Apr 2008 02

Snape in the grass10

LordsnapeThe Noble Lord Snape, former railwayman and MP, has rushed to the defence of speaker Michael Martin, calling the inquiry into his wife’s £4,000 taxi bill a “load of fuss and nonsense about nothing”. 

He states his position clearly in an interview with the BBC, which you can see here.  He says at 1.10 in the piece:

“Is the Speaker’s wife supposed to queue up for the number 12 bus outside when she does her shopping?”

Yes, Lord Snape, she is, or if she wants to get a taxi she can pay for it herself out of the £138,724 her husband earns a year.

This rebuke of the buses and public transport is interesting, and somewhat surprising, because Lord Snape likes to remind everyone about his background in the public transport sector.  In the Register of Lord’s Interests, Lord Snape declares a role as a non-parliamentary consultant to First Group plc (bus and train operators in the UK and USA) and in Hansard he has spoken of his pride in “working for the National Express Group—indeed, I was chairman of its major bus operator for some years”.

In the same debate, Lord Snape went on to argue that more people should ride the bus, saying that more should be done to “tempt motorists out of their cars”.

So apparently Lord Snape wants you and me to take the bus, but not the Speaker’s wife.  The buses he takes pride in clearly can’t be good enough for the Speaker’s wife. 

You should tell Lord Snape that, firstly, £4,000 is a lot of money; it’s a pension for some elderly folk trying to get by.  You should tell Lord Snape that Mrs Martin should get on the bus, like the rest of us.  You can drop him an email expressing just how important this investigation is.  Email [email protected] and let him know what you think.

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  • http://lettersfromatory.wordpress.com Letters From A Tory

    Absolutely shocking attitude. The taxpayer should fund important trips for important people – the wife of the speaker going shopping fails on both counts.

  • Anonymous Eurocrat

    She doesn’t even need to take a bus. There is a small Tesco on the side of Portcullis House and a large Sainsbury’s a few minutes’ walk along Victoria Street.

  • Anonymous Eurocrat

    She doesn’t even need to take a bus. There is a small Tesco on the side of Portcullis House and a large Sainsbury’s a few minutes’ walk along Victoria Street.

  • John Coles

    If she took a part-time morning job at the local Tesco’s she’d be able to bring back the groceries in the afternoon, well in time for the dinner party, and all bought at a staff discount! Aye, that wuid save a few wee baubies!

  • Martin Thornhill

    It is disgusting. The disparity of how HMRC taxes the re-imbursement of expense claims is quite stark. One rule for us, another rule for them. “Let them pay tax!”, as Marie Antoinnette might have said.

  • Edwin Romilly

    Yes i agree ihave sent a email to the speakers wife and expressed my contempt for her attitude and the blatant waste of Tax payers money,and disregard for the electorate..Isnt it high time these people were held to account and the money spent scrutanised…we certainly are the average man in the street.regards..Edwin

  • http://burningourmoney.blogspot.com/ Wat Tyler

    Idly Googling around I came across the interesting sippet that Snape was the MP who proposed the inestimable Michael Martin for Commons Speaker in 2000.
    Small world.

  • http://www.atflynn.co.uk Anthony Thomas Flynn

    Hello Tim, it would seem that some people agree with the idea that the control of the BoE., HM Treasury and the Public Service Funds, should be a duty for people such as The Taxpayers Alliance. Then, County by County, the Local voters should elect just four MPs for each County. That makes England a Parliament of just 172 Members.
    Just imagine the nonsense that can be discarded once Counties elect and pay their own four Members what they think they are worth. Oh happy days.
    Regards, ATFlynn, “Norfolk’s Mutineer”

  • http://dirtyeuropeansocialist.blogspot.com/2008/04/insane-cost-of-royality.html What about the cost of royalty.

    What about the Duke OF Edinburgh who gets 359,000 a year for doing fuck all. Why to the tax payers alliance not care about that.

  • http://crossrailresidentsandpetitioners.wordpress.com/2007/12/08/the-crossrail-coalition-of-residents-and-petitioners/ Crossrail Coalition

    Snape alongside another Snapelike Colville (Viscount)and other peers scrutinised the £16bn rail scheme Crossrail by effectively preventing scrutiny of why taxpayers had to pay and underwrite most of the £16bn Crossrail scheme and why it selects a route that harms London’s cultural and residential areas while avoiding development sites.
    The Lords refused to investigate a document, which confirmed that Crossrail was to be used as a vehicle for development not railway, which makes its public interest benefits unacceptable and the scheme unlawful.
    Snape snapped at people and tried to prevent ordinary people from being heard when they raised such issues. Snape was certainly not interested in looking at the evidence. Instead ordinary people were left to deal with a kangaroo Crossrail court devised by Labour and supported by other parties.
    Crossrail provides a subsidised rail scheme for City bankers (the people already bailed out by taxes who seem to hate socialism unless it is for themselves it seems) so they can get to the City, Canary Wharf and fly to Heathrow. Most of London did not want Crossrail so a sham consultation and sham hearings were the answer. Crossrail replicates an existing line, the central line for £16bn with an extension to Canary Wharf and Shenfield who do not want Crossrail. Is this value for money? The way to assess if it is value for money, is bring in Adrian Montague to independently assess the financial feasibility of the route and then when he gives a cautious welcome to something not independently assessed, make him the chairman of Crossrail. Look at Montague’s taxpaying record on other schemes to find out his value for money credentials.
    The result of all this is that ordinary Londoners and farepayers alongside UK taxpayers pay and underwrite most of the £16bn+ Crossrail where as the major beneficiaries in the City, Canary Wharf, Heathrow pay a ring fenced token amount of money. TfL workers lose their jobs while the City and developers nominate taxpayers to pay the largest amount while paying the least thanks to effective lobbying.
    It is no surprise that Snape does not think taking buses is for people like him. Readers are urged to look at the hearings evidence on the website to find out how this ridiculous man treats ordinary people with legitimate questions with contempt.
    There seems to be little difference between Labour, Conservatives and even the Lib Dems. Despite being made aware of documents, Lib Dems transport person, Cameron and Johnson supported Crossrail without explaining why a rail scheme that is supposed to be in the public interest has a document confirming that Crossrail is a vehicle for development not railway.
    London and UK should have the opportunity to demand their money back from the farce that is and was the Crossrail Bill scheme. It is about time that the politicians who support unacceptable schemes without proper due diligence should leave them and their families not taxpayers paying for such schemes in perpetuity. Maybe this will focus their minds rather than awaiting the outcome of the Audit Commission after the horse has already bolted!