The Speaker of the House has been ousted, your thoughts.

[LockHeart]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8057203.stm

So, it looks like Gorbals Mick is on his way out, finally. I was just wondering about the opinions of my fellow Escapists on this development and the overall expenses crisis gripping the Houses of Parliament here in Britain. Do you think it's been blown out of proportion? Or are you reaching for the piano wire and looking for a well-sited lamppost?

For those of you outside Britain, what's your view on expenses for politicians/partisan House authorities?

 

[D_987]

The MP's need a scapegoat to hide their abuse of the system - its a disgrace that he's being kicked out.

 

[Hutchy_Bear]

He is just a scapegoat. The MP's will go after anyone to get the press off about the expenses scandal, they sensed weakness and went for the kill.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

I don't know which is worse: the MPs claiming expenses for petty things like biscuits or lightbulbs, or the ones claiming for big things like moat cleaning and swimming pools

 

[Lord George]

He did his job wrong, in that he didn't defend the MP's public image in the eyes of the media and the people. But on the other hand its the MP's fault in the first place and he's just being used as a scapegoat.

 

[sms_117b]

I use the Paparazzi to attack you're life points directly House of Commons.

House of Commons activates Scape Goat!

Son of a *****.

I think people should just walk in there and overthrow government, sod waiting for the next election, change is needed now.

Also, how did those expenses get past the auditors?!?!

 

[.[B@lL15T1C].]

it does seem that the mp's have gone for the jugular here.


But it is part of the speakers purpose to regulate and preside over mp's expenses, and also to decide how much is made public.

 

[Lucifus]

To be honest most people in the government abuse the claim back system to a minor extent. Most places however rely on stringent itemised bills to back up the claims of expenditure however. Its obvious this isn't being done for the "higher ups".

 

[D.C.]

The MP's need a scapegoat to hide their abuse of the system - its a disgrace that he's being kicked out.

I'll agree they're using him as a scpaegoat... and theyve forced him out for the wrong reasons.

But he needed to go, he wasnt a good Speaker i.e. he was not unbiast like a speaker is ment to be.

 

[Fingerprint]

The MP's need a scapegoat to hide their abuse of the system - its a disgrace that he's being kicked out.

^This...
I can't say I'm particularly surprised. I am however, disgusted at the MP's. How can they possibly justify even a quarter of their expenses? Answer, they can't. Especially not as the other day I found out that they don't even have to pay for their food! Oh, and not to mention the MP who was claiming expenses on a mortgage that he'd already paid off. The list goes on, its just crazy.

 

[Daveman]

I love this whole thing. The claims are basically just showing accurately the level of dickheadedness of each party member. When Lib Dems claim for biscuits and Conservatives claim for helipads you can't help but laugh. Plus my MP, Norman Baker, is basically the only guy who said what a retarded system this was before it was cool to i.e. before the public found out. He is therefore the only MP in the country who actually isn't a twat. I suggest moving for a dictatorship...

 

[Evilmonkeysniper0182]

He has just been made the scapegoat in all of this, our MP's are so spinless and sad that they cant own up when they have been doing something wrong, but if either you or i did this in any normal job and we got found out we would have been kicked out the door quicker then you can say 'one eyed gordon'

I am ashamed that my country is being run by these over weight useless excuses of humans, one day it will all come crashing down round they ears and god will l piss myself laughing when it does

 

[jasoncyrus]

To be honest they need all thier "Expenses" to be pulled. Why should they get expenses? It's not like theya re doing a job no one else can do. Hell with the screw ups they are causing right now, a piano playing dog could do their job better than them.

Best expense though still has to be the mp using them to pay for hotel porn.

 

[nolongerhere]

He was a crap, biased speaker, but if he goes, they should join him.

I say we all vote for the monster raving loony party at the next elction.

 

[psychedelic2]

I think its terrible that these MPs are getting away with abusing the system like they are doing. It is a real shame that the speaker is being sacked, he is just a scapegoat to take the attention away from the MPs themselves. I beleive that all politicians are the same, no matter Labour, Lib Dem or even Tory, they are all spineless liars! Did you hear of the one who bought an £1800 bookcase on expenses 3 months before his retirement?

Anyway the word politics is just a compound of - "poly" meaning many, and "ticks" meaning blood sucking parasite.

one day it will all come crashing down round they ears and god will l piss myself laughing when it does

^ Agreed.

 

[Laughing Man]

The MP's need a scapegoat to hide their abuse of the system - its a disgrace that he's being kicked out.

Are you kidding?

Not being in the UK i will side whit this mans opinion. Hey thats politics, the higher ups never answer for most things thats what underlings are for.

Then you'd be wrong following that opinion.

You do know that

a). Just like the MPs he has been linked to unjustifiable expense claims. His wife claimed for £4000 for someone to drive her to the god damn shops.

b). As speaker it is his job to oversee the process of expenditures. Whilst it is all very well to say that such and such an MP signed for her husband's porn that claim would have then had to go through the speaker's department to be finalised.

c). That he deliberately prevented reform of the expenditures process and when it was made public instead of holding his hands up and taking the rap like a man he went on to waste police time and cash trying to find who leaked the reports.

The only thing that is a disgrace is that beyond two piss pot nobody MPs this buffoon is the only major head to role.

He certainly is no scapegoat, a scapegoat is someone who has little to do with the issue, being made to take the blame in an attempt to quell the overall anger and in most cases doesn't deserve the punishment that is meeted out against them. This guy played a major part in the MP expenses issue and his departure will not quell public fury and his departure is more than a justifiable punishment for his overall incompetence.

I am actually with Cameron on this one. This whole thing has crippled British politics and while the MPs are hoping the departure of this goon will somehow ease the situation the reality is that in the current climate Labour, Gordon Brown and the government as a whole are dead men walking. We can't allow the government to limp on for another year before calling a general election. Call one now and see just how quelled public fury is now that Micheal Martin is gone.

 

[LockHeart]

What I'm really hoping for is that plenty of MPs decide to take the 'whisky and revlover in the study' option. Or a lynch mob storms parliament.

Either that, or in the next General Election there're far more independents/smaller parties to comabt the hegemony of the big three.

 

[DC_Josh]

Could it be argued the media has, to a degree performed its usual media frenzy and made things to seem worse than things usualy are?

Reguardless of that, I take umbridge at certain MP's whining and complaining that they can't commute in on a 45 min+ probably 20 min underground train journey because their job "starts at 9am sharp". Its this kind of lazy and elitist attitudes which mar the reputation of certain ministers. Especially when you have the Reading MP commuting in every day and not claiming a penny.

Writer LFG: Storming Parliment.