The Political Asylum

BlueEmperor · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 5:48 pm Post subject: QT thread

It's probably about time we had a QT thread but what a disappointing show to start it on. Just to remind people of who the panellists were on last nights edition:

Dame Ann Leslie, DBE - a respected journalist with the Daily Mail
Grayson Perry - a cross-dressing artist
Baroness Neville-Jones, DCMG - a former diplomat, Conservative peeress and Shadow Security Minister
Rt Hon Yvette Cooper, MP - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chris Huhne, MP - Lib-Dem MP for Eastleigh and their Home Affairs spokesman

I thought it was a pretty naff edition actually, with Grayson Perry being the obvious eliphant in the room. Certainly if the QT message board is anything to go buy, Mr Perry's appearence - dressed as some kind of bizarre pantomime dame - added weight accusations of dumbing down. Now, my problem with Mr Perry is not so much that he made a mockery of proceedings simply by looking so ridiculous but, rather, that he simply knows nothing about politics. This is supposed to be a current affairs programme and Mr Perry's inclusion just smacks of politically correct tokenism. He didn't have anything useful to contribute and spent much of the time turning to Chris Huhne to explain things to him - most notably on the issue of council snooping, of which he seemed entirely ignorant. It was amateur hour last night and simply meant that there was less time to hear thoughful contributions from Dame Ann Leslie. Obviously, it is customary to have the three representatives of the major parties and two non-politicians - and Dame Ann is a highly respected commentator and an excellent choice in this respect - but Mr Perry is neither a politician nor a commentator with any acumen. He was just a pointless distraction. His seat could have been given to someone useful with something interesting to say. Shame.

I wish we could have heard more from Dame Ann, particularly on the subject of Zimbabwe, of which she had enviable knowledge and experience, having previously reported from inside the country at great personal risk. Similarly, I wish that Baroness Neville-Jones (whom I note the BBC persist, for some reason, in referring to as 'Dame Pauline') had been able to develop some of her points a bit more before being cut off by David Dimbleby. Lady Neville-Jones served in the British Mission to the former Rhodesia. She is also a former head of the Cabinet Office's Defence and Overseas Secretariat, former chairlady of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Political Director in the FCO. She's a woman well worth listening to on such matters! I'm something of a fan of Mr Huhne and I think he often talks good sense. Yvette Cooper (aka Mrs Ed Balls) was, of course, vapid and out of her depth, like most Labour ministers.

B.E.
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The doctor is in!

wakeyboy · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:06 am Post subject:

Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper face expenses probe after a complaint was made against them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7473853.stm

The couple claim that their home in West Yorkshire is their primary home whereas their property in London is their second home. They can therefore claim all sorts of expenses for that home, including travel expenses.

The complaint was made by a Conservative MP who believes that their London home is actually their primary home. Evidence to support this accusation is that their children attend London Schools and not Schools in West Yorkshire.

----

Ed Balls is my MP, and Yvette Cooper's constituency is in Pontefract which is only down the road. Their home is in Pontefract but from what I hear on the grapevine and gossip by people interested in local politics... they actually spend more time in London.

Its funny how they only show up here at election time and whenever there's a photo opportunity!
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BlueEmperor · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:35 am Post subject:

Mr and Mrs Balls have claimed that their primary home is in Castleford but the Conservative MP in question - Malcolm Moss (North-East Cambridgeshire) - quite rightly pointed out that their children are enrolled in London schools and for all intents and purposes they live in London.

Of course, I doubt Conservative Central Office have much to do with pushing this matter. They're in hot water too over this business with Caroline Spelman's nanny. Luckily, that's not getting much news coverage because she's been overshadowed by the Ballses.

I think there is a common sense within Parliament that no party is whiter than white but there is a Labour MP whose name escapes me who has been running around pointing the finger at the likes of Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton, so I wouldn't be surprised is a few more Tory backbenchers start pointing fingers at their Labour opponents.

B.E.
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The doctor is in!

Merak · Inmate of the Asylum Joined: 05 Apr 2008 Posts: 214

the "rules" state that the residence most occupied should be the primary residence, and that, I think holds true for these two in regard to their london home - it is the one they use most. Whether or not *they* consider their other home to be their main residence, is neither here nor there, and I hope they get hauled over the coals for their blantant playing of the system.

In Scotland there's another case of a councillor who has just been given a local authority house despite already owning her own home. No rule breaking has occurred apparently. Would anybody in their right mind agree that someone who already owns their own home should be eligible to go on a local authority housing list and get another?

Regardless that the councillor/MPs/MSPs declare that they haven't broken any rules, they, of all people, know that these "rules" are wrong, yet instead of taking steps to right the wrongs of the "rules", they take full advantage of them then sit back and declare "no wrong-doing" as if it somehow vindicates them. Well, it doesn't. Not in my eyes anyway.

adrien · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:26 pm Post subject:

What does QT mean? (I have no idea what you're talking about...)
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Vintage Girl · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:52 pm Post subject:

It's Question Time Adrien! Laughing

A weekly TV programme during which members of the publice put questions to a panel of 4 people from the fields of politics, business and current affairs.
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BlueEmperor · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:03 pm Post subject:

Anyone watching this week?

This week's panel:

Andrew Lansley, CBE MP - Shadow Health Secretary
Nicola Sturgeon, MSP - Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Minister for Health and Wellbeing
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP - Lib-Dem peer and MEP for South-East England
David Mitchell - the BAFTA winning comedian

B.E.
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The doctor is in!

BlueEmperor · Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:15 am Post subject:

The fifth panelist last night was David Cairns, MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Scotland Office.

Actually, surprisingly for a Labour minister, I thought Mr Cairns acquitted himself rather well. Mr Mitchell is getting pretty roundly slagged off on the QT website and dismissed as a second-rate comedian but, while I think his comments defending Gordon Brown were gaga, I think he made some useful comments, particularly on the question of Scottish independence and the Union. I must say, I was pleased to see the way in which Scottish nationalism was roundly denounced, with Miss Sturgeon being a solitary voice in favour. Lady Nicholson (infuriatingly introduced by Mr Dimbleby, in customary BBC style, as "Baroness Emma Nicholson") actually talked a lot of sense for a Lib-Dem, no doubt due to the fact that, once upon a time, she was a Tory MP in the '80s (she didn't join the Lib-Dems until the mid-'90s. Mr Lansley put in a solid performance but in such a heavily Scottish-themed edition, I can't help thinking his presence merely served to underscore the near extinction of Scottish Conservatism. It would have been better to send someone like Annabel Goldie or Murdo Fraser or David Mundell, the Shadow Scotland Secretary.

B.E.
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The doctor is in!