If you're going to read just one article in today's papers then this one in the Sunday Times about possible plotting for a coup d'etat against Brown is a must. There are some quite interesting paragraphs shoved in the middle to, that suggest some Labour MPs in key marginals (and facing defeat) are looking for a way to get the taxpayer to fund them after their political death.If the morale of a political party can be measured in the number of inquiries made to the trustees of the parliamentary pension scheme, then Labour is at rock bottom.Brings a whole new meaning to pulling a sickie doesn't it? Will be interesting to see how many of them step down on grounds of health and then miraculously appear working again a few months after the election whilst claiming a great fat juicy pension from us.
"I know of many MPs in marginal seats who have quietly been in touch to find out how much their retirement income would be if they stepped down at the next election," one backbencher said. "Others are thinking about retraining to go back into the careers they left when they came into the Commons, such as teaching and social work."
MPs who retire on grounds of sickness are given special dispensation to claim their full pension before they reach the age of 65. Several have made inquiries about whether it would be possible for them to quit the Commons on grounds of ill health — before voters eject them via the ballot box.
For many that is an increasingly likely prospect. If the results of this weekend’s Sunday Times poll are replicated at the next general election, Cameron would be returned with an overall majority of more than 100. In the Commons tearoom, the talk is of Labour’s “lost generation”, the 100 or so MPs elected in 1997 on the back of the Tony Blair landslide who are facing the end of their political careers.
Image shamelessly stolen from Guido.
9 comments:
Yes I read this article this morning as well Dizzy, and just shook my head in resigned disgust at this latest example of NuLabor twats sponging off us.
Is Air Miles Martin proposing to get these "sick" MPs back to work and off the sick list?
They should get a cardboard box and their bus fare home.
They will soon class being voted out as "redundancy" soon and claim all that cash.
Make them self-employed and VAT registered.
I always thought most Labour MPs were sick.
what about an FOI to see which money grubbing bastards are in the trough for this one
what about an FOI to see which money grubbing bastards are in the trough for this one
In addition to their gilded pensions they get a Resettlement Grant when they leave Parliament. Between 50 and 100% of their salary depending on age and years of service, and the first £30,000 is tax free.
The table for calculating the Grant is available via the 'Green Book' link on this page.
Dizzy,
Why shouldn't they. They have after all allowed millions of others to retire on the sick. Its only fair.
Brown describes this premiership in so many fantastic ways it’s nearly unreal. For a start the exalted leader is called Brown and reminds me of the colour brown, with all its connotations. Secondly the party is in with brown, up to their neck in brown, scared of brown and poking brown with sharp brown sticks. Thirdly brown is made by mixing red (party) and black (news) to make brown. Which is what has been happening since the dour brown idiot took the top spot behind the black door (mix with red you get brown). Finally the inner party are browning their pants at the prospect of the May elections.
These are great days we live in, these are brown days.
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