Mark Menzies MP campaign funds

[Mr Penguin]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tory-mp-mark-me...

Another MP upto no good. Why are cases like this always referred to the party who have an interest in brushing it under the carpet rather than the police? The claim seems like quite a straightforward accusation of fraud so definitely within the police area.

[Mr Penguin]

Blue62 said:

It’s a bizarre story, actually strikes me that he may have mental health problems, but I’m not convinced the whole truth will come out, they’ve swing into damage limitation mode. On the face of it, it’s difficult to see how he can continue as an MP, another by election.

Did a snail eat your lettuce?

What do you think the whole truth is?
Unlikely to force a by election IMO

[Mr Penguin]

Blue62 said:

I’ve no idea, but I suspect that, as is the norm, a damage limitation exercise is underway. Shapps admitted that they’ve been looking into this for some time, but new information (code for the story was about to break) came to light.

I should’ve put a question mark after by election, but either the whip is restored to him or he continues as an independent or he resigns or is forced to by his constituency. It all depends on the outcome but I think there’s a good chance he’ll be gone.

Unlikely with six months to go before the election and the Conservatives won't want to push it and get another one.
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-...

[Mr Penguin]

Blue62 said:

I agree, but his constituents could force the issue.

Not really.

A recall petition will take place if an MP is:

• convicted of an offence in the UK and receives a custodial sentence (including a suspended sentence) or is ordered to be detained, other than solely under mental health legislation
• suspended from the House of Commons for 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days
• convicted of providing false or misleading information for allowance claims under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009.

A recall petition will not be opened, if: the last possible date for a UK Parliamentary general election is within the next 6 months

The six month rule means anything needs to happen before the end of July (conveniently around the same time as parliament leaves for the summer recess). I don't see the allowance claims being applicable here; a police investigation, court case, and conviction will take more than three months; with recesses, there isn't that much parliamentary time left for the standards committee to investigate and they usually go slowly anyway (based on the two cases they have open now). https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/st...

Edit: the recall petition takes six weeks so even if it does happen, if the election is announced at a certain date then they might postpone it and hold the resulting election in the GE anyway.

Edited by Mr Penguin on Thursday 18th April 09:39

[Mr Penguin]

Pros of being an MP:
The pay is acceptable if not spectacular in the north
You can live and work in a nice rural area (if you are a Conservative)
You have a job for life if your seat is a safe one and you don't do something illegal or completely immoral
London flat on expenses
Loyalty points on the credit card or air miles when booking trains, buying food etc
Paid to do surveys which can add another few thousand
Can still do freelance work if you had another career
If you do lose your seat then you may have experience of the soft skills needed to take on a more senior position
Chance to serve your country
Chance to look into lots of different topics that you can't do elsewhere

Cons of being an MP:
Constant death/rape threats, including to your family
Many weeks working away
High pressure, stressful environment with a lot of bullying and backstabbing
If you live in London then an £85k salary is a pittance and hardly any expenses (probably the only job where being in the regions pays more than being in London)
Also work as a social worker rather than just a legislator
Crackdown on expenses means you can't top up your salary quite as much as you could before
80+ hour work weeks (which also adds to the risk of you doing something you shouldn't)
Constantly on the lookout for journalists rummaging through your bins trying to find anything to cost you your job

I think you'd have to be a nutter to take it in the current situation but there are a lot of good ones. They just don't get featured in the news.

[Mr Penguin]

Having a whips office trying to cover up every negative story in exchange for not rebelling won't help.

[Mr Penguin]

Most MPs struggle to get jobs afterwards unless they already had careers that they can return to.

[Mr Penguin]

bhstewie said:

You don't behave and act the way so many MPs have behaved and acted because you're "only" being paid £85K a year.

No, but if the candidates were better because the job was more attractive then fewer of the bad ones would make it through.

[Mr Penguin]

bhstewie said:

Sorry but I disagree.

If a store worker or a care worker on minimum wage behaved the way many of this lot do you wouldn't say that.

Yes, it is one of the best ways to get better employees at any end of the market (but not the only one in this case - I wouldn't want a job where my employers and colleagues call me scum and I get constant death threats). Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

It's hard to know what to say to someone who thinks that offering more money won't make a job more desirable or that more desirable jobs get more good candidates or that more good candidates means it isn't easier to get better people at the end of it.

[Mr Penguin]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/politics-is-a-m...

Good article from Matthew Parris on why so many MPs are caught doing stupid things, including an interesting statistic: The number of MPs who have lost their party whip now exceeds the total Lib Dem parliamentary party.

[Mr Penguin]

Was Keith Vaz the worst MP ever in this regard? The "controversies" section alone on his Wiki is longer than most MPs whole articles, and doesn't even cover all the controversy listed on the page.