New face, same old story

[LazyGun]

The whole sorry episode of elected representatives helping themselves to the public purse just doesn't seem to be going away.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/aug/05 /speaker-20000-public-money

I have had jobs before where the company has paid my rent - but I have always had to pay for my own furnishings!
Does anyone know of any company, anywhere, that would pay for such items as kitchen clocks, or blackboards, or TV subscriptions ?
I mean, given that he gets a massive salary for the post of speaker, AS WELL AS retaining his MP salary ( at least I think thats right), Is it too much to expect him to pay for making these child friendly alterations out of his own pocket? or am I just being petty?

[Sqad]

Lazy....you have my sympathy BUT...with the country haemhorraging �75 billion a year, I am not getting too upset with home expenses for MP's or Speakers for that matter.

[LazyGun]

Hi Sqad - I guess the amount is trivial in the context of national debts etc - but it is large when set against ,say, the UK national average salary.
And its the principle of the thing - should we ignore what many might regard as a corrupt or at the very least highly unfair system, just because there is a large national debt?

[Sqad]

Lazy....I really don't know the answer to your question.

I am an "easy way out" sort of guy and quite frankly, not envious of the MP's, and realise that nothing is going to change.

[ummmm]

Sqad....I'm presuming, rightly or wrongly, that you've earned a decent wage and had a comfortable lifestyle. Deservedly so as well. I think it bothers the average person when they struggle to make ends meet. When they work full time and can't afford to buy a new sofa.....You get my jist?

[Sqad]

ummmm....I take your point and I think that Lazygun would agree with you.

How does one stop this?

[ummmm]

Change the rules.

[shaneystar2]

No ,you are not being petty .
I hope his �6,764.30 sofa suite is "child friendly " With three of them running around it won't look very friendly after a while unless he keeps it covered up or confines them to their playroom or child friendly terrace .
I've had to go all over the place and live in rented accomodation due to the nature of my husbands work .OK they gave us a living allowance as ex pats etc but that just covered the rent .We had to hoof it with other peoples furniture and decor for years !

20k isn't a large amount of money in the scale of things ,Mr Martin spent a hell of a lot more, but it is still a large amount of money to someone whom brings home a lot less than that and still has to keep a roof over their head People have a right to feel annoyed when it's being paid for from the public purse .
Surely he earns enough to provide his own comforts .
This is extracting the urine on a grand scale .