Why MPs are like vandals and drug dealers

Most British people will break the law if they think they can get away with it. Take speeding, it’s generally accepted that the police won’t bother to prosecute if you’re 10% over the limit, so going at just under 80 in a 70 zone is okay, you are breaking the law but you aren’t going to get caught for it, so you get away with it, so it’s not really considered a crime any more, although it is one.

Ever nicked a pen from the office? An eraser? A stapler? A keyboard? A monitor? A laptop?

Sure you have, but only to the limit where you can get away with it.

(If you do work somewhere where they turn a blind eye to the theft of laptops let me know).

I long ago gave up any hope of honesty among the political class. As for the expenses scandal, I had become so resigned to the deceit of politicians that I couldn’t for the life of me get angry about it.

As long as we continue giving power to those who love power, we shall be governed by liars and crooks. If we want honest government, we’ll have to figure out a way of preventing power addicts from standing for Parliament; psychological examination of prospective candidates would be a good place to start.

“Get rich or get fired try’in.” The cat who got the cream is written all over their faces. What goes on inside their heads? Me, me, me!

jOHNNY ROTTENBOROUGH
Good idea that, about psychological testing of prospective candidates.
I would add also, an age limit, no one under 35yrs old allowed, some business experience absolutely required-better, if it is in a supervisory or managerial position.
last but not least, term limits-TWO MAXIMUM?

@ LADYMONEYPENNY—I did see a suggestion that the minimum age be 45 years; I’d second that.

I can’t help thinking that a really decent House of Lords would be of great use in keeping the House of Commons somewhere near the straight and narrow, giving MPs a template as to how they should behave. Now, how do we get a decent House of Lords—by filling the place up with failures like the Kinnocks and Gorbals Mick? No: by throwing out the life peers and bringing back the hereditaries.

“Why MPs are like vandals and drug dealers ”

Because they dont care about anybody else but themselves.
They tell lies to cover their crimes.
They know the punishment for their crimes is non existent.

We are all thieves and criminals, it is just a matter of the degree of our theft and criminality.

Good article Ed and good points.

Lady M &JR, good points, and in the upper chamber, most of the main criminals are appointees are from where, yep, lower chamber or mates of them in charge.

A stint in a small to medium size firm might teach ‘manners’, honesty to the applicants, dishonesty is not tolerated.

The same treatment applied by small firms to their crims should be applied to crims in the house, but then the crims are in charge and with their legislation (taxation, fox hunting, smoking etc) they impose and they call the shots so they reckon they are still calling the shots. So of course they can get away with it, they reckon.

I say prosecute.

Of course they try and steal legally, pensions etc, and there we can whinge, but do nothing. No crime when they steal our pensions, or fail to provide those in desperate need of equipment to help protect their lives. No, better in the back pockets of some MPs, after all they know that their path plugs, lights, tvs dvd recorders will be put to good use, not wasted on what they regard as a waste of money on some remote battlefield, even though they endeavour to maintain they (abroad) are doing a good job, to make them seem caring, in reality cold and uncaring leeches.

I like the idea of Lady M’s about a maximum number or terms for an MP - that way, they have a relatively short period to ‘make their mark’ and they are less likely to be worried about offending the Whips and losing out on career progression. The problem then will be ’shorterm-ism’, as of course, there is no long term incentive, just quick fixes. You could, however, have a system where an MP is only allowed two consecutive terms, meaning that they could stand for another go after a 1 term break - this would at least put us on terms with Russia (a la Putin). Here’s another radical idea: Why not have only ELECTED PM’s? This would mean that every ruling party leadership change would require a general election, and if the two term maximum per MP was introduced, then there would have to be a change of leadership too.

MPs don’t believe in anything they say publicly other than “Do you know who I am!?”

Why are MPs like vandals & drug dealers?

That ones easy.

Like vandals they destroy anything of beauty (British Culture, British Constitution, Trust in Parliament, etc. etc)

Like drug dealers they trap you in an very expensive feel good moment that leads to ongoing pain and ruin, while using your money to live an extravagant lifestyle themselves.

Like vandals AND drug dealers most MPs should be in prison, but like vandals and drug dealers few will be.

Blue Rock, you know why they ask the question, they do not know who they are nor what they are supposed to be doing.

Now where is that number, funny farm?

Q: Why MPs are like vandals and drug dealers?

A: Because they don’t have community centres.

Q: Why do we have terrorists blowing themselves up in public places?

A: We don’t have enough playing fields.

Johnny, have you heard anything?

I can’t get my head around it!

James (1)

I’m not really up to speed on Winston as I’ve not really been paying much attention recently. But I assumed that the lyinginthesunshine character was a plant. The whole thing just doesn’t add up.

If lyinginthesunshine isn’t a Nu Labour plant then I’ll be very surprised. It is their M.O.: dirty tricks, snide one-liners, half-assed grasp of current events and the overall grasp of geopolitics, huge egos that need to be fed by showing they are cleverer than the average bear…and a desperation when blogs get over a certain number because a red light flashes and a buzzer goes off at The Bunker.

As I said, I think the person is merely a paid drone who was rumbled in fairly short order.

But then I have been wrong before.

Q: Why do Nu Labour adopt false IDs?

A: Nobody knows.

Pondy

lyinginthesun was Winston, definite.

Winston spent about a year pretending to be Britain’s premier nationalist.

I had a little run in with him a couple of weeks ago, as I thought it strange that given his trenchant ‘nationalist’ views he only became interested enough in what the BNP had to say less than a year ago. His explanation..? He was “apathetic” until then!

Sorry, computer says no.

Question is, why on earth would anyone (as intelligent as Winston undoubtedly is) go to such trouble, for so long, for such litle return?

James (1)

‘Question is, why on earth would anyone (as intelligent as Winston undoubtedly is) go to such trouble, for so long, for such litle return?’

I couldn’t even begin to guess.

Are you sure it’s the same person. Nu Labour never put anyone on such ‘deep cover’ mainly because anyone bright enough to pull it off wouldn’t be working for those chumps - they’d have a real job.

It is all very, very strange. When speaking to Winston I never had the feeling I was talking to someone who dismissed the opinions of others. I felt that he was genuinely searching for some answers. Where this would take him is of course up to him.

But the two characters sound very different to me. For one thing I spoke to Winston about the role the Scots played in the BEF, something that seemed not to register too well with lyinginthesunshine.

Anyway, I just don’t get the whole alterego idea anyway. Winston isn’t a real name so why invent a whole other character. The whole thing is just beyond me.

That’s the reason why the whole thing just stinks of Nu Labour to me. Nutty. Absurd. Confused. Hypocritical. Two faced…

I could go on.

But I won’t.

Enough to say, I disagree with everything that lyinginthesunshine stands for and believes in, whoever he/she/they may be.

It’s a crazy, topsy turvy Nu Labour world in which we tend to live.

Johnny Rottenborough
Just noticed your last comment abou House of Lords.
I have been saying this for years now, BRING BACK THE OLD HEREDITARY HOUSE OF LORDS!
Glad you agree.
They were honest. If I recall correctly were paid just a stipend when attending.
None of this pensions and expenses rot.
They must be brought back.
Some commenters would like an elected house. I say absolutely not. Just more pigs in a trough of money.
The Old Lords were class!

@ Ed West

re Donnie Brasco

Who is this Donnie Brasco you speak of? Not another flippin alias.

I is confused.