Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

How thoroughly depressing.

The next couple of years are going to be interesting now. The Torygraph rarely holds back when it has a chance to put the boot into Boris and this week the Wail has been at it too. In part this can be seen as them feeling safe enough to be roundly critical as Labour still has a mountain to climb before it looks like a credible opposition, let alone an alternative government. But once a pattern has set in, who knows? The rearing of that word “sleaze” ought to be ringing alarm bells all around Tory high command because it is in no small measure responsible for the party’s demise in 1997 despite the economy being in pretty good shape. They looked warm out and corrupt; Blair looked fresh, trustworthy and competent.

I am not a big fan of leftist politics and I would very much like to see the Conservatives get their house in order. I wonder whether many inside the parliamentary party will begin to think that means removing Boris before there’s another election.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

My argument is not that he be ‘let off’. All I am saying, if anyone is actually listening, is that a right of appeal should be in place.

All this does is review the decision in the light of all the evidence. If the committee got it wrong, this would be an opportunity to put it right.

If the committee was correct in its judgement, the decision would stand.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

So who should stand above an independent standards committee appointed by Parliament?

Judges?

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

It could be a different set of MPs selected to hear appeals. This is not rocket science, jfman. It’s called fair play.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

It’s called corruption.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

I think you're right. Johnson's high-spending, high-tax policies and populist approach is also a lifetime away from many Conservative voters. The reputational damage from all Johnson's U-turns must be causing the local associations to feel somewhat bewildered.

Is Sunak sharpening his knife?

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

What, introducing an appeals process? Don’t talk daft.

---------- Post added at 14:01 ---------- Previous post was at 13:58 ----------

We have to spend money now to invest, not only to level up, but also to help our recovery from Covid.

Things will look a lot clearer by the time of the next election.

Hopefully by then we will also have an appeals process in place for MPs who feel they have been wrongly treated in matters of discipline.

In normal times, Labour wouldn’t have any trouble with that idea.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

At some point there has to be an authority, if not the independent standards committee who should that be?

You claim others are making it party political then your own ludicrous assertion is to politicise the process by making MPs the arbiter of their own conduct and not an independent commissioner.

I know you enjoy streaming services but that doesn’t mean you have to exist on a time delay from the rest of the conversation. Almost everyone in the thread - Conservative Party members included - knows this is absolutely grubby. Defending the indefensible. It’s not party political.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

Nope. You are conflating the idea of having an appeals process with letting Paterson off.

An appeals process is simply natural justice. As for who could hear the appeal, I have already suggested that it could be a separate committee of MPs. It could be the commissioner as long as he had not already been involved in the case, but alternatively it could be a committee of the House of Lords. It doesn’t matter really, as long as they are able to come to an independent decision.

As far as Paterson himself is concerned, the correct thing to have done would have been to suspend the decision pending a procedure change which was lacking in the process and that would benefit MPs of all persuasions in the future. This doesn’t mean that Paterson would be let off. It would simply mean that his concerns would be addressed. The penalty may well remain in place, but I guess we will never know now, will we?

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

The correct decision is he be prosecuted instead of being allowed to resign in disgrace and trouser an MP pension at the cost of the public purse.

The House of Lords don’t make me laugh - remind me who paid for Boris’ last holiday?

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

I have no problem with prosecuting wrongdoing, and I have not suggested to the contrary in anything I have said.

As for who hears the appeals, I have made two suggestions. There are others that would be perfectly justifiable. I’ve had worse problems to deal with in my time.

The important thing is that the body hearing appeals must be independent of the disciplinary investigation and decision, and it needs to be a speedy process.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

The most important thing is surely that we weed out corruption among MPs?

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

Good luck with that one. I look forward to receiving your (workable) proposals in due course.

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

Re: Owen Paterson: Anger as Tory MP avoids suspension in rule shake-up
 

Paterson out I think the current process is reasonable enough so long as Number 10 and Tory party keep their grubby paws off it.