Tag Archives: fracking

Bryant sticks to his guns over bullying in Parliament

Unrevealing: Chris Bryant took this image in an attempt to show bullying in the voting lobbies – but it did not demonstrate such behaviour clearly enough. Should he have taken video? And would it have mattered, knowing that photography is forbidden there in any case?

After a woefully inadequate ‘investigation’ ruled that there was no bullying during the controversial ‘fracking’ vote that led to the downfall of Liz Truss, whistleblowing MP Chris Bryant has insisted that the verdict was wrong.

He has tweeted the following:

The prohibition of photography in the voting lobbies must be a gift to anybody wishing to intimidate MPs. Elsewhere on the Twitter thread, Bryant agreed that CCTV cameras would be welcome:

The answer, of course, is to modernise the system with electronic voting, as is used in the devolved governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Doesn’t the reluctance to introduce such a system smell of corruption to you?

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No evidence of bullying in fracking vote, says Commons Speaker

Tense scene in the voting lobby: Labour MP Chris Bryant tweeted this image as the fracking vote was taking place.

Are we all greatly reassured by the words of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle?

He seems to think that the words of one Conservative MP are enough to prove that nobody was bullied into backing the government during a controversial vote on fracking a couple of weeks ago, that ended up bringing down Liz Truss’s government.

According to a BBC report,

Labour MP Chris Bryant said he witnessed “clear bullying” in the division lobby of the House of Commons during the vote on 19 October.

But one Conservative MP, Alexander Stafford, rejected the claims, saying he had a “frank and robust conversation” with members of the government outside the voting lobbies but “nothing more”.

Sir Lindsay told MPs: “… While some members thought that physical contact was being used to force a member into the lobby, the member concerned has said very clearly that this did not happen.”

I can’t say I’m convinced.

The impression I had was that both Jacob Rees-Mogg and Therese Coffee had been accused of manhandling Tory MPs – plural – into supporting the then-government’s line that fracking should be allowed to resume in the UK. Relying on the words of just one member – referring to what happened to them alone – seems very poor evidence-gathering indeed.

Perhaps it isn’t important now. Truss is out of Downing Street and the new administration under Rishi Sunak has said that fracking will not resume after all.

But if we can’t trust that investigations of wrongdoing in Parliament are thorough and fair, then what should we think of any such matters in the future?

Looking to the future, it seems clear that the archaic voting system at Westminster, in which members physically walk through lobbies, has had its day.

The devolved governments in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland all have electronic voting systems.

To prevent even the suggestion of physical bullying, it’s time the same system was introduced to the Houses of Parliament.

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Dept of GOOD NEWS: FRACKING has been BANNED AGAIN

This is what fracking is: It has the potential to cause huge harm – and Rishi Sunak seems to have realised this.

Rishi Sunak has reversed another Liz Truss policy – and placed another moratorium on fracking in England.

Truss had lifted the ban, saying fracking could take place with local consent – and in order to alleviate the UK’s energy crisis.

But Downing Street confirmed Sunak was committed to the ban on fracking in England set out in his party’s 2019 manifesto.

It said the party would not support fracking unless the science showed “categorically” that it could be carried out safely.

Scotland and Wales continue to oppose fracking.

“I have already said I stand by the manifesto on that,” said Sunak during Prime Minister’s Questions earlier.

But this could also be seen as Sunak’s first major u-turn. Only last Wednesday, he voted against a Labour motion to ban the practice, and had later said he supported it “if local communities support it”.

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Investigation launched into alleged bullying of MPs in fracking vote

Totally Liz Trussed: how long must we wait until the prime minister holds another press conference, announcing the resignation of another government member – herself?

This Site called for it – and I’ve got it: Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has ordered the Serjeant at Arms to investigate allegations around chaotic scenes in a vote yesterday (October 19).

It is claimed that Conservative MPs were physically assaulted by ministers (and possibly others) to force them to vote with the government after an Opposition Day debate on fracking.

Hoyle said he

will be meeting with senior party representatives “to seek an agreed position that behaviour like that described last night is not acceptable in all circumstances”.

In a statement to MPs, he said: “I remind Members that the behaviour code applies to them as well as to other members of our parliamentary community.”

The Speaker, who is in charge of ensuring order in the Commons, added that while MPs might have “very strong political disagreements” they must “treat each other courteously and with respect”.

Isn’t it a bit late for that, now?

On the BBC’s Politics Live, it was stated that, just as MPs were preparing to vote on the fracking issue, a minister announced that it was not a “confidence” issue.

This threw the Conservatives into confusion. They had been told that it was – and that anybody voting with their conscience and against Liz Truss’s policy would be expelled from the party. Was this now untrue?

They went out to the voting lobbies scrabbling for their mobile phones in order to get clarity – and didn’t get it.

This seems clear manipulation by Liz Truss and her government. They seem to have deliberately caused confusion in order to nudge their MPs into taking the safest option – voting according to government wishes.

And then the scuffle(s) broke out.

The total number of Tory MPs known to have publicly stated that they have no confidence in Liz Truss’s leadership has more than doubled since yesterday, with 14 in total by mid-morning today.

And at the time of writing, Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee and the man who tells every prime minister whether they have the support of their party, has just left a meeting with Truss.

What did he say?

Will we find out today?

These are exciting times.

Source: ‘Not acceptable’: Investigation launched into parliament disorder where MPs were ‘manhandled’

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Should fracking ‘confidence’ vote be annulled after shameful scenes in Westminster?

Liz Truss: while her minions (allegedly) bulliedTory MPs to vote against their consciences, she has distracted from an international crisis by “worrying about her knitting”. What a contemptible excuse for a stateswoman. And she wanted us to think she modelled herself on Thatcher!

What do you think?

It has been alleged that Conservative MPs were forced to vote with the government – against their will – by MPs who manhandled them through a lobby they did not want to enter, so that Liz Truss could claim her Parliamentary party had confidence in her leadership.

If this is true, then the result of the fracking vote yesterday (October 19) should be annulled. It simply isn’t safe to describe it as the will of Parliament, let alone the will of the people of the United Kingdom.

An investigation into what happened during the vote should be opened immediately, with Conservative Party whips and cabinet ministers barred from having any contact with other MPs until they have given their evidence.

Another vote should be taken, with Tory whips and ministers again compelled to cast their votes separately from other MPs, in order to ensure that there is no interference with the will of Parliament.

But what happened yesterday should sound the death knell of Liz Truss as a political leader – or even as a member of Parliament.

If MPs were physically forced to do something they had not intended to do, then somebody was ordered to force them. And the buck stops at the top – with Truss.

It seems clear that Tory MPs are of the view that she – and her Cabinet – have caused immeasurable damage to the Conservative Party. Just consider the reaction of Charles Walker, as recorded by the BBC. The man could hardly contain himself:

BBC Political Editor Chris Mason reckons he has been talking to a senior Tory “whose analysis was so brutal it left me open-mouthed”. He continued:

Liz Truss’s actions have been “unforgivable,” “terrible” and “appalling”.

“She has stuffed the party, the country, and there’ll be a general election.”

“How could she act like a little dictator without a mandate?”

He reckons the argument for a general election will be deafeningly loud – even though no Tory would want it, considering their current unpopularity across the UK. But that situation is worsening with every minute Truss remains in office.

Here’s another perspective on it, from Professor Tim Wilson. Besides his own opinions, he mentions some of the Tories who abstained from voting, including some very big names:

And he’s right about Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has declared martial law in those parts of that country that he claims to have annexed – even though he has not taken possession of them all.

He’s just sitting in Moscow, poised to do who-knows-what.

And, as Prof Wilson says, Liz Truss is worried about her knitting.

Charles Walker is right. The Tory Party needs to get its act together now – and the grown-ups need to take charge.

Until they do, the UK will play no effective part in international events. And who knows what will happen then?

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Tory MP tells Commons he has no confidence in Liz Truss

William Wragg is the vice-chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee – whose chair, Graham Brady, is responsible for determining whether enough of his fellow MPs have submitted enough letters of ‘no confidence’ to trigger a leadership contest against Liz Truss.

He has told his fellow MPs, in the House of Commons, that he has submitted one such letter himself.

This is hugely significant. As vice-chair of the 1922 Committee, he must be enormously influential. It will therefore be interesting to see how many more such letters his committee chairman will receive now.

And we may well have a yardstick for working this out. In announcing that he has submitted his letter, Mr Wragg said that – despite opposing fracking – he would not vote against the government in the debate on that subject.

He said that, as the government has made the fracking debate a confidence motion in which anybody opposing the line that fracking should be allowed to resume in the UK will be stripped of the Tory whip and expelled from the party, it was in his interests to support the government’s line.

Otherwise his ‘no confidence’ letter would be nullified.

Other Tories, who have also expressed opposition to fracking, may take the same position.

Here’s his speech:

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Fracking debate becomes confidence vote in Liz Truss and her government

House of Commons: will the result of the fracking ‘confidence vote’ see as many people crammed into the chamber?

Did you notice this, from Prime Minister’s Questions?

It refers to an Opposition Day debate on fracking, brought by Labour, to ban the extraction of shale gas by that method.

According to the BBC, a message has been circulated to Conservative MPs, saying: “This is a confidence motion in the government.”

Tories who oppose fracking have been told to support the government line – that fracking is back on the agenda – or face being expelled from the Parliamentary party.

But what if significant numbers of them defy the demand?

If it is being taken as a confidence motion in the Truss government – an administration that has lost all authority with the loss of all its policies on Monday – then who will be around to expel all the Tories voting against her, if she loses?

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Business boss says fracking will not happen

The government may have lifted the ban on fracking but without public consent it still won’t happen, according to a business boss.

Richard Walker, the boss of Iceland, said members of the public are never going to allow the process, that may cause earthquakes, to happen near them.

And he pointed out that the economic gain would be minimal, even if it did happen.

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Is the Conservative Party splitting over fracking?

This is what fracking is: It has the potential to cause huge harm.

The return to fracking by Liz Truss and her government won’t relieve the energy crisis – and it seems Conservative MPs know it.

Is a split opening up within the Tory Party?

I offer this clip for your consideration:

Ah well – we can still laugh about it:

Can’t we?

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Fracking licences proliferate after Truss lifts ban on toxic shale gas extraction method

From Facebook: Under cover of the Queens death, Liz Truss lifted the fracking ban two days ago. A swathe of fracking licences across the country is the result. This drastically impacts housing plans and not least the controversial HS2 route through Warwicks, Staffords and Cheshire.

More details here

Here

Here

And here.

(With apologies: This Writer is labouring under a stinker of a cold and I don’t have as much time or energy to devote to stories today as I would like.)

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