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Original poster

Norwich North by-election thread

31 replies

policywonk · 13/07/2009 11:24

Just getting in there early.

Tories expected to gain from Labour, Greens might overtake LibDems for third place, former boxer Terry Marsh and FO irritant Craig Murray are standing, and the BNP candidate is a farking Reverend (do you think he's fundamentally misunderstood his own religion a bit?)

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lljkk · 15/07/2009 12:54

PW, explain to me what Gibson did wrong? Coz I'm struggling to get it.

He should have charged his daughter market rate for rent and deducted that from his expenses. That's the only thing I can see that he should (could) have done different. He could pay that back now like other MPs have been allowed to pay back amounts and get to stay in Parliament.

Alternatively, the taxpaper would be no better off, and there would have been no scandal if he had:

  • Stayed in a Hotel for those 3 nights/week. /OR/
  • Owned the same flat and claimed same amount of expenses on it but not let his daughter stay there rent-free for 18 months.

Selling the flat to her for under market-rate seems irrelevant to me. He could have sold it to anyone for any amount and tax-paper would be no better and no worse off.

Besides the daughter-flat things I mentioned, what else is said to be dodgy?

Original poster
policywonk · 15/07/2009 12:07

Actually having looked in to it, I think the Labour party have done the right thing here. Gibson's expenses claims were distinctly dodgy, and they were right to censure him I think. Causing this by-election seems like a big case of foot-stamping on his part.

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Original poster
policywonk · 15/07/2009 10:37

He's definitely not standing, apparently - but lots of people reckon he might have won if he had. There was a piece about it on Today this morning, and lots of Labour voters were saying they'd been happy to vote for him but weren't enthused by the new Labour candidate. Sounds as though Labour might have shot itself in the foot.

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lljkk · 13/07/2009 12:53

I'm never very good at figuring out what other people think, lol.
I know that his constituency party was furious about him being deselected.
Other MPs who committed similar "crimes" were allowed to pay back the difference, but not Gibson; who unusually has a science rather than politics/legal background. I reckon he didn't do enough brown-nosing of the whips and other types high in the party hierarchy.
He can come across as arrogant, but mostly he seems very direct and to the point. He is/was quite popular locally (I think).
It's one of those standard "They're all in it for the perks, except MY local MP" type of reactions.

I hope he does get in as an Independent, would serve Labour right. He is well connected, many people felt that they had a personal link to him and that he was alright. I think I may have met him once.

Original poster
policywonk · 13/07/2009 11:43

I think you're right - will see if I can find it on Listen Again.

Apparently Gibson is thinking about standing as an independent - he's got a lot of local support. What's the story - why do people feel he was hard done by?

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lljkk · 13/07/2009 11:35

Radio 4 is doing a special about this (or did they, last night?).
Ian Gibson was an outstanding MP IMHO and I am well-pissed off that he got the boot.
I hope whoever gets in his place is an enormous trouble-maker to the Labour Establishment, frankly. The very least they deserve.

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