MP's who Resign now standing Independents

The reason I started the Op was to show how many MP's are now sitting as Independents and out of fairness I listed 'ALL' 18 because it crosses Party Lines. Lord knows how many more may be Resigning.

I didn't give my opinion in the OP but my gut feeling is if an MP ' Resigns the Whip. ' or ' Resigns from their Party. ' ,most certainly receives a custodial sentence, the ' System' should be in place a Bi - Election follows and not be in the hands of the individual MP.

Thankyou MOnica I never knew that. I think it’s s better way.

I think the MPs are driven by principal but perhaps as the party name is on the ballot then by elections should be held??

Anniebach

You might be right he just looks too slick to me.

I am asking if MP's of ' ANY ' colour who Resigns the Whip or his/her Party should be able to simply become a sitting Independent MP or should Parliamentary Procedure be changed to give the constituency voters the right to have a Bi - Election.

Monica

' IF you vote, you should vote first for an MP then for a party. If you do anything else you are not treating the ballot with the seriousness it deserves.

Yes, there are exceptions, being convicted of a criminal offence, regardless of the sentence and, what I could best describe as, moral turpitude' sufficient for you to have the whip withdrawn and for you to be excluded from party membership - sexual harassment, fiddling expenses etc.

But beyond that, the MP and their views remain essentially those they had when elected, why should they resign over a label.'
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The MP' s who are now sitting as Independent MP's were not forced to Resign, they chose to Resign either the Whip or Party.

The candidates for MP also stand on their Party Manifesto and that surely is another reason why constituents/voters elect them as their MP.

If the MP is elected because he/she is the best candidate and not because of the party they belong to would it not be the case they would win again in a Bi - Election?

I am amused by the criticism of those who resigned their parties, for so long there have been posts about the tories not keeping to the promises Mrs May gave the day she took office. Sarah Wollostan said the same today .

The outrage at racism yet Luciana Berger has suffered so much racist abuse and bullying, as confirmed by fellow MP’s, shouldn’t those who didn’t realy try to stop the racist attacks be the one’s to resign ?

Principles ?

Never in the past has it been assumed that every candidate will pledge themselves wholly and entirely to every policy in a party manifesto and Mr Corbyn has himself been a wonderful example of how it is possible, as an MP, to be prepared to commit oneself to a party, while not being signed up to every policy, indeed to such an extent that they are prepared to vote against the party whip. I think the word used to describe this acceptance of all views bound by a common philosophy was called, being a memeber of a 'broad church'

Unfortunately what has happened is that one party has become an excessively narrow church and the other party has split up into warring sects.

There is no reason to believe that any of the new independent group have changed their political beliefs or that there was much on that manifesto that they do not still stand for. What they all clearly did not stand for, nor was it in the manifesto was anti-semitism nor the narrow minded authoritarianism that brooks no dissent on anything.

A party affiliation is just a label. What all the independents would say is that the parties they joined and supported it for so many years have so changed in the last few years, that it is the parties who have left them, rather than they who have left their parties.

I once more find myself agreeing with all that Day6 has stated in the above posts. Out of sheer principle, these MPs should stand for re-election, being that they stood for parliament as party candidates at the last General Election.

In the above, these people no longer accept the authority of the party that granted them the original opportunities towards the privileged positions they now hold. Therefore with that, it be accepted that these MPs no longer hold any allegiance towards the party manifestos they were elected on. Therefore, these MPs have no valid reason (in my view) to retain their Parliamentary seats without now placing their revised views before the electorate.

On a lighter note, despite Day6 and myself being at opposite ends of the political spectrum, I find the stated principles of Day6 in this thread and others very much in line with my own. Therefore, I apologise to Day6 for not supporting her statements more often in the last few days, but we have been extremely busy in the business, and I simply have had little free time.

So, Day6 you can most certainly continue to also speak for me when it comes to points of principle in parliamentary matters.

In that, they say that left and right in politics will never agree on anything. I believe we prove different Day6.

Tell me, Grandad1943 Who is more principled the person who holds to the ideals of their party, even if it means parting company with it or the person who clings on in , while time and time again (400 plus in all) voting against that party?

Totally agree with you Monica.
I voted for my MP in spite of his being a Tory.
I would be quite pleased if he resigned the whip of what the Tory Party has now become.
Day6 In any other form of employment, if you jumped ship from one firm to another, your former employers would not continue to pay you, nor would they be happy to have you use their logo (for want of a better word) to support your new career
That is a ridiculous analogy. MPs are neither employed by, nor are their salaries paid by, the political parties on whose tickets they run.

I do not think it is as simple as voting for a person.

We all know that rosettes colours come out at election time. Each candidate, unless s/he is an independent is standing for a party and agrees with the party manifesto.

Not only that collectively our MP could give his/her party enough votes to form a government (or a local council.)

I doubt very many of us would vote for a UKIP candidate just because they seemed nice and had good intentions. Party does matter.

The day the party rules supreme should be the day the party agrees to pay their salaries. As they say, he who pays the piper calls the tune. Parliament pays the piper and its representatives call the tune.

But Janeainsorth if they stand for a party one would expect them to act for that party.

This bunch of Remainers Independents did not try to sort out party differences from within - yet, as Remainers they tell us we must stay in Brussels and sort out our many grievances with the EU from within.

Hypocrites, the lot of them. Unless they go to their constituencies and stand as Independents in by-elections their credibility and trustworthiness is irreparably damaged.

Should all those ERG members and other MPs who vote against the party line also stand in by elections?
Do all those calling for by elections also support a second referendum on the grounds that our knowledge of the issues has changed since the last one?
My MP clearly stated she disagreed with her party manifesto on several issues- yet she was elected- should she stand in a by elections?
The Last election was called so quickly that manifestos didn’t appear till half way through the campaign - candidates definitely didn’t “sign up for it” - the Tory one was written by an unelected bloke who has since resigned- several promises in that manifesto have been quietly dropped - liars! We demand a general election. All logical.

But Janeainsorth if they stand for a party one would expect them to act for that party

No, Day6. They act for their constituents, in the interests of all of their constituents, not just those who voted for the party which marketed them and helped them into office.

Blind loyalty to a party doesn’t equate to acting with integrity.

I admire Anna Soubry and the others because they are concerned about the welfare of the country. Both parties have gone to extremes, Labour far left and the Conservatives far right. I suspect the majority of the population are somewhere in the middle and do not want our economy to fail and our standing in the world to decline.

I agree about standing by your principles MOnica but you can't have your cake and eat it.
The defectors should stand for re-election under their new colours

Sodapop I don’t think the defectors have new colours. They are standing up for the beliefs they have always held. I voted for the person not the party.

Luciana Berger certaintly wasn’t ‘having cake’ .

No MP in any constituency has 100% of the votes. Chances are that lots of their constituents are glad the independents have left their affiliated parties.
Lots of people vote for the person not the party. Good luck to these independents. I hope they lead to a real shake up!

Well said Jane10.

Exactly my views Jane10

The Tory Party has said the three MP’s who left the party will be welcomed back

Corbyn has made a video telling the eight Labour MP’s to do the decent thing and stand in a bi election.

janeinsworth

' Totally agree with you Monica.
I voted for my MP in spite of his being a Tory.'
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Taking the colour of the party out of it that is the reason I said :-

' If the MP is elected because he/she is the best candidate and not because of the party they belong to would it not be the case they would win again in a By- Election?

The point I am trying to make is not solely related to the 11 who have just Resgned from their respective parties , hence I put forward a list showing others MP's.

However.

As for the Corbyn video telling the 7 Labour MP's to hold By-Elections why didn't he espouse the same position when other Labour MP's either ' Resigned the Whip' or ' Resigned from the Labour Party 'to sit as Independents ?

Ex Labour MP Fiona Onasanya
Ex Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins
Ex Labour MP Ivan Lewis
Ex Labour MP Jared O'Mara
Ex Labour MP John Woodcock
Ex Labour MP Frank Field

This also brings me back to the other point raised.

Should it be upto the individual MP to decide if he/she decides to sit as an Independent or should there be a Parliamentary Procedure that sets the need for a By-Election so the Constituents/Voter in their respective constituencies vote for the MP of their choice to represent them.

That could of course by the MP who decided to become an Independent MP!

There is a parliamentary procedure, I have posted the rules in the last few days