The Times Today

[Maggie/915]

Interesting article on page 12 main paper.

The headline is 'MPs £750,000 from  Union funded by sick miners.'

it seems Ian Lavery shadow minister for trade unions has been criticised for accepting almost £1.6m from sick and injured miners. He says he does not recognise the figures! 

The figures for his wages , pension contributions and other perks are interesting. It seems he may have received a  £48,000 pension contribution in one year.

He is criticised by fellow Labour MP John Mann.

Questioning figures and the details of capital investments in Northumberland could be interesting.

Being open to scrutiny should all be included in any audit.

I wonder if the local papers will take up such an important story for local information

[Maggie/915]

Not sure if I can publish the article by taking a picture.

Old  school I am afraid we buy the papers.

The  Article was in the Sunday Times of 6th March 2016 page 12 main paper.

[John Fox (foxy)]

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1675399.ece?shareToken=a2d37e61cc55220d51c632af610255a7

 

Worth a read!

[Maggie/915]

Good work Foxy.

as you have guessed I simply do not do 'links'

[John Fox (foxy)]

I wonder if Jeremy will investigate?

[Maggie/915]

I hate to say this but do you think he reads the Times.

It could Politics and the State of War between the parties.

In this case it could be the 'Enemy Within'.

Basically 'Peace is not an absence of war'

We have to ask the old simple questions.

Who, What , Why , When etc 

Then there is that other W :-

[threegee]

Hadn't you noticed Maggie?  It's no longer about a "State of War between the parties" it's a State of War within the parties.  It's a war between the Internationalist Elites with their hands on all the levers of power, propaganda and misinformation, and the Proles!  Read the prophet of these sad times, George Orwell.

Whoops, I feel a link coming on!  No no, I'm resisting....

Quote

“So long as they (the Proles) continued to work and breed, their other activities were without importance. Left to themselves, like cattle turned loose upon the plains of Argentina, they had reverted to a style of life that appeared to be natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern...Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.”

At the current time you can throw in fear, "uncertainty", and doubt (of our country's abilities and place in the world) as tools of that control.

[Maggie/915]

George Orwell friend to our very own Jack Common of 'Kidders Luck' fame.

Your quote 3g could be summed up simply by saying 'Bread and Circus'.

We do need to maintain a sense  of balance.

Maybe simply a degree of faith in mankind.

Rash generalisations are always going to be proved inconsistent .

I would like to see clarity and tolerance within all political parties.

Maybe a forlorn hope.

[Malcolm Robinson]

 

http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/northumberland-s-1-2m-bill-for-councillors-allowances-1-7779766

 

[Maggie/915]

Allowances surely do not get any better (or worse) than this lot!

£12,000 basic £27,000 for the leader per year .

I wonder what these amounts cover each year.

Basically what do the Council Tax payers get for these amounts of money.

What have the Romans , oops the NCC Councillors, ever done for us ?

I seem to remember the finance director was not needed and made redundant.

Clarity , transparency ,it has got to be there somewhere.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Maggie these are actually only the very BASIC allowances.......at lot will be on much more than these.........

[Maggie/915]

More on our MP yesterday in the Times.

It seems he resigned from the NUM to become an MP .

After that  he recieved £60,000 in redundancy , which he recieved in the years after he became an MP.

One  issue, is that , It should have been declared in the House of Commons.

He has faced questions and there maybe an enquiry.

He says 'Any suggestion of impropriety on my part is completely inaccurate and I reject it completely'

[Maggie/915]

More on Mr Lavery today in the Times. Headline page 10 'MP 's home loan from Union Fund' believed to be £250,000. He says the arrangement with the NUM ended eight years ago and any suggestion of impropriety  is inaccurate.

Also headlines in the Newspost Leader for him.

The truth has to be in there somewhere.

[Maggie/915]

This weeks Sunday Times page 12 quotes Ronnie Campbell talking about the Wansbeck Mafia.

I think the money topic is not going to go away for the Shadow Minister that is MP for Wansbeck.

This week is all about family on the payroll.

There are questions to answer.

Ian Lavery claims it is a 'politically motivated attack' .

The truth maybe in the details .

[pilgrim]

that home loan thing -- didn't Scargill do the same thing? and have to be taken to court for the NUM to get the money back? shadow minister or shadowy minister??

[Maggie/915]

Claim and counter claim.

What is a legitimate use of Union Funds.

A £250,000 mortgage seems a lot for a Union Official.

A very benevolent fund.

[Maggie/915]

Slight change this week page eleven of The Sunday Times.

Trips to Austrailia to be explained. The miners contributions used again .

With MPs publishing their tax returns , maybe now Ian Lavery and the NUM will explain why there is doubt about how the Union spent their money. Afterall it was the members money.

[pilgrim]

interesting article

http://www.exaronews.com/articles/4784/num-branch-with-4-members-pays-80k-per-year-to-top-officials

maybe the site should have a poll amongst its members to see how many actual miners have received generous mortgages through their union and expenses?  

was i right in reading that the NUM has only 6 members now ?? and yet there appears to be a regional rep and secretary for each area - which comes to more than 6 - or are thye not members ???

[Maggie/915]

This weeks article is on page nine.

It seems Ian Lavery may be quizzed on Tax.

Also in the article it says that the Office of David Cockburn the trade unions certification officer has taken the first step towards a formal inquiry into Lavery's running of the NUM with an ' initial assessment' of complaints against him.

So many questions .

So few answers.