O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[ramAnag]

Erm...and there’s me thinking this was the Covid thread...not the ‘what Swale mistakenly said thread’.
Can we move on...to recently discredited MP Owen Paterson perhaps...not least because it’s relevant.

So today Owen Paterson seems to have been exposed...but not perhaps for what he might have been.

Owen Paterson is a paid consultant of Randox for which, along with his MP’s salary, he receives an alleged eye watering £500 per hour.
Randox are a company who were awarded a £133m Government contract by Mat Hancock’s Health Dept. for Covid testing kits.
It has been suggested that other companies weren’t given the opportunity to bid, but I don’t know if that’s entirely true.
Either way...is this how things should work...and is this just the proverbial ‘tip of the iceberg’ as regards the ‘Government’s Handling of Covid’?

[Geoff Parkstone]

I cannot resist a fleeting "ratatattat" from the tail gunner observation!

As for the MP - if someone is daft enough to pay him 500 an hour, then go for it. That it is in excess of his MP salary.... so what? I'm prepared to bet if someone had asked you to do some remunerated work for them whilst you were a teacher, you wouldn't have said "No, don't pay me, I'm being paid for doing a different job already".

The we have to ask "was this disclosed in the members declaration of interests" and laid on the table during the discussions when awarding the contract? Was he actually involved in said discussions or did he absent himself from the discussion as a "conflicted person" should have? I don't know and I'll warrant you don't

There are procedures for dealing with this sort of thing which, if followed, should allow this situation to happen. The "facts" you lay out do not necessarily mean appropriate processes did not take place.

But hey, lets not spoil the opportunity to dig a few more knives in.

I used Randox when returning from Greece and they seemed entirely fit for purpose. When researching what test company to use, I found many alternative government testing company at different prices and with slightly different packages available, so I'm struggling to see how other companies weren't given the opportunity....

Im not saying there wasn't skulduggery going on, but you're out with your "hanging jury" black cap on inferences already with no regard for any hard facts or detail. Are you sure you haven't ever worked as a headlines manager for the News of the World?! perhaps not on £ 500 an hour though

[swaledale]

I cannot resist a fleeting "ratatattat" from the tail gunner observation!

As for the MP - if someone is daft enough to pay him 500 an hour, then go for it. That it is in excess of his MP salary.... so what? I'm prepared to bet if someone had asked you to do some remunerated work for them whilst you were a teacher, you wouldn't have said "No, don't pay me, I'm being paid for doing a different job already".

The we have to ask "was this disclosed in the members declaration of interests" and laid on the table during the discussions when awarding the contract? Was he actually involved in said discussions or did he absent himself from the discussion as a "conflicted person" should have? I don't know and I'll warrant you don't

There are procedures for dealing with this sort of thing which, if followed, should allow this situation to happen. The "facts" you lay out do not necessarily mean appropriate processes did not take place.

But hey, lets not spoil the opportunity to dig a few more knives in.

I used Randox when returning from Greece and they seemed entirely fit for purpose. When researching what test company to use, I found many alternative government testing company at different prices and with slightly different packages available, so I'm struggling to see how other companies weren't given the opportunity....

Im not saying there wasn't skulduggery going on, but you're out with your "hanging jury" black cap on inferences already with no regard for any hard facts or detail. Are you sure you haven't ever worked as a headlines manager for the News of the World?! perhaps not on £ 500 an hour though

You conveniently omit the fact that the only reason a company pays an MP £100K a year as a "consultant" is in the hope that he can lobby for their interests, provide access to government for contracts etc. I doubt rA as a teacher or you or I for that matter have the sort of access to people in power that would attract that offer!

Given the very public (even though the Dept of health has yet to publish details of contracts awarded as required!) details of how contracts were awarded to companies that were "mates2 acquaintances or even relatives of ministers and MP's, billions of tax payers money given away in proven instances for PPE and equipment that didn't even work, rA is far from being sensationalist!

But then its that attitude of "we'd all do the same if we had the chance" (Actually many of us wouldn't!) that has meant a distinct lack of alarm by many voters, that we have a serial lair, a pedlar of untruths, a man with no principles other than what suits him best as Prime Minister!

For me this whole issue of paid consultancy etc. should not be allowed for MP's, even if (and its clear from the standards committee report that Patterson didn't) follow the rules, its still a complete conflict of interest, but then didn't Cameron make bold promises about ending the lobbying culture within parliament? That went well!

[swaledale]

Erm...and there’s me thinking this was the Covid thread...not the ‘what Swale mistakenly said thread’.
Can we move on...to recently discredited MP Owen Paterson perhaps...not least because it’s relevant.

So today Owen Paterson seems to have been exposed...but not perhaps for what he might have been.

Owen Paterson is a paid consultant of Randox for which, along with his MP’s salary, he receives an alleged eye watering £500 per hour.
Randox are a company who were awarded a £133m Government contract by Mat Hancock’s Health Dept. for Covid testing kits.
It has been suggested that other companies weren’t given the opportunity to bid, but I don’t know if that’s entirely true.
Either way...is this how things should work...and is this just the proverbial ‘tip of the iceberg’ as regards the ‘Government’s Handling of Covid’?

I suggest you read some back issues of Private Eye to understand the true scale of the billions of pounds of tax payers money that have gone to friends, acquaintances and even relatives of Conservative MP's (funny no Labour o Liberal ones!) a complete scandal, even legitimate contracts to consultants have been very questionable but many have become rich through Covid!

[ramAnag]

I cannot resist a fleeting "ratatattat" from the tail gunner observation!

As for the MP - if someone is daft enough to pay him 500 an hour, then go for it. That it is in excess of his MP salary.... so what? I'm prepared to bet if someone had asked you to do some remunerated work for them whilst you were a teacher, you wouldn't have said "No, don't pay me, I'm being paid for doing a different job already".

The we have to ask "was this disclosed in the members declaration of interests" and laid on the table during the discussions when awarding the contract? Was he actually involved in said discussions or did he absent himself from the discussion as a "conflicted person" should have? I don't know and I'll warrant you don't

There are procedures for dealing with this sort of thing which, if followed, should allow this situation to happen. The "facts" you lay out do not necessarily mean appropriate processes did not take place.

But hey, lets not spoil the opportunity to dig a few more knives in.

I used Randox when returning from Greece and they seemed entirely fit for purpose. When researching what test company to use, I found many alternative government testing company at different prices and with slightly different packages available, so I'm struggling to see how other companies weren't given the opportunity....

Im not saying there wasn't skulduggery going on, but you're out with your "hanging jury" black cap on inferences already with no regard for any hard facts or detail. Are you sure you haven't ever worked as a headlines manager for the News of the World?! perhaps not on £ 500 an hour though

No ‘ratatattat’ from me...just trying to bring an end to the childish point scoring.

Lol...if anyone had offered me £500 per hour I wouldn’t have been teaching, but I think you miss the point. It’s additional to his MP’s salary and presumably involves 200 hours work per year. In addition he has another company who he acts as a consultant for. Shouldn’t our MP’s be concentrating on one job at a time?

You make a fair technical point about ‘members’ declarations of interests’, but shouldn’t we be avoiding the need for such declarations altogether?
My question would be...why should we tolerate our MP’s having such interests in companies/organisations that are likely to profit from decisions taken by the Parliament they are a part of.

Who’s digging ‘a few more knives in’? I’m asking a pertinent question about an issue which the appropriate authorities have raised and threatened a thirty day suspension over.

I too used Randox...not sure what their ability has to do with the issue...but I can certainly see how they’ve profited from the pandemic.

How am I being a ‘hanging judge’? I don’t think I’ve ‘inferred’ anything...just reported the facts as I understand them and asked for people’s opinions on what is an aspect of the ‘Government’s Handling of Covid’. Sadly the fact that you seem to think it’s all okay and above board comes as no great surprise.

P.S. Apologies for the duplication of any of Swale’s points...I hadn’t read them when I posted.

[Andy_Faber]

A bit like someone now then?

Stop going on about Rattae's account, you're just making yourself look daft, he even got one of our former posters to pop back to endorse his existence

[ramAnag]

Stop going on about Rattae's account, you're just making yourself look daft, he even got one of our former posters to pop back to endorse his existence

Stop going on about Swale/Rattea’s account, you’re just making yourself look daft...and ruining the thread! We’ve moved on...to something that matters.

[Andy_Faber]

Stop going on about Swale/Rattea’s account, you’re just making yourself look daft...and ruining the thread! We’ve moved on...to something that matters.

Thanks for the suggestion but it's personal as Swale has intimated that I'm running Rattae's account. My 'going on' would have ceased at one post if you hadn't rear gunned, it will now cease after two posts.

[Andy_Faber]

For me this whole issue of paid consultancy etc. should not be allowed for MP's

Digging out a diamond from the dross of Swale's post, this is the answer. But I doubt its on any party's 'to do list', I've said before there are no clean hands in politics as history relates.

[ramAnag]

Thanks for the suggestion but it's personal as Swale has intimated that I'm running Rattae's account. My 'going on' would have ceased at one post if you hadn't rear gunned, it will now cease after two posts.

Oh right...so now your spat with Swale is my fault! Don’t be so bloody ridiculous. It’s totally childish and boring, and if it was me v Tricky you’d, quire rightly, be the first one to try and calm it down and tell us to grow up. Physician health thyself and let’s get back to the real issue.

Justifying something by saying ‘there are no clean hands in politics’ doesn’t help. It just encourages them. The point surely is...Swales’ ‘diamond’.