FabSwingers.com > Forums > Politics > When should politicians resign?
When should politicians resign?
Jump to: Newest in thread
 |
By *LCC OP Couple
over a year ago
Cambridge |
If an elected politician is stripped of the whip, then so embarrassed by their admitted actions that they resign from the party they were elected, should they continue to hold the office to which they were elected? Or should they stand down, or at least fight a by election? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By *ara JTV/TS
over a year ago
Bristol East |
Didn't David Cameron promise to give the constituents a "power of recall" or something, when an MP was in the doghouse for whatever reason?
Did the self-interests of MPs defeat that.
I suppose some must be honourable, but most will just want to keep coining it in - and the expenses and pension to boot! |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"If an elected politician is stripped of the whip, then so embarrassed by their admitted actions that they resign from the party they were elected, should they continue to hold the office to which they were elected? Or should they stand down, or at least fight a by election?"
Personally if that's the case I think they should stand for re election at a by election !
I also hold this view when sitting MPS change Party's or go independent .
Most people vote for the Party . |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"How's Jared O Mara getting on these days?
Had the Labour whip withdrawn in October 2017 pending investigation.
That's 6 months now! "
he's hanging out with Charlie Elphicke who had the tory whip removed 10 days later pending investigation  |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By *ercuryMan
over a year ago
Grantham |
"How's Jared O Mara getting on these days?
Had the Labour whip withdrawn in October 2017 pending investigation.
That's 6 months now!
he's hanging out with Charlie Elphicke who had the tory whip removed 10 days later pending investigation "
I'd honestly forgotten about him
No one is still quite sure what he's supposed to have done. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
No, OP.
Further the idea that a constituency party should have the power to remove an MP at any time other than prior to a general election would be very dangerous. All MPs must have the right to vote their conscience and if they believe it right to cross the floor without fear of being removed from parliament. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Is crossing the floor not another matter?
For my part, I think that an MP is elected by constituents who believed in the polices set out by their party. If the MP then decides there's a conflict of interest between conscience and party matters, they should resign and allow their constituency to re-vote for the party they'd wish. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Is crossing the floor not another matter?
For my part, I think that an MP is elected by constituents who believed in the polices set out by their party. If the MP then decides there's a conflict of interest between conscience and party matters, they should resign and allow their constituency to re-vote for the party they'd wish."
You might think so but no. Think about it, who is going recall an MP? Not the constituents, but the constituency party. And granted where there has been misconduct that would seem to be right but what is to stop a constituency party recalling an MP who has crossed the floor and how long do you think it would be until such a power was used to force MPs to vote the party line rather than their conscience? The idea of going down that road no matter how well intentioned is very dangerous. It is not the potential good a law will do that needs to be considered it is its potential to do harm that has to be the primary measure.
Remember that an MP can already be removed from parliament, but that required Parliament to sit as a court, convict, remove the MP and order a bu election. There is a very good reason why parliament does not use that power, it is too easy to misuse and like all powers after its first use it will be used again and again and there will always be those looking for a way to misuse it for personal or party gain. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"How's Jared O Mara getting on these days?
Had the Labour whip withdrawn in October 2017 pending investigation.
That's 6 months now!
he's hanging out with Charlie Elphicke who had the tory whip removed 10 days later pending investigation
I'd honestly forgotten about him
No one is still quite sure what he's supposed to have done."
your regular forgetfulness shows the limits of your crusade of 'fact checking' other forumites |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"Is crossing the floor not another matter?
You might think so but no. Think about it, who is going recall an MP? Not the constituents, but the constituency party. ."
Fair point |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By *LCC OP Couple
over a year ago
Cambridge |
"Fair point
Thanks.
I try to be objective in my political thinking. It is too easy to react on gut feeling to correct a wrongness only to produce even greater wrongness's."
Why would it be the constituency party rather than the constituents? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Why would it be the constituency party rather than the constituents?"
It is really quite simple, any constituency recall system would have to have to be credible and free from the opportunity to use it to circumvent the will of the electorate by use of malicious attempts to recall MPs in order to subvert Parliament. Therefore any attempts to recall MPs would have to be initiated by competent bodies and that can only be the constituency party that the MP was selected by, and the only justification for this power would be 'we selected him/her to represent us and paid to get them elected, they are not representing us.
Just to be clear, any such power cannot be given to either Local Government or the Courts because that would impinge on the Sovereignty of Parliament and be in conflict with the right of all MP's to claim Parliamentary Privilege.
Now I do not like the current system, it is open to abuse. But I cannot see any way to remove the opportunities for MPs to abuse their positions without totally undermining Parliament. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
» Add a new message to this topic
