Oh another form of Parliamentary privilege no doubt. Something I've discovered recently: there's a body called the House of Commons Commission which is the authority over the administration, staffing and finance, including a role in cases of alleged harassment and misconduct of staff.
It consists of the Speaker*, the Leader of the House, a person nominated by the Opposition and three others who are not government ministers; it has two token outsiders; I'm not sure if they are in addition to the above or part of the three. There's a somewhat notorious Labour MP who has been publicly criticised for bullying and harassment of a Committee Clerk when he chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee. Who is the Labour person on the Commission which might be involved in a case against him? Why, it's only the sister of the notorious one. Both notorious himself and the sister are solicitors, by the way, so they will know a thing or two about the law and concepts such as conflicts of interest. But then again if you have ways and means of ensuring no case will be brought - because the staff know sis is on the panel or they are all your mates anyway who'd never criticise a fellow MP, or you have something on your mates - such inconvenient conflicts of interest need never arise. All sewn up nice and neat. * Also been publicly accused of bullying by a former /retired male member of his staff.
If the BBC lost some of its "talent" thanks to FOI requests (as it claims to fear) that would be all to the good, as the "talent" isn't very talented.
ReplyDeleteOh another form of Parliamentary privilege no doubt. Something I've discovered recently: there's a body called the House of Commons Commission which is the authority over the administration, staffing and finance, including a role in cases of alleged harassment and misconduct of staff.
ReplyDeleteIt consists of the Speaker*, the Leader of the House, a person nominated by the Opposition and three others who are not government ministers; it has two token outsiders; I'm not sure if they are in addition to the above or part of the three.
There's a somewhat notorious Labour MP who has been publicly criticised for bullying and harassment of a Committee Clerk when he chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee. Who is the Labour person on the Commission which might be involved in a case against him? Why, it's only the sister of the notorious one. Both notorious himself and the sister are solicitors, by the way, so they will know a thing or two about the law and concepts such as conflicts of interest. But then again if you have ways and means of ensuring no case will be brought - because the staff know sis is on the panel or they are all your mates anyway who'd never criticise a fellow MP, or you have something on your mates - such inconvenient conflicts of interest need never arise. All sewn up nice and neat.
* Also been publicly accused of bullying by a former /retired male member of his staff.