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It seems we've, for quite some time, had a political 'class' who are literally bred with a sense of entitlement and exceptionalism which means they firmly believe that the rules and conventions of our society simply don't apply to them. They know that they can do what the hell they like with complete impunity.
Just look at our last 4 illustrious Prime Ministers David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to see the living embodiment of this entrenched air of superiority
Why shouldn't I use my contacts to lobby my old parliamentary mates in return for huge sums of cash from dodgy sources?
Why shouldn't I take publicly funded private jets and helicopters like other people take taxi's?
Why shouldn't I have 5 photographers follow me around, at public expense, to constantly pander to my monstrous ego?
Why shouldn't I have someone pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to decorate my flat?
Why shouldn't I hand out multimillion pound public procurement contracts to my mates, without having to answer to anybody?
But the worst thing about this otherness is that it fuels the utter contempt they feel for the 'little people' who don't enjoy the enormous privileges their seat on the gravy trains affords them. They hate us and feel like they have a divine right to rule over us because every element of their hyper-cosseted lives tells them they are just 'better' than the great unwashed who they constantly lord it over
Just look at the pompous, self-regarding preening thats been going on this week with utter morons like Mark Francois and Bill Cash, absolutely revelling in their hideous self-importance. None of them could give a flying **** about anything other than their own self-promoting agendas. The idea of them seeing themselves as 'public servants' or having any sense of public duty is now absolutely laughable
It seems we’ve, for quite some time, had a political ‘class’ who are literally bred with a sense of entitlement and exceptionalism which means they firmly believe that the rules and conventions of our society simply don’t apply to them. They know that they can do what the hell they like with complete impunity.
Not having reached binner-esque levels of rage today - yet - I feel I should point out that not all politicians are like this, and not all who are like this are Tory.
But most of them are.
Just look at the pompous, self-regarding preening thats been going on this week with utter morons like Mark Francois and Bill Cash, absolutely revelling in their hideous self-importance. None of them could give a flying **** about anything other than their own self-promoting agendas. The idea of them seeing themselves as ‘public servants’ or having any sense of public duty is now absolutely laughable
What fascinates me is how broken a significant proportion of British people are that they keep voting for these conceitful braggarts.
…no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory party that inflicted those bitter experiences on me. So far as I am concerned, they are lower than vermin.
Aneurin Binners 😉
I feel I should point out that not all politicians are like this
Thankfully you're absolutely right. I have known our former local labour MP and present parliamentary candidate pretty well for years. He is the very personification of a public servant who dedicates his life to making life better for people in this constituency. He's a lovely bloke and when this gang of crooks finally succumb and call an election I'll be doing everything I can to get him back into parliament.
But I look at our present Tory MP (majority 100 votes) who arrived in 2019 and I see a typical corrupt, self-serving shyster who I doubt could find his constituency on a map. Its not difficult to see how he fitted right in to the Tory party of Boris Johnson. He'll be gone soon enough, thankfully
35 day suspension for that?
Surely he should be facing prosecution and potentially a custodial sentence?
For the majority of my life I was naive enough to honestly believe we are all the same under the law.
We are - I think technically that lobbying is not illegal, in many cases using the right firm of PR consultants or charity or whatever is the right way to get to decision makers - networking, etc. Rather it's the abuse of the access that being an MP gives you that breaks parliamentary standards and so while not criminal breaks a code of conduct.
Hamilton didn't get 'done' for Cash for Questions, iirc; he got done (or settled at the 11th hour) for claiming that the paper that printed the stories about C4Q were libelling him. Which they weren't because everything they wrote about him was true.
Mone on the other hand - while innocent until proven guilty, etc., it'll be interesting to see whether there was any knowledge that the kit being offered wasn't up to standards and yet they did it anyway, becauser that would be fraud and that is criminal.
A Commons Standards Committee report said he had given the message "he was corrupt and 'for sale'".
and this
Misconduct in public office is a common law offence: it is not defined in any statute. It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The offence requires that: a public officer acting as such; wilfully neglects to perform his or her duty and/or wilfully misconducts him or herself; to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder; without reasonable excuse or justification.
The offence is widely considered to be ill-defined and has been subject to recent criticism by the Government, the Court of Appeal, the press and legal academics.
Mone on the other hand – while innocent until proven guilty, etc., it’ll be interesting to see whether there was any knowledge that the kit being offered wasn’t up to standards and yet they did it anyway, becauser that would be fraud and that is criminal.
They're as bent as a 9 pound note.
Shameless opportunistic criminals. They saw the £££ signs and that was it.
Same as these MPs who offer their lobbying services for cash. Same as Hancock and Kwarteng who were caught in that newspaper sting offering their consultancy services for £10,000 a day.
****ing corrupt scum.
Not much of a Rwanda bounce for Rishi Sunak, what's going on?
https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/48175-voting-intention-con-22-lab-44-12-13-dec-2023
As an aside: practically no-one, influential or not, gets prosecuted for bribery or fraud in this country. Compared to the actual number of offences, it's statistically insignificant. That doesn't mean you should let people walk if they're guilty...
Sort of offends me the selfishness of ex-pats who voted for Brexit
UK citizens living abroad (ie outside UK and Gibraltar) were not eligible to vote in the Brexit referendum.
Not much of a Rwanda bounce for Rishi Sunak, what’s going on?
If you want full fat racism then you've got Richard Tyce and the Brexit/Reform/Fire all immigrants into the sun party. Would anyone bet against the nicotine-stained man-frog returning to that particular fold before the next election?
The point being that if you're that way inclined then you're not going to go for the semi-skimmed, namby-pamby, pinko wokeness of Rishi Sunak, a man who won't even take the UK out of the ECHR or use submarines to torpedo the small boats in the channel
That polling shows them presently at 11%. They've already said that theres no way they'll be falling for the same trick Boris pulled on them last time and withdrawing candidates and they will definitely stand candidates in every constituency.
Everyone else who isn't a complete maniac can see that so far Rwanda has cost 300 million quid of taxpayers money and theres no sign of it offering any solutions to anything other thank the bank balance of the Rwandan government
Rwanda has cost 300 million quid of taxpayers money
I'm waiting for the penny to drop amongst the dimmer sections of the Conservative party that there may be an ulterior motive for the Rwandan government's insistence that any deportation mechanism must comply with international law.
Its pretty apparent to anyone with anything between their ears - thus discounting Cruella, Honest Bob, Penfold and all the other ERG idiots - that the Rwandan government are going to drop this whole thing like a hot turd at the first available opportunity, without a single asylum-seeker ever getting on a plane.
The first available opportunity will be whatever hardline nonsense Cruella, Honest Bob, Penfold and all the other ERG idiots demand in the new year (withdrawing from the ECHR seems the most likely raving-fruitloop idea)
Then its so long and thanks for all the fish.
I'll bet against the nicotine-stained man-frog returning to the fold. My money is on him becoming leader of the conservative party after they've been decimated at the next GE
The Tory party is now so completely unhinged that I could actually see that happening
Might even put some money on it actually
EDIT: I've just had a look and Nige is 20/1 as next Tory leader. Also on 20/1 is David Cameron. Badanoch is still favourite at 3/1, Cruella and Mordaunt on 5/1
I don't think Rwanda do want it dropped... if they can take one plane a year of people from the UK, and keep getting millions upon millions of pounds to process them... and they can also talk a few more countries into doing something similar (but without the legal and moral mess of denying asylum in the source country once processing is complete) for a further healthy income... it could be big money for an (economically) small country.
The Tory party is now so completely unhinged that I could actually see that happening
Was anyone made more welcome at the last Conservative Party conference than Farage?
Not much of a Rwanda bounce for Rishi Sunak, what’s going on?
The policy doesn't go far enough.
Sunak is too brown / woke.
Not enough immigrants are being fired into the sun.
No mention of gunboats in the Channel.
The Daily Wail brigade love a mention of the gunboats. Gives them all sorts of wartime fantasies. The comments section fwaps itself silly as soon as gunboats are mentioned.
More gunboats. Then it'll be a winner.
EDIT: I’ve just had a look and Nige is 20/1 as next Tory leader. Also on 20/1 is David Cameron. Badanoch is still favourite at 3/1, Cruella and Mordaunt on 5/1
I think there will be one in between, might be worth a punt though. What odds do you get for Nige being leader at some point?
@kelvin - don't forget that they've already cleaned out the Israeli government in a similar manner that they're in the process of doing it to the UK. Why not drop it, 300 million in their skyrocket, for doing absolutely nothing, then move on to the next mug?
I bet they could line up Hungary pretty easily and they've obviously got a great sales team
As @klunk says, it's time we started using the Misconduct in Public Office charge to cover corruption in public life.
What odds do you get for Nige being leader at some point?
10/1
Sunak is scuttling off to Italy this weekend to schmooze with his right wing buds, Georgia Melloni and Musk-rat.
Sunak’s off to Italy according to the guardian
UK citizens living abroad (ie outside UK and Gibraltar) were not eligible to vote in the Brexit referendum.
Which was a terrible thing, as while not having a deal in place with the eu that retained their rights to freedom of movement.
Don’t forget the transition period.
I was on the flight as soon as the border re-opened.
There were also a lot of Brexit voting people who had a bit of a surprise with the 90/180 day rule when they found it applied to them.
I’ve just seen the secretly filmed footage of the Blackpool MP.
How thick or arrogant (or likely both) do you have to be to sit in a restaurant while somebody you don’t know asks you if you could break the law on their behalf in exchange for envelops full of cash? Then add in that a load of your colleagues are equally as bent and will happily do the same?
They’re hardly master criminals this lot, are they?
Not much of a Rwanda bounce for Rishi Sunak, what’s going on?
The policy doesn’t go far enough.
Sunak is too brown / woke.
Not enough immigrants are being fired into the sun.
No mention of gunboats in the Channel.
Does that explain why according to the latest YouGov poll Labour are on 44%..... because the Tories aren't racist enough?
Sort of offends me the selfishness of ex-pats who voted for Brexit
.
UK citizens living abroad (ie outside UK and Gibraltar) were not eligible to vote in the Brexit referendum.
Depends if the were living abroad legitimately, my late father for example had Spanish residency so could not vote... those 'living' in Spain but retaining a 'boiler plate' address in the UK, I.e. the cheats, would have still been able to vote.
They’re hardly master criminals this lot, are they?
They all seem to be available pretty cheap as well. This guy was being offered "up to £4000 a month" which isn't exactly lottery win territory especially given the MP salary of £86,500 (plus all expenses).
£4000 is less than a month's wages.
Just imagine what they'd be willing to do if someone offered them some significant money!
No wonder Boris Johnson was regarded as such a security concern given how close he was to the Russians. Corrupt bunch of tossers.
I think we hear about the more idiotic chancers but not the real dangerous ones.
I suspect China is well and truly embedded in parliament (GCHQ/MI6 seen to be concerned about the the same) and not just with the Tories sadly. It won't be for chump change either and will be more if a long term reward, long after the MP has left parliament. Far harder to ever pin on anyone.
Meanwhile, back in the real world…
Channel 4 news are presently reporting that the number of homeless families living in temporary accommodation has gone up 14% in the last 12 months
Not that Rishi and chums could care less about such trivial matters
Just imagine what they’d be willing to do if someone offered them some significant money!
Nah just offer them the same small sums.
At least in traditionally corrupt countries the politicians need decent bribes to go against their constituents. The tories seem to do it for pennies on the pound.
I suspectbthey are well and truly embedded in GCHQ and MI6 as well
Probably a fair assumption!
binners
Full Member
Meanwhile, back in the real world…Channel 4 news are presently reporting that the number of homeless families living in temporary accommodation has gone up 14% in the last 12 months
Not that Rishi and chums could care less about such trivial matters
Yep, an ex from years ago and still a good friend is in temporary accommodation. Had a no fault eviction as owner had to sell the house, coping with worsening MS, being migrated onto UC soon (which is a mess) which is likely to hit her financially (she is already skint) and can be moved out of the temporary place she is in at the moment at any time.
She was part of one of those "hard working families" the Tories say they love do much until MS ment she couldn't work.
It's a God damned tragedy and it's just the start of the homelessness tsunami to come.
It’s a God damned tragedy and it’s just the start of the homelessness tsunami to come.
Which is one of the major causes of councils going bankrupt*.
Cost of social care is through the roof. Far more people needing support, housing, food etc, inflation means the cost of providing all that has skyrocketed, there are numerous private companies charging through the nose for delivering these services (yay, privitisation, go Tories!)
Add in the kids of these homeless people needing additional support and education as well.
Factor in 10+ years of Tory austerity and real-term cuts to council budgets of over 40% in many cases - councils have used every last penny of their reserves, raised council taxes as much as they can and they're still unable to make ends meet.
*OK, not technically "bankrupt" but unable to meet their published budgets.
Sunak and his wife meanwhile have a personal fortune in excess of Manchester City Council's entire annual operating budget. And they're a very well off council.
Depends if the were living abroad legitimately, my late father for example had Spanish residency so could not vote… those ‘living’ in Spain but retaining a ‘boiler plate’ address in the UK, I.e. the cheats, would have still been able to vote.
That's not correct. It doesn't matter if the UK citizen was living abroad illegally or legally. If they were not - in reality - resident in the UK, they were not entitled to vote. That's different from the normal rule in elections where UK citizens abroad are allowed to vote in their old consituency within a certain number of years of having emigrated.
Obviously it's always possible to cheat even if you're not eligible. But I find it hard to believe that "illegally voting expats who voted for Brexit" were a significant force compared to the dozens of millions of us UK resident dickheads that voted for Brexit.
Not that Rishi and chums could care less about such trivial matters
He covered that in PMQs didn't he. It is all Starmers fault that more people are homeless because he didn't back some house building vote at some point. Yep, that is 100% the reason why they are homeless.
That’s not correct. It doesn’t matter if the UK citizen was living abroad illegally or legally. If they were not – in reality – resident in the UK, they were not entitled to vote. That’s different from the normal rule in elections where UK citizens abroad are allowed to vote in their old consituency within a certain number of years of having emigrated.
Obviously it’s always possible to cheat even if you’re not eligible. But I find it hard to believe that “illegally voting expats who voted for Brexit” were a significant force compared to the dozens of millions of us UK resident dickheads that voted for Brexit.
Okay, to put it more buntly, if you are a UK citizen and have a second home, in Spain for example, pre-brexit no one really cared, as it was almost a moot point.
Now, it really is a point, and those 'ex-pats' (I hate that term, as it's (was?) a nice way of saying illegal immigrant)).
Ilegal imigrants are illegal, it's a very simple concept. The (mostly English to be fair) Costa del crime cru don't seem to like it though, when the eggs start to hatch and they have to start paying tax to the Hacienda.
Brexiteers didn't stop to realise that the removal of the right to freedom of movement would also apply to them, it works both ways.
UK citizens living abroad (ie outside UK and Gibraltar) were not eligible to vote in the Brexit referendum.
Except many ex-pats 'retained' an address in the UK, especially with FOM - we did when living/working in Germany.
The various Govt systems aren't connected; so someone could be registered as living abroad with HMRC to obtain a NT* Tax Code (to not have Income Tax deducted on UK earnings) and yet with a right to vote attached to their 'house'.
* No Tax - look it up, quite beneficial 🙂
and now we can’t have nice things.
Yep but you can if you’ve got the money, Brexit just spoiled it for the people without who may have wanted to retire here.
The minimum income required for a British Citizen / UK national to obtain a residency visa, is a lot higher than it was to get residency before Brexit. In most cases a single applicant needs to have at least €28k per year, whereas previously less than €6k income would have been sufficient
Plus proof of health care or an S1.
Except many ex-pats ‘retained’ an address in the UK, especially with FOM – we did when living/working in Germany.
Yep it’s not exactly unknown to have a Spanish holiday/second home, with FOM no-one was checking you’d overstayed without applying for residency.
I knew a taxi driver who would work x months in London then come back over.
He covered that in PMQs didn’t he. It is all Starmers fault that more people are homeless because he didn’t back some house building vote at some point. Yep, that is 100% the reason why they are homeless.
You missed the bit that Sunak emphasised at PMQs… it was “EU rules” that vote was removing. Starmer not backing the bill was anti British, not anti Tory, honest! Labour not embracing our freedoms. If it’s the “Levelling up and regeneration bill” he’s on about, that means the freedoms of developers to not include affordable housing, build were rivers already highly polluted, and to transfer more of the cost of planning from developers to cash strapped councils.