“Uneasy” Over Rennard Expenses +++" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(51, 68, 119); ">+++ Source : LibDems “Uneasy” Over Rennard Expenses +++

Walter Meers, Veteran AP reporter said…

“There are too many excursions into trivia, too much play for the public opinion polls, too many words about who’s ahead and who’s behind. There’s a reason. That is what people want to know.”

Taxodus : Soak the Rich, Lose the Rich - WSJ
Grassroots: Take Whip from Fiddling MPs - LabourHome
In the Name of God… Go, Call Election Now - Sun
Indy Defaults on Bonds, Has Until Late June - Reuters
Hurrah for the Unlovable Free Press - John Lloyd
Five Things Cameron Must Do - ConservativeHome
Public Deserves Purge of the Guilty - Andrew Rawnsley
Five Non-Fiddling Labour MPs - LabourHome
Gordon Brown’s Expenses - City Unslicker
MPs Already in Top 1% of Earners - Chris Dillow
Who Should Be Speaker? - Comment Central

MONDAY, MAY 18, 2009

“Uneasy” Over Rennard Expenses +++" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(51, 68, 119); ">+++ Source : LibDems “Uneasy” Over Rennard Expenses +++

The Federal Executive of the LibDems is meeting at 5.30 tonight.  Guido hears there are mutterings about the party chief-exec Chris Rennard’s expenses situation (he is a non-voting member of the executive).  He pretends his main residence is in Eastbourne and thus claims for “second home” expenses in London.  He also signs into the attendance register at the Lords on his way to do his day job at the LibDem HQ office in Cowley Street.  Handy extra dosh to pay for all thosesummer parties he and Lady Rennard throw in their Stockwell home just over the other side of the Thames.

Wonder if they will just ask him not to throw any more parties?

UPDATE : Liberal Vision’s Mark Littlewood is reporting that LibDem Voice’s Alix Mortimer has written to members of the Fed Exec calling for a resolution of the Rennard problem.  The grassroots is calling for him to be brought to book: privately behind closed doors and under point 5 (subsections [a] to [b]) of her blog post. Insurrection is in the air…

 

+++ Speaker Barracked by MPs Over No Confidence Vote +++

15.30 Speaker called a meeting with all party leaders.  Gordon Prentice (Labour) and Douglas Carswell (Conservative) made Points of Order regarding the No Confidence Motion that were refused by the Speaker. Told to retire by David Winnick (Labour).  David Heath (LibDem) got heated.

Chamber looked ready to do damage.

15.43 Richard Shepherd (Conservative)  called for the Motion to be debated.  Stuart Bell (Labour) toadied to the Speaker.  David Davis asked how the motion could be made into a substantive motion, only with the government’s blessing said the Speaker (to jeers).

15.45 Susan Kramer called for an opposition day debate on the motion.

MPs leave looking unhappy.  Speaker gave nothing away.

UPDATE : PoliticsHome have the full transcript.