A Big Ah! for The Relatives of Mp’s

Image by ** Maurice ** via Flickr

This Week in the news, one of the biggest scandals in British history raised its ugly head again. It was the Expenses Scandal that not only rocked Westminster but the British public, although many were not surprised of the arrogance and cheek of some of our Members of Parliament claiming idiotic expenses. Such claims as duck huts for their ponds, wages for relatives who haven’t done anything, even pornography for their obviously dissatisfied spouses and naming but a few others fictional claims have lost our trust forever.

The enquiry into the staffing of relatives, like having your son work on your garden or your wife as your secretary as well as many other relationships, has demonstrated the gravy train at its worst. It is no wonder the British public are going to turn against Members of Parliament as well as the political system as a whole.

Now it has been announced that family run businesses in Parliament e.g. MP and Secretary or manager is to be dissolved. Many of their family and friends may sympathise with them, as it is an awful experience to find one out of work so a big sympathetic ah for the eventual unemployed relatives of the establishment.

However, everyday there are many who turn up and find they are no longer required and face the scrap heap of the unemployed. They are either up to their necks in debt or haven’t enough to feed their families and facing the bailiffs. The MP’s relatives have five years to find another job and are well off with their spouse’s salary alone, which are to reach up to £100,000 annually. I have semi-retired and in my full working career would have taken many years to get this amount.

I feel there are too many MPs in Parliament in Westminster and I wonder what the House of Lords are for. What do they do and what do they do for the amount of sleeping they do in their seats? Do the Royals bring in the amount of revenue into the country to warrant their salaries? At least many of these that are past the retirement age can look forward to a comfortable retirement, while many whose pensions have dwindled will end up penniless.