hello its a windy monday afternoon ( no i havent had baked beans for dinner )
and its time for another slice of grumpy pie.
todays main headline is that of the sun asking the queen to disolve parliment and hold a general election this is over the mp,s expenses row and the way the country is generally been run.
THE SUN today calls on Gordon Brown to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament and hold a general election — so politics can be rid of its sleaze-ridden MPs once and for all.
Tory leader David Cameron believes the British people have had enough of sleaze-ridden MPs — and he backs growing demands for a snap General Election to clean up the Commons.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under mounting pressure as public fury hits boiling point over the shocking expenses scandal.
Mr Cameron agrees it is unacceptable for Parliament to be paralysed and the Government to limp on in chaos another year.
The situation echoes the shambles of more than 350 years ago which saw Oliver Cromwell order Parliament’s dissolution.
Insiders believe Mr Cameron’s early election call could come as soon as tonight, when he is due to make a keynote speech.
The Conservative leader has been planning for a snap poll for some months, but is now ready to go into action because of the sleaze crisis.
Mr Brown is currently planning to go to the country in May 2010, meaning voters would have to wait a full YEAR to pass judgment on MPs caught with their snouts in the trough.
But political figures from all parties are becoming increasingly convinced that the only way to solve the problem is to hold a General Election NOW.
Party chiefs fear as many as two thirds of their sitting MPs might be booted out. But they accept it would give incoming MPs a chance to wipe the slate clean and live by a new set of expenses rules with a new salary.
The Queen is also said to be deeply concerned about the shattered reputation of British politics and the damage it is doing to the country.
The monarch still has the power to dissolve Parliament, although convention dictates that it is up to the Prime Minister to seek her say-so.
Parliament’s reputation is at its lowest ebb since Cromwell’s intervention in 1653. Cromwell — who had King Charles I beheaded in 1649 after the Civil War — was furious at MPs’ refusal to listen to people’s wishes, and had them kicked out of the Commons at gunpoint.
He declared: “You are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money. In the name of God, go.”
Voters today are sick of politicians’ sleaze and broken promises, and believe all parties are as bad as each other. Holding an election would force every MP to face their constituents. If Mr Brown fails to call an early poll, the public can still register disgust by voting in European elections on June 4. MEPs are about to award themselves a 47 per cent pay rise — to nearly £70,000 a year — while paying tax at just 15 per cent.
The expenses scandal last night left Michael Martin on the brink of becoming the first Commons Speaker to be ousted in 300 years.
His fate looked sealed as MPs from all sides signalled they will back a no-confidence vote today.
Lib Dem chief Nick Clegg became the first party leader in modern political history to call for a Speaker to quit.
He was supported by Tory No 2 William Hague, who admitted the post was “in crisis”. Last night Mr Martin came under further pressure as an MP claimed officials overseen by him had encouraged expenses fiddling.
Labour’s BEN CHAPMAN said the officials secretly agreed for him and colleagues to submit inflated claims worth thousands of pounds.
He says he was allowed to continue charging for interest on his entire mortgage after repaying £295,000 of the loan. This allowed him to pocket £15,000 profit from taxpayers in just ten months.
But Mr Chapman, a ministerial aide, said he will NOT give any money back. He claimed he was among several MPs invited to charge for “phantom” mortgage payments. The practice was only stopped in 2004. Mr Martin became Speaker in 2000 and was ultimately responsible for the agreement.
The Speaker earlier tried to broker a face-saving deal by offering to resign at the next election. But that would not satisfy MPs furious at his failure to tackle the crisis.
Tradition usually forbids criticism of the Speaker, seen as the independent voice of the Commons. But Mr Clegg said: “We need a fresh start. His record shows he’s been far too weak on issues such as expenses and freedom of information.”
Senior Tory David Davis said: “The standing of our entire parliamentary system is in freefall. His judgment is questioned, his credibility gone. The Speaker should stand down.” Mr Martin stands to lose his lavish grace-and-favour palace, and his pay would be slashed from £142,000 to the standard MP’s salary of £64,000.
Labour veteran Frank Field — held in high esteem on both sides of the House and a member of the respected all-party think tank Reform — was last night emerging as favourite to succeed him.
The expenses scandal took a new twist yesterday as it emerged that MPs had been filling their boots after trying to hush up details of their expenses perks.
Leaked documents showed that MPs who backed a Bill aimed at exempting them from Freedom of Information laws bagged thousands in allowances. Former Government whip DAVID CLELLAND billed the taxpayer to buy out his partner from her share of a London flat.
Tory grandee DAVID MACLEAN spent thousands doing up his country estate before selling it for £750,000 without paying any capital gains tax.
He submitted a list of renovations costing more than £40,000 for his farmhouse in Cumbria.
Ex-minister RUTH KELLY left taxpayers to foot the £31,000 bill for furnishing and decorating her second home. Over the last five years she claimed £3,600 for a sofa and chairs and £2,000 for a plasma TV.
Tory backbencher JOHN REDWOOD put in two identical claims for the same decorating bill in April 2007.
It was only when the Commons Fees Office twigged four months later that he paid the £3,275 back.
the view of the sun,s GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON
Political Editor
THE time has come for all MPs to go to their constituents and plead for their jobs.
Up and down the land voters young and old, rich and poor, are united in fury.
British politics is in the gutter because MPs have failed to follow the rules. They have only themselves to blame.
All 646 must go back to the voters and face the music.
MPs are desperate to heap the blame on Speaker Michael Martin, but he is a sideshow.
This great nation demands to be led by a fully-functioning Government with drive and ambition. It deserves elected representatives who are not only up to the job, but also not on the fiddle or the take.
New rules must be set to ensure a professional rate of pay for the job so the best cross-section of society stands up for us in Parliament.
To rid ourselves of the stench of sleaze we must breathe new life into our democracy with the most important election in living memory.
The Sun demands early general election | The Sun |News
AAG
never before has this country been in such a mess and politics laying in the gutter while greedy mp,s fight among themselves to get their snouts in the trough.
the labour party lost the way many years ago when teflon tony took the helm.
people say that the BNP are nazis... well tony blair was like hitler himself he was a dictator who wanted to see an eu superstate one country one currency called europe and would do whatever it took to achieve his dream along with the other likeminded ranting fools in brussels.
after selling us out to brussels like judas escariott then teflon tony went to his higher and gordon brown was thrust in to the limelight and took over running the country and he is about as much use as a condom with a hole in the end he just shuffles from one crisis to another.
you cannot blame gordon brown for all this though tony blair created this mess during his time in power and then ran away to europe leaving mr brown to sort it all out.
the instigator of all this is blair who even committed treason against his country
when he sold us out to the EU.
but ranting aside we must now find a way back and get the uk back on its feet
sort out its internal problems first. ( yes you know what im going to say illegal immigrants) we need a zero tolerance policy the door must be slammed shut on them and they must be sent back to france as soon as they land on british soil remove overstayers and those who do not have a right to be here.
once done we need to get the workshy back to work creating an economy and jobs but we need a committed government at the helm to do this be it liberal ,tory, BNP, uk ind etc we must act now to save our country from going totally down the bog .
i dont think the general population will ever trust a labour government for a long time but we all need to come together english irish scots welsh bury our differences and work together to get the uk back on its feet before its too late.
beacause another year of browns labour government may be too late.
AAG
come in mr brown you,re times up the AA grumpy column
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Oscar Namechange
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come in mr brown you,re times up the AA grumpy column
pantoandy;1190497 wrote:
AAG
never before has this country been in such a mess and politics laying in the gutter while greedy mp,s fight among themselves to get their snouts in the trough.
the labour party lost the way many years ago when teflon tony took the helm.
people say that the BNP are nazis... well tony blair was like hitler himself he was a dictator who wanted to see an eu superstate one country one currency called europe and would do whatever it took to achieve his dream along with the other likeminded ranting fools in brussels.
after selling us out to brussels like judas escariott then teflon tony went to his higher and gordon brown was thrust in to the limelight and took over running the country and he is about as much use as a condom with a hole in the end he just shuffles from one crisis to another.
you cannot blame gordon brown for all this though tony blair created this mess during his time in power and then ran away to europe leaving mr brown to sort it all out.
the instigator of all this is blair who even committed treason against his country
when he sold us out to the EU.
but ranting aside we must now find a way back and get the uk back on its feet
sort out its internal problems first. ( yes you know what im going to say illegal immigrants) we need a zero tolerance policy the door must be slammed shut on them and they must be sent back to france as soon as they land on british soil remove overstayers and those who do not have a right to be here.
once done we need to get the workshy back to work creating an economy and jobs but we need a committed government at the helm to do this be it liberal ,tory, BNP, uk ind etc we must act now to save our country from going totally down the bog .
i dont think the general population will ever trust a labour government for a long time but we all need to come together english irish scots welsh bury our differences and work together to get the uk back on its feet before its too late.
beacause another year of browns labour government may be too late.
AAG Let me add to Blair's crimes, the systematic destruction of the rights of parents, teachers, authorities, courts and the police to deal with youngsters when they first offend leading to 'Broken Britain. The refusal to deal with sink estate mentality and lack of funding for youth activity. The 24 hour binge drinking teenagers because they have nothing else to do. etc etc. The highest teenager pregnacy rate in Europe. Patients dying in filthy hospitals while fat cat bank chiefs lined their pockets.
There is probably no doubt that Cameron is our next PM by a Landslide but i do also see fringe parties gaining stealth especially in the Euro elections now with the virtual collapse of UKIP. I predict a rise in seats gained by the Lib Dems as well as the BNP.
Signed,
Mrs Wellpissedoff
Bristol.
AAG
never before has this country been in such a mess and politics laying in the gutter while greedy mp,s fight among themselves to get their snouts in the trough.
the labour party lost the way many years ago when teflon tony took the helm.
people say that the BNP are nazis... well tony blair was like hitler himself he was a dictator who wanted to see an eu superstate one country one currency called europe and would do whatever it took to achieve his dream along with the other likeminded ranting fools in brussels.
after selling us out to brussels like judas escariott then teflon tony went to his higher and gordon brown was thrust in to the limelight and took over running the country and he is about as much use as a condom with a hole in the end he just shuffles from one crisis to another.
you cannot blame gordon brown for all this though tony blair created this mess during his time in power and then ran away to europe leaving mr brown to sort it all out.
the instigator of all this is blair who even committed treason against his country
when he sold us out to the EU.
but ranting aside we must now find a way back and get the uk back on its feet
sort out its internal problems first. ( yes you know what im going to say illegal immigrants) we need a zero tolerance policy the door must be slammed shut on them and they must be sent back to france as soon as they land on british soil remove overstayers and those who do not have a right to be here.
once done we need to get the workshy back to work creating an economy and jobs but we need a committed government at the helm to do this be it liberal ,tory, BNP, uk ind etc we must act now to save our country from going totally down the bog .
i dont think the general population will ever trust a labour government for a long time but we all need to come together english irish scots welsh bury our differences and work together to get the uk back on its feet before its too late.
beacause another year of browns labour government may be too late.
AAG Let me add to Blair's crimes, the systematic destruction of the rights of parents, teachers, authorities, courts and the police to deal with youngsters when they first offend leading to 'Broken Britain. The refusal to deal with sink estate mentality and lack of funding for youth activity. The 24 hour binge drinking teenagers because they have nothing else to do. etc etc. The highest teenager pregnacy rate in Europe. Patients dying in filthy hospitals while fat cat bank chiefs lined their pockets.
There is probably no doubt that Cameron is our next PM by a Landslide but i do also see fringe parties gaining stealth especially in the Euro elections now with the virtual collapse of UKIP. I predict a rise in seats gained by the Lib Dems as well as the BNP.
Signed,
Mrs Wellpissedoff
Bristol.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Clodhopper
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come in mr brown you,re times up the AA grumpy column
Sad thing is that this bunch of shysters aren't acting any worse than most MPs before the start of this century. (If ever...)
Good for old Queenie, though! Big tick for for the Monarchy in a Constitutional Monarchy.
What would happen if we all said we'd go to Westminister on Bank Holiday Monday to protest. How many of you would come? Could we spread the word quick enough to make it real?
I'd still say the BNP was a cure worse than this disease.
Good for old Queenie, though! Big tick for for the Monarchy in a Constitutional Monarchy.
What would happen if we all said we'd go to Westminister on Bank Holiday Monday to protest. How many of you would come? Could we spread the word quick enough to make it real?
I'd still say the BNP was a cure worse than this disease.
The crowd: "Yes! We are all individuals!"
Lone voice: "I'm not."
Lone voice: "I'm not."
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Clodhopper
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come in mr brown you,re times up the AA grumpy column
pantoandy: Why are the EU the enemy? They are our neighbours - and war with the neighbours is always dreadful. Look at WW1 and WW2. Frankly, at the moment, the French and Germans look a lot more decent than our own Parliament. What is this hatred you have of them? Why?
The crowd: "Yes! We are all individuals!"
Lone voice: "I'm not."
Lone voice: "I'm not."
come in mr brown you,re times up the AA grumpy column
Clodhopper;1190845 wrote: pantoandy: Why are the EU the enemy? They are our neighbours - and war with the neighbours is always dreadful. Look at WW1 and WW2. Frankly, at the moment, the French and Germans look a lot more decent than our own Parliament. What is this hatred you have of them? Why?
Why assume rationality comes in to it? This present crisis has absolutely nothing to do with the EU it's entirely home grown. The simple fact is the wartime generation voted overwhelmingly in favour of the EU a fact which the BNP and UKIP choose to keep forgetting along with the other reality that most of our trade is with eu countries.
Cromwell went on to rule in such an appalling fashion that getting a king back seemed a good idea-the cure was far worse than the disease it was supposed to stop.
i dont think the general population will ever trust a labour government for a long time but we all need to come together english irish scots welsh bury our differences and work together to get the uk back on its feet before its too late.
I think the BNP can forget about getting any support in either scotland or wales. We have issues with westminster as it is the last thing that's going to happen is giving up on devolution to give power back to it.
We need proportional representation, it's the only way to prevent the kind of imbalance of parliamentary seats that has helped cause all this.
Why assume rationality comes in to it? This present crisis has absolutely nothing to do with the EU it's entirely home grown. The simple fact is the wartime generation voted overwhelmingly in favour of the EU a fact which the BNP and UKIP choose to keep forgetting along with the other reality that most of our trade is with eu countries.
Cromwell went on to rule in such an appalling fashion that getting a king back seemed a good idea-the cure was far worse than the disease it was supposed to stop.
i dont think the general population will ever trust a labour government for a long time but we all need to come together english irish scots welsh bury our differences and work together to get the uk back on its feet before its too late.
I think the BNP can forget about getting any support in either scotland or wales. We have issues with westminster as it is the last thing that's going to happen is giving up on devolution to give power back to it.
We need proportional representation, it's the only way to prevent the kind of imbalance of parliamentary seats that has helped cause all this.
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Bill Sikes
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come in mr brown you,re times up the AA grumpy column
gmc;1190983 wrote: The simple fact is the wartime generation voted overwhelmingly in favour of the EU
This is an oft-uttered lie. They voted for an EEC. To find out what people's feelings ore now, just ask them. This is why any referendum on the EU (constitution, continued membership, etc.) is very strongly discouraged in this country, and in others.
This is an oft-uttered lie. They voted for an EEC. To find out what people's feelings ore now, just ask them. This is why any referendum on the EU (constitution, continued membership, etc.) is very strongly discouraged in this country, and in others.
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Bill Sikes
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gmc;1190983 wrote: We need proportional representation
This would give a huge boost to the UKIP, to say nothing of the BNP.
This would give a huge boost to the UKIP, to say nothing of the BNP.
come in mr brown you,re times up the AA grumpy column
Bill Sikes;1190988 wrote: This would give a huge boost to the UKIP, to say nothing of the BNP.
True and the lib dems as well, but it would also stop the farcical situation where labour have an overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats but less than a third of the overall vote. It was the same with Thatcher-at no time did she have the support of the majority of people in his country. Look at the damage done over the last three decades, reform is long overdue.
True and the lib dems as well, but it would also stop the farcical situation where labour have an overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats but less than a third of the overall vote. It was the same with Thatcher-at no time did she have the support of the majority of people in his country. Look at the damage done over the last three decades, reform is long overdue.