By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions. We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
A telling clip that goes some way to explaining the culture of sleaze
Private Eye journalists were invited to give evidence at a Parliamentary select committee, examining how MPs could be less corrupt (my words)
If ever there were weasel words defending that very sleaze then Bernard Jenkin MP does just that (3.50)
It appears, to him, that MPs are not warned about what they do might be corrupt so they 'unwittingly' get hired by unscrupulous lobbyists. Lambs to the slaughter, we are led to believe.
A good watch is to see how PE rips him and another MP apart
24 mins in total
2
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 19:20 - Jan 26 with 746 views
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 19:16 - Jan 26 by DanTheMan
I did remind me very much of "ignorance of the law" defence which is never exactly praised.
More so given he is a member of the legislative - tasked to introduce law into the country.
What came across is that both knew they were on the take, but hoped that some would be fooled by their weasel words.
Sadly therein lies the problem. Not necessarily with unscrupulous scumbags like these pair - but with idiot voters all too willing to doff their caps and mutter 'master knows best'
0
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 19:23 - Jan 26 with 729 views
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 19:19 - Jan 26 by footers
He seemed to be implying that MPs were basically incapable of anything and shouldn't be held accountable for their actions whatsoever.
How's about this for a rule on lobbying and second jobs: ban it. Maybe that's simple enough for people to understand?
Yup, sounds good to me.
You could even make a small concession on allowing Doctors / Nurses to continue working for the NHS as long as it doesn't interfere with their primary role as an MP.
I did also find the clip fairly funny when they started talking about gifts people had received and two of them panicked a little and were at pains to point out how it was all very above-board, nothing to see here.
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 19:23 - Jan 26 by DanTheMan
Yup, sounds good to me.
You could even make a small concession on allowing Doctors / Nurses to continue working for the NHS as long as it doesn't interfere with their primary role as an MP.
I did also find the clip fairly funny when they started talking about gifts people had received and two of them panicked a little and were at pains to point out how it was all very above-board, nothing to see here.
Being an MP should be a hard enough job on its own if done properly and meeting the needs of constituents. Sadly public service (plus a £80k salary, second home, expenses and subsidised food and drink) doesn't seem enough for some - especially on one side of the house.
Must make someone who works 60 hours a week on minimum wage or a zero-hours contract feel really good about their parliamentary representative....
Sad times.
footers KC - Prosecution Barrister - Friend to all
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 19:16 - Jan 26 by jeera
"That new MPs need to be educated about the 'naughtiness' of taking 'freebies' as it might be thought that strings were attached (heaven forbid)."
Sure, which is what he said, but it's clearly ridiculous, the idea that MPs should need to go on some course to teach them not to be corrupt.
"You either enter Parliament to help others, or to help yourself."
Well, exactly. which is what makes the "They're all the same" comments all the more frustrating. Something I have probably been guilty of saying myself in the past, I should add.
“ ure, which is what he said, but it's clearly ridiculous, the idea that MPs should need to go on some course to teach them not to be corrupt. ”
I’d wouldn’t really be surprised if they did. There’s very few Corporates these days that don’t insist on employees undertaking company ethics training, even if it’s only a 30 minute online module. Even my 150 or so sized company insists on yearly refreshers.
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 19:34 - Jan 26 by footers
Being an MP should be a hard enough job on its own if done properly and meeting the needs of constituents. Sadly public service (plus a £80k salary, second home, expenses and subsidised food and drink) doesn't seem enough for some - especially on one side of the house.
Must make someone who works 60 hours a week on minimum wage or a zero-hours contract feel really good about their parliamentary representative....
Sad times.
There is a case where medical staff have to do so many hours to keep their 'registration' ie a cardiac technician
There maybe a case to be made for other professions, but not lobbying. How can an MP with absolutely no previous experience in a certain field claim that they are being taken on as a lobbyist, without corruption being involved.
My thought is that an MP as a full time job. Work elsewhere means you are not serving your constituents. Johnson was regarded as one of the laziest MPs How much constituency work is he currently doing ?
Similarly with that slimeball Fart Rage. Other than an MEP in hospital for a year Fart rage had the worst attendance record out of 730 MEPs. ignoring his views, how the hell can he be representing any views when he is absent, and hosting a radio phone in. Appointed to the Fisheries committee he turned up once.
Much as with the Lords, which perform a vital and necessary task. But that dies not mean they need 800 of them. How many actually turn up, other than to clock on, then fck off after trouser ing the daily allowance of over £300. Sad thing is how many of the public actually know what they do - other than being 'the enemies of the people' ?
0
Ian Hislop, Private Eye on 20:09 - Jan 26 with 625 views
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
