"We're Closing In"

[David Agnew]

Wan't sure whether to bring the recent topic up from music, or put it here where more people will see it, but:

Jacqui Smith investigated over fraudulent 'second home' claims

"The latest complaint comes from Ms Smith's neighbours in London, Dominic and Jessica Taplin, the Home Office has confirmed.

The couple told The Mail on Sunday that Ms Smith was often at her London address for just two days a week and rarely spent Sunday night there.

They told the newspaper it was easy to tell when Ms Smith was at home as her security staff were on duty in the street.

Mrs Taplin said: "When I read that she says she spends most of the week here, I thought, 'That is a fabrication'.""

Now obviously, I wouldn't condone snooping normally, but considering the nature of the recent DSS adverts, it's good to see come chickens come home to roost. I wonder her payments will stop while she's being investigated, like mine were, when I was investigated a few years back?

[cantagalo]

"We're Closing In"

Did I also read that her preference for her sister's spare room, rather than the 'grace and favour' accommodation she is entitled to, costs an extra 200 grand in security costs? Perhaps her employment of her husband - whose main role seems to be writing complimentary letters about her to the local press - at £40,000 a year also ought to be investigated.

As the economy approaches meltdown, it appears that between them, the bankers and politicians are at least proving to be competent at looting the public finances.

[Bill Poster]

"We're Closing In"

In fairness, £40k for that seems very cheap. If he's that good a fiction writer, he could get a lot more money than £40k elsewhere. Jeffrey Archer is a shit fiction writer and he's minted.

The fact is all MPs are at it. They're not accountable and up until very recently they did not even have to declare their expenses. The real world is a harsh, cruel place.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

"We're Closing In"

I've always thought Ministerial salaries in the UK, however much indignation about apparently spurious "expenses claims", are refreshingly low. The Home Secretary's official salary is in the order of £160k (including the basic MP's salary). £160k for being in charge of policing and anti-terrorism efforts, across the whole UK? It actually doesn't seem that much, really. There are senior council officials in many towns and cities who get paid not much less than that for being in charge of local traffic arrangements and car parking policies.

My main concern has always been with the ever-increasing basic backbench MP's salary. At around £60k this is not only far higher, index-linked, than it ever has been, but it's more than double the median income level in the UK, which in itself breaks the link between the "representatives of the people" actually being "representative of the people", which is meant to be the point. Are there any back-bench MPs currently feeling, first-hand, the effects of the "credit crunch" they're meant to be warning, advising and censuring the executive about? I doubt it.

[cantagalo]

"We're Closing In"

I take your point about senior council salaries but do you ever wonder what happened to the idea of public service?

Anyway, with her expenses, gold-plated pension, redundancy money when the voters of Redditch kick her out, and the revolving door onto a corporate board (an ID cards company?), I don't think Jacqui - and what an annoying affectation that spelling is - will be short of a bob or two.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

"We're Closing In"

your ministers are paid fuck all compared to ours. Our president and prime minister are I believe the 1st and 3rd highest paid democratic politicians in the world.

[NHH]

"We're Closing In"

The fact is all MPs are at it.

It's no such thing at all. many MPs do fit the stereotype, but a great many don't at all.

[Bill Poster]

"We're Closing In"

OK, what I really should have said is "MPs of all parties are at it". Hence why the Tories are keeping quiet about Jacqui Smith.

I still stand by the unaccountable remark though.

[Guest]

"We're Closing In"

In a first-past-the-post electoral system, individual MPs are eminently - if not definitively - accountable.

[Tactical Genius]

"We're Closing In"

I cannot believe that this is the same Bill Poster who not so long ago was Blair's biggest cheerleader on OTF.

[Bill Poster]

"We're Closing In"

I can't believe this is the same Tactical Genius that indulges in offhand, careless, ignorant remarks and personal abuse.

Go on then TG, show me the posts that back up your assertion. Or apologise.

To start you off,this was back in 2003. Blair's Biggest Cheerleader on OTF eh?

[Guest]

"We're Closing In"

Phoebe wrote:

"The latest complaint comes from Ms Smith's neighbours [...]

The couple told The Mail on Sunday that Ms Smith was often at her London address for just two days a week and rarely spent Sunday night there [...]

They told the newspaper it was easy to tell when Ms Smith was at home [...]
Now obviously, I wouldn't condone snooping
normally

Hello. My name is Michael Paine... and I'm a nosey neighbour.

[ian.64]

"We're Closing In"

I can't believe that someone's being victimised this much just because she used to be one of Charlie's Angels.

Leave the poor girl alone.

[Tactical Genius]

"We're Closing In"

On your arrival on OTF, you made great play of your job as a Labour councillor and gave short shrift to anyone who dared criticise Tony Blair.
It was only Post Iraq war that you started to show disquiet (fair play to you).

[Hofzinser]

"We're Closing In"

So "not so long ago" means "about six or seven years ago"?

[Guest]

"We're Closing In"

'Blair's biggest apologist on OTF' is a rather, well, qualified title.

[meregreen]

"We're Closing In"

Sources claim she spends the bulk of her time in London but had asked the police to maintain a "low profile" so the neighbours may not have realised she was in residence.

Ha! Her London residence is just round the corner from where I live. If her idea of maintaining a "low profile" is to have two uniformed police officers carrying machine guns, stationed outside her house, then I'd hate to imagine what her idea of high profile might be. A tank on the lawn perhaps?

[Bill Poster]

"We're Closing In"

I'm still waiting TG. Show me the evidence.

[tracteurgarcon]

"We're Closing In"

Apologies for stealing Phoebe's idea via the thread title, but I've knocked up this;

We're closing in...

[Bill Poster]

"We're Closing In"

In response to TG on the football thread. This is as a place as any to...

ROOOAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

"We're Closing In"

More Labour noses so deep into the public expenses trough they can hardly breathe

McNulty really could have done with a civil servant stood behind hime with a firm hand on his shoulder, silencing him instead of letting himself dig deeper in.

So he stopped claiming his TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS A YEAR in January, because when interest rates fell, he could AFFORD to pay the mortgage on Mummy's house, did he? Well lah-di-fucking dah. I'm sure that will come as blessed relief to all his voters in Harrow, who are reduced to eating (borlotti) beans on (bruschetta) toast through the recession to pay their mortgages (and his expenses).

[Tubby Isaacs]

"We're Closing In"

Nice to see him under pressure. How often do you think he decided to stay with his parents rather than drive the 8 miles back home to Hammersmith?

Hang on, I forgot who his wife is.

Wouldn't it be funny if they used anti-terror legislation to check up on him?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

"We're Closing In"

Nice to see that Jacqui Smith has made it very clear to her husband (who we pay £40,000 a year to to be, er, her personal something or other) that him sat around watching porn is NOT something the taxpayer should pay for.

We "should" apparently only pay for him to sit around watching the normal Disney and Sky Channels, as she thought the public expenses were just for her "normal" TV internet connection (which, in the furore about the porn movies, has escaped everyone's notice. Is access to the CBBC channel really "wholly and necessary" for the business of being the Home Secretary?).

[Tubby Isaacs]

"We're Closing In"

I think politicians need to see the media, yes. Ideally they need to be made to sit through lots of satellite telly before they steam into the BBC again.

There are two threads on this theme, and E10 put a good post on the other. Still, it amused me when I thought of McNulty just now. The Minister for London thinks it isn't possible to commute across the city, even with free taxis. I trust he will have been on record pointing out what a dire state of affairs this is. He could even score some points off Boris Johnson. But I rather think he hasn't protested because he wanted this earner kept quiet. By watering down freedom of information if necessary.