Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Shamed MEPs take the money
With all the focus on MPs in the last three weeks it has been forgotten just how bad members of the European Parliament have been at keeping themselves in check. The goings on in Brussels make Westminster appear a paragon of transparency and accountability.
This morning's Times makes the point for me very well with an item reporting that three politicians accused of misusing public money will receive hundreds of thousands of pounds in pensions and benefits as part of a £20 million payoff for British MEPs who retire this week. Ironically, given the fact that they appear to be the recipients of thousands of votes from people protesting at sleaze, two of these MEPs are members of UKIP:
• Ashley Mote, the former UKIP MEP who was jailed for benefit fraud, has a pension worth £174,968 and will receive a transitional payment of £32,382. He is in his seventies and can draw the final-salary pension immediately.
• Tom Wise, the former UKIP MEP who faces trial for fraud and money-laundering related to his expenses, has a pension valued at £235,000 and will get a £32,382 transitional payment.
The other shamed MEP who will benefit is Den Dover, who was expelled from the Conservative Party for gross misconduct after claiming £500,000 in “unjustified expenses”, has a pension valued at £235,000 and will receive a “transitional allowance” of £59,367.
Let us hope that voters take note of this as well when they cast their vote on Thursday.
This morning's Times makes the point for me very well with an item reporting that three politicians accused of misusing public money will receive hundreds of thousands of pounds in pensions and benefits as part of a £20 million payoff for British MEPs who retire this week. Ironically, given the fact that they appear to be the recipients of thousands of votes from people protesting at sleaze, two of these MEPs are members of UKIP:
• Ashley Mote, the former UKIP MEP who was jailed for benefit fraud, has a pension worth £174,968 and will receive a transitional payment of £32,382. He is in his seventies and can draw the final-salary pension immediately.
• Tom Wise, the former UKIP MEP who faces trial for fraud and money-laundering related to his expenses, has a pension valued at £235,000 and will get a £32,382 transitional payment.
The other shamed MEP who will benefit is Den Dover, who was expelled from the Conservative Party for gross misconduct after claiming £500,000 in “unjustified expenses”, has a pension valued at £235,000 and will receive a “transitional allowance” of £59,367.
Let us hope that voters take note of this as well when they cast their vote on Thursday.
Comments:
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Den Dover surely is the discredited (ex)Tory, soon to be ex-MEP.
Ben Dover is - I am told - a well-known producer of pornographic films.
Mmmmmm.
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Ben Dover is - I am told - a well-known producer of pornographic films.
Mmmmmm.
# posted by 
: 6:08 PM
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