Sunday, March 22, 2009

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?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ouch! Could Dave have sounded any more arrogant or out of touch if he tried? Why don't they (the three young Labour campaigners) ask for the expenses of Jim Dobbin, Woolas etc etc? Err, because Paul Rowen is their MP, Dave. Not Woolas. Not Dobbin. And Rowen is getting up everone's nose with his holier than thou stance on expenses while bagging a fortune himself - all shrouded in secrecy of course.

And how much did he claim for in Councillor expenses while an MP?

Don't you pesky kids understand, Dave seems to be saying, it's our moral high ground, not yours. If we want to criticise other MPs then it's our entitlement. But how very dare you ask Paul Rowen to be accountable.

How very dare you!!!

Anonymous said...

Dave's response gives a classic insight into the mind of a pathologically deluded maniac.

What will he say when he gets the call from a reporter probing into dodgy accounting practices and shady funding arrangements in Rochdale?

DH: This is a non story!!!

Why aren't you asking where the Nazi gold is hidden? Have you asked why Barclays millions are propping up Mugabe's regime?

I tell you, this is a non story!!!

Anonymous said...

Current MP Paul Rowen was spotted (with wine) at last night's Mayor's Ball at Rochdale Town Hall. Hope his outfit wasn't paid for by the tax payer. He should return (it) to the circus.
An unfunny clown.

Just a good job diddy DJ Dave wasn't there spinning his wheels of steel. Or knecking vodka.

Gravy train said...

Rowen shopping in Bury eh? After he told people in Rochdale to "use or lose" their town centre.

Setting a fine example is Paul.

So is the Lib Dem Council leader, Alan Taylor. He was spotted wheeling his trolley round Sainsbury's in Heaton Park on Friday.

Whistling a tune he was too.

Not sentimental announcements about shopping local to help Rochdale through the recession from him.

Leave that rubbish to Rowen.

Anonymous said...

If John Swarbrick posts under the moniker "Home Thoughts" on Rochdale Online, does that suggest his thinking is mobile? Or is it static- for the moment?

Is Council Tax payable on such Home Thoughts?

Anonymous said...

This man is a filthy hypocrite. On his website, in a moment of pious fury, he says:

"At the end of the day the money that MPs get to do their jobs should be open to public scrutiny just like all the public sector. What we are seeing here – is a Government desperately scrambling to avoid bad headlines."

I think what we're seeing now is a pathetic fat man scrambling to avoid his massive restaurant receipts from Strasbourg's finest hotels finding their way into the public realm.

Yes, we know food can be claimed for, Paul. And judging by your burgeoning waistline you've done a fair bit of claiming in this department.

See the hypocrite's words here:

http://www.paulrowen.co.uk/news/75/rowen-to-vote-against-foi-exemption

Anonymous said...

a "non-story" eh Dave?

MP who harks on about Freedom of Information and MP's expenses... refuses to answer FOI requests about his own expenses - from his own constituents.

Chris Paul said...

To be fair RR et al this is not Rowen's decision (from the Commons), but he is taking the decision not to proactively publish as some others have already done. Though of course when Chris Davies MEP published his expenses it came out I think that he was making money on those expenses.