Here's the next, um, thrilling instalment of that Roger Gale email! After banging on about 'probity' and responsible journalism (see item below - I mean, how dare a journalist be so impudent as to question a member's expenses!), Rodge regurgitates the email he has received from the Gazunder hack asking for clarification on some of the items he's claimed for. Here it is:
To: GALE, Roger
Subject: Expenses
Following parliament publishing MPs expenses last week we have trawled through MPs expenses and wondered if you could explain your reasons for purchasing the following items/services:
What were the 4,000 A4 posters in March 2005 for?
Is £358 a year for your website worth the money?
Why did you spend £97 on 100 Regal pens and 100 gift boxes?
Taxpayers might be interested in your reasons for spending money on the following items…
£365 on a dictation machine then following year spent £104 on cassettes
£695 on bedroom furniture
£125 on towels and bedding
£509 on decorators
£875 on a new computer system
Books - The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd , Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, Russka by Edward Rutherfurd - 7.99 each
Oxford dictionary £36
£129.99 on a silver Olympus camera + £34.99 on a memory card
£63 in 2006 on curtains re-tailored
£549.99 on a 26" Phillips TV
£1,700 for plumbing, electrical, redecoration and installation of handrail September 2007
£50 to become a friend of the Herne Bay festival
I wondered why you went for a tape Dictaphone over a hard-drive based one? As it means extra expense on tapes?
Did you need the new bedroom furniture as your home was empty?
Why did you claim for the books you purchased?
Why did you become a friend of the Herne Bay festival and then claim it back?
How do you go about getting the best value when it comes to technology, for example £550 for a TV, £875 on a computer?
We’re running the story in this week’s Gazette.
Isle of Thanet Gazette, Thanet Times and Thanet Adscene
Suite 1, Third Floor, Mill Lane House, Mill Lane, Margate, Kent.
CT9 1JU
Phone- 01843 578152
Tomorrow - what Roger said next!
12 comments:
Now you see - nothing to hide. Roger is as clean as a whistle - all these expenses are perfectly legitimate and necessary for him to perform his parliamentary duties on behalf of his constituents. Lord knows he's paid little enough in the way of salary.
Apparently Gordon did not want my e petition on the 10 Downing Street site.
I suggested that Prince Charlie may have struck a chord with the folk by championing architecture of the bygone style.
Hence the Chelsea Barracks redevelopment should reflect the history of the site. To whit a re-creation of the Army camp used in Bad Lads Army.
The bad lad (and lass) MPs could be provided free barracks accommodation and be under the supervision of ex Army NCOs.
"Wot's your name lad ? Gale effing Gale ? Haven't you got an Eastcliff Dick to phone"
£365 on a dictation machine then following year spent £104 on cassettes
£695 on bedroom furniture
£125 on towels and bedding
£509 on decorators
£875 on a new computer system
Books - The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd , Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, Russka by Edward Rutherfurd - 7.99 each
Oxford dictionary £36
£129.99 on a silver Olympus camera + £34.99 on a memory card
£63 in 2006 on curtains re-tailored
£549.99 on a 26" Phillips TV
£1,700 for plumbing, electrical, redecoration and installation of handrail September 2007
£50 to become a friend of the Herne Bay festival
These are all things that you or I would have to pay for out of our own pockets if we required them.
Would your company fund a new telly or decorating to be done in your house? I think not!!
Tell you what, all the folk out there who defend this kind of ludicrous spending, my house needs new carpets; can I claim it from yourselves, as general living expenses??
I'm astonished that the Gazette that normally prints any of Gale's press releases but ignores those from Thanet South's MP should be taking this line. What has he done to upset Rebecca Smith so much?
Can we expect something similar to/from Dr. Ladyman?
Gale's expenses may be 'legitimate' but perhaps a bit over the top. Why can't he do what everyone else does and shop around?
I'd heard, through a friend's brother's wife's uncle's work colleague's daughter, who works at the post office with the nephew of Rebecca's old boss at the iron foundry where she used to work, though they still keep in touch, that it was the choice of bedroom curtains, with the Winnie the Pooh motif, that upset her.
But I should point out that my friend has been caught out lying to her own children on more than one occasion. Santa and the tooth fairy not being the least of those lies. And what she told them about the 'birds and the bees' lends me to wondering if there will be a next generation on her side of the family!
Good to see the local rags actually doing some investigative reporting for a change rather than just regurgitating news we already know.
Oh for gawds sake, If he had to refurb a 2nd home then all the domestic stuff is fine by me. Camera - no problem, he needs to record stuff he visits, same for the dictaphone. He might have bought a digital, but if he wants to keep records of stuff then its easier.
When others have been spending so much on far worse, I think he's ok and I'm not even a bloody Tory!
Most of us would get away with what we could on expenses, the trouble with the MP's is that we are paying for it instead of some company shareholders getting a smaller dividend.
7.30am I expect you are either a fanatical anti Tory or a jealous small minded person on small income.
Nige
Hang on,
Books - The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd , Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, Russka by Edward Rutherfurd - 7.99 each
These are fiction, so thats the thick end of £24 to return.
As to the HBay £50, I used to be able to claim professional subs on expenses.
Nige
Gale is the worst kind of band-wagon jumping political opportunist. He has frequently practiced his art by criticising others for climbing on the gravy train. Looks like he spends most of his time lying back and soaking up the Bisto.
Looks like he has enough tapes for a mini Watergate, I sell the Rutherford books for either £3.50 or £3.99 secondhand five titles in stock at the moment, so perhaps now he has to pay for his own reading he will shop around a bit.
However on a more serious note I really don’t think many of the MPs understand how much ordinary people resent this sort of misuse of public funds, as an ordinary businessman if I claimed for items not essential for my business against tax I would be looking at fines, prison and bankruptcy.
Actually Nige, what I am saying is that I am not happy that, MY tax money is paying for other peoples houses and not on public services that benefit us all, as it should.
Roger does not need a second home he can quite easlily commute into London and other areas as he requires. I have to do this on an almost daily basis and it all comes out of my own pocket.
I am not willing to discus with you my monthly wage, but it obviously is substantially less than Roger's, but it is still easily affordable to comute everyday and live in Ramsgate...
Fin.
Five Star Engineers manufacturer of HM HDPE LDPE blown Film Blowing Machine from India.
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