Online campaign urges MPs to block secret expenses MPs are being pressed to vote against a controversial amendment to the Freedom of Information Act later this week that will exempt them from having to publish detailed expenses. The digital democracy charity mySociety.org is leading a letter-writing campaign to stop parliamentarians changing the law to keep their use of public …
Typical. No sooner do they pass one law, that they seek to pass a second so they are exempt from the first. People, you are pissing in the wind.
Next you'll be expecting the EU to open its debates, expenses etc to public scrutiny and getting its account signed off.
Snowball, hell, chance therein.
Politicians, without exception, are dishonourable scum (and I include the "New Messiah"(tm); his scandals will surface soon enough, just you watch).
here's what good old dougy e-mailed me earlier, he is firmly on the fence;
I have not seen the detail of what is proposed so cannot express a final view
As it happens I am committed to being in Yorks next week and will probably not be in London at the time of the vote
I agree that transparency is desirable. Last year Cameron suggested that Tory MPs published their full expenses claim for a relevant quarter, I saw merit in that and did so and if he repeats that suggestion I am likely to do so again
I should be surprised if the present motion does not provide for pretty full disclosure so it is necessary to look at the detail with some care.
I do have reservations about publishing the details of all post 2OO5 to date claims. The cost and burearocracy seems to be disproportionate to any benefit
So, after months of argument and having the proposals comprehensively rejected, our Dear Leaders just decide to change the rules anyway. With a few days notice, of course - gotta have some time for "consultation"!
What *is* it with these people?? Can you imagine the rest of us submitting a huge expenses claim with just the final figure and a note saying "I'm sorry, I can't tell you what I spent the money on. It's a secret."
Thanks for alerting readers to this.
With the economy effectively in tatters you would think there were more pressing worries than making up silly rules that only serve to make the Government even more opaque. But no, instead we have a group of people who really do think this should happen, that as elected representatives we approve of them spending the time on this for no purpose of value other than to avoid embarrassing revelations which we, as the population and the provider of the funds, should be informed.
I think I will monitor what my MP does. Rob Marris, I will be watching out for your name.
Why, when every single company is required to do this by law, does the Government seen to have a problem with it?
Surely there's existing oversight for the MPs expenses? I don't imagine the get reimbursed unless somebody has been through all the expenses and signed off on them.
Will whoever provides oversight still have the records? or will the "secret" be between the MP and his dealer?
Economy in tatters, and we're busy legislating cartoons and trying to protect liars. Something's seriously wrong.
Viva la Revolution
I've never understood why MPs aren't just subject to the same rules as civil servants -- and that includes what to do if your job requires you regularly to stay overnight away from home. I'm sure there are procedures for that.
But then I remember: MPs think they're better than the rest of us.
Instead of passing a law making them exempt, just make the government so inefficient that by the time they expense reports are actually available, they have already been re-elected and can pull the same crap until next re-election. Or claim that the project they are working on is for "national Security" and have it classified....
Of the people, by the people, for the people. My ass.
Maybe one failing with mysociety et al .. is that it seems to focus singularly on the House of Commons?
There is after all, another house: the House of Lords.
Where one may expect and anticipate that its members are likely to be very very highly motivated, highly ambitious and with strong networking and associated danger of being self-centric the other (generally) tends towards wisdom, influence, experience and expertise with a tendency to dangers of being self-centric.
These, in the UK, are structured to balance out. Where the self-centric dangers of one synergise or confront the self-centric dangers of the other.
If someone might motivate or prod mysociety et al ... into requesting that the Lords rejects decision of the Commons under a principle that all incomes (however diverse) and all expediture (however diverse) should be accountable to the pubic might it be a gooder thing?
But how does a mere commoner ask a Lord to take issue?
A police campaign targeting people living lavish lifestyles on the proceeds of crime and money laundering has begun in Sussex.
Crimestoppers and Sussex Police joined forces for the campaign called "Too Much Bling, Give Us a Ring".
People are urged to report their suspicions about apparently wealthy people with no legitimate income.
http://www.2muchbling.co.uk/
No reportable income... too much money let the local police know
But dont all laws in the UK, once passed by the house of commons and the lords, go to the Queen for signature? At least in Aus once the law is passed through both houses it goes to the queens representative (the Governor General) for signature. And whilst this is usually a rubber stamp, occasionally, VERY occasionally, the Governor General says no. This would seem like a good case for that. Maybe you should all write to old Lizzie and see if she cant put a stop to this nonsense! Make the old bat earn her keep for once! :P
The GG is really a rep of old Blighty anyway?
BTW: no reply, acknowledgement or owt from my MP.
I tend towards thinking that an MP is not merely an elected representative but also a person prepared to enter into a partnership arrangement of sorts with the public. And it is influencing how I consider UK publicly owned stuff to avoid inflationary proxy tax, sgt bilko type models.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
