Lying to Parliament was once thought to be among the most serious offences any Member could commit. That's why the *allegation* of lying was treated with such severity.
Now that the sanction against lying has collapsed, punishing the allegation simply protects the offender.
Now that the sanction against lying has collapsed, punishing the allegation simply protects the offender.
https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1418230091201622024
A culture in which ministers can lie with impunity, while MPs are punished for calling them out, is manifestly absurd. If the House will not punish dishonesty - which would be the best solution - it must stop pretending it never happens.
Above all, our democracy needs to stop treating those who lie as roguish scamps, scrumping apples from the orchard. To quote @OborneTweets, "political lying is a form of theft. It means voters make democratic judgments on the basis of falsehoods. Their rights are stripped away".
And yes, letting MPs call each other liars will coarsen our politics. But to pretend a moral code that no longer exists is itself a form of lying; & to punish those who break the pretence makes Parlt complicit in the lie. If we can't punish falsehood, let's not penalise the truth
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