'Would you spend an MP's expenses?' poll discussion

The_old_un_2

Lets start with what an MP is a person you have elected to do your bidding.
Unfortunately once the get in power they forget that we are people they are meant to be working for.
Reasonable expenses are acceptable but when you can claim the same expense each year i.e. a new kitchen then it is time for a reality check.
Being an MP is not a charter to rip off the public and line your own pockets.
lets have a full open public review of the expenses and remove the loop holes and save money and while we are at it lets change the cars that are used to ferry people around to electric from jaguars.

Saucepot

If I was an MP I would not be undone by financial scandals and play it cautious. My ambition would not be undone by money. I'd be the next PM placing myself as the natural leader of the party. I'd be more concerned about sex scandals and ensure my affairs were with female MP's that had as much to lose, rather than researchers.

Labour are always undone by money scandals, the Tories by sex. Tis the way of it.

Working class MP's are attracted to an easy quid, public school boys to a spanking from a leather clad wh0re. As labour have there share of public school sorts and the Tories let anyone in these days, there is bound to be crossovers, but by and large money corrupts labour and sex corrupts the tories.

The liberals are to busy being spit roasted by rent boys or getting drunk, to attain power.

de_la_fox

Thats the reason they have that job in the first place because they know they can milk it to the extreme , the expenses are so high because they were refused a massive pay rise a few years ago . I have to pay to get to and from work , if I fancy a coffee , I again pay for it so why should this all be allowed in expenses .

2nd homes allowance - They should all stay in their own constituencies and their 2nd homes should in the form of halls of residents similar to student accommodation . Save millions of £££££££££££££££££££££££.:beer:

Problem solved - I thank you.

Sami_Bee

kazwookie wrote: »

Honest is A

MP's have been at it for years, (fiddling their expenses, that is) I would guess, and now people are asking how, what and why, they are spending this money it is all coming out in the open.

But while the 'rules' no doubt set by themselves allow it to be claimed for ,they are going to claim for it, they should all be made to go by public transport / live in small flats etc.

Reminds me of the Lord Someone or other, who spent something like £165 per ROLL of wallpaper for his office, what is wrong with a tub of emulsion paint??

I remeber that - i beleive it was because it was for a listed home or something so had to be in keeping.
I think i managed to get paper for my kitchen/diner,stairway and landing for that much in total tho! :money:

I chose B although maybe if I was the type to me an MP then I would be the type to chose A

LondonDiva

gravitytolls wrote: »

I was honest, I chose A. If I was an MP, or any public servant, I would be cocooned within a culture that not only saw nothing wrong with claiming the available allowances, but ositively encouraged it.

I take some exception to this.:mad:

Having worked in a variety of public sector organisations, we have ALWAYS had to present receipts for everyitem you claim and have it signed off by your line manager who would have to justify the purpose of the expense on demand.

I think it is incredible that until recently MPs didn't have to produce a receipt for items and even now if the item is under £250 can get it reimbursed without a receipt. When it comes up, they point to the honorable part of their title and say it's insulting to be closely questioned! Welcome to the world in which the rest of the world lived in. Can you imagine the Treasury's response to a company unable to produce itemised receipts for that proportion of payments to employees?

I went to a training day where I spent the whole day training clinicians etc and then lost my receipt for the train journey. Even though I had handouts and evaluations to support the fact I had been there and for work purposes, it was only signed off by the director after I explained what had happened face to face.

It's one rule for MPs and their cronies and the rest of the public sector get tarred with the same brush. I have brought in supplies from home at times because we phased out petty cash and it's too much hassle to print off an expense form and wait till the end of the month to get money back for 4 batteries.

sh856531

de_la_fox wrote: »

Thats the reason they have that job in the first place because they know they can milk it to the extreme , the expenses are so high because they were refused a massive pay rise a few years ago . I have to pay to get to and from work , if I fancy a coffee , I again pay for it so why should this all be allowed in expenses .

2nd homes allowance - They should all stay in their own constituencies and their 2nd homes should in the form of halls of residents similar to student accommodation . Save millions of £££££££££££££££££££££££.:beer:

Problem solved - I thank you.

> Thats the reason they have that job in the first place because they know they can milk it to the extreme

Proof?

> the expenses are so high because they were refused a massive pay rise a few years ago

Proof?

I bet half the people on this board have never even met a politician -nevermind actually gone to parliament to see what they do on a day to day basis.

The media sure does a good job of whipping the chattering masses into a frenzy...

S

SirGoodKnightIn

If you are honest you wouldn't be an MP!!!
The only answer befitting these Pinnochios is A. I've had the misfortune to sit with these jokers in committees in the Palace of Westminster. If you asked how they were they would look to their political advisers as to how to answer.
Too few (possibly as few as two) MPs enter Parliament as a career break to serve their fellow man. The herd (or flock) enter Parliament by being parachuted into their seat by their party with no natural business, cultural, family, educational connection to their constituency. They enter politics as a means to serve their party and serve their bank balance and nothing else. The educated ones think "vocation" is a typo for holiday.

Don't get me started on the illusion of democracy with or tracable ballot papers but never a vote on who our political masters are to be.

Any of you who think an MP could answer the question truthfully other than A is either seriously misguided, seriously misrepresented or seriously naive.

SirGoodKnightIn

Why should MPs get an allowance for loosing their seat. Or for that matter a minister for loosing or giving up or being sacked from their post. I thought the new mantra was "No reward for failure"

veloo

MSE_Lawrence wrote: »

At £63,000, their salaries are above average, but substantially lower than big business bosses get.

So, are you trying to justify that the MPs are right to overinflate their expenses, because their salaries are "substantially lower than big business bosses"??? It is stupid to compare an MPs salary with the "big business bosses". If MPs wants to make that kind of money, they shouldn't be in public service.

Go become a banker! At least you won't be squirelling off the tax-payers.

stevemcol

I work in the private sector and I hate it when people abuse, or even push to the limit, their expenses. It's just greed. I look for a good deal whether I'm spending my own money or someone else's.
When MPs say they haven't broken the rules it gets my hackles up immediately. You shouldn't need a set of rules to know right from wrong.