Want to complain about Iris?
It would seem that the Parliamentary Commissioner Office is taking the line that Iris Robinson merely expressed her views or opinion when she made her recent comments in the House of Commons and that therefore this is outside the remit of the Office. Comparing same-sex attraction and sexual acts between consenting adults with child sex abuse is clearly an attempt to incite hatred and therefore complaints about these comments should be considered under the Parliamentary Code of Conduct. Below is a copy of a letter that Rainbow is going to forward to the Parliamentary Commissioner Office. Please feel free to copy this and forward this as your own letter. Letters should be addressed to;
John Lyon CB
Parliamentary Commissioner For Standards
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
Dear Mr Lyon
I wish to make a complaint against Mrs Iris Robinson MP.
During a Northern Ireland Grand Committee debate on the assessment and management of sex offenders on Tuesday 17 June 2008 Mrs. Robinson stated:
“There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children.”
Mrs Robinson made this statement about people who are same-sex attracted and sexual acts between consenting adults during a completely unrelated debate about sex offenders. Furthermore by stating that homosexuality and sodomy are worse than the actions of those who engage in child sex abuse, her intentions clearly were to incite hatred against gay people. If Mrs Robinson’s had simply intended to express a personal view or opinion she would have said something along the lines of: “I think that homosexuality and sodomy are vile” and made this comment during a debate that was actually relevant to the subject of sexual orientation.
Mrs Robinson’s conduct therefore was inappropriate and unacceptable and a breach of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament which states:
“Members shall at all times conduct themselves in a manner which will tend to maintain and strengthen the public's trust and confidence in the integrity of Parliament and never undertake any action which would bring the House of Commons, or its Members generally, into disrepute.”
I look forward to your early response.
Yours sincerely
