MPs,is this really a fact?

[Zen]

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little over 500 employees, yet has the following statistics?
29 have been accused of spouse abuse

7 have been arrested for fraud

19 have been accused of writing bad cheques

117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3 have done time for assault

71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

8 have been arrested for shoplifting

21 are currently defendants in lawsuits

84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can you guess which organization this is?

They are members of the British Houses of Parliament, that's the same group that produces hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in check.

[LazyGun]

And the politicos wring their hands in distress at "voter apathy".

Little wonder people are apathetic about voting, when you get this shower. No inspiration, no charisma, and precious little principle or reason from what I have seen.

[Zen]

The list doesn't include the number of Offshore accounts they have.

[LazyGun]

where did you get the list from Zen? I wouldnt mind having a look if its a website....

[Zen]

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2006/sobering-thought -p1.php

Don't think it's right,however there is a great deal of pf fact in it.

[DMA]

Sack the lot of em and make Blair president

[LazyGun]

Thanks for the link Zen :)

[Oneeyedvic]

Is this really a fact - possibly (but doubtful).

with regard a few of the points:


"71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit & 19 have been accused of writing bad cheques" - I would assume these are probably an overlapping group. Since 1 in 5 people have 'bad credit' this is not a suprising statistic. I would also point out that surely the commons is meant to be representative - so this is a good thing.

"3 have done time for assault " - this is 1/2% - when I think of the companies that I have worked for that have had 500+ employees, I reckon more than that have done time (maybe just one night in the cells) for assault.

"117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses" this has to be the most meaningless statistic - its a bit like saying that by wearing Nike clothing, you directly or indirectly support sweat shops.

Since there are no links (or names) that prove any of these stats, I would assume that hey are in alll likelihood not true.

That said, the stats will be different to 'ordinary folk' as I don't have a troop of people following me around (some of whom hate me) reporting everything that I do.

[jno]

a similar list about Canadian MPs went round before the Canadian election last year. Call me cynical, but I wonder if there's a word of truth in it. 71 cannot get a credit card - who says? How do they know? 3 have done time?? 84 arrested for drunk driving?? Who?

I'd be interested to see a list of names - but I'll bet there isn't one. This sounds suspiciously like an urban myth, invented out of thin air so people can sneer at politicians, not realising they're being conned.

But if there is a list - let's see it!

[jno]

incidentally, there are not 'a little over 500 empoyees' - there are 646 MPs.

[LazyGun]

Whilst both Vic and JNO could both be correct,questioning the veracity of the allegations from this particular link... it doesn't alter the fact that voter apathy is at an all time high, as is voter cynicism, principally because there have been enough allegations of misconduct, sleaze, financial impropriety, bribery and general chicanery that have been proven.

I am a voter, and I'll sneer at the politicos if I want to :)

[jno]

go ahead LazyGun but do it on the basis of facts (such as the ones you mention) not fiction (such as I suspect this list is)

[Oneeyedvic]

LazyGun - I have no problem with sneering at MPs and I do every two weeks on a Wednesday when I get my copy of Private Eye. There are plenty of problems with MPs and their cronies, but why lie / exaggerate the problem.

It's a bit like litigious law suits. There was a story about a person who put cruise control on in his Winnebago and nipped into the back for a cup of coffee. The vehicle crashed and he successfully sued the manufacturer for $x Million and a new one.

It is not a true story and is actually used as an argument that there can't be ridiculous law suits as people invent them!

What I guess I'm trying to say is that a lot of MPs have been accused of a lot of wrong doings. Some of these have been proved to be correct. I have no problem in calling people to account, but I do have a problem with sensationalising and exaggerating the problems.

[WaldoMcFroog]

As was correctly surmised by O-E-V and jno, this is a complete load of horsesh*t. The figures originally referred to US congress and have also been applied to the Canadian legislature and the Indian one.

See here: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/congress.htm

[LazyGun]

Normally, I would pay little attention to a list of unsubstantiated allegations such as this.
I am so hacked off with all politicians right now though.I know that we live in a different world to previous generations, with a more scandal hungry media and public, less instinctive deference, and more intrusive and persistent reporting, but we have had 2 successive governments tainted by varying types of sleaze. Prior to Labour getting in, we had the Tories with Cash for Questions, Jonathan Aitken, Jeffrey Archer et al ( to say nothing of the sexual improprieties revealed after the "Back to Basics" campaign.)
Back in 1997 I, like I am sure many many others, welcomed Labour in, and were delighted by the assurances that sleaze etc would be stamped out. And what have we had? 8 years of revelations about ministers and backbenchers bending or outright breaking the system.
The overwhelming majority of them appear to be faceless clones, all graduating from college, "working" as a political campaigner, then fast tracked via spin school etc to become MPs. No character, charisma, gravitas, or life experience to any of em.
Given the current level of cynicism I have about ALL politicians, I am minded to believe pretty much anything ,unsubstantiated or otherwise, about the current shower sitting in the House :)

(phew rant over... i feel a little better now)

[Trotbot]

It cannot be true (which has already been established) as bankcrupts cannot be MPs. That is why gambling debts are not legally enforceable, as so many MPs in Victorian (?) times had gambling debts that Parliament was in danger of dissolving if they were enforced. The MPs passed the law to protect themselves. Probably not the first time, and certainly not the last.