No choice of an honest MP .

[modeller]

I would like to vote for an honest MP .
We have 646 MPs of which only 29 didn't claim expenses and my MP isn't one of them.
What should I do ?

[jno]

vote for whoever's standing against him?

Or just vote for the best of the candidates regardless of party?

As I mentioned elsewhere, my MP didn't claim on a second house but one of the other candidates is also a sitting MP, who put in an inflated bill for a second residence. No problems making my choice...

[lslowry]

we have too many MP's modeller, for a country this size. India (pop. 1.17 billion) has only 543. I'm going to try one like the taxpayers alliance although it would depend on the character of the candidate

[Zeuhl]

Understand your issues lowry, but for me, the purpose of the election is to decide who will govern our country for the next x years.

Will ///the taxpayers alliance /// be forming our country's next government or influencing it to any significant degree?

[lslowry]

the question was zeuhl, voting for a honest MP. The more i see on the television the more disillusioned i get with the standard of the soon to be candidates. The older i get the more cynical i suppose

[mike11111]

The fact that your MP claimed expenses should not be relevant unless those expenses were unreasonable.

[jno]

I imagine having only one MP for every 2 million people would save a lot on public funds in India... but I don't know how you'd manage to attract your MP's attention when you needed to, if there's only one person to represent a poulation the size of Greater Manchester's.

How can you tell from a TV appearance whether an electoral candidate will fiddle his expenses?

[lslowry]

i think you can tell a lot from how they present themselves as regards their character. As to expenses, everything has been exposed in the news, and will, no doubt rear up again as the campaign gets to a head.

[Mr Veritas]

Honest and MP are a contradiction in terms! LOL

[rov1200]

MPs could save a lot on their expenses if they communicated with their constituents by E-mail and not snail mail as used in the past.

[olddutch]

modeller

How much and for what items precisely did your MP claim expenses and is he/she standing again ?

If your MP is standing down then I'd check the replacements integrity credentials so far as this is possible, along with all the same credentials of all the other parties contenders.

[modeller]

I looked to see if any of the independents were more honest but their average claim was still £20k .

[modeller]

olddutch Yes he is standing again and his claims are about average .Most of it for morgage on a second home 30miles from London but in fact lives in London only a few miles from Parliament.

[olddutch]

modeller

Still unclear on how much and for what items precisely your MP claimed expenses and if is he/she standing again ?

For me the test would be - not did the MP claim - but did the MP make reasonable expense claims based on where his constituency is and on any other relevant circumstances.

Are you saying all the other parties contenders too (including independents) have made or are going to make unreasonable expense claims ? If so God help us !

[olddutch]

modeller

sorry i was on the phone whilst putting together my last post and didnt notice your further post - sorry for confusion.

Based on what you have said, it seems to me his claim is excessive and I wouldnt vote for him.

If all the other contenders in your view have got equally excessive tendencies I would exercise my right not to vote - unless your belief in any of the policies they are promising to implement outweighs your qualms about their integrity. Good luck.

[modeller]

I've already told you, yes he is standing again. His expenses £20k were for gardening and the morgage on a designated second home in the country despite the fact he lives in London only 2/3 miles from Parliament. He also owns property in London which he rents out. So the property in the country serves no purpose except for the perks associated with a designated second home.

On your last point, unless there are very strict controls I don't believe future MPs will be any different from this lot.

[modeller]

Thanks everyone it looks like UKIP is the compromise, if one is to vote at all, they at least expose the excessives of the EU and try to get back some of our sovereignty., which Labour and the Conservatives have given away.

[jno]

ah yes, honest, law-abiding Ukip

http://www.telegraph....w-to-flout-rules.html