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.

We just vote for more or less tax. We vote for ourselves and hope like hell we never need the safety net that is being deliberately torn up. These are statements about more than just tax. And an actual revolution in transparency would tell us how much of our hard-earned tax has gone into making what is basically electoral propaganda for the Tory party.

49089 - i'll try to, but it'll only be stuff gleaned from the public domain ..... frankly, i'll be delighted if HMRC gets totally stuffed once more

How much of the said Welfare bill is being paid to low income EARNERS to subsidise the private sector, which is paying them inadequate wages? (Taxes from the slightly better off workers going to subsidise private companies.)

More bigoted propaganda from Shappy and his "dirty tricks" brigade at party central office and seemingly promoted with enthusiasm by the Hazeone.

Scapegoat the less able to fend for themselves, target the immigrants as the can't fight back and give the loot to the ankers and idle rich, especially those who manage to dodge their taxes.

And defend "our" country and "profits" by allowing those fleeing from other countries to drown at sea.


What a stench this Bullingdon Club cabinet has.

Mind, its O.K. we will punish the "hopeless ones" on drugs, we and our mates can afford better quality supplies and kept out of court if somebody comes knocking.

We could make a start by paying people a proper living wage, without the top up's required by the taxpayer.

How mad is it to require employers to pay a minimum wage that is not enough to live on?

You beat me to it Fred.

Cyners come of it, you want Fat Gary Barlow from the x factor to get away with murder, sorry I dont believe you.

Dave Camoron ‏@EtonOldBoys 2h hours ago

Tories give away £3bn in Tax cuts to millionaires, while cutting the welfare budget by £3bn, you just couldn't make it up. #votetory

Astrid Walker ‏@walker_astrid 4h hours ago

This is basically a giant mailshot to justify more cuts. What the Tories won’t tell you in their tax statement

WOWcampaign ‏@WOWpetition 13h hours ago

Osborne is pitting rich against poor with the breakdown on welfare, no breakdown of the tax cuts to hedge funds millionaires

WOWcampaign ‏@WOWpetition Nov 1

£ 1 million being spent to chase £1.1 billion fraud welfare
45% cuts HMRC uncollected tax going up £119billion
Tory ideology

By Peter Oborne

4:52PM GMT 03 Nov 2014

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Ed Miliband has become the latest senior British politician to throw his weight behind an elected House of Lords. He does have a point when he says the current system has its weaknesses.


The last list of working peerages was particularly depressing. The Liberal Democrat list contained an individual named Chris Fox, who is the director of group communications at GKN, an engineering company. I am all for the chief executive of GKN getting some kind of gong, but not the company PR man.


Nevertheless it is important to acknowledge that the House of Lords continues to work remarkably well. In some ways the last 15 to 20 years have been the most splendid in its entire history.


Here are a list of its achievements this century: peers thwarted New Labour plans to legalise sex in public lavatories, preserved live music in pubs, protected church choirs from licensing bureaucracy, prevented Tony Blair from restricting the right to attacking jury trial. The Lords stopped New Labour overthrowing habeas corpus, for allowing detention without charge for 90 days and from imposing compulsory ID cards and surveying every private email. Recently it threw out a half-witted Coalition Bill aimed at so-called nuisance neighbours.


This is only a small list of achievements. It is essential to note that virtually all the policies blocked by the House of Lords in recent years have been populist measures introduced by governments determined to bolster their Right-wing credentials. An elected House of Lord would never have the will or the courage to stand out against public opinion.


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If Mr Miliband got his way with his elected House of Lords, who does he think would win these elections? It's obvious that insurgent parties would swiftly fill up the Lords. Imagine if there had been elections for the House of Lords alongside the European elections this spring.

Ukip would have emerged as the victor, and would now have something close to a majority in Britain's upper chamber, along with a strong contingent of other minor parties, above all the SNP. Is this really what we want?

I support the existing system. It needs some minor reforms, which include finding a way of getting the Lib Dems to stop putting PR people like Chris Fox in the Upper House.

However, let's remember there are some very valuable people in the Lords, who play a very important role, the retired generals, diplomats, trade union leaders, former cabinet leaders, leading academics, bishops, judges. These are people with immense expertise, an important counterbalance to the Commons.

I know that Mr Miliband is trying to suck up to the Lib Dems with a view to forming a Coalition government after the election.

However he needs to think very hard before pressing on with this latest outbreak of constitutional meddling.

MPs forced out over expenses will stand in 2015

The seven former Labour MPs and two former Lib Dem members will be back on the ballot paper on May 7.





Andrew Dismore who was Labour MP for Hendon from 1997 until 2010

Andrew Dismore who was Labour MP for Hendon from 1997 until 2010 Photo: Getty Images







By Keith Perry

12:54AM GMT 29 Oct 2014





MPs who were thrown out of office by voters at the last election following public anger over the MPs’ expenses system have been re-selected by their parties to stand in next year’s poll.


The seven former Labour MPs and two former Lib Dem members will be back on the ballot paper on May 7.


They include MPs caught claiming thousands for second homes in London despite their main residence being only a short distance from Westminster. Others ‘flipped’ their second homes so they could claim more for renovating or furnishing the second property. All were entitled to payoffs worth tens of thousands of pounds when they left the Commons.


Andy Silvester, Campaign Manager at the Taxpayers’ Alliance told the Daily Mail: "You’d expect any campaign to mention what these individuals claimed when they last enjoyed the privileges of Parliament."


Martin Bell, the anti-sleaze campaigner and former independent MP, said voters would "think about why they lost their seats in the first place. Obviously they are entitled to seek re-election," he said. ‘It will be up to the voters to make the decision. Their expenses records are out in the open."


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A Labour Party spokesman said: "All our candidates are committed to upholding the highest standards in office. It was Labour in government who introduced tougher and more transparent reforms to MPs’ expenses."

A Lib Dem spokesman said: "Julia and Richard are fierce local campaigners with a track record of delivering for their local areas.

"They have been selected by their local parties because of this record and their desire to build the stronger economy and fairer society Britain badly needs. MPs from all parties were criticised for their expenses and both Richard and Julia made full repayments for any errors they made."

The MPs all faced question marks about their expenses claims at the last election and lost their jobs.

Andrew Dismore was Labour MP for Hendon from 1997 until 2010. He claimed £34,000 for his second home, a flat in West London, which housed his girlfriend’s homeopathy surgery.

He then ‘flipped’ his designated second home – saying the West London flat had become his main residence – and claimed another £31,000.

Joan Ryan became Labour MP for Enfield North in 1997. She spent thousands on repairs and decorations at her Enfield home before ‘flipping’ it to another property. She was ordered by officials to repay £5,000 in ‘over-claimed’ mortgage interest. Dawn Butler was Labour MP for Brent Central from 2005 until 2010. Among expenses she claimed for her second home were a whirlpool bath in a bathroom suite that cost £2,308.

Paul Clark, the former Labour MP for Gillingham, claimed £1,200 a month in rent for his London flat before ‘flipping’ his second home and claiming mortgage interest on a house in Kent.

Mike O’Brien, the former Labour MP for North Warwickshire, claimed £17.49 for a carbon monoxide detector.

Former Labour MP for Selby John Grogan claimed £150 on English lessons for a Mongolian intern so he could understand his constituents’ Yorkshire accents. Bob Blizzard, who was Labour MP for Waveney in Suffolk, hit the headlines for claiming 39p for a single paper clip in his expenses.

Julia Goldsworthy, who was Lib Dem MP for Falmouth and Camborne, claimed thousands of pounds on expensive furniture only days before the deadline for using up Commons allowances.

Richard Younger-Ross, who represented Teignbridge in Devon, repaid more than £4,300 on ‘luxury’ items that included £1,200 mirrors at his London flat.

It is not known whether any Tory MPs who lost their seats in 2010 amid questions about their expenses who have been selected to fight next year.

An analysis of the party’s published list of Prospective Parliamentary Candidates suggests none was previously an MP.

RT: Look at IDS reaction 2 @David_Cameron promising MORE Welfare Cuts for UKs poorest...... OCT 29 speech

The key thing about having a second chamber is that it is subordinate to the Commons. If not then we will have the situation where one party may control one chamber and another control the second. This happens in the US and stops legislation and makes for weak government.

Populus’s twice-weekly poll meanwhile had topline figures of CON 34%, LAB 35%, LDEM 9%, UKIP 13% –

It makes for balanced government.

The house of lairds, if chosen properly, provides a good counter-balance to the House of Conmen.

By Matthew Stadlen and Peter Dominiczak

8:56PM GMT 02 Nov 2014





Griff Rhys Jones, the comedian and television presenter, has said that he is thinking about moving abroad if Labour wins the general election and introduces a mansion tax.


In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Rhys Jones described as “fatuous” Ed Miliband’s plan to impose a levy on homes worth more than £2 million.


Mr Miliband’s plans have been criticised by members of his own party as well as financial experts including Nigel Wilson, the chief executive of Legal & General, who warned that the policy is “poor economics” and will “punish” families who have saved hard for a property.


Under Labour's plans, the starting rate will be £3,000 a year, and could be as much as £30,000 a year for homes worth over £3 million.


The Liberal Democrats are making similar plans.


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Mr Rhys Jones lives in a property in Fitzrovia, central London, that he restored 15 years ago.

He said that his home has appreciated in value so significantly that he would be better moving abroad than paying Labour’s “colossal tax”.

“It would mean I’d be paying the most colossal tax, which is obviously aimed at foreigners who have apparently come in and bought up all the property in London,” he said.

“That sounds about as fatuous an idea as that immigrants are stealing all the jobs. I’d probably go and live abroad because I could get some massive palace which I could restore there.”


Mr Rhys Jones added: “I mustn’t equate my own personal angst about the

mansion tax with a national policy angst. No way. It’s quite likely

that the population is very keen on seeing rich people squeal. So I’m

not going to squeal to make them feel better.”


Mr Wilson last week warned that the mansion tax would exacerbate a

housing shortage and make it even harder for young people to buy their

first home.


The mere threat of a mansion tax has already slowed the top end of the

property market, and will result in fewer properties getting built, he

said.

Not worth the paper it’s written on – glynismillward189 3/11/2014


Meet the Tweedles: Tweedle-Dunce is sitting at the back looking disgruntled, while Tweedle-Daft just tweedles his thumbs.

So, CaMORON and GIDIOT Osborne are sending out statements to taxpayers from today, detailing how their taxes are being spent, writes a clearly-annoyed Glynis Millward.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-start-receiving-break-down-of-how-their-tax-is-spent

So, they are using YOUR money to tell you how YOUR money has been spent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/tax/11204213/Voters-to-get-letters-showing-how-much-of-their-money-is-spent-on-benefits.html

They are using these letters to further disenfranchise benefit claimants by saying to taxpayers , look how much of your money is being spent on these scroungers/workshy/skivers (delete as applicable)

They are using a government department – HMRC, to send these letters out!!!

WTF!!!

Using a government department, which over the last 4 years has been subjected to the most savage job cuts

http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=146311

Gidiot maintains that these letters are part of the governments initiative to be open and transparent…. HA HA HA ; there goes another rib… open and transparent? when this government do things for example, such as deny people the opportunity to make Freedom of Information requests regarding deaths of benefit claimants

http://mikesivier.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/information-tribunal-on-deaths-of-ibesa-claimants-next-week/

If I receive such a letter, I shall be sending it straight back with a covering letter, requesting (amongst other things) the following information;

What is the cost of sending these letters out?
Why don’t the government tell me how my National Insurance is being utilised?
Do any of the amounts shown in these figures include amounts frittered away on privatisation costs instigated by this government?

Rhys Jones moving abroad? Job done.

ha ha he he yep I was going to say same Stan good one, send that t-at Simon Cowel and the rest of the team plus all those 2nd raters at Strictly with him aswel, PLUS all the England useless football team aswel.