I was too drunk to vote on Budget, confesses Tories' Mr Reckless (or should that be Legless?)

Daily Mail ^ | July 11, 2010 | Simon Walters

[gary_b_UK]

A shamed Tory MP has admitted he was too drunk to vote in the debate on the Budget after a night of debauched behaviour on the Commons terrace.

Former banker Mark Reckless was so inebriated that he fell to the floor of a Commons bar before the crucial vote in the early hours of the morning, before being bundled into a taxi home by fellow MPs.

Conservative chiefs also apologised after another MP, Sheryll Murray, was allegedly rude to a parliamentary official after she, too, had been drinking on the terrace overlooking the Thames.

The extraordinary scenes came during a six-hour drinking session that lasted until 2.30am on Wednesday, involving dozens of MPs and their aides.

Commons bars took a record £5,000 during the evening as taxpayer-subsidised Pimm’s, wine, beer and champagne flowed.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1293762/I-drunk-vote-Budget-confesses-Tories-Mark-Reckless.html#ixzz0tQCmLZXe

[gary_b_UK]

This came about because Labour MP's took advantage of the fact that the Finance Bill putting the budget into law is one of the handful of measure which have no automatic cut-off point, and can therefore be filibustered.

Most of the drunk MP's were newbies who have only been in office since the election two months ago, and who have no experience of the extensive late-night sittings of yesteryears.

It is coming back to the House for further stages of consideration on Monday, where the members will be a bit more careful I think.

[dfwgator]

Churchill led a country and he probably drank ten times as much as this guy....what a lightweight.

[donhunt]

Ya. These people know how to politic.

[EGPWS]

A shamed Tory MP has admitted he was too drunk to vote in the debate on the Budget after a night of debauched behaviour on the Commons terrace.

Example is really lost in the dredge operations isn't it.

[Deagle]

Out Congress does not need to be drunk or fall on the floor to vote - It’s done for them by our leadership! All of our drunks have not idea how they have voted.

[grumpygresh]

Has Mr. Melmot come to pay a visit from the grave? (from “The Way We Live Now” - Trollope)

[Winniesboy]

Well read, sir.

[DTogo]

Solutions:

a) conduct voting at the local pub.

b) have a pub in Parliament.

c) stop legislating!