£150,000

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• 1. At 6:49pm on 09 Nov 2009, SusieFlood wrote:

  Mark
  
  YOU'RE BEING NAUGHTY AGAIN!
  
  I think you'll find that McGimpsey's estimate of the sum wasted by the little Bangorian is 15,000 pounds (but given Easton's cost & contribution to public life, that's a wild underestimate).
  
  I'm tellin' ya, ya couldn't make this whole thing up.
  
  Susie
  Carryduff

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• 2. At 7:02pm on 09 Nov 2009, Stormontspy wrote:

  Mark,
  
  The money could and should have been spent in the health service instead off Alex running to the call of Iris every time. It appears that Iris is the main person responsible for this. She would have more brains than to ask why the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust has cancelled the Ravara House staff and carers Christmas party.
  
  Time to do real work.
  
  Stormontspy

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• 3. At 7:06pm on 09 Nov 2009, Stormontspy wrote:

  Susie,
  
  Michael McGimpsey stated that each question asked costs £300 to answer and that Alex Easton has asked over 500 questions. It appears £150,000 is a roundabout total. If you look at some of the questions Alex has asked it is quite simply pathetic.
  
  Stormontspy

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• 4. At 7:34pm on 09 Nov 2009, SusieFlood wrote:

  This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.

• 5. At 7:47pm on 09 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  This comment has been referred to the moderators. Explain.

• 6. At 9:32pm on 09 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  Who was in the Speaker's Chair,
  when "Halloween" Iris went loopy,insulting McGimpsey???
  Was it Willie Hay,"the Road Show man"???
  Throw her out,till the end of the year!!!
  
  All you supporters of Iris will be sad to know she is to
  try to stay in Westminster!!!
  
  Reasons:
  -Expenses are better,especially when Kelly/Legge said that
  mortage interest payments would last another parliament.
  -The gossip she can tell"St"Peter of how Dodds messed up
  in a hung parliament!!!
  -Won't have to appear on the Stephen Nolan Show,no more,no more!!!
  
  If the Parlimentry Authorities confuse "Halloween"Iris with "Guy Fawkes" we might never see her like again!!!
  McGimpsey might open the NHS champagne!!!
  Just(as Susie Flood says)the Bangorian Alex Easton will still be
  asking pointless questions until the TUV become the 2nd party!!!
  As "The War of The Worlds" ended."Is there anybody out there,is
  there anybody there"???
  
  Hardly a brain amongst them!!!
  Donaldson could always do film reviews for the Sally Army's "War Cry"!!!
  Cull the MLAs to three times the council numbers,or twice the MP numbers!!!
  What a dross we've got!!!
  Compared to Scotland,no read questions and answers!!
  Even Cardiff is better!!!
  No wonder the TUV and dissients have having an easy ride!!!
  
  Better stop,before the Moderators pull the plug!!!
  
  Mark,thanks for Blogs "that demand comment"

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• 7. At 5:04pm on 10 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  Mark
  
  #5 "being checked"?
  
  All factually correct.All checked out!!!
  
  Seems some of our sensitive MLA's read your Diaries !!!
  The TRUTH may be a post too far !!!

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• 8. At 7:34pm on 10 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.

• 9. At 10:09pm on 10 Nov 2009, Stormontspy wrote:

  spinspamspun,
  
  This is the start of Michael McGimpsey's comments -If I may be allowed to answer: the Member who receives most answers is Alex Easton, who received more than 500 answers. Do Members know how much it costs to answer each of his questions? Three hundred pounds. I have spent about £150,000 answering Alex Easton’s questions. Answering other Members’ questions has cost similar sums. I have answered hundreds and hundreds of questions. Simon Hamilton has asked me questions about flowers; that is the sort of question that I am often asked. As well as intelligent questions, I am often asked trivial ones. One of Alex Easton’s latest questions — since he complains about questions — is whether there will be a Christmas party in Ravarra House. This is purely party political, and we have only to listen to Mrs Robinson talking from a sedentary position to understand that.
  
  -
  
  In my opinion and I know others agree Simon Hamilton is the most annoying MLA. What on earth has flowers got to do with providing more front line services in the health service? It seems that 95% of the debates and questions asked at Stormont are quite simply rubbish.
  
  On the point of people talking rubbish and also political point scoring today at Finance question time, question 5 was another. In regards to the Bain report Sammy was asked about it by the SDLP as after all most of their followers are outside of Belfast. In reply to a supplementary question Sammy said -
  "I suspected that that might be the tenor of the Member’s question. It is frightening to think of the number of new public bodies that are being created in Northern Ireland. Before the Member starts to talk about relocating jobs outside Belfast, perhaps his party and others should ask themselves the same question: where does the example start? Before I came to the Chamber, I asked someone to Google the SDLP for me, because I am not good at doing that myself. The SDLP leader lives in Londonderry, and the bulk of SDLP councillors and representatives represent areas outside Belfast, but the SDLP headquarters are at 121 Ormeau Road, Belfast. Before the Member starts to ask questions about public sector relocation and location, perhaps his party should look at the location of its headquarters."
  
  On a day when Margaret Ritchie relaunched her leadership bid maybe she will take the lead and move DSD jobs out of Belfast. I think at the last count DSD had over 5000 workers in Belfast. Instead of Margaret's speech spelling out her thoughts on Policing and Justice, how she regalvanise her party and give reason for people to vote SDLP it turned into a trip down memory lane reflecting on what happened before. Even unsuccessful politicians (Brid Rodgers and Denis Haughey) where there...
  Oh and last but not least the vote magnet was there.... Alex Atwood!!!!!
  
  Stormontspy

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• 10. At 10:20pm on 10 Nov 2009, Stormontspy wrote:

  spinspamspun,
  
  Looks like the DUP are not happy with your posting. In order to try and balance things up, the BBC are now taking a hard line on you.
  
  Stormontspy

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• 11. At 10:32pm on 10 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.

• 12. At 11:36pm on 10 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  The powers that be have stopped contact!!!
  Stormontspy I'll contact U 2mor !!!
  
  

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• 13. At 01:42am on 11 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  BBC London "Anyone but Labour"
  BBC Scotland "No one but Labour(watch the machine)!!!
  BBC NIreland "No one WHO"Your decision!!!
  How many faces have the Labour Party !!!
  Stormontspy,who is the BBC NIreland going to favour,
  the next election???
  TUV v Iris ???
  
  I will respond 2mor

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• 14. At 07:46am on 11 Nov 2009, redflyfisher wrote:

  Since the issue of the costs of Assembly/Parliamentary questions was raised on BBC Nolan it is remarkable that accurate information on costs was not broadcast when provided. It seems that the BBC would rather keep the public in the dark (dependent upon the presenter or ill-informed MLAs) than let the public, who actually pay the costs) decide whether or not they receive value for money. We have now lurched from MLA expenses to the expense of MLAs work.
  This information was taken from the UK Parliament Library site. http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_publicati
  ons_and_archives/factsheets.cfm
  
  "Cost of questions
  
  There is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold (DCT) which is the cost level above which Departments can refuse to answer a Parliamentary Question. The DCT for written answers is currently £750. In terms of expenditure incurred and the time and effort spent, as at December 2007 the average cost was £140 for a written question and £385 for an oral question
  2.
  From December 2008 the average cost of a written question was £149 and for an oral question £4103. The latter figure takes into account the additional research and briefing for possible supplementary questions . The fact that Members continue to put down questions at the rate of several hundred a day suggests that they regard this as money well spent in the pursuit of Ministerial accountability."
  
  So this latest debacle will undoubtedly confirm the invaluable and cost-effective contribution of our mandatory coalition government. The BBC have their own case to answer.

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• 15. At 6:43pm on 11 Nov 2009, spinspamspun wrote:

  Mark
  
  Never knew that "card carrying members" of Political Parties
  could be moderators!!!
  
  The truth must hurt!!!
  Justice???

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