LONDON -- It took a sassy American to force stuffy British lawmakers to come clean over their expenses.
"It was outrageous, all that taxpayers' money was subsidizing a battle to keep information from the taxpayer," Brooke said.Editorial eMail: edit@AirGuideOnline.com For Air Transport & Travel Business Experts contact our Director of Content Aram Gesar eMail: bizintel@AirGuideOnline.com For Advertising and Marketing: advert@AirGuideOnline.com For Custom Content: content@AirGuideOnline.com ISSN 1939-666X - Copyright [c] 2009 AirGuide / Pyramid Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.Brooke said she has no regrets that the Telegraph, which won't say how it obtained the records, beat her to publishing the juicy details. Instead, she is taking pride in her role in exposing British hypocrisy.One legislator charged the public for sacks of horse manure, while an ex-minister submitted a claim for cleaning the moat that circles his lavish country home -- a request he now says was made in error.British Airways has launched a multi-million pound package to help small and medium sized (SMEs) UK companies. The airline is offering 5,000 return flights from the UK, worth up to [pounds sterling]15m, to help SMEs win business abroad. The flights are part of a package the airline is launching with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and BritishAmerican Business (BAB). Other measures are due to be announced in the next six months. The carrier has also called on other, larger UK companies to provide products, services and expertise to help SMEs. BA's ceo Willie Walsh said: "Small and medium businesses are the backbone of the British economy and they are hurting badly. www.ba.com www.ukan.uktradeinvest.gov.uk Apr 30, 2009British Airways is opening its new lounge for premium passengers and top-tier oneworld members at London HeathrowOs Terminal 3 on May 11. The 300-seat Galleries Club Lounge is for eligible customers traveling to Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Helsinki, Vienna and Malaga. A second dedicated 250-seat lounge for customers traveling in First will open later in the year. Long-haul flights to Sydney, Bangkok and Singapore transfer from Terminal 4. The lounge features unique Swarovski chandeliers over the Silver Bar in the Galleries Club, and furnishings by Osborne & Little. Work and entertainment zones are also available with free WiFi. There is also a dedicated 'Kidzone' room for younger passengers with interactive furnishings, a magnetic wall and toys. www.ba.com May 7, 2009"They pretty much laughed in my face, because it was just so unheard of that a common person would dare to ask for them," she said.But the scandal might never have been exposed if Brooke hadn't targeted Parliament after moving from the United States in 1997 to study literature. She says she was shocked by British apathy toward abuses of power, and suspicious of a society that seemed to block the public's right to know at every turn.Three years later, when Britain's information ombudsman ordered that lawmakers' receipts be released, parliament speaker Michael Martin tried to block publication of the data by appealing to Britain's High Court.In 2004, drawing on her experience in Spokane, Brooke lodged a request for details of British lawmakers' expenses. Her claim was met with derision by authorities at the House of Commons.Authorities planned to release the details in July -- but Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper obtained copies last week and disclosed the details that Brooke had fought to expose.Brooke wrote a book "Your Right To Know," suspecting that the British public needed a lesson in how to use freedom of information laws -- legislation being newly introduced to the U.K.The expense bills reveal how lawmakers frittered away public money with claims for porn movies, chandeliers and housekeepers or repaired their tennis court, swimming pool or helicopter pad."The great thing is that it's shown people how to use the laws, and what kinds of information you can obtain," she said."I think there's a culture of deference here, where the public believe that people who are in power -- the great and the good -- still know what's best for everyone," Brooke told The Associated Press in an interview. "I come from an American tradition, that you should always be skeptical of government and have a right to know what's been done with your money."European investors sold shares too in panic as fears of a flu pandemic, major network carrier British Airways fell about 8 percent and Spain's Iberia, which offers the most capacity to Spanish-speaking Mexico from Europe, gave up about 7 percent. Airlines have lurched from crisis to crisis in the past year as carriers grappled with high oil prices, then the credit crunch, a slump in business travel and plunging cargo trade. Some executives have been tentatively predicting relief after months of weak traffic with summer on the way, and eyeing benefits from sharp cost-cutting measures, including more than 25,000 job cuts in the United States. But Helane Becker, a New York-based transportation analyst with Jesup & Lamont Securities, said the flu fallout could stall any recovery. Apr 27, 2009Katherine Gundersen of the Campaign for Freedom of Information said the work of Brooke and others will encourage more Britons to use their right to public data.Brooke said she and her lawyer were pitted in court against a pack of government officials and lawyers.British Airways is this weekend running its first ever buy one get one free offer on business class flights. The airline, which has seen a 20 percent drop in premium class passengers since last year, is offering unprecedented fares in its Club World cabin across its network. Fares to New York will start from GBP1,666 for two, Hong Kong from GBP2,633 for two, Mumbai from GBP1,604 for two and Rio de Janeiro from GBP3,022 for two. All flights must be booked by midnight on Tuesday 5 May. May 1, 2009Even bankers are breathing a sigh of relief, having been pushed off the front pages of newspapers -- at least temporarily -- by the lawmakers' outrageous charges.The revelations have ravaged the reputation of Britain's political class even as ordinary citizens worry about ballooning government spending, soaring unemployment and a painful recession.Brooke was raised in Seattle by parents who had emigrated from the northern England city of Liverpool.
"Britain trades on a mythical reputation about the health of its democracy," she said.
Author: David Stringer Associated Press
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