I thought we had one of these already but I can't find it...
Did anybody see it this week...? What a disgusting, fat ugly trougher that Eric Pickles is - Chairman of the Conservative party FFS! Ye gods...
Lives 37 miles from the House of Commons and justifies a second home allowance because he 'has to be there on time... '
Eric Pickles >>> Fuck right off!
Transcript:
David Dimbleby began by asking Mr Pickles if he claims for a second home
EP: “I do indeed have a two house system and an allowance. But if I could just make a brief contribution
DD; “How far away from Westminster are you?”
EP: “Thirty seven miles.”[Boos from the audience]
EP: “And if I could just make this brief contribution to hang an MP week -
DD: “Take your time! Take your time!”
EP: “OK, then let me explain why. And I have actually had experience of commuting that distance, when my wife was ill (she’s fully recovered now) – but for a month I did it. And it was an extremely difficult experience and I’ll explain why. Because the House of Commons works on clockwork: you have to be there, if you’re on a committee, you have to be there precisely. Particularly for someone like me, I was a number two –“[Boos from the audience]
EP: “Let me explain, let me explain, please just let me explain for a moment. I had to be there –
DD: “Like a job, in other words?”[applause and laughter from audience]
EP: “Yes exactly like a job. If you’re number two in the opposition, you’re essentially running the committee. So I needed to be there at 930 to move those amendments. It doesn’t matter if a Liberal Democrat isn’t there, but it matters if I’m there
Ed Davey: “That’s just cheap”
EP: “When I was doing this, I was leaving home at five thirty in the morning to guarantee that I was there and I wasn’t getting back until twelve or one in the morning. Now you can do that once or twice, you can do that for a while. But you’ve got to understand, the House of Commons runs like clockwork.”
Caroline Lucas: “So does the rest of the world, Eric.”
EP: “And I have never, ever claimed my full allowance. I have always claimed the amount –“[jeers from audience]
EP: “Well I mean, I publish them. I’ve always published them on my website. They’ve always been there for people to see. I have always been accountable.
And I can tell you, I think the things are going to come out in a week’s time. I think I’ve only claimed about sixty percent of the allowance, it might even be fifty five percent.
But I’m a serious guy who will put in the hours. And I will work for those hours. But I can tell you this: it is no fun doing five thirty in the morning right the way through.
You cannot be sat on a train thinking ‘am I going to make it? Am I not going to make it?’ That’s why I do it.”
Audience Member: “Do you think Fred Goodwin should give some of his pension back Eric?”
EP: “Yeah, I do.”
Audience Member: “Right - that’s because he’s behaved immorally, unreasonably perhaps. But he’s played within the rules! Don’t you think that’s a bit hypocritical?”
EP: “I had my flat – I bought my flat when we regularly sitting until two in the morning. I bought my flat when we did that. I bought that flat because it turned out –
[Audience member: “sell it!”]
EP: “OK well I’ll sell it. Of course I could sell it. I am never going to be able to satisfy you folks, at all, because I am an MP and therefore guilty.”
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