Financial Meltdown

[derick]

^^ANY party would be better than this lot. I mean that our only option is Conservative, and I think they have a lot of work to do before the next election.

 

Na, dey ir idder options.

 

http://www.snp.org/

[Skunnered]

^^Well that's very true, for Scotland anyway.

It strikes me as a bit ironic that Labour got in at Westminster last time mainly on the back of the number of Scottish MPs that were voted in. Then at the first opportunity Scotland dump Labour out of the Scottish Parliament, leaving poor old England with a Labour government that they didn't really vote for!

[Medziotojas]

 

Owners of capital will stimulate working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable.

The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalized, and State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to communism.

 

— Karletto Marx, 1867

[KOYAANISQATSI]

^The man was obviously some kind of conspiracy nut.

 

Even George Soros seems to be spouting the exact same jargon the "kooks" have been warning of.

 

Soros also said the U.S. dollar is under pressure and may eventually be replaced as a world reserve currency, possibly by the IMF's Special Drawing Rights, a synthetic currency basket comprising dollars, euros, yen and sterling.

 

"In the long run, having an international accounting unit other than the dollar may be to our advantage," Soros said.

 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/bankingfinancial-SP/idUKN0638646120090406

 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Reserve said it was teaming up with the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Swiss National Bank and the Bank of Japan to get foreign currency liquidity to U.S. financial companies.

 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUKTRE5353Z520090406

 

So, who wants to bet 5 tins of beans, that the er5e doesn't fall right out of it before next september and they get a good old voucher system going?

[trout]

Make comparison in how the current climate of "MP's Expenses" matches against the psyche of how the Labour run FSA "oversaw" the banking industry in the last wee while!

[tlady]

I have to admit i'd rather labour than the conservative.

 

Although that's like saying I prefer eating mud to excrement.

 

 

Perfect

[Colin]

Maybe I've missed something in passing (not unusual) but I'm puzzled that when Nick Leeson got lifted he ended up being jailed for fraud, bad trading judgements etc.

 

Why hasn't anyone been put in the frame for the current fiasco?

Is it because the sheer number of 'Nick Leesons' would cripple the prison system?

[paulb]

that's a good point he was only trying to correct a mistake not take anything. Its very smelly when a mp for luton claims for a second home in Southampton.

 

We learn its her partners home of 30 years. Now as this is a government handout for costs related to the persons job related costs not for her to have a sex life with her partner. Sorry they have had 30 years to become a family unit if after all that time they cant be bothered then we should not be paying.

 

i know that i refuse to except that these costs a moral or legal. If these people who make our laws can't keep to the correct moral position of using these extras for the purpose they were intended then they lose our trust.

They are thieves as much as the guy who would raid your bank account if given the chance. Shame on them.

[paulb]

Seems the Scots are as bent as the English.

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/-Expenses-row-engulfs-Salmond.5251842.jp

800 for food when he was not at Westminster. over a grand for a bed. rip off culture.

He took part in less than 10% of the votes. So we must assume that he was there for less than 10% of the time.

The figures show Salmond took part in nine per cent of votes - the lowest rate of any Scottish MP - in 2007-8. He made seven speeches and tabled 33 questions.

 

these are what they can get and as it seems they like milking the system then we must assume that they get most of it.

 

With effect from April 2008Members' Parliamentary Salary£61,820

Staffing Allowance £100, 205*

Incidental Expenses Provision (IEP)£22,193

IT equipment (centrally provided)[worth circa £3,000]

Pension provision for Members' staffGroup Stakeholder Arrangement

London Supplement£2,916

Additional Costs Allowance£24,006

Communications Allowance£10,400

Winding up Allowance£40,799 (maximum - one third of staffing provision plus IEP)

Car MileageFirst 10,000 miles40p per mile

In excess of 10,000 miles25p per mile

Motorcycle allowance24p per mile

Bicycle allowance20p per mile*

So alex is getting the above

then he is getting

Office/Post Basic salary Plus MSP Salary7 Total salary as abated8

MSP £40,092 * £13,364

Presiding Officer £33,360 £73,452 £46,724

Deputy Presiding Officer

(x2)

£17,305 £57,397 £30,669

First Minister £64,308 £104,400 £77,672

Junior Scottish Minister £17,305 £57,397 £30,669

Lord Advocate £43,585 £83,677 £56,949

Solicitor General for

Scotland

£31,515 £71,607 £44,879

Other members of

Scottish Executive

£33,360 £73,452 £46,724

 

so he gets £61,820 +104,400 + expenses So he earns over 165000 a year and he needs to have us buy him a bed.

now if he was on the dole he would be given a loan. If the same poor person had a house that was falling down there are schemes that take a portion of there house to fix it up How odd that these morally superior folks struggle. Bless them.

[JustMe]

This is not an anti Alec Salmond posting but it is very much an anti people sitting in two Parliaments post. Surely it is morally wrong for an MSP also to be a Westminster MP?. Both are full time jobs so how can he do both properly?. Seems there is no law against it but maybe it is time there was such a law.

 

Question then would be just how far such a law goes. Would our councillors be banned from holding extra posts and if so how far would such a limit go?

[Medziotojas]

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/1050/contstructionworkersweb.jpg

[Para Handy]

^^^^ Has somebody being spying on the council then

[Styumpie]

that picture does seem like a pretty accurate representation of the council

[derick]

This is not an anti Alec Salmond posting but it is very much an anti people sitting in two Parliaments post. Surely it is morally wrong for an MSP also to be a Westminster MP?. Both are full time jobs so how can he do both properly?. Seems there is no law against it but maybe it is time there was such a law.

 

Question then would be just how far such a law goes. Would our councillors be banned from holding extra posts and if so how far would such a limit go?

I am not sure that being a Westmidden MP is actually a full time job? - given that backbench MP's at that Illustrious Place have virtually no power, they are not much more than glorified social workers. On the other hand, Alex is in a fairly good position to represent his Banff & Buchan constituents, what with being First Minister.

 

Donald Dewar and Jim Wallace also sat in both parliaments - Wallace was absent from Westminster for 749 days after entering Holyrood - basically never went back.

 

That said, I don't think people should sit in more than one parliament. But then I think that as soon as possible NO Scottish MP's should sit in Westmidden.

 

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/jul/10/scotland.devolution

Alex Salmond set up a charitable trust in June 2007, funded by his MSPs salary.

 

The Mary Salmond Charitable Trust

Established by the Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, and administered by three independent Trustees. Chaired by Aberdeen Solicitor and Fishing Industry leader Roddy McColl, and include Harry Rankin, (practicing Chartered Accountant) and Elizabeth Wallace, (Managing Director of Family Mediation Grampian).

 

The Trust is named in honour of Mr Salmond's late mother who spent her lifetime helping community organisations, particularly the Girl Guide movement.

 

What is the funding for? Provide financial assistance to both individuals and community organisations, within the Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray area. In particular :

 

* The regeneration of communities, specifically the urban and rural communities.

* Organisations which support young people, through promotion, training, education, civic responsibility and volunteering for the benefit of the public.

* Anything else which could be perceived as the same as the above two bullet points above.

 

How much money is available? Maximum of £500, can be awarded for one - off grants for either capital or revenue costs for specific purposes.

 

Who can apply?

Local community and youth groups, within the wider geographical area of North East Grampian, (Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, and Moray).

 

When to apply 1st deadline specified 7 December 2007, 2008 - February, May, August and November.

(The trustees meet every 3 months).

How to apply

Applications can only be made in writing, to:

The Mary Salmond Trust

Messrs McColl and Associates Ltd

11 Burns Road

ABERDEEN

[sheepshagger]

On the other hand, Alex is in a fairly good position to represent his Banff & Buchan constituents, what with being First Minister.

 

as first minister that is not his job, as a msp for B&B it is, are you saying he is incapable of seperating the two?

with your intimate knowledge of uncle eck are you saying that is his position?

 

as for the rest of your post that is nothing more than a PR exercise, with £300 quid a day for pies at westminster, his msp salary is small change.