Culture Secretary to repay £1,000's and apologise over expenses claims

ONE RULE FOR BENEFIT CLAIMANTS, ANOTHER FOR MRS MILLER

Badboy wrote:ONE RULE FOR BENEFIT CLAIMANTS, ANOTHER FOR MRS MILLER

I think she might have to pay money back the public and Press are not amused.

I'm somewhat surprised that IDS made such a speech in the first place, at a very sensitive time that is. It seems to show that they all have a very thick skin. Which while I agree a politician by definition must have, this, the latest act of theft, at least so far discovered shows them to be extraordinarily thick of skin. Some being fairly thick anyway.

Not so thick when it comes to lining their pockets at taxpayer expense though.

Don't they take some sort of oath when they take up office. Or simply thank whatever God they believe in that all their Christmases have come at once?

Morning katertaif, I think she was asked to make a speech to Parliament concerning her actions with regard to the properties but it only lasted 30 seconds, which enraged MP's and the Press.

I'm sure she will be forced to resign because her constituents are not very happy with her either after the revelation about the House Sale .

I must be phsychic....this article just showed up.  


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10751255/Tory-MPs-call-for-Miller-to-be-sacked.html

Good Morning Panda

The article in the Telegraph, doesn't say she will resign, only that many people think she should. Cameron will need to take advice for a day or two now, to come up with a choice of words which do not show him up to be the laughing stock we certainly are. A sort of falling on his sword without killing himself.

Now let's be accurate about this Panda, her speech of apology lasted for 32 seconds not 30, much more sincere you will agree.

I'm just wondering, if I stood for MP, could I get my home in Spain designated as my second home? Of course I would first have to buy a home in Spain, but then I would expect to be able to do that after a few months of creating imaginative expense claims. I have a few lined up ready.

Morning katertaif,

I think you might be stymied by the Travel Allowance , LOL

I don't think Cameron can get out of this , see what happens on Wednesday when Parliament meets, unless they are still on their Easter break!!! I think he will have a quiet word with her and ask her to offer her resignation , that way he is not involved more than if he tried to justify his reduction of the Tax
and told Mrs Miller she would not be charged.

I remember reading a long time ago about a Scottish Guy who somehow ruled this very small Country somewhere in Africa. He was an honest soul and turned the economy around until it was in credit .


British Government and Business is mired in so much greed that maybe another Depression is the only answer and Politicians , Banks and the Population together build a new , honest, caring and hardworking Society .......yeah, pigs might fly one day.  

There would be no travel expenses involved Panda

My cunning plan is to get a CCTV system rigged up so I would be "present" at all times. I envisage the cost of the system to be in the region of £80,000 or so. Of course I wouldn't claim it all at once, let's not be greedy.

I would also have a life sized cardboard cut out of me "sitting" in my seat, so that my constituents would never know, after all most of them might as well be cardboard cut outs as it is. tell you what, I wouldn't even charge the taxpayer for making said cut out (he sniggered, lying in his teeth) or if I did it would be a genuine error. (sniggers again)

As you can see, I am already at gold standard in lying, so I feel I would make an excellent MP.

My policies are clear and unequivocal. On Europe, for example, and let me be quite clear. There are a lot of foreigners in Europe but.

katertaif wrote:There would be no travel expenses involved Panda

My cunning plan is to get a CCTV system rigged up so I would be "present" at all times. I envisage the cost of the system to be in the region of £80,000 or so. Of course I wouldn't claim it all at once, let's not be greedy.

I would also have a life sized cardboard cut out of me "sitting" in my seat, so that my constituents would never know, after all most of them might as well be cardboard cut outs as it is. tell you what, I wouldn't even charge the taxpayer for making said cut out (he sniggered, lying in his teeth) or if I did it would be a genuine error. (sniggers again)

As you can see, I am already at gold standard in lying, so I feel I would make an excellent MP.

My policies are clear and unequivocal. On Europe, for example, and let me be quite clear. There are a lot of foreigners in Europe but.

Yes you might just get away with it , there are many cardboard cut-outs in Parliament   

Parliament is in session , not all of them , Andrew Lansley, (I like him) is saying that Parliament should not get involved with MP's expenses (dig at Cameron) ,it should be left to the Standards ? Committ.ee. I don't know if there will be a debate on this on Wednesday.

If ever proof was required of the morally corrupt rancid mediocrity that frequents our Parliament here we are once more.
How strange that so few of the dishonourable members are prepared to stick their greedy snouts over the parapets at this one.
Dont need any clues as to why that may be do we !

Not one of these political parties is worthy of my 'flipping' vote.

I am seriously thinking of standing as an Independent candidate next year.I will be working on the 'I promise not to claim a bean in expenses' ticket.

I don't think I have ever known such a paucity of talented MP's , the only one i have respect for is Margaret Hodge, every other department is non functioning ....how the mighty have fallen!! I was watching some of the Tennis the other day and surprised to see the English Team wearing T Shirts with GREAT BRITAIN on the back, whose idea was that ? they lost.  

Another Coalition is inevitable so once again we have a hung Parliament .I think LibDems will lose seats, Farrage will gain them but I am not keen on him.

Lioned wrote:If ever proof was required of the morally corrupt rancid mediocrity that frequents our Parliament here we are once more.
How strange that so few of the dishonourable members are prepared to stick their greedy snouts over the parapets at this one.
Dont need any clues as to why that may be do we !  

Not one of these political parties is worthy of my 'flipping' vote.

I am seriously thinking of standing as an Independent candidate next year.I will be working on the 'I promise not to claim a bean in expenses' ticket.

You do realise Lioned that you have to take the MP aptitude test.

1. Would you, lie to your constituents                  a) Never (0) b) sometimes (1) c) most of the time (3) All the time (4)
2. Would you represent your constituents fairly    a) At all times (0) most of the time (1) partly (3) never at any time (4)
3. Would you be honest in all your MP dealings     a) at all times (0) often (1) sometimes (2) never at any time (4)

11 or more you are destined for PM
9 - 11 you are assured of ministerial rank
6 -8 you will make a good MP
4-6 you may be a mediocre MP
below 4 you would be better seeking alternative employment

Clinging on till the very end by her grubby little finger tips.Thats what these thieves do best.

Absolutely! I have just watched news clip of her attending a cabinet meeting today. Thick skinned just isn't in the same league. I doubt if she could spell integrity, she certainly doesn't know what it means, but then how many of them do?

Ms Miller has apologised to her Constituents but many MP's are not satisfied and think she should resign. Cameron is caught between a rock and a hard place , wonder if he will get out of Jail.  

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MILLER BOOSTS UKIP

NO ONE SUPPORTS HER

At the time of writing, Maria Miller remains Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, largely in defiance of her Conservative Party colleagues.
Among those colleagues who have spoken about the matter, Esther McVey’s comments on Maria Miller last night are particularly interesting, and not just because of what they say about Conservative views of Mrs Miller. Those views, incidentally, are bleak: one minister says bluntly that “there is no one in the party who will give her complete support.” Others are speaking publicly to warn that by remaining in office, Mrs Miller is harming her party: Jackie Doyle-Price; Zac Goldsmith; Philip Davies; Mathew Offord; Mark Field.

Feelings are especially strong among those Tories who will fight marginal seats next year. Their message is simple: the longer Mrs Miller remains in her job, the harder it will be for the party to win the seats that will decide the outcome of the next election.
Have a look at our survey of marginal Tories here.

It’s striking stuff, not least because the marginal Conservatives tend to stay quiet and loyal. But we found that even the most reliable loyalists are privately furious at Mrs Miller’s survival.

It may seem a footling point outside the Westminster village, but at least some of the anger at Mrs Miller is not at her actions but her manner. Her brusque apology to the Commons was seen as part of a wider pattern of behaviour in which the minister has come across as graceless and evasive.

This is especially curious since Mrs Miller is generally regarded by colleagues as personally pleasant and affable, albeit a bit distant. But to the voters, she has looked like a politician on the take who was caught out and then resorted to legalistic dodges and trickery in order to cling on to her job – and the money.

Mrs McVey, meanwhile, was asked a question so she answered it, honestly and openly. She didn’t offer the line-to-take or stick to the script. She just said what she thought. “I can honestly say it wouldn’t be how I would have made an apology,” she said. “Different people have different styles and do things in different ways. Fundamentally what we’ve got to do is make sure the public believe in their representatives.”

We’re not used to politicians doing this. Those who do tend to get labelled as “maverick” or “outspoken” or even “gaffe-prone”. Yet they are often more popular than their on-message colleagues. That fact is too often overlooked by party managers, though the rise of people like Mrs McVey and Anna Soubry suggests that the Conservatives, at least, understand that voters are fed up of political automatons with identikit CVs who never stray from the party line.

Much of the rise of Ukip and Nigel Farage is down to Mr Farage’s impressive ability to present himself to voters as an honest man in a world of liars, someone who speaks his mind while others just offer bland soundbites and weasel words.

Some MPs are worried that the Miller saga will simply fuel the rise of Ukip and Britain’s anti-politics tendency. That’s probably true whatever happens to Mrs Miller; the damage done by her churlish response – and David Cameron’s defence of her – won’t be undone by a mere resignation.

But in the longer term, it doesn’t have to be this way. If politicians from the main parties learn to behave – and speak – more like Mrs McVey and less like Mrs Miller, they may just see off Ukip and the anti-establishment sentiment it feeds on.

CAR CRASH TV

One MP was prepared to stand up for Maria Miller: her PPS, Mary MacLeod. It went *badly* - live on Sky News. Watch the full interview here.

I wonder if she'll be at PM's questions tomorrow?   

Just announced, Mary Miller has resigned.  How convenient is that for Cameron? Question Time today, MP break up for holidays..

Cameron has replied to her expressing regret that she has resigned saying what a good job she has done , but hoping that she will be back in Cabinet again.

Good morning Panda

Bearing in mind that she is of course still an MP, and given she has what amounts to a standing ovation by our PM (Pathetic Man) she hasn't actually lost a great deal in monetary terms. On top of which given her money grubbing attitude, I would be prepared to place a small wager that she has been quietly pursuing other avenues of money making; (sponsorships, directorships etc)

There is also the scandal of second homes. She bought a house, and we paid the interest on the mortgage. She then flogged it for over a £ million profit. She should pay capital gains tax on that, and I have no doubt that she will pay something, but again a small wager that she will not pay as much as thee and me would.

Nadine Dorries was questioned about Miller this morning, and apart from the fact that Dorries herself would not have been my chosen interviewee, given her own chequered history as an MP, she did come up with one good suggestion. (now she has made her own pile out of it) Pay them for one return trip a week to their constituencies, and then work out what it would cost them to stay in a reasonable hotel while in London (I assume we are not talking Claridges) pay them that as expenses, and forget the second homes moat clearances, stable lighting, meal allowances, and all the other scams they have come up with to make their time as an MP and enjoyable and lucrative one. Meal allowances are a particular irritant, since that cannot be classed a s a tool of their job. Wherever they are, and whatever they are doing, they still have to eat.

Personally I cannot myself see why they cannot be taken a stage further, and put into hotel style accommodation, there are enough empty buildings around. Furnish them to a reasonable standard, if they want more comfortable furniture, or a wall sized TV, they buy it from their own pockets as again thee or me would have to do.

One incontrovertible fact is that as a class, they have amply proven no matter what the colour of rosette, they cannot be trusted with public money. because it is available to them, is not in fact an open invitation to steal it, and that whatever they wish to call it is what they are doing.

Morning katertaif,

I'm sure there are some honest MP's who keep their claims to a Minimum , it is the greedy people who , even Tony Blair!!!, forget that they are public servants and if they were working for any Company would be charged and in jail. It is obvious that Millar and Cameron exchanged phone calls before she resigned and he told her he will find her another Cabinet job ......that is if she is not forced to resign as MP by her constituents.

Years ago I was sitting in the Departure Lounge at an Airport and the Woman next to me was trying to have a conversation with the Guy across the way. I offered to swap seats with him but he said it was O.K.. The Woman and I had a Conversation and she said there was a Group of 10 of them from various Government Departments travelling to Greece for a Seminar on Enviroment issues . The Seminar was for two days but they were all staying for a week !!!!

We were chatting and I mentioned that where I came from my Country had received European funding, cheeky *** asked how Ii knew that .  

Morning katertaif,

I'm sure there are some honest MP's who keep their claims to a Minimum , it is the greedy people who , even Tony Blair!!!,  forget that they are public servants and if they were working for any Company would be charged and in jail. It is obvious that Millar and Cameron exchanged phone calls before she resigned and he told her he will find her another Cabinet job ......that is if she is not forced to resign as MP by her constituents.

Years ago I was sitting in the Departure Lounge at an Airport and the Woman next to me was trying to have a conversation with the Guy across the way. I offered to swap seats with him but he said it was O.K.. The Woman and I had a Conversation and she said there was a Group of 10 of them from various   Government Departments travelling to Greece for a Seminar on Enviroment issues . The Seminar was for two days but they were all staying for a week !!!!  

We were chatting and I mentioned that where I came from my Country had received European funding, cheeky *** asked how I knew that . 

I think that behind the scenes she would have been pushed to resign. I think Cameron at last listened to advice but he is not happy about it. I don't think that the type of woman she is she would have gone voluntarily.

fuzeta wrote:I think that behind the scenes she would have been pushed to resign. I think Cameron at last listened to advice but he is not happy about it.  I don't think that the type of woman she is she would have gone voluntarily.

Morning fuzeta, Cameron is likely to face questions in the House today , it is obvious he suggested Millar resign her Cabinet Post . Maybe her Constituents will demand her resignation now, I can imagine the Labour Party will be baying for it.

Panda wrote:

fuzeta wrote:I think that behind the scenes she would have been pushed to resign. I think Cameron at last listened to advice but he is not happy about it.  I don't think that the type of woman she is she would have gone voluntarily.

Morning fuzeta, Cameron is likely to face questions in the House today , it is obvious he suggested Millar resign her Cabinet Post . Maybe her Constituents will demand her resignation now, I can imagine the Labour Party will be baying for it.

Morning Panda, well we could do with a bi election to see what the state of the polls are!