Shot in the foot during the Class War

Many of Gordon Brown's actions and decisions are strongly influenced by his overwhelming, mindless hatred of the Conservative party. The sad bastard doesn't even choose his tie each morning without wondering which colour will most damage the Tories.

It was probably this emotion that was behind one of his more baffling responses to the Great Expenses Scam.

Gordon has decided that, as part of the essential reforms to stop MP's maximising their income with inflated expenses claims, they should, ..er.., declare how much they earn outside of Parliament.

Did he decide this for the good of Parliament? For the benefit of the poor, ripped-off taxpayers? Did he fuck. He doesn't give a toss about that. He did this purely because he thought it would make the Tories look bad.

After all, it's well known that many senior Tory MP's sit on the boards of large companies, and act as consultants and advisors to the business world. In other circles, this is seen as no bad thing, as business and life experience is diseminated, and mutually beneficial contacts are cultivated. British directorships for British workers, to coin a phrase.

In Gordon and the Left's hate-filled worlds, however, this is cast as 'greed'. How dare they? Jobs for the Toffs.

So, the thinking goes, let's make up some new rules, some rules that force to Tories to confess to their Capitalist crimes. And won't it be great at PMQ's? Instead of answering questions, Brown can repeatedly retort "well, he would say that: we all know Megabank paid him 50,000 pounds last year", to jubilant cries of "toff" from the Labour backbenches.

Tory MP's have already come under some pressure to reduce, or give up entirely, their outside commitments.

Of course, Labour MP's, having been dinner ladies, school teachers or student union administrators in previous lives, aren't really sought after by the 'real world'. Who wants Jacqui Smith as a non-executive director?

So, a new rule that - in true left wing style - brings everyone down to the same level has to be a good thing, right? Take that, Hague. Ha-ha, Osborne.

Try telling that to the Labour MP for Dartford, Dr Howard Stoate. Why's he called Dr Howard Stoate? Because he makes sick and injured people well again.

Yes, as well as being an MP, Dr Stoate is a GP. He has done both jobs for the last 12 years, with - of course - the full knowledge of his constituents.

But no longer. In Gordon's brave new post-reform world, he cannot do both. Helping people and helping people? That's just greedy and selfish.

Dr Stoate, who wishes to carry on in his job as a GP, says calls for MPs to give up outside work has left him with no choice but to resign.

The Labour MP, elected in 1997, said:

“It is clear from the tenor of recent debates in the Commons and from the position taken by senior figures within the Parliamentary Labour Party with regard to the outside work of MPs that this position is no longer tenable.

“I think that my own contribution to the work of Parliament would be diminished if I was to give up General Practice which is why I have decided not to stand as a candidate at the next general election."

Oh well done, Gordon! In your pathetic, partisan attempt to make CallMeDave and his toff cronies look like nasty capitalists, you've managed to shoot yourself in the foot, and lose yet another Labour MP.


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