Conservative MP Patrick Mercer dramatically quits party

[arista]

A BBC Sting set up - got him.


Conservative MP Patrick Mercer dramatically quits party over 'major lobbying scandal'

Newark MP says he wants to 'save my party embarrassment'
Allegedly caught out by reporters posing as lobbyists who asked him to carry out work on behalf of Fiji
He has asked two parliamentary questions and tabled a Commons motion on the island in the South Pacific
David Cameron 'aware' of allegations and backed resignation

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05/31/article-0-0681E1040000044D-339_634x400.jpg
Newark MP Patrick Mercer today quit the Tory party, after 12 years on the Conservative benches in the Commons

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333850/Patrick-Mercer-resigns-Tory-party-major-lobbying-scandal.html#ixzz2UrylZXPi

[Omah]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333850/Patrick-Mercer-resigns-Tory-party-major-lobbying-scandal.html#ixzz2Us0cIzH8

Before the last election, Mr Cameron said lobbying was 'the next big scandal waiting to happen'.

The Tory leader added: 'It's an issue that crosses party lines and has tainted our politics for too long, an issue that exposes the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money.'

When the coalition was formed in 2010, it promised to 'regulate lobbying through introducing a statutory register of lobbyists and ensuring greater transparency'.

However the plans have been quietly shelved.

Just last week Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg appeared to blame Tory opposition for the register being dropped.



Another Tory volte-face ..... :shrug:

[arista]

The one thing good he has done
is he has Quit.

The BBC Sting set up - trapped him

[Kizzy]

Cash for questions happens all the time I guess, this is just one tripped up... my guess is it is epidemic.
Cameron himself accepts donations from wealthy people who also get to have access to the inner sanctum of the tory party.
That is also wonga... I mean wrong :D

[arista]

Cash for questions happens all the time I guess, this is just one tripped up... my guess is it is epidemic.
Cameron himself accepts donations from wealthy people who also get to have access to the inner sanctum of the tory party.
That is also wonga... I mean wrong :D


Yes I hope more MP's are Stung

[Marc]

Quitting usually means they're guilty of something

[arista]

Quitting usually means they're guilty of something


Yes he is guilty trapped in a false BBC Panaroma Sting



Utter Greed


[It is believed the 57-year-old was caught
out by reporters posing as a lobbying firm
who allegedly paid him to lobby on behalf of Fiji.]

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333850/Patrick-Mercer-resigns-Tory-party-major-lobbying-scandal.html#ixzz2Us7wIYHc

[joeysteele]

He claims he is quitting the party to spare the party embarrassment but he is remaining an MP until the next election.
I find that odd.Why not go now since he states he is standing down at the next election anyway.
He cannot harm the coalition by going now but remaining while all else is going on is only going to have more and more possible negative publicity for the Conservative party.

Also Newark would be a really good and as near certain a safe test as to a by election, if David Cameron pulled off a win there and UKIP didn't do that well,it could help David Cameron's cause.
Were he though to come close to losing the seat,then maybe the Govt overall would think about really listening to the voters and not just hearing them.

[arista]

ITV News said he may go to UKIP

[arista]

"Why not go now"


By Monday or Tuesday he may have to.

[Cherie]

ITV News said he may go to UKIP

:conf:why would UKIP want someone who has proved to be a greedy self promoting git.

[arista]

:conf:why would UKIP want someone who has proved to be a greedy self promoting git.


Maybe they get him to be Sorry
Who Knows

[Cherie]

Maybe they get him to be Sorry
Who Knows

Well he will be sorry, sorry he was caught out. I just feel as UKIP's popularity is rising, they would want to distance themselves not welcome him.

[Livia]

Shame the Tories have to rely on donations from people, it opens the way for too much double-dealing. They should be like Labour and live off the unions. Obviously, getting into bed with the unions is always a healthy and above-board practise. Isn't it.

[arista]

Well he will be sorry, sorry he was caught out. I just feel as UKIP's popularity is rising, they would want to distance themselves not welcome him.


ITV News had the scoop
not me

[arista]

From Radio 5 Live:

Its a Daily Telegraph and BBC Sting

So Saturdays papers will have him.

Also he is still going to stand as a MP
but not as a Conservative.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02578/mercer_2578148b.jpg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10091781/Patrick-Mercer-MP-signed-a-contract-with-a-bogus-lobbying-company-undercover-photographs-show.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/may/31/patrick-mercer-resigns-conservative-party


Easy to trick him due to FiJi connection
Empire Days

[Omah]

:conf:why would UKIP want someone who has proved to be a greedy self promoting git.

I just feel as UKIP's popularity is rising, they would want to distance themselves not welcome him.

Yeah, fascist parasites are not on UKIP's wish list ..... :idc:

[Marcus.]

he walk before he was pushed

[joeysteele]

he walk before he was pushed

He hasn't walked though, he remains an MP until the next election.
He's quit the Conservative party but then still sits there as an MP anyway drawing his salary.
The audacity of these people really near infuriate me,no matter what party they belong to.
Like that David Laws, the Lib Dem bloke too, a simple sorry for expenses fiddling and he is out in the cold for a few months then brought back into the Cabinet by David Cameron.

That to me is wrong, he should go completely and let the voters of Newark elect a new 'untarnished' Conservative MP to represent them if that is still what they want.
The Conservative party should be able to demand he vacates his seat at Newark now, sadly I don't think they can unless he resigns his seat himself as well.

[Kizzy]

Shame the Tories have to rely on donations from people, it opens the way for too much double-dealing. They should be like Labour and live off the unions. Obviously, getting into bed with the unions is always a healthy and above-board practise. Isn't it.

It's not a shame, far from it it's admirable that they have wealthy supporters, what isn't admirable is when those supporters are given privilege and favour over the electorate...As you know this is not how a democracy works.
The unions are there to ensure the government are functioning effectively for the UK workforce, this is an age old way of ensuring that fair and reasonable practice is adhered to.

[arista]

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2013/5/31/240607/default/v1/the-i-1-329x437.jpg

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2013/5/31/240604/default/v1/telegraph-1-329x437.jpg


http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02578/mercer-MAIN_2578612d.jpg

In a BBC Clip he says he does not charge much £500 per half day
and £1K a day. Is that Tax free?

[billy123]

Just another dirty tory pig at the trough.

[Kizzy]

Just another dirty tory pig at the trough.

Yep, huge salary, second, job, second home, perks, bungs, expenses fiddles, backhanders, job for life, parliamentary 'privilege' ...
That's the main reason for wanting a position within the conservative party. It can't possibly to be for the benefit of the country as everyone knows they only serve the rich, they prove that time and time again.
And it is glossed over time and time again, my god those spin doctors must be dizzy! :laugh:

[Omah]

Yep, huge salary, second, job, second home, perks, bungs, expenses fiddles, backhanders, job for life, parliamentary 'privilege' ...


You could be describing "Johnny Two-Jags" ..... :laugh2:

[Kizzy]

You could be describing "Johnny Two-Jags" ..... :laugh2:

It's Mr Prescott to you... :idc:
That's always rolled out when there's a slur on a tory :pipe:

[arista]

Just another dirty tory pig at the trough.

But now a Ex-Conservative.


Standing alone as a MP.

[Omah]

It's Mr Prescott to you... :idc:
That is always rolled out when there is a slur on a tory :pipe:

What about Mr "Millionaire" Blair ..... In September 2012, Blair negotiated a new advisory contract with Kazakhstan that will increase his total fee for working with the regime to £16m.

It ain't corrupt, but it sure is greedy ..... :yuk:

[Kizzy]

Oh we could get into some silly arms selling, despot shmoozing, media controlling, tax avoiding debate here.. but it's a lovely day :)

[Cherie]

His constituents should be calling for him to step down, we are so apathetic in this country. I read recently MPs were planning on giving themselves a 16% pay rise, if that goes through I suppose we will just sit back and accept our pay/benefit freeze/cuts and let them have their cake, after all they are worth it.:conf:

[Kizzy]

His constituents should be calling for him to step down, we are so apathetic in this country. I read recently MPs were planning on giving themselves a 16% pay rise, if that goes through I suppose we will just sit back and accept our pay/benefit freeze/cuts and let them have their cake, after all they are worth it.:conf:

Totally cherie, and when there is an outcry the right wing media, decry the protesters as 'welfare dependent wasters' ' hysterical bleeding heart lefties' or some such derogatory comment.
There could be thousands of peaceful protesters and one incident of violence or vandalism and that is all the media will focus on for days..... It's so predictable.
There is no way that in the current state of the economy this 16% rise can be justified?.... But my guess is they will find a way.

[Suze]

I can't add to the posts here, as you have all said what needed to be said so well. But why can't he step down until the next election? :conf: Is there some reason he can't? :conf:

[joeysteele]

I can't add to the posts here, as you have all said what needed to be said so well. But why can't he step down until the next election? :conf: Is there some reason he can't? :conf:

Greed,he states he has resigned from the Conservative to spare them embarrassment.
As long as he now stays in Parliament it is naturally going to cause them problems so since he has quit the Conservative party,I think he should go now and not be able to stay as an MP until the next election.

Once an MP alters their status in the house like this then a by election should be the norm and the MP gone,he can stand as an Independent if he wishes.

Something should have been done to stop this long ago of MPs saying ''I am changing what I am at present but staying as an MP''.
Like what I read about in the 80s when Labour MPs suddenly decided to be SDP MPs, they should all have had to fight by elections right off then too and so in my opinion should this guy.

[arista]

"Once an MP alters their status in the house like this then a by election should be the norm and the MP gone,he can stand as an Independent if he wishes."


Yes thats wat he is doing fast.


Only is locals can do something to stop him.
Unless they back him?