Value for money or a bonus for bankrupting the country ?

[youngmafbog]

OK, not illegal, but then neither have been many of the things our boardrooms have been accused of.

GORDON Brown (Bottler) raked in £114,998 of taxpayers’ cash last year — on top of his £65,738 MP salary. He took advantage of a special allowance aimed at helping ex-PMs with “public duties”, claiming just £2 less than the £115,000 limit.
He has spoken in the Commons only THREE times since May 2010 !

So, value for money or a 'bonus' for bankrupting the country?

[jake-the-peg]

Bargain at half the price compared to Maggie

http://www.bbc.co.uk/.../uk-politics-15486792

A bonus for losing the Falklands and spending a fortune to get them back again perhaps?

[MoonRocker]

Good to see the socialists keeping up their hypocracy! Do as I say not as I do!

[Gromit]

// The system was set up by John Major in 1991, after one year in office, to reward former prime ministers for work including answering letters and attending public events. //

Another great Tory policy in action then.

[rojash]

"Do as I say not as I do"
Can you explain what exactly he said and how it is contradicted by what he did?

[Gromit]

Do you think that nice Mr Cameron will abolish this 'perk'?

[MoonRocker]

He's a socialist, socialists belive that "to each according to his needs from each according to his abilities" - ie the world owes everyone a living. The pursuit of wealth is bad, in fact wealth itselfs exists only in the state and all must have what they need all must contribute what they can willingly. The basic problem is of course that there are very few socialists who in postitions of power can stop themselves becomming capitalists, QED rojash.

[Davethedog]

So is this not claimed by Thatcher or Major then,

Labour, socialist? Not since Michael Foot

[MoonRocker]

Thatcher and Major are not socialists are they.

[jake-the-peg]

As per my link above

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has claimed £535,000 of taxpayers' money over the last five years, government records have shown.

At least Gordon Brown is still an active politician - Margaret Thatcher's hardly ever seen in public and is still drawing this allowance for public duties

If we're talking hypocracy I seem to think she had a hard view against people sponging off the state!

[Gromit]

Neither were Blair and Brown.

[ludwig]

When you've been PM, and you're useless at doing anything but being a politician, you need a bit extra to survive in the real world.
I don't begrudge Brown that money. I'm just happy that he isn't in office any more.

[modeller]

Why does the state need to pay them at all ? They are paid directly tens of thousands of pounds on each occasion by the organisation concerned for each event.

#He has spoken in the Commons only THREE times since May 2010 !#

That was £20k each time for clocking on. I bet he claimed expenses on top of that.

[modeller]

jake #At least Gordon Brown is still an active politician#

Is that your definition of active 3 times in the house over 15 months ?

[Quizmonster]

It's amazing how right-wing sympathisers here on AnswerBank - particularly the current OP - rarely have the remotest idea of how virtually ANYTHING in the political world got going or how it is still employed by Tory just as much as Labour 'personalities'.
A Tory and her 'Big Bang' untied the banks (not Gordon Brown)...a Tory when she left office was funded by a huge American corporation and paid vast sums for speeches (not just Tony Blair)...a Tory introduced the PFI funding scheme for public projects...a series of Tories took us further and further into Europe...a Tory was responsible for Black Wednesday.
These AnswerBankers are happy to point out things they deem to be Labour failings whilst utterly blind to identical Tory failings.
One could go on, but what would be the use? They just don't get it.

[bazwillrun]

"A Tory and her 'Big Bang' untied the banks (not Gordon Brown)"

but Gordon Brown vetoed just about all attempts at regulation whilst destroying the countrys finances as chancellor of the exchequer.

Still nothing new there from a labour government, true to type as always

poor old quiz knows so little about so much