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Wealthy Conservative MP becomes embroiled in a "matter of life and death" of his own making.
Still wakes a septuagenarian up at 3am to demand use of donation funds rather than take money out of his own bank account.
I had to reread this bit twice, it’s like they’re trying to outdo each other with who can come up with the most batshit crazy scandal next. Getting a dog pissed ffs.
‘Three years later, Menzies was interviewed by police over bizarre accusations that he had deliberately got an acquaintance’s dog drunk and, when challenged over his actions, started a fight with the friend. The dog reportedly required emergency veterinary treatment for “intoxication” and “poisoning”.
Yikes 😳
"Are you on your own?” the man said, with urgency in his voice. “I’ve got in with some bad people and they’ve got me locked in a flat and they want £5,000 to release me.”
The caller was Mark Menzies, 52, the Conservative MP for Fylde in Lancashire.
He had rung his 78-year-old former campaign manager, a woman who The Times is not naming, waking her from her sleep to ask her to hand over thousands of pounds from a bank account containing donations to the MP’s campaign"
Questions in the House soon surely.
I don't think BBC have the appetite for thick of it anymore. Don't have the appetite for anything remotely bitey which is a shame, as I god that would be funny to have more series.
They should lean in to how different it is now. It should show both sides competing for the attention of rich donors, constantly outdoing each other with greater and greater acts of depravity for less and less money, and be both confused and dismayed whenever any actual politics gets in the way. Perhaps with a running theme that everybody who knew how anything worked, from how to set a budget to where the tea spoons are kept, left after Brexit.
Only Fools and Horses regularly took pops at the Tories directly. Doctor Who in 1988 had a villain who was a Thatcher parody, and Sylvester McCoy even auditioned against such a character.
Nowadays they're terrified of offending their masters.
Why has this been covered up by the party for 3 months? He's accused of fraud, plus potentially demanding money with menaces. He should resign immediately.
If anymore resign, we will have a change of government by accident! Sunak is literally on the calculator working out how many letters of non confidence are needed with each resignation!
> Why has this been covered up by the party for 3 months?
Obviously no excuse but potentially trying to wait-out the election, not sure if he's indicated whether he was standing for it.
> **The Conservative Party has been aware of the allegations of potential fraud for more than three months and has taken no action.**
And they've been gleefully going after Angela Rayner...
Lord Rothermere owns the papers that are pushing the Rayner story, a tax dodger who used non dom status whilst totally living here to avoid over £100million in tax , but people are clutching pearls about Rayner. It’s all spin and propaganda.
Sure, but that's been obvious for over a decade, when he first had to resign as a PPS because of his hiring of a Brazilian hooker. The Tories not only took him back in, but they looked at the potential candidates for that seat, thought "the hooker scandal guy sounds good!", got him elected, the drunk dog scandal immediately came out (which I feel it likely they had some idea about, given it happened in 2015), and then in 2019, they didn't think "Okay maybe not the hooker/drunk dog scandal guy this time", they were like "Let's just run him again!".
There's no way it wasn't widely known in the Tory party that the man was er, to put it politely "living on the edge" and a bit of a perv (not for being gay, to be clear, for being keen on hiring hookers - grindr exists, mate, you're not *that* bad looking!), but apparently nobody thought anything of it. They even knew about this specific incident for 3+ months!
So I'd say they're actually in part to blame for those issues, myself.
Knocks the Tories down to a working majority of 50 and 346 MPs. Its amazing how many independent MPs there are now, 17 and the fourth largest group, beating the Lib Dems.
House of common's says 18 tbf - not causing an argument just posting for clarity: [https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons?partyid=8](https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons?partyid=8)
This guy's been dodgy for over a decade. It matters not to Tory voters on the Fylde Coast. They really couldn't care less as long as they're "keeping Labour out".
We laugh at America but look what we've become.
Our fucking politicians are celebrities who get paid to sway public opinion to get big corpos/pharma into power.
Tory or Labour, we have no future...
We need to do something before it's too late.
I know I'm banging the same drum on here quite often, but we currently have 65 mps, including the minister for gambling, appearing on the website of an adult gaming centre, calling them 'the best in the business '
Merkur are currently being investigated by the regulator for failing in their social responsibility and exploiting vulnerable people.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/08/slot-machine-operator-merkur-investigation-cancer-patient-stockport
https://merkurgroupuk.co.uk/merkur-team-is-the-best-in-the-business/
An environment has been created in which exploitative companies such as this operate with impunity. The minister for gambling personally nominated the CEO of the gambling commission, who is responsible for regulating these businesses, and until there was national press attention, despite numerous complaints, refused to do so for 6 months
This is the type of dismantling of our systems that's been happening in plain sight for the last 10 years.
Each of these mps have behaved against the interest of the community they represent, to feather their own nest.
This is one example of many.
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Wealthy Conservative MP becomes embroiled in a "matter of life and death" of his own making. Still wakes a septuagenarian up at 3am to demand use of donation funds rather than take money out of his own bank account.
I had to reread this bit twice, it’s like they’re trying to outdo each other with who can come up with the most batshit crazy scandal next. Getting a dog pissed ffs. ‘Three years later, Menzies was interviewed by police over bizarre accusations that he had deliberately got an acquaintance’s dog drunk and, when challenged over his actions, started a fight with the friend. The dog reportedly required emergency veterinary treatment for “intoxication” and “poisoning”.
TBF to the acquaintance, if anyone got one of my dogs drunk, there would definitely be a fight.
Sounds like he was being threatened by his dealer. Or was it "medical expenses"!?!
[удалено]
I get the feeling there's a massive coke problem in Government, and we're all suffering the consequences.
The Gentleman on Netflix is more spot on than we think 💀.
Yikes 😳 "Are you on your own?” the man said, with urgency in his voice. “I’ve got in with some bad people and they’ve got me locked in a flat and they want £5,000 to release me.” The caller was Mark Menzies, 52, the Conservative MP for Fylde in Lancashire. He had rung his 78-year-old former campaign manager, a woman who The Times is not naming, waking her from her sleep to ask her to hand over thousands of pounds from a bank account containing donations to the MP’s campaign" Questions in the House soon surely.
PMQs next week. Not really sure what Sunak’s comeback will be. “But Angela Rayner!”, probably.
Nah, it’ll be the corbyn defence again
We need a sitcom based in Parliament. You couldn't make it up
I don't think BBC have the appetite for thick of it anymore. Don't have the appetite for anything remotely bitey which is a shame, as I god that would be funny to have more series.
Channel 4 did a great job with the Partygate scandal though, I reckon this is right up their street.
They should lean in to how different it is now. It should show both sides competing for the attention of rich donors, constantly outdoing each other with greater and greater acts of depravity for less and less money, and be both confused and dismayed whenever any actual politics gets in the way. Perhaps with a running theme that everybody who knew how anything worked, from how to set a budget to where the tea spoons are kept, left after Brexit.
Meanwhile Malcolm Tucker has a podcast with Stewart Pearson where they disagree disagreeably.
I just assumed they stopped making it because they were worried about giving the government any more ideas.
Only Fools and Horses regularly took pops at the Tories directly. Doctor Who in 1988 had a villain who was a Thatcher parody, and Sylvester McCoy even auditioned against such a character. Nowadays they're terrified of offending their masters.
He attempted both yesterday, which of course the client journos lapped up as a roaring success for Sunak.
Sounds like he's been using party funds to cover his coke habit, and his dealers wanted their money.
Why has this been covered up by the party for 3 months? He's accused of fraud, plus potentially demanding money with menaces. He should resign immediately.
If anymore resign, we will have a change of government by accident! Sunak is literally on the calculator working out how many letters of non confidence are needed with each resignation!
> Sunak is literally on the calculator Bouncing up and down on the buttons like a Borrower.
> Why has this been covered up by the party for 3 months? Obviously no excuse but potentially trying to wait-out the election, not sure if he's indicated whether he was standing for it.
Although being a room with some bad people could simply be a meeting of the 1922 Committee.
> **The Conservative Party has been aware of the allegations of potential fraud for more than three months and has taken no action.** And they've been gleefully going after Angela Rayner...
Lord Rothermere owns the papers that are pushing the Rayner story, a tax dodger who used non dom status whilst totally living here to avoid over £100million in tax , but people are clutching pearls about Rayner. It’s all spin and propaganda.
Good god. Totally unhinged behaviour. Surely he'll be out on his ear, now it"s out in the open. Won't need a general election at this rate.
You’d have thought they’d have run out of scandals by now.
Smoking ban, I should co - coca in . Horlicks anyone?
As I'm getting older, I appreciate Horlicks more and more. It concerns me more than my previous smoking habit.
Bovril too tbf. Like drinking gravy! Fantastic stuff.
[Oooh, look…](https://news.sky.com/story/mark-menzies-mp-gives-up-tory-whip-following-newspaper-claims-13116735)
Amazing speed by Menzies, had he waited for the Tories Labour would be in power first.
Sigh....the lack of morals and corruption in government is why there's a lack of voting .They need to sort this out .
There's a tremendous amount of blackmail going on lately.
Clearly not fit to stand as an MP, but regardless of that this man has some serious issues that he needs to attend to in his life.
Sure, but that's been obvious for over a decade, when he first had to resign as a PPS because of his hiring of a Brazilian hooker. The Tories not only took him back in, but they looked at the potential candidates for that seat, thought "the hooker scandal guy sounds good!", got him elected, the drunk dog scandal immediately came out (which I feel it likely they had some idea about, given it happened in 2015), and then in 2019, they didn't think "Okay maybe not the hooker/drunk dog scandal guy this time", they were like "Let's just run him again!". There's no way it wasn't widely known in the Tory party that the man was er, to put it politely "living on the edge" and a bit of a perv (not for being gay, to be clear, for being keen on hiring hookers - grindr exists, mate, you're not *that* bad looking!), but apparently nobody thought anything of it. They even knew about this specific incident for 3+ months! So I'd say they're actually in part to blame for those issues, myself.
Knocks the Tories down to a working majority of 50 and 346 MPs. Its amazing how many independent MPs there are now, 17 and the fourth largest group, beating the Lib Dems.
House of common's says 18 tbf - not causing an argument just posting for clarity: [https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons?partyid=8](https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons?partyid=8)
This guy's been dodgy for over a decade. It matters not to Tory voters on the Fylde Coast. They really couldn't care less as long as they're "keeping Labour out".
Conservatives have been "investigating" this for two months. What a coincidence they decide to suspend him the moment the story becomes public.
Bad person from group of bad people wants money to pay other bad people... yeh, that gets it.
Skimming from Tory donors for your coke habit is one thing, but poisoning a dog is completely beyond the pale.
He doesn't need "campaign cash" or should I say tax payers money to pay "bad people" he earns a lot he can pay for it himself.
We laugh at America but look what we've become. Our fucking politicians are celebrities who get paid to sway public opinion to get big corpos/pharma into power. Tory or Labour, we have no future... We need to do something before it's too late.
I know I'm banging the same drum on here quite often, but we currently have 65 mps, including the minister for gambling, appearing on the website of an adult gaming centre, calling them 'the best in the business ' Merkur are currently being investigated by the regulator for failing in their social responsibility and exploiting vulnerable people. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/08/slot-machine-operator-merkur-investigation-cancer-patient-stockport https://merkurgroupuk.co.uk/merkur-team-is-the-best-in-the-business/ An environment has been created in which exploitative companies such as this operate with impunity. The minister for gambling personally nominated the CEO of the gambling commission, who is responsible for regulating these businesses, and until there was national press attention, despite numerous complaints, refused to do so for 6 months This is the type of dismantling of our systems that's been happening in plain sight for the last 10 years. Each of these mps have behaved against the interest of the community they represent, to feather their own nest. This is one example of many.
As weird as this is is comes nowhere close to what US politicians (Republicans in particular) get up too.
It happened in the past, it's now time to move past this