Chaos In Brown's Big Brother House

Chaos descended on the commons as the muddy waters of MPs' mirky expenses were swamped in a mire of meaningless mayhem, after deluded Brown's foolish attempt to stamp his lost authority on parliament, the Party and the people ended in another climbdown.

Putting his authority on the line and with the anti-sleaze watchdog boss already telling him to stick his expenses, the dead man walking had already lost the debate, lost the plot and the Party has lost the will to live.

MPs want this sordid mess settled before facing the wrath of voters on the doorstep and are looking to the independence of the watchdog to get themselves out of the mess and off the hook.

But instead, in a remarkable act of self-deluded grandeur, Brown urged MPs to show "some humility" over expenses claims but showed none himself.

Already smarting from his foolish YouTube video, his smiley plan to pay MP's a fat-cat bonus for turning up for work was doomed from the start.

So up popped his house cheerleader, Harriet Harman, to announce the government now supported the bright idea for MPs to hold their fire until the independent review had been published. As for the per diem forget it.

That led many to ask: What's the point of continuing with the farce? Why do we need Brown's vote on piddling interim odds and ends? Why the sudden rush to close that review down? What have they got to hide?

U-turns, climbdowns and showdowns are one thing but after yesterday's humiliating defeat at the hands of the Gurkhas, a second thumping was well out of order.

The threat had come from a Tory amendment to hold fire until the outcome of a review by the committee on standards in public life, headed by Sir Christopher Kelly, who'se already crossed swords with Brown on the issue.

Forced to face up to reality and instead of getting a deserved kicking, Brown and his bunch of ministers and pay-roll MPs were forced into a second climbdown in 24 hours. New Labour did the honourable thing and caved in.

Brown and his ministers wants the whole scandal closed down with a firm lid before the full horror of all MPs receipts are laid bare in July and, even with the crucial bits blanked out, the proverbial hits the fan. Too right they do.

What horror stories will emerge? Who's dirty washing will be hung out in public? Who's been fiddling away in their two homes with a taxpayer-funded lavish lifestyle? Who's been having it away on an awayday at the taxpayers expense? Who'll be forced to resign in shame?

As the storm clouds gathered over parliament, Brown's future was in the balance and MPs trotted rapidly into the realms of "utter lunacy" over per diem, the Tories were quick to carpe diem:

"This is a clear acknowledgement from the Government that the tide of opinion is running against it. The situation has confused backbench MPs on all sides who clearly feel that the Government is tying itself in knots on this issue."

This shamed government had already been brought crashing to its knees by the Gurkhas as a feared alliance of Tories, LibDems and backbench Labour MPs threw out minister's indecent plans and cast further doubts on Brown's authority and grip on power.

Today beleaguered Brown simply avoided a battle to avoided defeat but he's already lost the war.

Confused? You are not alone. What will today's shambles mean for the scandal of MPs' expenses? Not a lot. How will it all end? In tears.

Picture: Front cover, Private Eye

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Only A Disguise Will Stop Public Ridicule

Two million on the dole, a home secretary fiddling expenses, Brown sucking up to City pals refusing to budge on bonuses while his favourite banker is fingered for sacking a whistleblower, the country in deep recession. Who'd want to be seen as a New Labour MP? 

Public anger over bankers, jobs and the government's economic mess is turning to ridicule but ministers still bury their heads in the sand.

Today Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, told voters what they can see and feel all around them -  the UK is facing a deep recession. It's a sorry state of affairs but unlike the greedy bankers, no-one in government has the guts to say sorry.

Blair's ex-deputy, John Prescott's on-line battle of the bonuses may be capturing the mood of the nation but more importantly it's reflecting the anger and frustration of backbench Labour MPs. 

Brown needs to get a grip and stop the dithering. Just say what everyone wants to hear - bonuses must be scrapped when the taxpayer is a shareholder in any bank. 

He won't because he can't. The whole New Labour project was based on the fundamental flaw of sucking up to the City to keep them sweet and the government in power. 

Labour's born-again working-class hero, Prescott, was happy to go along for the ride if that meant power and glory. Those days are long gone. Now voters are deserting in droves and Tories and LibDems can outflank the government when the public's on their side. 

The sorry sight of the former bankers' mumbled and staged outburst of remorse before the commons treasury committee left voters cold. 

The Orange Party dozed off watching a pointless and carefully managed PR charade unfold but woke when the finger pointed at Brown, as three of the four guilty men lorded it up with their Ks and Ps on full view - all thanks to their government pals. Failure now brought ample rewards in the past. 

But it's Brown's close ties with his knighted economic advisor, Sir James Crosby, which struck at the heart of the problem, when former HBOS head of risk, Paul Moore revealed he was fired by Crosby, then the bank's CEO, after repeatedly warning about the bleedin' obvious. 

On top of all that unemployment is at a monumental high since New Labour grabbed power and two homes Smith is praying her homes scam will go away before it blows the lid off government sleaze and corruption. 

Today at PMQs Cameron has a chance on so many fronts to prove that he really is the true Mr Angry and Brown's reported "anger" is just part of the Downing Street spin. 

So what can New Labour MPs do? Backbench MP, Frank Field, has an answer: "This anger is likely to be such that the only way that Labour MPs will be able to go out in public will be in heavy disguise - such will be the public ridicule."

UPDATE 11.46am: Brown's buddy, Sir James Crosby, has quit as deputy chairman of the useless Financial Services Authority, just minutes before Cameron could get really angry, during PMQs. Did he jump or was he pushed?

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Who Will Rid Us Of Corrupt Ministers?

Revelations of two homes secretary Smith's  shameful fiddling of MPs' expenses isn't going away, despite the best efforts of government to play it down and hardly a whimper from the Tories. But the bleatings centre on a 'morally dubious' practice. This squalid corrupt sham should be stamped on and stamped out. 

The double standards of greedy government ministers was laid bare on the Today programme this morning, with treasury minister, Yvette Cooper, having the barefaced cheek to talk about the moral duty of bankers and their obscene bonuses. 

That's the same Cooper who along with hubby Ed was let off the hook over their second homes fiddle and John Humphrys to his credit was in like a shot and having none of it. 

Cooper launched into the defence that she and Balls, like Smith hadn't broken any rules and were only claiming what they were entitled to. What utter nonsense. 

Smith has been caught out using  MPs' homes expenses in a squalid rip-off at the taxpayers' expense along with Balls and Cooper. No wonder Brown made such a monumental balls up when the vexed issue of MPs' expenses was raised in the commons. 

Brown's favourite cabinet couple, Ed Balls and wife Yvette Cooper claimed they had been able to "maximise" their taxpayer-funded second homes allowances, by claiming their London home was their main home.

The same trick the home secretary Jacqui Smith used, claiming her West Midlands family home is her second home, while lodging with her sister in London and claiming that is her first home. 

If that's not cabinet corruption, it's difficult to know what is.

Cynics argue that the Tories are keeping their heads down because they're certainly not whiter than white but that misses the point entirely.

Conservative MPs are just that, MPs, with only a small group paid to do the job of challenging the government. It's the same argument that doesn't hold water when Brown attacks the Tories as the 'do nothing party'. What can they do? They're not the government - yet. 

An MP fiddling expenses is one thing. But the tight cabal of cabinet ministers and pay-roll MPs is the government. On the one hand politically posturing with righteous statements and on the other milking the system for all it's worth at the taxpayers expense. 

"Morally dubious practice" for sure, but ministers on the take is nothing short of a commons scam.

Guido has the tip of one 'anti-corruption group', the Centre for Open Politics, now lodging a formal complaint about Smith's expenses fiddle, raising the interesting but totally unrealistic prospect of a police investigation into the home secretary. 

That's a start but it needs a political heavy weight to demand formal commons action, if this squalid matter isn't going to fizzle out all together. 

Yesterday the Orange Party made the point that in any other circumstances ministers caught playing these dirty tricks would be forced to resign but with ministers now so wrapped up in their own arrogance and self-interest and with the full backing of Brown, it seems anyone in a position of power caught fiddling expenses can easily ride out the storm.

And that leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth.

UPDATE: Tory leader, David Cameron, has warned that Smith "may have to answer some questions" about her expenses, which is probably as far as Mr Angry will go on this one.

Picture: Tractor Stats

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Scandal Of Second Homes Secretary Smith

The chickens are coming home to roost for greedy government ministers, with the home secretary now caught shamefully fiddling commons expenses, claiming her West Midlands family home is her second home, while lodging with her sister in London and claiming that is her first home. 

The Mail on Sunday claims home secretary, Jacqui Smith, has received £116,000 in allowances while lodging at her sister’s house. This is on top of the taxpayer-funded security, which the paper puts at around £200,000 a year. 

The revelations are the latest to hit the home secretary who also clams £40,000 a year for parliamentary assistant husband, Richard Timney, who was caught out writing glowing free puffs for his wife in the local newspaper, without disclosing the family connection. 

The Mail reports Smith claims the maximum parliamentary second-home allowance, currently a tax-free £24,006 a year on the detached house in her West Midlands constituency, where her husband and two young children live and which she bought for £300,000 five years ago.

Smith claims she has done nothing wrong and her spokeswoman said "Jacqui has documentation to prove that everything is completely above board. It has been cleared by the Commons Fees Office". But the Orange Party is at a loss to understand whether this office scrutinises and clears expenses claims or merely makes a note of them.

Smith is not the first cabinet minister to be caught using their MPs' homes expenses in a squalid rip-off at the taxpayers' expense. 

Brown's favourite cabinet couple, Ed Balls and wife Yvette Cooper were let off the hook  after it was claimed they had been able to "maximise" their taxpayer-funded second homes allowances, by claiming their London home was their main home.

Once again it exposes the "morally dubious practice" of ministers on the take in what is nothing short of a commons scam.

The Orange Party could never understand how Smith suddenly popped up from nowhere and was handed the poisoned chalice of home secretary in the first place, when she stands no chance of holding onto her Redditch seat at the next general election. 

Since taking the powerful position, Smith has been snapped in a bullet-proof vest on the streets of London with armed police officers to show the streets are safe, while her political advisor has been slammed by a commons watchdog after ordering the release of misleading crime figures. 

At the same time as pushing through hugely distasteful and expensive ID cards, her department found time to get involved with the heavy mob's unwarranted raid on the commons offices of opposition spokesman, Damian Green. 

In other circumstances ministers caught playing these dirty tricks would be forced to resign but with ministers now so wrapped up in their own arrogance and self-interest and with the full backing of Brown, it seems anyone in a position of power caught fiddling expenses can easily ride out the storm. 

Picture: Tractor Stats

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Brown Climbs Down On Expenses Disgrace

The national disgrace of MPs' expenses has forced Brown and his commons leader, Harriet Harman, to back-track on their potty plans. But why did Brown order his troops to vote for Harman's law in the first place? 

Even the Palace of Plenty was starting to see sense, with Tories and LibDems firmly coming out against a new law exempting MPs' expenses from the Freedom of Information Act (FoI).

The 'John Lewis list' and second homes allowances caused outrage among many MPs, let alone the public but Harman planned a new law to limit information on allowable commons expenses. 

As the recession bites deeper, the grotesque contrast between the harsh world of ordinary folk struggling in the economic crisis and the cosy comfort of the political elite, is most evident in the closeted world of MPs and their lifestyles.

People are tightening their belts but MPs' generous expenses system allows them to squander taxpayers' cash on furniture and home improvements. 

No wonder Harman was accused of creating one law for the rich MPs and another for the poor rest of us. 

Coming to a head in a confused commons during PMQs, where Brown apparently promised a free vote, MPs were told later that Downing Street had pulled the plug on Harman's beleaguered bill altogether, so the government will not be forcing a vote on it tomorrow.

Brown may have seen off a humiliating commons defeat which wouldn't have stood a chance of getting through the House of Lords anyway but the questions still remain. 

Why were ministers so set on an exemption in the first place? What sordid little secrets and embarrassing details were hidden away in their receipts? What indeed did they have to hide? Now presumably the people who pay their wages, the taxpayers, will soon find out. 

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