@AMitchellMP
The new speaker will only have a few weeks to get settled in before the election is called.
about 1 hour ago from web in reply to AMitchellMP
nickbrownmp
Nick Brown
Articles with the Tag parliament
We’re Not Having It, Either
If anyone’s looking for tips on how to move ahead investigating our MPs and their expenses, this old post of mine from 2008 has some good ideas:
I now want the Action Squad to co-ordinate a new drive against the hard core of ‘hard nut’ cases.
That car of theirs? is the tax up to date? Is it insured? Let’s find out.
And have they a TV licence for their plasma screen? As the advert says, ‘it’s all on the database.’
As for their council tax, it shouldn’t be difficult to see if that’s been paid
And what about benefit fraud? Can we run a check?
How could any MP object to such investigation? Those aren’t my words, those are Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s in a speech by to the 2008 ‘Anti-Social Behaviour: We’re not Having It‘ conference.
Of course she was admitting to using the power of the state to harass individuals because they behave in ways the government disapproves of or finds politically inconvenient, not because they’re committing any crime.
But we’re told that if you have nothing to hide, you’ve nothing to fear, so I’m sure Honourable Members, especially Labour Members , won’t mind such close scrutiny at all.
Bolting the stable door after the horse has resigned
so after he finally resigned, Speaker Michael Martin returned to Parliament just long enough to read out some tough new measures he had negotiated on with the leaders of all parties. From Hansard:
This afternoon I convened a meeting of party leaders—both major and minor parties—and members of the House of Commons Commission to make decisions on the operation of parliamentary allowances pending the recommendations of Sir Christopher Kelly’s Committee on Standards in Public Life. The Chairman of the Committee on Members’ Allowances was also present to advise us.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life will come forward with long-term reforms to the current allowances system. All parties are now committed to implementing its recommendations as a whole, subject to the formal agreement of this House, provided that these reforms meet the tests of increased transparency and accountability and reduced cost for the taxpayer. We have today agreed a robust set of interim measures which will take effect at once and do not pre-empt any more substantial changes to be put forward by the Kelly committee.
Let’s see what those messages are shall we? My comments in italics.
- Second homes: there will be no more claims for such items as furniture, household goods, capital improvements, gardening, cleaning and stamp duty.
- The following only should be claimable: rent, including ground rent; hotel accommodation; overnight subsistence; mortgage interest; council tax; service charges; utility bills, including gas, water, electricity, oil, telephone calls and line rental; and insurance—buildings and contents. Which leaves all the running costs of a second home still to claim for — wish I could do that.
- Designation of second homes: no changes to be made to designation of second homes in the years 2009–10, with a transparent appeal procedure for exceptional cases. Good, but there’s a sting in the tail with that “transparent appeal procedure”.
- Capital gains tax: Members selling any property must be completely open with the tax authorities about whether they have claimed additional costs allowance on that property as a second home and are liable for capital gains tax. You would think this was done already.
- Members should make a declaration in respect of any property on which they claim for expenditure that it is not—and will never be—their main residence for capital gains tax purposes. Whether such a declaration has been made will be made public. You would think this was done already.
- Couples: Members who are married or living together as partners must nominate the same main home, and will be limited to claiming a maximum of one person’s accommodation allowance between them. You would think this was done alrea — never mind.
- Mortgages: all those Members claiming reimbursement must confirm that the mortgage continues, that the payments are for interest only, and the amount claimed is accurate. D-uh. The fact that several members have actually been caught doing this says enough about both the greed of your average member and how lax the controls were.
- Mortgage interest claims will be capped at £1,250 per month. In the view of the meeting—and subject to the recommendations of the Kelly committee—this maximum figure should be reduced in the longer term. The same cap will apply to rent and hotel accommodation. christ. and that’s just interest; we’re paying much less on our whole mortgage.
- Staffing: we confirmed the enforcement of deposit of staff contracts and the registration of any relatives employed. Again something that should’ve been done much earlier and something which you wonder is going to do much good.
- While the Kelly committee recommendations are awaited, there will be no specific changes to other allowances. The Department of Resources is instructed to tighten the administration of all claims and apply a clear test of “reasonablenessâ€. If there is any doubt about the eligibility of a claim, it will be refused and there will be no appeal. They’ll still be able to claim that 400 quid in food allowances then, subject to an as of yet unknown test of eligibility. Colour me unimpressed..
- In future, all authorised payments will be published online at transaction level on a quarterly basis by the Department of Resources. Good, but needs to be done already.
- All past claims under the former additional costs allowance over the past four years will be examined. This will be carried out by a team with external management; the external manager will be appointed after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General. All necessary resources will be made available. The team will look at claims in relation to the rules which existed at that time, and will take account of any issues which arise from that examination which cause them to question the original judgment. Four years takes us back to the last parliamentary election, which is reasonable. Much will depend on who will look at them; having an external manager for the task does mean the end of self-reuglation however (not that Parliament has shown itself capable of that).
Speaking of self regulation, the final part of the Speaker’s speech said that this was indeed to end:
The meeting also received a paper from the Prime Minister, which was endorsed by the other party leaders, calling for a fundamental reform of allowances—moving from self-regulation to regulation by an independent body. The Government will consult widely on this proposal. Further to this, the Leader of the House will be making a statement tomorrow, which will allow the House a full opportunity to ask questions, and Members to air their views on the decisions we have made and the proposals for the future.
This is all still just damage control, a set of measures that is the minimum anybody with common sense would’ve had in place already. If Parliament thinks that with the resignation of the speaker and these new measures their troubles have ended, they’re wrong. I hate to say it, but David Cameron was right that a new election is needed soon. This won’t cleanse Parliament either, but is a necessary first step. What needs to happen is a cultural change in Parliament, which has bigger troubles than just dodgy expense claims. Parliament needs to return to its primary function as overseer of the government and prime source of legislation.
A Need To Focus
What was it Jacqui Smith said about ID cards recently?
“Like every other citizen, they [pilots] ask themselves what will happen to the data they are coerced into providing; whether it will it be safe, whose hands might it fall into, and what might they do with the data?”
Well,quite.
If you, like me, have been indulging in the bitter pleasure of having our belief that most elected politicians are deceitful, greedy, entitled egotists confirmed yet again, have you not idly wondered what fresh hells the government’s been quietly getting away with under cover of media furore? Me too.
MPs may be focused on covering up their corruption and incompetence, scrambling desperately to hold on to their lucrative seats, while bleating about data protection and invasion of privacy, but the implementation of the many repressive and unnecessary laws they’ve steamrollered through rolls inexorably on for the rest of the population.
First off, if you thought ID cards were a goner, think again. Spyblog reports that the planned advent of biometric ID cards is going ahead full steam . While we were boggling over 88p bathplugs, massage chairs and moatcleaning fees, four pieces of secondary legislation were laid before Parliament under the Identity Cards Act 2006:
They are The Identity Cards Act 2006 (Information and Code of Practice on Penalties) Order 2009, which allows government to require referees to vouch for your existence, and keep their details on the database too; and
The Identity Cards Act 2006 (Fees) Regulations 2009, which lays down a £30 charge just to apply for an ID card; and
The Identity Cards Act 2006 (Provision of Information without Consent) Regulations 2009 which allows for the sharing of your information by the government, without your consent, with the tax authorities and with credit reference agencies.
Secondly, Justice Secretary Jack Straw has told Parliament that although he’s backed down on trying to make inquests secret whenever it suited the government, he’s still going do it, but by using other legislation.
“Where it is not possible to proceed with an inquest under the current arrangements, the government will consider establishing an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005”.
And who’d decide it was not possible to proceed? Jack Straw. Of course.
In legal news, the Attorney General and the police are collaborating on new legislation that will give ‘law enforcement’ – now there’s a nicely nebulous name – power to, amongst other things, remotely scan your hard-drive.
Oh yes, and terrorism legislation was used to spy on eight people suspected of committing benefit fraud.
But most worrying for any British parent is the announcement that the illegal government database containing your child’ fingerprints and other physical and personal details is about to go live:
Frontline professionals will start using the controversial children’s database ContactPoint from next week, the government has announced. Up to 800 frontline practitioners, including social workers, health professionals and head teachers, in early adopter areas will be trained to use the £224m system from Monday 18 May.
New Labour may have set all this repressive legislation in motion, but now the machine of enforcement grinds on regardless of expenses scandals or public opinion. And like disgraced Labour MP Shahid Malik claims to have done, the government will enforce the rules, however unjust and or illegal they may be, “One million percent by the book”.
MPs may be corrupt, but then we knew that already. This receipts hoohah is mere confirmation. Parliaments may rise or fall, but Government goes on – and I’m more worried about what the State is actually doing right now, and how to oppose it effectively, than I am about the petty bourgeois aspirations of Labour members or the mole problems of Tory grandees.
Though I do wonder just how far that purple-jowled prick of a Speaker Michael Martin can inflate himself in pique before he has an apoplexy.
It’s A Gift
The expenses scandal is a comedy goldmine that’ll be good for years to come. Anarchist writer Ian Bone:
NATIONAL UNION OF MOAT CLEANERS -DAY OF ACTION
NUMC Captain Swing House Moat Street Millbank London SE1A message from the Geneal Secretary
‘As the son of domestic servants I have been honoured to accept the position of General Secretary of the NATIONAL UNION OF MOAT CLEANERS (NUMC). As you know with drastic cuts in MPs expenses there will be a knock on effect with drastic – redundancies amongst our members – something the do-gooders who do not understand the countryside should bear in mind.
Accordingly I announce a DAY OF ACTION next Wednesday May 20th. NUMC will hold a press conference on ST.Stephens Green opposite parliament at 11am before prime minister’s question time followed by lobby of parliament. We will then move on to Tory HQ where we will be joned by National Union of Mole Catchers (NUMC) Liberal Democrat HQ – joined by National union of Trouser Pressers and Labour HQ – National union of Tudor Beam makers.