[Archived] Gordon Brown

[RibbleValleyRover]

£22bn Axed Off Budget - Experts predict 15% cut

PUBLIC spending will have to be slashed by BILLIONS more than either Labour or the Tories dare admit, it was revealed last night.

New figures show that, whichever party wins the next election, there will have to cuts of around 15 PER CENT . . . totalling a massive £22BILLION.

That's equal to the ENTIRE budget for Britain's secondary schools or FIVE TIMES the current bill for unemployment benefit.

And it's enough to pay for ONE MILLION nurses or 100 new hospitals - or 750,000 bobbies.

Otherwise every household in the land will have to fork out a whopping £30-A-WEEK extra in tax to balance the books

[thenodrog]

My guess is that it will be the latter ............ unless somewhat miraculously the Mayor of Doncaster is elected to No 10!

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Brown is a really poor politician.

The Tories are by far the biggest offenders in this expenses malarky yet Brown is copping all the flak.

The ten biggest claimants Eight are Tories and one of the Labour guys is an ex-Tory.

Errr no. That is a list of the top ten biggest second homes claiments. It doesn't for example include the Labour minister who claimed nearly 20k for dry rot and another 100k for security patrols!

[stuwilky]

What are the actual claims then bazza?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

What are the actual claims then bazza?

Errr see above

[stuwilky]

Errr see above

The actual complete expenses claims?

You know a list of, say, the top 10. You picked two highlights - philip posted a different list related to housing as you pointed out.

What is the definitive "Top 10"? (or more accurately titled "the biggest 10 rip offs")

Incidentally, as a Labour voter at the last general election, I have asked my Labour MP to justify his claims to me, he hasnt replied as yet.

[colin]

Correct Colin. Given the recent revelations 1 honest chap out of 349 New Lab MP's aint bad! I applaud him.

I gave an example of one. I did not exclude any others of any political persuasion.

You may be jumping to unfounded conclusions.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

The actual complete expenses claims?

You know a list of, say, the top 10. You picked two highlights - philip posted a different list related to housing as you pointed out.

What is the definitive "Top 10"? (or more accurately titled "the biggest 10 rip offs")

Incidentally, as a Labour voter at the last general election, I have asked my Labour MP to justify his claims to me, he hasnt replied as yet.

PhilipL proclaimed that his list was a top 10 of the biggest offending culprits. It is not; it is a list of politicians who made the top ten highest claims for there second homes, only one element of the whole swindle.

In terms of a definitive top ten offenders; inclusive of all claims- I neither have the inclination or time to produce such a list.

[stuwilky]

Just curious, it seems people are quick to blame one party or another, was wondering if, in your widely read world you had come across such a list.

Im surprised a journalist hasnt done so.

Oh well, nice of you to answer at least.

[philipl]

The Telegraph put up a summary of naughty MPs- it had 55 Tories, 45 Labour, 4 LDs, assorted Nats, Sinn Fein etc.

On that basis, nearly 30% of Tory MPs, 12% of Labour MPs and 6% of Lib Dems were called out.

Perhaps not surprisingly, that page has completely disappeared and no amount of search combinations seems to exhume it- I guess the Torygraph didn't want people like me doing calculations.

Then again what constituted a naughty MP varied enormously. From Labour's Elliot Morley claiming tens of thousands for a non-existent mortgage to Lib Dem's Chris Huhn claiming 84p for a packet of hobknobs.

[jim mk2]

The amounts claimed or tax avoided by various MPs will be forgotten.

The symbols of the whole charade will be forever items such as the duck house island, the moat and the chandeliers.

All of which were claimed by Tory grandees.

[thenodrog]

The amounts claimed or tax avoided by various MPs will be forgotten.

The symbols of the whole charade will be forever items such as the duck house island, the moat and the chandeliers.

All of which were claimed by Tory grandees.

That post tells me that instead of decrying them ALL that you are actually condoning and willing bto overlook any 'indescretions' as long as they were made by New Labour. To tell you the truth I expected nothing else from you.

The actual complete expenses claims?

You know a list of, say, the top 10. You picked two highlights - philip posted a different list related to housing as you pointed out.

What is the definitive "Top 10"? (or more accurately titled "the biggest 10 rip offs")

Incidentally, as a Labour voter at the last general election, I have asked my Labour MP to justify his claims to me, he hasnt replied as yet.

In that case send it again and this time cc to the PM's office, the speakers office and the LEP..... and anywhere else you can think of.

[thenodrog]

The actual complete expenses claims?

You know a list of, say, the top 10. You picked two highlights - philip posted a different list related to housing as you pointed out.

What is the definitive "Top 10"? (or more accurately titled "the biggest 10 rip offs")

Incidentally, as a Labour voter at the last general election, I have asked my Labour MP to justify his claims to me, he hasnt replied as yet.

Stu....... If you and Bazza or anybody else for that matter wants to email me I have the full list on an excel spreadsheet. Somebody sent it to me so I've no idea if it's totally kosher but there is certainly a lot of detail on there and you can 'sort' to your hearts content.

Incidentally your Labour 'man' has claimed almost 50k more than Jim's Tory!

[stuwilky]

Incidentally your Labour 'man' has claimed almost 50k more than Jim's Tory!

Oh I know. Ive seen all his receipts.

[dave birch]

Why is it, that whenever I visit this thread I get the Stranglers song going through my mind?

Gordon Brown texture like.......

[Billy Castell]

Rory Bremner did Gordon Brown singing that song with the Stranglers on his show once.

[cn174]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8124763.stm ha!

[ABBEY]

watched the news last night and saw the mps with 2nd jobs..buggers belief.IF BEING A MP IS PART TIME WORK THEN MAKE EM PART TIME WITH PART TIME WAGES\!!!!!

[BiggusLaddus]

Why is it, that whenever I visit this thread I get the Stranglers song going through my mind?

Gordon Brown texture like.......

Except heroin is better for you.

[philipl]

Damning indictment of Brown but also sensible suggestions about how we should signpost our way out of this mess

[philipl]

Back to expenses and Tory Shadow Chancellor George Osbourne is deep in it.

[jim mk2]

Back to expenses and Tory Shadow Chancellor George Osbourne is deep in it.

George Osborne (no u) like most Tories always appears rather too pleased with himself.

This inquiry into his financial misconduct will wipe the smirk off his smug, privileged face.

[thenodrog]

All thats stuffs overly complicated imo Gunner. This is much easier to understand...... (Even Jim might get there if he reads it slowly.)

A Stimulus Story

It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit. Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The Butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower.

The pig grower takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute who in these hard times, gave her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.

At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the British Government is doing business today.

[BuckyRover]

Yes because on our own we would be much stronger.

LOL

[philipl]

There had to be a reason why Cameron did not fire Andy Phone Tapper Coulson as summarily as he dismissed other close friends over the expenses scandal- The Independent reveals:

Mr Coulson is credited with a coup at the start of the expenses row. On day one of the revelations published in The Daily Telegraph, the newspaper generously praised the Tory leader for his "straightforward" expenses claims. They did not mention that Mr Cameron had taken a £350,000 mortgage on his second home, on which he could reclaim the interest, at the same time that he had paid off a £75,000 loan owing on his London home, which he could not claim. If that information had been public from the start, it would have made Mr Cameron's handling of the row very difficult. Andy Coulson is credited with persuading the Telegraph to go easy on his boss