Ranty Friday — Maria Miller

Well you didn’t think a Ranty Friday would go past without me mentioning Maria Miller did you?    I have to say I have been appalled by the way she has behaved recently.   I haven’t followed the entire saga and know all the ins and outs but what I do know about makes me properly rage.

I have always said that it is not the fact a mistake happens, it is how it is handled afterwards that matters.   Be that the wrong pizza being delivered or you get caught fiddling your expenses.    Maria Miller claims it was a mistake that she claimed for £45,000.   Easy mistake to make, I am sure.   <raises an eyebrow>   What happened next though was despicable.

Rumours of her putting pressure on a journalist to not publish stories ( I say rumour, I have no proof this happened and have to be careful I am not sued).   Of ignoring what a committee recommended etc.    Of pretty much arguing and being obstinate over the entire affair.   Of giving a 30 second apology in the House of Commons where the apology was to the committee and not to anybody else.  And made only because it was requested.   Not because it came from the heart.

Not repaying the whole amount.

We address our MPs as the “Right Honourable”.   How can that now be said of Maria Miller?  Nothing is right nor honourable about her.

I saw a great tweet that went along the lines of:

Borrow £45,000 from Wonga, repay £50,000

Borrown £45,000 from a Credit Union, repay £45,250

Borrow £45,000 from Parliament, repay £5,000

Maria Miller’s house in Wimbledon is designated as the second home.   Yet it would appear to be that is where the family lived.  The children educated nearby.   That is not a second home, is it?  That is THE home.   I know many families who have a second home, they are not where the family base themselves or educate their children.

How can that home then be sold and the profit from the sale be kept?  When it amounts to £1.2 million.   How can that be possible?  Or right?   I am not suggesting that Maria Miller did anything wrong in this regard, it is the system that allows that.

Well you know what?  I think this whole second home thing stinks.   Many many people commute to work, and pay for that out of their salaries.  Mr B in fact drives to work, parks where it is free and then cycles the last mile whatever the weather.   Whatever the time.

People argue that Parliament sits late.  Why?  Why do they do that still?  And okay, so they sit late and an MP for say Cumbria doesn’t finish work until 2am, put him up in a Travel Lodge over night.   I am sure if we worked out what it would cost MPs to stay in a Travel Lodge or have an Addison Lee account (other hotel and taxi companies are available) the cost would be a damn sight less than what we are paying out now.

The whole system is wrong.

As is the fact that we can vote an MP in but we can’t vote them out.

Nothing has made me more angry lately than this.   Nothing.    Not even finding we had no bread yesterday when our shiny new toaster arrived.

THAT’s how angry Maria Miller makes me

*shakes fist in the direction of Basingstoke*


pic credit The Telegraph

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  • I’ve always said they should have university style dorms.
    They get allocated an ensuite room for the duration of parliament.
    They then shouldn’t have to pay commuting costs.
    They can already have subsidised food from the on site restaurant.
    No need for a second home.
    No need to claim train or airfares.
    No need to claim for restaurant bills.

    I don’t understand why the government havent already done something like this.

  • Totally with you! There should be a travel lodge style accommodation for those who need to stay over not flashy apartments and houses! There is no excuse for this appalling behaviour and the amount is irrelevant – 50p or £50k the fact is that she stole money from the public purse ad let down the people who voted her into power! All the MP’s caught doing this should have been immediately dismissed and a by election held – and they shouldn’t be allowed to stand again! Like you – it makes my blood boil! There are people within walking distance of her “second home” going to bed at night hungry because they can’t feed their families and hundreds of people sleeping on the streets because they haven’t even got a first home! She should be be bloody ashamed of herself! I’ll go back to my cuppa now and calm down – sorry x x x

  • Oh I get so damned annoyed also, to use a 5* hotel would be cheaper in the long run also then the extra money could be used for the essentials such as education and health which they all proclaim to support they need to stop being greedy and see the bottom line x

  • Things like this make me really mad, I mean its stealing No?
    If joe public stole 45’000 we would surely have the book throw at us!

  • Going on from there , why didn’t she commute to London , it’s not far , and lots of people do that journey by train every day ! What made me shout at the tv was the fact that she was TOLD to apologise to The House ?!! Not to the US ! Not much of an apology either ! Arrogant woman .Then she’s going to get a pay-off of £17K ???? AGH…

    and don’t start me off on the single-tier state pension……. which current pensioners and those who retire before the date it’s introduced aren’t eligible for ! So, how can it be a ”single-tier” pension when there will be TWO separate state pension systems running along side each other , let alone the cost ! My local MP, when I challenged him said it was because the government can’t afford to pay all pensioners the higher amount ! Isn’t that discriminating against current pensioners ?
    THEN we get offered a scheme in which current pensioners can purchase up to an extra £25 a week to raise our state pension . It differs depending upon one’s age, but, for a young pensioner looking at wanting to buy an extra £25 a week they’d have to pay the government a one off (approx) £22.500 within the next year to eighteen months !! So, you’d have to live for close on 18 years to just break even ! No good for anyone in poor health or without the chunk of spare money here and now ! Whatever happened to fairness ?