Thursday 10 April 2014

The writing on the wall...

...for any MP is the news that s/he "has the full support of the prime minister". After that, it's just a matter of time. I nearly posted about this a couple of days ago apropos Maria Miller, with the arrogant headline "you read it here first", but thought better of it.

But everyone knows it now. Isn't it odd how Joe Public only has to help himself to a couple of pounds from the till, and he's out on his ear. MPs, on the other hand, are allowed to "step down" or "resign" with some dignity intact. Oh, and she's getting redundancy pay. The fact that she's giving it to charity is immaterial. She is being rewarded for her dishonesty.

Suddenly the Monster Raving Loony Party doesn't sound such a bad idea (if it still exists?).

Cynical? Moi? Perish the thought.

17 comments:

  1. I'm so angry about this, I'm incoherent. I just rage and splutter whenever this woman's smug, money-grabbing face appears. As you so rightly say, anyone else would have been punished for far less. I'm going to have to lie down in a darkened room now... x

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  2. They always (because this keeps happening) seem to expect praise for giving back some of the money, or donating some to charity as though it won't occur to us it was never theirs to start with.

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    1. Yes. That's what hurts, isn't it. All this money is/was ours.

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  3. I can't believe it took her so long to do one decent thing and resign sooner!

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    1. Rosemary, that's what always happens! They always have to be pushed in the end, if not by the PM then by public opinion.

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  4. They are all crooks and thieves. She should not be allowed to resign. She will keep her pension for ever. Looks as if she was eating her parents meals on wheels as well as screwing the country. Do we even need a minister for Culture? Sounds like a made up job to me.

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  5. What particularly annoyed me was Cameron saying he would be pleased to welcome her back at a later date…presumably when she is out of the news!! Money grabbing schemers the lot of them…I try to avoid reading anything about politics!

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    1. Frances, my thought on Cameron are unprintable.

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  6. I'm cynically suspicious of anyone who thinks himself/herself worthy of 'ruling' over others. Career Politicians even more so. The only problem seems to be that there is little alternative!

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  7. Not sure whether you heard about the case of Uli Hoeneß, a famous figure in football in Germany, who was recently tried for tax evading. He indicted himself for not having declared properly millions of Euros, hoping to endear himself with the public and get off lighter with the authorities. Well, it worked. Although he is behind bars now, he is maybe now more popular than ever. After the trial, his speaker said that Mr. Hoeneß "accepts the verdict". Oh, great! How very generous of him!
    He got away with it in the public eye because he is not a politician, but a sports celebrity. Politicians in Germany are the least popular group of people, although I think they are not so different from all the others in the limelight.

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  8. Ahhh....celebrities. A whole new discussion, Meike.

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  9. There are so many sordid revelations emerging from politicians lately, you do wonder if you can trust anyone.

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  10. A couple of years ago I came out of the supermarket with a small two-tier trolley. When I got to the car I realised that under the bags on the top tier were a couple of larger items for which I had not paid because I forgot to put them on the check-out desk. I took them back, explained and paid. I was treated both by the staff and people in that particular queue with something between curiosity and derision. I'd got away with it. Why was I going back and spending money unnecessarily? I've mentioned this to quite a few people since (I've become paranoid about ensuring that my trolley is empty and there's nothing lurking under a bag or my hat!). By far the majority of people think I was silly going back "after all the supermarkets can afford it and they factor theft into their prices." Of course they do. And who is paying for that? We are. This was a Co-op so we are paying for theft twice because "we" own it.

    How many people try and avoid taxes by doing "homers"? How many people try and get more out of insurance companies than that to which they are entitled? How many people declare everything when they get insurance? How many people drive without tax or insurance?

    I worked with politicians all my working life and consequently have a healthy disrespect for them. They aim to govern so should be beyond reproach. Some are. Many are not.

    They are a reflection of the rest of society.

    See John 8:1-11 (for those of a Christian background).

    I should add Frances that I believe that you would have done exactly what I did. My biblical quotation is definitely not aimed at you.

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