust? (Defiantly none of this lot again) but let’s not forget there are still some MPs who were not caught up in this scandal and who still stand for the true values of democracy and Parliament, one such person is Vince Cable, a man of honesty intelligence and integrity who should break away from the Liberal party and form a new political party with the help of other honest members thus giving the British people an alternative come next year’s General Election, this I would welcome as I will never vote for the other 3 again.

[martin]

this pay back is only a smokescreen,the mp's will pay back a fraction of what they have stolen,the law must be changed all mp's must be put on a wage plus travel allowence and that is all that they can claim.and all mp's that have taken advantage must pay every penny back for however long they have been claiming not just 4 years and then they should be prossecuted for fraud

[P.V.]

Test all M.P.s with the same lie-detectors that THEY advocated using on Dole & Invalidity Benefit claimants, and if they fail - prosecute them the same as they would any other liars, frauds and cheats! Shame they banned hanging really isn't it?!
Must dash, I've got to get the moat dry-cleaned and then pick up some tampons for the lads at work!. Must remember to claim my bus fare!

[Dragons G]

I don't they should be entitled to claim anything back whether it's a business expense or not.

They already earn enough money to live like lords without us paying to clean their moats.

I earn a little over 15k per annum before tax and have to cover all my own expenses such as travel costs, rent, maintenance, sanitary towels etc.

If you took away all these perks that come with being an MP you'd soon see how many of them did the job because they actually cared!!!

[Shafted]

Actually, I can quite forgive the MP who had his moat cleaned on the tax payer.

How can he get down to doing this if he has to be in London?

Water has to be kept clean and germ free.

What I really get upset about are those who buy and sell properties using taxpayers money and keeping the difference for themselves.

This is the money that should go back into the pot. The money is there to help not to make a profit especially, like the MP in Luton who bought three houses and is now a Landlord. These should be sold and the money given back to the taxpayers funding pot.

[Daisy May]

People may not agree with this, but I think that MP's don't really get a large enough basic salary for the job, compared to what lots of other senior people get in private enterprise, but they use allowances to make it up. And no I don't really like MP's. Allowances that THEY decide for themselves may I say - Oh for Utopia for us all. So I suggest increasing their salary to, say £90,000 per year BUT, AND IT'S A BIG BUT....

They work half in their constituency, and half at Westminster, so give them half of this for the constituency work (their constituents will make sure they work for it), but the other half is based on attendance at Westminster, doing government work, and being there for full days not just clocking in and then vanishing for a jolly day out. So they get the second half paid proportionately to their attendance.

EJH has got it just right - travel expenses, plus fair and reasonable accommodation costs in London (WHEN they attend), and NO MORE.

On the other hand, how about a useful and beneficial job creation scheme during the recession?. Build a few government owned hostels, or whatever you care to call them, that MP's can stay in overnight. If they're not good enough for them then they can stay elsewhere totally at their OWN expense. They only officially need accommodation for themselves anyway, not for family and friends.

With all of this you would get MP's who were there to SERVE their country and the people, not just for their own benefit.

On that point how does an MP justify having a constituency house in Luton, a house in Kensington, and a Second Home in Southampton?. The latter has nothing at all to do with her paid job?. But then why not get it renovated at someone else's expense?. She's obviously got LOTS of money anyway. Which brings us back to Utopia again.

[ann marie]

Do they not see what they have done, people are losing jobs, homes, familys and in the worst case taking their own lives. These people are claiming more in expences then the average person earns in 2 to 3 years how dare they sit there are dictate wat we need to live on. They have all just proven in black and white they dont give a damn about us.

[Bill Badger]

....and another thing: Will the Taxman be brought in to determine which, if any, of the claimed expenses are 'Wholly, exclusively and necessary in the performance of their business'? If the ministers are not paying tax on many of the stated claims, surely we have to be talking of fraud....!

[les lee]

"now most of us realise just why this government above all others conspired to "dumb down" its scoolchildren and initiate a politically correct way of explaining ones actions and speech in order that the populace will be unable to comprehend the gravity of inept government actions untill it is far too late to do anything about it"
i saw this remark on frc and i can actually see the growing wisdom of the words ...

[Rip Toff]

Every single person who is offended by this CRIME, should keep all this in mind for the future.Not one of these parasites have lost their jobs and dispite all the hot air nothing has been done to change things. The only reason any of them are "slowly" starting to admit how things have been, is because they need to close the book before the election.That day is the pay back, you will not find one honest MP (most of them still think they have done no wrong!!) not one person should vote until things are put very right. No second homes unless self financed, no allowances of any kind ( board should be provided,as should the jobs they give their hangers on) Standard 40p travel allowance and a slightly increased wage. I think though that given a week or so and a few cheques signed, everything will go back to normal, anybody writting about Fred Goodwin these days?
DON`T VOTE FOR ANY OF THEM as Billy Connolly says "it only encourages them!

[Bill Badger]

Unemployed claiming Jobseekers Allowance are told by Jobcentre Plus that they have to go after jobs that are within 90 minutes travelling time. (Government rules!). Will they be eligible for second homes if they are luck enough to get the job?

[Dave]

And that is just what they want Madkat.
They want you to leave the country , in turn you,ll be replaced with dregs from other societies , the workshy , the degenerates , the sheep .
That way they have total control , reliant on the state .
Stand and fight for what is yours , together we can bring the whole corrupt system crashing to its knees .
We are in desperate trouble , we need the likes of you here .

[Sue]

I agree with almost everyone who has commented here. How dare they! Who do they think they are! Are they above the law! Make them pay all the outrageous expenses back then give all the tax payers a tax rebate to spend as they wish. Perhaps this money would stimulate the failing economy. I have to pay travel expenses to get to my job as do most of the rest of the working population and we have to justify any other expenses before getting the money back. Because of this rotten government and the useless banks I got no pay rise this year or bonus. I am lucky to still have a job for which I am grateful. If any politician sets foot on my doorstep I won't be responsible for my actions. They had better keep their heads down.

[madkat]

Perhaps all the MPs who DID NOT claim anything should be the ones running the country as they appear to have morals!!!

[madkat]

ALL goverment parties are corrupt liars, we need decent, honest people to run this country and they are becoming few and far between.
Most people are greedy and just out for what they can get.
I cant wait to move my family and my business abroad....

[Shafted]

What about the monies they made from the sale of properties bought and renovated by taxpayers' money. That should also be repaid.

[madkat]

why do they get expenses anyway? the rest of us have to pay if we want to keep our jobs. bless them, they have to have a second home because their main home is just down the road and they have to do 12 hour days..WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD.
They should all have to pay back every single penny when they sell their second homes or leave the job.
What about doctors, nurses, police, firemen/women who work 12-15 hr shifts, can they claim expenses too?
They are entitled to it more than some pompus MP!

[doug]

Where are the police in all
this

[les lee]

russell , further to one of my last posts ...
what the scottish mp,s within the government and scotland itself are angling for (in their attempts to destroy england)
is that when and if england is reduced to being only REGION 9 within the european union.. scotland will take over the mantle of prime mover within what used to be known as the british isles ......
however that being what it is i must say that mr and mrs ordinary that live in either scotland , england , wales and northern ireland usually have no gripe with one another but only with the relevant politicians of all parties ..... proving i believe that it is the politicians of this land that are the real problem with society and not the ordinary citizens of the united kingdom who , by and large are able to co-habit with one and other extremely well not withstanding the historical banter between them which is mostly never really rascial ....

[EJH]

Tempers are running high over this issue and rightly so. Our elected representatives have proved themselves no more than a rabble of thieving parasites.
The current system cannot continue unreformed.
MPs should be able to claim reasonable expenses caused by their jobs:

1. Travel costs (at standard rate) to and from Parliament.
2. Accommodation and living expenses (to a max of £100 a night) in London. (No expenses for second or third homes).
3. Office expenses (with secretarial assistance provided by an independent agency - ie no relatives or friends of MPs).

No other expenses should be paid.

All expenses should be receipted and all receipts checked by an independent body before payment.

I believe such reforms would bring MPs back in line with the bulk of the rest of the country and help to restore faith in Parliament.

[Andrew]

All of this expenses scandal (along with so many other totally wrong pracitices that MPs and our "betters" enage in) only confirms to me that most MPs are just in it "for what they can get".
They are dishonest, lying, cheating and totally selfish.
And these are often the ones who are so quick to accuse and deride those who are "benefits cheats" etc.
So is it surprising that the rest of us do similar things? Maybe MPs need to have a good look at "leading by example"? These comments from someone who feels he is very honest and is STRUGGLING to live on ESA etc because of an accident that was no fault of my own.
Maybe I should just follow their example and fiddle the system?
Difference would be, of course, that, if I got caught, I would be derided and probably go to jail.

[Peter Lewis]

David Cameron is all talk and no substance.

I still donot know what the Tories stand for and he has no high political office experience.

He may be the party leader but the Consetvatives should replace him with a more credible candidate.

Most people are sick and tired of the Labour party but donot forget it was not that long ago we were tired of Tory sleeze.

Its better to have somebody you know in power than a total unknown who will promise you the earth and will be equally corrupt as the Labour party.

With the current downright dishonesty of being caught redhanded in fiddling expense claims of the majority of Mps i willnot vote for any party because i donot think they are worthy of my vote.

The most gauling aspect of it all is that the very mps who set the rules of expenses feel they are doing nothing wrong.

Have these politicians no shame,they have been caught red handed and should suffer the consequences at the next election.

[John Holt]

Did anyone else notice something strange about the cheque that Hazel Blears was apparently giving to HM Revenue. There were no payee deatils. Perhaps she had used invisible ink, and it had already started fading. I hope she doesn't actually think that she has now cleansed herself and now everything is allright again. What a pity it is that we have to have MP's.

[Daisy May]

It's all a case of 'much wants more', especially when someone else is paying - plain simple money grabbing. As for the "much" part, do you realise that an MP who has been there since this lot came to power has accrued the same pension, at the taxpayers expense, as the average working person (the same taxpayer) will accrue in the WHOLE of their working life?.

[Russell]

Janis....

4.Don't vote Labour, Conservative or Liberal.

[pete]

I think all tax payers should get together put in loads of money in a pot hire the best lawyer in the world and take all mps to court they sould all lose there jobs and not be able to work withing the government again.

[russell - shrewsbury]

I think what i am hearing via the news about what the M.P.s are claiming for is a crime against the taxpayer.
These people tell us what we can and can't do in society, they're nothing but hypocrits.
I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg, why don't we go back say, 10 years and find out where all the monies they have claimed has been wasted. Every single penny of unjust claims should be paid back "WITH INTEREST"
If one M.P. can afford to pay back £40,000 plus, it just goes to show they didn't need the money in the first place.
I would like to know just how much in total over the last ten years the taxpayer has been robbed by these unjust claims, they know what they have been doing, and i think this should be investigated. If I was seen to be making an unjust and possibly fraudulent claim in my place of work, and was found out "I WOULD BE SACKED ON THE SPOT"

[Rikster]

Is this not all just as bad as benefit cheats?? We pay for those cheating liars to get their money as much as we pay for the MP's to get theirs!! They get prosecuted for this FRAUD, so why do our MP's not?? This is the same thing, they are FRAUDULENTLY taking money from the ordinary taxpayer of the UK. Maybe they could lower our taxes if they sorted out their own house & stopped it happening??

[Janis]

I think these MPs are all quilty of fraud, and for the rest of the population that carries a prison sentence, Why should this crew of theives and bandits get away with it, They make the rules and they should endorse them,
If they can't why should the rest of us, there are people out there loosing thier homes as we speak (through no fault of their own)while these lot are shafting us all with thier string of second homes, and who the xxxx needs a moat and a hellipad, get real, and this is really nothing new, it's been going on for years, it's time for change.
1.Make them pay ALL the money back.
2.Sack them.
3. Give them community Service.

[alan walker]

They still dont get it, "we've", done nothing wrong,they call.But morally they are obscene and these are the people we are supposed to trust to run the country. Is there any wonder that we are in such a bleak position they can't even run themselves. Draconian measures should be brought in,not by themselves but by the tax office or custom and excise, now they got powers to police them. Straight flat rate for staying overnight if attending parliment and travel expenses, full stop.Finally the worst culprits should be expelled without a golden handshake.

[Daisy May]

For those of you who think that Mrs.Blears is being a 'goody goody' by paying back the equivalent of the Capital Gains Tax on her second property sale just remember that this is only 18% of the profit (less the £9,600 annual CGT allowance) so even after paying this money back she has still pocketted over £70,000 profit out of the downtrodden taxpayer.

[tony]

Money Money Money its a rich MPs world,why use your own money when the tax payer will provide for all your needs.

[Mike O]

Now that all the crooks, commonly known as MP's, have been found out, wouldn't you think they would try and manage that word that no MP is capable of.."sorry"
They are a bunch of parasite's...and I mean MP's from all the parties.
Blear's, it would have been better if you had said, on the news, that you regretted theiving money from the taxpayer instead of saying that "you had decided to pay the money back" at the same time as flashing a cheesey smile! The politicians of the UK are a two-faced lot. Not long ago they were bleating about the crooked bankers. I think that all MP's who have been caught out should now be sacked and face criminal proceedings. They are a shambolic mob.

[Angry]

The politicians have decided that as a full time carer for a family member I should be "rewarded" with £50.55 per week topped up with income support of £37.70.I am on site 24hrs a day 7 days a week. As an hourly rate I think it falls just short of the national min wage!The leaders are giving the impression this year is the first time claims like this have been submitted,
Lets have a table showing the totals claimed by individuals year on year since they joined the parties and profits made from house sales etc without any deleted items.As for salary ,lets pay them the national average wage,house them in a dedicated (modest) hotel near the commons when in London and allocate a room in local council offices for constituency work.Assistance can be provided nationally by a dedicated temp agency paid for by the governmentI think this will identify those in the job for the betterment of Britain.

[Audrey]

When I had to work away from home because it was too far to get home of a night, the company paid for my board and lodging for the night - at a reasonable and capped rate, not a 5* hotel! and the cost of travel from home and back which was over my normal travelling distance. Why is this not applied to MPs? Much of the time, they are not even in the House of Commons, and are in their constituencies. That way, they could only claim extra expenses above their normal living costs, and not for a second home. Also, why are they allowed to claim food? Don't they eat when they live at home? These are normal expenses, not extra because of their job! Scrap attendance allowances also, as if you are in work, you have to attend to do your job! Why are they given extra to do something that is a pre-requisite of employment? They already earn very high salaries. If they want to live in castles or mansions in leafy suburbs, or many miles away from London, that is their choice and they pay for it like the rest of us would have to. Public money (taxes) should be used for public services not to enhance their lifestyle.

[Russell]

les lee.......you talk of insurgents destroying the fabric of Britain yet in your previous postings you want to bannish the Scots.......or is Britain actually England in your eyes.
Agree with you on Enoch Powell mind you.......

[Denis]

Why do we need 646 members of Parliament, surely this country could be run with far less

[Sickantired.]

How dare they try and divert attention by hunting for the whistle blower.
That person derserves an MBE.
I want to see a list of MPs who DIDN'T claim anything. It will be a much shorter list (if there are any names on it at all) and we will be able to see who did what was right when all around them were gleefully cleaning their moats, renovating luxury flats for their daughters and changing addresses to avoid capital gains tax.

[denise turner]

I think it is disgusting, my partner and i are strugling to make ends meet and he workes for the tax office. we only get £20.000 per year between us and government get much more. I have always said that polititions are just out for themselves and this just confirmes it, why should they get expences at all, no one else does, other people have to move for work why cant they. or just rent accommodation when they need to be in london.

[Graham Beale]

It is a shame that David Cameron has been found out so early before the elections. What is so sad is that nomatter how much money people get, it is never enough. His whiter than white has backfired. Give them the same as the Irish, £80,000 and travelling expences. Lets hope that will bring in some sensible,and reliable men and women who can do the job instead of sniping. Think of better ways of doing every item the Government come up with, then it would be far better for all.

[james]

why is David Cameron against Gordon Browns plan to publish the whole claims for the last four years, we should be able to see so that the people the telegraph tipped of that this was coming out have not been able to cover their tracks

[Jeff Thomas]

Whatever the outcome of the "Finance's Fiasco" I'm sure that the people of this country will have very short memories come the next election and forget what the state of this country was like under the last 3 tory politicians, and they will put the tories back into power once again. God forbid. This Labour Government is not perfect by a million miles but by damn they aren't quite so corrupt as the Hooray Henry's.

[sap]

After all the fuss dies down - the MP's will be back riding the gravy train, is it not best to give them a fixed allowance and that is the amount they rcv and no more after all how many "normal" people commute to work and pay for it out of wages no 2nd homes for the vast majority - question do the MP's pay tax on these payments - as in my view they are a benefit in Kind and taxable?!

[mike]

why should any mp's not in power claim expenses, it seems everybody is on the bandwagon,if i had to relocate for a job i am sure the company would not pay my expenses for a second home,i do not think they are bothered how the country is, but just make sure their bank balance is okay

[stuart]

I think all the dodgy expenses claims should be paid back with imediate effect. Also any MP who has persistantly been claiming for luxury items should be prosecuted for theft and sacked from parliament.
Just think they will be so many by-elections we wouldn't need a general election to remove the unelected buffoon and his unelected side kick Mandelson.
We have elections coming up in the next few weeks, use your vote to protest vote and show our displeasure at what has become Conservative Sleaze Mark 2.

[Mike T]

Well, Malcolm.

My comprehension of the English language is fine. I'm particularly good at comprehending the finer nuances of the fudge and spin that we have become accustomed to hearing from our politicians and their apologists.

The Blears woman together with the whole pack of them will be going before the biggest jury in the land this time next year. We'll see what the verdict is then.

Your post betrays a twisted sense of entitlement that has become all too common over the past several years. Politicians have been stealing money that they weren't entitled to and you say that we should "move on". In other words, pretend it never happened and let them get away with it. You then refer to the "disgraceful system" of paying pensions and age-related benefits to British people who no longer live in the UK. These payments are in fact money that these people have earned by working and paying their taxes. It is THEIR money, regardless of where they now live. Anyone who fails to see the difference between the two groups can only be a Labour supporter.

[Bob]

les lee , Winston Churchill was one of the biggest traitors this country and Europe has ever seen . Do your homework.

[Derek T Dobson]

Do you remember Donnygate, local councillors were take to court and stripped of there positions in there respective political party and Doncaster Council, why are MPs treated differently, surly this is tax payers money and they should be taken to court and if found guilty removed as MPs from the respective political party. Don’t understand the difference between local councillors and MPs

[les lee]

what this country has needed for years is
(1) a new oliver cromwell .... for his ability to purge the parliamentary process of those that are in contempt of those they purport to serve... liars, thieves and self serving cheats !
(2) a new enoch powell ...
for his prophetic vision of britain in the 21st century .
despite those that would refuse to acknowledge the full (and true)meaning of his speech without resorting to censoring the parts of it which did not conform to their own way of destroying this country.........
and of course (3) winston churchill.....
for his ability to take all forms of britishness and mould it into one of national pride and therefore the ability to repel all forms of insurgency designed to destroy the fabric of britain and its resourcefulness

[Malcolm]

Mike, in the last post you said, "That annoying Blears woman admitted on TV this evening that she defrauded the Inland Revenue of £13,332 in Capital Gains Tax ..." She did no such thing and you know it - unless your comprehension of the English language is very limited. Like other politicians she simply agreed to pay back the contentious money.

It amazes me how the gist of the preceeding posts here is to dismiss the Tory junket as being Labour's fault. They are ALL at the trough and if WE were politicians so would we be, simply because the system allows it. The system is now exposed and subject to change.

The end of a disgraceful episode - lets stop our hysterical hypocracy and move on now. Let's look at how many millions of pounds in state pension, heating allowance, etc are being sent every day to ex-pat British people who no longer live here. Another disgraceful system that is sucking huge sums out of the UK economy.

[Mike T]

That annoying Blears woman admitted on TV this evening that she defrauded the Inland Revenue of £13,332 in Capital Gains Tax by re-designating "one of" her homes for the purpose before selling it. This confession was accompanied by her proudly waving a cheque for that amount which she said was going to be posted to the taxman immediately.

Will she be getting a visit from Plod? No way. Her mate Jacquie "Boots" is keeping Plod busy looking for whoever leaked the details of her tax evasion to the Daily Telegraph.

"Soft on crime and soft on the causes of crime" has been the Labour policy for 12 years. Now we know why.

[Jason]

Does anyone know the actual numbers of millionaire MPs in each of the main parties? I can't find any reliable figures but from what I've picked up from newspaper articles, etc I've got a strong suspicion that it's Labour that's got the most.

[Andy]

"... not just a party for the rich", eh?

Which party is that, Simon? Could it be Labour with its 11 millionaire MPs that I know of (there's quite likely a lot more of them) including Shaun Woodward, said to be the only British MP with his own butler.

And these are the characters who pretend to represent the "ordinary people" of the UK. Contemptible hypocrisy by both the Socialists and the grubby elements of the media who spin the news for them.

[Bob]

Smash communism and capitalism and bring back the rope .
Lets start afresh with Nationalism and paganism at the healm , just as we were ,just as nature intended, before we were deceived by the chosen few.

[martin]

if the ordinary person loses his job and claims dole and finds that he cant live on the money he will take on part time work to help his familly and if he gets caught he loses his benefits and poss ends up in court and fined.MP'S are parasites they are greedy,second homes should be scrapped and all the money that we have given them returned to the people,if they want to go to london they should get up early like the ordinery people have to do.if they don't want to do the job there are plenty of honest people that can and will do it.all mp are dishonest they think they are above the law and when they get caught they say it was a mistake.they should be prosecuted and jailed they are greedy bastards.get rid of them all and start again.let the people have decent lives again
we should not have to struggle
the MP'S don't why should we

[Equilibrium]

'....David Cameron has done his level best to convince people that this is a new, different Conservative party – not just a party for the rich, not just the privileged continuing to feather their already massive nests at the expense of the punters.......'

David Cameron has not personally claimed anything he should not have, unlike Gordon and most of his cabinet. David Cameron has vowed to check all Tory's claims and make them pay back anything that is excessive, whereas Gordon has said that he accepts his party members lame excuses. The labour party tries to con the electorate that they are the 'peoples party' and then robs them blind. Trying to divert the flack from your beloved labour party won't work, there's much more that makes them unelectable.

[Shafted]

I wonder how the 2.2 million unemployed will vote.

[englishman]

Now is the ideal time to show that crooked lot at Westminster exactly what we think of them. Do NOT vote in the coming European elections for any candidate standing for the three main parties, but DO vote for any alternative party. The same should apply to the coming General Election.

[sodit]

Laboour or Tory is like being between the devil and the deep blue sea. The people of this country will show their contempt for one or the other, or both, in the Euro MEP vote next month. There are other political parties beside the two named.

[Peter]

It won't wash, Simon.

Just like Greg yesterday and the BBC, Guardian, etc ever since the expenses story broke, you are trying to "bury bad news" for Labour by picking up on what the Tories have been up to while Gordon and his buddies had their snouts buried in the trough.

But it was Labour that created and got re-elected on the "money for nothing" culture that has corrupted Parliament and ruined the country. They were the people in charge while the money-grubbing was going on and they were happy to let it run so long as it bought them votes.

Now the wheels have fallen off and the squealing has begun. But the voters aren't as stupid as you and other Labour spin merchants seem to think. They know where the blame lies and will prove it at the election.

[Dotty]

Well, that's as may be but none of the Tories can expect to top Jaqui Smith and her plug and porno films and her sister's tax free money while still being the Home Secretary. That really is shooting yourself in the foot.

None of this lot can beat that.

[mike]

Well done to the Daily Telegraph for exposing, once and for all, the cheating, thieving, two faced members of the public collectively known as Politicians.
This sort of thing has gone on for centuries amongst the priviliged of society so it's about time they were made to hang their heads in disgrace....not that they will because they don't think they have done anything wrong!
Dear MP's, you certainly know how to take the mickey out of the electorate. You should all be prosecuted and given time inside.......or maybe not as most of you would probably claim it as your second home!!