Holy Hana! Can they make it any worse?

British MP and now ex Speaker of the House Michael Martin resigned today in disgrace over his mishandling of the MP expense scandal. The growing contempt the British public have for the politicians took another hit when it was announced that Mr. Martin, the first Speaker in over 300 years to be pushed out of [...]

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Wanted: Basic accounting skills

Another UK MP bit the dust today. Labour MP David Chaytor was suspended for submitting claims for a phantom mortgage. Sounds familiar? You are right, Labour MP Elliot Morely was suspended for the same accounting errors. Chaytor has been received nearly £13,000 for a mortgage paid off in 2004. He issued this statement: In respect [...]

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Good news on the moat!

UK Conservative MP Douglas Hogg announced today he will pay back the money he billed the public to have his moat cleaned. Something about this just tickles my funny bone. Imagine the audacity to hand in a chit to be  reimbursed for a moat cleaning. How was it written up? “M’Lord, herein are the details [...]

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No one told them they couldn’t do it

Labour MP Justice Minister Shahid Malik stepped down today over expenditures under the home allowance. While the press is making much about his purchase of a home entertainment centre for £2,600 for his home, there are much deeper concerns that have led to both his stepping down and rumours of a possible investigation for a [...]

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Did I just say it may be a long summer?

I wrote earlier that it may turn into a hot, contentious summer in the UK. The first salvo by the public was launched tonight by British newspaper The Daily Mail and the Tax-Payer’s Alliance. They began a campaign to prosecute Members of Parliament over the expenses scandal. The Mail wrote: … eminent lawyers believe that [...]

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You have to admire their humility

Ah, the whiff of scandal drifting across the Atlantic! Smell that? It’s the compost from the UK House of Parliament as the expenses scandal keeps hitting the fan. The right to be reimbursed for reasonable expenses should not be questioned. It’s the egregious abuse of the expense system that has the British Isles in an [...]

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