A letter in this week’s Advertiser from Mr Dave Platts of Clifton, Rotherham discusses Kevin Barron‘s recent appearance on the television programme ‘ Inside Out ‘ which was broadcast on January 13th on BBC One.
“In the programme “Dan Johnson investigates the financial affairs of former miners’ leader Arthur Scargill from the Miners’ Strike to the present day.The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is threatening to sue Mr Scargill for £100,000, a BBC Inside Out investigation has found. The money was paid to cover legal bills run up by the International Energy and Miners Organisation (IEMO), of which Mr Scargill is president.
The IEMO spent it recovering a loan of £29,500 given to former NUM chief executive Roger Windsor. Other payments of around £600,000 are also being questioned. In a statement to the BBC, Mr Scargill said the £29,500 the organisation recovered from Mr Windsor had been donated to the NUM and if costs were recovered, it would pay back more to the union.
Kevin Barron, Labour MP for Rother Valley, who was once a miner, believes a proper investigation is needed into these financial affairs.”
See and hear our Kevin here at 01.27 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25403891
Unfortunately, the Inside Out programme is not currently available on iplayer, so with thanks to Dave Platts, part of his letter below :
“The programme saw him (KB) calling for a public inquiry into the above mentioned allegations. Now most of our readers will be taking a deep breath at this stage,considering the fact that Barron has just made a clear profit of £500,000 on the sale of his flat in London – paid for by us – and has been caught up in the house flipping scandal. He chairs the Parliamentary Standards Committee which oversees the expenses claims of MPs.
Without fear of telling our readers what they already know, I must point out the case of Hazel Blears, who claimed (get this) £700,000 in expenses over four years – a nice little earner. And Barron has the audacity to call for a public inquiry into the NUM’s finances. You couldn’t make it up !
His constituency – pits gone, jobs too – is one of the most pauperised in the community; blighted by unemployment and its associated problems and more austerity to come, but Baron Barron is having a beano. Nice work if you can get it ! Arise Sir – the rest of us can grovel.
That’s how he got his knighthood.”
Couldn’t have said it any better.
maltbyblogger 