Did they learn anything from the expenses scandal?

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2185893/Tory-MP-Nick-Boles-puts-private-Hebrew-lessons-expenses.html

Tory MP learns lover's language and puts the £678 cost of lessons on expenses

- Nick Boles has put £678.80 on his expenses for language lessons
- He entered a civil partnership with Israeli Shay Meshulam last year and says he is 'entitled' to learn the language
- MPs can claim for language lessons if it helps with their job
- Last month Mr Boles said rich pensioners should be stripped of some benefits


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/09/article-2185893-01293C3300000514-3_306x423.jpg
Tory MP Nick Boles


A Tory MP was under fire last night for charging taxpayers for lessons he took to learn his partner’s language. Nick Boles has spent £678.80 on studying Hebrew after entering into a civil partnership with Shay Meshulam last year. Mr Boles, who has called for pensioners to be stripped of free prescriptions, winter fuel payments and bus passes, claims he is ‘entitled’ to learn the ancient Jewish language.

The Grantham MP met Mr Meshulam on a Conservative Friends of Israel trip and they had a civil ceremony last March. He is not the first MP to put language lessons on expenses. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt charged taxpayers over £3,000 to learn Mandarin after marrying a Chinese woman. The pair are among nine MPs who got free classes in the last financial year. Mr Boles said: ‘Language instruction is a service available to Members of Parliament. I took some Hebrew lessons. It is something I’m entitled to do.’ Mr Boles is tipped by some party insiders for promotion, but his expenses claim could prove embarrassing.

Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Nick Boles has abused this taxpayer-funded perk in order to make conversation around the breakfast table a little easier.’ 'If MPs want to learn the language of a foreign partner then they should pay for it themselves, not expect taxpayers to pick up the bill. 'Mr Boles' unapologetic response is particular galling, given that an attitude of entitlement was one of the root causes of the expenses crisis in the last Parliament.'

Is it any wonder why membership in the established parties is in freefall?

The ripping off continues, they're not even ashamed anymore (if they had any shame).

Thoughts?

[GommeInc]

Not again :'(

It's a bit dodgy to claim he learnt the language because he is entitled to expenses to learn languages. It's hard to say if it's wrong or not for him to claim as he does appear to be involved in international affairs as an MP (he's part of a think-tank based on spreading liberal democracy across the globe), so learning a language is useful to him. However, if he learnt it purely for his lover then yes that's very shameful, but it could of been a convenience of learning the language - learn a new language as part of your job AND to talk to someone you're involved with.

It's for Westminster to decide his fate, we clearly won't get the details from a newspaper which only cares about what they think we would find enjoyable to read.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Not again :'(

It's a bit dodgy to claim he learnt the language because he is entitled to expenses to learn languages. It's hard to say if it's wrong or not for him to claim as he does appear to be involved in international affairs as an MP (he's part of a think-tank based on spreading liberal democracy across the globe), so learning a language is useful to him. However, if he learnt it purely for his lover then yes that's very shameful, but it could of been a convenience of learning the language - learn a new language as part of your job AND to talk to someone you're involved with.

It's for Westminster to decide his fate, we clearly won't get the details from a newspaper which only cares about what they think we would find enjoyable to read.

As far as i'm concerned, no normal job would allow for these perks being offered - so they should be cut.

£65k a year, no extras/expenses or perks. Then again, this is small change compared to what goes on in Brussels.

[GommeInc]

As far as i'm concerned, no normal job would allow for these perks being offered - so they should be cut.

£65k a year, no extras/expenses or perks. Then again, this is small change compared to what goes on in Brussels.
Some companies do if it's for training purposes, usually for expanding into a foreign market and the current employees do not have the language skills - so a lesson would prove useful. But obviously companies that do this are private and think long and hard about spending money on training.

And I suppose you are correct. An average MP income should be enough to fork out for the lessons, the same with hotel costs etc (you do not need to stay in the Ritz, a Premier Inn/Holiday Inn is more than enough). It's hard to properly justify an expenses system these days. It should only be for reasons that involve the constituency the MP works in.

[peteyt]

What I don't get is how are expenses checked, who authorise them basically? Ever strip them completely or have some better system. How can this guy claim all this money for use in his relationship, paying nothing himself then having the cheek to try and cut other peoples own money.

[dbgtz]

The one thing that I think about when reading this is that if he is in a civil partnership, surely communication is fine otherwise how does he really know the person?

[Ardemax]

He's a Tory, bound to have millions in the bank somewhere, and still has the nerve to claim for something as stupid as this.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay MPs :)