Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world ...
You will have noticed, I think, if you've been anywhere near the British media this past week, that the rest of the world has pretty much ceased to exist. The truly bizarre spectacle of our MPs' expenses claims being exposed in their full glory to public gaze has left virtually no space for anything else.
I propose to leave it to others to add more words to what has already been said, except simply to ask this: if the rules state, as they do, that for expenses to be properly reclaimable, they must be incurred "wholly, exclusively and necessarily" for the performance of parliamentary duties, how can it be within those rules to claim for swimming pool cleaning, light bulb changing or dog food? I merely ask ...
So perhaps it might be useful if I bring you up to date with what else has been happening out there in the big wide world, while you've been concentrating on the minutiae of MPs' domestic financial arrangements. (Oh yes, and one other thing: if some MPs with constituencies far from London manage to perform their duties without claiming thousands of pounds for furniture and fittings, mortgages and moats, why can't the others? Again, I merely ask ...)
Have you noticed, by the way, what's been happening in Pakistan? Something approaching a million people have fled their homes to escape from a full-scale army offensive against the Taleban in the Swat Valley region of North-West Frontier Province. That's apparently the biggest movement of humankind since the genocide in Rwanda 15 years ago - and there is growing international concern about the effect it could have on the already shaky stability of the country.
Have you been keeping up with the bloody end game being played out in north-eastern Sri Lanka? The army is continuing to pound away at the remnants of the Tamil Tiger rebels, with tens of thousands of civilians still caught in the cross-fire with little access to medical help or food and shelter. The Red Cross says its staff in the area are witnessing an "unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe". The rest of the world seems unable, or unwilling, to intervene.
You may have missed the sudden flare-up of violence in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, where an estimated 25,000 people are reported to have fled as Islamist militia groups have been battling it out with government troops. Again, there seems to be no one outside Somalia with the power - or the political will - to do much to help, in a country that has had no effective government for well over 15 years.
And did you notice that the European Union signed an energy agreement with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Egypt aimed at developing a "southern corridor" for gas supplies which would bypass Russia? It could turn out to be a hugely significant step, given the uncertainties of relying on Moscow's good will for guaranteed gas supplies.
In Afghanistan, there have been three suicide bomb attacks in as many days, and violence is now said to have surged to its highest level since the overthrow of the Taleban more than seven years ago. Maybe that's one reason why President Obama has now decided he doesn't after all want more photographs published showing the abuse of prisoners by US soldiers.
You get the point, don't you? The global village and the Westminster village aren't quite the same thing. Of course, they both matter - which is why we'll do what we can to keep you abreast of what's going on in both neighbourhoods.
© MMX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~02~RS~)
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"You will have noticed, I think, if you've been anywhere near the British media this past week, that the rest of the world has pretty much ceased to exist."
Do you expect me to react with shock and awe at the revelation that the British media including the mighty BBC cannot walk and chew gum at the same time?
Actually....it's been covered...Mostly.
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Robin,
1) The rules state they must be incurred "wholly, exclusively and necessarily." ABSOLUTELY
2) SWAT Valley. YES I DID NOTICE
3) SrI Lanka. YES ALSO NOTED
4) Mogadishu. YES. ONGOING
5) Energy Agreement. YES, BUT NO SURPRISE
6) Afghanistan attacks. YES AND IRAQ
7) Torture Photos. HOW COULD I MISS IT?
And I also noticed an attempt by a number of Conservative MP's to overturn the minimum wage in the week. Christopher Chope, Brian Binley, Peter Bone and more have a solution to the economic crisis: threaten those on the lowest incomes with job loss but give them a last chance to "opt-out" of the minimum wage.
They lost I understand. But are promising to try again.
I look forward to publication of the following MP's expenses :
Mr. Christopher Chope, Mr. Peter Bone, Philip Davies, Mr. Nigel Evans, Mr. Greg Knight, Mr. Edward Leigh, Mr. Ian Liddell-Grainger, Mr. Brian Binley, Mr. William Cash, Mr. Robert Syms and Mr. David Wilshire.
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Thank you for noting the neglect of the 'Sri Lanka civilian battle horrors' story by the BBC.
I gues you just can't get those daily Have Your Says, handkerchief wringing Jeremy Bowen cry-a-thons and accusatory 'suffering-child' photos from the BBC without having Jews to blame.
Where is your interview with the Tamil doctor who lost his family to barbarous government air raids, Mr. Lustig?
All your other examples cited in this column further point up the incredible montrous bias displayed by the BBC in its coverage.
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Ref 3. SteveGNyc
Your post puzzled me:
1)When has BBC neglected SriLanka/Tamil coverage? It's been covered virtually everyday, if not everyday. And many times through the day. Wall to wall coverage, as they say.
2)When have the BBC been blaming Jews?
3) They've interviewed lots of peole who have lost families.
4) How do the examples listed point to incredible monstrous bias?
Please expand. Your post is incredible.
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The BBC's anti-Israel crusade has been the subject of tens of thousands of complaints over the years.
When Israel is involved the BBC gives it the full court press and throws everything they can at the Jews, from Bowen to Have Your Say to publishing 'poor-victimized-valiant-Palestinian' stories without regard to the Israeli side of the conflict.
If you can't see the BBC's obvious distortions and bias in their reporting, I'll bet a lot more than my post puzzles you.
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5. SteveGNyc
So could you explain your post then, or do you just depend on insults?
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#3 - SteveGNyc
It may have escaped your attention that there have been very severe restrictions imposed on media coverage in northern Sri Lanka.
You will get your horror stories in due course. It won't stop any of it happening of course but you can always blame the BBC, Jeremy Bowen, Jews - have I forgotten anyone?
#2 - Richard_SM
Do you have any information not available to the Telegraph or the Fee's Office relating to Mr. Christopher Chope, Mr. Peter Bone, Philip Davies, Mr. Nigel Evans, Mr. Greg Knight, Mr. Edward Leigh, Mr. Ian Liddell-Grainger, Mr. Brian Binley, Mr. William Cash, Mr. Robert Syms and Mr. David Wilshire?
If so, should you not be sharing it with either us or the Met?
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#5 - SteveGNyc
A debate about BBC bias might be worth having with someone who comes at it from an unbiased point of view. For people who simply wish you use the subject for the purposes of grandstanding, it is an exercise in futility.
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Ref 7 threnodio
Huh? Why would I have MP's expenses that aren't at the Fees/Expenses Office? Your question makes no sense!
As I said in my post, "I look forward to publication of the following MP's expenses." I've made a note to follow up on these and several other MP's, and shall be scrutinising them once the information they tried to keep concealed is made public.
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#9 - Richard_SM
Heavens, it is a simple enough question.
Why have you selected that particular list of names and, if the Fees Office had any reason to think their claims were dodgy, why would that information not already be in the public domain along with the other alleged 'troughers'?
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S&M
If the BBC is not biased against Israel, why won't it disclose the contents of the Balen report and allow it to be published? It has used license fee money to fight public disclosure of it in court. What is BBC trying to hide? The only rational reason for BBC to act guilty is that it is guilty.
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Ref 11, MarcusAureliusII
I don't know why they won't publish the Balen Report. Perhaps it contains information obtained in confidence? Perhaps it draws on comparisons with other conflicts going on, which prevents publication. Perhaps it contains interviews with Jewish interviewees, who don't wish to have their private views made public.
If anything, my inderstanding is that it concluded there was slight bias in favour of Israel. Source: former BBC reporter.
You seem too quick to jump to conclusions. And you might not like it's content if it is published.
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Ref 10 Threnodio
You sound frustrated. Perhaps with yourself. Your question makes no sense:
Q Do you have any information not available to .. the Fee's Office relating to...[these MP's?]
How can I have information about expenses that are not at the Fees Office? If it's not at the Fees Office, then it won't be an expense claim now will it? What sort of question is this? The Expense Claims submitted to, and stored at the Fees Office are the source. Are you in UK?
I see you've asked two further questions. Are these what you meant to ask originally - but didn't?
Q "Why have you selected that particular list of names?"
Well the answer to this Q is in the post # 2. "an attempt by a number of Conservative MP's......Christopher Chope, Brian Binley, Peter Bone and more........" The names are listed. The three names are duplicated!!! I can only guess you were having a bad day.
Q "Why would that information not already be in the public domain along with the other alleged 'troughers'?"
It's not all in the public domain yet. PoWestminster haven't published it. It's promised by July. You don't seem to be up-to-date. Meanwhile the Telegraph are selectively releasing information on certain MP's. The Telegraph said they haven't got through all the data yet. A team of 25 are working through "millions of receipts." There's no obligation on the Telegraph to print all of it. PoWestminster are, however legally bound to release the lot. There's more revelelations today I hear. I'm just about to walk down to the shop and buy my copy.
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S&M, your posting #12 is pure speculation, you have no facts. Even your reference to "a BBC reporter" may be nothing more than speculation on his part. It was not for the BBC to determine if the Balen report should have been made public or not, that is a function of government. It also seems rather disingenuous to suggest that there is anything contained in it that couldn't or shouldn't be disclosed when BBC was so quick to publically disclose what was told to it clearly in confidence by Dr. Kelly. Most likely it is what seems obvious on the face of it, it is a damning condemnation of BBC's obvious bias against Israel. It's a bias you have demonstrated you share as well in your comments on many postings on various BBC blog sites.
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Ref 14. MarcusAureliusII
You seem hysterical, unable to read. The word 'perhaps' is used when speculating. I don't care if the BBC keep it, publish it or shred it. Neither do 99.9 per cent of people here. It's content is six years old. Whatever it says is way out of date. Write to the BBC if you are really concerned. Quote your Licence Number on the letter: it carries far more weight.
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S&M, actually it is you who seem to be in a fit of hysteria.
"It's content is six years old. Whatever it says is way out of date."
How do you know that? Without public disclosure or evidence of a followup report, what reason is there to assume anything changed?
"I don't care if the BBC keep it, publish it or shred it. Neither do 99.9 per cent of people here."
Well I don't know if that true or not. I'll bet Too True and SteveGnyc would be interested. But it hardly matters. I am, that's all that counts to me.
"Write to the BBC if you are really concerned. Quote your Licence Number on the letter: it carries far more weight."
They won't disclose it to the public, what makes you think they will disclose it to me? The only license number I have is my driver's license number and I don't think that will interest them. As for a license to operate a TV set, we don't have them here and I don't have any choice, even the unpalatable one not to own a TV set to avoid subsidizing BBC. If I earn one dime of federally taxable money, some of it finds its way to BBC through various channels linked with PBS and NPR contracts.
Evidently they are guilty as charged. They just don't want it as open as the MP's expense accounts are but corrupt is corrupt whether disclosed or not.
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Sri Lanka finally got a HYS today... after the whole thing is over.
Good going BBC.
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One of BBC's many techniques for lying is through the mechanism of deliberate omission. Here's an example.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8060684.stm
"Four men have been arrested over alleged plots to attack targets in New York, US prosecutors say.
The men were planning to blow up a Jewish synagogue in the Riverdale area of the Bronx, the district attorney said in a statement. "
Here's the part BBC left out;
"Investigators say the four, described as Black Muslims from the Bronx, had planned to place bombs at various targets."
"According to court documents, an informant met the apparent ringleader of the group, James Cromitie, in a Newburgh mosque last June. He told the informant that his parents lived in Afghanistan before he was born that that he was "upset about the war." If he died a martyr, Cromitie told the informant, he would go to paradise."
Here's the source;
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30856404/
The fact that the attackers were part of the worldwide Islamic militant movement directed against western civilization, the US, Israel, Jews was conveniently omitted. How do I know this was deliberate? I don't, there is no way to know....except for the fact that it is part of a consistent pattern that proves beyond doubt that it is so. BBC can lie about it all it likes but anyone who cares to watch it learns the truth about what BBC has become very quickly. There is no hiding or disguising it.
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