Sometimes I just despair. And today is one of those times. Earlier on today Stephen Byers was cleared of lying to Parliament by the Committee on Standards & Privileges. Instead they accused him of telling an "untruth". Could someone please explain to me the difference? It's all faithfully reported on the BBC Website. This Committee is one of the few not to have an inbuilt Labour majority. It has 5 Labour members, 3 Conservatives, 1 LibDem and 1 Plaid member. So Byers got away with it because 5 opposition MPs let him. At least, that's how it looks on the face of it. Perhaps someone could tell us whether there was a vote on this report, and if so, how the MPs voted. Stephen Byers has done more than virtually anyone else in the last 8 years to besmirch the honour of Parliament and by association, all of us who stand in Parliamentary elections. If he had any sense of right and wrong he wouldn't have stood at the last election. No doubt he'll be back in Blair's Cabinet when he finally be arsed to conduct his long-awaited reshuffle. That really would be the perfect ending, wouldn't it? Now, let's all take a bet on when Byers will be making his apology to the Commons. Who'll give me Evens on a wet Thursday afternoon with a one line whip?
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Byers Byers Pants on Fire
Sometimes I just despair. And today is one of those times. Earlier on today Stephen Byers was cleared of lying to Parliament by the Committee on Standards & Privileges. Instead they accused him of telling an "untruth". Could someone please explain to me the difference? It's all faithfully reported on the BBC Website. This Committee is one of the few not to have an inbuilt Labour majority. It has 5 Labour members, 3 Conservatives, 1 LibDem and 1 Plaid member. So Byers got away with it because 5 opposition MPs let him. At least, that's how it looks on the face of it. Perhaps someone could tell us whether there was a vote on this report, and if so, how the MPs voted. Stephen Byers has done more than virtually anyone else in the last 8 years to besmirch the honour of Parliament and by association, all of us who stand in Parliamentary elections. If he had any sense of right and wrong he wouldn't have stood at the last election. No doubt he'll be back in Blair's Cabinet when he finally be arsed to conduct his long-awaited reshuffle. That really would be the perfect ending, wouldn't it? Now, let's all take a bet on when Byers will be making his apology to the Commons. Who'll give me Evens on a wet Thursday afternoon with a one line whip?
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According to the minutes attached to the report of the committee (URL to relevant page below) the report was agreed by the entire committee; there were no divisions.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmstnprv/854/85427.htm
That page has an error; the date of the committee meeting should be 24 January 2006 rather than 24 January 2005.
Sir George Young (chairman), David Curry & Angela Browning
Anyone know who the Tory MPs are?I feel a letter asking them to justify themselves coming on.
I note that you limit the besmirching to the last eight years. Clearly he has not yet attained a high enough level to be promoted to the premiership of sleazebags that was the previous administration!
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