Thread: New laws target rule-breaking MP's.

MPs who break the rules could face up to a year in jail under plans for new criminal charges for Parliamentarians.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8114546.stm

Im a little sceptical if it will be of any use though!

Making a false claim would be punishable by up to 12 months in jail or an unlimited fine. The other two would be punishable by fines of up to £5,000.

I've no idea if this is line with what someone committing benefits fraud would get, but it damn well should be.

And, by pure coincidence, MPs have to get over a year in the slammer in order to lose their seats.

I have visions of the canutes getting sent down and continuing to claim pay and expenses while inside. Exactly what happened to the UKIP MEP who was recently jailed.

Stand by for said rules to be 'adjusted' to accommodate MPs behaviour re expenses. I saw our new Speaker on the box earlier - what an incredibly self-satisfied little turd that man is. No wonder the other Tories hate him.

Since most of them still say they claimed within the current rules there can't be many lined up for jail

But they are only going to get canned if they 'break the rules' - whereas in most cases the self-serving exculpation has been 'it was within the rules'. I want to see HMRC prosecuting for CGT fraud and the Met trooping al those who made 'honest accounting mistakes' who think that if they pay the money back IF they get caught than that's OK. And what about charges for 'Misconduct in public office'? This is WORSE than benefit fraud.

PS I would trust Bercow no further than I could throw him - if his slime did not prevent me picking him up in the first place. The Speaker election shows our MPs still sticking two fingers up at the taxpaying electorate.

IIRC during the Damien Green affair the Leader of the House of Commons went to great lengths to assure the public that MP's are not exempt from the laws of the land. Forgive me for questioning her assertion today that new laws will be introduced to prosecute MP's who wilfully and fraudulently claim expenses to which they are not entitled, or have not expended through the course of their duties.

Arent those laws currently in place, and we are ALL subject to them. Try withholding Capital Gains tax from the Taxman and you will be in court very quick. Try claiming something from your employer to which you are not entitled, or do so fraudulently firstly you lose your job, and then off to court.

Or do we really have different laws for MP's, who were not breaking any rules, but were breaking laws.

The sanctions are not tough enough. Dismissal without pension for knowingly making false claims should be the minimum sentence.

As well, I note the law is framed such that a fraudster would only be liable if the claims were knowingly false. How many MPs will simply say the claims were handled by secretary/wife/assistant and I did not know?

Another point re the proposed law: Since MPs hold themselves as 'honourable' members, make the law retrospective - make it effective from say ten years ago and prosecute the mofos.

At least half the current lot should lose their jobs. The new law is not enough. What they are saying is, "We've been caught with our hands in the till but that is alright because we won't do it again".

I note they've attempted to move the debate away from the expenses and the behaviour of MPs. With this proposal, they are saying it is the system at fault, not individual MPs. So what if collectively, MPs undertook to give their themselves a pay rise stealthily through expenses?

I still think it would do parliament a whole lot of good to buy secured housing that would then be leased to needy MPs. It is simple but to MPs, it would mean an end to the gravy train, so no go.

Of course there are different laws for MPs. They make the rules then use them as they think fit. When found out, they use the Nazi "I was only obeying the rules" performance. For themselves they obey the Communist doctrine that only they and the state matter, while for the population they have no time at all.
Meanwhile they will carry on arranging things for their own benefit while the public get screwed again and again and again.