Wednesday 2 November 2005

Open government? Well, open expenses.

Holyrood is acting to prevent any more "distrust":
A MAJOR overhaul of MSPs' expense claims will see every receipt and invoice published on the internet in an attempt to restore the public's battered confidence in the Scottish Parliament.
It will be fascinating to see whether taxi claims by MSPs

(a) go up,
(b) go down,
(c) remain unchanged.

Joke of the day: Will Westminster follow suit?

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

David Farrer
What is all of this Taxigate stuff? 
 
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has resigned over suggestions that he had claimed expenses for taxi trips that were for personal/party purposes and not in his capacity as an elected politician. Click on the link in Tuesday's posting for further info.

4 November 2005, 11:05:34 GMT
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dearieme
Taxigate, eh? Must be related to all those old Edinburgh street names: Cowgate, Canongate etc?

3 November 2005, 23:07:30 GMT
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dave t
Robert 
 
Cheers. Wonder if this means there will be others forced to resign....

3 November 2005, 22:13:58 GMT
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Ragnar Danashold
Thanks, man. 
 
What is all of this Taxigate stuff? As a foolish Yank (which, BTW, you don't want to say to any other southerners), I have no idea what you're talking about.

3 November 2005, 12:06:24 GMT
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Robert Seaton
Dave T,  
the Scottish parliamentary authorities are posting expenses back to 1999.

2 November 2005, 22:56:35 GMT
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Neil Craig
Westminster will not follow suit just as Westminster did not object to McLeish's sub lease. 
 
When criticising Holyrood we should bear in mind the real alternative not just an ideal alternative. 
 
Still I would be happy to see the number of MSP's cut (keep only the list ones) & drastically cut their expense accounts. The McLetchie affair proves being an MSP need not be a full time job & there is much to be said for the amateur in government.

2 November 2005, 20:10:47 GMT
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David Farrer
Ragnar, 
 
Good question. I'll do a full posting on this in the next day or two.

2 November 2005, 19:09:04 GMT
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Ragnar Danashold
Hello, David. You probley don't remember me. I'm the Marxist who posted a couple times during the summer. Well, I had a question for a Libertarian, so I figured I'd come here. 
 
If you had to choose, would you go with economic freedom (capitalism) or social freedom (indevidualism)?

2 November 2005, 18:41:07 GMT
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dave t
Can we have them backdated to 1999 so we can see just how much they DID knick before all this kerfuffle stopped the gravy train...

2 November 2005, 18:25:01 GMT