This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
My earlier topic seems to have been archived which was a shame as it gives a sense of disjointedness but, for those that were following or commenting, guilty verdict in.
(For obvious reasons, the "allegedly" now removed!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-46602635
Original thread here...
https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/off_belay/politicians_they_dont_learn_do_...
In reply to Oceanrower:
I just can't fathom the mentality in cases like this.
Do I:
A. Do a speed awareness course (if first offence) or cough up a few quid plus 3 points;
B. Claim I was in Westminster and let my idiot brother come up with a cunning plan involving a Russian who wasn't even in the country at the time and give false contact details. When caught bang to rights come up with another story involving suddendly remembering I was in the car but it was my brother driving, never mind the witnesses who said I was alone.
As a solicitor and MP with a lot to lose if I lie in court...
Option B - what could possibly go wrong?
Wonder if that's who Corbyn was muttering about in the Commons?
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In reply to Oceanrower:
Politics always attracted hubris. To get caught and prosecuted like this you need to be stupid as well. I would hope the jail sentence is over a year so she is forced to stand down as an MP, rather than forcing a recall petition..
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/19/labour-mp-fiona-onasanya-gu...
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In reply to Ridge:
> I just can't fathom the mentality in cases like this.
> Do I:
> A. Do a speed awareness course (if first offence) or cough up a few quid plus 3 points;
> B. Claim I was in Westminster and let my idiot brother come up with a cunning plan involving a Russian who wasn't even in the country at the time and give false contact details. When caught bang to rights come up with another story involving suddendly remembering I was in the car but it was my brother driving, never mind the witnesses who said I was alone.
> As a solicitor and MP with a lot to lose if I lie in court...
> Option B - what could possibly go wrong?
> Wonder if that's who Corbyn was muttering about in the Commons?
I think it was marginally more convoluted, involving a denial, a no comment interview, a defence blaming brother, an altered defence at trial 1 when the prosecution were suddenly gifted with an extra witness putting her at the scene, and a further altered defence following the (gobsmacking) failure to reach a verdict in trial 1.
I have some sympathy, by all accounts she was a good person and MP, overwhelmed by volume following an entirely unexpected election.
However having lied on paper, then failed to throw her hand in after the police were involved -"Oh my gosh, I'm terribly sorry, that was a terrible mistake, I've just reviewed my diary and it was me...."
Then she was placed in the invidious position of habng to argue that, not only was she overwhelmed with work, but she didn't (falsely) fill out the form, and it wasn't her anyway....
Wonder if they will chase her brother for an additional pervert as well....
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In reply to off-duty:
Her brother had already pleaded guilty to 3 counts of perverting, which didn't exactly strengthen her defence.
In conmon with everyone else, i cant understand for a second why you would try to avoid the 3 pts and £100. An MP could easily claim to be too busy to attend a course, so just take the points. When i got caught, the worst thst happened was a bit of ribbing from family and colleagues. What was she thinking?
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In reply to Ian W:
Just like the rest of us I'm sure there are plenty of MPs that get done for speeding. Even if this meant a totting up offence (12pts+) then as an MP she is uniquely insulated against the trouble of not having a license (just expense a driver)
I'm not sure this would even have made the press if it wasn't for the lying
In reply to balmybaldwin:
... I'm more worried about the subsequent statements; instead of remourse she clearly sees herself as a martyr of the system... a truly scary level of ego. This is what she said:
“In times like these, the natural inclination of believers is to ask God: why? I personally do not, because in my experience the answers are usually far above and beyond my reach. What I do know is that I am in good biblical company, along with Joseph, Moses, Daniel and his three Hebrew friends, who were each found guilty by the courts of their day."
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/20/labour-mp-fiona-onasanya-l...
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In reply to Offwidth:
Spot on about ego, she is on a higher (sacred) plane than the rest of us.
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In reply to balmybaldwin:
> Just like the rest of us I'm sure there are plenty of MPs that get done for speeding.
> I'm not sure this would even have made the press if it wasn't for the lying
The story isn't about speeding. It's about lying.
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In reply to balmybaldwin:
> Just like the rest of us I'm sure there are plenty of MPs that get done for speeding. Even if this meant a totting up offence (12pts+) then as an MP she is uniquely insulated against the trouble of not having a license (just expense a driver)
> I'm not sure this would even have made the press if it wasn't for the lying
I'm certain it wouldn't, unless she was going fast enough to get a ban. An utter non-event without the dishonesty. And she has now elevated herself to jaw-droppingly stupid with the biblical comparisons.
Post edited at 11:40
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In reply to Oceanrower:
I see the MP has decided to remain in parliament.
This BBC article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-46703806 -says that an MP who is found guilty of a crime will only lose their seat if they are jailed for more than a year.
I wonder if that means a term in jail and a perhaps a two year suspended sentence would not result in a loss of their seat.
I think it would be better to use the crime rather than the sentence. It would be fairly easy to draw up a list of serious crimes, such as 'perverting the course of justice', which being found of guilty of, results in immediate loss of the seat.
Dave
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In reply to Offwidth:
The biblical stuff is more concerning than the lying and the lying isn’t minor.
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In reply to marsbar:
> The biblical stuff is more concerning than the lying and the lying isn’t minor.
Yes, it seems to be implying that lying about your actions is virtuous behaviour that for some reason the legal system has yet to recognise as such.
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In reply to Oceanrower:
Lying about speeding tickets is a mere bagatelle compared to what the Brexiteers get up to. The whole Westminster system is a cesspit and it is hardly worth raising a sweat about a little fleck of spit floating on top of hundreds of tonnes of sewage sludge.
If you want to get angry about someone, how about this guy: £900K donation to voter leave so he could make money betting against the pound.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/28/crispin-odey-hedge-fund-be...
Post edited at 13:35
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In reply to Tringa:
That decision isn't really in her hands. A recal petition is almost a certainty.
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