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.

Bit disappointed to see Dennis Skinner on the list, even for modest amount. I would have put money on the beast of Bolsover being squeaky clean, even though I do not agree with most of his politics. Thought George Galloway spoke a lot of good sense on Question Time last night, particularly the suggestion that we should halve the number of MPs.

Fred,

I hope there are more prosecutions to come, but apart from the one still being considered I doubt it. My feeling is that there is no one with the bottle to go for the jugular of this corrupt mess and they have taking the four mentioned as an attempt to placate the electorate. Well it ain't placated me, although I must admit to punching the air a bit. As you rightly state, there are many more out there where the evidence looks to be sufficient to prosecute for fraud.
I have known several cases where a person has been prosecuted for fraud (usually false accounting) where it can be shown that they have made far few false claims than many MPs.
Also when employees are dismissed due to fraud, mainly in the public sector they loose their private pension rights, only receiving the contributions personally made.
I bet this does not happen to any MPs found guilty.
Also many employees who commit fraud, where it is not deemed prudent to take them to court due to perhaps the committing of a single offence are dismissed, also loosing pension rights. This is common practise in those employees holding positions of trust. I know of at least two Police Officers who fiddled their expenses, one gaining less than 100 who were dismissed loosing their pension rights.
Also a common prosecution taken against people in positions of public office is that of Misconduct In Public Office, which again is an offence that several Police Officers have been prosecuted for.
If you wish to peruse the link, I think most will agree there are many MP that fit into this category.
So why is this not happening to our Honourable (sic) Members of Parliament.

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/l_to_o/misconduct_in_public_office/

partridge,

Yes I think the number of MPs should be halved. Get rid of that load of tory mobsters.

Actually, have some time for Galloway. Think he is a little bit of a rogue, but does have a gift for the right turn of speech and a sense of humour.

Surprised at his opinion on "assisted suicide".

Greek I agree with you.

Copied.

I can understand when one buys a house and then downsizes or upsizes over a period of years and it is the only house you have that you don't have to paid Capital gains. In general quiet sensible.

However, if a person is "flipping" a house 5 times in a few years and making 300,000 I would think this amounts to treating properties dealing as a business and therefore taxable as a business.

But look around at BAE.

We criticise Iraq, Pakistan; Afghanistan etc.

Perhaps, we should have a complete clean up first in the Uk.

Fred,

Always looked at flipping as a legal, but immoral fiddle, but never thought if it as a business angle. Good point.

What we need is the HMC to act, they are very quick to jump on ordinary folk and they don't except excuses.

MP Jim Devine said today that he was "astonished and devastated" to be charged over his claims for parliamentary expenses.
What he really meant washe was "astonished and devastated" to be caught

For once Tabby, I entirely agree with you :)

Regarding Skinner.

Again he has amused me for years.

From Miiror.
Not sure of validity

Why I'll always take Dennis Skinner over expenses sinners

By Brian Reade 2/04/2009

Whenever I write that Dennis Skinner should be taken seriously as a politician, I'm attacked by New Labour acolytes who say he's a hard-left dinosaur whose views will never be accepted by the electorate.

Well, see what you think. Last year on the list of MPs' expense claimers, Skinner came 657th, taking 121,000 less than the biggest claim.

That put him second to bottom, which annoyed him, as he is usually bottom.

Whenever I met him as a journalist he insisted it wasn't in a pub, in case my buying him a drink compromised him.

He won't join in Commons "pairing" - opposing voters agreeing neither of them will turn up - because he sees it as a way of letting MPs get richer through working on the side.

And he doesn't own a passport in case he succumbs to the temptation of a foreign junket.

Tabs,

What gets up my nose, is that these Silly Buggers are claiming "naivety", lack of knowledge, didn't "consider it wrong", "accountancy mistakes."

There may be a few innocent mistakes (or somebody else submitting the accounts), but I think the rest are psychopaths and these upright pure "legislators" are able to lead us into unnecessary wars and set themselves up for future earnings.

I can understand how it occurred, but some of the B.s set themselves up as examples and club together to defend their positions.

The problem is, I think the four who are charged are being sacrificed by the majority.

If they try to get away with parliamentary privilege, I hope they all "hang".

I can't see that they will be able to get away with that plea as the "acts" as the acts are outside the HOUSE.

Fred - we agree that half should go, but not sure they should all be tory mobsters, unless like many (probably including aforementioned Skinner) you put "new Labour" in that category. About 150 from each main party and a few Libs as well would do for me. While we were at it, we could get rid of all of Gordon's quangos and pay the national debt down in double quick time. And how I dream of a future Chancellor saying that the police budget will be cut over time by 90% because there is virtually no crime....Better stop taking these pills.

Just wondering, whether big business corrupts government, or government corrupts business.

Consider Goldsmith and BAE. what example to business and the rest of the country.

Only thing to admire is the brazenness of both.

It seems to be what you can get away with which counts.

The values of the psychopath.

Money corrupts both. Barter had a lot to be said for it.

"7.99 all-you-can-drink student night running every Monday and Wednesday at Groove in Gold Street, Northampton."

See http://www.itsgroove.com/northampton

Not wishing to be a spoil sport and all that, but I'd like to see this place lose its licence.

Anyone else got any comments?

eg,

"I would not park my car outside that place!"

"Don't go near that place at the weekend if you fear for your personal safety!"

.

Another honest copper

Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei has been sentenced to four years for assaulting and falsely arresting a man in a dispute over 600.

From the Heathrow BA plane crash report:

"The AAIB report said: "Certification requirements, with which the aircraft and engine fuel system had to comply, did not take account of this phenomenon as the risk was unrecognised at that time."

The report added that research in the 1950s had identified the problem of ice formation in fuel systems from dissolved or trapped water, but it did not identify that it was possible for accumulated ice to restrict fuel flow."

I am astonished that the commercial air industry claim not to have recognised the possibility of icing in fuel systems; the military have been using FSII (fuel system icing inhibitors) for yonks, in fact if the FSII level drops to an unacceptable level the fuel isn't even issued to an aircraft. Amazing

I found the following:

"It was the biggest shock in my life, when I realised how horrible, soulless and without feeling the five star lifestyle is," he said. "In those three weeks, we spent all the money you could possibly spend. But in all that time, we had the feeling we hadn't met a single real person that we were all just actors. The staff played the role of being friendly and the guests played the role of being important and nobody was real."

Hmmm? I think I can empathise with that. Whenever I've done five star, I feel the same. I think that's why I always prefer to stay three or four star.

There must be tons of very rich, very unhappy people out there, don't you think?

Fully agree, but I bet there are far more unhappy poor people.

My dad had many sayings, one was its always better to be rich and unhappy than poor and unhappy.

They also say that money can't buy you health. But if you are wealthy there is often a better chance of a healthier life, and better health care when you do need it.

It also may not buy you love, but just look at all the gorgeous sexy women who are coupled with plain ugly men who have money, appreciate the reverse can be said of rich ugly women and good looking blokes, but not to the same extent.

How many of us blokes have had fantasise of being mega rich and having the pick of the fairer sex.

No wonder the rich and famous have problems re sexual exploits, it must be very difficult to turn down some of the offers they get.

Any other male chauvinist pigs out there.

"Enough is as good as a feast" and "knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers" were my old man's favourite quotes to me. I like them both - and appreciate them more as I get older.

Partridgeyour Father is a very astute man imo