Jon Stewart Explains the British Parliament Expense Scandal
The British press has non stop coverage of one of the biggest political scandals ever to rock the country. Apparently, the members of Parliament have been taking advantage of a law which allows them to charge private expenses to the government. According to The Telegraph, some of the expenses charged to taxpayers included $3,400 to have a moat drained and a piano tuned on a 13th-century country estate; $25,000 to pay a mortgage that doesn't exist; $590 for horse manure; $10 for pay-per-view pornography and $942 to install a chandelier. The speaker of the House of Commons has now been ousted. He is the first speaker to be forced out of office since 1695.
Jon Stewart and John Oliver discuss the scandal on The Daily Show. Oliver helps put the scandal in perspective for Americans who may not understand how crucial castle moat maintenance really is. Take a look:
Douglas Hogg has denied that he submitted a reimbursement claim for the work on his moat and expenses for piano tuning and stable light repair, despite the fact that The Telegraph has a letter from Hogg in which he details his expenses. In the letter he requested an exemption from having to provide detailed expenses because his costs of running the estate are so high. He attached a list of typical expenses, which included moat upkeep. The government gave him a waiver and simply reimbursed a flat 1/12 of his annual maximum allowance. Now Hogg says he never meant for taxpayer money to go towards the moat upkeep. And no, the British public isn't buying his explanation.
