A Conservative MP Said that his 16-month "ordeal" involving the parliamentary expenses watchdog was over.

Stewart Jackson, Conservative MP, Relieved That Expenses Ordeal Is Over
The Huffington Post UK/PA  |  Posted: 01/03/2014 19:18 GMT  |  Updated: 01/03/2014 19:59 GMT

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/01/expenses-mp_n_4881417.html

A Conservative MP Said that his 16-month "ordeal" involving the parliamentary expenses watchdog was over.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority had launched legal action to recover £54,000 from Stewart Jackson, who claimed taxpayer cash to pay mortgage interest on a property in his constituency.

Jackson was one of 29 MPs told to hand over a total of almost £500,000 to Ipsa to cover a proportion of the increased value of properties funded by their expenses.

He accused Ipsa of over-estimating the capital gain on his family home in his Peterborough constituency and then rushing into ''heavy-handed and disproportionate'' litigation to recover the sum. The other MPs involved agreed to pay the sums demanded in full.

The watchdog moved to ban the use of Commons expenses to pay mortgage interest in May 2010, in the wake of public fury over ''flipping'' and other abuses.

However, transitional arrangements were put in place permitting MPs elected before 2010 to keep claiming the money up to August 2012 - as long as they agreed to return any potential capital gain.

Some MPs, including Mr Jackson, were asked to repay more than they had received because the value of their property was calculated to have risen by more than the cost of the interest payments.

Jackson refused to agree a repayment plan as he rejected the valuation placed on his property.

He said in a statement today: "I am pleased to announce that a 16-month ordeal involving the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) is over.

"Ipsa claimed in October 2012 that I owed the taxpayer £54,000, as a result of an alleged notional capital gain in respect of my family home in Peterborough, in which I live and have not sold, nor made any profit from, arising out of property valuations undertaken in 2010 and 2012 under the parliamentary expenses scheme.

"In response to demands for repayment, I challenged the application of the scheme and advised Ipsa that I felt the valuations submitted to them by me in good faith were made based on errors or were negligently made by the surveyor concerned. I submitted alternative valuations and asked for them to be taken into account, making an offer to pay an appropriate sum. This was rejected by Ipsa.

"Instead they issued proceedings in the High Court against me in May 2013 for the recovery of the £54,000, which generated widespread and sometimes negative media coverage and some reputational damage for me.

"Prior to this, I suggested that we refer the dispute to mediation and that a further expert valuation report be produced by me for them to apply the scheme to. All proposals were rejected by Ipsa.

"I contested the valuations submitted because I believed them to be inaccurate and flawed; and at my own expense prepared three further expert valuations to demonstrate my point.

"Because of the errors in the original valuations, I invoked the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) complaints process against the original valuer; and RICS subsequently advised me in January 2014 that they had issued a Consent Order against this surveyor as he had breached their professional rules and regulations.

"On Friday 21st February 2014, a Tomlin Order was sealed in the High Court, the result of which is that Ipsa's case against me has been stayed.

"I am not required to pay any monies back to the taxpayer."

He added that he was pleased that the matter had been resolved.

A spokesman for Ipsa said: "This is still going through the legal process. It is not something upon which we can comment until it has reached a conclusion."

Strangely he like most of the other 'Honourable Members' who were caught with their fingers in the public purse hasn't done any time for fraudulently obtaining money, (very large amounts of money). Just how big a crime can these people commit and simply walk away?
It's a pity the same law that applies to 'Benefit Cheats' can't be applied to these 'gentlemen'.

THERE IS A TORY MP ACCUSED OF BENEFITS FRAUD,WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN ABOUT HIM.

A slap on the wrist and told to be more careful in future is about all, Badboy..

HI Malena Stool

You ask how great a crime can they walk way from. MP's do not commit crimes. They make false statements in good faith based on sloppy or negligent work by others. They make honest oversights, They sometimes mistakenly and openly submit expense forms twice. From time to time they make false claims based on the advice of IPSA and if they sometimes claim for things they should not claim for it is an understandable thing to happen. All perfectly above board with simple explanations.

When a millionaire MP submits a claim for a 10p pack of paperclips, it is a completely open balancing of the books. Their accountants could be thrown into utter confusion else. Claiming for the hire of pornographic videos for a husband to watch is a perfectly normal activity. An MP claiming for a duck house is quite obviously a member of the RSPB. The list goes on and on. how could any right thinking person believe these guardians of our morals to be anything but upright and worthy citizens themselves. Quid custodiet ipso custodius, is not appropriate here. they are models of virtue. Excuse me now, it's past time for my medication

Badboy wrote:THERE IS A TORY MP ACCUSED OF BENEFITS FRAUD,WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN ABOUT HIM.

In a word nothing. If they locked up all MP's guilty of defrauding the public purse. there would be far less of the shouting and heckling during PMQ's which anyway is the only time some of them put in an appearance. There would be precious few there at all.

katertaif wrote:HI Malena Stool

You ask how great a crime can they walk way from. MP's do not commit crimes. They make false statements in good faith based on sloppy or negligent work by others. They make honest oversights, They sometimes mistakenly and openly submit expense forms twice. From time to time they make false claims based on the advice of IPSA and if they sometimes claim for things they should not claim for it is an understandable thing to happen. All perfectly above board with simple explanations.

When a millionaire MP submits a claim for a 10p pack of paperclips, it is a completely open balancing of the books. Their accountants could be thrown into utter confusion else. Claiming for the hire of pornographic videos for a husband to watch is a perfectly normal activity. An MP claiming for a duck house is quite obviously a member of the RSPB. The list goes on and on. how could any right thinking person believe these guardians of our morals to be anything but upright and worthy citizens themselves. Quid custodiet ipso custodius, is not appropriate here. they are models of virtue. Excuse me now, it's past time for my medication

Good Afternoon katertaif.
We are so lucky to have the option of electing our leaders from a pool of such upstanding 'Honourable' people, the rest of the world, (and not to forget, his dog) must be envious of our good fortune... Ah well, back to reality....

What can I add to your summation? Very little..
Their greed is equalled only by their complete lack of any form of morality or ethics.
These are the people who should stand out as icons to the electorate as being untouchable, not because of their money, position or power, but because they should not offend or break the very laws of our society which they and their committees propose and formulate.

The expenses scandal opened the door not only on the crooked actions of 'Honourable Members' but on many City and County Council members who also raped and pillaged their expenses at the drop of a hat and continue to do so.

Trustworthyness and Honesty are it seems long dead expectations when considering the suitability of our representatives, they join the once mandatory: Patriotism, Approachability and Respect on the scrap heap of Parliamentarian qualities.

Some of the most disgraceful claims were by Ministers attending Rememberance Day Services.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/9259142/MPs-expenses-Armed-Forces-Minister-claimed-Poppy-Day-service-mileage.html

These 'Honourable Members' are still in Parliament drawing their pay cheques....They shouldn't be drawing breath.

Hi Malena Stool

Until fairly recently in the scheme of things we have only had the main three parties to choose from. Having said that it takes the breath away when despite their transparent greed they expect us to vote for them at all. Periodically one of them will touch on the falling numbers of voters but never mention the true reason, that we are heartily sick of their blatant dishonesty.

The run up to an election is also tried and tested. They invariably do the modern day version of the biblical tempting of Christ. No one believes a word of it any more. They don't believe it themselves, but still they stick to the formula. of "all this will I give thee if thou will only vote for me"

You have to admit one thing. when this crop of Rhinoceros hided misfits got their backsides on to the green leather seats, and possibly later the red leather ones. The silver screen lost some notable thespians. The most gifted actors are in parliament. Little wonder the British film industry is virtually extinct. Almost as rare as an honest politician.

Talking of morals and ethics to them is a complete waste of breath. they think the one is a picture hanging on a wall and the other is a county in Southern England.

katertaif wrote:Hi Malena Stool

Until fairly recently in the scheme of things we have only had the main three parties to choose from. Having said that it takes the breath away when despite their transparent greed they expect us to vote for them at all. Periodically one of them will touch on the falling numbers of voters but never mention the true reason, that we are heartily sick of their blatant dishonesty.

The run up to an election is also tried and tested. They invariably do the modern day version of the  biblical tempting of Christ. No one believes a word of it any more. They don't believe it themselves, but still they stick to the formula. of "all this will I give thee if thou will only vote for me"

You have to admit one thing. when this crop of Rhinoceros hided misfits got their backsides on to the green leather seats, and possibly later the red leather ones. The silver screen  lost some notable thespians. The most gifted actors are in parliament. Little wonder the British film industry is virtually extinct. Almost as rare as an honest politician.

Talking of morals and ethics to them is a complete waste of breath. they think the one is a picture hanging on a wall and the other is a county in Southern England.

Hi katertaif,
Hopefully, but not a certainty by any stretch of imagination will UKIP put a dent in the blind obsessive followers of the two main parties. The Liberals have no real chance of ever becoming a 'Force to be reckond with' again. All they have succeeded in doing in this present coalition is muddying the waters and negating many of the few good ideas coming from their Tory partners. That said we do need a change of leadership, a complete change of political direction, where the needs of these islands comes first. We will not get any such committment from the likes of the Tories or New Labour, they merely promise us the earth and give us a buckets of soil.

You are not wrong comparing our leaders to members of Equity... Keystone Kops and Fred Karno spring to mind...

Muriels and Ethex girls...............   

Hi Malena Stool

I think you're right in that while it is too much to hope UKIP will make a dent in the establishment and if they did it may be just as bad in that UKIP have no experience yet of governing Britain. MEP's notwithstanding.

Where the hope lies is in frightening the h**l out of the present clowns sitting in splendid smugness. They must have some ability no matter how small, and if they once get it into their heads that if they don't start doing what we send them there to do and doing it honestly, they will be replaced. They will start to use that ability

That is I believe the only thing that will move them fear of losing their seat. Fear of losing what is by no means a poor salary and when you add in the perks of legitimate expenses and second homes bought interest free so they pay around a third of what it costs us mugs and when they sell they get to keep the profit.

Then they have generous allowances for employing staff which strangely enough often turn out to be wives husbands,, or family members. One way or another they are not by any stretch poor. They will fight to keep them. They are already doing so, as the constant attempts to smear Farage, or make him look an ineffectual clown show. If he did turn out to be an ineffectual clown, no change there then.

There is still some months before the electorate's next chance to show dissent or perhaps satisfaction in the coalition's performance. Osborne has seemingly impressed some of the 'grey vote' with his new scheme of pension investment. Personally I'd sooner spend mine on air fares to better climes than let him get his sweaty talons on it.

His next budget will be a real tester for electorate comon sense, there's sure to be some real giveaways dished out to the suckers.

As we've all said before, the entire Parliament is comprised of those who were robbing us blind, except for the odd one or two who went to Jail, without passing go. They've stung us once, they're still at it by one means or another and they'll be there next time round. If UKIP play their cards right they should make a big indent in the numbers of both 'major' parties.

Morning Malena Stool

I gather you have been apprised of the reason for my enforced disappearance. All I can say is that you have to be pretty fit when you go in to withstand the rigours of hospital regime. Having said that and despite the constant "revelations" about faults in the NHS I saw nothing but professionalism and a real desire to help people get well. This sometimes called for less than politeness since some people seemed to think the staff should be treated as something you bring in on your shoe.

Yes it's all been said about MP's. The only thing I would add is they haven't stung us once. They have (from the lowest of them to the highest) stung us many times and continue to do so; regarding us as nothing more than vote fodder every 5 years or so, and high street ATM's at all other times, Somewhere to go when you are a little short (and I don't mean vertically challenged) where you can fill your wallet as required.

The only way I believe the tories score over Labour or the liberals is they have a far better class of spurious expense claims.

katertaif wrote:Morning Malena Stool

I gather you have been apprised of the reason for my enforced disappearance. All I can say is that you have to be pretty fit when you go in to withstand the rigours of hospital regime. Having said that and despite the constant "revelations" about faults in the NHS I saw nothing but professionalism and a real desire to help people get well. This sometimes called for less than politeness since some people seemed to think the staff should be treated as  something you bring in on your shoe.

Yes it's all been said about MP's. The only thing I would add is they haven't stung us once. They have (from the lowest of them to the highest) stung us many times and continue to do so; regarding us as nothing more than vote fodder every 5 years or so, and high street ATM's at all other times, Somewhere to go when you are a little short (and I don't mean vertically challenged) where you can fill your wallet as required.    

The only way I believe the tories score over Labour or the liberals is they have a far better class of spurious expense claims.

Good morning katertaif.
Yes, I've been updated on your reason for being AWOL from the keyboard....

Your observations on the status of ward staff is generally true, the 'canine faecal scrapings' classification is more often expressed or made apparent by those who can well afford private consultations and treatment, or those who have absolutely no entitlement to the medical or surgical treatment they receive, (in my experience anyway).

Capital Gains Tax avoidance, Moat Clearance, Duck Islands and Electric Heated Stables supplied free via bypassed meters is a tad extravagent I must agree. With a few exceptions the New Labour robber barons couldn't quite match the upper class bare faced underhanded deceitful theft displayed by the Tories and their limp wristed Libdem co-conspirators. Porn video renting, double claims for second homes, claiming for food drink, decorating, house extensions and £1000 tvs are more favoured forms of theft by all parties.

As you rightly point out we've been robbed before by these crooks, how often and by how much we will never know. It is time to call a halt, they plainly cannot be trusted. It can only be hoped that the electorate remembers most of the candidates offered by the three 'main' gallows bait parties are and will always be tainted by the corrupt practices of the expenses scandal and whatever other fiddles they are into and have not yet come to light. UKIP do offer a clean sheet as far as theft from the public purse is concerned.
ms.

Good Morning malena stool old son.

Yes I think you have it there. The tories do have the edge when it comes to a higher class of blatant lie together with righteous indignation when questioned. I can't recall his name now but the one who expected us to pay for dredging his moat, was as I recall most indignant when questioned on it.

We were to say the least ingrates, jealous of his status in life. etc. As I believe was the animal lover who thought we should heat his stables to make life a little more bearable for his horses.

I will have to start practicing touching my forelock again, and I thought I had seen the last of those smocks and floppy brimmed hats. Also I'm not much on chewing straws, as I make my way to place my x in the spot allocated to me by my betters.

Hi malena, the UKIP Leader claimed expenses for his Wife and girl-friend? so he cannot be trusted either. Sadly, I don't think there is anyone in Parliament who has behaved impeccably . Have we brought this on ourselves, do we pay too little attention to what our Government is doing, Britain does a lot of moaning but is not politically motivated.

Hi Panda

You may very well have a point there. Similar logic to being so disillusioned that people don't vote at all. So deserve whatever they get. I can only agree that Farage isn't squeaky clean either. However if we wait for an honest politician to come along, I suggest we'll still be waiting at the second coming. The days of honest politicians are gone. Some of the man and wife teams in there may be creaming it off legally but not morally, that doesn't seem to worry any of them.

If they aren't corrupt when they start the system seems to force them into the mould. The answer, (IMHO) is to stop pussyfooting around with them. caught with fingers in the till, they should be sacked like any of us would be, and a by election called. They should then be tried, and if found guilty subjected to the full rigours of the law with an added sentence for betraying the public trust. not put in a pleasant open prison for a few weeks, with nice scenery, and given plenty of time to write the book.

The hope at the next general election, for me, is that a number of UKIP MP's, and even a sprinkling of BNP will galvanise the three main parties, into actually representing us, and not dictating to us. It may hopefully also frighten them into toning down their expenses claims.

At this point in time the political intelligentsia know perfectly well what the public general attitude is on a range of subjects. Asylum seeking, Foreign aid. Immigration generally, The EU etc etc. If they were representing us, as they should, and indeed are elected to do, they would follow those principles but in their wisdom, and knowing what they think is best for us, while equally knowing that the other two parties are not representing us either, continue to go their arrogant way. That cycle must be broken, and quickly . Unless it is, and I believe this general election is the crunch point, Britain as we know it is finished.

You think you are a job's comforter Panda. I tell you if we both found ourselves surrounded by the prophets of doom, they'd be trying to cheer us up.

You think you are a job's comforter Panda. I tell you if we both found ourselves surrounded by the prophets of doom, they'd be trying to cheer us up.

  

Time was that people went to the polling booths , prospective Candidates knocked your door and chatted to you about their aspirations , now it's a leaflet through the letterbox.....even poor Countries around the World take an active interest in Politics. You liked job's comforter did you? My Mother used to say that , I don't think she knew who Job was, LOL another favourite was' going to Timbuktu and back', she didn't even have a clue where it was, neither did I until I looked it up in an Atlas years later..  

Hi Panda

Yes I did like the Job's comforter. My Mother also liked the Timbuktu bit. She used to say she was going to Timbuktu to get a bit of peace.
As for politics, yes, the candidates used to come round. My parents always assured them, no matter what party they represented that they were, and always had been fervent Tory, Socialist, Liberal, Fascist, Communist, Independent, Jordanian abolitionist, or whatever just to get rid of them. I think they voted labour, because they weren't too pleased when I started voting Conservative. The scales started dropping from my eyes at the disgraceful way they treated Lady Thatcher.

I accept that it was her who gave them their unlimited expenses in lieu of an increase in salary. A monumental blunder as it turned out, but could she have known what they would do with the system she gave them. I don't think she realised how corrupt and greedy they had become.

She had led them to three consecutive wins, and yes she was starting to get more than a little autocratic, and yes, I think it probably was time for her to go. The way they did it however was vicious. No matter what anyone thought of her she deserved better than that.

katertaif wrote:Good Morning malena stool old son.

Yes I think you have it there. The tories do have the edge when it comes to a higher class of blatant lie together with righteous indignation when questioned. I can't recall his name now but the one who expected us to pay for dredging his moat, was as I recall most indignant when questioned on it.

We were to say the least ingrates, jealous of his status in life. etc. As I believe was the animal lover who thought we should heat his stables to make life a little more bearable for his horses.

I will have to start practicing touching my forelock again, and I thought I had seen the last of those smocks and floppy brimmed hats. Also I'm not much on chewing straws, as I make my way to place my x in the spot allocated to me by my betters.

I saved the Daily Telegraph Complete Expenses Files and Supplement from June 2009...

The Moat clearer was Conservative thief MP, for Sleazeford Sleaford and North Hykeham. he originally denied the theft, but eventually came clean, allegedly repaid all monies stolen and left politics.

The horse fancier is surprisingly a Tory MP, millionaire Nadhim Zahawi, MP for Stratford on Avon.
Born in Baghdad, Iraq, to Kurdish parents, Zahawi's family fled to the UK from Iraq when he was nine during Saddam Hussein's rise to power. Zahawi and fellow Kurd Broosk Saib were aides to Jeffrey Archer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadhim_Zahawi

Jeffrey Archer, eh...he had a good tutor then..

It was the same caring and ever so grateful asylum seeker, Nadhim Zahawi who caused fury with his proposals for child benefit and child tax credits to be stopped after two children. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/child-benefits-cuts-call-tory-2931012#ixzz2xMVMC9wf

How can first generation immigrants become ministers of the crown? Buying your way in seems a good guess...

Will he manage to get re-elected? I would seriously hope not...

Just touching your forelock will be nowhere near enough genuflection, katertaif. Given a few years we'll have to pay the likes of this creature with his weight in Rubys or Diamonds. Not Gold though, Gordon Brown has given it all away.

I had great respect for Maggie Thatcher, but nearly got lynched when I said as much here.   

One of the best World Leaders we had, never claimed expenses, fought for the EU rebate , very much admired by World Leaders etc terrorised the Cabinet, as an Economist knew more about the state of the Country than most. I did respect her and remember vividly her crying at the quayside when she saw the the first ships leaving for Argentina.

Panda wrote:I had great respect for Maggie Thatcher, but nearly got lynched when I said as much here.    

One of the best World Leaders we had, never claimed expenses, fought for the EU rebate , very much admired by World Leaders etc terrorised the Cabinet, as an Economist knew more about the state of the Country than most.  I did respect her and remember vividly her crying at the quayside when she saw the the first ships leaving for Argentina.

I'll not start criticising Thatcher again Panda, you know my feelings on her and her failure to discuss openly the true facts of the mine closures with Scargill, who I must say was equally as bad as her. The only losers, other than the country were the miners, their communities and the industries that supplied the mines, businessmen never lost a penny.  

malena stool wrote:

Panda wrote:I had great respect for Maggie Thatcher, but nearly got lynched when I said as much here.    

One of the best World Leaders we had, never claimed expenses, fought for the EU rebate , very much admired by World Leaders etc terrorised the Cabinet, as an Economist knew more about the state of the Country than most.  I did respect her and remember vividly her crying at the quayside when she saw the the first ships leaving for Argentina.

I'll not start criticising Thatcher again Panda, you know my feelings on her and her failure to discuss openly the true facts of the mine closures with Scargill, who I must say was equally as bad as her. The only losers, other than the country were the miners, their communities and the industries that supplied the mines, businessmen never lost a penny.  

UUM, I thought you said your wouldn't criticise her again  

Back on topic ...... Who would you consider voting for at the next Election to become PM?

Panda wrote:

malena stool wrote:

Panda wrote:I had great respect for Maggie Thatcher, but nearly got lynched when I said as much here.    

One of the best World Leaders we had, never claimed expenses, fought for the EU rebate , very much admired by World Leaders etc terrorised the Cabinet, as an Economist knew more about the state of the Country than most.  I did respect her and remember vividly her crying at the quayside when she saw the the first ships leaving for Argentina.

I'll not start criticising Thatcher again Panda, you know my feelings on her and her failure to discuss openly the true facts of the mine closures with Scargill, who I must say was equally as bad as her. The only losers, other than the country were the miners, their communities and the industries that supplied the mines, businessmen never lost a penny.  

UUM, I thought you said your wouldn't criticise her again  

Back on topic ...... Who would you consider voting for at the next Election to become PM?

It might be a wasted vote, but if UKIP put a candidate in my constituency, he/she will get it. Either way a vote for any of the three 'main parties' is a wasted vote, it would be a vote for a continuum of corruption. Not one of them is fit for purpose, many other nations have had revolutions brought on by far less bad practice, theft from the public purse and suppression of the people they purport to represent, than our 'Honourable Members' have been exposed as getting away with.

Yes, UKIP are picking up the Votes, at the expense of the LIbDems, it's crazy though because they havn't got one MP in Parliament. Time for their Leader to resign and campaign in earnest .....just announced , a well known Conservative has resigned because of charges about a Rent Boy!!!  

Come on Nigel, do the right thing, resign as MP and contest this Seat.

Another head to head with Clegg next Wednesday .