The Political Thread

[Professor Bear]

The sad truth is that not everyone gets a say in what their elected government decides to do on their behalf, but this is the possible eventuality they signed up to when they voted at all.  It's called a "cluster"fuck for a reason.

[Richard]

A greater equivalence would probably be if the Scottish Assembly had the legal right to hold a referendum at the time of its formation...

No it wouldn't, because the Catalan Parliament has never had the legal right to call a referendum on independence -- it's prohibited by the Spanish constitution. Madrid didn't just take that right away from them last week.

[TordelBack]

The sad truth is that not everyone gets a say in what their elected government decides to do on their behalf, but this is the possible eventuality they signed up to when they voted at all.  It's called a "cluster"fuck for a reason.

True enough, but as we often do on this thread, I move to cite that great genocidal imperialist's characterisation of democracy as the worst form of government etc.

[Professor Bear]

Well okay, but I'd still like to see us give it a try one day.

Pardon the left turn, but the un-redacted spreadsheet of illicit Tory rumpy-pumpy is inevitably doing the rounds (not sure what forum policy is, so no names), and what gets me about it is not that pretty much all of it is minor on a one-to-one basis and perfectly survivable politically if some of the shit this lot have gotten away with over the last few years is any indicator*, but instead the fact that the single most obvious revelation that could possibly have come from this document is present and correct: a married cabinet minister who voted against marriage equality is gay.  Not quite Peak Tory, but definitely getting there.


*  I mean, if tanking the country in a failed leadership maneuver gets you to the front bench rather than political exile, I don't see how (FOR EXAMPLE) an extra-marital affair will do you much harm.

[TordelBack]

Well okay, but I'd still like to see us give it a try one day.

Gruddamn Shark-puppet.

Anyway, I just assumed opposing LGBT equality was how people come out these days. 'Mater, Pater, I have something to tell you: I think trans people are detrimental to unit cohesion'.

[Modern Panther]

pretty much all of it is minor on a one-to-one basis and perfectly survivable politically if some of the shit this lot have gotten away with

Its almost like the Tory High Command is preparing for a purge of those not considered pure enough.  For how long have they been gathering grievances, ready to destroy anyone who steps out of line.

Get ready for the "Corbyn told me I looked nice once. The Labour party must be burned to the ground" response from blairites.

[Jim_Campbell]

Get ready for the "Corbyn told me I looked nice once. The Labour party must be burned to the ground" response from blairites.

Serious though the accusation was, there was an almost palpable sense of relief on last night's PM when they turned up one about Labour.

[Professor Bear]

Oh look, the BBC's political editor has suddenly developed an interest in the sex pest problem at Westminster.  I can't imagine why.

[Modern Panther]

I haven't looked, but I'm curious as to whether the secret Tory dossier contains the line...

"Cameron, D - pig"

[Tjm86]

I am curious regarding Fallon's resignation reason.  Apparently it relates to an off colour remark he made to a female colleague.  Considering how tenaciously MP's have fought scandals of far greater scope in the past it does seem a bit peculiar that he is resigning over such a remark.  Plus, he mentions the 'high standards of the armed forces' as his metric.  Unless things have changed radically since my day, the remark he is alleged to have made is a long way from some of the worst examples of inappropriate remarks made by members of the armed forces to their female colleagues.  Am I reading too much into this?

[Jim_Campbell]

Am I reading too much into this?

No. Anna Soubry, who worked for him, was on R4's World At One yesterday and (more or less verbatim) said: "No one resigns a senior ministerial post over something like this. That's all I'm going to say on the subject, but think about it..."

[Dandontdare]

I think that there were so many accusations he had to go, but he chose to fess up to a relatively minor one knowing the others will be almost impossible to prove.

[Tjm86]

Ah, thank you.  It did strike me as peculiar.  I was also interested in the implications.  If it was the case that he was resigning over 'off colour banter' and the decision was made to include this in discussions about appropriate behaviour then would it not have the potential to make some of the old 'politically correct' arguments in the shade?

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

This sexual abuse scandal will probably have a long run since MP's and their staff work long, unsociable hours allowing the more predatory amongst our elected representative's many opportunities to offend. It's only a minority that is responsible for this abhorrent behaviour, but it hardly shows Parliament in a good light. The press will have files on MP's sexual predilections, and I have no doubt the Sunday Papers will be the guillotine for several Political careers over the next months. We can only wait and see which MP's gets caught in the Net and hope that some independent system is set up to deal with the more boorish of our Parliamentarians.

[Something Fishy]

If even small number fall then we'll have another GE next year.  Crazy times.