"A year in prison would not be sufficient".

In light of Craig's revelations it is likely that Jonathan Aitken went to prison for a much lesser offence.

Craig, how can the whole corruption in Westminster be resolved? The likes of Taylor are firmly embedded within the Westminster culture and I see no way of breaking that.

I believe a gentleman by the name of Mr Cromwell had a solution to that problem.

I think it is even worse. The suspension is only for six months and the other two get off completely.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8049412.stm

You'd get a tougher penalty for cheating on your GCSEs.

"Lord Taylor's explanation that he was aware the lobbyists were in fact journalists and he had continued to meet them in order to discover the truth was dismissed as "inherently implausible".

The police decided not to mount a criminal investigation into the case earlier this year, citing the difficulty of obtaining evidence among other factors." BBC news website

You couldn't make it up!

You can have an inquiry in any colour you want, so long as it's whitewash.

I live in hope that one day there will be *proper* inquiries which aim to find the truth, not cover it up. The first one should be an inquiry on all past inquiries to work out who to punish for the fact they were calculated to rubber stamp absolute filthy things as if they were sparkling clean. Sadly, I doubt that day will ever come.

As for Taylor, I don't really think even a year in prison would be enough. This person has intentionally subverted our democratic process in return for money. Sounds like treason to me.

At the very least Taylor should have to pay a fine to the tax payer greater than the money that was made as a result of this. Much greater, considering the harm it will have done to the country.

Justice? We've heard of it!

"Another Labour peer, Lord Snape, will be asked to apologise to the House."

Instead of campaigning for the laws ordinary folk live by to apply to MPs and peers, perhaps we should demand that the rules they (occasionally) abide by should be extended to the rest of us.

I would welcome the chance to simply be able to apologise after any investigation that found me guilty of wrongdoing, it would be such a jolly way to live.

Particularly when dealing with the IR.

"While I certainly did pay less tax than I should, and you eagle-eyed investigators certainly caught me red-handed, as it were, I would be more than happy to apologise for this, and perhaps we can leave the matter there."

yours faithfully, etc.

P.S. - Jack Straw (or was it Lloyd George) knew my father...

Compare and contrast this man to some of those inhabiting the Houses of Parliament.

http://allendale.journallive.co.uk/news/former-allendale-lad-in-huge-charity-gesture.html

This business is going to continue until there are decent people in Parliament.

I've no idea how New Labour and the LibDems select their candidates. I imagine that it is analogous to the Conservative Party.

In the case of the Conservative Party, this business is controlled by a coteries of people at Central Office who operate an 'A' List - only people on this list get official backing and these people are handpicked by the coteries and Cameron and his buddies.

Cameron - if he's serious - has to scrap this list and clean out Finkelstein and his gang from the Agents' Office at CPCO. Ditto for New Labour and Lib Dems.

V had the solution. Why doesn't life imitate art on the important issues.

'The police decided not to mount a criminal investigation into the case earlier this year, citing the difficulty of obtaining evidence among other factors." BBC news website'

An individual made that final decision. They always hide behind the label of a large organisation. It's the police! It's the Home Office! It's the Foreign Office! It's the Crown Prosecution Service! No, really, it is an individual. Does anyone know which individual the buck stops with? Craig did a good job identifying that BBC woman on a previous thread. That's what we need to do all the time. That tactic csn really work, as once 'dodgy folk' begin to see this happening they will think twice about acting undemocratically. Those that do we can easily identify for removal from office.

And of course Taylor is an arch-crony of Jack Straw, whose contribution to the grovelfest was 'Sorry for that ... accountancy does not appear to be my strongest suit'.

I wonder what he thinks his strongest suit is? Tergiversation?

Don't forget they go into recess until September ;)

The reason for the long recess, just as for Long Leave at school, is to help bring in the harvest and get everything ready for the coming autumn.

That requires quite a lot of heavy physical real work: something that these bludgers are incapable of.

So they should only get the statutory two weeks that most employees get and that's it.

His latest entry in the HoL Register of Interests. Fingers in many pies.

TAYLOR OF BLACKBURN, Lord

*12(d) Non-parliamentary consultant

Adviser, NPL Estates
Adviser, Alcatel-Lucent
Adviser, Canatxx Energy Ventures Limited
Adviser, BT plc
Adviser, Gersphere UK Limited
Adviser, T-Systems Limited
President, Wrens Hotel Group

*12(e) Remunerated directorships

Non-executive Director, A Division Holdings Limited
Non-executive Director, Eisis Limited
Non-executive Director, Building Themes International Limited
Non-executive Director, Pine Mountain Resorts Limited

15(a) Membership of public bodies

Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire
Life Member, Court of Lancaster University
Freeman of the City of London
Freeman of the Borough of Blackburn

15(d) Office-holder in voluntary organisations

Vice-President, Association of Lancastrians in London

16(b) Voluntary organisations

Patron, Friends of Real Lancashire
Patron, Holidays for Carers
Patron, Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Patron, Outreach Schools

Oh but he "'oooombly" apologised...

So that's all right then?

Twat.War criminal.Trougher.

Quite. How did someone of his calibre get into the inner workings of the City. Freeman of this and Freeman of that.

I see that Experian ditched him earlier in the year.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/30/lord_register_row/