Embarrassing disclosures about the vast expenses claims of British members of parliament amount to a “McCarthy-style witch-hunt” that risks driving politicians to suicide, a lawmaker warned on Friday.

Nadine Dorries, a member of the opposition Conservative party, wrote on her blog that the two-week scandal, in which the Daily Telegraph newspaper has drip-fed details of how members of parliament have abused their generous expense allowances, was forcing politicians to the brink…

The atmosphere in Westminster is unbearable,” Dorries wrote on the blog (blog.dorries.org). “People are constantly checking to see if others are OK. Everyone fears a suicide. If someone isn’t seen, offices are called and checked.”

Asked about her comments on BBC radio on Friday, she sought to back away from the suicide suggestion, but said the disclosures, including that politicians charged for duck ponds, horse manure, bath plugs and pornographic films, were forcing members of parliament to breaking point…

“I have to say the last day in parliament this week was completely unbearable. I have never, ever been in an atmosphere or an environment like it, where everyone walks around with terror in their eyes. People are genuinely concerned.”

Dorries, whose own use of expenses to buy household goods was exposed by the Telegraph, joins a number of politicians who have attacked the disclosures rather than apologizing.

Is this a threat of suicide – or a promise?




  1. Whaap says:

    Heck expose the crooks. The ones killing themselves will save the people money in the long run and help clean up the mess.

    If all crooked politicians killed themselves the world would be a much better place.. No more politicians though, would that be bad?

  2. So I guess apologizing and paying back the money is out of the question?

  3. Improbus says:

    The press doing its job? Shocking!! Please open a branch in Washington.

  4. Mr Diesel says:

    Better yet, I hear New York will be needing a good paper soon.

  5. Mr. Fusion says:

    What kind of disconnect is this woman on?

  6. bill says:

    Sent the MP’s a bill with interest.
    and a big NO NO! from the Queen.

  7. eaze says:

    all this bullshit about expenses is just stuff to fill up the news to keep peoples minds off the important stuff.

    who cares if these guys are taking a few grand for themselves. they arnt spending anything compared to what has been spent in Iraq/Afghanistan and they havn’t killed anyone as a result of it.

    so who gives a fuck? please lets not be distracted from the real crimes going on.

  8. sargasso says:

    I can’t get over what this plump middle aged woman is wearing.

  9. brm says:

    Jeeze, give them an opportunity to ‘get some work done’ and ‘clean house’, and they puss out. Typical.

  10. Special Ed says:

    #8 – WTF, I’d sit on her face.

  11. Nimby says:

    If they really want a good story, they should start looking at the expenses for the EU parliament members…

  12. deowll says:

    The British aren’t what they used to be. I know the current generation think the old timers are idiots with their faith in things like God and all that crap but this generation…They need somebody to take care of them only the care takers need somebody to take care of them and make it all better if they do something naughty.

    The world can be really hard on a bunch of wimps. Things go wrong and the state can’t fix it.

  13. ChrisB says:

    I’m reminded of the gov’t apologists who were stating about spying on citizens “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you’ve got nothing to worry about” Kinda sucks when it’s turned the other way, huh?

  14. Glenn E. says:

    Brit Politician: “Don’t hold us accountable, or we’ll shoot ourselves.” Yeah, right. Seems to me that the Brits have elected some pretty unstable types to represent them in parliament. Or they’re playing this colossal bluff, like the “Buy this book or we’ll shoot this dog” ad. To think of all the british soldiers facing death in Iraq and elsewhere. And these weenies in parliament can’t bare to be held responsible for their expense accounts. Un-flipping-real!! They all need to deal with the real world of limited funds, like the rest of the British people. And stop this wining about how they can’t live with the embarrassment of exposure. Is this what the 21th century is about? The world being run by a load of spoiled crap heads?

  15. Uncle Patso says:

    This is one of the things I miss already about “no agenda” — a local’s view of the news we never hear about over here left of the big pond…

  16. ECA says:

    Its always interested/bothered me that these STAND UP, Cover my Butt, SUCK UPS to every group other there..get ANY MONEY.

    I see these folks in NICE homes, and pay SMALL bills(to them they are small) and THOSE they represent, are thrown out the window.

  17. hazza says:

    My response:

    http://dvorak.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/0.jpg

    Big baby, don’t put your hand in the fucking cookie jar in the first place, stupid bitch.


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