Owen Paterson

[BillyStubbsTears]

And so the two fingers from the Tory Party to any concept of any accountability for their actions continues.

Owen Paterson MP (remember him - he's the Brexit fanatic who said we would be insane to leave the Single Market - then voted to leave the Single Market) has been found by the cross-party Commons Standards Committee to have been totally breaking the rules by pimping himself out to companies and lobbying ministers on their behalf. He gets paid £110,000 per year for that work.

The Standards Committee recommended tat he be banned from the Commons.

The Tory party has just voted that down in the House of Commons.

There's a pattern here. But yeah, they're all the same aren't they?

[BillyStubbsTears]

In fairness, hats off to the 13 Tory MPs who had the guts to vote against their party on this one.

[Filo]

In fairness, hats off to the 13 Tory MPs who had the guts to vote against their party on this one.

I wonder which way Don Valley arse licker voted, in fact without looking I know which way he will have voted

[rtid88]

I have absolutely no faith in any politician in this country. I am fairly convinced that if Labour were in power they would have done exactly the same.

All bent as a nine Bob note.

The system is so corrupt and we just have to sit back whilst they all let their mates and their own companies pick up these million or in some cases billion pound contracts.

Disgusting, corrupt the whole lot of em

[BillyStubbsTears]

I have absolutely no faith in any politician in this country. I am fairly convinced that if Labour were in power they would have done exactly the same.

All bent as a nine Bob note.

The system is so corrupt and we just have to sit back whilst they all let their mates and their own companies pick up these million or in some cases billion pound contracts.

Disgusting, corrupt the whole lot of em

Except that when Labour WERE in power, they immediately took action against anyone who even had a whiff of scandal about them. Like Mandelson for example, who was found totally blameless by one enquiry, but who had been sacked before the enquiry even met. Whereas we now have a PM who has enquiries, gets the report of the enquiry then totally ignores it. It's happened with Priti Patel having hounded a senior civil servant out of post. It's happened with the Russia Report. And it's just happened today with Paterson.

It's bone idle to lump them all together.

[rtid88]

Did Labour have a majority vote in the commons at this point? Genuine question as I don't know.

Might be a bit bone idle with my political knowledge these days but I have no faith in any of the main parties in this country anymore. I am sure there might be the odd MP that has a genuine concern and interest in the country and its people, but I am struggling to think of many.

[wilts rover]

Appalling and a dark day for democracy - this is what happens in banana republics.

I have mentioned many times but as I am proved more and more correct, fascism never arrives all at once, it comes in small incremental steps.

[wilts rover]

Did Labour have a majority vote in the commons at this point? Genuine question as I don't know.

Might be a bit bone idle with my political knowledge these days but I have no faith in any of the main parties in this country anymore. I am sure there might be the odd MP that has a genuine concern and interest in the country and its people, but I am struggling to think of many.

Yes. Labour set up the Independent Commission and process to judge MP's standards on conduct that the Tories have just ridden roughshod over. It had massive cross party support at the time.

[Filo]

In fairness, hats off to the 13 Tory MPs who had the guts to vote against their party on this one.

I wonder which way Don Valley arse licker voted, in fact without looking I know which way he will have voted

Just checked and yes he voted for it as expected, again Don Valley what have you voted for?

[bpoolrover]

While the rules do need changing as you should have the right to appeal it should not have happened until after this case

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

While the rules do need changing as you should have the right to appeal it should not have happened until after this case

Exactly this. The rules may be rubbish, but don't change them just because your mates been hard done by. He may well have been by the way but it don't look good.

[BillyStubbsTears]

When Johnson had £1/4m spent on his flat and he couldn't remember who paid for it, a Cabinet Minister was interviewed on the radio. He got torn to bits by the interviewer, and finally lost his rag. He said that it didn't matter to voters - the Tories were still ahead in the polls.

And that's the point. Democracy slips away when you can have banana republic corruption at the centre of government and the voters don't give a f**k.

We'll keep all the trappings of democracy for sure. But if we just "meh" to the shit that this lot reckon they can get away with, it'll be nothing more than a façade.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Still up to the opposition to create a viable alternative.  They still have yet to do that.

[Filo]

Still up to the opposition to create a viable alternative.  They still have yet to do that.

That still doesn’t make it right that this lot can disregard rules as they see fit

[BigH]

A new low this Patterson case.

Anyone remember Neil Hamilton? Cash for questions and all that. Pilloried by everyone in Parliament and rightly so.

Thought we'd left all that behind.

[DonnyOsmond]

Unfortunately the electorate don't care about corruption. Meh, move on...

[Filo]

The vote was lost by 18, 28 Labour MP’s abstained, including Ed Milliband, I have to say that is deriliction of duty from those MP’s

[idler]

Still up to the opposition to create a viable alternative.  They still have yet to do that.

That's a bit like saying people it's ok to burgle because there aren't enough police.
If something is wrong you shouldn't take advantage of weakness to get away with it.

[DonnyOsmond]

The vote was lost by 18, 28 Labour MP’s abstained, including Ed Milliband, I have to say that is deriliction of duty from those MP’s

The majority were paired with Tory MPs who weren't able to vote so had to abstain.

[wilts rover]

The vote was lost by 18, 28 Labour MP’s abstained, including Ed Milliband, I have to say that is deriliction of duty from those MP’s

Milliband is in Glasgow at COP. Starmer is isolating from covid. I am sure you will find most/all the others had legitamate reasons too.

Rees-Mogg removed the option to vote remotely you will remember.

[wilts rover]

https://twitter.com/secrettory12/status/1455973164765302785

[DonnyNoel]

Politics, policies, effectiveness and my own centrist/slightly left of centre leanings aside, this is an unpleasant, untrustworthy and self serving set of polliticians as you can wish for. Completely dishonest and self serving to the point I'm not even outraged by this. I used to be arrogantly blase when this happened in other countries "knowing" it couldn't happen here but now I just think its the norm. Must be nice to be able to make your own rules.

[BillyStubbsTears]

The vote was lost by 18, 28 Labour MP’s abstained, including Ed Milliband, I have to say that is deriliction of duty from those MP’s

The vote was lost by 18, 28 Labour MP’s abstained, including Ed Milliband, I have to say that is deriliction of duty from those MP’s

Milliband is in Glasgow at COP. Starmer is isolating from covid. I am sure you will find most/all the others had legitamate reasons too.

Rees-Mogg removed the option to vote remotely you will remember.

It's a regular thing when MPs can't be in Westminster for a vote. An MP who would have voted No, "pairs" with one who would have voted "Aye,". They both agree not to vote. So it makes no difference to the result.

Although the Far Left Twitterati are pushing the line that this is a disgrace and Starmer should be disemboweled...

[SydneyRover]

While the rules do need changing as you should have the right to appeal it should not have happened until after this case

Do they? why haven't they used any of the previous 11 years to do that?
 

[albie]

The position is best understood by looking at how many have skin in the game;
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/quarter-of-mps-calling-to-replace-sleaze-watchdog-have-been-punished-by-it/

Good reason for many concerned with their own interests!

[SydneyRover]

I guess while they have a majority they could bring in a law 'Not to question a sitting tory member of parliament for any reason' and have done with it.

egregious
/ɪˈɡriːdʒəs/

1.
outstandingly bad; shocking.
"egregious abuses of copyright"

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Still up to the opposition to create a viable alternative.  They still have yet to do that.

That's a bit like saying people it's ok to burgle because there aren't enough police.
If something is wrong you shouldn't take advantage of weakness to get away with it.

Rubbish analogy to be fair.  Things are not as simple as one isolated case are they?  You could ping out tonnes of reasons either way.

The point still stands that this is a stupid move by the Tories and it's up to the opposition to present a better case to remove them.

[SydneyRover]

Still up to the opposition to create a viable alternative.  They still have yet to do that.

That's a bit like saying people it's ok to burgle because there aren't enough police.
If something is wrong you shouldn't take advantage of weakness to get away with it.

Rubbish analogy to be fair.  Things are not as simple as one isolated case are they?  You could ping out tonnes of reasons either way.

The point still stands that this is a stupid move by the Tories and it's up to the opposition to present a better case to remove them.

Here's some simple reasons from the link Albie put up

''Quarter of MPs calling to replace sleaze watchdog have been punished by it''

[Filo]

The vote was lost by 18, 28 Labour MP’s abstained, including Ed Milliband, I have to say that is deriliction of duty from those MP’s

The vote was lost by 18, 28 Labour MP’s abstained, including Ed Milliband, I have to say that is deriliction of duty from those MP’s

Milliband is in Glasgow at COP. Starmer is isolating from covid. I am sure you will find most/all the others had legitamate reasons too.

Rees-Mogg removed the option to vote remotely you will remember.

It's a regular thing when MPs can't be in Westminster for a vote. An MP who would have voted No, "pairs" with one who would have voted "Aye,". They both agree not to vote. So it makes no difference to the result.

Although the Far Left Twitterati are pushing the line that this is a disgrace and Starmer should be disemboweled...

Yes forgot about that, didn’t during a tight brexit vote a Tory MP, agree to pair with a Labour MP at end of life and couldn’t vote, then go against the pair and voted anyway

[BillyStubbsTears]

But it's NOT one isolated case BFYP.

1) Johnson's bizarre claim that he never thought to ask where the £1/4m he didn't have came from to pay for his gold wallpaper. He had that investigated by a person he himself had specifically chosen for the task.

2) The independent enquiry that found Patel to have bullied a staff member into resigning. Johnson said, no, Patel isnt a bully and refused to take any other action.

3) The cross party Russia Report that was incredulous that Johnson wasn't ordering an investigation into meddling in our elections. Johnson ignored it.

4) The Tory MP guilty of persistent sexual harassment. No action.

There's a pattern. No action will be taken in any circumstances that points the finger at the Tory Party. So they can literally do what they want.

And the biggest two fingers of all? Johnson has appointed at ex-Bullingdon Club chum as an ethics adviser!