Chris Huhne changes plea to guilty

[NicholasTeakozy]

BBC link here. I reckon that's the end of his political career then.

PartTime There is no equivalent for husband, it is a defence available only to a wife. It is sexist, but rather than reflecting the fuckwiterdy of husbands as opposed to wives it reflected the accepted and very real power imbalance that held even in the 70s.

Indeed - they couldn't even conceive of the notion that a wife could possibly coerce a husband back them! Or that they could just use the word spouse and remain gender neutral in the legislation.

PTM they have been trying to abolish that law since the 1970s apparently BUT you can see why it is there. I expect it is much more likely going by the massive number of housewives on mumsnet or those earning pin money compared to their men that the balance of power is man earns everything and woman toatlly financially dependent on man and given men's usually greater physical strength it is not that unreasonable to retain it. I am not sure it was made for vey successful professional women on high salaries who out earn their husband and are pretty well known in their field. We cannot wrote about individual cases buti t is certainly difficult to prove.

So what a complex web we weave if we get involved with journalists writing stories...

Those worried about all the coerced husbands of mumsnetters need not fear. You can just use "duress" the other way round.

Actually Xenia, I think for the last decades or two, the welfare state, along with changed social attitudes to divorce and single parenthood, have made women much less dependent on a husband than they use to be.

There are still ingrained differences in the way girls are brought up compared to boys, but I don't think there is enough to justify a gendered law.

I'm puzzled by the defence of marital coercion these days. We can all think of examples of coercion in marriage that might also apply to men but aren't open to this defence. I'm definitely not pleading: 'what about the menz?, btw'. That wouldn't be my instinct at all.

However, I can see how a jury might accept it here. People don't like Chris Huhne because there's been so much written about him - all justified given that he's a high-profile MP. Also, I have no idea what Vicky Pryce, and presumably her children, are going to say about the relationship.

Even though I'm sure the jury was told on Monday not to look anything up, there has been enough stuff about Huhne - all using the word arrogant - for anyone to have seen it and so maybe they'll go for it.

I understand that husbands might ask you to do things that you might see as good for the marriage or family. Didn't work for the canoe woman but it might work for Vicky because Huhne is better known. (BTW thanks to the poster who mentioned that case. I was talking about that earlier but had a brain fade. Sorry, I've also had a brain fade about your name )

The things that are expected in a marriage aren't covered by this any more IMO. The defence should be scrapped and other laws involving coercion regarding adults should be used in prosecution or mitigation in a guilty plea.

A lot of the texts were introduced by Huhne's own lawyers. That's why all the texts which only show his son's pain and anger, and don't seem relevant are public now as well as the actually relevant ones.

They knew it was an issue that he hadn't said "I didn't do it" at any point in the text exchanges so they introduced all that heartbreak to show that the father-son relationship was so volatile that the reason Chris Huhne didn't deny his guilt to his son was just that he didn't want to make the relationship any worse.

It is an awful shame Huhne didn't give up just a bit sooner before he did that to his son.

Most people lie to cover a lie. It doesn't get widely circulated because it doesn't get in the papers.

Also I don't think taking speeding points is that bad no matter what people go on about here.

It's common though it's against the law and could lead to a perversion charge that maybe people weren't aware of.

As long as both parties know and accept that then it's something that happens between husband and wife or friends. Obviously things have changed here.

Of course it's a big deal. But people continue to do it. I'm not saying it's a good idea or a bad idea. It depends on your family's circumstances.

I guess that on certain roads it's possible to pick up 9 or 12 points quite easily if you are careless and drive on them frequently.

I don't know and I don't care. I don't drive much any more. When I regularly did I was careful not to drink and drive. Mostly it was because I didn't want to get banned, but I came to realise that drinking and driving is bad.

Last time I drove drinking wasn't an an issue, but I was terrified of picking up speeding points, so I didn't speed. Did that make me a better driver? Don't know. I suspect on that day I annoyed more regular drivers because of my caution.

Did that make me a nicer person than Chris Huhne? Probably, but not because of my driving.

Dear Mr Huhne MP,
Or rather...
Dear Mr Huhne MP,

May I please just take this opportunity to tell you what a delightful Father and all round obviously great guy you are? I can state this with utter authority having just seen you had absolutely no choice but to fess up as your lies had run out, and your back was so close to the wall it was freezing your bones "take responsibility for something that happened ten years ago". Just that statement alone, with all it inherently includes and worse, de facto excludes makes clear what an utter, total, arrogant, & selfish knobhead a truly noble man you are (a self-view that screams through all). I do however have the following queries given your parade of lies; your dissing of your entire family; your mocking our Justice system by even just LAST WEEK pleading "NOT GUILTY M'LORD" some minor discrepencies that seem apparent, and also some slightly broader questions?

Unless I am slightly confused, I have NOT seen you 'take responsibility' for the total and utter carnage you have caused the child you profess to love issues that you created and that are now so very damaging to your son? Nor 'responsibility' for the fact that this is not an issue about 'something you did ten years ago', but rather the fact that you lied repeatedly to your fucking back teeth until you could ipso facto lie no more, and those bones WERE by then ice cold cornered flat against that wall you appear to have not taken responsibility for all, and oh my gosh, it really does seem quite a very long and not very attractive list of the you have done SINCE 10 years ago?

You know the kind of thing I mean - shitting over your wife and kids in a heartbeat, for political greasy spin priorities being way over and above the importance of them for you making swift PR led decisions that may hurt those who love(d) you? Costing us vast amounts of taxpayers money you selfish self-serving git in order that you could continue to try and escape justice?

I understand that your wife (that's your WIFE, not the woman you shagged spent time with behind her and your family's backs whilst consistently lying throughout as you must have done in order to facilitate said shagging, and obviously with huge effort into that deception too) HAS pleaded Guilty to the Criminal Charge against her but on the basis of Marital Coercion. Now, some might well say how the fuck can an intelligent, professional, well-paid, yada yada it seems hard to believe that she (or anyone of her standing/intelligence) WOULD be vulnerable to coercion, emotional abuse, etc etc. But as is frickin obvious, EA is not confined to any class or creed as is obvious from report after report, plus numerous factual cases re EA it would appear at least possibly likely, given other elements of your now very factually proven familial abuse of trust & love; abuse of parliamentary position etc especially in light of the truly vile way you have also treated your son, & who himself says you 'forced' her to take your points that other elements of your behaviours which are only now coming to light, may well point to an odious, egotistical, 'above the law' individual well capable of that?

So I wish you well for Court, even though I do of course know that if when if you get a custodial sentence, you will be in a scrumptious Category 3 Open Prison faster than you can say SHIT. Those bloody speed cameras have got me again Jack Flash. Very finally (& apposite too re 'flash'), I have now seen your utter joke and beyond narcissistic your private plate on that lovely beemer that you used to drive. Plate is:

HU HNE. (yes folks, really...).

Presumably the 'HU' is for 'hubris'? And the HNE is for 'Horrible Non-Entity'? Ah, no; thought not. Just you being an arrogant little shit then huh? Suggest strongly you may want to modify that MO ASAP? Or, if not, do be very aware of the risks the scalding water in kitchen, the spit in your food, all of that stuff that prisoners will do to you that lie ahead for you if you don't.

Kindest regards, Stoic.
PS Oh, but please please PLEASE on't worry about all that stuff you hear about never bending over in the showers. Even a lifer would be more discerning than that. See? ALWAYS an upside eh Chris.

PPS Sep., but as a gesture of kindness, for early Valentines Day could I suggest you buy your -conniving, herself deceitful to loved ones girlfriend a home hair dye kit? Just, in a full on pic of her face, that fringe is shining through with coarse grey bits and since she is SUCH a hottie worth losing your 3 kids over? I'm sure you'd like her to look at her best at your sentencing? Home dye kit and a knob like you m'dear-- of Frizzeze will sort her hair woes out toute suite Chrisikins.

His car reg really was 'HU HNE' - as you do of course when you're a Minister and a security risk (or, rather, you DON'T for those precise reasons even if you wanted a private plate, but clearly Mr Hu Hne wanted his presence to be known, and his big fat beemer to be clocked. Narcissism over sense. No wonder the word 'arrogant' has been so consistently used.

Stoic, v good.

He was an MEP when it happened, not yet an MP but same principles. I have a pretty low opinion of people with personalised number plates anyway. It is very showy offy in a rather sort of jumped up common kind of way.

I don't speed. If I had 9 points I would be very very careful. I don't want to run over small children on the road and I am sure that I am as busy as Huhne was and probably have a career on a par with Pryce. We do not have to break the law but he chose to. He also chose to break his marital vows. Why not just terminate the marriage and after that find someone else and ideally someone who was not in a civil partnership with someone else at the same time.

I wonder if the financial side of their divorce is finalised - he was the one with 5 homes although she earns more I think and they they were just a few buy to lets. I see what I can find.

This is not what I was after but interesting Telegraph

" When they married in 1984, she was the senior partner in the relationship. Having come to England to study at the London School of Economics, she built a stellar career at KPMG and later Exxon Europe. Mr Huhne, meanwhile, was an economic journalist, working for the Guardian and the Independent, having attempted to become an MP.

Miss Pryce already had two children and was almost two years older than him.

"She was so much more experienced," Mr Huhne recalled when he later ran for leadership of the Lib Dems. "Vicky really is superwoman. She's absolutely great."

Marrying someone with a City salary also gave Mr Huhne the freedom to give up journalism and set up a company, Sovereign Ratings, in 1994, that quantified the risk of investing in foreign countries. Encouraged by his wife, who shouldered the burden of bringing up five children (the couple had three children of their own, Nico, Peter and Lydia), Mr Huhne, 56, was soon a millionaire. But it was political success that Mr Huhne craved, and with his wife by his side he became part of a circle of influential Lib Dems, most notably Vince Cable, now Business Secretary, and Lord Oakeshott, the Coalition's former Treasury spokesman in the Lords.

Mr Cable, Lord Oakeshott and their wives were regular dinner party guests at Mr Huhne's £3 million Georgian home in Clapham, and with their guidance he stood for, and was elected to, the European Parliament in 1999. During his six-year tenure as an MEP for South-East England, Mr Huhne combined politics with a role as vice-chairman of the City firm Fitch Ratings, and built up a property portfolio of at least seven homes. "

www.healys.com/site/srvprivate/family_law_solicitors/family_law_further_information/family_law_news/news_divorce_financial_settlement_for_chris_huhne_mp.html

stoic, I admire your patience and creative writing/layout skill for that

The more I read/hear about HUHNE the more he comes a across as a Prince amongst Men - not... . You wonder what Vicky Pryce and all the other woman saw in him?? I really do wonder - accepting that power/money makes a person attractive (apparently), what did she see in him when they met? I still don't geddit...

Interesting exchange highlighted earlier on Sky News between the journalist who helped VP get her story out, and VP's defence barrister. She asked the journalist if VP ever discussed other things about CH, that have not been published and she answered 'yes...I know what you are getting at...' and confirmed that these other things discussed have so far remained unpublished. I wonder what/when these 'things' are and when they'll be introduced in evidence?

Does anyone know whether Chris Huhne will be giving evidence ?

Just heard one of the calls where she tries to entrap Huhne into admitting she took his points.

Good job she's a noted economist because she'd make a fucking awful secret agent.

Latest news from trial:

Early in the marriage their biggest rows were about UK membership of the Euro

He forced her to have an abortion in 1990, which she bitterly regretted.

Told him she wouldn't take his points, then got a letter with her as the nominated driver on it.

I bet views on this case split on gender lines so I wonder how many of the jury are female ? Is it a male judge?

Huhne's great mate Lord Oakeshott - woukd that be the husband of the Times journalist that Vicky Pryce so foolishly emailed about all this? It's not a common surname.

8:4 female:male I believe, Xenia. Male judge I think.

She said she signed the letter taking the points because she felt "worn down" by Huhne. I guess that must be the crux of the marital coercion defence.

Mmm, worn down... are her children going to give evidence? Very relevant to all this will be how he treated her in private or in front of the children, looking at tone of emails to her from that time, nature of relationship, psychological reports if either of them has had one done etc presumably to show how their relationship was.