Yvonne Jones - weighs in on the Constituency Allowances

Yvonne gets credit for properly managing her account - but a failing grade on the blame game.

Yvonne Jones has confirmed that she did not disproportionately deplete her constituency allowance during the 2003 election. She has confirmed that there was sufficient funds available to manage her expenses until the 04 budget.

That is commendable and I congratulate her for that. She was able to responsibly manage her fund and had she lost in 2003 the new member would have had monies to handle his/her expenses until April of 04.

Now here's the problem Yvonne - you then nailed government members of the IEC for setting the rules in 2004. True! The rules - however which were no different when you were in government just a year before - were not challenged by you or the Liberal majority on the IEC at that time.

You asked a question of Williams - which was legitimate - in that how stupid does he think the voters are when he asks for all votes in all districts - to fight big oil etc. On this you are right. On the same note how stupid do you think the voters are when you suggest you were just following the rules of the IEC - the majority of which have come from the Liberals since the initiation of the allowances? Further it was your administration that allowed by leadership - the Auditor General to be barred from the House of Assembly accounts.

You have sat there for over 10 years and enjoyed the rules as they were established - primarily by your colleagues in the Liberal administration. You chose not to take the leadership and let the AG in - which has resulted in the exposure of this mess.

All of you are responsible!