Eric Pickles

[original PM]

maybe I am being dim but if he chooses to be a politician and there fore assumes at some point his main place of work will be The Houses.

Then surely it is up to him to ensure he can get there for the relevant start time and get home at the relevant end time.

If i need to be in work early i get up early

If I need to work late I get home late

it's just called life.

lazy fe<ker

[Solidec]

37 miles is a bit misleading when you factor in London transport. I used to live in the same area as Eric and I used to work in Whitehall. The nearest station that's on a fast line is Shenfield and that takes you into Liverpool Street, from there it's two stops on the tube and a ten minute walk the other end. Not quite four hours, but when I used to do it I used to cycle to the train station (30 mins), train to Liverpool street (35 mins), second cycle to Whitehall, I used to keep another bike locked up at Liverpool street until it got nicked. (30 mins). My average journey time door to door was about an hour and 3/4s. If I had to drive to the station and rely on the tube, I was looking about 2 and a half hours. If I went from one of the stopping stations and not Shenfield, it could very easily be a journey time of three hours plus.

MP's dont sit often enough and late enough to warrant outer London allowances. These specific groups should be limited to claiming Hotel costs ONLY.

Buying a 2nd home for the relatively low number of nights they actually NEED to be there for is disingenuous.

I am sure it could cost Mr Pickles less to hire a private taxi to cover those 37 miles any day he needs and get a good nap on the journey! It's a 1 hour Journey according to Google Maps, even doubling that to account for traffic, 2 hours in a private taxi

His argument is BOLLOX!

[Incognito]

I saw that too. He claims for a London house when he only lives 37 miles away from Parliament. He also says that to get to Parliament for 9:30am he would need to leave home at 5:30am. Seems highly unlikely to me. He came across as exactly the sort of slimy scumbag that is winding up the public at the moment.

37 miles is a bit misleading when you factor in London transport. I used to live in the same area as Eric and I used to work in Whitehall. The nearest station that's on a fast line is Shenfield and that takes you into Liverpool Street, from there it's two stops on the tube and a ten minute walk the other end. Not quite four hours, but when I used to do it I used to cycle to the train station (30 mins), train to Liverpool street (35 mins), second cycle to Whitehall, I used to keep another bike locked up at Liverpool street until it got nicked. (30 mins). My average journey time door to door was about an hour and 3/4s. If I had to drive to the station and rely on the tube, I was looking about 2 and a half hours. If I went from one of the stopping stations and not Shenfield, it could very easily be a journey time of three hours plus.

[Solidec]

What beggars belief is that MP's get to keep the Capital Gains they make once they sell their 2nd home!

Expenses are never designed to allow one to accumulate profitable gains at the taxpayers expense, but that is what it seems to function as for most MP's

Much respect for lib Dems to be seen acting in both the spirit and the letter of the expenses rules.

[sasguru]

Fair enough debates in parliament can last until late and a conscientous MP (are there any of those?) from outside London would definitely need a London pad.
So the government should buy properties for MPs outside London, but these should be tied to the constituency. Would be cheaper than allowing MPs to claim expenses for London pads indefinitely.

[sasguru]

His and Pickles responses to the audiences assumption of corruption was derisible. IMHO if they carry on with such arrogance and distain for the public (who they are supposed to be servants of) they could get a sharp reminder of the power of public opinion. I can see a day coming when these guys could get physically attacked by a mob.

Derisible?

[Bagpuss]

His and Pickles responses to the audiences assumption of corruption was derisible. IMHO if they carry on with such arrogance and distain for the public (who they are supposed to be servants of) they could get a sharp reminder of the power of public opinion. I can see a day coming when these guys could get physically attacked by a mob.

[Solidec]

Blimey, Charles Clarke had the knives out last nite didnt he.

Scathing criticism of his Labour pals on a number of responses! DOn't think he got a single round of applause either!

Poor Pickles, totally shot himself in the foot. He is supposed to be known in Westminister as an amiable regular bloke kinda guy, really didnt show yesterday.

Lib Dem dude came out of that whole debate head and shoulders above the rest of the Panel.

[NotAllThere]

He was my MP (and still is, technically). In my dealings with him, I found him ok as a person. Had a rep. for being a good constituency MP.

[dang65]

it doesn't do a lot for the Conservative party to field low calibre MPs like him on TV.

any Tory MP at all

[GreenerGrass]

Question Time. BBC. Oh dear.

Oh dear, oh dear. I think that adds a whole new dimension to the phrase "shooting yourself in the foot"!

And the name "jabba-the-hutt" kinda pops in there

He wasn't good, it doesn't do a lot for the Conservative party to field low calibre MPs like him on TV. He was the weakest link there apart from for the funeral pyre answer which was well reasoned, unlike the others who were just pandering to be PC for minority voters.

Winner was like a pantomime populist. And Jugears is just a bitter old tit.

[centurian]

I saw that too. He claims for a London house when he only lives 37 miles away from Parliament. He also says that to get to Parliament for 9:30am he would need to leave home at 5:30am. Seems highly unlikely to me. He came across as exactly the sort of slimy scumbag that is winding up the public at the moment.

He could use a bicycle and still have time to spare - not that he looks like he's used a bike for some time

It really was cringeworthy. What irked me was that he genuinely seemed to think he was so special and that the normal rules of "doing a job" just simply didn't apply to him.

And to think this is the chairman of the Tory party

[Bunk]

I saw that too. He claims for a London house when he only lives 37 miles away from Parliament. He also says that to get to Parliament for 9:30am he would need to leave home at 5:30am. Seems highly unlikely to me. He came across as exactly the sort of slimy scumbag that is winding up the public at the moment.

[PM-Junkie]

Question Time. BBC. Oh dear.

Oh dear, oh dear. I think that adds a whole new dimension to the phrase "shooting yourself in the foot"!

And the name "jabba-the-hutt" kinda pops in there