webofevil | (no subject)

Having some idea of the number of times that politicians have screamed at the staff around them, only for an investigation to reveal their own idiot fingerprints all over whatever mess they were complaining about, I’m afraid I’m sceptical about the MPs’ side of the story here:

MPs swore repeatedly at staff running the new parliamentary expenses system and reduced volunteer employees to tears, it emerged today.

The FOI document, which does not name the MPs, shows standards authority staff reported that one MP shouted: “This system is a fucking abortion.” Another told a standards authority worker in a lift that the system was “awful” and called its employees “fucking idiots”.

One MP stormed out of an induction session and came to reception to ask questions about the scheme. He was rude when staff were unable to answer his queries, walking off in the middle of a volunteer's explanation and branding all the trainers and staff “monkeys”.

A male MP who reduced a volunteer to tears 10 minutes into the induction later returned with a note and a box of chocolates by way of apology… Former Labour Europe minister Denis MacShane admitted he was the MP involved in the chocolates incident but disputed the facts as reported by the authority and blamed it for recruiting “interns” to explain a very complicated system to MPs.

He added: “IPSA are releasing a wholly one-sided version. It’s crazy that Cabinet ministers and every MP should have to go through this Stasi operation and we still can't get money to buy our stationery. It’s an unbelievably badly run organisation.” [Evening Standard, 25 August]

“Stasi”, huh? Good to see them trying to engage with the new openness, there.