British MPs: Drunk on power or just drunk?

Came across this article on RT which investigates the "too drunk to vote" culture as well as throwing some interesting statistics into the mix

rt.com...

A nice quote

“A member of parliament might go into the bar and have a few drinks instead of having dinner, and by one or two in the morning, they thought it was a good idea to go into the House of Commons and take part in the debate,” recalls the former MP. “I’ve seen that at least once – it was very funny, but I’m not sure how professional it was,” Opik says.

Some nice stats

There are nine separate bars on the parliamentary estate for the use of the people who work at Westminster and their guests. Being an official part of the Royal Palace, they are unlicensed. Last year takings in those nine bars totaled to 1.33 million pounds."

Unlicensed means they can serve measures of any size they like as well as not having to tell people they have had enough ? (like is now law everywhere else in the country)

"Last year, Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP and MD, said some MPs are too drunk to stand up in debates, and have no idea what they are voting for. She said some MPs are “drinking really quite heavily.”

whislt

"Tory MP Mark Reckless admits he was too drunk to vote on the 2010 budget, and insists he “doesn’t remember” falling over. He said that usually he knows when to stop, but on that notorious instance he “didn’t know what happened” to him. "

and

And MP Paul Farrelly admitted wrestling a newspaper seller near a Parliament bar, although he maintains he was not drunk.

Ok I think it would make more sense if he had been, I wonder what the explanation was....

Now I understand why the prime minister needs to take coke... some falling out his nose in this video.
www.youtube.com...

Anyone else got any articles or videos they can add to this thread? Your comments on the matter are also appreciated. Should MPs be banned from drinking whilst working?

EDIT I add this link because it mentions some of the prices,

one of the most subsidised facilities in British public life. In the Strangers’ Bar it costs but £2.55 for a tot of Scotch or a measure of Cointreau, while a glass of Merlot comes in at a thirst-inducing £2.35. No wonder MPs are often accused of being out of touch with ordinary life. Whenever one of their constituents asks them how much a pint of bitter costs, they cheerfully reply “£2.40”. Which, as anyone who has ventured into such an institution recently will tell you, will buy less than a half in many a London pub.

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Not really fair on the rest of the country, this at a time when they are trying to impose minimum pricing in some parts

I'm sure the correct train of thinking should call for a ban on drinking. However watching a bunch of tipsy chinless wonders waving their arms about whilst backbencher's are asleep and dribbling into their lapels is the only entertainment I can glean from that nest of vipers.

My vote is for Big brother stylee camera coverage in the bar's. They could have made good quids airing that bar brawl on pay per view.

hi op

of course they should be banned
yrs ago i was at work operating an angle cutting saw (upvc windows)
i got so used to it i could do it blinfolded
then one lunch break i thought sod it
went to the shop got a pint can of stella sat in my car
drank it very quickly and had a smoke of green
went back to the saw
nearly lost a finger
il never do that again
these stupid old buggers could not give a toss about you or i
they think that cos they have reached the position they are in
sod the country im retiring soon
as long as im alright jack
to hell with this out of touch government

So our parliament have their own speak-easys?

I don't call on a straight up ban on alcohol for MP's, however they SHOULD be tested before they enter the grounds, and especially when they vote, just like testing an athlete that they're fit to play/have no drugs, we should test MPs that they are fit to represent and understand the arguments put forward.

This does now though clear up why they always do that long winded grown after anyone makes a sound in there.

reply to post by Suspiria


I'm really with you on the live streaming in the bars! If they are in this kind of state the whole time no wonder they leave laptops with national secrets on trains and stuff. I bet the bar staff there have found a few things over the years. 1 plus is its at least onsite! Rather than say the swanky Russian joint down the road lol

Bet they are all sitting pished giving the game away to foreign agents, (wonder what the criteria for access to the bars are) got to also wonder how many are getting into their owns cars and driving off at the end of the evening....

Funny how they can try and dictate to the rest of the population in the UK with regards to drinking, binge drinking. And what do they do. Do the exact same thing. So much for the Morale Compass,

Hypocrisy springs to ones mind. But as per usual, the political elite get away with it, while the rest of us have to suffer. Their Shenanigans at these bars, just iterates the reasons why the public at large show distaste and distrust in the politicians as a whole.

Can we the people not demand that all of those working within the governments have to take regularly drug tests.

I do not think that is to much to ask for, from someone whom is controlling an entire country!
With that kind of responsibility one should think that some restrictions should be set up.

reply to post by Laurauk


Just look at the antics of the Bullingdon club to which the PM, Chancellor and Mayor of London all belonged too. This type of behavior committed by any other member of the public would result in criminal records, ruling out any lofty ambitions of being a politician.

one of Osborne's Bullingdon contemporaries has spoken for the first time about some of the astonishing escapades to which the future chancellor bore witness. They include an alcohol-fuelled party that degenerated into a fist fight, allegations of coc aine use by another member of the club, and an evening during which the members trashed a Michelin-starred restaurant.

www.guardian.co.uk...

reply to post by woodwardjnr


I remember Boris Johnson famously said "I think I was once given coc aine but I sneezed and so it did not go up my nose."
LOL they think we are complete mugs!

I suspect many go into politics looking forward to the proviso that they have carte blanche.
It's all an egocentric romp until someones caught with a tart or found slumped with a mouth full of orange and their cock in their hand. Hmmmm, maybe that should be their right honourable member in their hand...

Originally posted by Maponos
reply to post by woodwardjnr

 

I remember Boris Johnson famously said "I think I was once given coc aine but I sneezed and so it did not go up my nose."
LOL they think we are complete mugs!

The difference between just smelling it and using is big I guess

No c´mon I just wanted to see what it smelled like, I did not inhale...
Seriously some things just happens... I just got to close to it

en.wikipedia.org...

breathing.com...

Originally posted by LiberalSceptic

Originally posted by Maponos
reply to post by woodwardjnr

 

I remember Boris Johnson famously said "I think I was once given coc aine but I sneezed and so it did not go up my nose."
LOL they think we are complete mugs!

The difference between just smelling it and using is big I guess

No c´mon I just wanted to see what it smelled like, I did not inhale...
Seriously some things just happens... I just got to close to it

en.wikipedia.org...

breathing.com...

edit on 8-3-2012 by LiberalSceptic because: (no reason given)

Its not incense its narcotic in the form of white powder, I can tell you from personal experience it doesn't smell of much and that the man is lying, he took it same as every other bugger on the front benches it seems.

As I stated earlier it makes sense given the amount of drinking they do, after all coc aine is commonly used to "keep the party going a bit longer" In other words you don't feel the effects of alcohol as much once you are on it.

Personal experience is also how I can quite easily identify the signs of users and I see many on the front benches. The Milibands may need looking at as well just so were not Tory bashing here. I have no basis for that its just a hunch that I may look into, the Cameron video I posted though is a smoking gun

EDIT When looking at videos of parliament, see who looks comfortable and then pick out the ones who have slightly crazed eyes/enlarged pupils and seem to be sweating a hell of a lot more than everyone else, quite easy really. White powder on the nose is a good sign too lol

reply to post by Maponos


I am not defending the use. I just wrote a little ironic scenario of an excuse.

I agree with your statement that they think we are idiots whom buy into any excuse they come up with.

Since so may people both direct and indirect put their lives in the hands of the people in power, they do not want to believe that they (the people in power) would do something like taking drugs. Thus creating a spiral where the users of it think that they can get away with it.

Seems they turn up drunk for parliament elsewhere too, great video from Belgium a couple of years back news.bbc.co.uk...

Originally posted by LiberalSceptic
reply to post by Maponos

 

I am not defending the use. I just wrote a little ironic scenario of an excuse.

I agree with your statement that they think we are idiots whom buy into any excuse they come up with.

Since so may people both direct and indirect put their lives in the hands of the people in power, they do not want to believe that they (the people in power) would do something like taking drugs. Thus creating a spiral where the users of it think that they can get away with it.

edit on 8-3-2012 by LiberalSceptic because: (no reason given)

Ahh ok
I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that the security services actually run the drugs, someone in the aristocracy is in charge of drug importation and it is illegal in order to preserve their market share. I think that is how this system works, funny how guys like Howard Marks were MI6 then the biggest hash importer makes you go hmmm CIA were funded by bankers, bankers like money regardless of where it comes from...

www.howardmarks.name...

Howard Marks has worked with the British Secret Service and has been connected with the Mafia, the IRA, MI6 and the CIA"

How about all of them get together once a month and use '___' or something like it instead, expand their minds, and come up with some truly creative thinking and solutions.
I honestly think that would do more good than the way things are being run in the world today
I mean, can it be worse than it already is.

Careful people, too much drug talk is bad M'kay?

Originally posted by Maponos

Ahh ok
I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that the security services actually run the drugs, someone in the aristocracy is in charge of drug importation and it is illegal in order to preserve their market share. I think that is how this system works, funny how guys like Howard Marks were MI6 then the biggest hash importer makes you go hmmm CIA were funded by bankers, bankers like money regardless of where it comes from...

www.howardmarks.name...

"Howard Marks has worked with the British Secret Service and has been connected with the Mafia, the IRA, MI6 and the CIA"

edit on 8-3-2012 by Maponos because: (no reason given)

I can not argue with that way of thinking.
Occam's razor right.

Originally posted by Suspiria
Careful people, too much drug talk is bad M'kay?

Got it. Cheers mate.

In regard to poor excuses here is a polish MPs response to failing a roadside breath test
www.metro.co.uk...

Here is a UK MP, glad to see he had to resign. Seems to be quite a few MPs get getting caught. Proportionally they are the most likely group to be caught drunk driving?

Labour MP who branded middle class ‘hypocrites and drunkards’ spends night in a cell after being arrested for drink driving

www.dailymail.co.uk...