Copy of a letter I sent into the Leicester Mercury (I don’t know if it is going to be in print).
Dear Editor
I felt so upset for Conservative MP Alan Duncan having to apologise in the Leicester Mercury on the 12th May (“MP Duncan apologises over expenses”). I have some sympathy for the man, having to survive on a mere £60,000 a year plus a second home allowance. It must be terrible not to be able to afford your gardening bills for your mansion in Rutland. Just the expenses he claimed on the mortgage interest alone (£1400 a month) is more than most people have to live on. Surely paying for the upkeep of a petrol lawnmower and gardening is a reasonable Parliamentary expense? The sight of an untidy lawn could put him off his work, as he looks out of his bay windows onto his vast acreage.
Mr Duncan stated that he was the first MP to ever publish his expenses. He is completely wrong in this. Dave Nellist, MP for Coventry South, lived on the average wage of a skilled worker (he got the shop stewards in local car factory to work it out) from 1983 to 1992.He donated the rest to different causes and published accounts to show where the money went. Mr Nellist is standing as a No2EU Yes to Democracy candidate in the West Midlands in the European elections, and all the candidates for this party still pledge not to take the inflated wages of Brussels bureaucrats, who can be millionaires within 5 years, all at our expense.
Please pass on my condolences to Mr Duncan. However, it is time that the sleazy fat cats who represent us in Parliament and in Brussels were chucked out of office and replaced with elected representatives on a workers’ wage.
Sent on behalf of the Leicester No2EU Yes to Democracy campaign.
Andrew Walton
Andrew Walton's Blog 
May 17, 2009 at 11:51 am |
Dave Nellist was, I think, acting in a conscious imitation of the Communards (not the Jimmy Somerville band), as I wrote in the Morning Star piece – unlike Alan Duncan who was acting in a conscious imitation of Alan B’Stard -hope they publish your letter because waving the flag of the left in the face of this scandal v imp .
May 17, 2009 at 4:00 pm |
My letter was published in the Mercury – yes, I agree that it is very important the far right do not gain from this. In Leicester, the Socialist Party is working with the Indian Workers’ Association and the Communist Party of Britain to try to spread the word.
May 17, 2009 at 2:05 pm |
“However, it is time that the sleazy fat cats who represent us in Parliament and in Brussels were chucked out of office and replaced with elected representatives on a workers’ wage.”
That indeed would be one of the biggest steps they could make to get to a true representative democracy. Doubt it’ll happen though.
May 17, 2009 at 3:56 pm |
We can chuck them out ourselves through the ballot paper if enough of us build the socialist alternative.
May 17, 2009 at 2:51 pm |
Did you see the cracking video on YouTube of those chaps sneaking into his back garden and rather mutilating a small part of it because he claimed so much money to have his garden done? I thought that was bloody hilarious.
It’s good to see some other SP people to give PhilBC a run for his money! I’ve blogrolled you.
May 17, 2009 at 4:02 pm |
Yes the video is hilarious! Brilliant and courageous stunt.
May 17, 2009 at 6:22 pm |
Good on you for getting the letter published.
May 19, 2009 at 9:13 am |
Indeed Dave – the more SP bloggers the better!
May 21, 2009 at 10:26 am |
Excellent letter Drew, we are sending similar letters to the local press in Nuneaton. Needs to be done as the national press like to ignore NO2EU and Dave Nellist at the moment. Before the elections and the ‘big story’ on expenses Dave Nellist was on various national radio stations now they won’t interview him as he’s a election candidate!