Lib Dem "Gazza" Rowen's Exes: "Nothing to See" Says Drunkagain

Hot on the heels of a ridiculous letter ostensibly from "Nora Leach" (no relation) excusing Paul Rowen MP from any expense excess whatsoever, and making a bid for a third "halfway house" on the taxpayer lest he gets tired and emotional half way between Westminster and Bury where he shops, being as he walks on water and all, including the "unusual for Noras" expression "bring it on" but without an exclamation mark! Dave (above) is learning!; and not far behind LOL revelations (below) that Paul "Gazza" Rowen appears to have missed at least four key meetings and debates about Gaza, the latest at the Lib Dem conference in Harrogate because, allegedly, he was worse for wear after party animal partying, young Labourites from his constituency are upset that he hasn't revealed his own parliamentary expenses, having campaigned and voted for absolute transparency in the matter.


LOL have a FOI request in on this ourselves (now being treated as party to the one re John Leech MP). And we too were rebutted by the Commons authorities on the same grounds - that there is a plan for future publication - used against the young Labourites. And indeed as used against elements of other parties of all ages seeking publication of particular MPs expenses. "They'll be a long in a while" seems to be the lame excuse.

LOL have requested an internal review.

This is all very well but with his being rabidly in favour of publication, rightly so I think, and all you'd have thought that Paul Rowen MP and his party colleagues might take matters into their own hands and cause their own expenses to be made public, early doors?

This should also of course go for the accounts of the local unit of the Lib Dems who haven't uttered any accounts since their revelations of tangled, nay contrived lease sub-lease and donation webs they weave, not to mention the news to many that Paul Rowen would be (illicitly) paying for political workers from his tax-payer winnings in the future.

Send in the forensic accountants we say. And send them in now. While the dirty laundry is still festering in the corner of the office that Hennigan calls his bedroom.

Who pays Hennigan? Who pays Power? And if the answers to these questions are "the Taxpayer" why are they doing almost exclusively party-political work? Including dirtbag lying to the local media? And, if it is true that John Swarbrick is definitely employed at the Taxpayer's expense what is he doing running round holding Power's hands as he takes pictures of anti-Labour graffiti? And then feeding these to the press without a statement from Rowen condemning any and all graffiti?

Taking the picture isn't particularly strange behaviour of course. But running away like a pair of naughty "daub and run" children is strange.

Here's part of the Rochdale Online article:

Campaigners are urging him to match his campaigning position and be transparent about his claims.
“How can it be that we know Gordon Brown spent £15 on light bulbs in the last year and yet we know nothing about what Paul Rowen spends taxpayers’ money on?” asked Gemma Miles, chairwoman of Rochdale Young Labour. “Freedom of Information requests have revealed the expense claims of high profile MPs like Margaret Beckett, George Osbourne and John Prescott, and yet Paul Rowen is able to avoid any scrutiny at all. He carps from the sidelines about the need for greater accountability but seems to think that transparency should only affect other MPs and not him.”
Earlier this year plans to shelve MPs expense details from the Freedom of Information Act were scrapped.
Maurice Frankel, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information said: "Some MPs are clearly desperate to prevent the release of past expenses claims which are likely to have exceeded what could reasonably be justified to the public."
A spokesman for Mr Rowen said: "This is a complete non story.
"Have they also asked our other local MPs, Phil Woolas and Jim Dobbin to reveal their expenses?"

LOL would not be surprised if someone somewhere had not made such requests. Possibly Dave "Drunkagain" Hennigan aka "a spokesman for Mr Rowen" or John "Caravan Man" Swarbrick, or even perhaps Led Zep fan Swarbrick's ex-boss Elwyn "Sheik-Your-Money-Bags" Watkins.

However, it does seem particularly pernicious that Rochdale Lib Dems and Rochdale Lib Dem MP Paul Rowen's accounts are shrouded in such secrecy and, if published, double speak when they campaigned, superficially at least, for openness. Does it not?