Wish I could steal £16k, get away with it and call it a mistake.

[Jon the Hat]

I think you're probably right there, and for me that makes them even less able to represent the people than the current lot.

I'm all for a change of government, or at the very least a change of personnel, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to vote Tory. I'd struggle to be convinced that they have any interest in anything any other than the needs of big business, and pandering to those more than they would have done previously ultimately hasn't helped Labour in the slightest, has it?

Most of them are wealthy becuase they have shown that they are capable people and excelled in their chosen profession. If you would prefer a bunch of people who bullied their way to the top of a Union or suchlike then stick with labour.

[Jon the Hat]

I doubt it what has happened is that it's finally been exposed. To suggest that because your wealthy makes you less greedy/dishonest is laughable.

All parties will have a proportion of their MPs with their noses firmly in the trough, labour will have more because there's more of them.

I was suggesting that there is an assumption that there is a standard of living that befits an MP, and that seems to come from a prevalence in the past of better off people being MP's, and this leads to an expectaiton from those who do not necessarily have those resources themselves. This applies equally to all parties.

There has certainly been problems for some time in this area, but given the labour party have overseen such financial incompetence in almost every other area in terms of value for money you cannot help feel that this is another.

[Alexikokopops]

Have any of them actually broken the law or have they "only" abused the system that exists.

I know "only" makes it sound defendable but that's not what I was meaning.

Also, have any of the culprits actually had their misdemeanours downsized by The Telegraph following a rebuttal at all?

I questioned that. Apparently they're commiting fraud too.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Most of them are wealthy becuase they have shown that they are capable people and excelled in their chosen profession. If you would prefer a bunch of people who bullied their way to the top of a Union or suchlike then stick with labour.

Or from our esteemed upper classes and born into a lifestyle of privilege of course and backed by centuries of inherited wealth. They're not all cheeky cockney barrowboys made good, you know

[welck12]

Right i'm not too up in the know regarding all things political, but why is it that half the MP's are calling for the Speaker to quit? Just read bit about it on bbc website, are they trying to say that he should have put a stop to all this in the first place? or have i just read it completely wrong and its just a coincidence?

[Jon the Hat]

Right i'm not too up in the know regarding all things political, but why is it that half the MP's are calling for the Speaker to quit? Just read bit about it on bbc website, are they trying to say that he should have put a stop to all this in the first place? or have i just read it completely wrong and its just a coincidence?

Scapegoat. Mind you he is not a verg good speaker and is rather missing the point in terms of public anger on the issue.

[welck12]

Scapegoat. Mind you he is not a verg good speaker and is rather missing the point in terms of public anger on the issue.

Thought might have just been as a scapegoat. Whats his actual role though?

(Again apologises for being a bit thick in this area)

[Jon the Hat]

Thought might have just been as a scapegoat. Whats his actual role though?

(Again apologises for being a bit thick in this area)

Wikipediea says:

"The Speaker presides over the House's debates, determining which members may speak. The Speaker is also responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House. Conventionally, the Speaker remains non-partisan, and renounces all affiliation with his or her former political party when taking office. The Speaker does not take part in debate nor vote (except to break ties, and even then, subject to conventions that maintain his or her non-partisan status), giving rise to the misconception that the Speaker is not permitted to speak. Aside from duties relating to presiding over the House, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions, and remains a constituency Member of Parliament (MP)."

[Jon the Hat]

Or from our esteemed upper classes and born into a lifestyle of privilege of course and backed by centuries of inherited wealth. They're not all cheeky cockney barrowboys made good, you know

Some of them of course, but not as many as you might think. Unless of course you have a working class chip on your shoulder and believe that the Upper Classes are anyone who has had a good education and whose parents provided them with an environment which encouraged them to achieve, or indeed anyone who actually speaks well.

[welck12]

Wikipediea says:

"The Speaker presides over the House's debates, determining which members may speak. The Speaker is also responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House. Conventionally, the Speaker remains non-partisan, and renounces all affiliation with his or her former political party when taking office. The Speaker does not take part in debate nor vote (except to break ties, and even then, subject to conventions that maintain his or her non-partisan status), giving rise to the misconception that the Speaker is not permitted to speak. Aside from duties relating to presiding over the House, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions, and remains a constituency Member of Parliament (MP)."

[davieG]

I was suggesting that there is an assumption that there is a standard of living that befits an MP, and that seems to come from a prevalence in the past of better off people being MP's, and this leads to an expectaiton from those who do not necessarily have those resources themselves. This applies equally to all parties.

There has certainly been problems for some time in this area, but given the labour party have overseen such financial incompetence in almost every other area in terms of value for money you cannot help feel that this is another.

Your bias towards the Tories and against Labour is seeping through your statements - as for me I don't trust any of them.

[Sir Fynwy]

Some of them of course, but not as many as you might think. Unless of course you have a working class chip on your shoulder and believe that the Upper Classes are anyone who has had a good education and whose parents provided them with an environment which encouraged them to achieve, or indeed anyone who actually speaks well.

I don't understand why anyone who was a successful barrister, doctor, solicitor, senior manager etc would bother taking the massive pay cut required to become an MP, aren't the people from these areas who become MP's just useless at their choosen career and looking for an easy life?

They steal from their expense accounts to try to increase their salaries to somewhere near what they would get if they weren't totally useless at what they trained to do.

[Jon the Hat]

Your bias towards the Tories and against Labour is seeping through your statements - as for me I don't trust any of them.

Bias?? Moi?? There are clearly troughers in all parties and the sooner we get a general election to clear some out the better.

Edit: Did I say some?? All of the barstards.

[Jon the Hat]

I don't understand why anyone who was a successful barrister, doctor, solicitor, senior manager etc would bother taking the massive pay cut required to become an MP, aren't the people from these areas who become MP's just useless at their choosen career and looking for an easy life?

They steal from their expense accounts to try to increase their salaries to somewhere near what they would get if they weren't totally useless at what they trained to do.

money isn't everything? There WAS prestige in becoming an MP.

[davieG]

Bias?? Moi?? There are clearly troughers in all parties and the sooner we get a general election to clear some out the better.

I don't see how a General Election removes the troughers

[Bellend Sebastian]

Some of them of course, but not as many as you might think. Unless of course you have a working class chip on your shoulder and believe that the Upper Classes are anyone who has had a good education and whose parents provided them with an environment which encouraged them to achieve, or indeed anyone who actually speaks well.

I have the first THREE Oasis albums and eat chips. I'm so working class you wouldn't believe.

Bloody hell, you don't have to be a prole to question the wisdom of having the country led by a man who is a descendent of William IV - a real man of the people

[Jon the Hat]

I don't see how a General Election removes the troughers

Well if it was next month I suspect it would be rather easy to take down a standing MP who had spent more than he should.

[davieG]

Well if it was next month I suspect it would be rather easy to take down a standing MP who had spent more than he should.

The ones we know about but I suspect we're just scratching the surface. In fact a GE could be counter productive to clearing this up - people could, wrongly in my opinion as the story would disappear off the front pages and people would move on to the next media issue.

[welck12]

I don't understand why anyone who was a successful barrister, doctor, solicitor, senior manager etc would bother taking the massive pay cut required to become an MP, aren't the people from these areas who become MP's just useless at their choosen career and looking for an easy life?

Either that or they just fancied something to do with their early retirement

[Jon the Hat]

I have the first THREE Oasis albums and eat chips. I'm so working class you wouldn't believe.

Bloody hell, you don't have to be a prole to question the wisdom of having the country led by a man who is a descendent of William IV - a real man of the people

He doesn't have to be a man OF the people, just a man FOR the people.

[Sir Fynwy]

He doesn't have to be a man OF the people, just a man FOR the people.

Surely you can't be refering to 'honest dave' he can't be described as a man for the people, he's just another career politician in the blair mold.

[Bellend Sebastian]

He doesn't have to be a man OF the people, just a man FOR the people.

I doubt either he or his Etonian mates would take the time to piss on you if you were on fire. They'd be more likely to piss on us if we weren't on fire, which it looks like they'll get to do come the next election.

Anyway, these chips and gravy aren't going to eat themselves

[davieG]

I doubt either he or his Etonian mates would take the time to piss on you if you were on fire. They'd be more likely to piss on us if we weren't on fire, which it looks like they'll get to do come the next election.

Anyway, these chips and gravy aren't going to eat themselves

I bet you're secretly washing them down with a fine Claret!

[Bellend Sebastian]

I bet you're secretly washing them down with a fine Claret!

Pimms, actually

[Webbo]

As always with political arguments I tend to broadly agree with JTH. I would take issue with him on the assumption that Tories are generally wealthier. There are several wealthy Labour MPs, ex public school boys/girls and there lots of working class made good Conservative MPs.

The majority of MPs from all parties I suspect are middle class.