Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

[Doucas]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Well we've just left the world's biggest trading block in a huge act of economic self harm. Corruption has basically just been legalised. Our government has clearly been bought out by private interests. Our media is basically propaganda arms of our government...

🍌🍌🍌🍌

[Elwood Blues]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Screeching U turn today


There will be another vote on the Owen Paterson suspension and his case will not go before any revised standards body.

Government will now consult on any new standards body.

Not this governments finest hour.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

I can only think that this was even considered a step too far by the forty per cent and Conservative MPs’ e Mail in boxes were reflecting that.

Whatever the reason, it’s a correct decision morally and, probably, politically.

[Elwood Blues]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

I can only think that this was even considered a step too far by the forty per cent and Conservative MPs’ e Mail in boxes were reflecting that.

Whatever the reason, it’s a correct decision morally and, probably, politically.

I think perhaps someone told Boris something like this....

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=damned+silly+thing

[JamesWales]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Screeching U turn today


There will be another vote on the Owen Paterson suspension and his case will not go before any revised standards body.

Government will now consult on any new standards body.

Not this governments finest hour.

Right decision.

I can well believe there are grounds to reform the process, and a lack of right to appeal is very curious, and this whole thing with his wife committing suicide and the level of support for him makes me suspect something is out of the norm here.

But you cant reform things retrospectively or to save one person. Presumably if they reform this standards committee structure, then he can be considered in future.

Either way, it was all a very bad look.

[life on mars]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Right decision.

I can well believe there are grounds to reform the process, and a lack of right to appeal is very curious, and this whole thing with his wife committing suicide and the level of support for him makes me suspect something is out of the norm here.

But you cant reform things retrospectively or to save one person. Presumably if they reform this standards committee structure, then he can be considered in future.

Either way, it was all a very bad look.

Totally agree someone was badly advised maybe Carrie had a whisper in Bo Jo ear , do agree right to appeal is a fundamental human right.

I also think it should not be judged by MP 's something like a court of arbitration based on fact and reason .

[life on mars]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Done the decent thing

Owen Paterson says ‘I will remain a public servant but outside the cruel world of politics’ as he steps down.

Owen Paterson says he is quitting as an MP

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Totally agree someone was badly advised maybe Carrie had a whisper in Bo Jo ear , do agree right to appeal is a fundamental human right.

I also think it should not be judged by MP 's something like a court of arbitration based on fact and reason .

He did have a right to appeal, he did and it was turned down.

[jon1959]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Done the decent thing

Owen Paterson says ‘I will remain a public servant but outside the cruel world of politics’ as he steps down.

Owen Paterson says he is quitting as an MP

Decent thing?

I think he knew it was going to get much worse for him, and without Johnson providing cover he was in more trouble.

He jumped before he was pushed.

A sleazebag and probably corrupt. Behaviour that was excused by the government before they realised the size of the shitstorm they had brought down on themselves (especially from the minority within their own ranks).

Good riddance!

[Gofer Blue]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

I am normally a bit wary when the opposition (whether blue or red) wade in with cries of sleaze etc but the evidence is pretty damning in this case. This is from the BBC news website:

Mr Paterson has been a paid consultant for clinical diagnostics company Randox since 2015 and to meat distributor Lynn's Country Foods since 2016, earning a total of Ł100,000 a year on top of his MP's salary.

MPs are allowed to have these jobs, but are not allowed to be paid advocates - using their influence in Whitehall for the company's gain.

The committee concluded that Mr Paterson had breached this rule on paid advocacy by:

Making three approaches to the Food Standards Agency relating to Randox and the testing of antibiotics in milk
Making seven approaches to the Food Standards Agency relating to Lynn's Country Foods
Making four approaches to Ministers at the Department for International Development relating to Randox and blood testing technology

Mr Paterson was also found to have broken conduct rules by:

Failing to declare his interest as a paid consultant to Lynn's Country Foods in four emails to officials at the Food Standards Agency
Using his parliamentary office on 16 occasions for business meetings with his clients
And in sending two letters relating to his business interests, on House of Commons headed notepaper



I haven't heard or seen the usual "no law has been broken" statement which is normally trotted out in these cases. Such pronouncements annoy me intensely.

[jon1959]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

Kier Starmer (Labour):

This has been an unbelievable 24 hours even by this government’s chaotic standards. Only yesterday Boris Johnson was forcing his MPs to rip up the rules on standards in public life is a truly damning indictment of this prime minister and the corrupt government he leads.

Boris Johnson must now apologise to the entire country for this grubby attempt to cover up for the misdemeanour of his friend. This isn’t the first time he’s done this but it must be the last. And Boris Johnson must explain how he intends to fix the immense harm he has done to confidence in the probity of him and his MPs.

Pete Wishart (SNP):

Boris Johnson must now come to parliament to answer for his grubby role in the Tory corruption scandal. The prime minister must perform a full U-turn, apologise to the standards commissioner, and commit to an independent inquiry into the growing problem of Tory sleaze, cronyism and corruption at the heart of the UK government.

This Tory government is the sleaziest in decades. It has been beset by scandal after scandal - with the prime minister and his Tory colleagues guilty of breaking the ministerial code, acting unlawfully, handing peerages to donors, contracts to cronies and special access to their pals. The Owen Paterson affair is just the tip of the iceberg. It absolutely stinks.

Personally I prefer the SNP version. Both made good use of 'grubby', but the SNP sign off with 'stinks' is a winner!

[life on mars]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

What a mess , and an embarrassing government blunder made more noise than it should off ,another by election looms .

its also good to see Labour calling for a recall for Claudia Webbe after today's conviction verdict lucky not to go down her character wittiness's must have helped , an MP suggesting to throw acid in someone face is a beyond my thought process

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59162007

Lots of bad apples about , perhaps the decent thing to do would be too resign as well .

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

What a mess , and an embarrassing government blunder made more noise than it should off ,another by election looms .

its also good to see Labour calling for a recall for Claudia Webbe after today's conviction verdict lucky not to go down her character wittiness's must have helped , an MP suggesting to throw acid in someone face is a beyond my thought process

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59162007

Lots of bad apples about , perhaps the decent thing to do would be too resign as well .

Yet more whataboutery from you - why do you do it so often when there is a bad news story concerning the party of the right on either side of the Atlantic, but never when it is Labour or the Democrats that are under fire?

The clear difference between the Webbe and Paterson cases is that the former has been tried and convicted without a Government whipping it's MPS to vote for a change in the legal process afterwards which would overturn the verdict arrived at on the latter. Jon pointed out earlier that nineteen Tory MPs who had, effectively voted for the abolition of the Parliamentary Commission for Standards had complaints upheld against them in the past by said commission - the Government majority was eighteen.

Also, while sympathy clearly has to go out to Mr Paterson following his wife's suicide, it needs to be pointed out that she took her life in 2020 and he started undertaking paid lobbying work four years earlier.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

One of her best;-

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/05/owen-paterson-boris-johnson-standards-commissioner

[Jordi Culé]

Re: Owen Paterson - 'there's nothing to see here...'

I wonder how long it'll be before Paterson is rewarded with a peerage?