Derek Conway Should Stand Down

The last few months have been rife with revelations about financial impropriety on the part of MPs. But perhaps more shocking than scandals themselves was the failure of those concerned to take responsibility, no matter how guilty they were (Hain).

Today though we heard about financial impropriety of a different kind; an MP paying his son with tax payer money for a job he never did. Apparently Derek Conway is to be suspended form parliament for ten days and may have to pay some of the money back.

If the Conservative Party is to distinguish itself from the Labour Party, and show that it is indeed a party of integrity rather than self-indulgence, then Derek Conway should stand down; nothing more, nothing less.

5 Responses to Derek Conway Should Stand Down

Posted by jaybs on January 28th, 2008 at 6:36 pm:

I fully agree Derek Conway should do what is right and stand down today - otherwise David Cameron must step in quickly, already this afternoon labour were making the cheap shots of will Cameron “dither” ?

Feeling today by many commentators is that the PM and government have been on the ropes but DC has stood back and let them recover.

Posted by Josephine on January 28th, 2008 at 6:48 pm:

I agree entirely. I am so fed up with this effect of 1 rule for them snd 1 rule for the rest of us.
Cameron should oust him and fast - I supported Cameron from the start - I believe he wants to improve honesty and integrity in our politics - he should sack the man and prove to us he means what he said.

I also believe we (Conservatives) should push for a rule that all monies claimable by MP’s HAVE to be backed up by proper reciepts/proof - neither of those then tough no money… I’ll bet claims dip very fast overall - thereby saving us (the taxpayer) money as well as help improve our belief in the honesty and integrity of our MP’s…

It’s dark outside but I’ll swear I just saw a pig fly past the window!

Posted by Shane Greer on January 28th, 2008 at 7:50 pm:

Quite right. What amazes me is the fact that if this were to happen in a private company (for example if a director ‘hired’ his son and it transpired the money was being paid in return for nothing) I imagine the shareholders might have something to say about it.

Posted by Letters From A Tory on January 29th, 2008 at 10:47 am:

What exactly is Cameron waiting for? If this kind of behaviour is not severely punished, then one wonders what a Conservative MP would have to do in order to be seriously reprimanded by the party leader.

Posted by Josephine on January 30th, 2008 at 12:50 am:

Umm aren’t we the public, in effect the ’shareholders’ of parliament? - They the MP’s don’t vote themselves in (at least not yet…) we do - surely we must have some say apart from voting? OH yes! I forgot -this current shambles of a Gov’t took an important weapon we could use away from us - Namely we can no longer turn up and protest outside the Houses of Parliament - ( main reason given for that was security risk - my **se - as a nation we have allowed ourselves to sleepwalk towards a police oops socialist state) Rant over Mr G, forgive me, you should try being 60 in a couple of days or so :-))
jo

Shane Greer