Readers may have gathered that I am far from happy at the screaming
packs of journalists whipping up emotions and the lynch-mob mentality
of so much of the public.
The Telegraph, which started it all is largely responsible for this
shameful state of affairs, for, from the very beginning they have
made no attempt whatsoever to distinguish between various categories
of MP:-
1. the crooks involved in criminal practices which are fully
deserving of censure and of prosecution . False declarations of
mortgages etc typify this group.
2. the reckless who, faced with an opportunity for "creative
accounting" in the daft system before them, have stayed within the
law but broken the spirit of the law. The flippers and those who
define eating and plasma TVs and lavatory seats as being "wholly and
necessary for their political duties". These people are despicable
and should not have a place in parliament. The people in the
constituencies should deselect them.
3. There are lastly those who have abided by the letter and the
spirit of the rules but are pilloried nonetheless for having claimed
at all! Two immediately spring to mind, Nadine Dorries and Bill
Cash. I have written about Nadine Dorries ['Squeaky Clean" ]who has
made NO capital profits because both her premises are rented! She
has a constituency base and the ghastly Telegraph pilloried her for
having her schoolchildren to live with her there in term time. She
commutes from Bedford with her constituents in the morning rush hour
- quite a way - but comes back much later than most of them. She
claims rent on the Bedford property.
As for Bill Cash, his main family home is a smidgeon outside his
constituency. He had a small flat in London. Lately he wanted more
space and let his son take over that flat. NO public money was in
anyway involved. Meanwhile his daughter owns a flat in London and
has a decent sized spare room. She let that spare room to her father
and he charged the rent amounting to less than most MPs mortgages.
It strikes me that it is an excellent arrangement for the public who
are saved costs and for Bill Cash and his family. I see nothing
wrong with any of that at all - in fact it's admirable - but that
doesn't stop the Telegraph from splashing his name and his family
details all over the front page and the rest of the gutter press
baying for blood behind with weak jokes about "Cash for questions" .
Then there's the question of the Speaker and his much vaunted
"kindness to new MPs". This included telling them that the expenses
system was there as their right to use to the full. Well we all know
now he was a dodgy man himself and a rotten speaker, but doing that
undermined new MP's moral standards when they were at
their most vulnerable. 'The Fees Office" is there to guide you' and
not unreasonably MPs getting the approval of that office felt
themselves to be doing the right thing. The Speaker bears primary
responsibility for the whole shambles.
But what really sickens me is the indiscriminate lynch-mob mentality
of the public egged on by the media. To give an example from
today's Telegraph it shows no shame in printing a piece about an MP
having a flat '"in which his children have stayed rent-free" How
much rent do YOU charge your children ? Or they -you, for that
matter. And it also says that Bill cash has stated that he will
himself refund to the state what he gave out in rent . It
deliberately omits the crucial phrase "if it were to turn out that
after due process through the scrutiny committee, and I mean due
process, that I was found to having done something that was
unreasonable." (see for yourself at the very end!)
This vile indiscriminate which-hunt is organised by a despicable
political team which is - or was - part of the sacked Damian McBride
press cabal. McBride's speciality was in getting dirt, embroidering
it and ruining people's lives. The Telegraph's editor Will Lewis,
its political editor Andrew Porter and its recently acquired
political correspondent Benedict Brogan - who just happened to turn
up as this story broke - are all McBride cronies and drinking pals.
[The Sunday Telegraph's political editor Patrick Hennessy is from the
same stable] The management of the story is classic McBride so
either he's around there somewhere or he's been a very good tutor.
Would some freelance journalist like to investigate the origins,
expenses and management of this disgraceful indiscriminate campaign.
For make no mistake this bunch are no saints in shining armour.
They're coining it for their owners the Barclay Brothers who will
doubtless reward them.
I beg you all to question everything and not to accept uncritically
all that these shadowy creature choose to peddle.
The public's viciousness and 'blood-lust' is frightening.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX CS
In a robust interview with Jon Snow, Conservative MP Bill Cash
defended his £15,000 expense claims on a "second home" owned by his
daughter, saying that he was acting reasonably at the time.
The Conservative leader David Cameron says his senior MP Bill Cash
has "very serious questions" to answer about his claims on the flat
in West London when he owns a flat close to Westminster. When this
was put to Bill Cash he said:
"He [David Cameron] knows that I have said that I will repay the
money if it were to turn out that after due process through the
scrutiny committee, and I mean due process, that I was found to
having done something that was unreasonable.
"
I was actually doing what was in line with the tenancy agreement and
I was not, I repeat not, claiming any parliamentary allowances in
respect of my other property in Pimlico either as respects mortgage
interests or as respects any other parliamentary allowances during
that period of time.
"I believe on calm consideration it will be seen that I acted
reasonably at the time in those circumstances."
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