What happened with Owen Paterson today?

[Sean2001]

Could someone explain please? Sorry - I'm a bit stupid.

The vote enabled the Tories to be even sleazier than they already are - is what I'm reading.

How is this? What happened today?

He was caught repeatably abusing his position as an MP whilst lobbying for companies who paid him to do so.
However, as a Tory this is seen as perfectly acceptable and so many of his fellow MPs have jumped in to support him - presumably because they are on the make as well.

It’s absolutely shameful that 250 mps voted this through.

Remember the Cash for Questions scandal in the 90s? Well that's ok now. Apparently. Totally fine. Nothing to see here.

In case anybody missed it, the Tory leadership whipped them to vote for the amendment. Disgusting.

We are no longer living in a functioning democracy. The Tories are pigs at the trough, pocketing as much money as they can and changing the rules to keep at it.

They are laughing at us all, particularly the poor mugs they voted them in.

Right - I could look this up on google, but seeing as I've started this thread I'll ask you here ...

What is lobbying? Does it mean advertising or supporting in someway? And why should he not have been doing this?

Don’t worry about it. Just another thing that won’t stop people voting Tory in their droves at the next election, for some reason.

Remember Dido Harding? Paterson was one of the key figures in her rise to success/ epic failure at our expense.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53824374

People in positions of power being exempt from the rules, laws and punishments imposed on the general population is the foundation stone of our society.

It's depressing but unremarkable.

Cash for questions in the 90's wasnt really frowned on either.. at least on politician implicated was knighted shortly afterwards!!

What is shocking in this case is that the existing process investigated and pronounced that he should be suspended. Changing the rules and having them apply retrospectively undermines the parliamentary process.

RIP Rose Paterson, whose memory the odious Paterson had the gall to use as a kind of human shield in the Commons today.

In a classic DARVO move, he blamed the Standards Committee's investigation as a major cause of Rose's stress, which led her to suicide last year. Of course, had he not pocketed £111,000 via "an egregious breach of the rules" he would not have needed to be investigated.

But it's not his fault - it's the fault of the investigators of his crime!
He is fucking shameless.
"We will never know definitively what drove her to suicide, but the investigation undoubtedly played a major role," Mr Paterson said.

www.shropshirestar.com/news/politics/2021/10/26/standards-investigation-played-major-role-is-my-wifes-suicide---owen-paterson/

Lobbying^^ I think is where you are employed (or put on a retainer) to advocate for a particular business interest and use your contacts to try to swing a decision in their direction. Happy to be corrected if not the case.

Worth pointing out at least 12 Conservative MP's voted against and a few abstained.

But yes all very sleazy and depressing. A swamp indeed.

I thought he was out of order to use his wife's suicide to garner sympathy.

But he is an upper middle class Tory toff, so like many others like him, he got away with it.

Not shocked AT ALL.

[quote CorrBlimeyGG]Remember Dido Harding? Paterson was one of the key figures in her rise to success/ epic failure at our expense.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53824374[/quote]
Not surprising Cor.
Rose Paterson, RIP, was also a racing bigwig.

The usual incestuous Tory circles & jobs for the girls!

Paterson was caught trying to influence the government on behalf of companies which were paying him. That’s against the rules on how MPs are supposed to behave, so the committee which investigates such matters has suspended him from Parliament for 30 days. He has tried to use his wife’s suicide in mitigation to try to get out of his punishment. This tells you everything you need to know about the man’s character.

The government are now trying to abolish the committee and replace it with a group of MPs, the major whom will be Tories. This is a charter for other Tories to take bungs from people who want them to influence the government. It’s called corruption.

So why are the government doing this? Because they believe that the opposition is so weak and impotent that they can get away with it, without being punished at the ballot box. And they’re absolutely right.

This Government make me feel physically sick. And yes Labour are weak at the moment but let’s not blame them for the stupidity of people who vote for Boris and Co. Frankly I would rather vote for the monster raving looney party than this Government.

My fury at this today is not repeatable!

I’m not a big Angela Raynor fan but boy was I on her side at PMQs

This govt is making a mockery of this country!

[quote ChargingBuck]RIP Rose Paterson, whose memory the odious Paterson had the gall to use as a kind of human shield in the Commons today.

In a classic DARVO move, he blamed the Standards Committee's investigation as a major cause of Rose's stress, which led her to suicide last year. Of course, had he not pocketed £111,000 via "an egregious breach of the rules" he would not have needed to be investigated.

But it's not his fault - it's the fault of the investigators of his crime!
He is fucking shameless.
"We will never know definitively what drove her to suicide, but the investigation undoubtedly played a major role," Mr Paterson said.

www.shropshirestar.com/news/politics/2021/10/26/standards-investigation-played-major-role-is-my-wifes-suicide---owen-paterson/[/quote]

As we like to say on the Relationships board, it wasn't the enquiry that led to her death. It was his behaviour or actions.

Depressing but not surprising. It seems acceptable for this sleazy and corrupt man to earn 100k a year lobbying.
Seeking to then weaponise his wife’s suicide as a consequence of the investigation and not a result of his own amoral conduct is another low.

It was that Corbyn with his scruffy shits and shifty eyes what did it. ‘ashtag IRA, strong and stable,get Brexit done, blue passports and don’t forget BeKind and we won.

@Libertaire thank you for setting it out so clearly, with context - I only heard snippets on the radio and I didn't get it!

@SquirrelFan You’re welcome. One of the dubious benefits of WFH with the news on all day is that you get to know too much about politics…

It's disgraceful but not surprising.

I have to admit I lost the thread of who was aksing for what.. and then, when KS started intoning whatever it was he was intoning, I lost the will to live.

It all sounds so childish, and then so sordid when his deceased wife was brought into it.

But in essence, I thought what @Libertaire said, except it was 6 weeks wasn't it?

@Notonthestairs

Lobbying^^ I think is where you are employed (or put on a retainer) to advocate for a particular business interest and use your contacts to try to swing a decision in their direction. Happy to be corrected if not the case.

Worth pointing out at least 12 Conservative MP's voted against and a few abstained.

But yes all very sleazy and depressing. A swamp indeed.

Lobbying isn't necessarily to advance business interests and it isn't necessarily shady. It's basically just when an individual or group advocate for a particular position or policy. Charities engage in lobbying, but then so do fossil fuel companies. It becomes sleazy when elected politicians or government officials abuse their positions in order to advance the interests of lobby groups, especially when they're paid to do so (as Paterson was).

What has happened today is a dark day for our democracy. This government stinks, and the worst part about it is that it won't stick to them, nothing seems to.