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Friday, 4 April, 2008

  • Newsnight
  • 4 Apr 08, 05:16 PM

Zimbabwe
zim203x100.jpgAt the time of writing Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party has just endorsed President Robert Mugabe for a runoff vote against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai if neither wins an absolute majority in a presidential election. We'll have the latest from Zimbabwe.

Money and power
Does Britain have the best politics money can buy? We've been finding out what MPs have been spending our money on.

Masters of the Universe
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has spent some of today on Wall Street talking to some of the world's top money makers. Does he emerge with any better grasp of what is going wrong on the markets and what can be done about it? David Grossman reports from New York.

Comments  Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 11:41 PM on 04 Apr 2008,
  • Steve Lord wrote:

If I could vote for Lord Snape (which of course I cannot as he is not elected) then I most definitely would not. If he wants a "steam iron" then he can damn well pay for it himself

  • 2.
  • At 11:52 PM on 04 Apr 2008,
  • Steve Lord wrote:

If I could vote for Lord Snape (which I cannot as he is not elected) then I most definitely would not. If he wants a new "steam iron" then he can damn well pay for it himself

Mugabe will not stand down as he and his evil henchmen will face a trial at the Hague for crimes against humanity.
He will force a second election then kill and intimidate voters.
Why don't the UN act to save my country?
Is it because it has no oil?

help us get rid of Mugabe and his reign of pure terror.

  • 4.
  • At 11:52 PM on 05 Apr 2008,
  • John Barnes wrote:

Pamans inteview withe the ZIM ambassador to the UN the other night was pathetic.

When faced with the ludicrous stance of the ambassador Paxo just said "are you joking?"

Paxo failed to mention Zimbabwe has the world's highest rate of inflation at more than 100,000 percent, chronic food and fuel shortages and 80 percent unemployment.

A quarter of the population has fled abroad,and Mugabe tortures oponents and massaacred the Matabele tribe.

Does Paxo know anything? Or do his researchers not tell him anything?

  • 5.
  • At 02:19 AM on 06 Apr 2008,
  • Peter Dewar-Finch wrote:

MONEY AND POWER

It is a withering insult and a slap in the face to the British Electorate that those rogue MPs who do not want to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act over how THEY spend OUR money, have the temerity to fight to cover their squandering of tax payers money. It is not some remote committee demanding to know how the money is used, it is the British public. In these trying times they MUST account for themselves, or face the possibility of forced resignations.

The public are not exempted from the Freedom of Information Act, so neither should MP’s be. Either that, or the Legislation should be scrapped and the Act repealed.

What disgusts me is that there is no regulated table of legitimate Parliamentary expenses. Travel to work abroad on behalf of the government or H.M Opposition, a mortgage for a second home in London and that kind of thing I see as legitimate expenses, but I DON’T count payment of TV Licence fees, Dry Cleaning bills, decorating bills, paying a daily cleaner, grocery shopping, restaurant bills, and other day to day expenses as legitimate expenses for the Tax payer to pay. Each M.P should pay these normal day to day living expenses out of his wages, - as we ALL have to in the real world out here!

Heaven knows they are paid enough!

It’s no wonder that we voters accuse MP’s of living in Ivory Towers. They are out of touch with reality! It is unfair to expect the ordinary man or woman in the street to pay for everything out of our often meagre wages. There are old age pensioners, and others, who often have to make a choice between eating to live, or heating their houses, whilst M.P’s and ministers are ‘living the life of Riley’, living it up at OUR expense. This has GOT TO STOP!!!

Further to that:

The House of Lords has been reformed, it is high time that the House of Commons is now reformed. Not only should every member report to his constituents on his expenses, but the House of Commons should itself be reduced in number by ONE THIRD to save the country excessive expenses and to reflect the modern world of improved communication, ease of travel and ease of communication. This means that the newly reformed constituencies will be a bit bigger, but the savings for the tax payer will be massive; not only will one third of MP’s be reduced, but also their expensive staff and hangers-on.

Peter Dewar-Finch

  • 6.
  • At 11:47 PM on 07 Apr 2008,
  • Ed Turner wrote:

On Newsnight Friday 4/4/08 Lord Snape appeared to be a tad irrate at the media interest in where an MP might buy his orher Morphy Richards steam iron for lets say £25.
Well my Lord,that really doesn't bother me one bit.
What does concern me is where they spend the other £22,975.00 on their second home every year!
I have just spent a few minutes looking at what MP's can claim and find the sums involved staggering to say the least. No wonder they wish to keep things under wraps.
Don't let them cloud the issue with the security aspect.We don't need to know where they live, just what they are gleaning from the public purse.
But lets not lose sight of the fact that these are honourable people, and should be allowed to claim expenses without the support of any receipt.

me

  • 7.
  • At 07:40 AM on 08 Apr 2008,
  • Dombodema wrote:

The situation in Zimbabwe will make a good case study in the future when students study African History. However, at the moment there seems to be no collective strategy by all good men and women to assist the people of Zimbabwe. In the meantime there is no Government and because of the constitutional vacuum, ZANU PF is running the country through its Politburo. This is a body that inherently includes the following:
. People who cannot operate without Mugabe; they have never held a decent job in their lives.
. Those who lost in the Parlimentary and Senate elections.
This is a powder keg waiting to explode. They cannot release results that show an outright loss by Robert Mugabe,

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