To be ashamed of our Sleazebag PM?

[quote DuncinToffee]I posted this in the brexit thread, legally allowed, morally......

Five ministers in Boris Johnson’s government are among a group of MPs who have claimed more than £1m from the taxpayer to cover their rent payments, while letting properties that they own in London.

Some 17 landlord MPs – 15 Conservatives and two Labour – have put their housing costs on expenses while earning more than £10,000 a year each renting out their own properties in recent years.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-rent-expenses-geoffrey-cox-b1956146.html[/quote]
I can't get worked up about this morally. It seems entirely ethical to me. No MP is paid enough to maintain a second home in London. Their job needs them to have one. Why should they provide it from their own resources?

Your level of remuneration is not means tested. You don't get paid more or less according to how much you have in the bank.

Just appalling Duncin

I posted this in the brexit thread, legally allowed, morally......

Five ministers in Boris Johnson’s government are among a group of MPs who have claimed more than £1m from the taxpayer to cover their rent payments, while letting properties that they own in London.

Some 17 landlord MPs – 15 Conservatives and two Labour – have put their housing costs on expenses while earning more than £10,000 a year each renting out their own properties in recent years.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-rent-expenses-geoffrey-cox-b1956146.html

Cox should resign.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/geoffrey-cox-foxhunting-hunt-welfare-gay-rights-b1956009.html

When it comes to corruption though, the demographic shouldn't matter, everyone should be angry and holding the government to account. Unless you do not value democracy.

The Leadsom amendment was backed up by issuing a three line whip.

@ChurchofLatterDayPaints "it was in response to you saying Cox wasn't corrupt, then you said if he was unduly using his influence it would be corruption; I then said no that'd be influence peddling."

Understood but I think that is semantics. Wikipedia thinks that influence peddling is corruption. I take the view that it may be, but it depends on the details.

Not a good look

It appears that Geoffrey Cox prepared his statement whilst staying in Mauritius

I wouldn't use the 5 as an example of how to behave.*

no nor would I geamhradh. Just racking brains to think of alternatives to this mess.

My own observation is that those who post on political topics appear to be significantly more left wing than the general population

The general UK population is left-leaning, don't forget Toryshambles is a minority government, courtesy of a broken electoral system; the GE result does not accurately reflect the general view due to millions of wasted votes resulting in tactical voting, disillusionment and a very high level of political homelessness, which in turn has generated a strange obsession with party leaders' personalities and an absence of policy-focused thinking.

At least it's quite reassuring that there are lots of mothers (in particular) on here and elsewhere who don't want their male children turning out like Boris or thinking Tory behaviour is something to emulate.

Don't you think that is because we have had a Tory government for more than a decade, people who are happy with the way things are going don't tend to start threads about it.

If the government had just accepted Paterson's suspension, the OP wouldn't have started this thread.

People keep saying how MN isn't representative of the UK. Why? It apparently gets 7 million unique users per month.

Yes, 7 million people visiting the site per month is a lot but that doesn't mean they are a representative sample of the UK's population. Indeed, the evidence available is that they aren't. For a start, they are overwhelmingly women whereas almost 50% of the UK population is male. Further, there is no guarantee that those who post on political topics are a representative sample of Mumsnet visitors.

My own observation is that those who post on political topics appear to be significantly more left wing than the general population, but that is just a personal impression. I haven't conducted any detailed analysis and, as I don't read most political threads, I may be completely wrong.

"The UK needs its own 5Star movement, or at least a completely new party."

I wouldn't use the 5* as an example of how to behave. Just as many accusations of corruption in their ranks as any other. Mostly well-founded. One of the most recent being the son of the founder accused of gang rape and his father trying to pull strings.

Giuseppe Conte is a good egg though. That's why after turning Italy around during the first Coronavirus wave they kicked him out. Too upstanding.

And I despise Boris Johnson.

I am a bit of a floating voter, so not a dyed in the wool Conservative by any means. My choices these days are between parties which are all deeply flawed. I am now politically homeless with no where to put my cross. Never thought that I would have to spoil my ballot paper, but it seems that's where we are now.

He is and always has been repulsive.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/10/geoffrey-cox-accrued-at-least-6m-from-second-job-while-a-parliamentarian

When Sleazebag says ‘MPs should be punished for breaking the rules’ does he include himself?

Roussette
The Times' Matthew Parris has written this...totally scathing.
He's turned on him.

Matthew Parris 'turned' on Boris Johnson in 2016 before the referendum;

Piers Morgan
@ piersmorgan
Matthew Parris' vicious, spiteful, nasty & incredibly personal attack on @ BorisJohnson makes me feel warmer to Boris & colder to Parris. 2:19 PM · Mar 26, 2016

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/26/matthew-parris-boris-johnson-london-mayor-times-attack

2017
Lifelong Tory Matthew Parris says he would consider voting Labour following 'dramatic' Brexit shift.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/matthew-parris-brexit-labour-keir-starmer-conservatives-tory-single-market-customs-union-a7915081.html

2019
Ex-Conservative MP Matthew Parris to quit party and vote Lib Dem.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/01/ex-conservative-mp-matthew-parris-to-quit-party-and-vote-lib-dem

Conservative MPs have told Byline Times they are furious with how Boris Johnson has handled the corruption crisis engulfing their Government and believe his attempts to save Owen Paterson will now lead to an inevitable crackdown on their own second jobs

Note the real concern crawling out - not the appalling handling per se, but their own selfish interests

Somehow I doubt anyone will be surprised ...

Church
Yes, his statement is almost saying 'they should be very grateful for having me as their MP'

Here...
"Cox says electors decide whether or not to pick a ‘senior and distinguished professional’ who maintains his second job"

I hate it when people talk about themselves in the third person!

Poor diddums

bylinetimes.com/2021/11/10/conservative-mps-furious-boris-johnson-corruption-scandal-second-jobs/

Conservative MPs have told Byline Times they are furious with how Boris Johnson has handled the corruption crisis engulfing their Government and believe his attempts to save Owen Paterson will now lead to an inevitable crackdown on their own second jobs.

But Roussette, does one not marvel at the ungrateful serfs of Torridge! Not appreciating that they have a Highly Experienced Queen's Counsel as their MP.

That was apparently the sentiment in Cox's comment, which I cba to link but am sure is still out there.

Well.... it now comes to light Cox earned £6million whilst sitting as an MP.
And he has an undeclared stake in a tax avoidance scheme that has been investigated by tax officials.

I am not sure he is going to last because this gets worse and worse.

His constituency has unemployment and average earnings are below the national average.

prhbridge47 it was in response to you saying Cox wasn't corrupt, then you said if he was unduly using his influence it would be corruption; I then said no that'd be influence peddling.

Anyway it doesn't matter, there'll be another slimeball exposed very shortly, I'm sure. There are probably quite a few Tory tax haven millions just waiting to be discovered.

And yes OP I am ashamed of being British at this point in time. In fact I have the exact same kind of sick fury I felt when living in Italy under Berlusconi. BJ and him operate in a very similar way, the lies are just spectacular.

The UK needs its own 5Star movement, or at least a completely new party.

April 2020 -

Misleading claims are spreading on social media that MPs are “awarding themselves £10,000 extra expenses” in order to work from home...

Labour’s Wes Streeting: “Just to reassure people, MPs aren’t being ‘given £10,000 extra each’. There is a contingency budget for office equipment because not all of our staff working from home have their own IT equipment. It is there if – and only if – it is needed.”

inews.co.uk/news/uk/fact-check-mps-paying-themselves-100000-extra-work-home-expenses-fund-417557