The Times predictable attack on Farage

[Mich the Tester]

Yes I'm aware there is an election coming, thanks. The point is there has been a continuous stream of stories such as this since the year dot. They have all come out "before an election". This one just happens to be months before, but they have been coming out for months and years.

Indeed; it could have come out during an election, 1 minute before an election, 5 years before an election or at any time in between.

[Unix]

Yes I'm aware there is an election coming, thanks. The point is there has been a continuous stream of stories such as this since the year dot. They have all come out "before an election". This one just happens to be months before, but they have been coming out for months and years.

I suppose all the stories around Scottish Independence have always been been there also, we just notice them more this year, we will notice them more and more as September approaches...BUT there is no correlation between them and the referendum.

[darmstadt]

How fortunate it comes out ahead of the European elections.

Hasn't he really bought it on himself with remarks on how much expenses he had received from the EU started in 2009 with the sum of €2m? Before an election, in fact at any time, politicians are fair game, unless they're lillywhite...

[speling bee]

Hasn't he really bought it on himself with remarks on how much expenses he had received from the EU started in 2009 with the sum of €2m? Before an election, in fact at any time, politicians are fair game, unless they're lillywhite...

And also from the Guardian:

Last week, Farage said Miller had "taken the mickey out of the system" and called for David Cameron to allow the public to sack MPs who perpetrated serious wrongdoing.

Challenged about Ukip's own expenses scandals among MEPs, he said: "In the cases of the two individuals who behaved badly, I removed the whip and kicked them out of the party a long time before they were found guilty of anything."

[pjclarke]

Apparently all MEPs get 3.5K/month to spend as they like no receipts needed, no questions asked. Can't see that his needs are all that different to say, mine.

Will try that line of reasoning with HMRC, ( or I would do if I wasn't already claiming about that in overseas accomodation & subsistence .... )

[DodgyAgent]

If Farage has fiddled expenses then he should be punished. Quite obviously the timing of this is geared to smear Farage just before the Euro elections. If it is the best they can do then Farage has nothing to fear.

[Mich the Tester]

If Farage has fiddled expenses then he should be punished. Quite obviously the timing of this is geared to smear Farage just before the Euro elections. If it is the best they can do then Farage has nothing to fear.

So if a journalist discovers something like this just before the Euro elections, should he wait until after the elections to publish it?

[pjclarke]

He's no need to fiddle anything, they're just handed 3.5K/month on trust, no receipts, nada.

It's the 'honour' system.

[DodgyAgent]

So if a journalist discovers something like this just before the Euro elections, should he wait until after the elections to publish it?

You don't really understand the principle of what stimulates events do you? If a journalist wants to gain recognition then if he is worth his salt he will write something that is topical. Writing a story about Farages expenses after the Euro elections have died down will not get any attention nor will it pay his wages. It is Janet and John stuff. I am not saying when he should release the story I am merely pointing out what the politics are.

If the journalist is any good he will be networking with MPs and every other Tom Dick or Harry with potentially important information. So it is not unlikely that this bit of information has been fed to the press in order to smear him

Likewise if I were to write a story about global warming I would get more interest and attention if there had been some major catastrophe with the weather. if I write it this week whilst the country is basking in perfect sunshine I would get far less attention.

[Mich the Tester]

You don't really understand the principle of what stimulates events do you? If a journalist wants to gain recognition then if he is worth his salt he will write something that is topical. Writing a story about Farages expenses after the Euro elections have died down will not get any attention nor will it pay his wages. It is Janet and John stuff. I am not saying when he should release the story I am merely pointing out what the politics are.

Likewise if I were to write a story about global warming I would get more interest and attention if there had been some major catastrophe with the weather. if I write it this week whilst the country is basking in perfect sunshine I would get far less attention.

Yep, we all understand it but what's your issue with this? Maybe they have written plenty of stories about it, but nobody noticed because there weren't Euro elections just around the corner.