Saw a Facebook post yesterday comparing Theresa May's 2016 expenses with that of Jeremy Corbyn's and the SNP bloke and, yes, at first glance it looks as if Mrs May, on something like £4k, was being very frugal with her expenses and Jeremy, on £18.5k, is somewhat more profligate.
That is until you actually inspect the itemised expense report and realise that, as Home Secretary, she had little to do with her constituency and that there was a separate expenses pot for cabinet ministers with offices in London. All that showed on her Maidenhead expenses list was printer cartridges, staffing costs and a few train journeys between London and Maidenhead - not even any office rental (which points to the Maidenhead Tory surgery office - which actually has a Reading postcode - being owned outright by the party, or the rent possibly being paid by a donor).
Look at Jeremy Corbyn's expenses (£18,500) and you see that there's a large sum of £1,800 per quarter for office rent in Islington, which is a damned sight more expensive than a leafy business park on the outskirts of Reading.
That is until you actually inspect the itemised expense report and realise that, as Home Secretary, she had little to do with her constituency and that there was a separate expenses pot for cabinet ministers with offices in London. All that showed on her Maidenhead expenses list was printer cartridges, staffing costs and a few train journeys between London and Maidenhead - not even any office rental (which points to the Maidenhead Tory surgery office - which actually has a Reading postcode - being owned outright by the party, or the rent possibly being paid by a donor).
Look at Jeremy Corbyn's expenses (£18,500) and you see that there's a large sum of £1,800 per quarter for office rent in Islington, which is a damned sight more expensive than a leafy business park on the outskirts of Reading.
The moral is that you should never believe propaganda on Facebook, as it's rarely accurate, or even if it is, the interpretation is usually biased. Do some digging - it's relatively easy to find the truth and expose the myth promulgator.
Accusations of BBC bias are legion - from both sides of the political divide, which is what makes the accusations so ludicrous. It strikes me that the perception of BBC bias against your party is directly proportional to your bias toward your own party. One seeks out the any criticism of one's own party and calls it bias, while simultaneously ignoring any criticism of the opposing party - it's called confirmation bias, as well as what we experts call a cheap shot.
Accusations of BBC bias are legion - from both sides of the political divide, which is what makes the accusations so ludicrous. It strikes me that the perception of BBC bias against your party is directly proportional to your bias toward your own party. One seeks out the any criticism of one's own party and calls it bias, while simultaneously ignoring any criticism of the opposing party - it's called confirmation bias, as well as what we experts call a cheap shot.
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