Pay £3M get a seat in the House of Lords

[bitchstewie]

Cash-for-Honours all over again?

New Tory sleaze row as donors who pay £3m get seats in House of Lords

[Gecko1978]

bhstewie said:

Cash-for-Honours all over again?

New Tory sleaze row as donors who pay £3m get seats in House of Lords

Zero surprises from the Johnson Government, I just await Matt Hancock being back in cabinet next year

[Derek Smith]

Gecko1978 said:

Zero surprises from the Johnson Government, I just await Matt Hancock being back in cabinet next year

There's a thread on NP&E entitled 'Where's the hate?' I think it is more appropriate for this thread.

In essence, this states that it is possible to have political power awarded for money. This appears more like corruption than sleeze. Third world politics, third world politicians.

Oddly, I'm irritated because there's no attempt to hide the process. It's all clear and out in the open. They don't care. The recent/ongoing debacle wasn't hidden. Awards of contracts to friends, payment for influence, the collapse of procedures once accepted.

[rodericb]

Derek Smith said:

There's a thread on NP&E entitled 'Where's the hate?' I think it is more appropriate for this thread.

In essence, this states that it is possible to have political power awarded for money. This appears more like corruption than sleeze. Third world politics, third world politicians.

Oddly, I'm irritated because there's no attempt to hide the process. It's all clear and out in the open. They don't care. The recent/ongoing debacle wasn't hidden. Awards of contracts to friends, payment for influence, the collapse of procedures once accepted.

The article seems to have been yeeted so I found this about it: https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2426426652845/new-t...

[bitchstewie]

It's fine according to Eustice they're "businessmen" and "philanthropists" doing it out of kindness apparently

https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/14572936181...

[valiant]

Seem to remember that when ‘cash for honours’ blew up with Labour (2006ish I think), the media went completely mental in its coverage and quite rightly so. Made headlines for weeks.

Now? Barely a whimper. That’s how far we’ve fallen in accepting this government’s dishonesty and blatant corruption. It’s just another example to add to the rest and people just accept it as normal.

[abzmike]

Maybe it’s time for the media to stop dismissing all of these issues as ‘sleaze’, and more correctly calling it ‘corruption’ - corruption is a crime, and should be investigated by the police, not an independent body that can be disbanded when it gets awkward.

[sugerbear]

valiant said:

Seem to remember that when ‘cash for honours’ blew up with Labour (2006ish I think), the media went completely mental in its coverage and quite rightly so. Made headlines for weeks.

Now? Barely a whimper. That’s how far we’ve fallen in accepting this government’s dishonesty and blatant corruption. It’s just another example to add to the rest and people just accept it as normal.

I don’t think the country has fallen, just the Tory supporting newspapers and media.

Don’t be surprised when Dacre gets the job at ofcom.

[Derek Smith]

Today's Observer has half a dozen pages on the Paterson debacle. It's concentrating on that due, no doubt, to the fact that they broke the story way back. Perhaps they're saving the lordships for money corruption one for a slow news week.

[anonymous-user]

Doesn’t the article contradict itself? the last treasurer donated 3.8 mil but didn’t get into lords as he stood down.

Is it just that if you’re treasurer you get into the HOL or do you have to be treasurer AND donate 3 mil to get in?

Why not just let them in if they donate 3 million or to get I do they have to donate the money and have a role that makes it look less obvious?

[Gecko1978]

Hereditary peers actually prevented this. Now the solution might be to have an elected second house but is always based on AV

[Jasandjules]

Inflation under this corrupt Govt, didn't Sugar only have to pay 1m for his ermine?

[anonymous-user]

Gecko1978 said:

Hereditary peers actually prevented this. Now the solution might be to have an elected second house but is always based on AV

I think this is where another party could make in roads as politics now is just chasing the middle ground and being the least worst.

Some other party ought to propose democratic reform Ona change mandate and get rid of the House of Lords and replace it with something entirely different. Maybe even a tier of government selected by sortition like jury service and members of the public get randomly seconded and paid for a year or something similar?

[frisbee]

We may as well go full banana republic and stuff the second house with all Boris's kids, ex-wives and mistresses.

[anonymous-user]

frisbee said:

We may as well go full banana republic and stuff the second house with all Boris's kids, ex-wives and mistresses.

I’m not sure a house made up of your exes is the way to get things done for a PM.

[Escort3500]

frisbee said:

We may as well go full banana republic and stuff the second house with all Boris's kids, ex-wives and mistresses.

Will it be big enough to accommodate them all?

[bitchstewie]

frisbee said:

We may as well go full banana republic and stuff the second house with all Boris's kids, ex-wives and mistresses.

Remember he's made a start with his own brother.

[Getragdogleg]

Sorry but at this point who actually gives a fk ?

The ruling classes of all rosette colours are in it for power and money and will do anything to acquire either and then hold on to them.

We the wage slaves can't do much about it.

[bitchstewie]

Getragdogleg said:

Sorry but at this point who actually gives a fk ?

The ruling classes of all rosette colours are in it for power and money and will do anything to acquire either and then hold on to them.

We the wage slaves can't do much about it.

A start, and not yourself personally I'm speaking broadly here, would be not to vote for it, defend it, dismiss all criticism of it, then scratch your head puzzled how we got here.

[Seventy]

bhstewie said:

It's fine according to Eustice they're "businessmen" and "philanthropists" doing it out of kindness apparently

https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/14572936181...

The same Eustice who claims the Paterson saga is a ‘storm in a Westminster teacup’?