Tory MP accused of watching pornography in Commons chamber

Whether we are paupers or millionaires. the law says we should all be treated equally.

I was shocked when I read this. Not necessarily why others might have been but he was my MP for a few years. He was a good MP, cared about his community and when I contacted him directly to help me with a few issues he always responded very quickly.

Many a good politician has been unseated by the MSM with their ‘high moral ground’ and easily offended party, and most of the reporting journalists are tossers!
:nerd_face:

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I have worked with 2 people in the past who were sacked for watching porn at work - they weren’t reported in the newspaper but one was taken to a disciplinary hearing and then dismissed - the other resigned to avoid a disciplinary hearing.
Inappropriate use of the internet at work is considered gross misconduct and a sackable offence by a lot of employers.

One chap I worked with in a financial company was found out by the IT section because he inadvertently let in a virus to the company’s network when he clicked on a porn site and could have caused a security breach in the company’s systems if the systems hadn’t detected and alerted attention to it.

In my last job, a chap was using our shared office computer on NHS Trust premises - another colleague was using the computer after him and kept getting porn-related Ads popping up on the screen.
She wondered where we could have picked up a cookie for such explicit ads, so she looked at site history and saw this guy had been visiting lots of porn sites every day she looked back at.
She advised the Boss, who asked the IT team to check for any other problems.
He was given the option of resigning or being taken to a disciplinary tribunal - he chose to resign to save himself the embarrassment of a disciplinary hearing.

It’s not just the act of looking at porn when you should be working that is an issue for employers - there’s also the issue of accessing dodgy sites on your employers computers or using their IT systems that may compromise their security -
I don’t know how the internet services work inside the House of Commons and I don’t know how the MPs keep their secure and confidential work separate from their personal stuff - but it was one of the questions that came to my mind when I read this story.

Anyway, MPs are in the House to represent their constituents - and they know the proceedings are televised - it’s not a good look to be playing with your devices when you’re supposed to be listening to debates and discussions in the House.
I recall a fuss and a lot of criticism when the TV cameras picked up an MP playing a game of Candy Crush on his iPad in the House - sitting there watching porn shows a much worse lack of judgement.

Don’t I know it! Our new MP has come in for a lot of stick because he’s gay. As if that makes a difference. His family has been in the area as farmers for a few hundred years and he does a lot for us.

Frankly the media have a lot to answer for

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Exactly … :+1:

I have known a lot of journalists & most are in the job to get good money for reporting these kind of stories.
If this man was using his government phone then it should be up to party leader to take action , not the national press.

It was not the National press who “took action” - the press did not uncover this story - it was other Tory members who complained - we can blame the the press for a lot of intrusive reporting and underhand tactics but, in this case, it seems to me they were just reporting what happened.

An official inquiry was launched after Neil Parish referred himself for investigation, so he himself “took action”

This was after two female colleagues of his own party complained after claiming to have seen him looking at “adult content” while sitting near them - so they “took action”

Initially, Parish refused to resign as an MP or as head of the environment select committee until the inquiry was concluded.

It was the Parliament’s Standards Commissioner who “took action” and suspended Mr Parish from the Conservative parliamentary party, pending the outcome of the investigation.

If it was found that he had violated the code of conduct for MPs, possible punishments range from apologising to the Commons to suspension or expulsion would have followed.
Instead, Neil Parish “took action” before the inquiry he had instigated and resigned.
Maybe he had second thoughts after reflecting on his position and accepting that his actions had breached the “Rules of Behaviour” in the House of Commons.

https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/rules-of-behaviour.pdf

  1. The House has agreed to the use in the Chamber
    of hand-held electronic devices provided that they cause no disturbance and are not used in such a way as to impair decorum. Their use should be confined to enabling your participation in debate. You may use electronic devices in place of paper notes in debate and may consult them when you are not speaking, but they must not distract you or others from the debate going on or make it look as if you are not listening. All such devices must be in silent mode and the taking of telephone calls or listening to voicemails in the Chamber is prohibited.

He has acknowledged that he had deliberately accessed a porn site whilst in the House of Commons and, although it was not during a debate but while he was waiting to vote, it could be said he was using his mobile device in the House “in such a way as to impair decorum.”

One shouldn’t shoot the messenger just because you don’t like the news he brings.

And, of course, this man’s “employers” are all of us - we are paying his wages, so he is not only answerable to his party leader but to the people who elect him and the people who pay his wages.

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Another Tory breaks the rules - presumably their upbringing leads them to believe that “rules aren’t for us” … :roll_eyes:

Mr Slade told The Telegraph he ‘could see’ how the search might have led to inappropriate content, arguing: ‘I have never had any concerns about his behaviour and I regard Neil as totally truthful.’

Mr Slade’s suggestion has not yet been confirmed by Mr Parish, though the former Tory MP did say he was looking at tractors when he stumbled upon adult content.

It’s possible … :thinking:

Nevertheless, unless Parish was searching for material relevant to the ongoing debate, he was still breaking the rules:

Their use should be confined to enabling your participation in debate.

I’m not condoning the bloke, and using the works computer network would be serious, but wasn’t the MP on his phone? In which case he would be using the porn site through his own provider.

The reason I mentioned the security aspect is that the report of the incident did not specify whether the MP was using his work mobile phone, which is provided by the government, or a separate personal mobile phone.
Nor did it state whether he was connected to his own personal mobile provider when accessing the Internet porn sites or whether his phone was connected to the Parliamentary Estate’s WiFi.

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It does raise a question, OGF, about mobiles in the HOC.

I note that some of my off springs (now in their 50s) have two mobile phones.

One is their private one & the other is the office one, being the one which is security checked and managed by their bosses.

The way security seems to work, anyone thought to be using a mobile, whilst driving a car, could see their mobile taken away and searched to see who was saying what & when, plus where they’ve been.

Needs a bit of thought.

:umbrella:

Yes Ted, I’m sure that if the perpetrator was using the government provided wifi link it could easily be checked out.

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I was a very naught girl when I worked , sometimes the days were quiet in the office and I would use my work computer to play
PATIENCE

Luckily i didnt get caught! :innocent:

I look at OFF when I’m at work . Many sites are blocked but luckily not OFF

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:open_mouth:

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s’up wi’ thee gob Foxy haha

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I, once, got told off for riding on a local roundabout whilst I should have been working.

The Company gave me a Funfair Dismissal!

:ferris_wheel:

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:groan:

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