The Politics Thread 3.0

[Knoyleo]

Nigel Evans isn't much of a revalation, either.

[Rex Kramer]

Fornicated? Who the strawberry float uses that word in the 21st century?

[KK]

Some of these would only be a problem if they were deemed to bring Westminster/the party into disrepute (insert joke here about these people already being considered the lowest of the low) or if they were campaigning or outspoken against one thing but doing the complete opposite themselves. For example if you were vehemently opposed to urination being legally accessible online but were partaking in it yourself; or found prostitution immoral and wanted it banned but were using them yourself...that type of thing.

Sexual harassment/assault is a matter for the police. That Michael Fallon thing from today wanting to see Hartley's-Brewers is pretty much a non-story, but becomes one if it's revealed it's not an isolated incident (which I highly doubt). I'm not going to be one of these tosspots that gets offended on her behalf, but if he's going around touching everyone's legs while pissed it's a problem.

[KK]

A Labour activist has revealed she was raped at a party event and that a senior Labour official discouraged her from reporting the attack.

Bex Bailey said she was told reporting the 2011 incident could "damage" her and that she was given no advice on what she should do next.

She told the BBC she had waived her anonymity to urge changes to the way such cases are handled.

Labour said it had launched an independent investigation.

This will look at "claims that a party employee acted improperly over these 2011 allegations", the party said.

The issue of sexual abuse within politics and the parties' response has come under the microscope after recent allegations about sexual harassment in Parliament.

Labour has said "robust procedures" both "inside as well as outside Parliament" are needed and Jeremy Corbyn has written to members urging anyone with a complaint to come forward using "confidential party procedures".

Ms Bailey, who is calling for an independent body free from political "bias", said there was now a recognition that "it's a problem in every party at every level".

'Ashamed'

The 25-year-old is a former member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee.

In an interview with PM on BBC Radio 4, she said she had been 19 when she was raped by someone senior to her within the Labour Party who was not an MP.
She said she had "tried to pretend it hadn't happened" and did not report the attack to the police at the time.

"I was scared, I felt ashamed, I know that the Labour Party, like any family, loves a good gossip - and I didn't want people to know and I also was worried that I wouldn't be believed if I did," she said.

Two years later, she did confide in a party official.

"It took me a while to summon up the courage to tell anyone in the party," she said.

"But when I did, I told a senior member of staff, who told me... or it was suggested to me that I not report it, I was told that if I did it might damage me - and that might be their genuine view, it might be that that was the case in which case that shows that we have a serious problem in politics with this issue anyway."

Ms Bailey said she was not given good advice and was "not signposted to anyone else that could", and there seemed to be no procedure to report the incident.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41821671

[Memento Mori]

strawberry floating hell, Kwarsi Kwarteng gets about.

Exactly what I was thinking.

LAD

[Knoyleo]

strawberry floating hell, Kwarsi Kwarteng gets about.

Exactly what I was thinking.

LAD

[Meep]

Incredibly stuff. I can't believe the stupidity of whips writing this kind of stuff down. If someone could persuade a handful of those victims to come forward this could sink the government the way they are at the moment.

[Moggy]

Incredibly stuff. I can't believe the stupidity of whips writing this kind of stuff down. If someone could persuade a handful of those victims to come forward this could sink the government the way they are at the moment.

Sounds like it’d sink most of Parliament, not just the government.

Maybe we could end up in the dream scenario of a Lib Dem/Green coalition with Lord Buckethead as PM?

[Lagamorph]

I wouldn't be surprised if there's an equivalent list somewhere in the Labour party.

Or was. They're probably being burned right now.

[Squinty]

The labour party rape thing is strawberry floating atrocious.

[Grumpy David]

Broken images for the list showing the names. Can someone please post the blackmail list in unedited?

[Garth]

Broken images for the list showing the names. Can someone please post the blackmail list in unedited?

Looks like someone has been trying to take it down, Twitter accounts have been getting locked and threatened with suspension too.

[Squinty]

It's probably Amber Rudd because she understands how the internet works.

[Lagamorph]

Seems pretty pointless really.
Every newspaper in the UK will have a copy and be scrambling to verify as much as they can. They've got a legitimate argument that printing the verified contents are in the public interest as well.

[captain red dog]

I don't know, they would really need full verification of the origins of the list, it could just be someone's personal gooseberry fool list. Given some of those allegations are spurious and some are just plainly of no public interest, I can see why there would be legit hesitation to publish.

[Lex-Man]

A lot of it is out already.

I was talking to my dad about it, he use to be a local councillor in Wimbledon. He reckons that the Labour Party definitely have there own list. Also both parties have gooseberry fool lists about the other parties members to use as blackmail.

[Moggy]

I would be more shocked if there wasn’t a Labour list than I would be by there being one.

It’s not a left/right issue, it’s an issue with scummy people doing scummy things. No political alignment has a monopoly on sex scandals. Even Saint Jezza took time away from his allotment to bump uglies with the Abbott.

[Lagamorph]

The Labour list is probably just "Anti-Semite" next to every single MPs name or something.

[Lex-Man]

I can't of wonder about the psychology of the situation. Are wanting to be an influential figure and being a bit pervy linked or does one cause the other?

[Moggy]

I can't of wonder about the psychology of the situation. Are wanting to be an influential figure and being a bit pervy linked or does one cause the other?

I am not sure they are linked. Take 650 random people and I am sure a good proportion of them will be pervy.

I’d imagine that money and power make pervy people less inhibited though, being rich and/or powerful is likely to make a pervy person feel like they can get away with it due to their influence.