A new probe is going to begin into the expense claims that MPs make following yet more corruption and fraud exposed in our political masters.
Let us be very clear on this. If you or I were to be caught fiddling our expenses at work we would probably be dismissed for gross misconduct. After all, the expenses are paid out of company funds and that directly affects the bottom line. If you defraud your employer you make it difficult for them to turn a profit and therefore pay their wage bill. You can endanger the company.
And even if you did not endanger the company there is also the question of trust. If the company cannot trust you they cannot employ you. You become twice as expensive as someone has to constantly check your work. You become a liability and your bosses become suspicious. You are the one with the severe character flaws.
Now. If your elected representative is caught on the fiddle what should happen? They should be dismissed, barred from holding public office and an election called. What does actually happen? He or she makes laws. They have to have the country’s best interests at heart yet they are caught cheating. But here is the crux. If they are caught cheating they are in a position to change the rules so that what they have always done ILLEGALLY will now be acceptable. And it looks likely that this is what they will do. Publication of recent expenses claims have been passed off as things they have not benefited from. To them putting their TV licence payments on expenses is not something they benefit directly from because the money does not accumulate in their bank accounts. But they are wrong.
We as subjects of the crown have to pay for such things as non business taxi fares, TV licence and council tax out of post taxation income. When you get to put a couple of hundred on expenses then that is money you do not need to take from your pay. So you are immediately better off for it.
So how to avoid getting caught? Most of us would conclude the best way would not to do it in the first place. But not our political betters. Their solution is to change the rules. My MP spoke for and voted for £24,000 tax free lump sum every year so he did not have to submit receipts. I am sure the wretchedly poor constituents in his area would be delighted to know this man (who already receives a £60,000+ basic salary) voted for the equivalent of a second wage equal to about £34,000 before tax. This for the equivalent of a 3.5 working day and before a gold plated un-funded pension. In fairness he does supports a minimum wage but we must assume he feels that he cannot live on it!
By voting for this lump sum he never again has to justify why he claimed this or that sundry household expense against the general taxation used to fund his expenses. He has simply thrown a veil over the whole affair and made himself unaccountable.
Remember – every time they claim something on expenses that you or I would have to buy ourselves they are enriching themselves at our expense. Every time one of them is caught cheating the expenses rules they are taking from the money we pay in tax at a time when this collection of useless fuckers runs our country into the ground. While the IMF get ready to bail out the UK, as the Bank of England follows the Zimbabwe model of printing money they are feathering their own nests and setting themselves up for life. When they buy a plasma telly on the company while thousands are laid off they are destroying the country.
Their actions are those of traitors. In a time of unparalleled financial trouble largely brought about because of the Labour Party we have elected representatives putting themselves first. The law of the land has some quite acceptable punishments for traitors. So if you will excuse me I am off to invest in piano wire stocks before they change that law as well.
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