ml1dch Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 On 10/06/2023 at 22:54, bickster said: Did they not read the newspapers, or listen to the commons chatter about Boris' resignation honours list over the last few weeks and months? It was pretty much out there in the open, plenty of stories about it, even a list of those that were thought to be going to resign and those that weren't. IIRC Alister Jack refused a peerage precisely because he didn't want to resign early even though he's not seeking re-election. There was a whole debate as to whether it was possible to give someone a peerage but they not start it until the next General Election and constitutional experts said it wasn't possible Nah that one doesn't fly at all Most people are now reporting that this (or a very similar version of it) is indeed what happened. Quote Downing Street has taken the highly unusual step of declassifying the list of Boris Johnson's proposed peers, which was approved by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC). They did this to "prove" that the PM had not lied to Johnson when telling him he would approve the former prime minister's list, when they met earlier this month - and to reinforce Downing Street's claim that Rishi Sunak had not interfered to prevent Alok Sharma, Nadine Dorries or Nigel Adams receiving peerages. But it does not add up. The important points are: 1) That this list was sent to the PM in February; and 2) HOLAC was not prepared to create a precedent of approving peerages, unless the recipients would undertake to stand down as MPs and join the Lords within six months of the announcement. And here is the point. My understanding is that Dorries, Adams and Sharma were all labouring under the illusion they could accept and receive the peerages without standing down as MPs more or less immediately. For weeks no one told them anything to the contrary. They all thought they could do the more loyal Tory thing of hanging on to the election. I am told Johnson's office tried and failed to get clarification on this for weeks from the Cabinet Office. Dorries was actually told by a minister she trusts - and on several occasions - that the Cabinet Office did not want her to stand down and there was no need to do so. Dorries is understandably livid. Sharma is "distraught". And Adams, like Dorries, has manifested his fury by standing down immediately and doing precisely the opposite of what Sunak would have wanted. It is profoundly messy. As of this moment, it is not completely clear whether this was a cock up or a conspiracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted June 13, 2023 Moderator Share Posted June 13, 2023 2 minutes ago, ml1dch said: Most people are now reporting that this (or a very similar version of it) is indeed what happened. They must be the only people in the country with a passing interest in politics that didn't know this was the case. It is genuinely incredulous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 6 minutes ago, bickster said: They must be the only people in the country with a passing interest in politics that didn't know this was the case. It is genuinely incredulous! Yup. On the other hand, if they keep asking "are you sure?" to the people in charge and being repeatedly told "no, it's fine" as Peston reports above, you can understand why they might be a little bit angry and on the warpath now. And I for one and fully on their side and hope that they fight the Tory machine with everything they've got. Do everything they can to right that wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desensitized43 Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 I wonder if any of these three have considered their constituents in any of this. All three were elected to serve for a 5 year term but for reasons that seem to me to be entirely selfish in nature they've let all of their consituents down by not seeing it out. Now they're all going to have their lives disrupted, schools closed to act as polling stations etc, to go out and elect a new MP to serve for what? 12 months? Then it'll happen all over again. Where is their sense of public service and duty? We're supposedly electing our MP's to serve our local communities best interests. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 The HoL gig must be pretty sweet if they are so upset about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted June 13, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2023 8 minutes ago, Genie said: The HoL gig must be pretty sweet if they are so upset about it. Rallying against unelected elites only to be angry that they can't be an unelected elite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Just now, StefanAVFC said: Rallying against unelected elites only to be angry that they can't be an unelected elite. Great point. What’s the benefit of getting in there? There’s no direct financial boost as far as I know, so it must be some sort of ticket to high paid consulting “work” with businesses who want to influence government policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted June 13, 2023 Moderator Share Posted June 13, 2023 9 minutes ago, Genie said: There’s no direct financial boost as far as I know £171 or £342 attendance allowance per day for starters. They can also still hold cabinet positions EDIT: Access to booze and food at heavily subsidised rates... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted June 13, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2023 1 hour ago, bickster said: It is genuinely incredulous! You may be incredulous. It is incredible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 10 minutes ago, bickster said: £171 or £342 attendance allowance per day for starters. They can also still hold cabinet positions EDIT: Access to booze and food at heavily subsidised rates... It’s only similar money to an MP and that’s if attending every work day, is that required? I’m still wondering why people are so desperate to get in there. There must be some huge unofficial financial perk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 1 minute ago, mjmooney said: You may be incredulous. It is incredible. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted June 13, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2023 24 minutes ago, Genie said: It’s only similar money to an MP and that’s if attending every work day, is that required? I’m still wondering why people are so desperate to get in there. There must be some huge unofficial financial perk. Those furry red robes must be of some use in the winter. Save on heating bills AND a relaxed fit to allow for any indulgences over the festive period. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozzavfc Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 34 minutes ago, Genie said: It’s only similar money to an MP and that’s if attending every work day, is that required? I’m still wondering why people are so desperate to get in there. There must be some huge unofficial financial perk. Peer who never spoke in Lords last year claims £50,000 expenses (2019) It's a massive gravy train, that you can basically never be kicked out of You would also assume you would get a lot of ITK information for stock trading. Similar to US senate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Just now, Mozzavfc said: Peer who never spoke in Lords last year claims £50,000 expenses (2019) It's a massive gravy train, that you can basically never be kicked out of You would also assume you would get a lot of ITK information for stock trading. Similar to US senate Sounds reasonable, she certainly isn’t trying to get in there for the good of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted June 13, 2023 Moderator Share Posted June 13, 2023 34 minutes ago, Genie said: It’s only similar money to an MP and that’s if attending every work day, is that required? I’m still wondering why people are so desperate to get in there. There must be some huge unofficial financial perk. Yeah but have the freedom to virtually say and do as you want, turn up when you want etc. Imagine, Nadine turns up, attends a few minutes of the session, Kerching!, now it's time to hit the subsidised bar, where she won't spend anywhere near as much as the attendance allowance. So she's had a few, time to go track down a couple of journos and spout shite in the hope of remaining in the news, the more shocking the better. Back to the bar..... Then on top of her Lords attendance allowance, she'll also be getting approx 50% (a tad under) of her final MPs Salary because of her 18 years as an MP as her MPs pension All that with absolutely no responsibility to the electorate. Who wouldn't want that? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 6 minutes ago, bickster said: Yeah but have the freedom to virtually say and do as you want, turn up when you want etc. Imagine, Nadine turns up, attends a few minutes of the session, Kerching!, now it's time to hit the subsidised bar, where she won't spend anywhere near as much as the attendance allowance. So she's had a few, time to go track down a couple of journos and spout shite in the hope of remaining in the news, the more shocking the better. Back to the bar..... Then on top of her Lords attendance allowance, she'll also be getting approx 50% (a tad under) of her final MPs Salary because of her 18 years as an MP as her MPs pension All that with absolutely no responsibility to the electorate. Who wouldn't want that? Sounds like a sweet gig, as I suspected. It’s easy street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Quote Boris Johnson has submitted a last-ditch letter to the MPs investigating whether he misled Parliament over lockdown parties, as they prepare to publish their findings. The privileges committee said it was "dealing with" submissions received from the former PM at 23:57 on Monday. link I do love that they have gone public with it so he looks as pathetic as he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 I think it’s status rather than money that is the motivation for getting a Lords seat. And the permanence of it. It’s a bit of a myth that people become politicians to get rich. Some do, but the best way to do that is local authority planning corruption rather than national politics. Some backbenchers with no real career prospects outside politics also get very comfortable with the Westminster life and see the Lords as a way of hanging onto that. But the main theme with almost all politicians of all stripes is that they are extremely vain and obsessed with their place in history, and getting into the Lords delivers that big narcissistic sugar rush. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 So that's why Nadine is hanging around. Quote Nadine Dorries has this evening explained why she isn’t yet resigning as an MP, after she initially quit ‘with immediate effect’ last Friday. The Mid Bedfordshire MP had gone mysteriously quiet after her announcement, prompting Downing Street to suggest that she was letting her soon-to-be-former constituents down. She has now revealed that she is waiting for a subject access request to the House of Lords Appointment Committee, Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Office. I understand from friends of Dorries that she is ‘desperate to resign’ and is upset about having to remain in place while she waits for the subject access request to be returned, but that a lawyer in her constituency approached her and advised her that she may need access to parliamentary privilege with the results of that investigation. She has requested all WhatsApp and text messages, minute of meetings and emails relating to her possible inclusion on the nominations list for a peerage, after conflicting accounts emerged of who blocked it and who was told what and when. Making things massively uncomfortable for Sunak over a period of weeks or even months is definitely the best thing she's ever done in her life. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Wow, what a mess They just can’t help themselves by constantly being the story, rather than quietly and competently running the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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