Monday 25 May 2009

Come back Derek, all is forgiven

Remember all that sanctimonious crap from New Labour about Tory trougher Derek Conway?

In January 2008 we found out that Derek employed his son, a full-time student at Newcastle University, as a political researcher. However, his wages were paid from public funds. Unfortunately for Derek, there was no record of his son actually doing any work to merit his salary.

New Labour frothed at the mouth, demanding action. David Cameron was in an obliging mood and withdrew the whip from Mr. Conway, effectively expelling him from the Conservative party.

Thanks to the Telegraph, we find out that hundreds of MPs were engaged in activities at least as shameful as Derek's attempt to pass on his family responsibilities onto the state. However, the righteous New Labour anger is muted. Likewise, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have bit their collective tongues.

The House of Hypocrites is strangely silent.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

So the news is full of people standing town or leaving their various parties, heads lowered in shame.
What's less reported is how this institutionalized mindset happens in the first place - that there's one rule for us, a different rule for MP's.
How will this be addressed so it doesn't just repeat itself in 5+ years time?

Seema said...

Only a handful have stood down. The vast majority are trying to stick it out, hoping that public rage will subside.

Bill Quango MP said...

Quite, no more than ten saying the game is up so far?
What's that? 1.5%?

Mark Wadsworth said...

Good point.

But people have lost all sense of proportion - the few £ million that MPs bank every year personally is rather less than 1.5% of the amount that they shovel in the general direction of their favourite quangos and fakecharities (that cost the best part of £100 BILLION).

Fred said...

This isn't about expenses, its the only way they could figure out how to get the UK to leave the EU.

sobers said...

I agree with MW. This is all very entertaining, but in reality just a smokescreen for how badly the economy is being run, how much money the govt wastes every minute (many, many times MPs dodgy claims), how close we are to utter bankrupcy as a nation. That is where the public's anger should be directed. Instead we all shake our fists at the MPs for claiming for plasma TVs and moats. Classic sleight of hand tactics. Look at this hand, and miss what the other is doing.

And if we were really honest with ourselves, we would admit we would do exactly the same as the MPs have done. People do it all the time with respect to benefits. The attitude of 'I'm entitled to it, the rules say so, so I'll claim it' with no regard to whether you actually need or deserve it. People work for cash in hand, to avoid tax, and claim benefits at the same time. We all like to pay our builders cash to avoid VAT. Very few of us are whiter than white.

Elby the Beserk said...

sobers said... 25 May 2009 18:17

// We all like to pay our builders cash to avoid VAT. Very few of us are whiter than white.
//
And even fewer are MPs. Have to disagree - Caesar's wife and all that. That they even think that their behaviour has been in any way either acceptable or excusable, just because the "system allowed them too" is not good enough. That's no different at all to what the bankers did. No different.

Anonymous said...

How will this be addressed so it doesn't just repeat itself in 5+ years time?By simply paying MPs more and doing away with any expense claims. Timekeeping and payment of staff should be done through a neutral Commons office and on a published pay scale. The end.

This isn't hard to figure out.

Anonymous said...

Sobers. They should provide moral leadership. It appears they are as corrupt as it is possible to be. We head down an ever more slippery slope to the end of civilised society. Most people don't get the opportunity to be corrupt. Most people are on PAYE. What does the troughing tell them?

Why are so many calling for the Queen to take action - she being seen as a paragon? Is it only the working class who care about their country here? I can see a drift to the political "pure", and Im not sure thats a good thing for me me me.

Anonymous said...

Sobers: "People work for cash in hand, to avoid tax .."

A mutual agreement between two people is a matter for the owner of the cash and the owner of the goods or services. Why a third party should strong arm his wedge out of the deal where he adds nothing of value, I don't know.

The situation you describe is not the same as stealing someones money and giving nothing in return. This is what the MPs (in many cases) have done.

Yes, you think the magnitude of the sums are trivial, perhaps they are. But the people who are prepared to treat such relatively trivial sums in such a cavalier fashion, are quite prepared to spend a thousand times more, and be a hundred times as reckless.

A pox of the most virulent kind on them all.

sobers said...

"Sobers: "People work for cash in hand, to avoid tax .."

A mutual agreement between two people is a matter for the owner of the cash and the owner of the goods or services. Why a third party should strong arm his wedge out of the deal where he adds nothing of value, I don't know."

I'd be for removing income tax all together, but don't pretend you can earn cash in hand and not be liable for tax on it as the system stands. Non declaration of income is tax EVASION, not avoidance.

I'm afraid tax evasion is stealing money from the taxpayer just as much as a dodgy MP expenses claim is. By not paying tax on your cash in hand income, you are reducing the govt's tax revenue, and therefore increasing the tax rate on the honest tax payers.

Don't get me wrong, I think what the MPs have been doing is very wrong. But I think a lot of the moral outrage being aired is slightly hypocritical - if our every financial dealing were laid open to public scrutiny I suspect many of us would not be 100% squeeky clean.

Anonymous said...

Sobers: "Non declaration of income is tax EVASION, not avoidance."

I don't dispute it and I wasn't suggesting that one should evade tax.

I was simply making the comment to illustrate a point.

Sobers: "But I think a lot of the moral outrage being aired is slightly hypocritical - if our every financial dealing were laid open to public scrutiny I suspect many of us would not be 100% squeeky clean."

But it seems to have been lost on you, because you don't seem to recognize the distinction between private money and private contracts where the concerned individuals have an interest in the honesty and integrity of the deal.

And by contrast the abuse of tax funds for the private benefit of a civil 'servant'. Which I consider an MP to be.