Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

I actually found it an encouraging statistic. I don't think MPs should have a second job but happy for them to do CPD or if necessary, pro bono work, to retain their qualifications and institutional memberships.

So what's the actual difference? The main complaint is that they shouldn't have the time to do other things, paid or UNPAID. Just because something is unpaid, doesn't mean they haven't gained from it(eg getting selecting as an MP in the first place).

So nobody had a problem with Labour's "cash for ANSWERS", with 6 or 7 figure sums handed over to buy laws and polices, and that's before you include Trade Union donations. How many prosecutions were there over the £650,000+ of ILLEGAL 3rd party donations? Take a wild guess. The list goes on and on.

[Sephiroth]

I can post in blue if I want to. It’s distinctive.

Originally Posted by Paul

You're starting to sound like a broken record.
... and why are you always posting in blue

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I can post in blue if I want to. It’s distinctive.

[TheDaddy]

Douglas Ross is in trouble now for undeclared income, although to be fair he was probably just embarrassed he "only" trousered 28k, bozo calls 250k chicken feed, once he'd stopped laughing at Ross he'd probably call 28k loose change

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Douglas Ross is in trouble now for undeclared income, although to be fair he was probably just embarrassed he "only" trousered 28k, bozo calls 250k chicken feed, once he'd stopped laughing at Ross he'd probably call 28k loose change

I can’t get my head round this one at all, seeing as the stuff he didn’t declare, everyone knew about anyway. Did he think that meant he didn’t need to? It’s not as if he can have thought it could be hidden. Very odd.

Why does Johnson nearly always look like he’s been dressed in the dark by someone who is unsure how clothes work, and has just picked the clothes up from a pile on the floor?

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I can post in blue if I want to. It’s distinctive.

Much like you can be an ass if you want to.

I asked you why, nothing about if you could or could not.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Why does Johnson nearly always look like he’s been dressed in the dark by someone who is unsure how clothes work, and has just picked the clothes up from a pile on the floor?

It's part of his act, it's helped him get away with it for years, same as the scruffy hair except these days it's dual purpose is to hide his baldness

[Carth]

Maybe he's just not a vainglorious type of person

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Carth

Maybe he's just not a vainglorious type of person

Really, his ambition at school was to be king of the world, doesn't reek of vanity at all, reminds me of the James Cagney film, screaming look at me I'm king of the world as the building (country) burns around him

Originally Posted by Carth

Maybe he's just not a vainglorious type of person

Good point - he’s renowned for his humility, modesty, empathy, trustworthiness, and lack of arrogance…

[Carth]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Really, his ambition at school was to be king of the world, doesn't reek of vanity at all, reminds me of the James Cagney film, screaming look at me I'm king of the world as the building (country) burns around him

I don't think the country is burning around him, but if you're one of those people that spends all day sniffing for smoke you'll obviously find something smoldering somewhere down a dark alley

Originally Posted by Hugh

Good point - he’s renowned for his humility, modesty, empathy, trustworthiness, and lack of arrogance…

. . known for his bad dressing and hair style too, so why is it news now?

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Carth

I don't think the country is burning around him, but if you're one of those people that spends all day sniffing for smoke you'll obviously find something smoldering somewhere down a dark alley



. . known for his bad dressing and hair style too, so why is it news now?

If you think he's doing a good job or even an average one then you're the one who has been smoking and or sniffing something

Lalya Moran been found "at it" now, admittedly for a sum Geoff Cox wouldn't get out of bed for, I mean it's not like she rents her house out, has the tax payer pay the rent on another for him to live in and then not actually live in it coz he's off in the Virginia Islands trousering hundreds of thousands for telling them how to avoid tax

[nomadking]

Why should MPs be penalised because they bought a London home under previous rules. Are they expected to pay for both homes(constituency and London)?
They could just as easily have sold the London property, pocketing the profits, and end up having to rent somewhere anyway. So what's the difference? Remember MPs can end up having to be heavily based in London for decades, not for just a few months.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by nomadking

So what's the actual difference? The main complaint is that they shouldn't have the time to do other things, paid or UNPAID. Just because something is unpaid, doesn't mean they haven't gained from it(eg getting selecting as an MP in the first place).

So nobody had a problem with Labour's "cash for ANSWERS", with 6 or 7 figure sums handed over to buy laws and polices, and that's before you include Trade Union donations. How many prosecutions were there over the £650,000+ of ILLEGAL 3rd party donations? Take a wild guess. The list goes on and on.

Any solution won't be perfect but it's delusional to pretend the current situation can't be significantly improved.

Issues with the current situation do indeed include time and energy available to spend on their full time MP roles but importantly also include treason (working against the interests of the British government), lobbying and conflicts of interest.