Tuesday, October 13, 2009

First Minister Alex Salmond acts decisively in expenses scandal



















Dear All

Scottish people expect the SNP to lead the way and set an example, it therefore comes as no surprise that all SNP MPs have accepted the recommendations of Sir Thomas Legg without a qualm.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is to be chinned for £700 following the independent audit of MPs' expenses.

Mr Salmond had claimed the £710.88 for removal costs when he gave up his rented London flat in 2007 which sounds reasonable enough.

On top of that Mr. Salmond has been asked for further information on £2,610 claimed for hotel stays.

That information will be sent promptly by the First Minister as requested.

The party which has seven MPs said, six of its seven either had to repay money or had been asked to give further details.

John Mason MP for Glasgow East hasn’t been asked to repay a single penny.

What the entire SNP group will pay back is less than a single Labour MP, in this case Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is tagged for £12,000.

When questioned about the situation, Mr Salmond said;

"My response is: I'll pay it. When you call in a referee, then you accept the referee's verdict”.

However down the road at the Labour Party camp there is talk about possible legal challenges, they don’t want to pay back a penny.

The SNP is now the only party which has far fully disclosed which of its MPs is to repay expenses.

Perth and Perthshire North MP Pete Wishart has been asked to repay £1,632.

Moray MP Angus Robertson is repaying £1,217.

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie is repaying £379 for hotel costs claimed in February 2009 when his flat flooded and was uninhabitable.

Of all the claims of claw back, Stewart Hosie I feel has been a little hard done by but he is accepting the decision of Sir Thomas Legg.

Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil is repaying a partial council tax bill of £133.

The SNP took a lead in the expenses scandal so it is only natural that they have taken the lead when an independent assessor makes a decision.

As for the Labour Party, they are as sick as parrots and the bad publicity is still to come for individual Labour MPs.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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