Should it be criminal for a politician to lie?

[kwicky]

This week David Cameron has misled the country by telling a deliberate lie. That is he promised a future Tory government will cut or remove inheritance tax. This will he claimed be paid for by charging non doms who reside in Britain �25000 per year. The total tax take will he said amount to �3.5 billion.

Labour have strenuously denied this saying the tax take will be only �600 million therby causing a huge shortage.
This lie could have resulted in a new Tory government.

Now that we all have access to financial records and open to scrutiny isn't it time that if an absurb claim such as this it should first be checked by an independent auditor and published fully to stop lies in future.

[Lonnie]

Hi kwicky,
I listened to his speech, and unless I misheard, he said on Ineritance tax, that he would raise the threshold to one million, and anyones estate worth under that, wouldn't have to pay, then he went on about making non doms paying the tax to make up the shortfall.

Made sense to me,

[Hugh Spencer]

I have voted in general and local elections for the past 60 years and I am extremely annoyed that a party can claim that it will make specified changes if elected and may win a majority because of its manifesto. For many years now many promises have not been kept but why should they care? They could be in power for 4 or 5 years and receiving their high salaries for that time. It is their career so they adopt this attitude otherwise they would be on a reduced salary which would not be acceptable. I will vote next time but it doesn't auger well for our democracy.

[Loosehead]

That's not a lie. no more than New Labour rejection of it is a lie. So only the Tories lie, right oh, good old New Labour. Politicians generally don't lie directly, they just make up their own criteria for "truth". Inflation going up? right oh we'll remove the culprit from the calculation. Unemployed going up? right oh, let's make up some sort of scheme thet are now job seekers! get it? In the case you mention the calculations can only ever be estimates including or excluding factors depending on your politically intended spin. If we did what you suggest we'd all be in jail, really kwicky you have moved naivety to a new level!

[Lonnie]

Thing about promised policies, (Loosehead, thats a five star answer), is that politicians virtually only ever say what they think the electorate want them to say, then when the achieve power, do what they want.

But you can only ever vote them in, on what they've said, then because they haven't kept their promises, vote them out, problem here is, the next party in power will do just the same.

[kwicky]

If its not a lie either the Tory policians or their advisors are incompetent.

[kwicky]

If its not a lie either the Tory politcians or their advisors are incompetent.

[Loosehead]

so labour researchers refute the Tory claims, well bu66er me what a surprise, common Kwicky no one that thick!

[kwicky]

Its not just the Labour antagonists that demolish the Tory tax raising schemes but anyone with a whiff of common sense. The problem is 44% of the population believe them. You can fool most of the people some of the time, thank goodness they have been rumbled.

[Sasha13]

Well, by that logic kwicky, the majority (i.e. 56%) don't believe them so you're ok, aren't you?

[PrinceRainie]

If it were a criminal offence when a politician lies...then we would have noone running the country!!!!!!

[kwicky]

By coincidence did anyone watch the politics program on BBC2 tonight. It was about politicians lying. One MP is to bring out a bill to criminalise lying which will be voted on by MPs on the 16th Oct. I suppose the result is a foregone conclusion as turkeys don't vote for Xmas.

[Dassie]

I reckon Gordon was telling a few porkies when watching that great show in the Commons yesterday when quizzed by Cameron. Wait a minute..... maybe they'll do us all a favour and send Brown back to Scotland for lying!

[ruby27]

kwicky

I watched the programme and had to shout at the tv. I was furious if not too surprised. I work for local government and there are all sorts of mechanisms to ensure that we behave appropriately and if we don't that the public have the right to redress. But, MP's are exempt from this as they are self regulatory - but they don't trust the people who work for LA's Police, Hospitals etc as without complaints procedures we would be up to all sorts of deceit. I was delighted to see that one MP (independent?) is going to introduce the bill. I have emailed my MP asking him how he is going to vote and why. I wonder if I will get a response.

[mycats]

No I dont think its practical or desirable to make it a criminal offence. Who is going to enforce it and punish them? Judges?? unelected judges ?
What about seperation of powers?

[kwicky]

As MP's are only answerable to themselves why don't the liars sit before a special committee of MPs. They already do this for various departments but often bring in people who command high positions in private life so they can be put under scrutiny. Recently Mervyn King, the Bank of England governor was grilled by a quorum of cross party MPs about Northern Rock's downfall. They could use the same procedure.