It has to be Christopher Chope for me this week. Though obviously they are all very deserving nominees, the measure ‘how many children’s lives did they risk? is the crucial one for me here. Obviously, by being Tories or fascists, they are inherently risking children’s lives. But, in the case of Chope, we know which children. Dick.

Having followed this, it simply has to be Christopher Chope.

Not only did he kill the Bill but he spoke at inordinate length attempting to fillibuster it before hand and still hasn’t responded to my e-mail. Definite Git.

It has to be Chope for me, with Ms. Joseph a close second, but I’d also like to give an honourable mention to David Starkey as ‘Frothing Tory Arsehole of the Week’ (apologies in advance for any disturbing mental images conjured by the name) for his latest appearance on Question Time, sneering at the Green Party’s socialist roots and suggesting that everyone work part-time and take huge pay-cuts, among other things.

Having written a post this week defending Christopher Chope http://thoughcowardsflinch.com/2010/03/16/the-vulture-fund-bill-defending-christopher-chope/ I think my vote has to be, like Adam, Christopher Chope

May I also add< a former US general and NATO commander who said that the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 was at least partly due to homosexual soldiers serving in the Dutch Army?

Otherwise my vote goes to Chope MP.

A hat tip to Junius’ website where the activities of the UKIP leadership are described in loving detail, from which I’d nominate Nigel Farage – probably on a standing basis.

While the Bertha Joseph affair has seriously annoyed me this week – not least because Coleman’s budget is so inherently unpleasant and flawed, so her hanging around for long enough to push it through has been seriously damaging to the London fire services – it’s hard to disagree with Christopher Chope as the most deserving recipient. His childish refusal to admit that he was responsible straight away seals the deal. Absolute scumbag.

Chope, but not by far.

Chope – Although looking at his voting record ‘of the week’ might be a little redundant

Chope – what an utter tosser. Cameron must be tearing his (airbrushed) hair out. Just when he thinks he’s getting the Tories a better rep as caring sharing people some little scum like this pops up and reminds us all why it’s important that they don’t win the upcoming election.

Chope, but Willie Walsh should’ve been nominated.

Chope is a clear winner.

Three of your nominees are here because of one political issue in London local government. Isn’t this a bit parochial?There are certainly some scumbags in Scotland, and I dare say there are a few in Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions as well.

Chope, then Galloway.

Perhaps we can send Chope a prize?

Lefty thinks Tories are Scumbags?

No mention of Gordon Brown for lying to Chilcott and Parliament? None?

Chope did the right thing. The bill would have changed the law retrospectively. As I’ve said around and about the place changing the law under which contracts in the future will be written is one thing. Changing the law on contracts which have already been written and loans disbursed is entirely another.

And as far as I’ve been able to discern the only way of amending the bill was to do exactly what he did.

My nomination is Gorgeous George. Not just on the general principle that I think he’s a total scumbag but for his specific actions here.

Yeah, I’ll go for Chope too.

There is one tiny problem. If – as looks likely on these early returns – Chope wins, won’t this permit Griffin to argue that he must be a respectable politician, as even lefties won’t vote him “scumbag of the week”?

Err Jackart…

a. Chilcott was a fortnight ago and this a scumbag of the week contest, and

b. You’ve got Galloway and Michael Martin on the list, so what are you complaining about.

Chope, by far. Galloway?? Everyone else can sue other people for libellous statements so I don’t see why bloggers like David Toube should be exempt. He’s been writing lies for years.

Ok, having read the letter David Toube was sent, I agree, Galloway is overreacting and being an arse.

But in no way can that be compared to Chope.

David Toube is a Muslim-hater and I can’t shed any tears for his plight

George Galloway,
just gratefully retire, will you?

Bertha Joseph for spending charity money on herself, Nick Griffin for wanting all disabled people dead… oh and I find it interesting that there are so many Conservatives on this list. I knew I read LC for good reasons! But where’s David Cameron?

Chope.

Galloway, because he’s an all round prick.

I’m going to be different and say Eve We of Though Cowards Flinch fame

Galloway has always been a dick, just like Griffin, this week it has to be Chope.

@Tim Worstall – Contracts written on the basis of ripping off impoverished developing nations on unaffordable, immoral debts made by irresponsible lenders do not deserve to be honoured.

@LO – Keep us posted with progress… I’m sure he’ll get back to you

“Contracts written on the basis of ripping off impoverished developing nations on unaffordable, immoral debts made by irresponsible lenders do not deserve to be honoured. ”

But those weren’t the original contracts. The original contracts were “We’re a country, we’d like to borrow some money”. “Certainly sir, the law says that if you don’t pay it back we can do this, this and this.” “Yes please, I’ll take the loan”.

No if you want to claim that the very debt itself was immoral…..”odious” is I believe the word as someone reminded me here a few days ago….then that’s a different matter. But this law is not limited to solely such odious debts. It’s any and every debt contracted by one of the HIPC nations.

Bank of Worstall lends money to Mr. Scumbag Dictator who wastes it all and then BoW asks the new democratic regime to pay him back. That’s towards the odious end of the scale. Barclay’s lends money to Tanzania simply ain’t the same. But this law would treat the two the same.

#27

Just don’t care. Debts to developing nations should be forgiven anyway.

Chope for my vote too.

Although Coleman (and everyone else, come to think about it) comes a close second.

Chope.

Honourable mention to someone not nominated.

http://thoughcowardsflinch.com/2010/03/17/the-enhanced-case-for-the-immediate-deselection-of-frank-field/

“Debts to developing nations should be forgiven anyway.”

Seriously?

Vietnam (just as an example) borrows, invests wisely and pays it back then comes back again and builds a growing economy off the back of the transfer of capital.

Tanzania borrows and spunks it up the wall.

Tanzania gets lett off the debt?

And the incentive to invest borrowings widely in future is what?

#30 Good call.

#31 I’d be happy to compromise with you by adding the word “historic”. Personally I’m a fan of the Jubilee principle of forgiving debts after 7 years. Of course, we’d need to radically restructure our economic system to do that.

“Debts to developing nations should be forgiven anyway”

tim f, that’s crazy talk, you might as well write that developing nations should be excluded from borrowing money. Some (“odious”) debts should be forgiven, but if developing nations are going to be able to continue to borrow, they need to keep honouring their debts. Plenty of developing countries are run by reasonably responsible governments that have borrowed money with the intention and ability to pay it back, it’s actually a bit patronising to assume that, say, all of Sub-Sahara Africa is so hopeless that the entire continent should be regarded as delinquent.

I didn’t know about what Tim W says about Chope and honouring contracts, nor the details of the proposed legislation. I’m sympathetic to the idea that clumsy but well intentioned legislation could do more harm than good, but really Tim W, in practice, if it stops the vulture funds getting up to that shit, how much harm can it do? Please don’t just say general things about the harm of debasing the law post hoc.

(N.B if you’re really interested, this guy’s papers on debt relief are interesting, and you can knock yourself out with citation links on this Krugman paper. )

I’m still basking in James Purcell’s idiocy. Coke, corruption, dodgy sexual activities – ah, priceless. Most interesting thing that happens round here is a few cakes on the buffet menu – thrilling!

Chope. Martin and Galloway come close though.

What about Gordon Brown For lying about funding for troops? For giving an interview to a friendly journalist who published dodgy phtographs of british troops toturing Iraqi prisoners for which he was sacked?

Why isn’t he on the list?

Galloway. Tories caught doing despicable things in the name of conservativism do us all a favour, ditto fascists behaving like fascists. Racist scumbags doing in the name of ‘socialism’ tarnish the left by association.

I would nominate Toube and the boys at the place. Thatcherite economics and neo conservative on every other issue. Good on Galloway for calling their bluff, even if he is complete tit.
As for the others, they acting as true Tories, Cameron’s true vision. In a sense they should be applauded for their honesty

Well, Griffin isn’t going anywhere, alas, so there’s no pressing urgency to vote for him. Likewise Galloway: he was an arsehole last week and he’ll be an arsehole next week.
Chope, I think, has to get my vote; as much for the cowardly way he went about his opposition as to actually blocking the anti-ulture PMB.

God, I wish Worstall would get with it instead of banging on like he always does.

Hi Unity,

I appreciate what you’re trying to say when you use “butt-fucking” to describe exhorbitant legal fees charged in libel cases, but please could you reconsider the terminology? The implied anal rape analogy isn’t helpful and helps contribute to a culture in which rape is normalised/trivialised through everyday language and unsuitable comparisons. Keep up the good work otherwise, though.

My vote goes to Chope, for the record.

The implied anal rape analogy isn’t helpful and helps contribute to a culture in which rape is normalised/trivialised through everyday language and unsuitable comparisons.

Attempting to censor expression isn’t helpful and contributes to a culture in which writers have to tiptoe around language that effectively makes their point but might offend someone with a ridiculously sensitive impression of the potential for words to influence behaviour.

Chope by a country mile. It’s about time he was brought down a peg or seven (I’m sure he’ll be really bothered by this Scumbag of the Week prize, but still…)

I nominate Unity, the originator of this piece, as scumbag of the week for failing to include any New Labour scumbags in the approved list. God knows there are more than enough of them to choose from.

#43

Why do you want to stop Jo from saying what she thinks?

Theresa May. Scumbag of the month. Oh, it’s still March.