SJ_Skyline

So I claim for some things I never had, I over-claim and generally live the high life but then get caught.

I say I'm very sorry and I pay back the money I took what can I expect?


Well, if you're an MP you get a slap on the wrist but keep your seat in the house and carry on as before living the high.

If you work in the private sector you can expect 4 years inside. source

Should he be let off? Should the MPs be serving time instead of themselves? or should it be one rule for them and one rule for us - as appears to be the case?

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

If they were all inside, who would run the country?

DJ_Jon

iTrader: (7)

It's wrong in both cases & both sets of individuals should do some bird for theft, however, being realistic, 1 less private sector employee isn't going to damage the country, where as the loss of 2/3rd's of the government would.

Basically, the more power you have the more untouchable you are, simples.

Geezer

It's not really comparable, he made false claims for things. The MPs acted within the rules. The rules were wrong. Admittedly, the MPs took the ****, but it's not quite the same.

Geezer

bigsinky

in our place it is classed as theft and as such gross misconduct. put your coat on son, we will sent your P45 to you, end off.

a case of double standards yet again.

NotoriousREV

Only if you breach the rules of your expenses process. As said above, MP's didn't breach the rules but the rules were too lenient.

Leslie

You have to remember though that they made up their own rules for claiming expenses and that they also voted them in. The leniency of those rules is disgraceful and the MP's were claiming the excess money and fiddling their housing etc to maximise those expense claims quite knowingly, in fact they seemed to regard it as their right to claim to the hilt even though those claims could never be justified. All this was supported by the Speaker who was responsible for expense claims.

There is no way that they can justifiably say that they were morally entitled to that money and as such they can be fairly accused of stealing public money!

Les

urban

iTrader: (1)

I'd imagine its the same in most places

bigsinky

pure sophistry IMHO. they took the Pi$$ and would have continued to do so had they not been rumbled. thieving cvnts the lot them. no time for them at all.

Geezer

No one is making excuses for MPs Les, but whether they voted in their own rules or not, they were within those rules. This guy was not.

Geezer

NotoriousREV

Exactly. I 100% agree that some MPs were unarguably morally in the wrong in the expenses they claimed. Unfortunately, they operated within the rules and the law so there is no recourse for us there. In the story raised by the OP, he flouted the rules of his company and therefore it was both technically and legally theft.

Leslie

Yes of course Geezer, but I was talking about moral behaviour as we used to expect from MPs once upon a time and the fact that they made up the rules to suit themselves.

Les