Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

GF,

Who is Cynic chap you keep on referring to?

8-)


Remind me to give him a tip, if I ever meet him.

Both have a good weekend.

Or should that be a stronger one!





(Don’t vote conservative.)

Will the Millerbint last the weekend?


http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/04/maria-miller-telegraph-releases-taped-call

When will you guys get it, the criminal offence of fraud is only committed by the ordinary person, it's not fraud if you are an MP, 'celebrity' or other such dignitary.
2517

Plenty of MPs have been before the courts for fraud regarding their expenses. None of it is that serious.,The root cause was the low salaries at the time and almost no scrutiny of expenses. There was a culture topping up their pay with expenses and it was deemed acceptable right across all the MPs. The expenses system is much more regulated now, but not fit for purpose. Accommodation when away from their home constituency is the main problem. This has still not been solved in a reasonable way. There is a need for some payment, but no clear system that gives anyone the surety that what they are doing is correct.

Saying all that, it is still no acceptable to fiddle the expenses and MPs of all parties should be brought to book. But at thend of the day the public don't really care. In the scheme of things, it is a drop in the ocean. If you want to see real fiddling then start scrutinising the EU MEP's expenses.

This Maria Miller business dates back to 2005, when prectices were very different. I think she should pay back more. The Commons enquiries cleared her of fraud, but she should probably resign.

H,''None of it is that serious'' so you think it's ok for MP's to defraud the people who pay for their expenses for a whole variety of lucrative items, which those paying can only dream of having. The public do care especially the honest, hard working low paid amongst us, I don't think those being hounded are too enamored with it either.
2517

We have one of the most honest bunch of MPs and Ministers in the world. It is is not to justify it, but look at Israel where ex Prime Minister's and others Minister have been convicted for frauds and bribes running into millions, Italy where corruption is normal, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France with 2 Prime Ministers (Juppe and Chirac) and 4 Ministers convicted of corruption. The list goes on. Our politicians are pretty straight and the sums involved are peanuts.

I know an Italian who went to prison for bribing a government minister to get a big contract. He got a fast track appeal after a week in jail and had the conviction quashed by bribing the appeal court judge. Our government and judiciary are saints in comparison to the rest of the world. Some people at not like there being rich people running the country, but it has the advantage that people of independent means are much less likely to be susceptible to corruption. It is one of the reasons, that most corruption at the local council level over the years has involved Labour councils,

Breaking news

Chinese patrol ship has found pulse in the plane search area of 37.5Khz, which is the right frequency for the black box.

Just taken quick look at Hays posts and totaly turned off.

Cynic/manuel trying to post you that note.

National Front leader Marine Le Pen has said her party will not pander to Jewish and Muslim children by offering non-Pork alternatives for lunch.

School canteens will no longer offer non-pork meal options in the 11 towns the far-right party won in local elections, because such arrangements are contrary to France's secular values, she said.

I think most country's provide option's, arab airlines have Vegan, vegetarian plus about 15 others in the case of Emirates also wine , beer's. most schools have options.

This is pandering to racist . ........ Fred will not set foot in France again if they go ahead with this. On the other hand he did have his nose in the Royal mail trough

Hays

Nothing about it on the bbc website

Corruption is endemic in government across the world. It is just a fact of life. We are lucky that we have more checks and balances that any other government. Our system of oversight via select committees, parliament itself and the judiciary is quite unusual in the world. We manage to process and pass legislation at a better rate than most other governments. The US system does have good aspects, but passing legislation is not one of them. It is an argument for not having an elected second chamber. If we had an elected House of Lords then we could not guarantee to pass laws when needed.

aldwickk
Look at Sky and CNN.

Yep true lads but can you name a BRITISH PM who as ever lied as much as David Cameron.............I cant think of one...........you guys are older than me (respect)but can you name a PM who as done more????.(alders..... Blair that was one occasion, not time and time again)

I wonder and wish to be informed as I never stop learing from you guys the World of day to day education.............and its very powerful.

The truth is I learn more in my local pub than I ever did in the Education System and Im supposed to be a Doctor (economics doctor)LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Blair lied on imigration and maybe of his dealings with Gaddafi , was he PM when they lied about US renition flights from the UK ?

Gordon Brown's lies

GB - I have always funded the Military with whatever they asked for LIES
GB - Military spending has increased every year LIES
GB - I have saved the world LIES
GB - Tony Blair is my friend and I respect him LIES
GB - Damian McBride's smears were nothing to do with me

Labour said they the wouldn't raise income tax, instead we have 111 new taxes (IIRC)

1) I thought Mrs Duffy was talking about foreign students
2) No more boom & bust
3) We will have a referendum about the EU

maria miller
all walks of life are full of dodgy characters, and parliament in all its hues is of course not immune

in this instance, my gripe is not so much that MM tried to work the system and patently overstepped what the rules allowed, but that the parliamentary committee then only tickled her with a derisory fine

that cameron should have suspended if not sacked her from the cabinet as soon as her "misdemeanour" became apparent is a separate issue, and is (imo) a no-brainer, but i do not intend to open up the silly paths of righteous indignation that are so prevalent here

Haze you are entitled to your own standards.

That is why some time ago I wrote that I was happy never to have done business with you.

If it is fraud, it is fraud.


I didn't think, because I though I was underpaid, that I could nick money out of till, or made a false claims, and explain the THIEVING away because it was practised by others.

I would also have expected to "prosecuted" or at the least reprimanded and punished in one way or another.


Having the leadership accept the corrupt standards that they have done and are continuing to do and not being punished for the misdemeanour's and holding high office encourages "society" to copy their actions and behaviour.

That leads to a "rot" percolating through a society.

What is commonplace for other countries or others does not mean it should be accepted in the UK.

I would like to see the "Murdoch - Hunt affair re-investigated."

------

As far as a non-elected upper house is concerned, it is liable to become another
"old boys" club, similar to the present cabinet and is more likely to be open to "old friends" arrogant tolerance of corruption.

At least with a periodically elected upper house, the public can at least a chance of ridding themselves of "failing" individuals as when the public thinks fit.

Personally, I see some advantages for co-opting a certain number of "special advisers" to the upper house. (On an Experience or Knowledge bases and perhaps as representatives of professional, or other areas of the public.)

(Safe guards would have to be put in to regulate number and "power".)

A black box locator onboard a Chinese ship searching for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane has detected a signal from a location in the South Indian Ocean, according to reports.


Tthe Haixun 01 vessel reportedly picked up the "ping" at 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude.


It is yet to be determined whether the signal is related to the missing flight MH370 of the Malaysia Airlines, the report from China's official state media said.

.

DD .... bet it'll be a pod of dolphins or similar ..... to find the black box so easily or at all would be in the realms of 100,000 to 1