Man the Lifeboats
The Guardian newspaper is a great source of information – about politics generally, but also on ebb and flow of events at Westminster and inside the Labour party.
Last week the paper reported that 52 Labour MPs are getting ready to ‘man the lifeboats’ – by asking the Prime Minister to be elevated to the House of Lords after the next general election.
No doubt many of these MPs conclude that their political careers are about to be derailed by angry voters in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal.
“We are doomed”, one senior Labour figure is reported as saying. “We’re all doing our bit for the elections, but it’s over for Labour”, the report goes on.
Now some people say that the ‘Spanish’ working practices in the House of Lord are even more ludicrous than the House of Commons – hard to believe.
But apparently our peers of the realm receive generous tax free allowances – which they are entitled to claim just for turning up and ‘clocking in’.
What they do after that is nobody’s business, but their own – and no one seems bothered about how that looks to the rest of us.
Just imagine a care worker, cleaner, classroom assistant, clerical worker or school meals staff behaving that way.
Vital council services - delivered by a largely low paid, female workforce - would fall apart overnight.
Last week the paper reported that 52 Labour MPs are getting ready to ‘man the lifeboats’ – by asking the Prime Minister to be elevated to the House of Lords after the next general election.
No doubt many of these MPs conclude that their political careers are about to be derailed by angry voters in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal.
“We are doomed”, one senior Labour figure is reported as saying. “We’re all doing our bit for the elections, but it’s over for Labour”, the report goes on.
Now some people say that the ‘Spanish’ working practices in the House of Lord are even more ludicrous than the House of Commons – hard to believe.
But apparently our peers of the realm receive generous tax free allowances – which they are entitled to claim just for turning up and ‘clocking in’.
What they do after that is nobody’s business, but their own – and no one seems bothered about how that looks to the rest of us.
Just imagine a care worker, cleaner, classroom assistant, clerical worker or school meals staff behaving that way.
Vital council services - delivered by a largely low paid, female workforce - would fall apart overnight.
