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UK NEWSBROWN IS DRIVING THE CABINET GRAVY TRAIN
UNDER FIRE: Gordon Brown 
Tuesday April 7,2009 By Macer HallGORDON BROWN was dragged into the Westminster expenses row last night after questions were raised about his claims for more than £100,000 in second-home allowances despite having two grace-and-favour properties.
House of Commons figures show that Mr Brown has claimed a total of £116,234 in the Additional Cost Allowance for running a second home since 2001, when details of MPs’ expenses started being published. The cash was for a flat in Westminster, even though Mr Brown has lived in accommodation in Downing Street since 1997. As calls for a complete overhaul of the sleaze-hit Parliamentary expenses system grew yesterday, Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Gordon Brown already gets to live in Downing Street at taxpayers’ expense, so there is no way that he should get another house paid for as well. “Ordinary people around the country should not have to subsidise Gordon Brown’s retirement plans.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman dismissed the criticism, insisting his claims were in keeping with Commons rules. Housing Minister Margaret Beckett last night became the latest minister to be drawn into the Westminster “three homes” scandal. She joined Chancellor Alistair Darling and Transport Minister Geoff Hoon in facing criticism for renting out a London flat while living in a grace-and-favour apartment and claiming the second-home allowance. Mrs Beckett had a grace-and-favour home in Whitehall’s Admiralty House for eight years as Trade Secretary, then moved to another official residence, at Carlton Gardens, as Foreign Secretary.
She claimed £106,000 in second-home allowance for the period between 2001-02 and 2006-07. She also declared “residential rented property” for a London flat. Her spokeswoman said: “Nothing has ever been done outside the rules of Parliament. ”The spokeswoman said Mrs Beckett did not make money out of the arrangement and was “covering costs”. Mr Darling is understood to be renting out a London flat while living in Downing Street and claiming second-home allowance for his constituency home in Edinburgh. Transport Secretary Mr Hoon was dubbed “three-home Hoon” at the weekend after his property arrangements were laid bare. He lived in a rent-free Whitehall flat while being Defence Secretary in the run-up to the Iraq War. He rented out his London flat while claiming around £50,000 in second-home allowance for his home in Derby. It later emerged that former cabinet minister David Blunkett operated a similar arrangement to Mrs Beckett, Mr Darling and Mr Hoon. He moved into a grace-and-favour residence in South Eaton Place after becoming Home Secretary in 2001 and stayed there until after his second resignation from the Cabinet in 2005. During that period the Sheffield Brightside MP claimed £75,363 in additional costs allowance towards running his constituency home. Meanwhile Conservative backbencher James Clappison was unavailable for comment last night after it emerged he has claimed £97,892 in second-home allowance over seven years while owning 23 properties. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing in Mr Clappison’s claims, which were entirely within Commons expenses rules.
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LEST WE FORGET!
08.04.09, 8:52am
I seem to be writing almost daily on this subject as more and more of the MPs are revealed to be blatantly fiddlling our monies. Probably there are thousands like me who are running out of steam as what to say next. So I hope that the mighty British press can remind us of just what each and everyone of these people is doing to steal from us when it comes to election time again.
• Posted by: CinCCO • Report Comment
RELIGIOUS BUT NOT RIGHT WITH GOD?
08.04.09, 8:38am
I totally agree John Derby. I am not talking about religion. Blair is clearly very religious but not right with God. Robes, gowns and believing that belonging to a church wins the approval of God and saves a person or changes the attitudes of someone is foolishness and the person who believes he is right with God based on the externals of religion is unsaved. The Bible teaches that Politics played a major part in pagan religions and in many cases religion, as it does today, became a profit making business. God's system however was designed to come from a genuine change of heart and only He can bring this about by faith. Faith coming from a heart that has been regenerated (sealed with a deposit of the Holy Spirit) (Eph. Ch. 1) reflects God's work on the inside of an individual. Those who claim to honour God while their hearts are far from Him rely on the externals of religion and this means nothing for it does not change a man on the inside. Those who maim, kill, do not stand up for righteousness and ignore the suffering of others cannot be born again members of the true invisible church of the Living God. (John 3)
• Posted by: Grevillea • Report Comment
RELIGION ?
08.04.09, 7:38am
Grevillea - We had a religious nut, and a closet catholic, as our PM and just look what he achieved. Blair's gredd and avarice knew no bounds. So I don't thing religion equates to honesty or integrity.
Also, the greatest threat facing civilisation is the religious fervour of the muslim fundementalists whose barbaric view of the world incudes mass murder of non believers and the subjugation of women.
Half the wars ijn history were fought over religion.
So I don't think religion has anything whatsoever to offer. Indeed it sems to me that, if amnything, it is the root of much evil.
• Posted by: John__Derby • Report Comment
PERHAPS BRITAIN HAS THE LEADER IT DESERVES
07.04.09, 11:03pm
In order for both nations and individuals to function well, people must know God's ways and keep his rules but the vast majority of people have exchanged this for the emptiness of secularism and strive to go their own way apart from God.
What happens without good leadership - Proverbs -
A wicked ruler has wicked officials; 29:12
When the righteous thrive the people rejoice, when the wicked rule, the people groan; 29:2
The righteous care about justice for the poor but the wicked have no such concern;
When the wicked thrive, so does sin 29:16
And
A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed - without remedy. 29:1
• Posted by: Grevillea • Report Comment
THIEVES & ROBBERS
07.04.09, 10:53pm
The only reason their fraudulent claims are within the rules is because these thieving bastards made the dam rules.
In all honestly their actions are fraudulent especially those in grace and favour homes as they are claiming for expenses which were never incurred in the first place.
If that isn't downright fraud I don't know what is.
• Posted by: Robwin • Report Comment
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
07.04.09, 10:15pm
If there is any justice the next election will be like the Eurovision song contest and we will here the TV reporters repeatedly saying - "Labour nil votes".
I would also suggest that all of this rabble become asylum seekers in another country, because I for one would spit in Brown's face if I ever met thje mentally degenerate little weasel. He and his "friends" including Jaqcie (I apologised so thats all right) Smith, are without doubt the most loathsome trash I have ever seen.
• Posted by: John__Derby • Report Comment
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