tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35906940171519149722024-03-13T11:59:11.134+00:00Lords of the BlagA sidewise look at creaming it in the House of Lords at the public's expense.
After all, unless you are one of us, you're paying for it.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-82663258859530720772012-09-11T19:27:00.001+01:002012-09-11T19:30:26.316+01:00Vince Cable<br />
Let Vince set up this new bank.<br />
<br />
Conditions.<br />
<br />
1. He puts his personal wealth and pension on the line. He's keen for bankers to do this, he should do the same. So first losses come off his wealth before we get hit.<br />
<br />
2. No special treatment. He has to learn first hand what it means to set up a business in the UK, in particular a bank.<br />
<br />
3. For example, will he pass the test on being a fit and proper person giving his track record of violating the human rights act. [Right to a fair trial, and he's the judge whose going to war on one of the participants]<br />
<br />
4. Then once removed from the business department, axe it. Lots of money to reduce corporation tax or cut.<br />
<br />
Spending £16.5 billion.<br />
<br />
Income tax receipts, 150 bn. People could have a 10% reduction in their income tax payments.<br />
<br />
What would they choose? Uncle Vince or the money?<br />
<br />
Capital gains tax raised 4 bn. That could go - completely<br />
<br />
Inheritance tax - 3 bn. You could get rid of that too.<br />
<br />
Stamp duty - 6 bn. So you could get the housing market moving with removal of that, IHT and CGT.<br />
<br />
You could even get rid of airline passenger duty, or alternatively tax on insurance.<br />
<br />
I think its time to axe that department completely.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/tax-receipts-and-taxpayers.pdf">http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/tax-receipts-and-taxpayers.pdf</a>
<br />
<br />
Details on the receipts.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Business,_Innovation_and_Skills">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Business,_Innovation_and_Skills</a>
<br />
<br />
For how much Vince Cable costs us<br />
<br />Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-27314793256111759672012-09-10T21:51:00.001+01:002012-09-10T21:52:38.265+01:00UK Government Fraud<span style="font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px;">We're in this economic mess because of a basic fraud. It's a ponzi. </span><br />
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Here is how it works. Take money up front for pensions. Instead of booking that as a liability, book it as an income and spend it. Contrary to the GAAP and FRS 17 that the government has signed up to. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Now, when people start asking about where are the liabilities, the standard answer is that we can change the law not to pay them, so that means its not a liability. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
The flip side of this is interesting. It means that the current payments are legal. If you have to change the law not to pay them, then they are a liability.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Now to take money knowing full well that you can't fulfill your part of the bargain, is fraud. Asil Nadir, Bernie Maddoff found this out. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Take Equitable Life. They didn't book their liabilities, and wen't tits up as a consequences when people sued to enforce the contract. So if the government doesn't book its liabilities, it will go the same way.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Take Robert Maxwell. What did he do? He raided the pension fund to pay other debts and meet cash flows. Sounds familiar doesn't it. Current pension contributions pay other debts and meet cash flows. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Back to Equitable life again. Look at what happened when they couldn't meet their liabilities. They cut their payouts. Now has the government done the same? Yep. The contract for RPI linkage has gone. The retire at 65 has gone. A double whammy there. 2 years less payout, 2 years more contributions. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Bernie Maddoff? Yep high payouts now, with false accounting, and then woops, he can't pay. Late joiners lose out. Mind you, Bernie Maddoff can't force people to carry on paying, he's in jail. The government? They will like the average loan shark send the boys round. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
When you put numbers to it, its blatantly obvious. The government is insolvent. Bankrupt. Bust. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Instead people arguing the toss about personalities. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Publish the debt numbers. Tell everyone that governments have run up trillions in their name. Then you will get huge pressure for no more of the pork barrel, the borrow and spend. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Unless you do this, people will believe Labour and that's a disaster. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Change the agenda. </div>
Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-58739688955867849612012-07-01T16:32:00.000+01:002012-07-01T16:32:08.010+01:00Turner Report - State Pension debtsThe Turner report into the state pension has the following<br />
<br />
<i>"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'MS sans serif'; font-size: x-small;">"We have suggested that the state pension age will have to rise to somewhere between 67 and 69 by 2050 and that public expenditure on pension and pension benefits will need to rise from 6.2% of GDP today to between 7.5% and 8% GDP in 2050."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'MS sans serif'; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'MS sans serif'; font-size: x-small;">So what's GDP?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'MS sans serif'; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/nov/25/gdp-uk-1948-growth-economy#data">http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/nov/25/gdp-uk-1948-growth-economy#data</a>
<br />
<br />
1,533 billion.<br />
<br />
So 8% of linked to inflation is around the 123 billion a year mark.<br />
<br />
What's current government taxation?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_Kingdom_budget">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_Kingdom_budget</a>
<br />
<br />
589 billion a year<br />
<br />
So to put the pensions in context, that is 21% of all taxes going on just one debt.<br />
<br />
At 5% interest we can compare the Gilt debt with future pension payouts.<br />
<br />
2,460 billion. (note not millions, billions)<br />
<br />
All hidden off the books.<br />
<br />
Just one way of looking at one of the government frauds. Hiding the debts off the books so it can carry on spending.<br />
<br />
Very bluntly they are running a Ponzi, and they know it. To hide the figures shows that its deliberate.<br />
<br />
The consequences for MPs? Well they made sure their pension was fully funded and not a Ponzi. They've made sure they aren't a victim of their fraud.<br />
<br />
<br />Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-35639610824124262242012-05-13T13:48:00.002+01:002012-05-13T13:48:19.623+01:00The cotton plantation<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8Rj5xkDPk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8Rj5xkDPk</a>
<br />
<br />
Well worth a listen. The state are slave owners. That's why the left wants to book people as assets of the state, slavery, to try and balance the books.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-7493132612986097562012-05-13T13:46:00.002+01:002012-05-13T13:46:32.432+01:00The Railway Rip Off<br />
Meanwhile over at the BBC<br />
<br />
Costs per passenger km for different systems, in Greece. However, the BBC lets slip the figures for the UK.<br />
<br />
Train: 0.6 euros (48p)<br />
Taxi (for one): 1.2 euros<br />
Taxi (for four): 0.3 euros<br />
Plane: 0.14 euros<br />
Bus: 0.08 euros<br />
Car: 0.18 euros<br />
UK train: 0.3 euros<br />
<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18032721<br />
<br />
We're being forced to pay for the UK train system, even if we don't use it.<br />
<br />
Look at the cost of buses/coaches in comparison. 0.3 / 0.08 = 375%<br />
<br />
The state's a rip off.<br />
<br />
<br />Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-13942137917777169572012-04-21T11:11:00.001+01:002012-04-21T11:11:35.507+01:00The Teneriffe Aircrash<br />
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The investigation would reveal that the primary cause of the accident was the captain of the KLM flight taking off without clearance from Air Traffic Control. However, the investigation would specify that the captain did not intentionally take off without clearance; rather he fully believed he had clearance to take off due to misunderstandings between his flight crew and ATC. Dutch investigators would place a greater emphasis on this than their American and Spanish counterparts,but ultimately KLM would admit their crew was responsible for the accident, and the airline financially compensated the victims.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The accident had a lasting influence on the industry, particularly in the area of communication. An increased emphasis was placed on using standardized phraseology in ATC communication by both controllers and pilots alike, thereby reducing the chance for misunderstandings. As part of these changes, the word "takeoff" was removed from general usage, and is only spoken by ATC when actually clearing an aircraft to take off. Less experienced flight crew members were encouraged to challenge their captains when they believed something was not correct, and captains were instructed to listen to their crew and evaluate all decisions in light of crew concerns. This concept would later be expanded into what is known today as Crew Resource Management. CRM training is now mandatory for all airline pilots.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now what's the relevance of an air crash to the government? Well, politicians are behaving the same way. They aren't questioning what is going on. They are suffering from Group Think. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The standard group think is that the deficit means the same as debt. Often exposed by people like Gordon Brown that the government can pay down the deficit. You can't. The deficit is an overspend.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Next comes what is a debt. They will just admit to gilts being debts. State pension? Not a debt. Implication is simple they won't pay it. Civil service pensions? Not a debt. It's not on the books. State second pension. Not a debt. All paid for up front, but it won't be paid because the debts are too large.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So politicians are behaving like the captain of the plane. The aren't listening to all the alarms going off. They are intent on full speed ahead when its clear there is going to be a crash.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-49499223363240421832012-04-20T21:10:00.001+01:002012-04-20T21:10:19.741+01:00Addison Lee<br />
The real story relates to bus lanes.<br />
<br />
Mr Addison Lee has told his drivers to drive in bus lanes just like Black Cabs. He will defend them in court, and pay their fines if they are fined.<br />
<br />
Now why does he think he can win? Well its down to European law. European law bans illegal state aid to one part of an industry compared to another. That applies to handouts as well as legal discrimination. So black cabs and addison lee are both in the taxi business. You can't ban one and not the other.<br />
<br />
TFL are worried on one major point. If they lose, its retrospective. It's that TFL was acting illegally, and that means they have to hand back the loot. That's really worries them. Now they can deal with it in two ways. Give in and allow him in by changing the law then he probably won't go for the test case, or they can ban all taxis from bus lanes. Bound to piss off lots of MPs and Peers.<br />
<br />
The same applies to the post office parking on double yellows. White van man needs to sharpen up and work out that in the delivery business, that is also illegal state aid.<br />
<br />
More ways that the state have created regulations where they will be shafted as a result.<br />Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-65138707485016469222012-01-24T23:59:00.004+00:002012-01-25T00:12:12.574+00:00The state pension rip offThere is the obvious question, is the state pension a good value for money?<br /><br />First we need to know what the historical facts are.<br /><br />For the past 60 years, we need to now RPI or inflation, historical wages, and the level of the FTSE.<div><br /></div><div>Other information is available here. <a href="http://www.measuringworth.com/ukearncpi/">CPI and RPI</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_in_the_United_Kingdom">Average Wages</a></div><div><br /></div><div>A reasonable yield, or average dividend for the FTSE is 3%.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also have the median wage for the UK of 26K. From the tax calculator here, we can get the NI paid by or on behalf of the employee. It is 2,253 plus 2,612 or 18.71%. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://listentotaxman.com/">Tax Calculator</a></div><div><br /></div><div>So now we can work out what median wages are for a person retiring on median wage last year, back to when they were 18. We then take their NI, invest it in the FTSE, add on the 3% of yield. Next year, we do the same, and the FTSE can go up and down. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the end, we have a fund. We then take that fund and invest in the most expensive (lowest income) annuity going. Joint life and RPI. <a href="http://www.annuitybureau.co.uk/resources/rates_rpi.html for annuity rates">Anutity rates here.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>End result is that a median wage earner would have got 18,587 a year, rising with inflation, until both died. Instead they got a touch over 5,000 a year.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's some rip off.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_GB&hl=en_GB&key=0AvnR4AGFSHkocEh3N2FreUtzUnpJbkUtXzdNNDktRlE&output=html">Calculations</a> for the details.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yet another rip off by the government, of what can't be described, as anyone rich.</div>Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-89411508706149933512011-10-18T20:36:00.004+01:002011-10-18T20:45:10.425+01:00More rip offs.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2bs367_ea0/Tp3XQ_aaZNI/AAAAAAAACbI/u3BaIJ1TkoQ/s1600/rpi.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2bs367_ea0/Tp3XQ_aaZNI/AAAAAAAACbI/u3BaIJ1TkoQ/s400/rpi.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664920593202046162" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Merve the Swerve is up on the TV again pleading like a little kid for yet another go at controlling inflation<br /><br />"Please please, let me have another go, I'll get it right next time"<br /><br />So how much of a rip off has he presided over?<br /><br /><br />Well this graph starts off with the inflation target at 2.5% RPI, in May 1997. In December 2003, the target was changed to 2.0% using CPI. It looks at just how well the Bank of England tracks prices over time, rather than its year on year inflation figure. If the Bank of England does its job, then the line will be around zero. <br /><br />It's not. Its over 7% above where it should be if it had done its job.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-1950170291452312392010-10-10T15:56:00.000+01:002010-10-10T15:56:31.189+01:00Rochdale, revisited | The Spectator<a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/6360783/rochdale-revisited.thtml">Rochdale, revisited | The Spectator</a>: "The answer is what I call the British Economic Dysfunction: that our growing economy sucks in people from overseas, rather than reducing dole queues. Unreformed welfare pays people not to work: and I blame the system, not those who follow its perverse incentives. Nor do I blame hardworking immigrants for filling these vacancies."<br /><br />Pretty much spot on. Pulling in immigrants that pay less tax than the government spends, 11,000 pounds a year, is economic madness. If you pull in low paid immigrants, it just means that those on welfare stay on welfare. <br /><br />That welfare adds up. 13K a year tax free in lots of cases, for what, 20, 30, 40 years rising with inflation? Half a million isn't unreasonable an estimate. That's a good sized lottery win.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-75024875048911249352010-09-05T14:47:00.000+01:002010-09-05T14:47:17.346+01:00Non Sequitur Comic Strip, September 02, 2010 on GoComics.com<a href="http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2010/09/02/">Non Sequitur Comic Strip, September 02, 2010 on GoComics.com</a><br /><br />Spot on. Sign up with Lord Blagger, and jump the queue at the Lobbyist entrance.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-9838359073282502942010-08-16T21:18:00.000+01:002010-08-16T21:18:19.717+01:00Expenses – Lords of the Blog<a href="http://lordsoftheblog.net/2010/08/16/expenses-3/comment-page-1/#comment-15595">Expenses – Lords of the Blog</a>: "There is of course no formal pay, no holiday or sick pay and no pension so don’t give up your day job if you are coming into the House of Lords!"<br /><br />Clive Soley advises Lords to sign in, collect expenses and work at another job.<br /><br />You pay for it.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-8330882616521627562010-07-26T19:40:00.000+01:002010-07-26T19:40:06.592+01:00NHS spunks �7.5k on porn room • The Register<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/26/nhs_trust/">NHS spunks �7.5k on porn room • The Register</a>: "Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust has incurred the wrath of the Sun by spunking �7,500 on a 'special room' kitted out to help chaps deliver vital supplies of man oysters.<br /><br />The trust's fertility centre shared the cost of 'computer equipment worth �4,625, flat screen TVs costing �2,225 - plus �500 of blue movies' with private outfit North West Fertility."<br /><br />That's where you cash is going. It's slipping through fingers, and not yours.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-74274125716415675162010-07-22T22:55:00.000+01:002010-07-22T22:55:40.769+01:00Google Reader (287)<a href="http://www.google.co.uk/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=wy#stream/user%2F08489242438367471138%2Flabel%2FNews">Google Reader (287)</a>: "The first sleaze row of the new government deepened today when a millionaire Tory donor, who successfully lobbied for the cancellation of a government loan to a promising engineering company, admitted he had wanted to invest in it himself.<br /><br />Labour accused Andrew Cook – the Tories' largest donor in Yorkshire, who subsidised David Cameron's flights in opposition to the tune of �54,000 – of a conflict of interest after he wrote to the Conservative business minister Mark Prisk in May to warn that an �80m state loan to Sheffield Forgemasters might be illegal under EU law."<br /><br />Time to get politicians and civil servants out of the decision making process.<br /><br />You can't bribe all the electorate all of the time.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-61920471062646026032010-07-19T23:29:00.000+01:002010-07-19T23:29:20.758+01:00The Lib Dem MP, the Radio 3 DJ and his dog - Telegraph<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7898766/The-Lib-Dem-MP-the-Radio-3-DJ-and-his-dog.html">The Lib Dem MP, the Radio 3 DJ and his dog - Telegraph</a>: "Tessa Munt, the MP for Wells claimed a single resident’s discount on her council tax, telling her local council she lived alone in her constituency home.<br /><br />However, the electoral register shows that Mrs Munt is one of three people registered to vote at the Somerset address."<br /><br />Yet another one on the take....Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-24644352452066991902010-07-16T20:17:00.000+01:002010-07-16T20:17:31.062+01:00BBC News - Tory peer Lord Taylor facing expenses prosecution<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-10662479">BBC News - Tory peer Lord Taylor facing expenses prosecution</a>: "Lord Taylor of Warwick has been charged with six counts of false accounting in relation to alleged dishonest claims he made for �11,000 in subsistence costs."<br /><br />I'm not surprised. Any barister who thinks that its the police who decide to prosecute or not, instead of the CPS is likely to have a very odd view of expenses as well.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-54824110019362155132010-07-11T18:26:00.000+01:002010-07-11T18:26:08.366+01:00The mystery of Lord Mandelson's finances - Telegraph<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7883304/The-mystery-of-Lord-Mandelsons-finances.html">The mystery of Lord Mandelson's finances - Telegraph</a>: "The mystery of Lord Mandelson's finances"<br /><br /><i>There is no puzzle about the owner of the house: Lord Mandelson. There is no secret about its value: Land Registry records show that in 2006 he bought the place for £2.5 million, including stamp duty.<br /><br />The mystery has always been how he could possibly have afforded it.<br /><br />The price was around 16 times his then-income as a European Commissioner, a mortgage which, even in pre-credit crunch days, no lender would have contemplated.<br /><br />Sources close to the then Mr Mandelson suggested at the time that he used a bequest from his late mother, Mary, and sold his shares in an advertising agency.<br /><br />But probate files show he received only £452,000 from his mother's estate; a search at Companies House disclosed he sold the shares a year after buying the house; and Land Registry records of his previous property dealings in London and his former constituency of Hartlepool show that he could have amassed no more than around £1.15 million in equity to put towards the purchase.<br /><br />Added together, all that would still have left Mr Mandelson at least £1 million short. He did take out a mortgage – reportedly for £750,000 – to cover most of the gap.<br /><br />But in a 2009 interview he let slip that he had paid it off completely after just one year.<br /><br />The normal place to look for politicians' earnings is the declarations of interests they are obliged, under the rules, to make.<br /><br />Mr Mandelson's declarations list only modestly-paid work for newspapers and magazines, and a number of speaking engagements. </i><br /><br />Quite. There is something grossly wrong where those resposible for the law ignore it, and people become multimillionaires at the public's expense.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-86884947143741264602010-07-11T18:20:00.000+01:002010-07-11T18:20:17.805+01:00BBC News - Mark Reckless MP sorry for being 'too drunk to vote'<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/10590725.stm">BBC News - Mark Reckless MP sorry for being 'too drunk to vote'</a>: "A Kent MP has apologised for being drunk in the House of Commons and missing a vote on the Budget.<br /><br />Mark Reckless said he did not feel it was appropriate to take part in the vote in the early hours of Wednesday because of the amount he had drunk.<br /><br />The Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood told BBC Radio Kent: 'I made a mistake. I'm really sorry about it.'"<br /><br /><br />See what happens when you subsidise drinking. We should have penal rates on drinking in the house. It's the same logic that applies to drinkers of Diamond White.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-28078804083137743812010-07-10T22:17:00.000+01:002010-07-10T22:17:51.876+01:00MPs gain �130 expenses by talking until 1am - Telegraph<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/7883204/MPs-gain-130-expenses-by-talking-until-1am.html">MPs gain �130 expenses by talking until 1am - Telegraph</a>: "More than 500 members debated the Finance Bill into the small hours last week, triggering for the first time a new rule that entitles MPs – even those with taxpayer-funded second homes – to claim up to �130 for a hotel room if a session has continued beyond 1am.<br /><br />The nine-and-a-half-hour debate also prompted extraordinary scenes at the House of Commons, where MPs were seen by observers “getting very drunk indeed” in subsidised bars before returning to vote in the chamber, where they were accused of being “well-refreshed”.<br /><br />John Randall, the deputy chief whip and Tory MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, was rebuked by the Speaker for making repeated interruptions and was accused by Angela Eagle, the shadow Treasury minister, of having “enjoyed rather a liquid evening”."<br /><br /><br />Not only that, but to rub it in, you've paid for the boozing.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-73377390825333865702010-07-08T23:48:00.000+01:002010-07-08T23:48:47.940+01:00Afghan citizens paid $1bn in bribes for public services last year, study finds | World news | guardian.co.uk<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/08/afghanistan-bribes-corruption-taliban">Afghan citizens paid $1bn in bribes for public services last year, study finds | World news | guardian.co.uk</a>: "Afghans paid nearly $1bn (�658m) in bribes last year, according to a new survey that reveals that corruption in the country has doubled since 2007.<br /><br />The study by the monitoring group Integrity Watch Afghanistan showed that the average value of bribes paid in 2009 was $156. The average per capita income is $502 per year."<br /><br />156 / 502 = 31%<br /><br />Cheaper than the UK tax take of over 50%<br /><br />Who says corruption is bad?<br /><br />Lord BlaggerLord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-10691998644817022822010-07-07T23:09:00.002+01:002010-07-07T23:12:39.632+01:00Climate Gate CorruptionIt's a whitewash. What a surprise. In order to keep the money rolling, you can't have the science critised.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"> 29th May 2008: ―Can you delete any emails you may have had with Keith re AR4? Keith will do likewise. He's not in at the moment - minor family crisis.<br /> Can you also email Gene and get him to do the same? I don't have his new<br /> email address. We will be getting Caspar to do likewise”.<br /></span><br /><br />So the report says?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Muir Russell says that they "have seen no evidence of any attempt to delete information in respect of a request already made", noting two emails relating to deletion including the famous one cited above:</span><br /><br />Rock on. Black is white. White is black, and I've got a lollypop stuck up my arse.<br /><br />Next, trick. Inquiry didn't consider the science.<br /><br />Conclusion. The science is sound and unaffected by fiddling with the data. <br /><br />Yep, that's two lolly pops and a stick of rock being inserted into my anus as we speak.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-65546797792029315672010-07-07T20:22:00.001+01:002010-07-07T20:22:56.813+01:00BBC News - China executes top Chongqing official for corruption<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10535226.stm">BBC News - China executes top Chongqing official for corruption</a>: "China has executed the top justice official in the city of Chongqing as part of a crackdown on corruption."<br /><br />Would work wonders in the UK,Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-36643933806337804182010-07-07T20:22:00.000+01:002010-07-07T20:22:15.327+01:00Nicolas Sarkozy at centre of criminal investigation over 'illegal donations' - Telegraph<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7876609/Nicolas-Sarkozy-at-centre-of-criminal-investigation-over-illegal-donations.html">Nicolas Sarkozy at centre of criminal investigation over 'illegal donations' - Telegraph</a>: "Nicolas Sarkozy was at the centre of a criminal investigation today following claims that he regularly received illegal payments from France's richest woman."<br /><br /><br />Should have learned the lesson from BlairLord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-37078886037315712622010-07-05T22:41:00.000+01:002010-07-05T22:41:38.544+01:00BBC News - Two French junior ministers quit over perks<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10506270.stm">BBC News - Two French junior ministers quit over perks</a>: "Two French junior ministers embroiled in separate spending scandals have resigned from the government.<br /><br />President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon had decided that the two ministers must go on Sunday, a government spokesman said.<br /><br />Overseas Development Minister Alain Joyandet was criticised for spending 116,500 euros (�96,153) on a private jet to fly to the Caribbean for work.<br /><br />Greater Paris Minister Christian Blanc spent 12,000 euros on cigars."<br /><br />Meanwhile, the House of Lords drinks itself to oblivion at your expense.Lord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3590694017151914972.post-75515730602185024522010-07-04T15:44:00.000+01:002010-07-04T15:44:32.539+01:00MPs' expenses: Former Labour MP Frank Cook claimed for DIY items bought in USA - Telegraph<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/7870310/MPs-expenses-Former-Labour-MP-Frank-Cook-claimed-for-DIY-items-bought-in-USA.html">MPs' expenses: Former Labour MP Frank Cook claimed for DIY items bought in USA - Telegraph</a>: "Frank Cook, a former Labour MP, claimed twice on his expenses for DIY equipment bought in America where his second wife, an exiled princess from Laos, lives.<br /><br />Mr Cook, who represented Stockton North until this year’s election, billed the taxpayer for carpet underlay, a universal saw, wall hangings and a swivel cleaner that he said were for his constituency office.<br /><br />Instead of receipts, he submitted a credit card bill that showed that the items were bought in the United States. At least one item was purchased by Princess Somsangouane Baldinger, who lives in Arizona, on their shared account. Five weeks later, the MP submitted a second claim on his parliamentary expenses for the same items – this time on his additional costs allowance (ACA), which was intended to pay for the upkeep of the London flat he designated as his second home."<br /><br />No doubt he wanted some shag pile to deal with carpet burnsLord Blaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06783119146180259097noreply@blogger.com0