Monday 11 May 2009

G.R.O.T.


Today, Not The Barnet Times launches its campaign known as GROT - Get Rid Of Troughers.

The revelation that our elected representatives have been gorging themselves in the public trough whilst hundreds of thousands of families are struggling just to keep their heads above water, has united the country in its contempt for the political classes.

Such contempt is damaging for the reputation of the country and must be addressed once and for all.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown promises that the rules on expenses will be changed, but for as long as politicians set and police their own rules, the suspicion will remain that MPs will simply find loopholes in order to keep on troughing.

David Cameron says that MPs should apologise. That doesn’t go far enough. The only way for public confidence in the political system to be restored is for all guilty troughers to repay the money they have robbed from taxpayers.

Although some MPs expense details have now been leaked to the Daily Telegraph, the majority will not be released until July. All of these expenses must be examined in detail and where ‘Honourable’ Members are unable to justify their claims, they should repay the sums involved with interest.

If MPs refuse to co-operate, the public should impose the ultimate sanction - expulsion from Parliament at the next election.

G.R.O.T. calls for an immediate end to the Second Homes Allowance, to be replaced by a hotel voucher system for MPs representing constituencies more than 60 miles from Westminster.

We also call for Stamp Duty avoided on second homes to be refunded to the taxpayer.

In the coming months, we will discuss the practicality of a co-ordinated Martin Bell-esque campaign to remove the worst offenders from office. In the mean time, Members of Parliament should be under no illusion that they are troughing in the last chance saloon.

6 comments:

Mark Thompson said...

Great minds think alike NTBT!

Allow me a reciprocal plug of my "Pay It Back" campaign!

They need to do something and quickly if the whole edifice is not to come tumbling down.

Ruth said...

Pay It Back & GROT are both great ideas, however I still think we need to get rid of them all & decide who we want back through a General Election. It'll take at least a couple of months to organise an election - which gives 'em time to pay back (or not), Then dissolve Parliament & watch the troughers beg - good MPs or MPs who immediately offered to Pay Back (like the one who included £3 or £4 pounds for dog food)may get their seats back....

Don't Call Me Dave said...

Ruth, I agree we do need an election, but for a variety of reasons - not just expenses.

In future, every candidate should be required to give an undertaking that they will not claim for anything which does not meet the test of being fair or reasonable.

Anonymous said...

That's a good one!

Rog T said...

It seems to me that maybe the Telegraph should have printed a list of those that weren't taking the P.

It would have been easier.

Don't Call Me Dave said...

Rog, it would have made for a very thin edition!