Crooked Conservative MEPs deserve what they get
Dear crooked Conservative MEPs,
I simply cannot believe what I am reading. You really don’t get it, do you. When faced with a barrage of evidence showing how immorally you have acted, your reactions have been extremely disappointing. Your resignations should have been handed in the second that you were caught, but instead you have decided to dig yourself into a deeper hole with some unbelievable statements.
First, there was Giles Chichester. His reaction to be caught pushing almost £500,000 of MEP expenses into his family’s pocket? “Whoops-a-daisy, I am shown up to have made a mistake.” No Giles, forgetting to brush your teeth in the morning is a mistake. Not doing up your shoelaces properly is a mistake. Stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from taxpayers is cold, calculated fraud.
Then came Den Dover who made the taxpayer bend over to the tune of £758,143, including £272,000 going to his wife and daughter. His reaction? “I am totally within the rules.” Oh, well that’s ok then. You can act as a corrupt, amoral scumbag but so long as the EU doesn’t stop you behaving in that way, everything is ok. Mr Dover also stated that “they get market rates, but they put in two or three times the number of hours – they just never stop, and I pay tribute to their hard work”, even though his wife works four days a week as a travel agent in Hertfordshire in addition to her £20,000+ salary as a part-time Parliamentary Assistant.
Then came John Purvis, who somehow managed to find himself £110,000 a year richer thanks to MEP expenses. His reaction? “I have asked the Quaestors to investigate the reason that I did not receive clarification from the European Parliament about my arrangements for paying staff, even though I specifically asked for it as far back as January 2007.” Hmmm. So as long as you don’t receive clarification, you continue to screw the expenses system for as much as possible? That just doesn’t sound right, especially when Guido pointed out that the rules are very clear on the matter.
Then came Sir Robert Atkins, who used his expenses to fly to his son’s wedding in America. His reaction? He claims that he was officially invited to a business function in New York that just happened to “coincide” with the wedding. What are the odds, eh?
And as if crooked MEP revelations and outrageous reactions from the Conservatives wasn’t enough to make your eyes water, the Open Europe think-tank is continuing their Transparency Initiative and notes that 55% of Conservative MEPs, 70% of Lib Dem MEPs and 82% of Labour MEPs have yet to publish their full expenses. This can only mean one thing: the scandals are only just beginning. You lot disgust me, you really do. You bring shame on the whole world of politics, not just the Conservative Party.
Yours contemptfully,
A.Tory
Witanagemot Blogs
I hope the crooked MEPs are deselected, so we can have a few more decent Eurosceptics. I’m fed up with these Europhiles.
No kidding. It’s been horrifying to watch ConHome’s investigation into the totally rigged selection process for MEP’s. This is Cameron’s chance to put the right people in the right places.
Dear A Tory
It looks like the perception is not perception it is reality!
The time has now come to pass that Cameron must make it clear to MP’s and MEP’s that if they continue to play fast and lose with the rules and do not stay within the spirit of the rules and use common sense as to what is a genuine expense and what is by any other means if fraud. They will find themselves out of the party and I hope in the High Court facing fraud charges.
What the morally corrupt Nu-Labour or Lib Dems do is a mater for them and the police.
This whole expenses shenanigans in both parliaments needs to stop forthwith and if Cameron does not have the stomach for the battle then he must bring in an enforcer to do the job for him.
We have past the Rubicon and the tide of drowning MP’s and MEP’s in expenses has stop now!!!!
YOU really don’t get it you Thatcher-worshipping Enfield-esque Tory boy, who’s clearly swallowed a bit too much of the ludicrous “Road to Serfdom” without actually engaging his brain.
This whole nonsense about Tory MEPs’ expenses, as your first commenter proves, is just a charade got up to try to deselect (as has been the loopys wont in this party for the last 20 blinking years) MEPs who aren’t full of Hannan-like wind, and instead get down to the hard work of co-operating in Europe and winning a good deal for Britain. Hannan on the other hand blusters and talks his nonsense in the Telegraph, but has no idea about doing anything for Britain as an MEP.
I only hope Cameron sees you obsessives as what you are, before you scupper Tory policy, end up blackmailing the next Conservative Government, and leave Britain isolated in Europe, to our detriment.
Hmmm. Don’t worship Thatcher, don’t look sound or dress anything like Harry Enfield, and you clearly do not understand where I’m coming from. Let me take it down to its simplest form: I don’t like people stealing my money. Abusing taxpayers’ expenses is stealing my money. I get very angry when I hear about people stealing my money. That simple enough for you?
If David Cameron wanted to get rid of the Europhiles in the party, can you explain why he would rig the MEP selection process IN THEIR FAVOUR? Your argument is ludicrous, as Cameron can deselect MEP’s at any time that he wants to. To suggest that this media frenzy is anything other than outrage at the way certain MEP’s have behaved is wholly incorrect in my opinion and certainly does not represent my views on this.
I think I made my own agenda perfectly clear in the letter – I want crooked MEP’s from all parties out of politics for good. I couldn’t care less whether they are the most hardened Europhiles or Eurosceptics – I want them out now.
Ranger, Cameron has already sent his enforcer over to Brussels in the form of Hugh Thomas, the Head of Compliance. I completely agree that fiddling expenses should be met with serious punishments and possibly a criminal investigation.
“They will find themselves out of the party and I hope in the High Court facing fraud charges.” (Ranger 1640)
Your glaring error (the High Court is a civil court) gave me pause for thought.
Who can sue an MP that they believe has breached the terms of their expenses claim? Who employs MP’s exactly, and could it be argued that as elected respresentatives any one of their constituents has the right to take civil action on behalf of the ‘coffers’ in order to recover money claimed dishonestly or in breach of the rules?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1025371/EastEnders-MEP-pays-gay-lover-pound-30-000-secretary.html
More Perception this time Nu-Labour