Quite. Actually politicians are less likely to tell outright lies than people in other walks of life. If they do, as there is more focus on them, they are more likely to be caught out and the consequences are more likely to be severe. And it is impossible to draw a line between putting your own spin on something (which is legitimate, something that everyone does in every walk of life and something that also likely reflects diverging views on different topics) and deliberately misleading people.

Of course, when they do misrepresent or deliberately lead people astray, it is more important than when a random does it.

I think by its very nature, it will be difficult to prove and enforce. I think you may well end up with private litigation and perhaps nuiscence cases brought by tabloid newspapers. I think innocent MPs may have their careers tainted by the above. That’s why I think it won’t strike a balance. I thought I’d said most of that in earlier posts. My preferred balance would be using existing national/international law, the ballot box and constitutional reform.

I agree with everything you say in that post. I don’t agree with an anti-deception act. Part of the reasoning is that it does nothing to strike a balance. It is unworkable and subject to problems that I’ve said.

However i do see the negetive side to this bill there will be loop holes allowing deception to be used in the bailing out from the charges of deception. It is however important to remember the political system that Britain finds herself, it is one that holds evolutionary legislative attributes! This specific bill may be the start of a very succesful piece of Parliamentry self-scruitnising lesgislation.

I do not think that MP Adam Price believes this Bill will be route out all Political deception, it will certainly be a obstruction to a practice which should never be tolerated in Westminster. (excluding sensetive matters of national security ofcourse.)
Let the war against political deception begin!

Bloody great news for lawyers. Seriously bad news for Friday nights “working late”, “forgetting” to do the washing up, etc.

If it’s simply a case of applying the same rules to elected representatives as to anyone else, why not simply propose the Prohibition of Deception Bill and make it illegal for ANYONE to lie. Simple. And great news for lawyers…

Also, regulation is not the same as legislation. MPs are already regulated, but perhaps this should be more independant

When I watched the Ministry of Truth on BBC2 last year, the programme didn’t address any of the valid concerns expressed about their proposals – merely portraying anyone who disagreed with them as venal and self-serving. Maybe the DVD will be more balanced, but given the fact that they no longer even have to contend with the light touch of the BBC’s impartiality guidelines, I somehow doubt it.

We prove fraudulent behaviour, that’s not the same as proving lying. There are actions and consequences that are tangible and inexplicable, this is not often the case with “deception”.

Also, if we already have the ability to prosecute deceptive behaviour/fraud, then why not use those measures we already have to seek redress against MPs? Why invent a whole new peice of legislation which may be unnecessary?

Adam, you kinda prove my point! It’s a fatuous and unnecessary legislation programmed to provide a specific “pressure group” with publicity.

Can’t we just use the methods we ALREADY USE to prove dishonesty?