World Watching

Well it seems snouts are definately still in the trough according to the Colchester Gazette, but its now Essex County Councillors that are living it up at the taxpayers expense.

During the financial year April 2007 – March 2008 they managed to run up a £79, 442 food and booze bill in a members only club at ECC in Chelmsford which averages £1059 per member, But on top of that Tom Smith-Hughes, Leader of the countys Lib Dem Group claimed the full council only sits 5-6 times a year making…. £200 per councillor per meeting???? and there is a canteen there as well.. rendering the ‘members club’ nothing but an obscene extravagance.

Whether they are scoffing £200 worth of food and booze at a time or not.. Its about time councillors were brought to book like the MP’s, The total expenses bill for Essex Councillors during the 2007-2008 financial year topped £1.54 million!

In no other job, would you be able to get away with claiming expenses just for turning up to work.. and only in public office do you find the kind of people that think its ok to claim expenses to turn up and ‘earn‘ your wage.. and i use the word ‘earn’ loosly.

Tory MP Anthony Steen is on his ’final warning’ according to David Cameron. This came about as a response to Steens interview which he gave to the BBC and broadcast on Radio 4’s The World at One show.

In the interview he blamed the freedom of information act for his downfall, accused ‘people’ of being jealous of his large house, which according to the MP looks like Balmoral, and questioned peoples ‘right’ to interfere with his private life.

Well i have to say Mr Steen, you are seriously out of touch with reality here. When your frittering away the taxpayers money they have EVERY right to know where it is going and why. Consider your self lucky to still be in a job, any ordinary citizen of this country in an ordinary job would definately have lost that job already and most likely be answering charges of fraud.