Comments on: Updated: Gay Minister Ben Bradshaw 'claimed full mortgage interest for home he only half owns'

By: Gonzo

Gonzo — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:55:07 +0000

This is scandalous, we should be marching in the streets against this bullshit. I hope people turn to parties like the Greens in the elections, but I fear most people just won't both voting at all.

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By: John F

John F — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:30:08 +0000

Sister Mary C – Indeed. I had over 20 years experience of turning up for debates (and supporting ministers for a good few of those years) and was always shocked at how empty the chamber could be. It was often at odds with their assertion that they needed to be close to Westminster. Ah well – lets see what happens now the blue touch paper has been lit !!

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By: John F

John F — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:26:29 +0000

Sister Mary C – Indeed! I had over 20 years of turning up to various debates (and supporting Ministers a good part of the time) and was always quite shocked at the low attendance that always seemed to be at odds with their assertion that they needed to be close to Westminster. Ah well – lets see what happens now that the blue touch paper has been lit!

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By: Sister Mary Clarence

Sister Mary Clarence — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:07:56 +0000

John F – if you check the attendance figures they don't, but that's a whole difference can of worms I expect we're going to have our heads thrust into in the near future.

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By: John F

John F — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:19:50 +0000

Sister Mary C. Yep I see with your point. I was highlighting the point that most of the married MPs probably claim second home alloawances without a thought as to whether they fully own them or are co-owned with their wives.

Another point though – in this technological age why do we need so many of the MPs and Ministers to be hovering around Westminster and have to rush in to physically vote. Surely there can be a secure system that would enable them to register their vote electronically so that they don't have to interrupt meetings etc and/or rush off to vote late at night.

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By: Sister Mary Clarence

Sister Mary Clarence — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:45:29 +0000

John F, I think the idea of a London second home for a non-London MP is to provide a resting place when they have early or late night sessions in parliament. His main home should be in his constituency (where he was voted in) and surely if he was setting up home with his partner, this is where the jointly owned property should have been. It suggests we are also paying for cheap digs for his partner.

It probably is within the rules, but the perception to most of the public is that they have all been doing rather too nicely out of 'the rules'

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By: Sister Mary Clarence

Sister Mary Clarence — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:39:03 +0000

wossname – I think the issue is that as the party of government, it was within their gift to change the regulations, and whilst they are doing so now they didn't really make much attempt to previously. Although notably the last time they did, about 30 Labour front benchers voted against the changes and I'm not sure whether Chancellor Brown actually voted at all.

It is true that they have all been at it but its just more evidence that Labour haven't missed a swindling trick in the book. Hopefully we'll get a party by party breakdown of whose been at it the most at some time in the future, but there are a few Labour MPs standing out as right robbing f**kers just now.

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By: Joe Johnston

Joe Johnston — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:41:13 +0000

Here's another free-loader fiddling the system and yes, he's one of our gay community unfortunately – Dr Malcolm Jack, the Clerk of the Commons.
When 62-year-old Dr Jack became Clerk in 2006 he moved into 3 Parliament Street, a plum grace-and-favour home opposite the Commons worth £2.8million. In the same year, the Westminster authorities spent £100,000 on a lavish redecoration of the property, adding sparkling new features which included a £39,000 kitchen, bespoke furniture, a butler's tray, flat-screen television and two ionic columns costing £963.
He also benefited from furniture polishing in the 'patio area', a £1,500 black slate hearth and 'knife-pleat empire lamp shades' at £158 a time.
MPs were furious about the expenditure – ironically, given the current furore about their claims – because the spending had not been approved by them.
Parliamentary officials said the cost of the refurbishment was below the threshold necessary for approval by MPs.
Dr Jack is the Commons official who called in the police over the leak of MPs' expenses and splits his time between four homes in three countries worth an estimated £4.5million.
Jack seems to think the whistleblowers who have exposed the scandal of MPs 'expenses' are criminals else why call in the police. The rest of us think the MPs are a bunch of free – loading crooks and fraudsters (with some honourable exceptions).

Some people might even have opinions about Dr Jack and his 'expenses' too but I couldn't possibly comment

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By: AdrianT

AdrianT — Sat, 09 May 2009 20:41:32 +0000

Ring a ring o' Roses
A party full of posers

An issue! An issue!
We all fall down.

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By: John F

John F — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Whatever you think of the second homes allowance system – a system introduced 20 or so years ago to save the 'embarrassment' of upping MPs wages – there seems nothing particularly odd to me of a gay man in a partnership claiming the allowance for his second home. Would we question the right of every straight and married MP who similarly claimed even though the houses may be in joint names with their wives?

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By: vulpus_rex

vulpus_rex — Sat, 09 May 2009 17:15:24 +0000

"these two saddos"

Are you not ashamed of your hypocrisy? I would be if started hurling insults and then whinged like a child when someone defends themselves.

Now, the one thing that bullies like you hate more then anything is being ignored. Let's give that a try.

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By: wossname

wossname — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:25:41 +0000

Embarrass myself? Blimey, pot meet kettle. Look, you've deliberately set out to taunt me with these infantile "sorry for being Gay" taunts, I've invited you to prove it, you haven't, you've pointedly ignored my invitations to do so and I've repudiated your insults entirely. Now? Now you try your old trick of raising another issue to cloud the one you've just come unstuck on. You must be a politician after all. And that's about as big an insult as I could possibly make.

The one thing I am guilty of is rising to the taunts of you and clarence and I apologise to the rest of the readers on here for that and it won't be happening again as I don't plan to be your entertainment on these boards any longer.

I'm not going anywhere, mind, I'll just be ignoring you and your mate.

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By: vulpus_rex

vulpus_rex — Sat, 09 May 2009 12:48:39 +0000

"These two Saddos"

Wossname – Practice what you preach you hypocrite, or just shut up as otherwise you just embarass yourself.

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By: wossname

wossname — Sat, 09 May 2009 12:28:14 +0000

You know, vulpas, I'm beginning to get a little sick of your tiresome rants about being sorry for being Gay. This site is searchable by various search engines. Show me one instance of having said that, at any time. If you can't put up, shut up.

Just for your information, I am a Proud Transwoman in a Civil Partnership with another Proud Transwoman and our Ceremony was given both local and national coverage in the press. We are both out and Proud and live our lives accordingly and if anyone gives us grief over our lives they answer to me. I don't and won't melt into the crowd like some Gay men do when the homophobes are out and about. Some of us do more than just talk about it.

So stop your infantile name calling, go back to your little den and think about growing up or at least, think about reaching adolescence.

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By: ron753

ron753 — Sat, 09 May 2009 12:11:24 +0000

I suppose that we should not assume that just being gay makes you honest. This is just another MP (albeit gay) with his snout in the trough. What has gone on concerning parliamentary expenses is a criminal conspiracy and should be the subject of a criminal investigation. This Labour bunch of crooks have had 12 years to put the system right if they had been minded to do so, but they have behaved like the greedy rich people, whom they appear to admire.

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By: Brian Burton

Brian Burton — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:42:55 +0000

I defy any one who posts on this site to say they would not do the same as ALL MPs are doing now. If any one of you say you would not start a swindel sheet with the expences office in the 'House' then I will call you LIAR!

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By: vulpus_rex

vulpus_rex — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:09:32 +0000

I love it!

The self hating, sorry for being gay, Wossname can do no better than smear.

No acknowledgement that we are witnessing wild corruption beyond the final days of Rome from Labour, just a bit of bleating and name calling!

How pathetically sad.

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By: wossname

wossname — Sat, 09 May 2009 08:39:05 +0000

You know, if you just went by the comments of clarence and vulpas, you would think it was just Labour MPs on the fiddle. It isn't, the Telegraph has just released the name of the first tory MP, there will be more. I can't wait to see the whitewash these two saddos will attempt, to show how whiter than white the tory part is. Never has been, of course, they know it but it won't stop them from pointing a finger at Labour when their own party has such a fine and unparalleled record of corruption.

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By: vulpus_rex

vulpus_rex — Sat, 09 May 2009 08:06:02 +0000

Oink, Oink

Another new labour pig.

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By: Sister Mary Clarence

Sister Mary Clarence — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:12:01 +0000

oops – 'too'

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