***BREAKING*** Could Eric Ilsley Prove the First Subject of Recall

When the Liberal Conservative Government actually gets down to making new acts they will include the one that enables the right to recall an MP who has been proven of wrong doing.

This morning's news makes one wonder if Barnsley Central MP Eric Ilsley may be the unfortunate to make the history books as the first MP to face the public's right to recall. He has been called before Westminster Magistrates Court just like his former Labour colleagues Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Elliot Morely along with Conservative peer Lord Hanningfield on the 17 June for dishonestly claiming council tax and other household bills on his second home in London.

Legal Aid for MP Fraudsters - They 'Aving a Laff

I just cannot believe the audacity of Livingston's Jim Devine, Scunthorpe's Elliot Morley and Bury North's David Chaytor. Not only are they still saying that their fraudulent accounting on their expenses is above the law of the land but on their salariesthey will be claiming legal aid to take the hearing through the magistrates court about why they shouldn't be tried in a court in what are expected to be the days before and of the General Election 4-6 May.

The MPs' QC is apparently charging 150 hours at £250 an hour and £1000 a day for the days in court, just for the hearing where they claim that they should not be tried in a court at all. That is a total of £40,500 or £13,500 each or the equivalent of 21% of their gross salary. In terms of someone on a minimum wage working a 37.5 hr week that is the equivalent of £2428.34 in court costs, if say they were caught fraudulently claiming benefits whilst holding down that job.

Legal Aid is there to help the poor deal with cases they need. This case is raised by the MPs to try and avoid a further court case looking at the actual crime itself being heard in the courts of the land. This money is being spent by them to try and prove that they are above the law. A defence that has sounded hollow since it was first issued from their lips.

They surely have got to be having a laugh, only please don't do so at the tax payers expense, you've tried that once and have been caught out.

Digital Economy Bill - YourCountryNeedsYou.com #DEBill

I have to say that Jennie puts the urgency of action well while everyone's favourite Elephant sums up the Lib Dem debate from Sunday (plus other stuff) well. I just want to emphasise the need for you to write to your MP about this, the danger is that the already authoritarian Labour party are going to attempt to rush this draconian bill through the House without proper scrutiny, consultation or debate.

If the internet literate in the Liberal Democrats had to call their own representatives to task over their illiberialism in trying to cut the illiberial nature of this bill how much less can we trust Labour or the Tories to see the light unless you tell them, no not tell them shout at them.

You can if you wise use this 38 degrees webform or if you are local to me write a personal email or visit them at their surgeries. Here are some helpful links to get in touch with the West Lothian and Falkirk representatives.

Linlithgow and East Falkirk: Michael Connarty email connartym@parliament.uk

5 Kerse Road
Grangemouth FK3 8HQ
Telephone: (01324) 474832
Fax: (01324) 666811

Or

62 Hopetoun Street
Bathgate
EH48 4PD
Telephone: (01506) 676711
Fax: (01506) 676722

Falkirk: Eric Joyce email joycee@parliament.uk Twitter id @ericjoyce

The Studio, Burnfoot Lane

Falkirk FK1 5BH

01324 679449

Or

37 Church Walk

Denny FK6 6DF

01324 823200

Livingston: Jim Devine email devinej@parliament.uk

4 Newyearfield Farm,

Livingston

01506 497961

Next surgeries:

Michael Connarty
Friday 19th Newton Community Centre 17:00-18:00
Saturday 20th Bathgate Constituency Office 10:30-11:30

Any details of Eric or Jim please let me know in the comments.

MPs' Day In Court

Today is the day that Jim Devine, Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Lord Hanningfield are meant to walk around the corner from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Magistrates Court to answer charges of false accounting relating to their expenses. I say meant to because Devine was too ill according to his doctor to appear before an employment tribunial yesterday.

It comes the day after it was announced that another Labour MP Harry Cohen is also to be investigated further by the police. The four appearing today The face charges of false accounting under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968. The maximum sentance for such an offence is 7 years in prision.

Brown Loses Whip who is a 'Titan' of Politics

In what is almost a daily announcement of the latest Future Retirement for Me from the Labour benches today it is the turn of Labour's longest standing whip, Tommy McAvoy the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton. He has been a whip for the last 13 years of his 23 in the House of Commons. Gordon Brown himself has described McAvoy as a 'Titan' of politics.

At 66 it is the time that many people look forward to retirement, but in the run up to 2005 those who were retiring from Labour's benches for that reason left a longer built up for their replacement to be found and bedded in. The fact that so many this time are leaving it so late shows that in certain seats Labour are taking it for granted that you can put a red rosette on anyone and the seat will remain Labour's.

While some of the seats that are selecting last minute replacements will be selecting people who have campaigned locally others will be parachuting in people who the Labour party want in their team after the election. But the people are not going to have much change to get to know who some of these people are. Many of them have yet to be named and selected, I just hope none of them do turn out to end up sticking a rosette on a chimpanzee so that we prove that particular theory.

UPDATE: Iain Dale has written a post why he wonders if McAvoy leaving is because he is allegedly the whip that will be mentioned by Jim Devine in his defence in court over his expenses.

If true, and the coincidence of a long standing Scottish whip giving such advice to a new Scot seems highly probable. It gives added nuance to Jim Murphy's validictory to McAvoy:

"His job has been to steer laws through parliament to change people's lives. It is because of his work that Labour has been able to introduce so many changes which help so many people in different ways."

Could the last bit include MPs, their families and their constiruency parties?

This Letter Will Never Be Writ

Inspired by this comment on Brian Taylor's blog but I don't think we'll see this letter on Holyrood headed paper anytime soon at all.

Mr James Devine

I refer to my above named constituent and the case brought against his for theft by false accounting.

I have been aware of Mr Devine's case since May 2009 when he sought assistance from me after a publication of his shelving requirements was published in the Daily Telegraph. It was clear at the time that he recognised the serious nature of the matter he was facing and that it would be necessary to report himself to the police to prove his innocence, and that he had not obtained the money unlawfully.

For a number of years Mr Devine has suffered from low self-esteem mainly associated with his predecessor; he has a office staff, including a job under five years old; and he is heavily involved in the community. All of these aspects of his life have been significantly impacted upon by the mistake he has made.

Mr Devine has denied his wrongdoing and has experienced the consequences of through the loss of his job and withholding of his severance pay, the distress caused to his office staff and his standing in his community. He has advised me that he was merely shifting the £5,500 from his stationary account to his staffing account and has said, since he first sought my advice, that he will sell his interest in his property in London to settle back in Scotland.

He and his, well ok maybe not his office staff, are anxious that a custodial sentence may be imposed by the court and of the further affect this will have on Mr Devine's wealth and the impact on his personal life. I would appeal to the court to take the points raised here into account and consider alternatives to a custodial sentence.

Yours faithfully,

Angela Constance MSP
Member for Livingston

Busy Week in Court for Devine

Earlier this week it was announced that on 11 March Livingston Jim Devine will have to appear in Westminster Magistrates Court to make his initial appearance over his alleged expenses theft. However, from the Daily Record 8-10 March he will be in Court in Edinburgh for a review of the unfair dismissal case against him from his former office manager Marion Kinley.

The initial finding over unfair dismissal found that Devine had failed to file forms correctly. There does appear to be a trend there for his week in court. Ms Kinley who was the MPs between June 2006 and October 2008 claimed she only received £60 petrol money for the two years that she drove Devine around the constituency, his expense claims show he received more from the Fees Office. Devine himself had asked for the review just as he himself referred his expenses to the police.

So Devine will go from facing allegations of harassment and bullying from his former employee one day to claims about his expenses the next. Not necessarily going to be a good week for the former psychiatric nurse. Certainly going to be a stressful and full on though.

Meanwhile the latest defence from Devine over his expenses is that he was moving money between his various accounts. He said:

"The false receipt would be if the £5,500 was going into my pocket. It was about moving money about in my accounts. In my innocence, I was told that was acceptable."

"The stationery was for paying for leaflets and moving money from one account to another. We had run out of money in the staffing account and had a lot of money in the communications account.

"We have four separate accounts – London living allowance, a staffing allowance, a communication budget and an office budget – and you can move money around these accounts.

"We were moving money from the communications budget to the staffing budget."

"I was advised by a whip that I could do this … an individual in the whip's (office] who said you could move money about like this. I was told that was acceptable. Nobody queried it."

Now a former local party treasurer running multiple accounts I have never heard the need to claim a receipt from a third party to move funds, especially as the receipt was to gain money from another third party, the fees office. All you have to do is keep a track of the transfer of money between accounts for the annual returns under PPERA 2000 requirements.

What he has just admitted to is that you had run out of money in the staffing account and therefore were using another part of Government allowance to cover the short fall. Devine therefore has paid out more in staff allowances than he is allowed too, apparently claimed falsely in a separate area in which he can claim.

He is also admitted to paying for leaflets out of his communications allowance. Now his annual report would have been covered under such an allowance but electioneering leaflets would not have been a legitimate claim under his communications allowance. If he has misspoken on what he was claiming for and it was his annual report, maybe Devine should learn to keep his mouth shut. However, if it was a slip from the facade of being doing things by the book he continues to open up whole other cans of worms with every defence he throws out into the public domain.

Hat tip to Jonathan Calder at Liberal England.

MPs, the Law and a Thin Privileged Line

In their statement yesterday MPs Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine said:

"We maintain that this is an issue that should be resolved by the parliamentary commissioner, who is there to enforce any breach of the rules."

However, the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided they they should be charged under the 1968 Theft Act. Keir Starmer in his statement said:

"We have considered that question and concluded that the applicability and extent of any parliamentary privilege claimed should be tested in court."

So what is it that the court feel they can do that the MPs are saying is protected by Parliamentary Privilege in the 1689 Bill of Rights?

First all the charges made against them are for the crime of gaining money/property by deception. What is the issue is that they appear to have claimed payments under false documentation. Morely was claiming for a mortgage on a property that the mortgage was already fully paid, Chaytor rent on a property he owned and rent on a property from his mother. Chaytor and Devine also used false receipts to claim services.

Should such claims be protected by the same right that gives MPs the freedom of speech to say what they need to in the Chamber of the House of Commons without fear of prosecution to do the job they are responsible for? Hugh Tomlinson QC, at Matrix chambers thinks not saying:

"MPs don't enjoy any kind of immunity from the ordinary criminal law. It seems to me that any privilege arguments are unlikely to be successful because the alleged offences are in substance just ordinary criminal offences. They are no different from the kind of offences any member of the public could also be accused of through their work."

Tomlinson acted in the 2008 case where MPs failed to prevent information about their expenses being released under Freedom of Information legislation. He added:

"Once legislation which applies to parliament has been enacted, MPs cannot and could not reasonably expect to contract out of compliance with it, or exempt themselves, or be exempted from its ambit."

That ruling looked at the Bill of Rights element on privilege "for words spoken or things done in the course of, or for the purposes of or incidental to, any proceedings in parliament". It decided that privilege serves to "avoid any risk of interference with free speech in parliament" and also preserves "the principle of the separation of powers, which … requires the judiciary not to interfere with, or to criticise, the proceedings of the legislature".

But this is not the proceedings of the legislature that is the issue, this is the dealings of individuals. As Tomlinson said this comes under the remit of ordinary criminal law.

If that is the case why weren't warrants issued, the MPs and Peer taking to their local police station read their charges, finger printed and DNA profiled like common criminals? Instead they were (at least Devine was) appearing on every TV station possible claiming his innocence. Yesterday's inaction may turn out to be the full extent of the Parliamentary privilege that they end up receiving.

The Not Given Interview from Jim Devine

At the end of their joint statement moments after the charges against them were announced the three Labour MPs Jim Devine, Elliot Morley and David Chaytor said they would not be available for media interviews.

However, that must mean that Devine's interviews with Sky News and the BBC didn't happen. So people didn't hear this

"I'm absolutely distraught and astonished at the decision that has been taken today. It is noticeable that there's no reference to shelving, there's no reference to mileage ... and some two new charges have been brought, both of which ... I will explain in court.

"I have just learnt two minutes ago what the allegation is. I think it is bizarre that I have been treated in this way. Tactically I've probably made a mistake because at the very beginning I referred myself to the police. The police have been through every single one of my receipts. In the Legg report yesterday other people have paid money back. If there is a problem – and I don't think there is a problem – why wasn't I given the opportunity to pay back?

"It's striking that the main allegations that were made against me were ones that I referred myself to the police for; they are not the ones that I'm being charged with."

What does strike me is Jim's pointed comment that there was no reference to shelving and no reference to mileage. Is that therefore an admission of guilt on the part of the disgraced Livingston MP? Don't worry I'm sure his Labour replacement as candidate Graeme Morrice will come up with something about Jim having to be in residential streets during the working day clearing this dirt from his name and not on the major locations doing the work for as many of Livingston as possible.

Also see: Still not not-giving interviews, Jim Devine appeared on Channel 4 News this evening, see it courtesy of Rantin Rab.

From Astonished to Devastated

Jim Devine, Livingston's soon to be ex-MP foretold he would be 'astonished' is he faced criminal charges. After the event he actually says he is 'absolutely devastated'. His is accused of "dishonestly claiming" money for cleaning services and for stationery using false invoices.

Maybe he should put that crystal ball about his own reactions back on the shelf. If only he can find it....the shelf that is.

This post has been sent via email therefore spacing and fonts may not appear at my usual standard. Also there may be links to other relevant blog entries or other content added later today along with adding the correct tagging.

***Breaking*** 'Astonished' Livingston MP Jim Devine Facing Criminal Charges

Earlier today Livingston MP Jim Devine (pictured left) said he would be "astonished" if he were to face criminal charges from the Criminal Prosecution Service over his expenses.

Well to his astonishment but not many of his constituents that is just what has been announced. Along with Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Lord Hanningfield he is being charged under the Theft Act.

Director of Public Prosecution Karl Starmer said:

"In four cases, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges and that it is in the public interest to charge the individuals concerned.

"Accordingly, summonses in these cases have been obtained from the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court and will now be served on the individuals in question."

I will return to this story through the day as the news unravels.

UPDATE: See more here and here.

Short List for Livingston Labour Candidate Announced

A short list of four to replace disgraced Livingston MP Jim Devine has been announced. Senior Labour Councillor Ian Murray who is understood to have put his name forward is not on the list.

The four are:

• Graeme Morrice former West Lothian Council leader
• John McGinty West Lothian Councillor
• Gordon Connolly community education worker
• Adenike Abimbola-Akindele former House of Commons worker

Morrice is Councillor for Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh to the north east of the constituency. He currently serves on the Local Area Committee, Avoidance of Disputes Committee, Policy and Resources Policy Development and Scrutiny panel and the Joint Consultative Group. He had acted as leader on the Labour controlled Council until the SNP took over as largest party in 2007. In 2007 he was the fourth elected Councillor of four under STV in an area he had represented part of for 20 years.


McGinty is actually one of my local councillors in Bathgate, outwith the Livingston seat, but only just you would say. He serves on the Education Executive Committee, Audit Committee, Local Area Committee, Appeals Committee, Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel, Health and Care Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel and the Joint Consultative Group (Teaching Staff).


Connolly is theInternational Partnerships Development Officer with West Lothian Council.

Abimbola-Akindele is the outsider coming from Hackney. She is a school governor and a committee member of Africans for Labour. Looking for that 'safe' Labour seat has already sought selection in Thrurock to replace Andrew Mackinlay only last month. Previously seeking to stand in the next general election for Bury in October, Carlisle, Barrow.

Parliamentary Privilege v Freedom of Information

The latest ploy by three disgraced MPs is to claim that their expenses claims over which they are facing prosecution are protected under Parliamentary Privilege under the 1689 Bill of Rights. Not surprising amongst there number if Livingston MP Jim Devine as well as Elliot Morley and David Chaytor.

The heart of their claim is that the House of Commons rule book on expenses is "privileged" and shouldn't be open to scrutiny of the courts. The sad thing is that the three of these MPs using this argument just shows the people that MPs are trying to hide behind ancient rights instead of being open to public scrutiny, the end result being that they appear privileged in the wrong way as people who think they can spend what they want, without being subject to what they end up claiming.

Under the Freedom of Information Act which supersedes the Bill of Rights surely the releasing of MPs expenses comes under this. However, the three of them are retaining the Labour party's solicitors Steel & Shamash at their own expense. The firm have confirmed that they have instructed the QCs Nigel Pleming and Edward Fitzgerald to consider whether Morley, Chaytor and Devine should be protected by parliamentary privilege.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker says however:

"Parliamentary privilege exists to safeguard democracy, not to subvert it.

"It certainly does not exist to allow MPs to rip off the taxpayer with impunity. Whether or not these MPs have committed a crime, they should not be allowed to subvert the court process with arcane technicalities that threaten further to undermine the standing of parliament."

The article of the Bill of Rights that the MPs are attempting to use in their case is that "Proceedings in parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court." Their QCs are claiming that this definition of proceedings applies to the "green book" of rules on expenses, and by extension to the expenses claims themselves.

However, as this latest claim and the MPs failure to co-operate with the police investigations until the matter is resolved raises another far more tricky dilemma. These three MPs are delaying the issuing of charges against them even further by the complex legal argument. One MP says:

"If we get to the election and they have still not been charged, there is no way under employment law that we could prevent them getting the [severance] payments, which will amount to up to a year’s money."

So are these potentially to be charge with fraud members holding proceedings up so that they can fleece a whole extra years pay out of their privilege, surely that cannot be allowed to happen.

See also: Dizzy Thinks, Tom Freeman, The Lone Voice, Ellee Seymour, Steve Beasant, Neil Herron, Goodnight Vienna @ Calling England and gmb45 @ Digital Kaos

Time to Name and Shame Says Devine

Regular readers had better sit down before reading further.

Are you sitting comfortably?

I'm going to agree with Jim Devine. Not on everything you understand, but he has said today that employers who do not pay their staff the national minimum wage should be named and shamed. He goes on to tell of one 18-year-old constituent who has worked six 12-hour shifts per week as trainee hairdresser for £20 a week. At the £4.77 rate for an 18-21 year old this should have been £343.44 (if the hours stated were all payable), even if the employee had only done the 37 hour week, that most full time employees expect as the maximum, it would still have been £176.49.

So do you know of an employer in the West Lothian or Falkirk area who is failing to pay minimum wage (i.e. £3.53 per hour for 16-18-year-old, £4.77 for 18-21 and £5.73 to anyone older than that)? Please email me. I will investigate and publish any offenders on this blog.

Politicians Letting Down West Lothian Workers

The CEO of West Lothian Chamber of Commerce has slated local and national politicians in light of the recent announcement that Bausch & Lomb's plant shutting down in Livingston. He said:

"It is disappointing that during recent years Alistair Darling, Iain Gray, Jim Devine, Margaret Hodge and Michael Connarty all had opportunities to influence changes that might have helped businesses like Bausch & Lomb to stay in West Lothian.

"The consequence of their inaction is that Ireland is now perceived internationally as a more attractive business location."

He is furious that the politicians haven't done enough to protect the regions eligibility under the Regional Selective Assistance programme (RSA). The area had maintained RSA status until last year, i.e. just before the world was thrown into recession, when European officals decided to reduce the number of Scottish areas eligible. Firms in such areas can claim up to 35% grants towards investment. It should be noted that Bausch & Lomb's other European plant in Waterford does now benefit from RSA status that the Livingston plant no longer does. Chamber President Duncan M Walker said:

"The factory is closing not because they're failing to produce innovative products, it's because the location in Ireland has RSA – Bausch & Lomb can get more activity while reducing costs. If we'd had more support from the people David McDougall mentioned, we might have retained the status which would mean Bausch & Lomb might have stayed."

Five years ago the company had won the Scottish Engineering Award for its work with "world-class technologies". As company Chairman Gerald M Ostrov said the closure was "by no means a reflection on our employees' professionalism, dedication, or efforts", but rather a purely financial decision.

Is it possible that Westminster and Holyrood could have done more to help maintain these highly trained, technical and skill jobs stay in the region? The writing was already on the wall even when the RSA was in place with firms like Motorola and NEC and others that formed the once renowned Silicon Glen pulling out to focus on other production plants. The area had been suffering even before the latest economic difficulties. The various industrial campuses around Livingston could become somewhat more of a ghost town if companies cannot be persuaded to stay in the area.

Only Playing One Quarter

It may be American Football close season, but this ain't about sport but Livington MP Jim Devine. As if it wasn't bad enough that the MP has claimed phantom shelving and had his flat rewired at public expense from a non-Vat registered electrician, he's not even bothering to do the job his pay and expenses are supposedly supporting.

Since he was deselected for the seat earlier this year Devine has only voted 24% of the time. This is a disgrace but not as bad as Margaret Moran who is in Esther Rantzen's sights in Luton South, who after claiming £22,500 for dry rot to be sorted out on her partner's house in Brighton, neither near Westminster nor her constituency has failed to vote at all.

It is bad enough that these MPs, along with David Chaytor, Derek Conway, Sir Peter Viggers and Anthony Steen, have already failed their constituents by their claims, they are now failing them by failing to do the job of work that is expected of them. If any of us failed to turn up for work in our places of employment we'd soon be disciplined and shown the door.

These MPs may still have almost a full year left to 'serve' the people who voted for them, even if they are not able to carry on after that. Reform is needed so that MPs who are not performing their duties can face a call back if a sizable enough section of their constituents demand it. Otherwise we may have an awful lot of lame ducks MPs hobbling from their nicely furnished flats in London to the Terrace at Westminster for lunch and drinks and nothing more.

Mass Resignation Does Devine Go Too

If what Jonathan Calder points out from today's Mail on Sunday is true what does that mean for Jim Devine and Livingston. The Mail on Sunday tells us:

"Rebel Labour MPs are threatening to force a series of parliamentary by-elections in a new attempt to oust Gordon Brown from Downing Street.

Well-placed sources say that a number of Labour MPs are prepared to sacrifice themselves as part of a 'guerrilla campaign' against the Prime Minister.

They include some older MPs who are prepared to bring forward their decision to retire at the next Election and others who believe they have been victimised.

Of course shortly after he was deselected Devine threatened to do exactly what Ian Gibson did in Norwich North and resign his seat forcing a by election. There has been nothing more heard from Devine about this since. But if over the summer recess the biggest, if not bigger, mass resignation of MPs since the Unionists all resigned in Northern Ireland over the Anglo Irish agreement in 1986 will Devine be amongst them?

Back then of course it was in protest to the actions of another party and there were casualties. If it were to happen as the MoS suggests it be in protest over their own leader's handling of things and of far bigger embarrassment. There would more than likely be casualties just as there was on Friday in Norwich North.

We live in interesting times: possibly.

Bhoy Bans the Black Stuff

You know I'm kind of wishing that should Labour manage to hang on to Livingston whenever Jim Devine finally goes that the researcher who has left (and has still not recieved the travel payments owed) gets employed as the new MPs researcher. I'm not just saying that as they are a relative of a good friend but because of the following.

Jim Devine has decided that the people of Scotland should take action against against Diageo on August 12th. Now that is good. But Jim Devine has only named one Diageo product and from the title you can guess which Irish favourite that would be. Quite a statement for a Celtic fan to ban his fellow fans possible favoured tipple. The issue is that if you want to strike a message to the giant producer Diageo what is wrong with the rest of their product range, here is where a little research comes into playing. By the power of Google within 20 seconds I was directed to the Wikipedia page for Diageo which list all their products, so Jim what is wrong with boycotting the rest of these on August 12th?

Diageo is the holding company for some of the most recognizable alcohol brands, including:

• Beer: Guinness, Smithwick's, Red Stripe, Harp Lager, Kilkenny, Kaliber (non alcoholic)
• Scotch whisky: Johnnie Walker, Justerini & Brooks (J&B), Bell's, Black & White, Vat 69, Oban, Talisker, Lagavulin, Glen Ord, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore
• Baijiu: Shui Jing Fang
• Vodka: Smirnoff (Smirnov in Russia), Cîroc, Silent Sam, Popov, Ketel One
• Gin: Gordon's, Tanqueray, Gilbey's, Booth's
• Rum: Captain Morgan, Bundaberg, Pampero, Myers'
• Bourbon: Bulleit Canadian whisky: Crown Royal, Seagram's
• Irish whiskey: Bushmills
• Tennessee whiskey: George Dickel Tequila: Don Julio, José Cuervo
• Schnapps: Black Haus, Goldschläger, Rumple Minze
• Mixed drinks: Archers, Pimm's, TGI Friday's
• Liqueur: Baileys, Sheridans, Yukon Jack, Godiva's
• Wines: Sterling Vineyards, Piat d'Or, Barton & Guestier, Beaulieu Vineyard, Blossom Hill, Canoe Ridge Vineyard, Acacia, Chalone, Provenance, and Rosenblum.

That's just for starters Jim or are you just trying to blame this all on the Irish. When Grand Metropolitan were an equal partner is setting up Diageo in 1997 and have actually saved a number of Scottish Whiskys as a result, something that has been forgotten a little in the latest Johnny Walker controversy.

Deeper Reckonings: Mark's MP Meme II (The Political Geek Cut)

After I posted my response to Mark Thompson's meme listing all my MPs through life I read some of the others including Caron's, the political geek in me got interested. Caron had given a brief pen-picture of each and her own connection if any to others. North Down my home constituency is known for being an eccentric or unusual or trend-defying Northern Irish constituency and as for the others I knew there were tales to tell. Here are those tales.

September 1969 - February 1970 George Currie (Ulster Unionist) North Down: George was first elected in 1955 in succession to Northern Ireland's first female MP* Patricia Ford who had succeeded her father Sir Walter Smiles who was a victim of the MV Princess Victoria disaster in Great Storm of 1953 (Sir Walter's great-grandson, Patricia’s grandson may have relished the challenge of surviving that storm he is Bear Grylls). But I digress.

George Currie was first elected in 1955 as I said with a 96.9% share of the vote. This would have had more to do with the only challenger being Sinn Féin's Joseph Campbell actually achieving that party's highest ever box count in North Down than due to Communist era electoral rigging. Four years later he was returned with a largest numeric and percentage majority of 98%. He had already announced his intention to stand down by the time I was born. He died in 1978 hence I never got to meet him in the flesh.

February 1970- September 1988 Sir James Kilfedder (Ulster Unionist-1977; Independent Unionist-1980; Ulster Popular Unionist-1995): Kilfedder was first elected to Westminster for West Belfast in 1964 but lost out to another Northern Irish celebrity politician Gerry Fitt the founding leader of the SDLP in 1966. West Belfast's lost became North Down's gain as Kilfedder served from 1970 to his death in 1995 as the MP for North Down. He also elected for the 1973 Assembly for North Down, in 1975 for the Constitutional Convention, and the 1982 Assembly where he served as speaker to 1986 (earning at the time more than the Prime Minister for his dual roles).

On 20 March 1995 the Belfast Telegraph ran with a story that an Ulster MP was one of 20 MPs targeted by LBGT group Outrage!, led by Peter Tatchell, to come out in an open letter. Kilfedder was died of a heart attack the same day on his train in to Westminster from Gatwick Airport. A 2005 article in the same paper carried a story alluding to Kilfedder's past pointing to being that MP.

September 1988- July 1991 Richard Tracey (Conservative) Surbiton: Moving to Kingston for at the time the Polytechnic I found the third lawyer turned MP Richard Tracey as my MP. In the land of Tom and Barbara Good though he served merely as a JP and followed a career in journalist and Radio and TV current affairs before his election.

He's now a Member of the London Assembly elected in 2008. In 1997 he stayed (see later) to fight for the Kingston and Surbiton seat after boundary changes losing out by just 56 votes to our own Ed Davey. Although I first ran into Tracey on my return to the area in the Surbiton club, I was there playing for Surbiton Chess Club, I'd abstained on the vote to move to such a Conservative hotbed.

I enjoyed the summer all over the place before:

September 1991 - April 1992 Dave Nellist (Labour) Coventry South East: Another character of an MP, many Scottish socialists will find his mantra 'a worker's MP for a worker's wage' very familiar. For yeah in the height of Militant I found myself in the constituency of a Trotskyite Labour deselected Member of Parliament who was the next target of Kinnock's cohorts.

In 1983 when he was first elected it was initially allocated to share an office with the newly elected MP for Sedgefield. But the differing views of the two soon meant that the later was swiftly moved in with another of that year’s intake the member for Dunfermline East so possibly Nellist had something to do with the Blair-Brown pact.

I got to vote in my first election in 1992 Nellist stood as Independent Labour gathered 10,551 votes, trailing the Tory Martine Hyams on 10,591 and my next MP Jim Cunningham on 11,902. Nellist went on to form the Socialist Party (not to be confused with the Socialist Party of Great Britain. In 1998 he was elected to Coventry City Council, 12 years after he had last been a Labour Councillor for Coventry on West Midlands County Council.

April - August 1992 Jim Cunningham (Labour) Coventry South East: As said above Jim won my first Westminster election I could vote in, without my vote, and still represents Coventry South today. For the first time I was represented by a Scottish-born MP as Cunningham hail from just out West at Coatbridge. He has in the past called for the Queen to pay Income Tax as well as serving as PPS to Harriet Harman and Mike O'Brien while they were Solicitors General.

August 1992 - May 1996 Norman Lamont (Conservative) Kingston Upon Thames: Returning to complete my Economics degree I found accommodation in the constituency of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, and another Scottish born: did I not see the trend starting? Shortly after he became my MP and just before I resumed studies of course Norman presided over Black Wednesday and I had to reassure new landlord when he walked back in through the door that his mortgage was no longer effectively 50% more expensive but back where it was where he stared the day.

A word of warning though for Darling Lamont starting to see the 'green shoots of recovery' in 1993 during the Newbury by election. After the Government lost that seat to the Lib Dem's David Rendel Lamont was sacked.

I have another chess anecdote about Norman, one evening I overheard the following conversation at the Surbiton club "Norman's seen the figures he's heading for a safer seat.", "Where?", "Harrogate." Of course that safe Conservative seat added to my joy on Election Night 1997 as while SW London went yellow through Twickenham, Richmond Park, Kingston & Subiton, Sutton & Cheam and Carshalton & Wallington. The look on the former Chancellor's face as Phil Willis accepted the people's decision to elect a Lib Dem to serve Harrogate and Knaresborough.

May 1996 - April 2001 Robert McCartney (United Kingdom Unionist) North Down: McCartney was originally an Ulster Unionist like Kilfedder. In 1987 the Unionist Party's agreed in a pact not to stand against each other just a year after all the Unionist MPs had stood down in protest at the Anglo-Irish agreement losing a couple of their number in marginals in the process. Of course North Down was not really in any danger of turning Nationalist but Bob refused to stand down. He was expelled from the party and stood as a Real Unionist. The resulting election proved the narrowest of Kilfedder's 25 year career in North Down in all elections.

He didn't contest the 1992 General Election which saw the Conservatives as the closest challengers to Kilfedder. But in 1995 following Kilfedder's death he was returned with 37% of the vote in an 8 challenger contest, the Tories losing all but 583 of their vote 3 years earlier.

McCartney was elected to the May 1998 Assembly Election and carried 3 other MLAs into Stormont with his former One Man Party. However, by December he'd fallen out Cedric Wilson in Strangford, Patrick Roche in Lagan Valley, Norman Boyd in South Antrim and Roger Hutchinson East Antrim, to remain a one man band in the Assembly getting re-elected in 2003. However, his demise came in 2007 when he lost out on the last seat for North Down to Brian Wilson (not the Beach Boy) the first Green to be elected at that level in Northern Ireland.

May - November 2001 Robin Cook (Labour) Livingston: Having had a Chancellor, Speaker (Northern Irish) I racked up my next high office MP with the Foreign Secretary just before the 2001 General Election. Robin was first elected to Edinburgh Central in 1974. But in 1983 like Lamont was in Kingston was worried that boundary changes might cost him his seat so moved to Livingston a new constituency.

Of course Robin famously took a call at Heathrow, en route to holiday, from Alistair Campbell shortly after becoming Foreign Secretary asking him to choose between his then wife Margaret or his then mistress, later second wife, Gaynor before the press announced the affair. He chose to tell his wife it was over and made the announcement via a press statement in the departure lounge.

He also resigned as Leader of the House on principle over the decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003. After winning the election in 2005 I last saw him at the start of the Make Poverty History March in Edinburgh the date of birth of this blog. Within weeks he was dying whilst walking down Ben Stack on 6 August. His gravestone bears the epitaph 'I may not have succeeded in halting the war, but I did secure the right of parliament to decide on war.'

November 2001 - November 2004 Sir Tam Dalyell Bt. (Labour) Linlithgow: Moving less than two miles from Stoneyburn to Whitburn found me in a new constituency.

Tam is, although he never uses the title, 11th Baronet Dalyell of the Binns. He is named after his famous ancestor General "Sir Tam" Dalyell (1615–1685) who was a military commander for both Charles I and Charles II in the Civil War.

Tam first was elected in 1963 for West Lothian and of course leading up the devolution debate in the 1970s asked the famous and so far thus unsatisfactorily answered West Lothian Question about the role of Scottish and English MPs post devolution. The former having votes over English matters while the latter had no say over devolved issues the other way around. In 1963 the seat was split into two and Tam chose to represent the Northern Linlithgow section in which the Binns, a National Trust of Scotland property is located.

Following the 2001 election succeeded former Prime Minister Ted Heath to the honourific position of Father of the House, whose only recognised role is to chair the vote to appoint a new Speaker, which is bestowed on the longest serving member of the House. In 2004 he announced he was standing down at the next General Election to spend more times with his bees and to write his autobiography. The bees must be very demanding and the autobiography has yet to appear.

November 2004 -August 2005 Robin Cook again see above.

September 2005 - March 2006 Jim Devine (Labour) Livingston: Devine served as Robin's agent for decades and is a former, and rumours have it, future psychiatric nurse. I first heard Jim Devine speak at a hustings for the 2005 General Election in Loganlea, Robin couldn't make it and the agent stepped in and quickly took over proceedings something that the candidate would never have done. Of course recent events do not need going over but yet another character in my list of MPs who will go down in history as an MP who never faced a General Election vote despite not dying in office following an by election in peace time.

March 2006 - Present Michael Connarty (Labour) Linlithgow and Falkirk East: Former leader of Stirling Council, former Economics teacher (there were three Economics graduates on the 2005 ballot for L&FE).

Of course Michael and I first crossed swords thanks to the Boundary Commission. Before the current boundaries although Bo'ness and few others where historically West Lothian they had been part of Falkirk Council since the end of Lothian District Council, and Grangemouth had never been with West Lothian before. This is also the closest I have ever lived to a MPs office. It is literally only about 90 seconds walk away from where I'm typing this in my lounge.

Although I have letters from 5 of my previous MPs (6 if you count the election 'letter' from Jim Devine) this is the MP I have had most interaction with. Partly because I've stood in direct opposition, partly because of the ease of email, which has once led to a response within 10 minutes.

However, as the fifth most expensive MP (excluding transport 2nd with), who considers it 'ridiculous and tiresome' to submit all expenses to his employer for scrutiny. And who's first response to the Telegraph printing his expenses was to attack the source as stolen rather than try and explain them, maybe his days are numbered.

Of course while some of the men (sorry WLDs everywhere no gender balance) who have represented me in the past have been replaced by a Lib Dem, just not in my time. So I'd love to be in a constituency with a Lib Dem MP. However, would that outcome really lead to a Lib Dem representing me? I guess that is up to the local party and the electorate.

Update 

August 2010 - Feb 2013 Sylvia, Lady Hermon (Independent) North Down: Born Sylvia Paisley but not related to that Northern Irish political dynasty of that name she studied law at the University of Aberystwyth before lecturing in that subject at Queens, Belfast at the same time as a certain David Trimble, who would go on to become the first First Minister.

She was married to Jack Hermon as his second wife on New Years Eve 1988, who was to rise to the the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary from 1980-89. It is because of his knighthood from 1982 as Sir John Hermon that she holds the honourific title Lady Hermon. From 2004 to his death in 2008 Jack was to suffer from Alzheimers which is why Sylvia is so connected with that cause.

However, it was in 2001 that she was chosen by the North Down Ulster Unionist Branch to take on Robert McCartney (see above). The Alliance Party chose not to stand against her and she won the seat with a majority of 7,324 with 56%.


In 2005 she won again with 50.4% of the vote but was the lone Ulster Unionist returned to the House of Commons. When David Trimble resigned as leader she was considered a serious contender for the post, but because of the state of health of her husband at that point not widely known, she instead threw her support behind North Down MLA Alan McFarland.

During that parliament the overtures of the Conservative Party to the Ulster Unionists weren't to the liking of their sole MP, indeed she had often supported the Labour Government much to the disapproval of party leader Sir Reg Empey. She eventually resigned from the party on 23 February 2010 and vowed to stand in the election that year as an Independent. So like her two predecessors she parted ways with the Ulster Unionists as of yet, unlike them, she has not formed a new Unionist Party.

Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force (UCUNF) the combined UUP and Conservative banner that was running candidates had selected the 2009 Alliance European candidate Ian Parsley as their candidate in North Down. But Lady Hermon secured a majority of 14,364 with 63.3% of the vote.

Feb 2013 - Present Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat) Orkney and Shetland. Finally after over 24 years association with the party I actually get to live in a held seat, although the job I doing kinda makes it a necessity as I'm working for the MP.

Born in Islay, almost as close to Northern Ireland as any Scottish islander can get, he worked as a hotel manager before completing his law degree from Aberdeen University. Although a brief period before that at Glasgow University was where he met his wife.

After graduation he stayed in the North East of Scotland working as a procurator fiscal depute in the criminal courts. For the 2001 General Election he was selected to replace Jim Wallace, who had been elected as the MSP for the Orkney seat in 1999.

He has been the Lib Shadow for the Home Office, Transport and Scotland but after the 2010 General Election became the party's chief whip and Deputy Chief Whip for the coalition government.



*See trend setting though it took 46 years to get North Down's second.

Flipping Homes is One Thing But Flipping the Truth

As I reported last night I heard that Jim Devine MP for Livingston had been reported to the police for investigation. It appears that the Sunlight Centre for Open Politics has raised the issue of Devine's expenses claims.

We have the issue firstly of the £2157 for rewiring his London flat , the one he acquired from fellow West Lothian MP Michael Connarty in 2006. For a start the invoice had an invalid VAT receipt. Devine when pressed further claimed that it was a friend of a friend. Later still he said it was somebody recommended to him in a pub. The latest is that Devine is saying the person who carried out the work is dead. Or have moved up 'north'.

Next you have the matter of £2326 for joinery work. The name hidden by redacting on the official receipt is the same as the name of the landlord of the Mason's Arms. Admittedly the man's original trade was joinery, however he has issued a statement that since he retired and took up the license he has not carried out joinery on anything other than the pub. Devine has said this heavy duty shelving, 60 metres worth apparently, has been at times for his office, his London flat, a shed and in a pub basement. Forget Great Birnam Wood moving to high Dunsinane Hill foretelling the downfall of Macbeth, the moving shelves of Livingston may be enough to bring down Devine not of his own freewill or timing of his choosing.

There is also the £690 in March followed by £1800 in June of 2006 for laminate flooring. The first was for the above area (redacted out) the second was for the lounge, bedroom and hallway. One does wonder just what other area there was to cover in laminate.

There is the mileage claims that were made in the name of a former member of staff, which have not been passed on in full to them. But that is not the only disgruntled member of staff as there are two industrial tribunals brought by former members of his staff. Plus billing for legal fees to advise a former employee on a "compromise agreement terminating her employment" smethng he had investigated himself with Network Rail earlier this year.

When you think that Devine himself mentioned the fraud word in relation to the electrician's non-existent VAT number one wonders just what fraud he was actually thinking of.