Last night BBC News reported Alex Salmond is to be investigated by Westminster's standards commissioner. No detail was given at the time.
The Times this morning divulges it was the colourful Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, a labour MSP, who accused the First Minister of outrageous behaviour for using taxpayers' money in an attempt to impeach Tony Blair over the Iraq War. Mr Salmond was among several MPs who charged the taxpayer £14,100 in legal costs for a failed campaign to impeach Mr Blair. Mr Salmond's share of the bill is £790.
Nothing surprises most of Scotland about the colourful Lord Foulkes. His ambition in his present life appears to be to hold the record for Freedom of Information enquiries and every move of Mr Salmond's is questioned. Rightly so some may say, but at what expense to the taxpayer. Without his trusty and efficient sidekick Kezia Dugdale, I'm quite sure George would melt away into the shadows of the House of Lords never to be heard of again.
The SNP and Plaid Cymru claimed that Mr Blair had lied about the case for war and about evidence of weapons of mass destruction held by Saddam Hussein's regime. The case for impeachment eventually failed through lack of parliamentary support.
The charge of £14,100 for legal advice with regard to the Iraq war is reasonable. After all, Mr Salmond and his colleagues were only doing their jobs by questioning Tony Blair's reasons to go to war in Iraq.
I'm much more concerned about the £500,000 spent on the Calman Commission and its report, which David Cameron intends to kick into the long grass if he becomes PM. Wonder if George Foulkes will put forward a FOI enquiry regarding the true costs of this Commission. Half a million pounds seems far too neat a sum.
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20 comments:
Colourful? Would that be the red cheeks and the purple nose then subrosa?
I'm surprised that the Red Baron wants to draw attention to this. Look at the stark difference: the Labourites use their expenses to build property portfolios while Salmond uses his to try to bring a war criminal to justice. Which would you vote for?
Check out www.globalresearch.ca for a list of over 50 articles from across the world as to the rationale for Mr Blait et al being seriously investigated for war crimes etc. and the incredulity that this has not already been done. John Kampfner 25/6/09 'Still doing deals' on The Free Speech blog makes similar points.
At least the US and UK (plus the commercial vested interests) managed to get the major potent (hostile?)witness dangling at the end of a rope pretty sharpish?
I always think Lord FFFFFFFoulkes should start each utterance with "Methinks, I protest too much" just to qualify the toot that comes next.
Greetings from Singapore!
Nice to have something familiar to read - I'm gone 3 days and Lard Fukz is up to his usual nonsense with his arse kissing loser Dugdale - joy!
It's 32 degs here humid and I'm spreading the work of an Independent Scotland!
Saor ALba
CD
Morning Conan. Yes exactly that, I was trying to be generous with my adjectives, especially since George was involved.
I was surprised too when I heard it late last night Vronsky. As you say in comparison with the spending of most, this is what voters would find as acceptable.
Morning Clarinda. I do hope other readers visit the link you recommend as it has some excellent articles.
CD, gosh it's hot there. Rather pleasant here in comparison.
Keep up the good work. I hope you know all the words of Flower of Scotland.
Actually I do feel rather sorry for Kez CD. Imagine cutting your political teeth in the wake of George Foulkes ...
Yep. His Lordship protesting too much again. This was a perfectly legitimate and honorable attempt to formulate watertight legislation (and astonishingly affordable I might add). Similar is done all the time by the Government and the Opposition when they pay consultants to focusgroup new ideas for their own legislation (at greater cost to us) with little comment.
Hello Mek, I thought it very reasonable too.
The report from the standard commissioner will be interesting.
Of course the so called "National Conversation" was cheap as well, I think it cost a £500k as well. I'd tend to agree that both of them were money poorly spent.
Absolutely FL. If I had to decided between paying for furnishing a second home for an MP and checking out legalities of the Iraq War then I'd plumb for the latter. Wouldn't you?
Does the writ of the Westminster Standards Commissioner run the Scottish Parliament ?
FFS!!
No banned. This is nothing to do with the Scottish Parliament, it's to do with Alex Salmond in his position as MP - hence Westminster.
Tut tut Brownlie my dear ;)
It is not time Lard FFSake should be report to the Westmidden Standards Commissioner.
Surely it is an offence to be slug ugly, a Drunken Lord and pigshit thick? If not it should be.
Maybe he should just be reported to the good taste Commissioner.
What a Olympic Class TWERP.
How I wish bugger lugs, but he's not an MP and investigations of their lordships always seem to result in negative results.
It would be a waste of public money don't you think or am I being too sensible?
We could always do a brainscan and, if we couldn't find one, would that be grounds for ennoblement?
Aw shit, he's there already.
Let him pay for his own brain scan bugger lugs. Doubt if he'd bother with one though but I know where you're coming from. :)
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