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John Leech: Playing With Himself at Early Day Motions
David Ottewell shows some Stout EDM Work from John "Hospital Hoax" Leech MP and Ann "Nasty Racist Joker" Winterton MP both of whom are near the bottom of the table of Manchester area MPs in terms of attracting support for campaigning petitions. Both have also got their finger so on the pulse that they've managed Early Day Motions (EDMs) so silly and wasteful of breath, ink and tax payers' money that only they themselves have signed them.
Of this local MP crew Leech is probably the most prolific EDM signer - or at least he was - signing almost anything that was going, irrespective of merit, geography, portfolio.
But it must be said that his output tracked through TheyWorkForYou in terms of questions and speeches has absolutely plummeted in recent months. Mixed blessing I suppose as that does mean less fool questions for Ministers and civil servants to bat back.
Leech's Westminster workrate has collapsed as he fixates on party political "save my skin" work instead of real constituency or parliamentary work.
Even though he is now free of the councillor responsibilities for which he trousered more than £45,000. Meanwhile only around £8,000 is recorded as donations back to the party. His office promised in writing to the local paper that ALL the money would be donated to local Lib Dems. He now says "to his constituency office" at TW4Y. Looking forward to seeing his open books on all that very very soon. It's a mess.
Leaving aside the moral point - of whether he should either claim or politically donate money from a second job he is not actually doing - he has so far kept more than 80% of these "council expenses" off the public record. Pocketed? Or a secret slush fund? Manchester people have a right to know what their money has gone on. Would they actually want to give wages to party political candidates or pocket money to councillors? Fund leaflets? Subsidise campaigns?
PICTURE: Shows Leech with his Chorlton muppet Paul "Bastards" Ankers ahead of the latter's election to council. This image appeared as cover to a 2007 "Parliamentary Report" - though showcasing a candidate and party political material. Both things against the rules. In exactly the same format on election campaign leaflets too.
9 comments:
Chris,
Where did John's office promise in writing to donate all of his councillor's allowance the Lib Dems? Please remove this comment, unless you hold proof.
John's Councillor's allowances were paid to him for his duties as a councillor. Not a single councillor in Manchester publishes what they spend them on. Why should John Leech have to tell YOU what they are spent on?
Surely you wouldn't want to treat councillors differently just because you approve of the voters choice in some cases and not in others? So when are any Labour councillors going to publish what they spend their own money on?
Do Manchester people have a right to know what all councillors spend their allowances on?
Are you telling me to remove something and not even stating your fucking name? Give over.
I will answer your questions on the face of the blog as they and the answers and the further questions that follow all deserve a good airing.
Thanks.
That policeman looks like he's just had a vasectomy and cannot see Leech's hilarious joke on the taxpayer.
I await the answers, and look forward to you asking your Labour colleagues who have been successfully elected as councillors to publish how they spend their allowances.
Did Andrew Gwynne MP? He, like John, was elected as an MP in 2005 and honoured his promise to see out his full term.
Also 'a second job he is not actually doing'. That is demonstrably untrue, and should be removed too.
Are interested in the truth or just attacking people you don't like?
anonymous, read the blog....its attacking people he doesn't like....even ones he doesn't know at times
chris, stop swearing at the readership
I'm swearing at someone who thinks they can order changes to my blog without presenting their interest of qualification for asking for a correction.
Not even swearing at them really Chris. But anyway, why do these Lib Dem apologists think that mentioning a Labour MP who they think might be up to the same tricks gets them off the hook? And why the hell do they think people using thir expenses for other matters should be held to the same standards as those donating to a political party - where declarations need to be registered - or to a constituency MP's office - whose accounts really ought to be completely open to public view?
You need to stop making things up Chris. If you had evidence then you could point to it. You don't, so you can't.
"the truth will out" - there is a big difference between allowances and expenses.
I'm not making anything up.
Where this money has gone is shrouded in secrecy and whether it has been donated to "the constituency" as early statements had it (i.e. the party) or to "the constituency office" as now stated at TW4Y these need to be accounted for. Unlike the expenses/allowances of other councillors who do not effect to donate their expenses/allowances to a political party or a representative's office.
And John Leech clearly was not doing either the MP of the Cllr job to the full if he was attempting both. Re the Town Hall his attendance crashed from almost 100% to be happy with 50% of formal meetings.
And the less formal and informal meetings crashed even more I'm told.
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