h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It beggars belief that with politicians' reputation at an all time low, tomorrow (Friday), the Commons will vote on an ammendment to David Maclean's (former Tory Chief Whip) private members bill that will exempt both Houses of Parliament from the two year old Freedom of Information Act.

The Bill is being supported by both front benches and every sly technique is being used to get it passed. If passed, one immediate effect will be that MP's will no longer have to disclose their expenses to constituents.

Is it any wonder politicians are so despised.

Morning WA

No , it isn't a surprise. And it is no surprise either that this amendment has been tabled, the last thing our representatives want is their attndance, votes, coming and goings and particularly the huge perk of 'expenses' being open for public scrutiny.

Some of them are a pretty grubby lot, and deserve approbrium from us all.

Novo

Records of attendance, records of voting and Members interests are already public documents...

Which is how I know the loathsome self-serving Tory toad in my constituency has one of the worst attendance and voting record in the house, whilst strangely having one of the biggest and best paying set of Interests.

Mind you, you could put a blue rosette on a pig and it would get voted in round my way. Oh wait, I think they they already have.

Morning Novo, Blues,

At least on MP, Mark Fisher, seems to have some standards. This is a link to his article in this morning's Independent.

http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2553891.ece

Yup. Them & us. Always has been and always will be whilst we keep voting.

Not just Freedom of Information - the recent pensions grab didn't apply to MPs, the smoking ban doesn't apply to MPs, no demonstrations within earshot of MPs. They decide their own wages, their own holidays, their own retirement ages ....


Pigs in the trough.

<>

Already aware of that Blues, and I track my MP's record...

I meant that they don't like that, and given the passage of the ammendment could well try to restrict other information....

Novo

My MP will probably be getting a promotion soon - he's in GB's circle, and he hasn't made the front page for the wrong reason recently. Or at least none of his interest free loans have been shown to have other forms of interest.

Still round my way you could paint a red and they'd vote it in.

Oh - hang on......

So they voted to exempt themselfs.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1809563.ece



MPs make themselves exempt from FOI Greg Hurst, Political Correspondent
A move to exempt Parliament from freedom of information law has been approved by MPs after attempts to block it in the Commons failed.





A group of people that I'd like to see operate in a transperent fashion, and what happens...


*sigh*


It is now passed to the House of Lords, where peers opposed to the plan will begin another attempt to stop it from becoming law.

Officially, the Government is remaining neutral about the Bill...shay right...and are those monkeys flying out of my butt?

I've just read that the MP sponsoring this Bill has bought himself a £3,300 Quad bike on expenses. He needs it to visit constituents.

IF he lives in/represents a predominantly hill-farming area (e.g. Wales, Cumbria) then I have to say that's actually a perfectly reasonable expense. Better that than him lashing out on, say, a Range Rover.

If on the other hand he represents High Wycombe and just happens to have a rather spiffy estate with a dirt track next to the arboretum, then he's avaricious scum who should be castrated, disemboweled and shot in the chin, in that order.

SoRB

SoRB - On first glance it's the first alternative...

He's MP for Penrith and the Borders, which is just about as rural as you get (and full of sheep farmers).

However, given the sheer size of his constituency (which must cover about half of Cumbria) - the Range Rover would be a heck of a lot more practical (can you imagine trying to belt up and down the M6 on a Quad Bike?)

Largest constituency in the UK apparently. I imagine though that a lot of his constituents have limited vehicle access to their gaffes.

He's got MS.

The quad bike helps him get around his constituents. Probably cheaper than the taxis others use.

What he really needs to buy with taxpayers money then is a Range Rover, a Quad and a trailer to ensure he can get to all his constituents. Seems sensible to me.

I wonder how he managed to be elected without a Quad? I wonder if all those hard pressed hill farmers and going bust dairy farmers will appreciate his dedication in getting to their remote farms.