Comments on Dizzy Thinks: The Wilson Doctrine places MPs above the law and s...

Nope. Just as Lawyers have a legal right to speak...

2008-02-04T16:44:00.000Z

Nope. Just as Lawyers have a legal right to speak to their clients in privacy. So also do constituents and MP's. Sorry you are wrong on this one.

The guy is in prison, therfore unable to vote. sur...

2008-02-04T16:12:00.000Z

The guy is in prison, therfore unable to vote. surley that should recind any staus as a constituent as well. If so then Sadik Khan could not have been on constituency business.

So the institution of Parliament should be subject...

2008-02-04T15:37:00.000Z

So the institution of Parliament should be subject to the Government of the day? This seems to be the logical consequence of what Dizzy is proposing. Parliament hasn't been subjected to the will of Government since the 18th century: but if Dizzy can make a case for Parliament to be subjected to the whims of successive governments and the rulings of judges then I'd like to see him try.

It is so impractical to ban all recording of MPs -...

2008-02-04T12:51:00.000Z

It is so impractical to ban all recording of MPs - http://www.andystrang.com/2008/02/equality-before-law.html

It's not about MPs being "above the law" - they sh...

2008-02-04T12:51:00.001Z

It's not about MPs being "above the law" - they should have "special status" since it's about the security services being accountable to democratically elected members of Parliament -- not the other way around.

MPs are not exempt from investigations into any cr...

2008-02-04T10:31:00.000Z

MPs are not exempt from investigations into any criminal activities in which they may be engaged in their private lives.

If, however, you abolish their Privilege to criticise people in the House of Commons without fear of a libel case being brought against them, or you destroy the confidentiality of their communications with their Constituents, especially those whose lives are being made hell by the Government bureaucracy, then you might as well abolish MPs all together and simply appoint Communist party apparatchiki to rubber stamp the Executive branch of Government's diktats.

Surely you should be chivvying up the lazy and incompetent MPs to actually be more independent and to properly scrutinise the Government, rather than calling for the suppression of their ability to do so ?

I suppose the question here is where you draw the ...

2008-02-04T10:00:00.000Z

I suppose the question here is where you draw the line. Does 'national security' include listening to your political enemies and finding out what they are saying? I'm guessing that the original protocol was designed to stop the security forces spying on the more leftie MPs. If we had a Government that was neo-con/hawkish on the Islam issue would it be okay for them to bug the MPs who oppose them (George Galloway for instance) on the basis that he is a potential 'enemy of the state' and so a threat to national security. And if it is, doesn't it seem likely that the intelligence will be used for political purposes, which surely can't be acceptable?

Spot on and 100% right about the issue. However I...

2008-02-04T09:27:00.000Z

Spot on and 100% right about the issue. However I would suggest that both Labour and the Tories are playing this up to deflect from the Conway saga and its ramifications for both parties, and in that they have succeeded. Interesting that the MP in question is a whip.

I always find it useful to suggest to people to go...

2008-02-04T09:15:00.000Z

I always find it useful to suggest to people to google "Tom Driberg" and "Mitrokhin Archive" when discussing the Wilson Doctrine about MPs and the Intelligence services ....... Not all MPs have in the past been totally loyal to this country.

Are you saying that people who want to change soci...

2008-02-04T08:54:00.000Z

Are you saying that people who want to change society shouldn't become MPs?

"Right on the Button" Dizzy.Why on earth should th...

2008-02-04T08:39:00.000Z

"Right on the Button" Dizzy.

Why on earth should they have such
considerations.
Listening to the `Westminister Hour` last night very obvious their fight back has begun aided and abbetted by the useless Caroline and a so called political professor.

They still just dont get it.

Not withstanding that the David Davies letter to Brown may have been lost
I contend that the majority of us do not believe them.

JH

I fully agree Dizzy MPs should not be above suspic...

2008-02-04T08:36:00.000Z

I fully agree Dizzy MPs should not be above suspicion because of their position in our society.
Mr. Khan was probably fully aware that the authorities were monitoring his constituent in some form or another, so he should not complain if he is caught up in this surveillance.
Since NuLabor came to power they have taken away, or limited, many of the rights our forefathers fought for, in their war on terrorism.
MPs should not be exempt from this because of the pre-fix "honourable" they seem to enjoy.

Given what they've all been up to with regard to e...

2008-02-04T08:03:00.000Z

Given what they've all been up to with regard to expenses, etc, perhaps they should all be bugged, all the time..?

"David Davis has also released a letter he says he sent to Gordon Brown at the end of last year, which Brown denies receiving..."

He didn't send it via TNT, did he..?

I agree on this - who cares.

2008-02-04T07:28:00.000Z

I agree on this - who cares.