...for their elected representatives.
Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury
"The moral authority of Parliament is at its lowest ebb in living memory. The latest revelations show it was not just a few MPs with their noses in the trough, but a culture of abuse."
Sir Alistair Graham describing the behaviour of the home secretary, Jacqui Smith
"One has to be careful with the word 'fraudulent'because in the criminal sense there needs to be guilty intent. However, it seems to me there may be intent here and in similar cases that have emerged. People seem to be thinking, 'What's the best way to use the system so I can maximise the personal financial return to myself?'"
Andrew Rawnsley, the Observer
"Under John Major, it was cash for questions. Under Tony Blair, it was cash for coronets. Under Gordon Brown, we reach the suitably bathetic nadir of cash for cleaners."
The Independent Leader article
"Like many of the trivial items for which MPs have claimed, however, they expose a system that is unsustainable. Jacqui Smith's 88p bath plug had already become an object of national ridicule and television satire. To it can now be added the 26p wooden spoon, the £599 bill for servicing a ride-on lawnmower, the £2.50 KitKat and the £10 bag of horse manure, among others."
Nick Cohen, Observer
Shaun Woodward, the richest man in the cabinet, still demanded that the public give him £100,000 in mortgage interest payments. Andy Burnham wanted £16,500 to buy and renovate a London flat. Keith Vaz claimed £75,000 for his flat despite having an expensive home a mere 12 miles away, while Greg Barker, from the Tories, went one better and made £320,000 after buying a flat with the help of taxpayers' money, then selling it on.
The Mail on Sunday
This Parliament has now lost all moral and political authority and ought, by rights, to dissolve itself. It is now not only the Government that has ceased to deserve our trust. So many members of the House of Commons have disgraced themselves so completely that their right to make laws for the rest of us has evaporated.
Norman Baker MP
"Today the reputation of Parliament, of MPs, perhaps even of our democratic system itself, is in tatters. Just when you think it can't get any worse, along comes another battering headline."
Matthew d'Ancona
Why did David Miliband think it was reasonable to claim £199 for a pram and £80 for “baby essentials”? Why did the PM claim for children’s window blinds? Yes, their applications for reimbursement were rejected. But the point is that they made the applications in the first place. I marvel at the detachment and stupidity that this reflects. Both ministers are meant to be very clever. Could they not see how wrong it was to make such claims?
Murdo, Stornaway, UK
"The country has lost its trust and confidence in Parliament. Call an election now and give us a democracy we can believe in."
12 comments:
Damn right this whole government including the opposition have zero authority, they should all resign and let us elect another batch.
Perhaps term limits for Mps are in order. 2 consecutive terms and back to the real world also no pension then we will see who wants to serve and who wants to trough.
The things they do to deflect from the reality of the population as a whole. At last a species more reviled than bankers
So what will the consequences be? Judging by one of your recent post about Hazel Blears, there are no real regrets.
http://ukhousebubble.blogspot.com/2009/05/hazel-blears-is-innocent.html
I wonder how many will not bother to vote at the next election due to disgust with our MPs?
QG,
Hazel Blears is still in denial. She did "nothing wrong", at least that is what she said today.
Alice
But they all apparently "acted within the rules" and "did nothing wrong" - i.e. they lost their moral compass and so certainly no longer deserve to represent the decent majority of the British people
Remind me again why we need a government, at least in this form.
This is one of the joys of living in the dumbed down United States. All we're worrying our little minds with is how we're going to spend the "recovery" loot that they tell us is imminent.
How can we have an election with no opposition party?
And while they were burying their snouts in the trough recidivist yobbery increased by 60% (and those are just the official instances)
Broad daylight early evening, Saturday, my beautiful coastal town:
- A gang of youths drunk on a crate of Stella on the beach stripping off, throwing rocks near cars and people - foul language, intimidating conduct. Families with small children and old relatives sitting down trying to enjoy the sun and pretending that this was not happening.
- A walk to the chip shop with my young boys. Accosted by two drunken middle aged men emerging from a pub totally out of their faces. I brush them off with a 'Yeah - what-eva.'
- A little further up drunken fancy dress party goers (6pm ???) One chap dressed in open bath robe and speedos with swimming cap (not a pretty sight) Loud and brash with his arms round a couple of pensioners out for a strole and his girlfriend (dressed as a hooker) photographing on her mobile. I can tell the OAPs don't really want it. The chap's not violent so I use discretion rather than intervene. I see him leaving the OAPs who are looking quite offended by it all though pretending to be enjoying the 'joke'.
- Later I'm driving my family through the town (7.30 pm) again broad daylight. A football match taking place in the middle of the road. Again - youths drunk and out of their heads on whatever. As I creep through it all the football is kicked hard at my car door and a contorted face appears at my side window "F*** off you c**** !" Wife, her elegant friend and kids on board, for heaven's sake.
I'm stunned. I drive through and we make it to the event. The friend states that she's seen this sort of thing going on regularly now.
I notice that grafitti and beer cans have started to appear everywhere. Telephone boxes are regularly smashed up and angry looking young men saunter around in groups.
It's as though a new generation of thugs has emerged and it scares the hell out of me.
For those of you with a strong enough constitution watch the film Lake Eden. This sort of thing is going on in Britain now.
THIS is what has taken over whilst people were focussed on credit bling and expenses.
It needs sorting out. Sharpish.
Brown appologising on behalf of ALL parties.
Here we go. Neutralising the taint by claiming 'we're all as bad as each other' as I said they would.
This is not a democracy. It's a corrupt one-party state. That party is a club called Parliament.
Parliamentary expenses = hush money
Electro-Kevin,
You need to move....
Alice
Alice,
The Home Beat officer is to pay me a visit soon.
I now want to move very much.
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