Part of the problem is that the parliamentary record which has to be updated by MPs is being completed with increasingly more opaque references.
So, if an MP received tickets to a Champions League final from McDonald’s, it would be much more straightforward to identify if that influenced their behaviour.
So, what the cigarette, fast food, gambling, military supply companies et cetera have all done is to either create shell companies or to farm out these rewards to PR companies.
So, unless regular investigations are done, constituents are none the wiser as to who influences their MP.
How about it being illegal to offer or accept freebies regardless of industry they come from?
wagonwheels87 on
To half the people in politics those kinds of freebies are exactly the reason why they choose to continue to stay in politics.
True-Horse353 on
Another win for the nanny state I see, forcing everyone to stop drinking, smoking or eating some proper grub from the chippy.
sbos_ on
I’m personally loving this attack on smoking and junk food.
MUKGA!!!
Geoffthemighty1 on
Calling bribes freebies and lobbying is half the problem. Call it what it is. It’s criminal if anyone else does it, why not in politics?
Practical-Purchase-9 on
They shouldn’t be accepting freebies from anyone. Everyone else working in the public sector has a ‘no gifts’ policy, wasn’t there a story recently of bin man who couldn’t accept a gift without the local authority going through some hoops after it was publicised? I’m a school teacher, I can’t accept gifts from school suppliers or parents.
miowiamagrapegod on
~~freebies~~
The word you are looking for, dear guardian headline writer, is “bribes”
weirds0up on
You’re asking the piggies to take their noses out of the trough. It’s not going to happen.
kahnindustries on
Why are they allowed to accept bribes from any company????
Round them up and put them in jail
AidyCakes on
The government love banning things so much, why don’t they ban these “freebies”
Death_God_Ryuk on
Civil Servants aren’t allowed to accept gifts above a minimal value – this allows e.g. free pens but excludes meals, tickets to events, personal gift vouchers, etc. They’re also required to report any offers above that limit, even if they reject them.
Why shouldn’t these rules also be applied to MPs? In theory, the electorate and their party can hold them to account, but that clearly isn’t working.
12 Comments
Part of the problem is that the parliamentary record which has to be updated by MPs is being completed with increasingly more opaque references.
So, if an MP received tickets to a Champions League final from McDonald’s, it would be much more straightforward to identify if that influenced their behaviour.
So, what the cigarette, fast food, gambling, military supply companies et cetera have all done is to either create shell companies or to farm out these rewards to PR companies.
So, unless regular investigations are done, constituents are none the wiser as to who influences their MP.
Ian Hislop mentions it: https://youtu.be/a3O8mwDFo4M?si=9sjRJm1oW_VC7t89
How about it being illegal to offer or accept freebies regardless of industry they come from?
To half the people in politics those kinds of freebies are exactly the reason why they choose to continue to stay in politics.
Another win for the nanny state I see, forcing everyone to stop drinking, smoking or eating some proper grub from the chippy.
I’m personally loving this attack on smoking and junk food.
MUKGA!!!
Calling bribes freebies and lobbying is half the problem. Call it what it is. It’s criminal if anyone else does it, why not in politics?
They shouldn’t be accepting freebies from anyone. Everyone else working in the public sector has a ‘no gifts’ policy, wasn’t there a story recently of bin man who couldn’t accept a gift without the local authority going through some hoops after it was publicised? I’m a school teacher, I can’t accept gifts from school suppliers or parents.
~~freebies~~
The word you are looking for, dear guardian headline writer, is “bribes”
You’re asking the piggies to take their noses out of the trough. It’s not going to happen.
Why are they allowed to accept bribes from any company????
Round them up and put them in jail
The government love banning things so much, why don’t they ban these “freebies”
Civil Servants aren’t allowed to accept gifts above a minimal value – this allows e.g. free pens but excludes meals, tickets to events, personal gift vouchers, etc. They’re also required to report any offers above that limit, even if they reject them.
Why shouldn’t these rules also be applied to MPs? In theory, the electorate and their party can hold them to account, but that clearly isn’t working.