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Sleazy politicians fill their pockets

By a low paid civil servant 23 June 09

LIKE MANY workers struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table, my blood boiled when the revelations of expenses and allowances for politicians hit the news. Our local politicians are up to their eyes in sleaze.

Unlike many workers saddled with heavy mortgage repayments, in a position of negative equity or facing losing their home, SDLP MP Alasdair McDonnell (pictured) has used his position to claim nearly £14,000 in stamp duty as part of his parliamentary expenses. McDonnell, who continues his GP practice as well as being an MLA, owns a flat in London which he bought for about £460,000 in 2005. He also spent £1,360 on blinds and curtains at our expense. His defence for ripping off the taxpayer is that it is considered “reasonable” by the Fees Office.

The “Swish” Family Robinson have also been exposed. Incredibly, Iris and Peter Robinson claimed £4,000 a year for food alone. Fellow DUP MP William McCrea claimed the maximum monthly food allowance, £400, for most of 2005-06. He also claimed £10,000 of our money to buy furniture for a house bought in south London in April 2006. Not content with earning over £323,000 from his MP, MLA and councillor positions, Sammy Wilson claimed £6,150 in stamp duty, £1,406.90 in solicitors fees and £2,914 for furniture!

Questions also have to be asked about how rental expenses are paid out. Ian Paisley Snr and Ian Paisley Jnr claim rental expenses for their Ballymena consituency office of a combined £57,000 a year. This gets paid to a company called Sarcon 250, which was set up in 2007 to purchase the £500,000 premises. The director of the company is DUP councillor Sam Hanna.

People are rightly outraged at what MPs are allowed to claim for. But the Northern Ireland Assembly rules are even less strict than Westminster. MLAs can still channel constituency office rental expenses to their relatives. MLAs also do not have to arrange rental valuations when their offices are being leased from their political parties. The Assembly rules do not even require a market rate for MLA rental expenses. 

It is clear that the MLAs are completely out of touch with working class people. They are all filling their pockets whilst voting through cuts and job losses in the public sector. We need a new political party that truly represents working and unemployed people with elected representatives that live on a worker’s wage.

Socialist Party, 13 Lombard St, Belfast BT1 1RB Tel: 02890232962 e-mail: socialistpartyni@btconnect.com