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Post by batman on Apr 18, 2024 6:13:02 GMT
They’re desperate to avoid by-elections. Even in as traditionally safe a Tory seat as Fylde
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Post by John Chanin on Apr 18, 2024 6:31:46 GMT
There are 650 MPs so the fact that some of them are weird, greedy, corrupt, self-regarding, entitled, narcissistic, or any combination thereof, is not surprising. The question of interest is whether MPs are more so than a standard cross section of the population, and a subsidiary is whether there is any bias toward a particular party. I believe matureleft has commented in the past that there is indeed a personality type that is attracted to politics which is more inclined to risky behaviour. MPs are certainly more extrovert than average. The point of local candidate selection is in part to weed out the obviously unsuitable, as people, particularly those careless of their privacy, will be better known to close associates. But this process has its limits, and many candidates are not well known locally, and often pressed on seats by party headquarters. It's more behaviour on social media than actual behaviour in real life that catches people out these days (although I'd expect there to be a correlation). And once people are MPs, not only does their entitlement and feeling of impunity grow, but there is a network of people with an interest in protecting them (including party whips). It does seem though that this network has weakened to the rage of those caught out misbehaving. As to whether there is a difference between parties I am doubtful. There will always be more national media interest in the ruling party, and the disappearance of almost all local media means a lack of scrutiny at base. Of course most MPs lead quite normal lives outside their politics, and no doubt deplore the antics of some of their colleagues. But no-one is interested in that.
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Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Apr 18, 2024 7:12:54 GMT
Fact of the day: Mark Menzies was on David Cameron's A List. That seems a very very long time ago!
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Post by matureleft on Apr 18, 2024 7:19:10 GMT
Menzies' parliamentary career started with signs of strong favour. Being made a PPS straight away is most unusual. But he has then pressed a range of self-destruct buttons. I'm mildly surprised that he's survived for so long - his Association must be gentle souls.
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ilerda
Conservative
Posts: 1,029
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Post by ilerda on Apr 18, 2024 8:26:21 GMT
Might Ben Wallace have a quick change of heart about standing down if a neighbouring constituency to his current one suddenly finds itself without a candidate?
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Post by Forfarshire Conservative on Apr 18, 2024 8:54:20 GMT
Would be interesting. He has name rec, so could well win, and he'd be a real contender for the leadership.
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ricmk
Lib Dem
Posts: 2,290
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Post by ricmk on Apr 18, 2024 8:54:28 GMT
And he's lost the Conservative whip. They knew about this for months. He only the lost the whip because the Times found out. I suspect "how the Times found out" may be a story by itself. It seems the only people who knew were either Tories or "the bad people." So why leak a hugely embarassing and career-ending story now, with a by-election in the neighbouring seat. Someone wanting the Fylde nomination? Someone with a personal grudge or fed up of how their money was being spent? Someone trying to take the Whips office / CCHQ down a peg or two?
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Post by stb12 on Apr 18, 2024 9:00:36 GMT
Might Ben Wallace have a quick change of heart about standing down if a neighbouring constituency to his current one suddenly finds itself without a candidate? When retiring he sounded like he’d just had enough rather than it being issues with finding another seat, he was also very keen to get the NATO head job
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Post by stb12 on Apr 18, 2024 9:01:04 GMT
Would be interesting. He has name rec, so could well win, and he'd be a real contender for the leadership. Impression I get is that being Defence Secretary is the only government role that really interests him now
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Post by carlton43 on Apr 18, 2024 9:29:01 GMT
Would be interesting. He has name rec, so could well win, and he'd be a real contender for the leadership. Impression I get is that being Defence Secretary is the only government role that really interests him now Pity he is such a complete disaster area in it then. Very glad indeed to see the back of him and all of his ilk.
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Post by stb12 on Apr 18, 2024 9:34:17 GMT
Impression I get is that being Defence Secretary is the only government role that really interests him now Pity he is such a complete disaster area in it then. Very glad indeed to see the back of him and all of his ilk. But apart from that you quite like them?!
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Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Apr 18, 2024 9:45:56 GMT
Might Ben Wallace have a quick change of heart about standing down if a neighbouring constituency to his current one suddenly finds itself without a candidate? When retiring he sounded like he’d just had enough rather than it being issues with finding another seat, he was also very keen to get the NATO head job Having some Defense Sec I can't imagine he'd want to go back to the backbenches in Opposition. The Blackpool South candidate should be the only name in the frame having done the sacrificial lamb stuff.
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CatholicLeft
Labour
2032 posts until I was "accidentally" deleted.
Posts: 6,256
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Post by CatholicLeft on Apr 18, 2024 9:55:45 GMT
James Daly doubtless knew about this behaviour, yet he has not chosen to notify the Lancashire Police about accusations of an alleged hostage-situation of an MP, misuse of money raised for party campaigning for personal use, improper pressure placed on an elderly person for the purposes of receiving money, and surely more. The hypocrisy is another reason people give up on politics.
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Post by Ron Swanson on Apr 18, 2024 10:27:56 GMT
James Daly doubtless knew about this behaviour, yet he has not chosen to notify the Lancashire Police about accusations of an alleged hostage-situation of an MP, misuse of money raised for party campaigning for personal use, improper pressure placed on an elderly person for the purposes of receiving money, and surely more. The hypocrisy is another reason people give up on politics. Yes, wrong doing on our own side is fine, but outrageous if someone from the opposition does it. Or, rather, is alleged by oneself to have done so.
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iang
Lib Dem
Posts: 1,531
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Post by iang on Apr 18, 2024 11:16:59 GMT
There are 650 MPs so the fact that some of them are weird, greedy, corrupt, self-regarding, entitled, narcissistic, or any combination thereof, is not surprising. The question of interest is whether MPs are more so than a standard cross section of the population, and a subsidiary is whether there is any bias toward a particular party. I believe matureleft has commented in the past that there is indeed a personality type that is attracted to politics which is more inclined to risky behaviour. MPs are certainly more extrovert than average. The point of local candidate selection is in part to weed out the obviously unsuitable, as people, particularly those careless of their privacy, will be better known to close associates. But this process has its limits, and many candidates are not well known locally, and often pressed on seats by party headquarters. It's more behaviour on social media than actual behaviour in real life that catches people out these days (although I'd expect there to be a correlation). And once people are MPs, not only does their entitlement and feeling of impunity grow, but there is a network of people with an interest in protecting them (including party whips). It does seem though that this network has weakened to the rage of those caught out misbehaving. As to whether there is a difference between parties I am doubtful. There will always be more national media interest in the ruling party, and the disappearance of almost all local media means a lack of scrutiny at base. Of course most MPs lead quite normal lives outside their politics, and no doubt deplore the antics of some of their colleagues. But no-one is interested in that. This is fundamentally what a friend of mine who was for a while a Lib Dem MP said to me (in the context of the notorious 2005 election aftermath) - that politics invites people who are risk takers, and for at least some of them that will manifest itself in risky behaviour in their private life as well as in their public one, and sometimes that has serious consequences
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Post by johnloony on Apr 18, 2024 11:37:08 GMT
What I don’t quite understand is that if a party member received a phone call from her friend the MP in the middle of the night in those terms, why didn’t she immediately phone the police and say that she feared that he might have been kidnapped or was being coerced or blackmailed?
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Harry Hayfield
Green
Cavalier Gentleman (as in 17th century Cavalier)
Posts: 2,762
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Post by Harry Hayfield on Apr 18, 2024 12:00:38 GMT
What I don’t quite understand is that if a party member received a phone call from her friend the MP in the middle of the night in those terms, why didn’t she immediately phone the police and say that she feared that he might have been kidnapped or was being coerced or blackmailed? This is the first I have heard of the details and my instant reaction is "AI fake scam call" in the line of "Hello there, it's your relative. I'm stuck in Serbia, my wallet has been stolen and need £2,000 to get back to Britain" scam texts (remembering what has been said about China trying to destabilise the UK political system)
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The Bishop
Labour
Down With Factionalism!
Posts: 36,600
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Post by The Bishop on Apr 18, 2024 12:34:34 GMT
And he's lost the Conservative whip. They knew about this for months. He only the lost the whip because the Times found out. That they knew about this and covered it up, whilst working themselves and their remaining client media into a frenzy over the Rayner nothingburger, is - quite genuinely - scandalous. Politics is a tough and cynical game, and I don't normally use language like the following - but in this case IMO it shows the Tories real moral depravity.
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Post by East Anglian Lefty on Apr 18, 2024 13:13:01 GMT
Impression I get is that being Defence Secretary is the only government role that really interests him now Pity he is such a complete disaster area in it then. Very glad indeed to see the back of him and all of his ilk. What specifically is it that you object to about his tenure? The major thing he's arguing for these days on defence is a substantial uplift in funding, which I would have assumed as a traditionalist conservative you would be in favour of?
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Post by stb12 on Apr 18, 2024 14:51:39 GMT
Pity he is such a complete disaster area in it then. Very glad indeed to see the back of him and all of his ilk. What specifically is it that you object to about his tenure? The major thing he's arguing for these days on defence is a substantial uplift in funding, which I would have assumed as a traditionalist conservative you would be in favour of? Carlton will correct if I’m wrong but I imagine it’s because of the major support for Ukraine which he disagrees with
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