WHITER THAN THE DRIVEN SNOW: There is no such thing as Tory corruption, claims the Crime Minister. Conservatives are simply incapable of doing bad things.
Boris Johnson’s own record is squeaky clean. He was never sacked for lying, he merely resigned to help a friend save face. He did this twice, in a measure of his legendary generosity. He never tried to help Darius Guppy to beat up a journalist, that was just elaborate banter between mates. A bigger boy made him pour shit into our rivers.
So it is with Owen Paterson. The money he may or may not have been paid was not a bribe or an incentive to influence policy. In fact, the money was merely resting in his account.
Accordingly, the now redundant Standards Committee will have to be disbanded. The anti-corruption chief will no longer have any responsibilities, although he will doubtless still be paid. It’s amazing what a retrospective rule change can do for decency and honesty.
“The British government has the highest international reputation for honesty in the world,” claimed Johnson advisor Stan Dards. “This will only have been enhanced by today’s announcement that MPs and ministers are officially incapable of any wrongdoing. This is a great day for democracy. No longer will our MPs have to look over their shoulders for the irritating watchdog whenever generous wellwishers donate money to supplement the pittance they get paid. This move will ensure that lobbying will become a thing of the past, not least because giving money to MPs is now going to be called Associate Membership of The House.”
It is a sad state of affairs when persistent rumours of financial, sexual and drug-related irregularities follow our blameless representatives. The PM has declared such things impossible. It’s time to restore trust, and therefore we must take Johnson at his word. After all, who ever heard of a Tory prime minister lying?