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(No) Licence to Drive

Michael Crick | 15:30 UK time, Monday, 22 March 2010

Stephen Byers notoriously spoke of himself as being like a "cab-for-hire" at £5,000 a time.

I'm not sure I'd be interested in hiring that particular cab given that during his time as transport secretary Byers caused quite a stir when it was revealed that he couldn't drive and had no driving licence.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Rather than trying to quip here, what about exposing this for what it is.

    Another shameful episode from this slug of a man.

  • Comment number 2.

    ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WESTMINSTER

    The 'Byers' Leopard' has been spotted in his usual haunts - again. One cannot help wondering if 'Peter's Mandyrill' will break out of his reserve for the third time - unlucky. The arrival of 'Blair's Fox' (the one that turns whiter than white, when doing a 'snow job') could well prove the catalyst.

    Watch this vacuous locality.

  • Comment number 3.

    While I do not think that all politicians are in it for what they can get out of it, there are several of the current crop of passed over, ex-Ministers who are a disgrace. Not only have they reportedly plotted behind the scenes to unseat the Prime Minister but they have simultaneously been open to offers. If their continuing bad behaviour contributes to the defeat of Labour in May, they will also have shown themselves to be people who had little interest in the ordinary electors who support the party that gave them the opportunities they now abuse. I think they should be ashamed of themselves.

  • Comment number 4.

    What about the antics of " Tim nice but dim " or are the Tories for some reason immune from any criticism ?

  • Comment number 5.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 6.

    The Dispatches programme was an apalling revelation of the practices of ex-ministers.

    The more worrying thing is the behaviour of a retiring Tory MP awaiting his ennoblement and apparently intent to exploit this position in the Lords to give lobbysts accesss to ministers of the new government of their aquaintance. This could be the tip an iceberg for those who have manipulated their expenses and now expect the chance to manipulate their privileges and expenses. I trust Mr Cameron will not appoint such people to the Lords.

    Similarly, if appointed peers are playing the rules to assist lobbysts for profit this is outrageous whichever party they were appointed by. The time has come for Parliamentarians of both houses to he restricted to one job.

  • Comment number 7.

    So nice to see Byers, Hewett and Hoon drop themselves in it from a great height.

    I particulalry liked the denial by Byers when he said his claim to influence Ministers was untrue. Now if that was the case, then clearly Byers was not telling the truth to the American company about his influence with Ministers and his fee of £5000 per day for execising that influence. This begs the question of whether his denial was in itself an admission of unlawful behaviour, doesn't it?

  • Comment number 8.

    COCK-CROW AT GONE ELEVEN (#7)

    Hope you saw Mandy emphatically deny (twice) that Byers negotiated with him in the past. But just suppose there WAS contact. What would have been Mandy's reply - Yus gov, I dun it, banged to rights I am?

    So we are on 50:50 odds. Interesting times - echoes of the past.

  • Comment number 9.

    This is a good day to bury bad news like Stephen Byers

  • Comment number 10.

    Jeremy missed a point last night when he asked Mandy if he knew what Byers had been talking about. Mandy replied `zero' twice. Surely a `no' would have been quite adequate. Was this `zero' a dissimulation, I ask myself?

  • Comment number 11.

    this is another gaffe from 'badnews day Byers' beautiful.....what do you expect from this maverick, greedy bunch of Blairites who used a once proud Labour party to trash it's reputation into the dirt for a lousy few quid....shameful

  • Comment number 12.

    I WISH I HAD POSTED THAT (#9)

    Nice!

  • Comment number 13.



    Were being driven to a bad place by a delusion of the money love value. Were all over the show, unable to keep on track; bleary eyed and punch drunk with desire for 'stuff ' to drive ourselves back to the future .

  • Comment number 14.

    It seems that some of these politicians have total and utter contempt for the public as they rush to feather their own pockets. I expect that this recent disgraceful episode has now sunk the PM's chance of ever becoming PM again; however, there is still time yet for more sleaze as they bury themselves deeper into the cesspit of political oblivion. Greed seems to be the order of the day for politicians; many of whom still have not yet been taken to task for pilfering the public pot; above the law they think to themselves. Parliament is now in disrepute; a failed organisation run by wheelers and dealers; spivs and it seems; as someone said again: Crooks.

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