The total lack of good informative political material is a disaster in this century. Television spends hours after the voting by analysing the results. What about the previews to the vote? Television does have a preview which is centred on the government and main opposition parties. From a personal level a few leaflets scrambled through the letter box and maybe a quick visit by a candidate or agent is all you get. I could not tell you anything about my local election candidates. They are just faces on a leaflet. What is the story behind these faces? The generations that lead up to mine as a senior show that voting is usually on a party basis, Labour, Conservative, and Lib-dem plus the usual independent. I discount the BNP doubting that any senior in his or her right mind would vote for anything formed by the Nazi Party. We all lost many family members who fought this power crazed regime. I, and am sure many more would like to know about our candidates. In local elections do they live in the ward where I live, what is the ward I live in? Are they in work, what type of employment are they in? Do they have a family or are they mature as a senior? What are the boundaries of my ward?
The European elections are very hazy almost secretive in their deployment. Who is my European MP, where does he or she live? Where are the boundaries of his constituency? How much do they earn and what expenses do they receive? I searched on the internet and could not find a map of the MEP area I am in. I have no idea of its size or population. I am voting for someone I know nothing about. The voting form was quite long and none of the names meant anything unless you were voting for a party. My daughter just able to vote at the last elections asked me for advice. I told her she had to make up her own mind and vote accordingly. She picked three candidates with nice faces, one was UKIP. We are letting our children down!
This is an age of technology with computers and flat screen television monitors. Walking into a polling station is like walking into a past time warp of the 1920's/30's. Why not bring the polling stations into this century? A five minute slot on each candidate running continuously for voters to view on seats set out on one half of the available space. Maps on other screens showing the area set out for the constituency. Another screen showing all EU laws brought into the country. Let the voter have some degree of information free from press and media coverage. Update now so the young and old alike find it interesting to come along and vote!
The European elections are very hazy almost secretive in their deployment. Who is my European MP, where does he or she live? Where are the boundaries of his constituency? How much do they earn and what expenses do they receive? I searched on the internet and could not find a map of the MEP area I am in. I have no idea of its size or population. I am voting for someone I know nothing about. The voting form was quite long and none of the names meant anything unless you were voting for a party. My daughter just able to vote at the last elections asked me for advice. I told her she had to make up her own mind and vote accordingly. She picked three candidates with nice faces, one was UKIP. We are letting our children down!
This is an age of technology with computers and flat screen television monitors. Walking into a polling station is like walking into a past time warp of the 1920's/30's. Why not bring the polling stations into this century? A five minute slot on each candidate running continuously for voters to view on seats set out on one half of the available space. Maps on other screens showing the area set out for the constituency. Another screen showing all EU laws brought into the country. Let the voter have some degree of information free from press and media coverage. Update now so the young and old alike find it interesting to come along and vote!
I thought it would be interesting for taxpayers to see what our Parliament has been doing in relation to expenses. You can have a quick browse or a long look at the rules. The main implication is that it is all done 'in house' like an old boys or girls club and so can be manipulated in many ways. But who really is responsible? Andrew Walker from the 2006 green book says to MPs(Quote) Use of Parliamentary allowances - It is your responsibility to satisfy yourself when you submit a claim, or authorise payments from your staffing allowance, that any expenditure claimed from the allowances has been wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the purpose of performing your Parliamentary duties. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards may investigate allegations of improper use of the allowances. If you overspend, or mischarge something to your allowances, we reserve the right to deduct the costs from your salary or, if you are leaving the House, your resettlement grant.(Quote)
This puts the onus fairly and squarely onto each individual MP. If the system is abused it is the complete responsibility of the MP. But is it? If an MP asks for advice and is wrongly instructed who is to blame? The MP is still to blame. The system of expenses devised and manipulated with obvious gray areas is constructed and voted by a majority of MPs in Parliament.
This is the government you voted in four years ago. They have the majority in this case to over rule others.
In the 2009 green book: (Quote)Governance of the allowances- A series of resolutions approved by the House over many years set out the purpose of each allowance and contain criteria for judging the appropriateness of a claim. The Members Estimate Committee, having been advised by the Committee on Members’ Allowances, has the power to modify the provisions of the resolutions in the interests of clarity, consistency, accountability and effective administration and conformity with current circumstances. However, the Committee may not create a new charge or increase any rate of charge or payment. The Committee on Members’ Allowances has the continuing duty of keeping the Green Book under review.(Quote)
This reflects high standards – clarity, consistency, accountability and effective administration. Why then are we seeing so much abuse of the system? It is still an 'in house' club that defies democracy being allowed to write moralistic and high sounding copy that in actuality does not have true accountability to the taxpayer.
Members of the public and taxpayers please browse through these three URL's and acquaint yourself with the green book of the Westminster Club of MPs. What is interesting is the additional costs claims!
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/GreenBook.pdf
http://www.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/finances/subsistence.cfm
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/HofCClaimsGuide.pdf
This puts the onus fairly and squarely onto each individual MP. If the system is abused it is the complete responsibility of the MP. But is it? If an MP asks for advice and is wrongly instructed who is to blame? The MP is still to blame. The system of expenses devised and manipulated with obvious gray areas is constructed and voted by a majority of MPs in Parliament.
This is the government you voted in four years ago. They have the majority in this case to over rule others.
In the 2009 green book: (Quote)Governance of the allowances- A series of resolutions approved by the House over many years set out the purpose of each allowance and contain criteria for judging the appropriateness of a claim. The Members Estimate Committee, having been advised by the Committee on Members’ Allowances, has the power to modify the provisions of the resolutions in the interests of clarity, consistency, accountability and effective administration and conformity with current circumstances. However, the Committee may not create a new charge or increase any rate of charge or payment. The Committee on Members’ Allowances has the continuing duty of keeping the Green Book under review.(Quote)
This reflects high standards – clarity, consistency, accountability and effective administration. Why then are we seeing so much abuse of the system? It is still an 'in house' club that defies democracy being allowed to write moralistic and high sounding copy that in actuality does not have true accountability to the taxpayer.
Members of the public and taxpayers please browse through these three URL's and acquaint yourself with the green book of the Westminster Club of MPs. What is interesting is the additional costs claims!
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/GreenBook.pdf
http://www.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/finances/subsistence.cfm
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/HofCClaimsGuide.pdf
An historical analogy exploring the house of Gordon Brown. The UK like the USA is in a sorry financial state. How did we get there? Are governments responsible?
At the concept of the European Common Market, the idea was good. That day has long passed. The idea is still good today but the infrastructure is fallible, an infiltration of the needs of power mad politicians to turn it into a giant super state. The need for them to have all country identities abolished have been thwarted and stopped by referendum, a referendum never conducted in this country. The money in this huge creaking organisation thrown around like confetti at a wedding is feeding a plodding bureaucratic army in Brussels. The system allows Euro Members of Parliament to be extravagant with taxpayer's money in expenses and other quirks. It is out of control from within. Laws and manipulations created to keep the huge army in existence. The member nations are presented with laws dictating policy and direction oblivious to the needs of individual countries.
The fact that these individual countries have government and parliament voted in by the taxpayers is irrelevant to them. The Countries governments have allowed far too many laws to pass through to their own people. In the late eighties big companies realised that full centralisation would cost them dearly. The huge company operating only and fully centrally would meet disaster. It would be like a huge tanker in the ocean that would take several miles to stop and change direction. Decentralising except for accounts and middle management, in many cases transferred the day-to-day running to the branch operation. Here the manager could look at his competitors and local trading and adjust in a matter of days. Since then a creeping centralisation leaked back into existence from the start of the Blair dynasty
.
The conservatives made one huge error before Blair, the poll tax, and it cost them dearly, this was construed by the people as a direct tax on them. The conservative house learned from this and made changes, the unfair system of taxing did not take into consideration low and high income. If you were living in a million pound property or in a one-room bedsit everyone paid the same. Out of the decaying ruins of the conservative house rife with backstabbing and problems of leadership came the new shining house of Blair. It had all the answers, new ideas, new extensions, and a creative owner/landlord. At the time, the medical room (the health service) was functioning reasonably well, as was the library (education). The Blair house bubbled with idealism and enthusiasm. Blair created houseroom targets through the years, brought in because of failing standards, millions of pounds thrown into the medical room and the library along with targets. The human assessment was ignored the targets became top priority. The front and back door of the house left wide-open allowed entry to a million people without supervision and identity checks. Blair created a war in another house that drained the resources of his own property. Out in the streets during this period Brown operated the house accounts that showed unbridled boom in the financial sector with house prices having an unnatural tendency to rise steeply with exceptional ease
Brown then took over as owner/landlord of the house. The house allowed all its banks virtual unbridled power without a useful monitor creating a manifestation of reckless and greedy opportunists. The bubble then burst. Some banks and their CEO's cried out in anguish great despair running through the boardroom. The house of Gordon brown stopped their despair by throwing more money at them without conditions; rewarded by this money from their bank for past services rendered. A million or more Jobs in the country were lost whilst some Members of Parliament including Ministers grabbed all the money they could from expenses. Gordon Brown and the ruling ministers of his house all say the same; it is a world financial problem. The mess accumulated over the past ten years is not mentioned.
At the concept of the European Common Market, the idea was good. That day has long passed. The idea is still good today but the infrastructure is fallible, an infiltration of the needs of power mad politicians to turn it into a giant super state. The need for them to have all country identities abolished have been thwarted and stopped by referendum, a referendum never conducted in this country. The money in this huge creaking organisation thrown around like confetti at a wedding is feeding a plodding bureaucratic army in Brussels. The system allows Euro Members of Parliament to be extravagant with taxpayer's money in expenses and other quirks. It is out of control from within. Laws and manipulations created to keep the huge army in existence. The member nations are presented with laws dictating policy and direction oblivious to the needs of individual countries.
The fact that these individual countries have government and parliament voted in by the taxpayers is irrelevant to them. The Countries governments have allowed far too many laws to pass through to their own people. In the late eighties big companies realised that full centralisation would cost them dearly. The huge company operating only and fully centrally would meet disaster. It would be like a huge tanker in the ocean that would take several miles to stop and change direction. Decentralising except for accounts and middle management, in many cases transferred the day-to-day running to the branch operation. Here the manager could look at his competitors and local trading and adjust in a matter of days. Since then a creeping centralisation leaked back into existence from the start of the Blair dynasty
.
The conservatives made one huge error before Blair, the poll tax, and it cost them dearly, this was construed by the people as a direct tax on them. The conservative house learned from this and made changes, the unfair system of taxing did not take into consideration low and high income. If you were living in a million pound property or in a one-room bedsit everyone paid the same. Out of the decaying ruins of the conservative house rife with backstabbing and problems of leadership came the new shining house of Blair. It had all the answers, new ideas, new extensions, and a creative owner/landlord. At the time, the medical room (the health service) was functioning reasonably well, as was the library (education). The Blair house bubbled with idealism and enthusiasm. Blair created houseroom targets through the years, brought in because of failing standards, millions of pounds thrown into the medical room and the library along with targets. The human assessment was ignored the targets became top priority. The front and back door of the house left wide-open allowed entry to a million people without supervision and identity checks. Blair created a war in another house that drained the resources of his own property. Out in the streets during this period Brown operated the house accounts that showed unbridled boom in the financial sector with house prices having an unnatural tendency to rise steeply with exceptional ease
Brown then took over as owner/landlord of the house. The house allowed all its banks virtual unbridled power without a useful monitor creating a manifestation of reckless and greedy opportunists. The bubble then burst. Some banks and their CEO's cried out in anguish great despair running through the boardroom. The house of Gordon brown stopped their despair by throwing more money at them without conditions; rewarded by this money from their bank for past services rendered. A million or more Jobs in the country were lost whilst some Members of Parliament including Ministers grabbed all the money they could from expenses. Gordon Brown and the ruling ministers of his house all say the same; it is a world financial problem. The mess accumulated over the past ten years is not mentioned.
