Owen Paterson

[Francescaisstressed]

Political parties aside, surely Owen Patterson avoiding suspension and the Tory party changing the rules for the mates goes against the very core of democracy?

When the people in power can bend the rules when they seee fit, and have noone to hold them to account I find it incredibly troubling.

@PermanentTemporary

The ENORMITY of Johnson saying 'fuck the rules and ethics, we have to protect Patterson because we're all drenched in the same silage'

So is the conclusion we should take from this that Johnson is effectively admitting his own guilt by supporting Paterson?

@jgw1 shrivelled!

What's amazing to me is that it's a 30 day suspension

Basically a 30 day holiday for selling out democracy

That is how things work, when you get suspended from work you are also 'on holiday' - but OP would have been subject to a recall petition and also would have been highly likely even if he avoided recall to lose at the next election.

I would have tougher rules and sanctions personally but what Paterson was facing wasn't nothing.

@CovidCorvid

Sadly it’s not just Paterson is it. Haven’t Boris and also Priti Patel been found against by the parliamentary committee for breaking the ministerial code but they can just refuse to accept the verdict? Nothing gets done. They’re so corrupt but idiots keep voting for them.

Yep. All true.

Paterson is a lying scumbag. Mired in avarice and corruption.

If he wants someone to blame for his wife's suicide perhaps he ought to look in the mirror? that may sound harsh, but it was the parliamentary investigation and her 'fears of a scandal' which contributed to her death, according to the inquest report. The fact that he is using her suicide as a get out of jail card makes me actually sick. How he can show his face in public is beyond me.

I'm in the constituency of a cabinet member who doesn't have a comfortable majority. Needless to say, he voted to support Paterson, and people in this area are pretty angry. It's looking very much like he needs to be making plans for an alternative career come the next election.

So is the conclusion we should take from this that Johnson is effectively admitting his own guilt by supporting Paterson?

Johnson makes no attempt to hide his contempt for rules and normal standards. But he is not admitting 'guilt' because he does not feel he is guilty, he feels he is acting in a way he is entitled to act.

What Johnson is doing, IMO, is changing the rules to be more in line with his own lack of morality.

If he wants someone to blame for his wife's suicide perhaps he ought to look in the mirror? that may sound harsh, but it was the parliamentary investigation and her 'fears of a scandal' which contributed to her death, according to the inquest report. The fact that he is using her suicide as a get out of jail card makes me actually sick. How he can show his face in public is beyond me.

This. Does he really think we can't work out that, if this scandal led to her suicide, there is only one person who could have absolutely ensured that it didn't happen?

Oh, i'll still go out and vote, i'm incredibly lucky to be in one of the few safe Labour areas with an amazing MP. But its hard to see what they get away with and that people still vote for them. They've effectively killed thousands, what more can they do for people to say enough.

@rrhuth

So is the conclusion we should take from this that Johnson is effectively admitting his own guilt by supporting Paterson?

Johnson makes no attempt to hide his contempt for rules and normal standards. But he is not admitting 'guilt' because he does not feel he is guilty, he feels he is acting in a way he is entitled to act.

What Johnson is doing, IMO, is changing the rules to be more in line with his own lack of morality.

Wise words, but so utterly depressing.

@rrhuth

So is the conclusion we should take from this that Johnson is effectively admitting his own guilt by supporting Paterson?

Johnson makes no attempt to hide his contempt for rules and normal standards. But he is not admitting 'guilt' because he does not feel he is guilty, he feels he is acting in a way he is entitled to act.

What Johnson is doing, IMO, is changing the rules to be more in line with his own lack of morality.

I disagree actually. If Boris Johnson thinks he’ll be shown up, he looks to dismantle the very process which does that.

Otherwise he would just ignore it. He’s doing the same with the electoral commission.

I disagree actually. If Boris Johnson thinks he’ll be shown up, he looks to dismantle the very process which does that.

Otherwise he would just ignore it. He’s doing the same with the electoral commission.

I am drawing a distinction between what Johnson feels internally from what happens externally. Johnson clearly does not think these silly rules should apply to him. So he is changing the rules. But not because he feels guilty.

Please can we STOP blaming a man for his wife’s suicide. I am telling you now there are fewer more painful experiences than to lose a family member that way. To say it was anyone's 'fault' including the person who took their own life is to misunderstand and misrepresent something very deeply traumatic. He may have brought it up but its still not OK.

Concentrate on his professional responsibilities to us. The way he should have done.

@Notonthestairs

Oh goodness I'm so bloody slow.

I've just realised that they are worried about future conduct issues - all those covid contracts for millions dolled out to their mates and families. They'd be roasted by an independent standards committee.

They need to rig the process now to save themselves in the future.

I hadn't realised that until you said it either. What a shower of absolute shits. People voting for this level of greed is why I left the UK. It really worries me that Boris is still going to get the votes. What will it take to make people stop bloody well voting for a party that is actively damaging Britain?

This with bells on

@rrhuth

And why do people keep saying “don’t make it party political”?

People say 'don't make it party political' because they support the Tories, either explicitly or they just currently vote for them.

This issue (paid lobbying) is a Tory problem. The response of changing the rules to get a Tory let off is a Tory policy.

Look at the vote last night - only Tories voted to let Paterson off, other parties all voted against. This is party political.

I originally stated 'party politics aside.' I vote Labour but find that you have to say that in order for people who are right wing leaning to even consider criticising the tories. That's part of the problem with today's politics, people are so ground into 'their side' that they can't look at it objectively and see that this is wrong. How anyone who votes tory can justify these actions is beyond me, and I can't get my head around why this corruption isn't enough to decide not to vote for them.

@PermanentTemporary

Please can we STOP blaming a man for his wife’s suicide. I am telling you now there are fewer more painful experiences than to lose a family member that way. To say it was anyone's 'fault' including the person who took their own life is to misunderstand and misrepresent something very deeply traumatic. He may have brought it up but its still not OK.

Concentrate on his professional responsibilities to us. The way he should have done.

I think we all understand the pain caused by suicide, many people have expereinece of this, but that doesn't mean it can't be discussed when Paterson himself is discussing it.

I haven't actually looked at how the DUP voted?

@Hearwego

I do remember the Tory sleaze of the 90s when John Major was PM...

They were amateurs compared to this lot.

@PermanentTemporary

Please can we STOP blaming a man for his wife’s suicide. I am telling you now there are fewer more painful experiences than to lose a family member that way. To say it was anyone's 'fault' including the person who took their own life is to misunderstand and misrepresent something very deeply traumatic. He may have brought it up but its still not OK.

Concentrate on his professional responsibilities to us. The way he should have done.

The problem is that he is emphatically blaming this process for his wife's suicide. We cannot just ignore that, because to do so is to imply that we accept that he is right, and that it is OK for him to use her suicide in such a cynical way.

We don't have to follow his lead. We can choose what issues to concentrate on. He was paid by companies and used his elected position to benefit them. More than enough to focus on.

Chris Bryant has tweeted to say that the Committee hasn't been disbanded and 2 ongoing enquiries to complete.

Not sure what those two are but Johnson has at least one outstanding regarding the flat renovation.

Telegraph has two articles from Pattison - no wonder Johnson flew back from COP to have dinner with Telegraph bigwigs Tuesday evening - he was under time pressures after all!

It really does stink.

@rrhuth

What's amazing to me is that it's a 30 day suspension

Basically a 30 day holiday for selling out democracy

That is how things work, when you get suspended from work you are also 'on holiday' - but OP would have been subject to a recall petition and also would have been highly likely even if he avoided recall to lose at the next election.

I would have tougher rules and sanctions personally but what Paterson was facing wasn't nothing.

That seat has been Tory since 1832, no non-Tory is ever going to win there.

I used to look at the corruption of governments other countries and think we were above it, look at them taking backhanders why don’t they stop the corruption? why don’t the people vote them out?
That’s sadly us now, this government who would love to pretend they are principled, when in reality we have sunk lower than any other government.

Boris with his “funny” clown act, letting this man get away with sheer greed and showing the corruption of his administration bringing our country down, I’m so ashamed we have sunk this low.

@PermanentTemporary

Please can we STOP blaming a man for his wife’s suicide. I am telling you now there are fewer more painful experiences than to lose a family member that way. To say it was anyone's 'fault' including the person who took their own life is to misunderstand and misrepresent something very deeply traumatic. He may have brought it up but its still not OK.

Concentrate on his professional responsibilities to us. The way he should have done.

He brought his wife’s suicide into this 😐

And I think that his statements on it have changed? Originally he said he didn’t know why, then he said it was because of the investigation. Pretty low actually.

Makes having a Parliament utterly pointless, they should all go home and concentrate on their real work, grabbing as much as possible from every source available. Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, is a bloody disgrace and should not have permitted this. Bring back Bercow. This whole episode is utterly disgraceful in every respect.