Since you seem to be having difficulty in setting your moral compass, not that Owl would normally recommend following this lot.

According to this latest report from the Guardian:

“Rees-Mogg will have to present the motion on Paterson on Tuesday, with an hour of debate due to follow about the former North Shropshire MP’s conduct. Unlike the motion the previous night that only needed one opponent to defeat it, a simple majority will be enough for it to pass.

It will be a free vote, meaning Tory MPs will not be whipped one way or the other, but they have been told that the chief whip, Mark Spencer, will be voting to endorse the Paterson report, which will put pressure on them to follow suit.

Rees-Mogg was one of the three senior figures – including Spencer and the prime minister – to originally push for Paterson to avoid suspension by overhauling the standards system, partly to introduce the power to appeal for MPs found guilty of wrongdoing.” 

Link:

Rees-Mogg says trying to spare Tory MP from suspension a ‘serious mistake’

“The problem is that the partnership was all very much behind closed doors. There wasn’t an independent review process, there wasn’t any scope for the wider university community to input, there wasn’t any transparency about it until it was a fait accompli.”

Charlie Parker, Ben Ellery www.thetimes.co.uk

Exeter University is being urged to cut institutional ties with a Chinese university over its employment of academics considered the “ideological architects” of the oppression of Uighurs.

Students say Exeter may be “complicit in cultural genocide” over its decade-long relationship with Tsinghua University, President Xi’s alma mater.

Senior academics at Tsinghua, considered the “Oxbridge of China”, are said to have laid the ideological foundations of forced assimilation policies.

It has drawn criticism for facilitating the work of Hu Angang, an influential political economist, and Hu Lianhe, a counterterrorism researcher who became a senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official.

Hu Angang, director of the university’s Institute for Contemporary China Studies, has argued for the creation of a “unified race” in China and is understood to have significant influence among CCP politburos.

The two academics have written about the failure of multi-ethnic states in other countries and proposed government intervention to eradicate ethnic differences, making them “blend together” into a single “state-race”.

The CCP has adopted at least seven important policy reforms proposed by Hu Angang, according to the Jamestown Foundation, a think tank, suggesting that his ideas on ethnic policy reform are likely to have received “a serious hearing”.

A Freedom of Information request from students in Exeter revealed that one academic from its College of Humanities met Hu Angang in 2016 when giving a talk at Tsinghua.

Tsinghua has partnerships with other leading western universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Harvard and Yale. It was crowned the best university in Asia this year in the World University Rankings.

It is understood to have provided resources to Exeter worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Mark Goodwin, a deputy vice-chancellor at Exeter, and Richard Foord, the university’s acting head and lead on global partnerships, debated the issue with members of the university at a panel hearing last night.

Rahima Mahmut, a Uighur who fled China and is now the UK project director of the World Uighur Congress and an adviser to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said all UK universities should review their relationships with Tsinghua, adding that the partnerships “make my blood boil”.

Exeter students associated with the Students For Uighurs campaign began to scrutinise the relationship their university had with Tsinghua this year after the two institutions announced a new joint chair post.

The Freedom of Information request revealed that the universities had signed and repeatedly renewed a memorandum of understanding in 2011 “to facilitate deeper research engagement across a large number of academic disciplines”.

As part of the agreement the universities collaborated in fields including leadership, engineering, data science and artificial intelligence.

Flo Marks, a politics student at Exeter, has led a student protest against the agreement which has won support across the campus as well as from hundreds online.

She is calling for more informal links between the two universities so that collaboration on important subjects could continue between specific scholars and departments while maintaining ethical standards.

One Exeter academic told The Times: “The problem is that the partnership was all very much behind closed doors. There wasn’t an independent review process, there wasn’t any scope for the wider university community to input, there wasn’t any transparency about it until it was a fait accompli.

“There is a reasonable argument that working with an institution that employs Hu Angang is just a red line. If push comes to shove I would probably agree with that.”

Hu Angang and Hu Lianhe took inspiration from the American “melting pot” model, claiming that creating a shared identity helps to maintain “national unity, development vitality and social order”. They described the “fusion” of ethnicities as a matter of national security.

After their paper was published they were met with strong opposition from other Chinese scholars of ethnic policy who argued the government should focus on reining in the heavy-handed policing and discrimination they believed was fuelling divisions.

However, violent incidents in the years that followed intensified calls for the adoption of more extreme measures. Xi became vocal in the debate after terrorist attacks in Beijing and in the southwest city of Kunming in 2014 that Chinese authorities said were carried out by Uighur separatists from Xinjiang.

The government in Xinjiang has since built “unity villages” where Han and minorities live side by side. It has also been increasing efforts to support marriages between Han and Uighurs.

In a written response to questions about the policies, Hu Angang told The Wall Street Journal that compared with other countries “China’s policies towards ethnic minorities and ethnic regions have all been the most successful”.

Charles Parton, a former British diplomat with two decades of experience working on issues in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said Hu Angang’s work may have given the CCP “direction” when making policies for ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

“The specifics of implementation are nothing to do with Hu Angang — he might provide ideological justifications and suggestions,” he said. “He’s well known as an ideologue whom one wouldn’t want to shake hands with too closely.”

However, Parton called for caution over cutting all ties with Tsinghua. “We want relations with China, so there needs to be balance there. Keep Hu Angang at arm’s length to the extent that you can, don’t invite him to Exeter, but if he turns up to a meeting [in Tsinghua] then tolerate him.

“You may not agree with these people but it’s better to talk to them and understand where they’re coming from so that you are in a better place to argue against it.”

An Exeter University spokeswoman said: “No one at the university has collaborated with Hu Angang or Hu Lianhe. University researchers have not worked with Tsinghua researchers on questions of ethnicity, be that ethnicity in Xinjiang, in China or elsewhere.

“Before entering into any new collaboration, the University of Exeter employs robust due diligence processes and ensures that it is following the most up-to-date regulations and guidance from the UK government and Universities UK.

“To date, that advice has been that we should continue our connections with China, as a part of the UK’s extensive education and cultural links with the country. The University of Exeter is implementing recommendations set out in recent Universities UK guidance to all universities on ‘Managing risks in internationalisation: security related issues’.

“In common with other UK universities, the University of Exeter works with wide range of partner universities across the world — including Tsinghua University — on global challenges such as climate science and public health.”

Tsinghua, Hu Angang and Hu Lianhe did not respond to requests for comment.

Owl is hearing reports that a formal motion to rescind the so-called Leadsom amendment, which looked to establish a review of the MPs standards investigation process and delay Owen Paterson’s suspension for breaking lobbying rules, will now be debated and voted on possibly this afternoon.

Tomorrow Labour intends to table their own “clean up” motion.

It will be interesting to see how many Tory MPs reveal their “true colours” in the debate and subsequent vote – Aye, No, or Abstain?

With 92 new apartments built to Passivhaus standard.

There is a Passivhaus development in Seaton, are there any more in East Devon? – Owl

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com

Next stage plans have been revealed for dated homes awaiting demolition in Exeter which have become an eyesore in the local area and have been targetted by intruders causing criminal damage.

In February 2020, plans were approved to replace the existing buildings of Whipton Barton House in Vaughan Road, Whipton, with 92 new apartments built to Passivhaus standard.

The new development – created by Exeter City Council-owned development company Exeter City Living – will be called The Gardens. Out of the new homes being built, 60 of the new homes will be affordable and retained as new Council housing, and 32 homes will be for market rent.

The apartments would be arranged in three and four-storey blocks around the perimeter of the site, with a communal garden and play area at its centre.

However, work is yet to commence on the new environmentally-friendly housing project which is currently surrounded by hoardings to keep the site secure.

Repairs to the hoardings were scheduled for installation last month. A main contractor will then start the construction of the new building in spring 2022.

Work is yet to begin at new housing development The Gardens in Vaughan Road, Exeter (Image: Exeter City Council)

A number of incidences of anti-social behaviour have been reported at the site, including trespassing and criminal damage.

Exeter City Living has stated on its website: “As a building site it presents a number of potential dangers, and we do not wish for anyone to get hurt.

“While we are keeping the site as secure as we can, any help from the community in identifying intruders will help to keep people safe and assist the police dealing with the situation.”

In the meantime, in a bid to improve the look of the site, colourful artwork has been created on the hoardings during workshops with artist Stuart Crewes, funded by Exeter City Living.

More than 50 pupils from Whipton Barton School and Willowbrook School, plus families at the Beacon Community Centre, participated in the workshops, drawing inspiration from nature and the built environment, and by thinking about what makes a vibrant and healthy place to live.

Cllr Ruth Williams, lead councillor for supporting people, who helped with the coordination of the community artwork, said: “These beautiful artworks are the culmination of a series of workshops with the artist and local community, and the result is fantastic.

Pupils from Whipton Barton School and Willowbrook School have helped to created artwork on the hoardings of The Gardens development site (Image: Exeter City Council)

“I know that the people of Whipton will enjoy the artwork and it will be there at the front of this wonderful development, where we will have 92 homes for local people, including 60 council socially-rented homes, and I so happy to see this.”

The site has previously been used to provide single-storey sheltered housing facilities.

The development is part of the council’s wider plans to create 500 new Passivhaus Council homes in Exeter over the next five years.

The Gardens in Vaughan Road, Exeter (Image: Exeter City Council)

The homes are created to be healthier and more comfortable; where heat regulation costs are reduced and where climate emergency and fuel poverty are tackled head on.

The development will feature a biodiverse green space, built with community in mind. Private gardens, electric car club, electric vehicle hook ups and extensive cycle parking have also been included in the design of the development.

All it took was one Tory to holler “OBJECT” to block the attempt to reverse the “sleaze” vote. 

But was he taking his lead from the Prime Minister? 

After all, Boris Johnson has refused to apologise for the sleaze row and only admitted that he could have handled the matter better.

So the vote of two weeks ago to create a “kangaroo court”, stuffed with conservative MPs, to review standards still stands!  – Owl

PM fails to stifle sleaze scandal as ratification of Paterson report blocked

Aubrey Allegretti www.theguardian.com 

Boris Johnson’s attempt to draw a line under the sleaze scandal engulfing the Conservative party fell apart after a Tory MP blocked parliament endorsing a report that found a former colleague committed an egregious breach of lobbying rules.

The backbencher Christopher Chope was named by multiple sources as the person who objected to ratifying the findings about Owen Paterson’s behaviour which followed a two-year investigation by the Commons standards watchdog.

The government had tried to shunt the vote to the end of the day but put forward a motion that only one MP needed to object to in order for it to fail. In a deeply embarrassing move for the prime minister, one Tory cried out “object” late on Monday night – prolonging the resolution of the issue that has prompted some MPs to warn tensions are “frighteningly high” within the Conservative party.

Chris Bryant, a Labour MP and chair of the standards committee, said he had been assured the motion would be retabled on Tuesday with a one-hour debate to try again to endorse the Paterson report. Chope was contacted for comment.

Fury from Tories exploded at the issue being prolonged, with a minister telling the Guardian: “He has been for many year a Jurassic embarrassment – tonight he crossed a line. The man should retire and the executive are livid. If he comes into the team room tomorrow, colleagues would want to say two words to him and the second word would be ‘off’.”

A former minister said: “The fact we can’t deselect these people is baffling”, while a frontbencher called Chope “a selfish twat”. Backbenchers complained it would “make a bad situation even worse”, and expressed severe disappointment it was “handing Labour a freebie”.

Meanwhile, the shadow Commons leader, Thangam Debbonaire, said the “farce was of the Tories’ own making and serves Johnson right for trying to sneak a U-turn out at night rather than do the decent thing and come to the house to apologise”.

It came hours after Kwasi Kwarteng apologised to parliament’s standards commissioner for casting doubt on her future in the role earlier this month.

The business secretary wrote to Kathryn Stone saying he regretted his choice of words and recognised that ministers must adhere to high standards that treat others with consideration and respect.

“I did not mean to express doubt about your ability to discharge your role and I apologise for any upset or distress my choice of words may have caused,” he said.

Kwarteng made the comments in a broadcast interview as he was sent out to defend the government’s bid to overhaul the standards regime and spare Paterson a six-week Commons suspension.

He told Sky News: “I think it’s difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is, given the fact that we’re reviewing the process, and we’re overturning and trying to reform this whole process, but it’s up to the commissioner to decide her position.”

Just hours later, the government U-turned on its efforts to undermine the system that regulates the actions of MPs, as Johnson agreed to let the parliamentary standards committee come up with its own proposals for reform.

Tory MPs had already been whipped to vote in favour of reforming the system in a way that would let Paterson off the hook, but the government has since agreed to reverse that parliamentary decision.

After the motion narrowly passed on 3 November, ministers privately vented their fury and a public backlash forced the prime minister to U-turn.

Johnson promised to retract the motion that set up a new committee that would have been chaired by a Tory MP and reviewed the existing processes for investigating sleaze claims.

The humiliating climbdown led to Paterson resigning as MP for North Shropshire, and sparked a close examination of other lawmakers’ second jobs and outside interests.

In the nearly two weeks since, many in Johnson’s party have vented their frustration at yet another “unforced error” by Downing Street that has potentially cost them a lead in the polls and seen their faith in Johnson diminish further.

One former cabinet minister said there was still widespread unhappiness in the parliamentary party, with particular ire about the way the chief whip had been “hung out to dry” when the decision had ultimately been Johnson’s.

He said the preference of many Conservative MPs would have been to plea for leniency for Paterson, who has always denied wrongdoing, rather than letting him off altogether, but those MPs suggested that course had been ignored.