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02. 03. 10. - 11:00

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02. 03. 10. - 11:00

Eyes to the right - nose in the trough

By Allan Hall

THE news that German MPs are excellent moneygrubbers  - just like their British counterparts - should come as no surprise.  Show a politician a trough and it is in their instinct to stuff their snouts in it as far, and for as long, as possible.

This week German voters learned that their esteemed representatives in the Bundestag supplement their salaries with second jobs earning them thousands.

The report by Bundestag administration on the earnings of the 622 members of the parliament found that at least 111 members have outside jobs that have earned them at least €7,000 on top of their official salaries since October.

Of these, 67 are members of Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats or their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union.

Their coalition partners, the Free Democrats, are in second place with 25 members, followed by the SPD with 14, the socialist Left Party with three and the environmentalist Greens with two.

They sit on boards of blue chip firms, they give speeches for cash - foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, zum beispiel, earned at least €252,000 on the professional speaking circuit while in opposition from
2005 to 2009 - and some just have separate businesses altogether.

Like the cash-loving, expenses abusing politicos of Britain, the Germans bleat that alles ist in ordnung, that no rules have been breached, that of course their constitutents come first.

Of course.  Just remember that the next time your MP stands up to rail about the cost of welfare, the Krankenkassen, the Kindergarten teachers or the economic downturn forcing us all to tighten our belts.

Then send them a copy of Animal Farm.   Just to remind them that some are more equal than others.

German Herald

Chelsea Thugs Target Champs League Final
Anti-soccer thug police have warned that a hard core of violent fans are heading for Chelsea's Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Saturday - despite British police issuing more than 80 travel bans on suspected hooligans.

Old Banger
A cabbie whose gas-powered car exploded just after he'd fuelled up survived with barely a scratch when he was blown clean through the open window, say police in Schwabing, Germany.

Scared Stiff
A burglar fled an apartment in terror when he came face to face with the mummified corpse of the of a woman who'd died unnoticed five years earlier, say police.

Dirty Politics
A grandstanding politician came down to earth with a bump - when a 40 ton digger he'd insisted on driving overturned on top of him.

Ewe Brutes
Callous art students who planned to behead a helpless sheep are being investigated by prosecutors in the German capital Berlin over animal cruelty allegations.

Wedding Lift
A serial car crook found with stolen wedding presents worth more than 150,000 GBP has confessed to pinching them from cars parked outside churches and hotels.

Hot Cross Huns
Naked sauna-goers were among the two hundred guests that fled when a sauna and thermal spa resort in Fichtelburg, Germany, went up in flames causing 25 million GBP of damage.

Wedding Crasher
Boozed up Stephan Pfeifer, 20, was a real wedding crasher after wandering into a community centre attic space to find somewhere to sleep - and plunging 30 foot through the floor to land in a shower of debris in front of bride Annett Friedman in Unterfranken, Germany.

Off Their Trolley
Staff at a Kaufland supermarket in Duisberg, Germany, had to apologise to customers after thieves made off with their entire stock of 150 shopping trolleys overnight.

Piggy Back
Dad Lucas Bergmann who was burgled and his his kid's money boxes and toys stolen while the family were at a New year's Eve party has had the lot returned - complete with an apology note from the thief at Neufahrn in Bavaria, Germany.