It must be Christmas.

Riot

Rarely have I had a more enjoyable, 24 hours.

Last night I hosted a dinner for the visiting Economic Committee of the British Irish-Parliamentary Body. It was the conclusion of a great day of intensive meeting. The company was diverse, wise and provocative. It included a feisty, no-nonsense witty and practical Tory Baroness, a sharp, clever and eloquent Labour Scottish Peer, the amiable whip of the Scottish National Party, a greatly experienced Irish Senator and a newly elected TD who has Irish charm in abundance, plus a distinguished Labour Lord who was a close ally of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.

The mix of company was guaranteed to keep the table on a roar. It was a riot of an evening fortified by the knowledge that a stunning report will result. Driving back from London was tedious because of road works and I arrived in Newport at 2.00 am.

Pillgwenlly

I visited the School Council at Newport's multi-cultural Pillgwenlly School. The children had  visited the House of Commons recently where they were entertained and informed by the Education people from the Library. This morning they were bubbling with bright questions . At the mention of the Severn Barrage, one Asian ten-year-old girl informed us that the Welsh word for Severn is Hafren and the Latin name is Sabrina. Impressive.

The children asked me about global warming, racism, the developing world and how much MPs are paid. One asked me if I had met royalty. I told her I rarely had and that meeting the children of Pill was of a far greater importance than standing in queues to shake the royal hands. It's also more enjoyable.

Then, mild panic as I realized that I had a 50 minute journey to Tredegar ahead of me with only 25 minutes left to complete it. I had agreed enthusiastically to take part in a Radio Wales phone-in on the birthday of the NHS.

Hallowed

I was crushed by guilt, driving along the Heads of the Valleys road, as I heard Richard Evans start the programme at twelve o’clock. He announced that I was 'on my way'. My great friend and ex-fellow employee of Gwent Community Radio, now a radio Wales producer, Lydia Townley welcomed me to Bedwellty House, the hallowed ground where Aneurin Bevan was a member of the Town Council.

Richard generously let me rattle on about my churned-up emotions of being in this cradle of the NHS on its 60th anniversary. There was a wonderful audience there who were sensitive to the achievements of free medicine for all. As a thirteen year old in 1948, I filled a scrapbook with cuttings of my hero Aneurin Bevan. I heard him speak once at a rally in Sophia Garden in the forties.

A little spice was added to the two hour broadcast by a consultant who had a set up a private diagnostic unit in my constituency. He is out to gain maximum publicity and mentioned the name of his enterprise six times. This is not what the audience wanted to hear. He lost all sympathy when he revealed that the cost of his diagnostic test was more than a £1,000 a go.

I revealed to the audience that at that point, I had a vision of the ghost of Aneurin Bevan rising angrily from his favorite seat at the back of room and shaking his fist in the direction of consultant. Destroying cash barriers to diagnosis was Bevan’s mission nor erecting new ones.

The contributions from the audience and the listeners were overwhelmingly appreciative of the continuing value of this great living institution that the visionary Bevan created.

What a great experience. Thank you Beeb. Thank you Tredegar.

Then some

All this pleasure before I heard that Benn the Brave had defied the farmers and denied them their badger blood fest. Then the news of the fall from grace  of a man who was praised fulsomely yesterday by the hapless Boris Johnson and described by David Cameron as one of the most impressive people he had ever met. The brave new world of New Conservatism is already crumbling.

Comments

[Jolly Roger]

Another good day to bury bad news.
I'm surprised that you haven't given your views,
On today's hot topic. Headline billing.
Mp's troughing up the Public Shilling.
One hundred of these greedy gits,
Voted for unaudited ex'es chits.
Mostly Labour, some Tories too.
Oh! I nearly forgot, that includes you.

So come on Paul, justify your story,
What makes you different to another Tory?
Here's your chance to get yourself plaudited.
Tell us why you shouldn't be audited.
Is it something that you wish to hide?
Or would you prefer if I just move on with the tide.
The story's there, we'd love to hear.
So 'fess up Paul, there's a dear.

You've blogged about the dinner you hosted.
I wonder who paid the bill that was posted.
I'll bet you didn't pay a penny.
Why should you feed off the many?
You constantly state, at risk of a bore.
You've only got an old Skoda outside your door.
You penurious claim is a little spurious.
Why don't you lash out and just buy a Prius?

At the risk of your ire and the chance of a bootprint.
Tell us how you offset your carbon footprint.
I asked you a couple of postings ago.
But you chided my impatience and left me to go.
So take your time Paul, there's no rush.
I'll just ask again and wait for the push.
I've seen little so far of your Green credential.
Is there no Public Transport from London central??

[paulflynn]

Tut Tut Jolly Roger. No congratulations for MPs who rejected an above inflation pay settlement as recommended by an independent boy.

I still have NEVER voted on MPs pay because I do not think MPs should decide their own pay. I have moved that changes in MPs pay be linked to changes in the basic pension.
The only vote I took part in was one that was described accurately by Anne Widdecombe

"One of two headlines will greet us at breakfast tomorrow. If the recommendations of the Members Estimate Committee go through, the headline will be “MPs to get £30 a day just for turning up”. If the right hon. Gentleman’s amendment, which I intend to support, is passed, the headline will be “MPs vote to keep the John Lewis list”. Whichever way we vote, we will continue to be vilified and ridiculed until we have the guts—which we certainly did not show in the previous series of votes—to stand up for ourselves, to defend the system and to tell people why we have that system."

She was absolutely right. The headlines is the one that you have read. Voting ourselves a per diem allowance would have endlessly been thrown at us.

My London home is registered as a second home and full taxes have been paid.

The status quo is the safest. the John Lewis list was unknown to MPs. Clear? no MP knew of its existence. It is for maximum expenditure and intended to restrict extravagant claims.

I travel on trains but not when I have to return to Newport in the early hours of he morning. I drive to avoid flight - recently to Strasbourg. I have an oyster card which I use on London buses and tubes.

[Jolly Roger]

You're up late Paul, conscience pricking?
Ex'es are the subject with which I'm sticking.
MP's pay? That's another matter.
So I won't bore you now with irrelevant chatter.
You've voted for secrecy of your accounts.
All we get to know are the final amounts.
The secretive stance that you are defending.
Seems hypocritical, when it's my money you're spending.

MPs had no knowledge of the John Lewis list?
Come off it Paul, I'm not quite that pissed.
What about Prescott, the Wintertons too.
Mandelson's power shower with 'nuff room for two.
Blair with his lightbulbs glowing so bright.
Cost him not a penny, what obvious delight.
The list was well known but not by that name.
It's the Additional Cost Claims Guide Game.

Your nice London home, secondary, natch.
Is it purchased or rented, now here's the catch?
Have you ever expensed anything on the Guide ?
Who paid for your carpets and table, bedside?
Your telly, your hi-fi, your bed, a new loo.
Who has paid for these things, us or you?
I don't wish to seem rude by having a pry.
If you don't wish to say, let's call it FOI.

[Huw O'Sullivan]

The democratic system in this country puts a great deal of trust in and responsibility on MP's.
That they often betray those responsibilities is a given, the electorate have an option as to whether to fire or rehire at every general election. MP's make policy on Health, Education, Welfare and International Affairs, yet some people seem to want them to account for every penny of expense, apparently trusting them to run the country and decide on matters of finance running to billions but not with tens of thousands of pounds of salary and expenses, and howling in febrile rage at power showers, beds and loos.
If its taxpayers money your interested in saving, why not save the salvo's for gratuitous and expensive wars of aggression or completely pointless, expensive nuclear weaponry, backloaded nuclear power plans etc. etc. Each of which dwarf MP's pay and expenses by massive factors.

Paul has made his position clear, he does not believe MP's should have any direct say on their pay rises but believes they should be linked to changes in the basic pension.
A position he should be applauded for, although I'd rather tie it to basic unemployment benefits myself, especially useful for when thatcherite types are in power.
He also made it clear that the only vote he took part in was one in which there were only two options and he chose the lesser of two you know whats.

Back to the Blog
Paul what senator was at the dinner? I'm assuming its not a secret of some kind.

[paulflynn]

Thanks Huw. I agree with all that. The Senator is from Ireland. His name is Terry Lacey. the information we had was all from informed independent sources-without a lobbyist in sight.

[paulflynn]

Jolly Roger. You have been deceived. Been reading one of those tabloids again?

the situation is this. A second home is essential for most MPs. Its running costs have long been judged to be a legitimate expense. Although it's reported again and again in the papers not a penny can be claimed to pay a mortgage - only the interest on a mortage or rent. MPs rightly have to pay their own mortgages. As Anne Widdicome say we are certain to be pilloried whatever we do.

I repeat I know of no MP who had ever heard of the John Lewis list. It was used to check claims as a MAXIMUM limit to avoid luxury spending. At no time were MPs told about the list, The first we knew was when we read it about it in the newspapers a few months ago. Would you have preferred a daily allowance which was the alternative?

There is transparency for the totals and the details will be announced but not addresses. You will be disappointed to read that I do not have a plasma TV or a pergola.

[patrick]

"Is it something that you wish to hide?"
Coming from the man that hides behind an alias.Mr Jolly anonymity! Oh dear it doesn't rhyme. Keep reading the daily mail and don't give us your real name. Publish your address and i'll even post you some tea bags.

[greg]

Caught an excellent piece on the World Service which came from Bevan's constituency, and one of the excellent points they made was that whilst the NHS has given free-at-the-point-of-care access to treatment, Bevan would most likely have been horrified to note that his constituents still have the worst measures of heath in England and Wales in terms of life expectancy, heart disease, diabetes, obesity etc.

Britain has changed since the 1940's and so has the nature of illness - vaccinations and de-industrialisation seems to mean that most of the NHS's business seems to come from lifestyle-related issues, so the monolithic 'provider' of services probably isn't suited to the 21st century. The basic jist seemed to be that If Bevan was alive today he'd be looking at a new healthcare revolution based on health and lifestyle promotion.

Nothing revolutionary and it was being taught years ago, however sounds like there's still a ways to go!

Regards

Greg

[Jolly Roger....Name and address withheld for insecurity purposes.]

A simple question to my detractors,
Who wish to be MP's benefactors.
Are you really happy to be paying
Unaudited ex'es without them saying
What exactly it's been spent upon,
From my point of view, it's simply not on.
As a pensioner, I'm subjected to scrutiny.
Means tested to the point of mutiny.

There's nothing different in Paul's expenses.
Whilst I appreciate there have to be some recompenses,
It's my money that is used to feather their nests.
And I wish to see reason for unaudited requests.
MPs are paid quite enough as it is.
And if they want more, it's certainly my biz.
Accomodation is all that is actually needed.
Not expensive homes with gardens to be weeded.

Huw describes me as 'howling in febrile rage',
Over extravagant claims in excess of the wage.
Huw, finally, has been publicly outed,
As a proponent of troughs that need to be snouted.
He muddies the waters with nuclear spending.
I thought this post was about MP's expending.
Don't worry Huw, I've posted elsewhere,
With opinions on wars and matters nuclear.

Patrick chides me for my anonymity.
Yet posts as 'patrick' with equanimity.
Double standards, our Patrick displays,
And mocks my penurious state, like he says.
He'll send me some tea-bags in exchange for my address.
Will he give his or Paul's, even less?
I have my own good reasons to remain as anonymous.
So let's just agree that Jolly Roger's eponymous.

Once again, no substansive answer from Paul.
All will be revealed, cometh the Fall.
Then we can all make a rational judgement,
Of MP's expenses with no hint of fudgement.
We'll be able to assess their levels of greed.
And make our thoughts known at the time that they plead,
For our votes to continue without a complaint,
Whilst the rest of us are told to act with restraint.

[Huw O'Sullivan]

Jolly Roger, you just sound like a griping and grasping envy eaten whiner so perhaps you could clarify your position by stating what you think an MP should be paid and what expenses if any you believe they should get. As you obviously believe currently they are allowed too much and you are the proverbial church mouse.
As far as I am concerned if they do a good job they are worth what they do get, and those that don't are not but the decision to fire or rehire is made at election time and I generally find the mass of the electorate judge most of them rather differently from me and keep electing right wing cretins and tories.

[Chris Gale]

Hilary Benn has done a great service in defence of science, decency and progressive policy making.
I note the Tories will go into the next election on a pro badger slaughter ticket, we should bring that to the attention of public in a big way.

[Jolly Roger....Name and address withheld for insecurity purposes.]

Griping, grasping, envy eaten whiner.
You flatter me Huw, with your adjectival diner.
Griping? Yep, you've got me there.
My Tax has doubled, as if you'd care.
You've probably benefited from my loss,
So therefore couldn't give a toss.
Grasping? Not a chance, my dear,
My pension's devalued year by year.

You accuse me of envy, now that's a bit thick.
When I pay for the gluttonous Prescott's sick.
Paul's monthly allowance for filling his face.
Is two-thirds my income, now that's a disgrace.
Food prices rocket without concern or pity.
Paul just charges more on his expenses chitty.
Whilst I'll concede that Paul's a little better than some.
But his vote to maintain secrecy is a pain in the bum.

You ask me how much MPs should be paid.
Not as much as they get, I'm afraid.
Many couldn't get real jobs that would pay as much.
It's their political pals that keep them in touch.
They get about three times the average wage.
And unaudited ex'es to fund their messuage.
The rest of us are simply left to the Devil.
Whilst in their homes, two and three they revel.

[paulflynn]

Thanks Chris and congratulations for all your work on the idiotic campaign for slaughter. I hope it will be announced in a statement to parliament on Monday. I will certainly be there to make a point.
If farmers were paying for the cattle losses from their own insurance, they go for a practical metods of TB control

[paulflynn]

Thanks Greg. The phone-in on Friday tried to guess what Bevan would make of the present situation.
Generally it was thought that he would apprved of many hings in Blaenau Gwent - including the new hospital that is being built of the steelworks site.
A strong case was maded for active campaigns to reduce ll-health from life style choies. Blaenau Gwent suffers greatly from problems flowing from smoking, obesity and bad diet.

As you say there is still a way to go.