Kathy Sinnott on the EU Gravy Train

[dahamsta]

Thanks Donncha (http://ocaoimh.ie/2008/06/30/the-eu-gravy-train/).

xnMtc_QJ4-E

[superfrank]

Brilliant. I detest Kathy Sinnott.

[GavinZac]

Stupid yankee cow.

[Schumi]

What's in the video? I don't have youtube access in work.

[John83]

German (Austrian?) news report on how a lot of MEPs (who are paid over €14k/month including various allowances) just sign in in the morning and do a runner. They turn up on the Friday morning to watch a bunch of them do just that, among them Kathy Sinnott, who threatens to sue them if they misreport it, and claims (at 7am) to have already worked 7 hours.

EDIT: I'm still watching the second half of this, and it's quite funny. As soon as they see the reporter and camera crew, a lot of the MEPs are fleeing in terror.

Then they get kicked out of the parliament building without much justification.

Just to clarify, what they're signing in for are daily allowances.

[superfrank]

...and claims (at 7am) to have already worked 7 hours.
Then the next bit said that the pay doesn't count for night-time work.

[Bald Student]

What's in the video? I don't have youtube access in work.

A german reporter set up a camera outside the office where MEPs sign on for their daily expenses and then questioned anyone who came in with a suitcase at 7am to sign on before heading home.
Kathy Sinnott threatened to sue the germans if they broadcast her.

[anto1208]

I get so angry when i see these vids.

They have there suitcases with them ready to head for the plane at 7 am. Wish i could do that on a friday.

[GavinZac]

A german reporter set up a camera outside the office where MEPs sign on for their daily expenses and then questioned anyone who came in with a suitcase at 7am to sign on before heading home.
Kathy Sinnott threatened to sue the germans if they broadcast her.

Of course she did, shes american and has been making a good living from a law suit for the last few years here.

[SMorgan]

Gaurdian 9 June 2008




Sun pays out to MEP over false 'scam' claims

The Sun today apologised and agreed to pay substantial damages to an MEP it falsely accused of cashing in on an expenses "scam".
Den Dover, the MEP for north-west England, sued the tabloid over an article headlined "Sign in, slope off" and an editorial headed "Cash and dash. As scams go, it's one of the finest."
His lawyer, Kate Macmillan, said the two pieces, published in the Sun on February 14, claimed Mr Dover "was abusing the EU parliament daily allowance for MEPs in a calculated and cynical way and immorally claiming taxpayers' cash through the 'dodge' or 'scam' of 'sign in and slope off'".
In fact, her client was an "extremely hard-working MP", she told the high court this morning.
"What the defendant mistook as the claimant 'signing in and sloping off' was, in fact, him signing in, having worked in his office in Brussels all the previous evening through to about 1.30am that morning, and then from about 4.30am to 7am," Ms Macmillan said.
"After signing in at about 7.10am to claim his expense allowance, the claimant travelled to England to spend the entire day, until about 9.30pm, on MEP-related business."
The Sun's story was accompanied by a photograph that showed Mr Dover snoozing on a train from Brussels to London.
Ms Macmillan said this was "unfair" and told the court her client had been suffering from jet lag, having just returned from a trip to the US on European parliament business.
The lawyer added that the article had caused Mr Dover "very considerable distress and embarrassment".
The Sun apologised unreservedly for making the allegations and agreed to pay compensation and Mr Dover's legal costs.
Ms Macmillan said the paper had already published a "fulsome" apology in its pages and on its website.


Gaurdian April 2004


A number of important facts need to be borne in mind: none of the things that Mr Martin has accused his fellow MEPs of doing are illegal. Under the present rules, it is perfectly legitimate to claim daily allowances if an MEP is physically in Brussels, for the simple reason that they are designed to cover hotel and food costs. As long as the parliament is in session, the allowance is not linked to individual meetings. It is also true that a number of MEPs find it impossible to leave Strasbourg at the end of a Thursday sitting because of the appalling travel connections from the Alsatian capital (yet another reason to scrap the Strasbourg charade altogether). These MEPs are condemned to remain in Strasbourg an extra night and leave the following day.

So, illegality does not come into the equation.

Well thats that.

[anto1208]

She is on the last word now about this

[Newryrep]

She is on the last word now about this

What was said ? I only caught the last few seconds

[anto1208]

Missed the start of it but was basically saying how she is campainign to have the expenses and pay for MEP's cut !!!! and how she had done her full 7 hours work before that "interview" was taken and how she was the only person that talked to them the others all ran and hid.

I think she said that they only showed the end of the chat they had where she treatens to sue after he started getting aggressive towards her. i might be wrong about that bit.

[Newryrep]

Missed the start of it but was basically saying how she is campainign to have the expenses and pay for MEP's cut !!!! and how she had done her full 7 hours work before that "interview" was taken and how she was the only person that talked to them the others all ran and hid.

I think she said that they only showed the end of the chat they had where she treatens to sue after he started getting aggressive towards her. i might be wrong about that bit.

cheers

[pete]

...how she had done her full 7 hours work before that "interview" was taken and how she was the only person that talked to them the others all ran and hid.
.

Sound like a bit of a clock watcher. Did she dash out as soon her 7 hours were up?

[Risteard]

I detest Sinnot, seriously.
Personally, professionally and politically.
This however is predatory poor journalism.

Turtleface still managed to make a clown out of herself yesterday by claiming "she couldn't do her job without putting in over 100 hours a week."

Do the maths there people.
A laughable claim.