Outing our overt overspending ocracy...

---

Once again the Tax Payers' Alliance is doing a sterling service by highlighting the overt overspending of our Members of Parliament, those sent to represent the people, no really, stop sniggering at the back, that is what they are meant to do. 

This is not new, MPs and their hangers-on seem to be consumed with self-entitlement,  to claim back what most 'normal' people have to spend out of their own pockets (2nd mortgage, furniture, utility bills, TVs, donations to charities [i.e. poppies FFS!], and remember this has been going on for decades:  "ice cube tray, a fluffy duster, a toilet roll holder and tealights" [DT] and even porn!!!). What does your MP claim?  

The TPA have "revealed the average cost of an MP has increased by 29 per cent over the covid pandemic, from £157,747 in 2019-20 to £203,880 in 2020-21." 

Among the highlights is the astounding fact that the "average cost of an MP was £203,880". Remember this DOES NOT include their salary. [Full Report PDF] 

Britain’s most expensive MP was the member for Broxtowe, Darren Henry, with total spending of £280,936. Now, to not prejudge - oops too late - maybe he had set-up expenses, being a fairly new MP (2019) but Broxtowe is by Nottingham - not even half way up the country, and the M1 motorway runs through the constituency; it is between Derby and Nottingham mainline stations i.e. it is effing easy to get to London. In fact it is just a few stops up the same line as Kettering, the constituency of the least expensive MP, Philip Hollobone (£80,709. A full 200K less). Philip has CONSTANTLY been the lowest spender - or amongst the lowest - for as long as he has been an MP. 

Just as a reminder that MPs taking advantage of the pandemic and lockdown with a total spend of £132.5 million (up 4.6 per cent on previous years) is peanuts compared to - revealed last month - the [sadly unsurprising] news that there is " £17 billion estimated to be lost from unpaid business loans as any losses were guaranteed to be covered by taxpayers - that's 36 per cent of the entire scheme." [Bounce Back Loan Scheme PDF update].

Outing our overt overspending ocracy...

---

Once again the Tax Payers' Alliance is doing a sterling service by highlighting the overt overspending of our Members of Parliament, those sent to represent the people, no really, stop sniggering at the back, that is what they are meant to do. 

This is not new, MPs and their hangers-on seem to be consumed with self-entitlement,  to claim back what most 'normal' people have to spend out of their own pockets (2nd mortgage, furniture, utility bills, TVs, donations to charities [i.e. poppies FFS!], and remember this has been going on for decades:  "ice cube tray, a fluffy duster, a toilet roll holder and tealights" [DT] and even porn!!!). What does your MP claim?  

The TPA have "revealed the average cost of an MP has increased by 29 per cent over the covid pandemic, from £157,747 in 2019-20 to £203,880 in 2020-21." 

Among the highlights is the astounding fact that the "average cost of an MP was £203,880". Remember this DOES NOT include their salary. [Full Report PDF] 

Britain’s most expensive MP was the member for Broxtowe, Darren Henry, with total spending of £280,936. Now, to not prejudge - oops too late - maybe he had set-up expenses, being a fairly new MP (2019) but Broxtowe is by Nottingham - not even half way up the country, and the M1 motorway runs through the constituency; it is between Derby and Nottingham mainline stations i.e. it is effing easy to get to London. In fact it is just a few stops up the same line as Kettering, the constituency of the least expensive MP, Philip Hollobone (£80,709. A full 200K less). Philip has CONSTANTLY been the lowest spender - or amongst the lowest - for as long as he has been an MP. 

Just as a reminder that MPs taking advantage of the pandemic and lockdown with a total spend of £132.5 million (up 4.6 per cent on previous years) is peanuts compared to - revealed last month - the [sadly unsurprising] news that there is " £17 billion estimated to be lost from unpaid business loans as any losses were guaranteed to be covered by taxpayers - that's 36 per cent of the entire scheme." [Bounce Back Loan Scheme PDF update].

Overpaid officials?...

---

click to enlarge...

From ZeroHedge (by Steve Hanke of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore):"The EU fiscal austerity bandwagon keeps rolling on with Matteo Renzi, Italian Prime Minister and current President of the EU, holding the reigns. Indeed, Renzi recently went so far as to form an anti-austerity coalition with France and Spain. According to the coalition, its members simply cannot impose further spending cuts. They assert that their budgets have been cut to the bone. This claim is ludicrous." To be honest, mostly they are not 'overpaid' in terms of salary (except for Italy!); 3 or 4 times would be acceptable IMHO but let's not forget that most of these salaries are more than boosted (often at least doubled) by expenses etc.  

Overpaid officials?...

---

click to enlarge...

From ZeroHedge (by Steve Hanke of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore):"The EU fiscal austerity bandwagon keeps rolling on with Matteo Renzi, Italian Prime Minister and current President of the EU, holding the reigns. Indeed, Renzi recently went so far as to form an anti-austerity coalition with France and Spain. According to the coalition, its members simply cannot impose further spending cuts. They assert that their budgets have been cut to the bone. This claim is ludicrous." To be honest, mostly they are not 'overpaid' in terms of salary (except for Italy!); 3 or 4 times would be acceptable IMHO but let's not forget that most of these salaries are more than boosted (often at least doubled) by expenses etc.  

Objuragtion of once...

---

Snouts in the trough: the pigs in the image are happily eating their daily ration, heads down, no interest in what is around them; you can't think ill of the pigs for that, it's all they get. Those in parliament also have their heads in the trough with no interest in what is around them, but they want more, much more. The 'once' in the title is really "on-ce", eleven, an 11% pay-rise for UK Members of Parliament. "A Whitehall source said the 'across the board' reform would not cost taxpayers more. Funding for the salary increase would come from cuts to MPs' pension schemes that go far deeper than published proposals" [Link] PAH! That's OK then is it? I doubt many will see it that way and it is also a FUCKING LIE. There are too any MPs and they are mostly liars, thieves, corrupt, useless self-serving fuck-wits (no, really). Don't get me wrong, any good MP deserves a salary of 74K (£6167/month), more, make it higher... but they also claim 36K on personal expenses (£3000/month) and I doubt very much whether they penny-pinch about how and what they spend it on. We're not finished: PLUS they also get over 114K for staff expenses (£9525/month); you guessed it, 24% (155 out of 650) of them employ direct family members; how many of the rest employ friends and acquaintances probably not suited or best for these jobs? Who checks who is getting paid what? Those figures are for the year 2012/13 ending April this year; they are 7% HIGHER than the year before. Those nice members are really holding back, aren't they? Of COURSE it is costing taxpayers more.



Update: just to be clear: those personal and staff expenses are of course average figures; there are saints and sinners.

Objuragtion of once...

---

Snouts in the trough: the pigs in the image are happily eating their daily ration, heads down, no interest in what is around them; you can't think ill of the pigs for that, it's all they get. Those in parliament also have their heads in the trough with no interest in what is around them, but they want more, much more. The 'once' in the title is really "on-ce", eleven, an 11% pay-rise for UK Members of Parliament. "A Whitehall source said the 'across the board' reform would not cost taxpayers more. Funding for the salary increase would come from cuts to MPs' pension schemes that go far deeper than published proposals" [Link] PAH! That's OK then is it? I doubt many will see it that way and it is also a FUCKING LIE. There are too any MPs and they are mostly liars, thieves, corrupt, useless self-serving fuck-wits (no, really). Don't get me wrong, any good MP deserves a salary of 74K (£6167/month), more, make it higher... but they also claim 36K on personal expenses (£3000/month) and I doubt very much whether they penny-pinch about how and what they spend it on. We're not finished: PLUS they also get over 114K for staff expenses (£9525/month); you guessed it, 24% (155 out of 650) of them employ direct family members; how many of the rest employ friends and acquaintances probably not suited or best for these jobs? Who checks who is getting paid what? Those figures are for the year 2012/13 ending April this year; they are 7% HIGHER than the year before. Those nice members are really holding back, aren't they? Of COURSE it is costing taxpayers more.

Update: just to be clear: those personal and staff expenses are of course average figures; there are saints and sinners.

Overt obversion...

---

Who is he trying to kid? Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent for the DT reports that Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA, after last week I think he's the only one left), has said "MPs deserve to be 'trusted' again on expenses". Maybe instead of 'trust' he meant 'trussed': MPs deserve to be trussed, yep, got to be that.

Overt obversion...

---

Who is he trying to kid? Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent for the DT reports that Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA, after last week I think he's the only one left), has said "MPs deserve to be 'trusted' again on expenses". Maybe instead of 'trust' he meant 'trussed': MPs deserve to be trussed, yep, got to be that.

Osbornegate...

---

Hardly a surprise really what with shoulder-chips and a heightened sense of entitlement (am I being too hard on them?). Just as Plebgate (Gategate) fades we have another media feeding frenzy but hopefully slapped down in good time. Another silly Twitter frenzy about George Osborne is still being widely reported despite being shown to be not only a storm in a teacup but also complete pants as the Chancellor's Office and Virgin Rail concurring statements have shown.




Hat-tip (and image) Conservative Home. Gravy Train numbers: Sunday Telegraph.

Osbornegate...

---

Hardly a surprise really what with shoulder-chips and a heightened sense of entitlement (am I being too hard on them?). Just as Plebgate (Gategate) fades we have another media feeding frenzy but hopefully slapped down in good time. Another silly Twitter frenzy about George Osborne is still being widely reported despite being shown to be not only a storm in a teacup but also complete pants as the Chancellor's Office and Virgin Rail concurring statements have shown.

Hat-tip (and image) Conservative Home. Gravy Train numbers: Sunday Telegraph.