Always Look on the Bright Side of Life…
It’s the new BBC motto.
Part 74 of the Bullsh*t Broadcasting Corporation’s varied attempts to rehabilitate the Government’s image in the face of exceptional provocation.
Faced with a record 131 MPs standing down at the next election, following the expenses scandal, they have had their work cut out, but have rallied this morning with a superb specimen of the genre.
More than a quarter of MPs who fought requests for repayment of their expenses have been at least partially successful, the BBC has been told.
Let’s try that the right way round shall we? So, three-quarters of MPs who fought requests for repayment of their expenses were found to be complete troughing basket-cases eh? Of the remaining quarter, only some have been totally exonerated?
Sir Thomas Legg instructed about 200 MPs to return hundreds of thousands of pounds in excessive claims, but more than 70 challenged his findings. Of those 70, only 18, (being a kind oversimplification) have had some alteration of the original amount requested.
No prizes for guessing who was first to comment to the Press Association:
Solicitor General Vera Baird told the Press Association that she had been informed she owed nothing despite an initial demand for nearly £1,280 in mortgage interest payments.
18 out of 200, or less than 10%. Lets try that headline again shall we?
“Sir Thomas Legg proves that 90% of MPs instructed to return money were troughing gits”.
Or even better, lets have:
“Heather Brookes vindicated – 39% of MPs were defrauding the Taxpayer”.
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February 2, 2010 at 16:31 -
Ms Raccoon gets it right again. (I think Heather Brookes deserves much more than the recent “Reform” award.) While I don’t disagree with the often shouted meme that the BBC is biased in favour of the present lot, surely here they’re on the side of *all* the troughers. Hedging their bets for when the next lot get in?
O/T I didn’t watch it (too painful) but are you going to comment on last night’s Panorama? -
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February 2, 2010 at 17:03 -
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February 2, 2010 at 17:17 -
When asked about the percentage figures, the BBC said, what would you like it to be?
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February 2, 2010 at 18:33 -
Percentages? Listen you plebs we have been given the straight facts by the Beeb and we ought to be jolly well grateful. As we all know the Beeb doesn’t waste the pennies that come from the great unwashed. No, they are frugal and careful and are to be regarded as exemplary in this regard.
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February 2, 2010 at 18:41 -
Saul hits it on the head here. The BBC isn’t pro-Labour, it’s absolutely terrified of Labour.
Clare Short’s evidence today offered nothing new – except absolute confirmation by a 100% honest person that Blair and his bunch of crooked perverts subverted the Constitution from the moment they entered office.I remember watching that ghastly film ‘The Queen’, with all these young automatons around me in the cinema tutting every time the Q. or Phil said something profound about behaviour.
Everyone should be made to watch it again, and see how shallow, dense and lacking in foresight Blair, Campbell, Fumblebum and all the rest of the arrivistes were/are compared to the Monarch. Brenda may have an appalling family and unspeakable inlaws, but at least she knows right from wrong.
Campbell the psychopathic depressive yob lies about Tory Ministers, admits to it on telly, corrupts civil servants, is complicit in suicides, sexes up dossiers and armlocks army officers into saying things are fine when they aren’t.
Wouldn’t you be frightened of these hobgoblins? I am.
Sorry about the venom here: I know Greg Dyke. He’s not the most subtle human being on the planet, but what he was subjected to is beyond belief. The sooner this whole shower are indicted and/or hung from lampposts, the better.xx
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February 2, 2010 at 19:19 -
Lies, Damn Lies, & Troughing Politicians.
“More than a quarter of MPs who fought requests for repayment of their expenses have been at least partially successful, the BBC has been told.”
The key word here is “partially”. In other words, that sentence does not confirm that even 1 MP was NOT a Trougher.
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February 3, 2010 at 10:35 -
What is this blog FOR?
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February 3, 2010 at 11:54 -
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February 3, 2010 at 12:35 -
One of Pavera’s dogs?
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February 3, 2010 at 12:39 -
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February 3, 2010 at 12:46 -
With a Snooper Pooper Scooper?
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February 3, 2010 at 14:29 -
Only 39% troughers? Shurely some mistake? The unfortunate fact is that the majority of our current bunch of MPs – including those MPs making claims that their expenses have now been OK’d & they don’t have to return money – you know who you are – have the morals & ethics of downmarket whores (with apologies to all downmarket whores for that comparison). Which is why I’m trying to get people to vote for anyone but the current incumbent unless s/he (and there are a few – very few) is a super duper constituency MP & is Persil white as far as their expenses are concerned.
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