Oh my, Anthony Steen's short audio interview is a classic:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8062205.stm
from the article said:
...Conservative MP Anthony Steen, who has announced he will not be standing at the next election, has said that his critics are "jealous" because he has a "very, very large house"...
Ho ho ho, 'man of the people' Cameron will be facepalming over that one. In terms of reminding people what the Tories are, this is gold dust.
I've been wondering, this article says he used to be a barrister:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...ny-Steen-to-step-down-as-MP-MPs-expenses.html
but he's been an MP for 35 years.
Prior to entering parliament, was he previously independently wealthy? Is his wife another one of those heiresses or well-orf types that support some of the, especially Tory MPs and keep them in the manner to which they like to become accustomed?
Only, I'm wondering, how come he can afford to buy a huge country pile like that, if he's been working in the public sector for 35 years?
I mean, I don't know of many teachers or social workers or nurses or GPs or anyone who could afford a home like that, even after working for 35 years.
So how did he manage it?
Just checked wikipedia, it says his wife is a child psychologist. So unless she has some secret trust fund or something, she's not going to have brought a whole heap of money to the table by working in a job like that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Steen
Looks to me like a clear case of rinsing the expenses. Ordinary non-pissing taking people wouldn't buy a huge property with large grounds if they couldn't afford for the upkeep on their salaries. But if you're an MP like Steen, and you know that you're never going to foot the bill for a new boiler or central heating or a new roof or whatever, when why would the matter of running costs of the property bother you? Most people factor in running costs when they're deciding whether they can afford an old place or whether they end up buying new to keep maintenance costs down. Why shouldn't MPs have to make all those calculations and economies like 'normal' people do?
