Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
30 January 2009
08:3714309It must be rememberd though guys that this was a Labour Party event..Mish asked some good questions about this on the frontpage and Ive tried to answer them within my own remit as it were.
All parties bring top people down from London for private evenings which is absolutely the norm and fair enough. But because this time it was the Home Secretary it was interesting from all our points of view that she took some time to meet the press beforehand. This in effect let us know she was here and she was able to answer a few questions in the short time available.
The Dover Mercury had good coverage on the event but nothing so far in the Dover Express. Newshound Graham Tutthill of The Mercury has questioned the legitimacy of her crime figures which states there was a 6.9% drop in crime this year down here in South East Kent.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
8 February 2009
23:2314999sadly ms smith hits the headlines today over an expenses claim for living accommodation.
the issue looks rather confusing, and seems to be based on interpretation of the rules.
maybe everything is above board, i have no idea.
The point i would make is that in the present climate over
the behaviour of our betters, should she have not put herself into a position where things could not be misinterpreted?
there is hardly a week that goes by without fresh accusations of malpractice against people that are funded by the taxpayer.
9 February 2009
08:1415001There will always be something questionable - perhaps we should, instead, ask ourselves why we expect people who wish to serve the public to be paragons of personal virtue. Bill Clinton, adulterer, who cares? As long as he did the job well, what difference does it make to me personally who he is intimate with? Fiddling taxpayers money is different, clearly, but the rules are so beurocratic, finicky and mired in double-speak that they can easily be over- mis- and un-interpreted.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
9 February 2009
08:4215005Well yes Ive heard this story this morning and its unfortunate, and very bad press for the Home Secretary. The newspapers have held her up today as an icon of greed, along with that announcement yesterday about the RBS director payout. So..very unfortunate.
Although all these high flyers, much as with the Lords the other week, although all these high flyers claim to be doing nothing wrong its not appropriate behaviour for these times. The rules in these high echelons of government allow far tooo much leeway, allow far too much room for extravagant interpretation, and need to be seriously tightened up. Nobody has confidence in this system anymore.
At the lower end of the social scale if you claim an extra few illegitimate quid from the DHSS they put you in jail.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
9 February 2009
09:4215010But we're talking about £24,000 per year since 2001 - that's a lot of our money.
She claimed her sister's house was her's and so claimed this money.
Surely she should be honest on expenses and seen to be honest, she knows what she's done - she faslsely claimed that money - because she could, irrespective of whether it was honest.
And there's no defence saying that a Conservative MP (Conway ?) was fiddling too - we all know two wrongs don't make a right; She's the Home Secretary for goodness sake.
Roger
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
9 February 2009
16:5715037Was it not president Nixon who said, "if the president does it it is not illegal"? Have our Lords and MP's been taking lessons?
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
9 February 2009
20:0215056i don't think that she claimed that her sister's house was hers roger, she claimed it to be her main residence.
in other words, where she spends most of her time.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
9 February 2009
21:1115067Roger
As you have said no one FOUND GUILTY should get away with it
but not she was.,
But dont see you going for him/them
Your all to quick to go for labour people when all parties including your beloved conservative party that have in the past and to today been caught up in this sleeze
k
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
9 February 2009
21:1815068in a report today stating that jacqui smith is making south africans get visas to come to this country,her excuse is terraisiam and al queada who she thinks have training grounds in south africa.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
10 February 2009
09:2715078If you read my posting Keith you would have seen me mention Tory and Labour MP's cheating the public - who ever it is, whatever political party, they should not be above the law and if the laws are so relaxed that it's a case of noses in the gravy-train trough, all MP's should be seen to be above that.
Jackie Smith, Vince Cable or William Hague, it matters not, none should be at it.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2009
19:0215122i think we would all agree with the last post, just that we need to add certain bankers.
public money is just that, it is given on trust.