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MP's expenses, the positive.

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Sqad | 10:14 Sat 12th Dec 2009 | News
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There is one positive, surrounding the scandal of the MP's expenses and that is we shall never again see on TV PMQ's, the nauseous sight and sound of Dennis Skinner the Labour MP for Bolsover, pointing across the floor to the Tory benches and retorting in hi aggressive and confrontational way " that lot over there,ought to be ashamed of themselves, their snouts in the trough, lining their own pockets"
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kunni.....I always watch PMQ's and it is utter CRAP.
Wonderful man, Dennis. Not his fault there are these days some shameful creatures on the benches behind him as well as those opposite.
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@Sqad - You have obviously developed a personal dislike for Dennis. You are of course entitled to your opinion, but if I may say so, your reasons seem superficial.
Personally, I feel that if more MPs were as principled as Mr. Skinner has consistently proven himself to be, through his years of public service as an MP, Parliament's reputation would not have been dragged into the gutter where it currently and deservedly is. He is, and has always been, an excellent parliamentarian, as even that icon of the right, Margaret Thatcher, observed.
I would far rather Parliament was filled with conviction poliiticians, such as Dennis, rather than the current batch of anodyne drones, of the chinless, faceless, eager to please, do anything the whips say know-nothings that have no real life experience and are there just to fill their own pockets at the publics expense. All of the parties favour this type of candidate, since they are easy to manipulate by the whips and only too willing to stay "on message".
More power to Dennis and other principled MPs, I say.....
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LazyGun... not so, I have great admiration for ANYONE who sticks up for his/her principles and that includes Dennis Skinner.

You are quite incorrect.....he says what he means and he turns up for the majority of the debates.......I admire the guy.

You are quite correct in what you say about the "scroungers" behind him and across the floor from him, but his hands are not entirely clean.

Tories being in it for what they can get has always been the Lefties cry, but the Labour party ( we represent the poor) also sharing the trough with equally sized "snouts", just brings it all home to me.

I do admire DS LazyGun and you have misread the situation.
@sqad - sorry, I must be confused and i must have misunderstand yoou then.
In your initial post you clearly stated "the nauseous sight and sound of Dennis Skinner the Labour MP for Bolsover, pointing across the floor to the Tory benches and retorting in hi aggressive and confrontational way ". So this is actually meant to be read as commentary on the Labour Partys alleged hypocrisy rather than being specifically about Dennis Skinner? How is this NOT a criticism of Dennis Skinner, and if it was meant ironically,or as allusion, or sarcastically, how were we meant to know? :)

Would you elaborate on your comment " His hands are not entirely clean" ? I havent seen any commentary in any of the newspapers suggesting that he padded his exes, but I may just have missed it.
@sqad - Just looking at the references you provided... must have crossposted :) Thanks for the links
Dennis Skinner used to be my MP. At the time, and I still think it is true, he was the only full time MP in the house of commons. Since moving away from his constituency I have never had as good an MP as he was. He replied to every letter I wrote to him with an acknowledgement that he had received it and then sent a full reply at a later date. I don't agree with what the labour party has done to this country, but I still admire Dennis Skinner.
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Lazygun....I might have posted in a more exact manner of speech.

I admire him as a Labour supporter.

I do find his antics as described, nauseous, but that doesn't detract from my admiration of his devotion to his principles.

Has that clarified my situation?
@sqad - Yes thanks, that has clarified things ;) Ones opinion of a persons behaviour will obviously be very subjective though - for myself, I liked Dennis' antics.

@Kathyann - I have never had any dealings with Mr. Skinner directly, but he does impress me as a conviction politician. I think he holds the record for attendiing every session of parliament, the only member that has that admirable distinction.
He is a republican, so he doesn't attend the state openings of parliament - an example of him staying true to his principles.

This business about MPs claiiming back the cost of accountants preparing the MPs personal tax returns on office expenses has always bugged me though. I know as a businessman that I would never be able to do that, and I do resent MPs claiming it back - But it does appear that there might be some genuine confusion here, inasmuch as that Parliaments Expenses Green Book lists it as an allowable offence.

In more general terms, I think there have been flagrant breeches by a few of the personal allowances system, with some MPs taking full and greedy advantage. Most of them however, have become part of a kind of insulated culture of entitlement, where the allowable expenses are just claimed in full. The new systems implemented should stop this, which is obviously good.
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LazyGun

////it as an allowable offence.////

:-) brought a smile to my face.
@Sqad LoL oops freudian slip perhaps? :) it should have read allowable expense, but given the public mood, maybe allowable offence actually suits the situation better....
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Lazy.....LOL
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