Leggless...
It's VERY difficult trying to convince MPs to come on the radio and talk about the letters they've received from Sir Thomas Legg.
We've spoken to one MP this morning who hasn't been asked for any more documentation, who's been ruled to have done nothing wrong - but who is SO angry that Thomas Legg seems to be rewriting the rules retrospectively.
We emailed Jacqui Smith's husband to ask what the chances were of her coming on today's programme - there was a one word reply: "none".
Oops.
So far, we've booked Heather Brooke, who's a freedom of information campaigner and who has been trying for a number of years to get info about politicians' expenses.
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"It's VERY difficult trying to convince MPs to come on the radio and talk about the letters they've received from Sir Thomas Legg."
Not even John Mann, MP for Derbyshire (V)? I thought he claimed second home allowance at Radio Five Live.
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Did you ask Jacqui Smith to appear on your show Victoria ?
I would have thought that she would have been only been to eager to explain to the nation how she got out of paying back over £100,000 of tax payers money she claimed wrongly in expenses and just an apology was deemed sufficient.
The parliamentary exclusive club mentality strikes again.
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Any chance you could ask any politicians who do come in about what they think about Carter-Ruck gagging the Guardian's reporting of the Trafigura question in Parliament today? Or are you similarly gagged?
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I do apologise.
I see you did ask Jacqui Smiths husband for her to appear.
How strange then that she declined the invitation.
As a public servant is she not answerable to tax payers and the electorate ?
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How sad and short sighted the public are. I am not surprised that they will not appear. How can anyone become an MP(unless you are really wealthy) without a second homes allowance?
Legg has shown is true political allegiance. He has not asked Cameron to pay back the tens of thousands he has claimed but has punished Brown because he had the decency to pay a cleaner a living wage and pay all the proper NI contributions. Presumably Brown should clean his own flat and run the country in his spare time?
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Clarity of thinking isn't Heathers strong point.
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I don't think the MPs can claim annoyance at having their rule changes applied retrospectively when they happily let Brown change the tax treatment for various cases and have the Revenue apply it retrospective. Ditto with the carbon tax thing backdated to models built after 2001. And I can think of a couple more instances where they've happily allowed us - Joe Public - to be penalised for breaking rules that weren't rules when we "broke" them. I've no sympathy - apply these changes retrospectively for the last five years, like the Revenue have done to us.
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Sorry - that should have said seven years.
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Amazing how Cameron has only got to pay a couple of hundred pounds. No doubt he used his double glazing salesman foot-in-the-door tactics to convince Legg he didn't owe that much. It seems to be working with the british electorate.
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The explanation as to why Jacqui Smith need not pay any of the money she conned out of the system tells you all you need to know about the insularity of MPs and the " Independant " ( ye rite ) committees set up to pronounce on them.
The idea that because she didn't choose to rent or buy a property in London means that she made no financial gain from her lies is incredible, its like a shop lifter claiming that as he had enough money to pay for his stolen items means that he didn't make anything out of his theft because he chose not to pay for them.
The fact of the matter is that she lied, deliberately, to advantage herself and her Family and benifited to the tune of many thousands of pounds.She shouldn't be apologising, she should be sewing mail bags.
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"No doubt he used his double glazing salesman foot-in-the-door tactics to convince Legg he didn't owe that much."
Or maybe it's simply because he didn't owe that much, having played nicely and not run off with the ball...
Yawn!
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I do not understand why Brown has to pay gardening and house cleaning costs, surely the state takes care of the residencies of the Chancellor and PM, No 11 and No 10 Downing street. If not, is it fair if his allowance was the same as other MPs,keeping these places clean is pretty expensive.
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