Woks and water purifiers
How many Assembly Members does it take to change a light bulb?
Just the one apparently (unless we pay for "product support" for that job too) but it does take us tax payers to pay for it. A new book case, rugs and bulbs cost Mike German £53.21 so that's how much it cost us. Ah I can hear Nick Bourne now. If only the Tories had got in in May 2007 he could have got £20.00 worth for free saving us all a few bob.
The irony is that people seem more affronted by Lynne Neagle's claim of £2.00 for a pyrex bowl and £3.00 for a roaster (on which there is unlikely to be any profit to repay the Assembly) than Lesley Griffiths' £2000 sofa or Nick Ramsay's two £1000 beds. The relatively new Conservative AM for Monmouth is either an extremely kind host with a two-bedroomed flat or he must have had rather a lot of explaining to do as to what happened to the first bed.
No, we don't yet have a John Lewis nor a John Lewis list but AMs who, by the rules, are allowed to keep a second home in Cardiff can claim mortgage interest payments, huge ones in some instances and reclaim the cost of everything from extension cords to hundred quid bins to acres of curtain poles and made-to-measure blinds - up to £12,500.
Eight AMs went to that very limit. Then again Andrew Davies AM who lives in Swansea made no claim at all. AM Mohammad Asghar lives closer to Cardiff certainly but claimed nothing, no subsistence allowance either, though some of his Plaid colleagues who made the headlines by refusing their pay-rises last year, unlike Mr Asghar who accepted his, are amongst the top eight claimants.
Ousted AMs like Laura Jones, Glyn Davies and Alun Pugh got to make claims after they'd lost their seats. But even large monthly mortgage interest payments reclaimed for as long as three months after the election, as you'll see from paragraph 32 here, are entirely within the rules.
I've no problem with £2 pyrex dishes. To be blunt I've no problem with a single AM who makes claims that are within the rules, as long as we get to know about them. Reckon you'll buy a £1000 surround-sound tv because you're worth it? Fine, just as long as your constituents agree.
It's the rules that deserve a second look. No, make that an intensive stare, especially at those rules on second homes.
So how many experts does it take to change a rulebook? The answer is simple: five.
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~43~RS~)
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NEW Children’s Rhymes for Devolutionary Times:
“Little Jack AMer sat in the Chamber,
A filling out his claim.
He sucked on his thumb and then imagined an exorbitant sum,
Shouting, “Politics is a wonderful game!”
“Jack and Jill went down the Bay,
To pass some legislation.
They bought a million pound flat with a gold lame mat,
As a service to the nation.”
AM, short for….”Any Money?”
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So the media has established that the allowance is not a living allowance, but rather a luxury allowance; and should be spent accordingly...
No purchases under £800...
Well, it would be a waste of tax payers money wouldn't it...
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Betsan - Has Huw Lewis and Lyn Neagle two homes? They live in Penarth and their constituencies are Torfaen and Merthyr, neither difficult to reach Cardiff from and they claim £22,000. Can't possibly help Huw to become First Mininster after RM retires, which should be a relief to us all!!
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More ammunition for Guido and his Porkbusters feature..
These eejits just don't help themselves do they ??
Any remote chance that they had of introducing 'legislative/tax raising' powers to further feather their nests has flown south for the winter...
The idea that Mike German needs a 'second home' when his first is less than 20 miles away would appear absolutely astonishing to those living in England who regularly commute 100+ miles to AND FROM London DAILY.
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Most would agree that those who take public money should publish their expenses for public scrutiny - as you appear to agree, Betsan.
I believe the current licence fee is £139.50. When do we see your expenses?
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Ah me! Well, it didn't take long did it for the snouts and trotters to get in the trough. This was one of the warnings made during the run-up to the vote on the creation of the Assembly.
As for Nick Ramsey, well he clearly needs a second home in Cardiff. After all, his home in Raglan is all of 32 miles (39 minutes) from his place of work (term used loosely). He may not have noticed, but Raglan (and Monmouthshire in general) is, more or less, a dormitory town for Cardiff (and Bristol). I don't recall all those daily commuters, most in wealth-creating jobs, being allowed such generous expenses - if they receive any at all. I did the commute for over 4 years and it was a doddle. I wish someone would have paid my travelling costs though!
I'm sorry, but this is a bad day for the assembly. What a bunch of greedy, self-important wasters the majority of them are.
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It's WELL known that Betsan claimed well over £500 for a set of Sunders Lewis Collected Works so she could prop up her widescreen TV to watch "Wales has got Talent! (except down the Bay) " on S4C.
And then there's the (political) consultancy fee for the Charlotte Church Show..."So tell me Rhodri...when did you and Ron decide to form a Welsh Assembled?
OH THE SHAME.
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Betsan:
i have no problem with an allowance to support there needs, but this is an extreme case of indulgence!
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i also don't have a problem with pyrex dishes!
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Saunders Lewis was a Nobel Nominee for Literature, so an investment in his collected works is well worth it!
But I agree with Dennisjunior1, "i have no problem with an allowance to support there needs, but this is an extreme case of indulgence!"
Just because you can claim support, does not mean you should. If you live somewhat close you do not need extra living aide.
But in principle, considering that most politicans are generally well off anyway, none of them should be put out by extra living expenses. They should instead use these funds to help out the truely needy.
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This is all about tax free 'expenses'.
Betsan may joke about a £2 Pyrex dish but the fact remains, the rest of us have to earn £3 in order to purchase the same.
Doesn't mean much at that level, but when it comes to beds and sofas costing thousands then it does tend to start the peasants revolting.
Never mind a 'John Lewis' list, even an IKEA list is too good for those wasters.
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I think we are losing sight of why the allowances are in place. They are to furnish a home so that an AM can do their job, they can't do it by communting daily from some areas. Of course the allowances should be reasonable and not be abused. However if you set a limit and people stay with in it then the blame lies with the limits not the AMs. I think some of these allowances are too generous and second homes are not needed for AMs who live in the Glamorgan/Gwent areas but we have to be reasonable and permit sensible allowances that let the job be done. Either that or vastly increase the salary and not grant allowances. One solution is to have furnished flats owned by the Assembly and furnished by the Assembly that are used by AMs when resident in Cardiff. That should eliminate the problem. Then if they want to spend their own money of cinema screens or luxury beds then that is fine. As is standard with furnished accommodation they would not just have the furniture but also TV, washing machine and yes Pyrex bowls etc down to the spoons.
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Oh yes, of course it's all about the poor unappreciated AM's allowances isn't it.
Well it's a pity the hundreds of young Welsh building workers who have to travel from Wales down the M4 packed into Transit and Sprinter vans every week in order to find work in London and the south east don't get any 'allowances'.
No expenses/hotels for those boyos. After their day's work (real work that is) they sleep in their vans until it's home again on Friday night.
I am sickened by the arrogance of those self-centred creeps who have hit the jackpot by being elected to swan around in their own custom built (yet leaking) folly.
Maybe if they spent more time actually improving things for us they might earn some respect. As it is, their 'work' is nothing but a round of jollies. How about if they spent a few months on the 'van run'? Better still, make sleeping in a Transit every night a condition of their employment. You never know, some of the bloated troughers might even lose some weight.
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Noah your ignorance astounds me, you claim that AMs only reason for existence is to feather their own nests - it is absurd. You may not like some of the things that the National Assembly has done, and you may wish it never existed but the idea that its only purpose in existing is the enrichment of its members just laughable.
Serious suggestions on how the system can be reformed are welcome.
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Oh dear Lyn.
On the topic of ignorance please point out to us all where I claim that "AMs only reason for existence is to feather their own nests"
Also please remind me where it was again that I state that "it's only purpose in existing is the enrichment of it's members"
You are gathering quite a reputation on here as the self proclaimed defender of the assembly.
Are you connected in any way to this rather seedy bunch.....surely not!
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Plaid Cymru AMs constantly whinge about the funding of the 2012 Olympic Games, complaining that it will, as one (whose expense claim totalled the maximum £12,500) recently said, ‘bleed money away from Wales’,
If they really cared about taking money away from the Welsh public they would submit morally acceptable expense claims. The recent exposure of the greed of AMs of all political parties has been a serious matter to the Welsh electorate, some of whom have less than £12,500 to live on in a year.
I suspect that whingeing about the 2012 Olympic Games is more about pursuing their usual xenophobic deprecation of the South East of England, and resentment that we still compete (successfully I might add) in the Games as a united GB Team.
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Lyn Thomas - You're making me feel really sorry for these poor AMs who can barely make ends meet on their £50 000+ salary. It's only about four times more than the average working man's wage here in Wales. No wonder they need that extra £12 500 (and the rest).
Perhaps it's about time soup kitchens were provided for our poverty-stricken Assembly politicians...
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It must have been asked/suggested before, but why do none of our keen dedicated assembly members ever post on here?
OK, so maybe one or two reply anonymously, but why hide their lights under a bushel? I would certainly have more respect (God knows there's not much at the moment) for any AM who came on here and openly replied to some of the points raised.
This topic concerns AM's expenses, surely a suitable subject for our representatives to comment on. Why the silence? You lot in the Senedd should be shouting from the rooftops attempting to justify your expenses. But what do we get . . . no response whatsoever. I've learnt more about the mechanics of your expenses from Betsan's Blog that from any information squeezed out of assembly members.
You AMs had better be careful. Among the majority of Welsh voters, the feeling on your future is looking decidedly bitter. The poorer element feel let down by your inactivity, and those with a few bob are beginning to wonder just what the hell these increased powers, and especially these tax-raising powers, really mean.
Of course, just like the wall of silence with which you all tried to gloss over your generous TAX FREE expenses, any new powers will be similarly hushed up.
Until it's too late for us to change things that is.
Democracy . . . don't make me laugh.
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Actually, I like this idea by Lynn_Thomas
"One solution is to have furnished flats owned by the Assembly and furnished by the Assembly that are used by AMs when resident in Cardiff. "
Another idea is to have the Assembly negociate with a local long-term stay hotel in the area for corporate or government rates, and to have rooms set aside for AM use when necessary. I know many hotels would love to negociate such a government rate (even if it is significantly discounted from rack rate), as it would guarentee occupacy levels and revenue stream. From a government perspective, negociating with local hotels would be more economical then paying for a new house per AM. Additionally, it would be a way to support local businesses.
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Wake up Drachenfyre, those ideas were tossed around for our MPs in Westminster.
They were dismissed as they presented our elected representatives with even greater scope for corruption.
Before you say it Drachy, no I don't trust the troughers. Just look at the sorry catalogue of fiddlers, diddlers, no hopers, losers, boozers and perverts we've had since this ill-fated assembly was mistakenly created.
Apart from a few BBC journos, hangers-on, advisers, and the inhabitants of the Senedd. The mass of the people of Wales have had enough, they want it gone, and gone quickly.
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You have any real evidence for that last statement Noah? I don't mean what your mates are telling you or what you are imagining, but hard evidence.
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Ahhh, bless you our Lyn.
May I suggest you take a casual glance at the latest polls. The parties who have been involved in running this disastrous Welsh assembly right from the start, are struggling to find anybody simple-minded enough to vote for them.
By the way Lyn, your refusal to answer any of the questions posed in post 15 says it all.
I just cannot believe that someone as keen on defending the assembly as you are, is not in some way connected with it.
Got your place at the trough have you Lyn ?
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I am not an AM, a lobbyist, a researcher or in any other way connected with the National Assembly for Wales other than being a voter.
Now tell us who you are and your connection with anti Assembly organisations.
The polls consistently show that more people want more powers for the Assembly than to abolish it, I see no parties making gains in the polls that want to abolish it. Perhaps you could tell me who these parties are?
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Getting back to the point of abused expense accounts - the 'debate' about the need/desire for an assembly is something else entirely and a complete, if not deliberate, distraction.
Nick Ramsey, again, recently said to a mutual acquaintance, on being questioned about his need for a tax-payer funded and furnished Cardiff flat, "Everyone else has one, so why shouldn't I?"
Really, that says it all doesn't it? I am sure he is not alone in this view.
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Betsan:
My problems are with the idea; of using your expense account to pay un-needed and often non-necessary things e.g I-PODS'.....
~Dennis Junior~
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