For the sake of the MP's children
I’m getting increasingly worried that my MP Claire Ward is losing track of her life. Under pressure for claiming the maximum in second home allowances since at least 2002, Ms Ward has come up with a number of justifications as to why she needs the allowance, despite being just a 16 minute train journey from central London – a route taken by many of her constituents every day.
Ms Ward’s first reason was that she sometimes has to start early or finish late. Like Eric Pickles on Question Time, she seems to have an overblown sense of her own importance, not understanding that many of her constituents are in just the same position – and they have to do it 5 days a week, 47 weeks of the year. When the cries of outrage from the hard-pressed commuters of Watford reached her ears, Ms Ward played her trump card – her children. Now in the days of work-life balance, no one can dispute that it is a good idea for parents and children to spend time together. But there are three questions that come to mind regarding Ms Ward’s story.
In the Watford Observer last week, Ms Ward stated that without her Westminster flat she would barely see her two young children. She said: “In reality leaving my family in Watford all week would mean that I would not see them on any night and rarely in the mornings during the week“. However Ms Ward previously told the same newspaper that “MPs often work until around 10.30pm at night”. Her children are aged almost three and just one. What small children are kept up until that time of night? If Ms Ward has to ‘start early and finish late’, don’t her children have to start even earlier and finish even later?
In the Channel 4 ‘Dispatches’ programme shown earlier this month, Ms Ward spoke of her house in Watford, a couple on minutes walk from the station, saying “This is my family home, where I live with my husband and two young children”. But surely her family home is where she and her family live all week – which she states is in her Westminster flat?
However in local magazine My Watford, Ms Ward spoke of the problems caused by the snow in February, saying, “Indeed in Watford, as I battled through to get the kids to nursery …”. If her children live in Westminster during the week, why are they attending nursery in Watford? Surely travelling via Watford must add over an hour onto Ms Ward’s journey from Westminster flat to Westminster office?
Finally, Ms Ward’s first child was born in June 2006. So if her second home is to enable her to see more of her children, what was the excuse for the previous four years and £80,000?
Related posts:
- I don't really live in Watford because it's a long way from London, says town's MP
- Does Watford's MP know anything about the constituency?
- Now will you leave our children in peace?
Comments
28 April 2009, 9:54 am
I’m sure Ms Ward has a perfectly sensible explanation for all of this.
You’re being far too cynical about the way she’s ripped off taxpayers to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds and then lied to cover it up.
28 April 2009, 11:11 am
Let’s face it she’s politically a `dead woman walking`. Go Sal!
28 April 2009, 2:58 pm
Very good points here Sara. It’s almost as if she has claimed the maximum she thought she could get away with and then retrospectively tried to come up with justifications for it all without remembering that she is on the record with statements that contradict these justifications.
But she is an honourable member so I am sure this cannot be the case.
06 May 2009, 12:10 pm
I have just called her office in Watford. I needed an apointment to see her. Instead I got this rude jumped up person that preceded to talk down to me, and when I tried to state my case they hung the phone! These people are so rude and only in it for what they can get. They’re not interested in the people who the are supposed to serve.
I for one will never vote for them again.
11 May 2009, 2:33 am
WTG Sara!
I suspected that Ms Ward would be one of the culprits as I have consistently found her to be completely unsympathetic and totally useless. It doesn’t surprise me at all that she appears to lack integrity as well.
Bring on a change of MP in Watford!! LibDems have worked their socks off for years and deserve success. I think Sal Brinton was a bit of an unknown quantity at the 2005 election, but both her and the Mayor have worked hard on publicity for the past 4 years, so hopefully more trust now?
The only thing I don’t understand is why we don’t have a revolution or why we weren’t able to kick Labour out at the last election, after it was obvious they lied about the war in Iraq. The whole Parliamentary system is funked, and I think we need more choice and less party politics.
Jane
15 May 2009, 11:02 am
The CLP should deselect Ward. If they don’t a three way marginal just turned into a straight fight between Sal and the Eric Moorcombe lookalike…
16 May 2009, 1:12 am
It is hard for MPs to justify their claims now because they never had to do before. The system was unjust; it supported unjustifiable claims.
Given an opportunity to supplement my income by taking advantage of lax rules over expenses, I like most, would take claim whatever I could. The rules are wrong – not the MPs who made *legitimate* claims.
The notion that the incumbent MPs are somehow less virtuous than those that want their seat is fanciful. This is not a Political issue and trying to turn it into one is a mistake. Kicking people out of Westminster to force a by-election so that (insert party here)’s candidate gets another go is pointless and dangerous. The public’s short-sighted envy and righteous indignation works against all the major parties. And a General Election where the electorate is disillusioned will lead to a low turn out and lead to a disproportionately high representation by minority parties, some of whom hold extreme views.
But while everyone is so preoccupied with receipts for dog food and leaking pipes at least they can can stop thinking about the real problems we might have to face: the forthcoming depression, social unrest and an increased likelihood of war. Problems which transcend party politics and cost an awful lot more than the total of all the MPs’ homes since Parliament began.
19 May 2009, 4:08 pm
as a local mp m’s ward is absolutely useless,has been of no help to me personaly when asked to intervene in my problems with local or national government.
have had exactly same problem as rob,above,except i told snotty git assistant not to walk down any dark alleys in watford area.
perhaps we could organise it so that ms ward is the first parasite to be lynched from a lamp post
on thames embankment,300 ex mp’s dangling would be a lovely tourist attraction for the london eye,or flag poles on watford junction could be fun …
20 May 2009, 10:53 pm
Just so that everyone knows – Ms Ward is actually a Labour whip, which probably means she’s not very interested in her local constituency anyway.
I asked her to sign an EDM which she appeared to sympathise with, but said she couldn’t because of her status as a whip.
I hate party politics! MPs should vote independently and with their consciences.
27 May 2009, 6:48 pm
It does seem to me that some of the comments on your blog site reflect the lack of any reasoned political debate from people who regard themselves as Liberal Democrats. What sort of political point is made by the idiot who talks about stringing up the MP from a lampost. You are entitled to criticise Claire Ward’s work and political approach as much as you want but try and avoid any more malicious comments such as the lampost posting above. It doesn’t do you or your party any favours.
27 May 2009, 8:28 pm
Geoff, I have no idea who most of these posters are – certainly I don’t know the IP addresses, nor do I know them to be LibDems.
However as one of Claire Ward’s employees, the hypocrisy is truly amazing. You are quite happy for the MP’s official site to make nasty comments about the Mayor and her family moving to a larger home and to misrepresent who the Deputy Mayor is and has been for a number of years.
At least Dorothy and Iain haven’t expected the taxpayer to pay their stamp duty, mortgage interest, fixtures and fittings.
27 May 2009, 11:57 pm
The point you should be taking on board Geoff, is that people in Watford were not particularly impressed with their local MP BEFORE the expenses scandal.
Making cheap shots about the Lib Dems is not a terribly intelligent way to address the issue; nor is accusing posters of a lack of political debate. We are not politicians – we’re constituents – so why would you expect Westminster standard political debate. Equally, someone’s political persuasion should be irrelevant to how you handle the matter. I was under the impression that MPs had a duty to treat all of their constituents equally, regardless of who they vote for?
Your attidude only goes to reinforce the notion that Claire Ward and her staff are not even remotely interested in the thoughts and feelings of her constituents, even while she seems quite happy for us to pay for her second home. A home it is hard to justify, given that she only lives 20 miles away from Westminster.
I should have thought you had other things to do with your time than trawling the internet for gossip. How about dealing with local people’s real issues for starters?
16 July 2009, 3:10 am
Hey Sara, that Geoff O’Connell above. Is that the rude bloke that works Clair Ward’s office?
16 July 2009, 1:56 pm
No idea if you’ve found him to be rude, but he does work in the MP’s office.
18 July 2009, 9:55 am
Hi Rob
It’s me again. Perhaps next time you have a query you should talk to me directly rather than one of my colleagues. I’m sorry if you had any difficulties.
my e-mail is geoffocon@btinternet.com