Monday, April 20, 2009

Rudi Vis vs Damian McBride: There's only one way to settle this

Damian McBride's local Labour Party branch, the Finchley and Golders Green constituency, will vote next month on whether to oust him from the party, says the Guardian.

One local is particularly livid:

Rudi Vis, the Labour MP for Finchley and Golders Green, said McBride's actions were "scandalous, totally scandalous". He added: "Something like this is really important, especially when the government is not doing very well.

"He has done the Labour party an enormous disservice. I don't believe he is the sort of member we should have.

Before you accept Mr Vis as the arbiter of what is and is not scandalous, consider a recent report about his own conduct.

Here is The Times from a couple of weeks ago:

Rudi Vis, the north London MP who is stepping down at the next election, has used his parliamentary expenses to help buy a £520,000 home for his retirement near the Suffolk coast.

Vis, 68, has taken out a mortgage on his London home to pay for the country property. Interest payments on the loan are funded out of his parliamentary expenses.

Think it sounds dodgy? Don't worry. It's...

[all together now]

"within the rules".

Still, Vis vs McBride. There's only one way to settle this.

The Devil's Kitchen has noticed this story too.

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