Thieving bastard scum
 

Well, one of the great and good has gone down over the MPs expense fiddling. I don't doubt that a couple more will be thrown to the wolves in the hope that once they have had a bit of fresh meat, the public will forget just how widespread the whole disgusting business was.

Those of us tempted to call it a day should remember this.

Both Brown and Cameron paid back money that they knew damn well they shouldn't have taken. So tell me, if even the leaders of the two main parties had their nasty, greasy little paws in the till, what does that make the houses of parliment if not a veritable thieves kitchen?

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

That's it,get it off your chest bil,..I bet you feel much better.

Whilst I basically agree with you, it must be said that the system has improved considerably with the transparency of MPs expenses, which anyone can check up on at anytime on the net.

As for permanently putting an end to bribery and corruption, we all know that will never happen, and there will always be some conniving barstewards who have figured out a way of fiddling the system.

What p!sses me off much more is the Brussels MEPs gravy train, which is much worse.
There was a Dispatches programme about it a couple of weeks ago,...shocking.

Guess who were the EUs top fiddlers. :o

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Wasn't UKIP was it? Nigel Farage used to boast of taking £2 million in expenses :eek:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...p-nigel-farage

If the "anti-Europe" party are taking the michael to this extent, we can only guess at what the rest are up to. No, scrub that, I don't want to know...:thumbdown:

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Not really. If you fiddle your taxes by a single quid, the least you will get is to have to pay it back double. I just want to see everyone equal under the law, which means pay back double.

Why should that be so? Why should we be penalised and not them?

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Yeah, that's why I try to watch as little news as possible. It ain't good for my blood pressure.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

I agree, and it'll be hard to stop absolutely everything, but I believe that for the vast majority that were caught, their crime is pretty small stuff. Doesn't make it right, fiddling is fiddling, but the I'm sure the MP's from other countries must be laughing their heads off reading about our MP's, an 88p bath plug, a blue movie, a kitchen sink etc. Compared with the likes of the corruption in Marbella, our boys are mere novices!:) I see the latest stink here is about MP's claiming for accommodation whilst renting out their own properties. Still nice to see Chaytor brought to book.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Just as a policeman who steals is worse than a common criminal, so is an MP who fiddles.

Plus they are then hypocrites when they criticise people for fiddling benefits.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

I'm sure it's "small stuff" compared to other countries, but it's a bit misleading to talk about 88p bath plugs, when £116,000 of claims have been rejected :eek: I know you hate to see anything negative about the UK, and despite the coldest ever start to winter apparently it's not gloves and scarf weather in your world!

At least they've prosecuted this guy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...ty-mp-expenses

As for Marbella - I remember a certain Gil y Gil. I wonder if that place will ever be above board..:rolleyes:

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Oh yeah, plus any claim for less than 25 quid didn't need a receipt.....

If I make a claim against tax, I need a receipt or I don't get it.

Thieving bastards.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

I think we need to be careful in how angry we get over what is perceived as unacceptable corruption. That silly MP went over the top and got found out and will undoubtedly be sent to prison for a short time.

But in comparison to the real amount of corruption going on all around all of us, it’s just a tiny drop in the ocean. I read some daft story about that daft Prince Andrew earlier today where his aide described how he would return from the Middle East in his role as trade ambassador laden down with personal gifts from the Arabs.

Maggie Thatcher’s son got paid millions by the Arabs over some trade deals on behalf of his mother.

Are the Arabs guilty of corruption? Not under their laws.

What about the Norfolk copper copping a free Christmas turkey from Bernard Mathews for directing the traffic outside his turkey factory to allow all those container lorries get out of the driveway?

My former accountant used to tell me exactly how much money I should pay into each bank account and I always gave him an envelope at Christmas.

Guilty? Well, that depends . . .

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Well, the simple answer is that common sense is required. If the amount given to your accountant was less than 3K it was allowable as a gift.

There is a huge difference between a free turkey (especially since the copper wasn't doing anything he wouldn't have had to do anyway) and someone who is standing there saying that taking state money you are not entitled to is theft while he is robbing the state himself.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

All too true... karma given

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

But, how many of those people were standing up in a position of trust saying that a false claim for benefits makes you a thief?

Bribes in an arab state where it's effectively a comission are a different kettle of fish.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

What are saying, I'm lying? Haven't you the balls to come straight out with it?
I'm telling you the weather where I am, and I am hundreds of miles from where you are. Looking at the 10 day look ahead for us, the average temp predicted is 7 or 8 degrees, mostly sunny or partly cloudy, but if I listen to the news, they are predicting another week of freezing weather elsewhere. My sister lives in Plymouth and I see they have the same weather prediction as us, not everyone is getting your weather. Anyway, it's drizzling here now, and waiting for my son to arrive, so today I won't be going out.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

That's a bit like a figure I saw quoted once for things like pens, paper clips etc that go missing from offices, it was enormous. But I bet people that have taken the odd pen would describe themselves as honest people. I know I would, most people do it, but it's stealing at the end of the day. When I'm asked how much I'd like a petrol receipt made out for, it's obvious many are fiddling their expenses, there must be few people that could claim to have never even taken anything at all from work or erred on their side with expenses. But I expect everyone here is an Honest John! :)

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Let he who be without sin cast the first stone.

It's all a question of degree, and where different ppl draw the line, from taking home an office pen, to receiving a million quid backhander.

Given a totally risk free opportunity of a big killing, I wonder just how many would be ruled by their concience, presuming of course that they have a one.

Maybe many of those whinging are simply green with envy ?

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

That sounds a bit like someone trying to defend the indefensible.

How loud would you scream if it were the workshy taking state money they weren't entitled to?

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

I'm not trying to defend anything, as I say it's all a question of degree and I doubt that many can say they haven't had a free bus ride or a handful of paper clips or whatever from work.
I read quite a bit about the fairly recent history of Spain, going back a hundred years or so, and it seems fairly obvious that corruption has been very much an accepted way of life for very much longer than just the last forty years or so and the recent property booms.
Much more so than back in the UK also.

I've never personally screamed about the workshy taking state money, however if the govt can bring in a system to improve things, then I'm all for it.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Yeah, but what springs to mind is putting their own house in order first.

As if.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

I’ve often wondered why there is more corruption in one country than another. Is it something to do with their history, or religion? Looking at some of the more obviously corrupt places, is it something to do with the climate? Surely not?

Could it be the politics of a country – like communism as opposed to presbyterianism?

Maybe it’s the way taxes are collected? Who watches the collectors?

I don’t know the answer, but if I found a £50 note in the street and there was no one around I know exactly what I would do. And even if I was waterboarded, I wouldn’t give the answer on this thread.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Me I would pick that note up and Lo! A voice would come from Heaven saying "Bil, it's a late birthday present mate. Enjoy!"

And I would.

Yeah, it's theft by finding. Nice change from theft by politicians, eh?

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Well I hope your son got back safely; things are milder now in many parts and the airports should be getting back to normal. The following link is a satellite picture of the snow on the UK last week

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/sh...wed-under.html

It's one thing to put a spin on expenses, concentrating on 88p bath plugs, when tens of thousands of pounds have been illegally claimed. Quite why you choose to do that I'm not sure, though I suspect you're unable to admit the UK isn't 100% perfect (no country is, but it doesn't stop the UK being a great place - London where I live has certain problems but is still a great magnet for tourists and workers the world over). But stating it was not yet scarves and hat weather, in the midst of the coldest start to UK winter recorded, and roads and airports closed, was potentially misleading and even dangerous to people flying back to the UK. At least you eventually admitted you'd seen reports of other parts of the UK suffering, and kudos for admitting your own son had been affected by the disruption. I'm well aware of micro and even macro-climates,so I'm not disputing you may have escaped much of the cold spell. But for the vast majority of folk flying back to the UK the weather and associated transport conditions were important considerations.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

I prefer living in cities, but I acknowledge you're more likely to be ripped off or cheated in such places. Leave a postcard or a book or a cd by accident in a bar in Valencia or Madrid, and by the time you've remembered and gone back, it will already have "flown". The same in London or Manchester no doubt. However in a smaller city or town the greater the chance that your possessions will be kept safe for you. I remember leaving a couple of holiday gifts in a bar in Cuenca by accident - two minutes later we were shouted back in the street by a young lad who was concerned we were not going to leave the city with our mementos. And if you stay in smaller villages especially in central and northern Spain, it's extremely safe to leave your front door unlocked when you go out. Come to think of it I remember being able to do this in a Midlands town 40 years ago - not safe to do this now, although I think it still probably is the case in a lot of villages.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Nobody has denied that the majority of UK has been suffering badly, and I'd have thought it was more than obvious I was speaking of my area, and that area alone. Ditto with scarves etc, there are people here wearing them, but again speaking personally, I have yet to don all that clobber. I'm no roughy toughy, but equally I'm not an office wallah either, I'm well accustomed to being outdoors all the time, so perhaps I can stand the weather more than some others. Anyway, my son has just left to drive home, approx 100 miles, and still no problems showing here on the roads.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

I say give them what they want... well the Tory ones anyway, Labour have had it all their own way for so long that its about time some others got a look in.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

.....and the sad thing is, the only real thing done about it is, everything goes up in price for us all to pay for it :rofl:

On a similar tone to this thread, has anybody ever wondered how long it will take before we become fully metric, and why the Uk has two systems of measurements, Notice that we measure petrol and fuel in Litres, (handy when there's a price rise don't you think?) yet other things such as beer are still in pints and roads are in miles.

Could it be it's all carefully worked out to confuse us and of course screw us for more cash?

We should demand one or the other system NOW.

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Sorry for double posting but again... I enjoyed it.....

Pretty much sums it up for me.....

Re: Thieving bastard scum
 

Funny enough i said that from the start about the hypocrisy of journalists. Having worked on Fleet St most of my life they've been filling their boots for years.

You wanna see the dodging of the story in Ireland cos they didnt want to highlight it going on here, in backhander central.