How bad could this get?

Sir Graphus

The comedian Mike Harding had an amusing song many years ago titled "How do I Know? I Read It in the Daily Mail"

Vulture

Very bad. I think things are suddenly starting to shift in a way reminiscent of November 90 ( when Thatcher got ousted). I just checked LabourHome - a website of the dwindling band of nutters who still support Liebour, and even they are in despair. There's a rumour that a Blairite ex-minister ( Presumably Clarke, Byers or Milbum) will stand against Bruin as stalking horse ( is this possible under their constitution?) if he loses vote on Liebour exes tonite. After the Gurkhas anything is possible. He may not survive until even the Euro/local elections in June.
Then expect a three way fight between Man of Straw, Hatty Hardnut and Alan 'Postman Pat' Johnson for the succession. The Milipede bros ( too gauche) and Ed Bollocks ( too hated & close to Bruin) are out of contention. But who wants to inherit a corpse?

TrevorsDen

No doubt there will be scandals - but are these just an example of Chinese whispers?

Lets not get too previous.

Ivan D

How does your website's retailing of this, *by you*, entirely unsubtantiated gossip, differ from what you got so very sanctimonious about when Draper, McBride et al merely *proposed* doing with their website?

BrianSJ

Things can only get better.

Maybe one day they will abide by the laws they make.

Rhoda Klapp

"But who wants to inherit a corpse?"

The 'winner' will be the one who takes one step forward when the rest of the squad takes one step back. Harman probably.

Pete Hoskin

Ivan D: erm, because...

1) I'm quoting a story in the Daily Mail. CoffeeHousers are free to make their own minds up.

2) I'm not glorifying in it. That's why I used the word "alarming".

3) No names are named.

4) Labour folk I've spoken to are convinced that the claims for "helicopter rides" and "holiday homes" exist, along with evidence of affairs.

5) I've said in the past that I think the expenses mess reflects badly on all of Parliament, not just the Government. But I suspect the Government will come out of this worse in the public eye, as they're in power.

6) My only loyalty is to The Spectator (1828) 'Party'.

7) I'm not operating from Downing Street. And I'm not paid by taxpayers' money.

etc. etc.

Ian Walker

However much money these fools have frittered away, it'll be worth every penny to see the great socialist experiment consigned to history.

Sir Graphus

Well, Vulture, when Maggie was ousted in 1990, there were still another 7 years of Tory rule to go.

Imagine, Brown is ousted. The new man does not have the mud/blood of economic ruin all over him. He is presented with a flu pandemic to present himself as a statesman. Come next spring, with the inherent bias in constituency sizing, Labour could squeak home with a majority of <20.

All those who think Labour are completely dead and buried probably watch horror films & are genuinely surprised each time the seemingly dead monster rocks up for the denouement.

jennywren

Um....actually Ivan, there are several differences...the main one being that it looks as though the 'gossip' is all too substantiated.

Max Ray

Personally, I relish the fact that certain MPs are now more than nervous about the expenses firestorm coming their way over the summer. It is about time we rooted out the abusers of the system once and for all. As an ex navy officer I remember the extent of the checks and balances in place, and the hoops we had to jump through, in order to expense even the smallest amount of Her Majesty's shillings for official business trips etc. Abusing the system would have resulted in serious disciplinary proceedings for the person involved. Now that I am working in civvy street abuses of the expense system would result in nothing less than a total loss of credibility and trust, and almost certainly dismissal. ALL MPs were elected on the basis of trust and responsibility. Those that have failed to live up to the faith placed in them by the electorate deserve what is coming to them.

Hawkeye

@Ivan D

What is being done here is a repetition of political gossip and not a repetition of a smear intended to besmirch character and blacken someone's name.

There is one heck of a difference.

mark c

Sir Graphus lets not forget that Brown inherited the crown without a real mandate, I don't think I'll be alone in seeing it as inconceivable a second "new man" can stroll in a set up camp. Surely another unelected PM would need some public support to get by. Especially so given how the original manifesto has been so heavily trashed.

Chuck Unsworth

Nonsense. Ministers resigning? Utter garbage. This is simply a report of four Ministers seeking to avoid further embarrassment by issuing hollow threats to the Whips. But resign? Since when have any of these scum done that?

Frank Pulley

Anything that the Daily Mail exposes, or makes up, or Pete Hoskin reports, or any of us can imagine, cannot be nearly as bad as what actually lurks in the hearts, minds and consequent evil actions of the most baneful, baleful, lying bunch of political hucksters ever to grasp power in this country. We need a coup d'etat before the accelerating vortex sucks the last vestiges of pride and wealth of this country down the drain of history.

Go Gordon - GO! ...before the mob comes to gethcha! Grrrrr!

Talia

I would have thought that the impact of the expenses would be significantly mitigated by the fact that MPs are allowed to redact them before they are published. Could someone explain why they will still be damaging, despite this?

Verity

Vulture - Why didn't you call yourself Cat? But then, vultures pick over the bones of carrion, so I do see your point. Most entertaining post!

(Ivan D - learn some html. Why should anyone have to try to figure out why you are using asterisks for a non-asteriskesque purpose?)

Ian Walker writes. "it'll be worth every penny to see the great socialist experiment consigned to history." Not while David Cameron's alive. He's announced that one-third of any Cabinet he heads up (please, God, no!) will be one-third women.

Pete Hoskin

Hawkeye: FloterVoter's comment has been taken down now. It shouldn't have gone up in the first place.

JKW

"The whips have three Labour MPs on suicide watch....they might kill themselves."

Finally, progress.

No really, if what they've done is so appalling that even a Labour MP couldn't bear to live with the shame, what does that tell us? The worst part is they may even manage to escape prosecution.

Verity

No wonder they are nervous wrecks and are living in fear of being revealed. Being Labour themselves, they know how venal their fellows are. I wonder which one will be the first to sell the story to the Mail. I mean, if your gravy train has ground to a halt, you may as well pinch what you can before deboarding.

Frank P

Pete

Could we see that exchange between Hawkeye and Flotervoter again please, before you delete it forever? Sounds interesting and I missed it. I used to be an abolishionist before this government came to power, now I'm not so sure.

Tiberius

I don't think even this band of brothers could change leader without a GE being called.

Verity: you're such a misogynist! Would you approve of Cameron's Babes if they were not fat?

;)

Hawkeye

Thanks Pete - maybe you should take my comment referring to his comment down as well and bury the whole sorry episode.

Hereford

Verity: so that's one ninth then. Oh and you criticise others for the presentation of their comments. Shame on you :o)

Pete Hoskin

Frank P: Hawkeye has now asked that I take down his comment referring to FloterVoter's comment, which I've done. So I'll leave it at that.

Given the contents of that Daily Mail story, you can probably more or less guess the issue with FV's comment

Heironymous Bosch

Verity @ 12.58: you wrote,
'Not while David Cameron's alive. He's announced that one-third of any Cabinet he heads up will be one-third women.(please, God, no!)'

That'll be one in ten then. Not so bad.

John Lea

I don't think this venality is unique to Labour MPs. I would urge Coffeehousers not to grow too smug or pious on this issue. Francis Maude and Eric Pickles have shown that the Tories are far from being purer than pure on this issue.

johnny come lately

I should imagaine that the conservatives will be as bad, if not worse, than Labour. The only winners from all this will be the Liberal Democrats.

Perhaps Cameron could claim the moral highground, now, and say that any Conservative MP found to have used expenses in a manner likely to bring discredit unto politics will be sacked and a new selection will take place in their constituencies.

BUT, Can you Imagaine the Blair Triute Act doing that?

strapworld

Vulture, very interesting. Do not discount the ginger chipmunk, Ms Hazel Blears will get much support! Iain Dale positively loves her!

Verity

Tiberius - Of course I'm not a misogynist! I am firmly opposed to quotas in any form. Obviously, women can already stand for Parliament, and if the voters think them worthy, they get elected. The electorate care about merit. Giving people jobs according to their reproductive organs is fascist lunacy.

Is Cameron really so stupid that he thinks women chat to each other saying, "Gosh, we're under represented in Parliament. I wish we had more women ministers!" Women in real life - always excepting David Cameron's elevated, elite, loony social democrat set, spend 24 hours a day concerning themselves with other things.

David Cameron is a social democrat on the Swedish model and all I can say is, "No thanks!"

If David Cameron got in, the Cabinet would be a thought fascist dream jigsaw of black people, Muslims, Jews, "asylum seekers" from Somalia - with a small sprinkling of indigenous Caucasians - all without regard to merit.

That the Heir to Blair is not yet as dangerous as Blair is because he isn't that clever. (He's not even clever enough to have realised that, once it was out, he would never be able to shake that self-descriptive phrase.)

One-third of the Cabinet to be women. The Blair Tribute Act rolls on.

Tiberius

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/benedict-brogan/5245899/How-David-Cameron-is-preparing-top-Whitehall-civil-servants-for-his-first-100-days-in-power.html

Verity: please read this (if the web address will work for you). I trust Mr Heffer will have averted his eyes from it.

john miller

Fairly transparent stuff from the Brown cumunikations mashine.

I can't think of 3 MPs who would blush, let alone commit suicide.

This is just to manaje ekspektashuns so that everyone will say: "Oh its not that bad"

Perhaps transparent is the wrong word. Puerile, maybe?

Fergus Pickering

Verity, join up the dots for an old man, love. Why would a cabinet witha lot of women in it be socialist. Imagine the following cabinet members: Baroness Thatcher, Catherine the Great, Elizabeth the First, Indira Ghandi, Livia, consort of the Emperor Augustus, Lucretia Borgia and your good self. That should fix it!

Rhoda Klapp

Verity means truth. I would not assume that the name represents someone of the female persuasion, given the various python references one may find in his/her posts. In my view, girls cannot quote the parrot sketch.

logdon

Modded for a water pistol, a bowl of porridge and a five hundred page suicide note of denial? Things must be bad. Mr Hoskin are you going over to the dark side? We should be told.

Tankus

well that's this summers entertainment sorted ..tidyfun

TGF UKIP

Talia has the most apposite point - why else was Guido offering a reward a few weeks back to whistleblower who, it was believed, had the Full Monty - or has the Brown Bunch got to him first and outbid Guido?

Pete Hoskin

logdon: nope, I'm still on the side of the angels. Don't know what your comment means though. Did one you sent through earlier fail to appear?

wonderfulforhisage

Verity,

Re Rhoda Klapp's comment 7:12pm. Please please tell us she/he is barking up the wrong tree.

Denis Cooper

"Not only are they believed to have shared hotel rooms during annual conference get-togethers and party away days but also to have double-claimed for the rooms on their expenses.

If both MPs have claimed for the bill they will be branded frauds as well as love cheats when journalists and freedom of information campaigners sift through their receipts."

Hang about, does that mean that taxpayers should foot the bill for MPs' hotel rooms at what are purely party political events, and that's OK provided that they actually have separate rooms, and they don't sleep with each other?

I don't think so.

As a taxpayer, my message to all the political parties is this:

"It's your party, so you pay for it".

David Ossitt

Fergus Pickering

"Baroness Thatcher, Catherine the Great, Elizabeth the First, Indira Ghandi, Livia, consort of the Emperor Augustus, Lucretia Borgia and your good self. That should fix it!"

Fergus; we should be so lucky!

But on a serious note; any selction from prepared shortlists or preferential treatment for women, men, gays hetero's, white, black, green or yellow is wrong in so many ways.

Let each and all get there by merit and democratic selection.

Not like that silly little girl Georgia Gould, the 22-year-old daughter of Lord Gould.

This child/woman might have been educated but she is very very stupid; if elected she will never have any authority because she will never be able to live down the fact that she got there because of her family and friends.

Some family some friends!