Mandy has spoken about the expenses revelations:
When you see something like this in a paper like the Telegraph you can either react with sort of boiling anger at the attempt to smear or traduce half the cabinet and you should rail at what motivates a Tory supporting paper to mount an operation like this.
Let's wait and see whether the Conservatives, who this paper supports, [whether it] gives them quite the same prominence, quite the same space that today's paper has given to members of the Labour party's cabinet.
He makes a very valid point. This not a partisan issue, it cuts across all parties. The Telegraph will rightly be criticised if it doesn't give the same prominence to Tory MPs’ expenses. When does the Telegraph intend to publish the next tranche? It will hardly have the same impact on a Saturday, and if they hold off until next week the agenda could well have moved on.
If the Telegraph has published the expense details with political motives in mind, the repercussions could fairly serious. Watch this space.
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(Apologies for anonymity, I don't have any of the various accounts)
ReplyDeleteLabour is in power, not the Tories, Lib Dems or any of the other parties. It is the behavious of government ministers that is being questioned.
A Labour-controlled government imposes rules on the population, including rules regarding taxation and expenses claims - which for everybody else are taxed. Failure to submit an accurate tax form is punishable, there is no allowance, no leeway, and no permissible excuse within the system for an oversight or a genuine mistake.
This is, perhaps, why the newspapers are reporting on Labour politicians first. If it's shown that these politicians are not squeaky clean it suggests they do not have the necessary respect for the regulations they expect the rest of us to abide by, indicates a contempt of the system, and an "I don't need to follow the rules because I'm too important" attitude that isn't either fair or reasonable.
I'm sure there are MPs of all colours who have been milking the system and using taxpayers' money for their own, personal, benefit. If so, we'll soon know who they are.
Let's hope, too, that those who have tried to do the right thing and keep their expenses to a minimum are lauded. There are, always, two sides to every story.
@anonymous - 3:56pm
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. All cabinet members (including shadow) should be leading by example - but those of the Governing party have absolutely no excuse to be claiming in this disgusting manner. None what so ever.