To be ashamed of our Sleazebag PM?

[Sean2001]

If it wasn't bad enough, Johnson presiding over the Paterson vote last week ...

He's now refusing to attend the debate today on sleaze/corruption

He also will not allow the sleaze watchdog to look into his flat refurbishment.

Does Johnson actually think this kind of behaviour is impressive?

I find it deeply embarrassing.

And looking into this more... Wouldn’t this be a conflict of interest? He is employed by the Government, is an MP but doing legal work for the accused.

He is defending the BVI after the UK Government set up a commission of enquiry into wrongdoing. Cox is earning a fortune advising a tax haven which is being investigated by the British Government, of which he is an elected member? Not just greedy but totally corrupt as well as it must be a major conflict of interest.

😮

You are either hypocrites or may be do some research as to how Pelosi and that lot made their fortunes?

Why would we want to talk about that on a thread about the Tories and Johnson?
Start a thread on that if you want yourself!

Why be ashamed about someone else's behaviour? You're not responsible for it.

prh47bridge "this is not corruption by any stretch of the imagination" My imagination isn't even breaking sweat. It's one rule for rich white men who know Boris, one rule for everybody else.

There are second jobs and there are second jobs.

Let's play count the non-Tories in this list of cushy nepotistic income streams. You won't need two hands.

www.bbc.com/news/explainers-59206904

Course it's corruption, just look at this... Being an MP is not a first job for Cox. It's very much a second job, if that

The problem is you have the voters that take the time to look into the parties and work out a rational reason for voting for them. Then you have the ones who are spoon fed the funky new terminology that a party is going with and rehash it online like they came up with it

Very true, and too often the second group read a couple of headlines in some rag (or, god help us, Twitter) and base their choice on them without much further thought

This is why I get frustrated when folk pile blame on the media, since it doesn't have to influence us too strongly unless we let it. Much better, at least IMO, to use reports as a spur to look something up and find the facts - or as close to them as we can get, anyway

I can't understand how he gets away with it

bLoNd mAn fUnNy

This is why I get frustrated when folk pile blame on the media, since it doesn't have to influence us too strongly unless we let it.

It's what we are not told and what they deliberately choose not to report on, or conversely what to deliberately over-focus on, that is the problem. Reading all the different angles and getting to the truth is very time-consuming and a lot of people don't have that time.

Of what relevance is the US system?? If I remember correctly you have to be pretty loaded to even get into US politics for various reasons - how about the poster of this tosh compares to the system here in Denmark— you are out on your ear if you so much as over claim £200 equivalent. Rules are incredibly strict on conflicts of interest etc

@ChurchofLatterDayPaints

prh47bridge "this is not corruption by any stretch of the imagination" My imagination isn't even breaking sweat. It's one rule for rich white men who know Boris, one rule for everybody else.

There are second jobs and there are second jobs.

Let's play count the non-Tories in this list of cushy nepotistic income streams. You won't need two hands.

www.bbc.com/news/explainers-59206904

No, it really isn't corruption. I'm not saying MPs should be allowed to do this but, as the rules stand, Cox has not broken any rules. The rules are the same for all MPs. The fact that most of the high earners from second jobs are on the government benches does not alter that fact. It is absolutely not "one rule for rich white men who know Boris, one rule for everyone else". Theresa May actually earns more than Cox. David Lammy gets around £50k a year from second jobs. Keir Starmer earned £26k from working as a lawyer in the 12 months before he became Labour leader.

I happen to think the rule is wrong, but it is very clearly the same for all MPs. Of course, some will have more opportunity to get outside work and some will command higher pay rates, but that doesn't mean the rules are different.

If Cox was using his position as an MP to enrich himself or benefit his business associates by influencing the government, that would be corruption. Having a second job which pays a high salary is not corruption.

Where tf are the opposition?
Why does Boris think he’s above the law?
Why doesn’t he respect parliament?
It’s completely embarrassing and tragic

The opposition are all over this - I don't know why people keep asking where they are. They are condemning this all over social media, where and when they can in parliament, in the actual media! Fed up with the narrative the opposition are nowhere to be seen.

Fed up with the narrative the opposition are nowhere to be seen

This is a very strange story we keep telling each other and ourselves.

Embarrassed yes, not ashamed as I didn’t vote conservative at the last election.

Corrupt as hell.

@prh47bridge

Bearing in mind Cox's activities are being investigated on all sorts of fronts I think you saying he has not broken any rules, is not true.

He has been referred to the Standards Commission as he undertook some of this work from his parliamentary office which is a breach of the rules.

In footage uploaded online of a British Virgin Islands commission of inquiry hearing on 14 September, Sir Geoffrey can be heard telling the commissioner: “Forgive my absence during some of the morning - I’m afraid the bell went off.”

The bell is when a vote takes place in the House.

Fed up with the narrative the opposition are nowhere to be seen

This is a very strange story we keep telling each other and ourselves.

Because they might be on it now, but it's too late. KS should have hit the ground running when he got elected and used all the considerable ammunition he had at his disposal. He didn't, he's a damp squib.

I am just fed up with all politicians. They all lie, are rude and awful. But I have to admit, this sleaze scandal is a new low.

Johnson is an utter, utter scumbag.

@TrishM80 , I am pained to say that I agree. Pained because I don’t often call people that.

But on a personal level I find the way he treated his ex wife (cheated multiple times and left when she had cancer) was despicable. I have tried to ignore that and focus on his politics.

But I find the whole expenses thing so distasteful. These are so hard times and so many people are suffering. I was buying dinner at Tesco last night and (sorry for being so silly) the price of broccoli and butter have just shot through the roof. As has the price of petrol. The fact that he tried to get the tax payer to pay for some ridiculous wall paper really does my head in.

You can feel angry, but if you didn't vote for the Conservatives in the last election, there's no need to feel embarrassed.

If you did, however...

@ChurchofLatterDayPaints

Fed up with the narrative the opposition are nowhere to be seen

This is a very strange story we keep telling each other and ourselves.

Because they might be on it now, but it's too late. KS should have hit the ground running when he got elected and used all the considerable ammunition he had at his disposal. He didn't, he's a damp squib.

Absolutely this. I've never been so completely disappointed by a politician.

Yes, exactly ! But, we also 'get what we deserve' too. SO many folk have an 'I'm alright Jack's mentality about others less fortunate. This has been whipped up by the media for decades now. Add the lazy islolationist blame game we play with Europe, a dollop of racism / a country that romanticisrs its Imperial past AND a global Pandemic and you have a perfect storm.

If Cox was using his position as an MP to enrich himself or benefit his business associates by influencing the government, that would be corruption Actually no, that would be influence peddling, which is another game popular among Tory MPs.

Having a second job which pays a high salary is not corruption. It is just not that simple. It depends on the second job and how it was obtained.

We can call it dereliction of duty and be generous, then. How has Cox properly fulfilled his duty to his constituents by buggering off to the BVI for months (to advise their government on - wait for it - defending themselves against corruption charges). At least he is admirably qualified for that role.

The fact is that people like Cox and other rich, white (primarily, not exclusively) men do play by their own rules, as they have invented MP Duty no. 4.

MPs have 3 duties: to the national interest, constituents and then their party, in that order. Not only do many moonlighting Tory MPs put interest no. 3 above no. 2 at every available opportunity in order to secure their own positions and bootlick, but they have also invented MP Duty no. 4: to act in their own personal financial interest while completely ignoring their constituents, about whom they care nothing.

These people may think themselves above the law, but like everyone else they have a 24-hour day, and it's just not possible to give equal commitment to multiple demanding jobs at high levels and perform them all equally well. Rest assured that Cox's priority on any given day during that BVI job was not to listen to Aggrieved from Torridge at an MP surgery. Here's what his constituents think:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/geoffrey-cox-caribbean-second-job-bideford-b1954338.html?r=66454

"Dereliction of duty is a person's purposeful or accidental failure to perform an obligation without a valid excuse, especially an obligation attached to his or her job".

The Guardian lying again, is it?
www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/09/sir-geoffrey-cox-the-infatigueable-rides-to-the-defence-of-tax-haven-against-uk-foreign-office

Corruption? Undue influence? How many of these 2nd jobbers would hold those positions if they were not MPs? I think that answers any questions we may have. And the answer is Very Few.