Monday, 31 March 2008
Friday, 7 March 2008
Monday, 3 March 2008
how much should we pay MPs?
An interesting question from John Redwood, but I found the comments most interesting. There are a fair few, who argue that pay should go up, but the expenses system needs reforming with more transparency. - fair enough!
Then the cynics come in, criticising MPs, accusing them all of being greedy so on and so on.
Which is when it hit me.... The criticism being levelled covered MPs who already have houses, second jobs in consultancies, etc. These people are also readers of John Redwood's blog.
These people are complaining about Conservative MPs! Think about it, they are the ones they've most likely been in touch with, read about, spoken to - they are from the circle of Tory clubs, fundraising BBQs and referendum-campaign-meetings which meets and judges Tory Members.
I'm not saying there aren't instances on the Labour benches, but I could name a fair few who would never accept a consultancy job, are dedicated to representing their people and have genuine passion to argue for their area. I'll happily put the Cumbrian and Liverpool MPs in that category. Don't know the Manchester ones too well, but Tony Lloyd and Graham Stringer (you may not agree with them!) but are passionate about promoting/defending Manchester...
SH
Good lord, they're everywhere!
Just learnt today that the man who made L'Oreal into the multi-national success it is today is not a Frenchman - he's a (plastic) Scouser!
I will not be making a joke about plastic an' surgery.........
Because we're worth it!
SH
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Monday, 11 February 2008
Friday, 8 February 2008
the worth of MPs
The BBC is talking today about MPs expenses after the House of Commons tried to justify not asking for receipts under £250 or allowing £400 for unmonitored food each month.
and
While I recognise how tricky this is and understand people's feelings about the need for greater transparency. And I particularly understand that at the moment and with the modern world of information, people want to be able to be sure that the systems for MPs expenses are not open to abuse.
For this reason I think there do need to be some changes. For a start they should reform the system so that they are no longer called expenses, because that causes confusion right from the beginning. That reform should introduce more transparency and monitoring.
But I warn against taking it too far - because I think it undermines our democratic system, and falls into the trap of the fourth estate. And I want to say it clearly here - the attitude of some towards elected politicians is designed to undermine them regardless of purpose - and that is dangerous. We need to stand up to them and, as painful as it may be, display trust in our elected officials, and the office in which they reside and resist the temptation to join the rabble rousing crowds.
This is nothing new, but it used to be Communist agitators, or anarchists or fascists or any number of political persuasions. Because these political factions no longer exist it's not felt that these people have a political agenda that they are pushing - therefore we should listen to them.
Instead - in this modern world the threats are apathy, the instant media and oppressive negative reporting (from citizens and media alike). here's my reasoning:
If everything MPs spend is itemised, the level of scrutiny will be massive, and no newspaper will manage to resist the temptation to comment out of the ordinary. This could be a large restaurant bill, or a hotel charge. It is highly feasible we would start criticising MPs for staying in 5 star hotels or visiting restaurants we deem as "too nice".
But what we won't do is judge that expenditure against what is was supposed to achieve. There will be no attempt to judge the expenditure against its results. That dinner might have been with a company who's about to open a new factory in the MPs constituency worth lots of jobs. The context for expenditure will be removed, and that could establish a very damaging method for judging and monitoring MPs.
Let's not forget we already have a very effective system for judging how effective MPs are - they are called elections.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
"Liverpool author Ken Pye investigates whether a Liverpool man murdered by his wife was, in fact, Jack the Ripper"
Daily Post 07.02.08
Ken's wife must be getting on a bit.......
I've met Ken a couple of times, and he is a really nice bloke - passionate about Liverpool and the Athenaeum club, (which I haven't joined yet, but one day....)
about bloody time!
This is extremely under-estimated - the nightmare of travelling by train between two major economic powerhouses. It's the kind of situation that just wouldn't be allowed to happen in London! And it's no good looking to the public sector to pay.
Are you seriously telling me that the revenue from permanently packed trains is not enough to pay for the very trains passengers are standing on?!?!?!
surely that's b*llsh*t!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)