Expenses

[andrewducker]

For those people upset at the recent MP expenses scandal, you might find it amusing that in Scotland the MSPs expenses are all publishing online in a handy searchable format:

http://mspallowances.scottish.parliament.uk/MSPAllowances/

If only we'd had that for the UK government...

Comments

[pisica.livejournal.com]

OUTRAGE! My MSP spent #3.72 on 'Meeting Expenses Tea, Coffee, Biscuits'! And yet the last time he popped into the village he did not bring any biscuits! And nearly #100 for 'fire safety signs'? That's it, I'm voting BNP!

That's actually very cool; thanks for the link.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

I happened to be in Scotland when this information first started to be published and I remember the front pages of the tabloids were full of horror stories about MSPs spending a couple of hundred quid on taxis. Doesn't really compare, does it?

[nuttyxander.livejournal.com]

On the other hand this was in the wake of the then leader of Scottish Tories leaving in a scandal over taxi fares. It was only after the era of openness that it was realised just how rife his loose practices were.

[zz]

Didn't we lose a first minister or few due to accounting irregularities? Presumably this started after that? So perhaps Westminster will have the same thing in the not too distant future.

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

Henry McLeish resigned over expenses, but not claimed from the Scottish Parliament, it was over expenses he claimed whilst an MP at Westminster a few years previously.

Wendy Alexander, who was leader of the Scottish Labour Party also resigned, but that was over party donations.

[the-gardener.livejournal.com]

a handy searchable format

But I note that you have to search from the top down: pick the MSP, then the year, then the category... Supposing you wanted to start from the bottom; all purchases, say, of something agreeably naughty for their mistresses or partners?

[andrewducker]

Then choose a year, but don't select any other parameters...

[nuttyxander.livejournal.com]

I had a play with this a few years ago and spotted that Charlie Gordon's website expenses looked odd. Took ages for the story to break properly.