Will Dave Really Crack Down on Lobbyists?
Yesterday Dave had a go at the hidden hand in our democracy:
Now we all know that expenses has dominated politics for the last year. But if anyone thinks that cleaning up politics means dealing with this alone and then forgetting about it, they are wrong. Because there is another big issue that we can no longer ignore. It is the next big scandal waiting to happen. It’s an issue that crosses party lines and has tainted our politics for too long, an issue that exposes the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money. I’m talking about lobbying – and we all know how it works. The lunches, the hospitality, the quiet word in your ear, the ex-ministers and ex-advisors for hire, helping big business find the right way to get its way…
We don’t know who is meeting whom. We don’t know whether any favours are being exchanged. We don’t know which outside interests are wielding unhealthy influence. This isn’t a minor issue with minor consequences. Commercial interests – not to mention government contracts – worth hundreds of billions of pounds are potentially at stake. I believe that secret corporate lobbying, like the expenses scandal, goes to the heart of why people are so fed up with politics. It arouses people’s worst fears and suspicions about how our political system works, with money buying power, power fishing for money and a cosy club at the top making decisions in their own interest.
We can’t go on like this. I believe it’s time we shone the light of transparency on lobbying in our country and forced our politics to come clean about who is buying power and influence. Politics should belong to people, not big business or big unions, and we need to sort this out. So if we win the election, we will take a lead on this issue by making sure that ex-ministers are not allowed to use their contacts and knowledge – gained while being paid by the public to serve the public – for their own private gain.
Anyone involved in politics knows that lobbyists infest politics, lobbyists become politicians, politicians become lobbyists. It is a sordid underhand, undemocratic trade practised out of sight of the voters and taxpayers. Ex-ministers having to wait an extra year before profiting from their inside contacts is a minor improvement. In the interests of having a transparent democracy we need to move towards a system where all contact between those who are seeking to modify, hinder or help the passage of any legislation have to declare and register their contacts with politicians and civil servants. Lobbyists are covertly subverting democracy, it should be a criminal offence.
Is Dave really up for taking on the lobbyists? Guido so wants to believe he would. However look at the new Tory benches and the new intake of PPCs. Lobbyists and former lobbyists easily outnumber all other trades. Obama said much the same thing, before he appointed lobbyists to his administration…
How many times has Dave met power lobbyists like Matthew Freud, Alan Parker and Roland Rudd? We know he socialises with them, parties with them, holidays with them and even hops on their private jets. Is that a bit too cosy?
Don’t pay any attention. Dave changes his mind every 5 mins
We’re all cracking down on lobbyists together (except the ones we’re giving safe seats to).
Does this mean an end to all consultants approved through the OGC?
Some are acting (purporting to be) as planning consultant advisors to local authorities in receipt of planning applications submitted by their own clients… yet at the same time occupy a policy advising role to over 60 cetnral government departments…. and yet further have the priveleged role of lobbying agents.
If dave practices what he preaches…. changes are a comin’!
The lobbyists are now so powerful and influential that they are dictating policy not just attempting to influence governments. The parties / politicians are now so involved with them that they appear to be blackmailed / bribed to the lobbyists directions.
Thats cos I’ve got pictures of em up rentboys.
There is only one way to clean up politics and that is to dismatle it all together. (see Roget for “politics).
I saw a site some years ago where a scheme was given proposed on the way to do it. The time is ripe now.
http://www.angelfire.com/realm3/accord
@40, If what you say is true then it is a failure of public procurement operations. The legislative and operational balances exist already to prevent it.
You are right that Buying Solutions, a department within the OGC, has established several different consultancy contract frameworks, but if you believe that people buy consultancy straight from the framework list of approved suppliers then you are living in a dreamworld. Buyers use a process known as Further Competition.
If suppliers fail to declare conflicts of interest they are committing an offence.
Will Dave make a difference – I seriously doubt it. He seems to lack the bottom to see much through.
A “supplier” (aka “independent” planning consultant) I know didn’t fail to make clear a conflict of interest, but actively denied it in writing during a public meeting.
…and that’s a cast iron guarantee.
Dave’s Cast Iron Guarantees – sponsored by Corus!
Only Corus don’t do cast iron, they only do steels. Nice try, though.
Anal Pedants don’t do humour, they only do annoying twat. Nice try, though.
Keep it up Guido, at this rate you’ll soon be part of the MSM
This is something i’ve been pushing for for years.
Ooh you are awful….
Keep it up Guido, at this rate you’ll soon be part of the MSM
Nah, Guido would never succumb to shite like this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8505392.stm
BBC pays stars 6% of annual TV Tax.
This figure does not include the secret loans from the ECB to the BBC.
Prepare to be horrified at how corrupt the BBC luvvies really are.
Bastards.
Oi!
Mr. Anonymous Darling!
NO!
6.56% doesn’t ’round off’ to 6% – it rounds to 7%! (I can see how £billions go missing every year ;O)
not constantly arselicking Dave or wanting to be a tame press release site for CCHQ is exactly what stops Guido being part of the MSM
you need to fuck off to Conservativehome lickspittle
Morning folks !! Gimme Fyffe !!
Fuck Dave. lets do it.
Does Guido mean the Israel lobby?
As in Walt & Mearsheimer and if you look at the Blair ‘cash for honours’ saga you might well wonder. Membership of LFoI or CFoI has been advanced as a surer way of climbing internal ‘greasy poles’.
Party funding is even a more problematic area than plain lobbyists as this is also far from altruistic. No wonder Brown was muted over the Gaza debacle following onfrom Obama and his speech to AIPAC citing Jerusalem as an undivided City…. ummm
Guido is a friend of the Israeli lobby. Which is the most powerful one in Westminster.
When Cameron was running for the leadership, the Jewish Chronicle published an article entitled ‘Team Cameron’s Big Jewish Backers’. With quite a list of names who’d jumped on his bandwagon.
And soon he was making a speech to Conservative Friends of Israel in which he said “There is something deep in our party’s DNA that believes in Israel”.
…. there is of course no connection between the two…
Interesting to know whether there is a potential offence of conspiracy to pervert under international law given the repeated apologist approach and covering up of Israel’s war crimes by both Dave and Gordon.
And also, of course, no connection between:
a) The Israel lobby. Over 80% of Conservative MP’s being in Friends of Israel at the time of the vote to invade Iraq. And belief in Israel being in the “DNA” of the party
and
b) Their overwhelming vote for the UK to invade a country a continent away and which was no possible threat to the UK. But which was a nearby enemy of Israel.
…and invasion # 2 (Iran) is now fully booked.
Oops I meant Iraq.
And of course no connection to hastily changing laws to allow various (alleged,lol) Israeli war criminals travel freely to GB without fear of arrest:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7014461.ece
Wouldn’t want to stop Tzipi (Strapon) Livni trying her latest toys on them.
With the antics of people like YEO and the U K’s most dominant political parties it is no surprise to UK voters that the next parliament will be turning away from a deeply flawed system. The voter now knows he/she DOES NOT have a voice they now know they have been ignored on important matters, fleeced, deceived and until now largely despised by Westminster.
System tinkering will only mask the symptoms it won’t cure the disease that riddles Westminster.
Voters are well aware that 52% of their MP’s should lose their jobs, indeed parliament could happily lose 52% and it would not make a scrap of difference the other 48% would have little enough to do!
Expenses cheats have been named, now they should be punished in LAW, proffering up half or dozen or so sacrificial MP lambs isn’t going to placate the mob, not this time!
M P’s have and still failing to represent the people that voted them into the job its their own skins they care most about!
Actually, either 100% of my MP will lose his job, or 0%. Not sure how 52% of my MP can lose his job, unless we do introduce Proportional Representatuion.
MPs are discrete, even if they aren’t discreet.
I can change that.
get on it.
So can I
grow up, we voters know we don’t count
how we can even pretend we live in a democratic society when Labour wield so much power with a gerrymandered vote and Brown has unilaterally mortgaged our future
English policy is carried through reliant on the Scottish, Welsh and Irish who make differnet laws for themselves
the answer? time, natural justice always takes care of things
there is a natural justice
I don’t care how much cash Blair has got, the fact he has to climb into bed each night with a wobbly witch is enough to prove it, I bet it is like throwing a sausage up an entry
Now, what makes you think he gets into bed each night with slotty?
They both shed their skins and hang from the rafters. But I’ll get them
Stake through the heart!
Lizards don’t hang from the rafters at night.
Simple, with a gob like hers she must be able to provide the most exquisite er…pancreatitis relief (qv Gillian Taylforth) and there was a picture of her in the wife’s Daily Mail the other day showing a fair slice of cleavage….Hmmm…..wonder if she’d be up for a gleesome threesome with Teflon Tony and Carole Caplin? Again?
Blair gets in bed with anyone with a big Wad !
Supposing Brown and his crew of Scottish wreckers were to get back in? I would predict a riot. In fact, I would predict Civil War!
Yeah — that democracy nonesense eh!
Problem is, it isn’t democracy when the will of the English can be thwarted by the hordes of Scottish Labour voters. More people voted Tory than Labour in England in 2005, but Bliar still got a thumping majority in Parliament.
That’s because the system is rigged in favour of Labour. It takes fewer votes to elect a Labour MP than a Tory one. There must be some way out of this.
said the Joker to the Thief…
“There must be some way out of this”
Said the joker to the thief?
Damn you, Synchronicity Susie!
All Along The Belltower.
“There must be some kind of way out of here”
Outside the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Irish MPs if all the other seats were held by Labour there would still be a majority of Labour MPs in English seats.
If you wnat them out then English people will have to vote them out.
Jonathan Freedland (Guardian 7th May 2005): “The raw number of votes cast shows the Conservatives are, once again, the biggest party in England.”
Especially if the tories get more votes overall than labour and therefore a bigger share of the vote overall. Labour could still win a majority (or more likely than that, a minority) government with a million fewer votes than the tories.
I predict armageddon
because I’m a hysterical twat
It so true that voters are totally irrelevant unless there’s an election coming up.
England is like a blocked up toilet at Heathrow, yellow piss, festering turds, footprints on the seat, spy hole in the wall
England is just a paid for facility to shit in by those hate it
Most of them are irrelevant when an election is happening, either they don’t vote or they vote in a constituency where their vote is meaningless.
How to make a start at cleaning up politics.
Lobbying should be illegal.
Mps should be on a fixed salary with no expenses.
No party donations should be allowed at all, from individuals, businesses or unions.
The only funding available to parties should be from party members standard subscriptions. So more members, more funding. Less members – bye bye.
Open primaries for all seats with a right of recall.
Any constitutional amendment legislation should be put to a simple, plain english yes/no referendum.
“Lobbying should be illegal.” – that would be absurd for our democratic process. What we need are rules on transparency.
“Mps should be on a fixed salary with no expenses.” – too tough – MPs should be on better basic salaries than at present, with expenses claimed under the same Inland Revenue rules as for any of us.
“No party donations should be allowed at all, from individuals, businesses or unions.” – too tough, but donations should be capped to prevent purchase of undue influence.
“Open primaries for all seats with a right of recall.” – now that makes sense.
“Any constitutional amendment legislation should be put to a simple, plain english yes/no referendum.” – agreed.
Too tough – you are having a laugh.
It needs to be exceedingly tough.
Softness is why we are where we are now.
As for lobbying being needed – that is the absurdity. Organised lobbying for the benefit of powerful elites is a poison in our democracy – it is not for the benefit of the voters. Transparent or not it crowds out the voter in favour of vested interests and is extremely anti democratic.
Proper bottom up democracy is what we need, not top down rule at the behest of the cliques we have now.
Glad to hear toughness is on the agenda. I want toughness against the banksters and their political cronies for stuffing the global economy and our lives so comprehensively.
Day One and Task One for the new administration : appoint a Nuremberg Tribunal for Economic Crimes, put them all in the dock.
Minimum sentences 15 years no remissions, that’s how long it will take us to recover from their mess … while some of us of course will be bankrupt and dead.
(I know I’ve said it before but it bears repeating)
Throbber’s ideas veer from the idealistic to the downright undemocratic. There is this perception that lobbying is a tactic used solely by huge multi-national conglomerates to bend Government thinking. Absolute rubbish. Lobbying an MP can be done by anyone with a vested interest in any area of society, and can change people’s lives for the better. Where it goes wrong is in the opaqueness of the system and the un-level field in allowing anyone to question Ministers or MPs. Lobbying is not a bad thing – where it has gone wrong is in a complete lack of accountability and transparency. That is what has to change.
Before anyone starts the traditional keyboard warrior stuff round here, remember that an MP should hold regular surgeries for constituents. Now, as this is itself a form of lobbying, Throbber wants to declare this to be illegal too – thus making MPs even less accountable to the people who voted them in. That’s very wrong.
What certainly should be looked at very carefully is the media’s use of their power to attempt to enforce changes in law. Anyone reading a newspaper or magazine’s call to have legislation changed should immediately distrust the motives of the proprietor.
The idea that MPs should be paid a levy with no allowable expenses system is absurd and makes the us as citizens as hypocrital as them. An MP should be under exactly the same rules as every other citizen in regards to their remuneration. It would very quickly see the biggest shake-up in taxation for generations once they experience the same regime we all have to suffer. In fact, apart from the right of MPs to speak in the House without fear of impunity I don’t really see what other legislation they have built up to protect themselves that should stay.
While the idea that political parties can only be financed by membership subcription may appear sound, that would in itself be open to abuse by the block power of the Unions, who would simply include in their subcription automatic membership of the Labour Party – thus bumping up revenues for one party ahead of others. Donations from indviduals or organisations is not the problem, it is the obvious advantages that a political party confers upon those who make the donation that has to be sorted. Peerages, membership of committees and other political baubles should be based on merit, not cash, and it is high time this seedy aspect of politics was shoved out into the open once and for all.
Eloquently put. Agree 100%.
Sorry you misunderstand me – the lobbying i am referring to is organised lobbying carried out by specialist lobbying firms. They distort the democratic process by effectively selling their “special access” to MPs to the highest bidder. Sorry i didn’t make myself 100% clear there. The concept of MPs having surgeries with their constituents is a sound one – what I am opposed to is the direct access and short cuts the lobbying firms have – this is terribly undemocratic. The media and its bias is very much of the same special access distortion and requires urgent action in my view.
As for the party membership I wholly agree with your point about the unions – i would specifically outlaw such practices. Individual donations above party memberships are a problem – witness the F1 cigarette advertising scandal in New Liebours first term. Based on that one example alone I think they should not be allowed.
Expenses – ok i can see a case for expenses on the same basis as anyone else – ie wholly and completely in relation to the employment as an MP – rigorously enforced with stiff penalties for breaches. Personally, given past behaviour I would disallow that entirely but I can see the contra argument.
My thoughts may seem strident but as someone outside the Westminster Village, I have very little sympathy with the vulture class and feel they need to be dealt with severely.
nothing wrong with vast quantities of money corrupting the system
it’s extremely lucrative for me and my Piggy friends
our current expenses system means MPs are under exactly the same rules as the common man
if the common man had impunity from the Law and could commit fraud while being alowed to resubmit fraudulent claims without consequence
it’s a grand life being a Pig and a Piggy apologist
Throbber, I think you hit the nailed on the head there. It’s not that lobbying is wrong, but who practices it and how.
I am a bit minded that MPs, to some extent, need protecting from themselves. That’s why I’d prefer to see an independent – and in this it really has to be so – body that watches and advises Members. To that end they would be more than a bunch of investigators; they would be able to give advise to MPs who are genuinely unsure if a particular activity, claim or meeting would be acceptable. Everything would be documented so that it can be used as evidence in case incorrect advice was ever given, and if an MP was advised ‘no’ and carried on then they would be unable to wriggle.
Sadly, MPs are so enamoured with their lifestyle they’re looking for muddled, beauracratic answers that only serve to obsfuscate and delay what really should be a simple process. What is really crucial here is that the House looks like having a huge new influx of MPs in a few weeks time, and the lack of direction and purpose means a lot of completey innocent mistakes are just waiting to happen. Which means more tainted MPs and an even more disillusioned public.
We should have a Lobbying Disclosure Act as in the USA. With a few clicks of the mouse you can find out exactly which lobbyists your Congressperson has met and how much they have contributed to his/her campaign or to causes he/she wishes to promote.
Sort of. But that makes it legal and apparently legitimate.
I suppose in theory you’d vote out an MP that speaks for the people who pay him rather than constituents, but most of the time people vote for a party and not an individual. So it would be up to the party which lobby-mps they kept. Survival of the docile.
Point is – if you know which lobbyists an MP is beholden to, you can monitor their speeches and voting patterns to see how much influence has been brought to bear. It is a big step forward from where we are now.
You can follow their voting patterns and see who their lobbyist is. we are there already
Mp’s don’t need to be in London anymore. Use the internet, Come to think of it fuck them all off and we can all vote on the fly through the internet for everything.
IE crashed here.so you will find a repeat of this at the bottom
Never mind all that, what we need is a flat tax of 10% with a tax-free pay limit of ten grand. If that doesn’t raise enough tax, tough titty. Scrap all the quangos and diversity awareness monkeys and clamp down fiercely on benefits cheats.
Hmmm, sounds suspiciously like a Micheal Rimmer opportunity if that were to happen.
Exactly. I don’t need someone in Westminster doing what their party whip tells them to do instead of what I want them to do.
Press the red button on your remote etc.,
OH, you need to remember Rimmer’s masterstroke in becoming the President of Great Britain. Brilliant film though.
Mps should be on a fixed salary with no expenses
MPs from the constituencies furthest away from Westminster could not afford to attend debates, or would rarely see their constituencies.
turn the forthcoming Olympic village into a housing complex for MPs
problem solved
Do you really think we’d miss the ones from the outlying areas?
Actually – fuck them all – pay them all nothing.
How about we let their local constituencies pay them what they think they are worth.
That might focus their minds.
Hens and teeth come to mind.
“Is Dave really up for taking on the lobbyists? Guido so wants to believe he would. Look at the Tory benches and the new intake of PPCs: lobbyists and former lobbyists easily outnumber all other trades. With an eye on the next government big lobbying firms have been on a hiring spree for anyone with good Tory contacts .”
I certainly believe so – at least he is discussing the problem, which is a big step forward in itself. There will always be lobbyists and lobbying – it is after all an integral part of the democratic process. However, as DC says, it should be transparent – we need to know with which lobbyists MPs are associated, so we are informed about the judgements they make on the issues.
It will be interesting to see who is lined up for jeff ennis’s seat ( Barnsley east, Mexborough), he has just said he’s going to stand down. I think he knows there’s a fair chance he’d get it up him from the strong local nationalist feeling and doesn’t fancy working and fighting for the trough after god knows how many easy years. Perhaps we’ll get another oxbridge twat like Milliband who would never have set foot up here apart for the allure of the trough. Get eady you traitorous bastards.
Is Rupert Murdoch a lobbyist? Eh Eh?
no hes a duck
Dugg here >>> http://digg.com/d31IEMV?t
And he won’t, he is a lobby group in himself for Gawds’ sake!
No – next question.
Yet another Blairesque moment for dave!
Hilton jumping on the Guido bandwagon without thinking it through.
A more immediate ‘influence’ problem to look at, is to ensure that nulab are not subsidising their election campaign advertising, through any cozy little side deals on the sudden rash of government TV and radio adverts being broadcast.
I completely agree, but if we haven’t been able to put a stop to this fraudulent and costly practice in 13 years of NuLiebour deceit, we are hardly likely to succeed in the next 2-3 months.
Is this a coded warning from Cameron? Is he aware of some very big story that’s about to break? Tens of billions of PFI funding organised by RBS and HBoS perhaps? Might explain why they went unregulated if it was the only way Brown could hide hundreds of billions of spending off balance sheet.
The scandel of PFi and the scandel of Pensions are clearly stories that should break before or as part of the election campaign, PFI has been hidden and Pensions forgotten, this governement is rotten and every tool in th box needs to be used to rid us of them.
The biggist tool in the box is Cameron
Biggist ?? Is this a new category from Liebore like sexist, racist ???
The smallest tool in his pants is Ed Balls, makes John Prescott look like Linford Christie.
Meanwhile tool-less Hateperson is getting a good Hatebash in the comments here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249519/Now-Harriet-Harman-wants-ban-sexist-term-chairman.html#comments
Ban HarMAN and MANdleson while she is at it!
She must have had a hell of a time with the menopause!
- D.M., Montrose, Scotland, 9/2/2010 10:04
Harperdaughter is up for Arse of the year. This is on election she should win!
Surely Harman would be up for rear-end of the year. Those parked cars don’t just crash themselves you know.
snap off tit
Off-balance-sheet lending, whether to Government or private enterprise, is criminal
Don’t listen to Guido. I spend hours each week and millions of pounds cosying up to your local MP – finding out about their needs, pleasures and desires and fulfilling them – just for the odd vote here and there. Ifluence? What influence?
Lobbyist
Guido and Readers,
An article on the ‘corruption and debt’. We have been here before!
http://www.niallferguson.com/site/FERG/Templates/ArticleItem.aspx?pageid=207
“But what of Labour? Here the picture is altogether more bleak. After a dozen years in power, the members of the parliamentary party resemble nothing more closely than the nomenklatura of the old Eastern Bloc – the communist party cronies who were handed all the plum administrative jobs.
Most are party hacks whose sole qualification for a seat in our national legislature was a tour of duty in local government. Bullied mercilessly by hard-boiled Scotsmen who learned their politics in the student unions and regional authorities of the drizzly North, these greyapparatchiks must make Lord Mandelson wince on the (mercifully few) occasions when he has to socialise with them.”
How True……..
I don’t wince – I mince.
quite right the only thing to make the Prime Mincer whince would be a mallet
I have a few tools in my box
MP’s should never be allowed to use their positions to further their own interests, and I am glad you pressured Tim Yeo the way you did.
The only regret I have is that he, and all the others, will never be brought to book.
“Once in the racket you’re always in it. ” – Al Capone
You can get a lot further with a kind word and a bung, than you can with just a kind word. -
What WOULD be interesting is if he proposed this to apply to local councils as well.
There are too many rotten boroughs out there.
Our local one is Tory, and has been bought and paid for many times over
Totally agree: when they print councilors expences in the local paper you can see the would be future troughers coming to light
funny how the Asian councilors always top the list !
Well what would you expect? They all come here to better themselves!
And then there’s the unelected council officials… one of my Borough Council didn’t know who our ward District Councillor was.
Probably the worst effect of all this will be to discourage decent people from wanting to serve as an MP. As an oldie I can remember when being an MP was seen as being (a) honorable and (b) of influence. Now they stand soewher between drug dealers and estate agents.
How dare you! Some of the most honourable people I know are drug dealers. Fair comment on estate agents though.
Fair one on the dealers – they have to be honest with both customers and suppliers or they get slotted.
A similar policy would ginger up politics!
Pop a cap in their ass
For a long time now my posts have been focussed on FAT troughing bastards.
SixBellies Jackboot Jacqui,The SnotGobbler and TwoKharziSeats Prescott.
I have laughed my bollox off many times at my own takes and the takes of others.
I began to believe I am in fact suffering from an obsessive FAT bastard
misforune syndrome until now that is.
I have had so much pleasure,orgasmic like ,in the downfall of Top Asian Cop Ali Daziel that my obsession with FAT bastards is over. He is only a little bit
chubby after all.
Life is worth living after all.Four fucking years,another orgasm coming on.
I fucking hate Ali Dizaei and the Black Police Organization.
Piano wire all round!
I fucken hate the police
The RACIST (and possibly corrupted) Black Police Association.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/David-Davies-Calls-Black-Police-Group-Racist-Monmouth-Conservative-MP-Attack-Over-Membership-Rules/Article/200810415130893?lpos=UK_News_News_Your_Way_Region_0&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15130893_David_Davies_Calls_Black_Police_Group_Racist%3A_Monmouth_Conservative_MP_Attack_Over_Membership_Rules
Don’t worry they can move to Merseyside or GMP.we are still white and proud
“The MP’s comments, made in a speech at the association’s annual conference in York, were dismissed by its president, Ali Dizaei.”
What about all the advisers for the present Administration who are seamlessly moving over to the likely next Administration?
I think some of them may well be earnest and decent folk, but it does give the impression that these unelected quangocrats / denizens of the Westminster Village are the permanent ruling class – pulling the strings behind the scenes. *sigh*
The Civil Service pays very well – and the jobs are all but guaranteed.
Nice pensions
))
My friends daughter moves in the top circls of government
and i know as a fact that a lot of those top jobs are passed from father to son without anyone ever being able to apply for the job its always been the way !
I went for a job in a government department last year after being made redundant. I was more then able to do the job and the application form alone was 22 pages long. I was called for interview for which I had to travel some distance from my home.
On leaving, I saw someone in the foyer who was met be the person who met me an hour earlier. They were on first name terms. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job.
I wrote for a job as Joe Smith at a University and got told no vacancies. I wrote again as Abdullah Singh and got it.
Then they must be particularly fuckwitted in the HR department because ‘Abdullah’ is a Muslim/arab name and Singh is a uniquely Sikh surname.
Oh – fuckwitted in HR? Answered my own question there.
No you didn’t. Don’t lie.
Yes but they have to have the interview to explain it was competitive even though the whole thing was already stitched up. Someone explained it was part of the shifting Civil Servants around every two years, so when a project went disastrously over budget there was no single person to blame as no Civil Servant was there too long… and Ministers also seem to revolve.
Damn.Our cunning plan is no more.
There is a whole sub-culture of careerist civil servant families. I knew nothing about so-called civil service entrance exams until I was leaving university. These families on the other hand have been preparing their kids for years.
Past papers – shit like that. Fast-track promotions, glittering ‘careers’ and retire on a generous pension and a gong or two commensurate with rank from a grateful nation.
On the other hand this current crop of civil servants have had to eat shit from a crowd of incompetent arseholes that would make your teeth bleed to listen to the ignoramuses. It must be soul destroying after a good university and good education to listen to the Labour imbeciles as they conjure up their latest idiocy for you to roll out to an unsuspecting electorate. And will they listen to reason? will they fuck. In fact the more exasperated you are the more they like it. Ha ha – putting it to the civil service toffs.
What a fucking shambles.
Shocking !!
Disgraceful !
heh heh
You spelt quangocrats wrong it’s quangorats
JUST REMEMBER
LABOUR IS THE PARTY OF THE MANY
CONSERVATIVES ARE THE PARTY OF THE FEW
LABOUR ALSO THE PARTY OF ILLEGAL WAR, TORTURE, LIES, THEFT AND MUGABE ECONOMICS.
TRA LAA!
NuLabour have certainly been the party of many policy cock-ups, unfairness and deceitful actions. So far the conservatives have been the party of few promises to correct these.
Add the words “Desperate to become millionares”
to the end of each sentence !
LABOUR IS THE PARTY OF THE MANY IMMIGRANTS!
…and they all vote for us!
10 times each.
JUST REMEMBER
LABOUR IS THE PARTY OF THE CORRUPT
CONSERVATIVES ARE THE PARTY OF THE CORRUPT
EXPENSES FOR THE MANY NOT THE FEW MPs
Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to introduce the following system:
1) Before the start of each day, MPs are required to declare any prejudicial interest in any item on the order paper, including any formal or informal contact from lobbyists in the previous 12 months.
2) The office of the Speaker can decide whether any declared interest should preclude the member from speaking, and possibly even voting on that issue
3) Non-disclosure, even accidental, will be a criminal offence punished by a punitive fine. The presumption wil be that the fine will be greater than the maximum possible gain to the member – in other words, crime won’t pay.
That sounds like a lot of work, but that’s kind of the point – lobbyists will find MPs doors slammed in their faces because of the overhead.
Can you imagine how many excuses you would hear like
it was a slight oversight
it was a mistake
i totally forgot that i played golf with him yesterday
although he’s my brother we are very rarely in contact
yes i did meet him but on a totally unrelated matter
yes he is my husband but we never discuss our work
i never had sex with rent boys on his yacht that secured him a large contract
of course i was photographed at his villa but i booked it off an advert in the newspaper
I’d block it
So would I.
Out of my way! I’m a sobbyist!
I seem to remember Blair sweeping into power on a bandwagon in order to clean up politics.
How those labour luvvies in the media must have laughed.
He certainly cleaned up in politics now a multi milionare
i think it was reported that he’s made 30 million since leaving office !
and thats probably just the intrest on what Bush paid him for a small favour
We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich.
…especially when we are those people.
…and we don’t care how we do it.
I said to our kid the first time I met Blair at the party.”He’s a fucking wierdo”.
Noel, can you remember saying this? “There are seven people in this room who are giving a little bit of hope to young people in this country, that is [sic] me, our kid, Bonehead, Guigs, Alan White, Alan McGee and Tony Blair. And if you’ve all got anything about you, you’ll go up there and you’ll shake Tony Blair’s hand, man. He’s the man! Power to the people!”
Blair gave them hope alright, he even gave some of them a dodgy SA80, inadequate body armour, insufficient helicopters and Landrovers with tinfoil armour and those lucky young people “hoped” they wouldn’t get shot.
Did I. I musta bin stoned man
Lobbying is perfectly legit – we all do it. Ranting at your MP is kinda lobbying. But it should be *transparent*. Any benefits that change hands should be, benefits in kind should be, and MPs should forego future employment in companies they lobby for…. forever. Thats’ the only way to eliminate invisible future benefits.
But the best bet is simply to eliminate political parties- not via a ban, but introduce a cap on election spending and make all campaigns local. Put the local independents on a level playing field with the party machines. Wipe out the parties, and you wipe out nine tenths of the *pull* to corrupt businesses, NGOs, charridees, etc. Lobbying becomes less useful, the less block voting there is.
The enemy is not lobbyists, but the mainstream political parties – they serve themselves before they serve us. We *know* this, as fact. As fact. Why do we tolerate it?
Apathy.
not “perfectly” legit.
Theres a sliding scale, from individuals lobbying, to groups of individuals, to organisations (RSPCA?) who might be able to say “our members think X”.
You’re already getting towards a case there where the lobbying might not match what the individuals think. From there on its not legit.
Cripes – the cynics are out in force today. What is their solution – anarchy?
At least Dave has lifted the veil and will now find it difficult not to keep going with this until all 7 are removed.
Good luck to him. He will be up against significant vested interests including those in the MSM so he can expect a rough ride.
Perhaps he has got some bottle after all?
Hear hear. It’s hard to believe, but his statement challenges the real power in the country – big business and the crooks that wheel and deal on their behalf for policy that supports their aims and profits.
I’m all for lobbying but it has to be transparent or it is completely undemocratic. Labour love to do deals; remember the article “Britain For Sale” – and we have no say in it at all.
Of course whether he actually does anything is another matter, and we all know CMD is almost as likely to change his mind on anything as the Ruin.
Guido (like me) is a Minarchist.
We just think the state should ONLY do the things it can do well, and have as few extra rights over the population as possible. The state can only really do Force* based things well.
*Armed Forces, Police, Judiciary, Contract Enforcement, Land-Rights, IP rights, Currency.
*Armed Forces, Police, Judiciary, Contract Enforcement, Land-Rights, IP rights, Currency.
Totally agree.
Does the State clean your teeth or change the wheel on your car?
It would if it could. So why do so many feckless idiots expect it to house them, feed them, cure them of all illnesses and look after them
Look around the room you are in. Try and find ONE thing not monitored or regulated by the State. Just ONE. You can’t. From the lightbulb to the thickness of the glass in the window, every fucking aspect of your life is regulated and monitored by an enormous army of inspectors.
100 yeras ago you met the State twice. Once at birth and once at death. Now, even the State dictates the size of pillow you rest your head on to sleep.
How the fuck did we get here?
WW2.
A shellshocked nation vote labour in ’45, while suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. This would count as agreeing to a contract under duress, which, as such, would be nullified in any jurisdiction. Ergo, no legislation apssed since 1945 has been legal.
job done.
The state does, in a way, change the wheel on your car.
They’ll be after you if you’ve got less than 1mm (*) tread on your tyres.
Perhaps by your standards I’m a statist commie git for saying “good job too”. Theres plenty of twats out there, and you don’t get compensation from them if you’re dead.
(* yeah I know, but they won’t be after you for 1.55mm)
the private sector is incorruptable and can do everything better than the state
that’s why everyone wants a corporate state
because the public trust corporations so much
we are all corporations
we are all states
Should we lobby them to get our expenses money back then?
lets face it these old Labour scum came to parliament in donkey jackets and hob nain boots
some probably didn’t own a suit
and leave with huge property portfolios
they didn’t get them on an MP’s salary and a bit of expences did they ?
they all end up milionaires
A fornsic backtrack to the donkey jackets will prove the case Watson. The game is a foot.
The chances of Call Me Dave being able or even interested in this are about zero. He knows how the system works, who benefits etc etc.
Ask yourself why would someone like Dave go into politics, to help you, me, anyone other than his mates, I think not!
As he surrounds himself with people like ‘Fish finger Ross’ then Guido you are living in cloud cuckoo land!
OK – I’ll take the bait. Perhaps it could be that MPs who have no great need for more money are less likely to be tempted.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Dave’s motives are altruistic – it might spoil the tone of the blog.
On the other hand, I am pretty sure that most of the Labour a***holes do it entirely for greed. I loathe the working class heroes who turn their backs on their origins.
I think you go too far to call labour mp’s ‘working class’.
They have none of the hard working, decent, honest principals that real working class folk have.
Sorry – perhaps my sarcasm is too subtle.
OTOH – that is why Brown and Labour are completely FUBAR. They are despised by the very people they pretend to represent. They are parasites on the working classes.
A big part of Brown’s desperation – wild promises on NHS – is because he knows that.
Many of them might once have had those principles, and a few still do (the oft-mentioned Frank Field and Kate Hoey, for example) but they seem to have shed their principles remarkably easily when faced with temptation.
I wouldn’t call either of them working class, but at least their thinking is consistent*.
*i.e. I might not agree with everything they suggest but at least I can follow a “mental route”, the rest of the MPs seem to have zero brainpower and just expect the constant expediency of covering stuff up with taxpayers money to work.
Frank Field never had any in the first place, he was just good at making out he did.The Hunt
“I loathe the working class heroes who turn their backs on their origins.”
None more so than Gorbals Mick of course. A king amongst the so-called working class troughers.
When will people realise that Labour is the enemy of the working class, and not it’s saviour ? Labour’s Socialists want to keep people down ! They don’t want people learning and bettering themselves, cos then they’d start questioning. It’s all so cynical. Time for a drink methinks..
When someone really tries to uncover Parliamentary corruption, like Elizabeth Filkin did,the Parties and their sponsors and lickspittles close ranks across their divisions to preserve the status quo and their financial interests and oust the investigator
Of course they do. Can’t have the minions finding out how and where they make their profits, now, can they.
Colonel – Make that man a brigadier
Exactly, in a four and multiples of four years rotating dictatorship nothing changes and nothing ever will.
A huge number of MPs knew that they were guilty of varying degrees of misdemeanour over their expenses; and they displayed that guilt by doing everything in their power to conceal their activities.
They will face the same test over lobbying. If they have nothing to hide, they will welcome complete transparency and the opportunity to repair the reputation of Parliament that comes with it.
On the subject of the reputation of Parliament and politicians, it is accepted that individuals in Government do not like losing power and privilege, sometimes because they have committed acts which they know will be exposed by a change of Government and may be punished.
It is worth reading this article to understand what lengths Governments will go to, to hang on to power.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7193998/Endgame-for-Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-in-Iran.html
The Labour Party faces defeat under a leader who has not got the mental ability to formulate clearly defined moral guidelines regarding what acts are permissible in order to hang on to power.
It is up to those around him to ensure that there is dignity in defeat and the core values of democracy are maintained. We do not want to see Parliament further debased by a campaign based on outright lies, distortions and personal smears.
As for the use of force as the Iranian Government is doing; the force will be opposed by an equal and opposite force; Governments that take life in the pursuit of power end up paying with their lives.
“The Labour Party faces defeat under a leader who has not got the mental ability to formulate clearly defined moral guidelines regarding what acts are permissible in order to hang on to power”
.
I predict (although not uniquely) Brown will attempt illegal acts and that he – following defeat – will ‘bunker-like’ kill himself !
Perhaps we can hope that the Iranian people are not so lazy and apathetic as the British people. They are probably clever enough to know that if they let their government deliver a telling blow, the response will be terrible. Iran has no friends in its immediate vicinity and lots of enemies, some of whom most definitely have awesome firepower.
You can get oil out of irradiated rocks and we could probably manage without pistachios for a few months.
Sadly, the Brits do not see that Brown is delivering his telling blow. He will not surrender power until he has completely destroyed the country.
These promises re. what the NHS is to deliver are worrying, irrational and desperate. Is there nobody with the courage to put and end to his insane and wicked behaviour?
(Multiple choice question! Choose from No or F*** No. You have 45 minutes. You may start writing)
Hang them all and I will eat their heads
Bon appetit.
This is extremely outrageous!!
How dare the rich, silver spoon Tory boys seek to prevent little people like me earning huge sums from me contacts in the Medical industry! Disgusting it is!!
I shall contact me employer’s lobbyist at Westminster immejitlee, if not sooner to stop this outrage
Calm down. Would you like a cigarette?
Quiet, Patty. Remember what happened the last time you came up with a cunning plan ?
Anyone know where to see the list of PPCs with their profession?
This is rubbish of course, Boots would have given Patricia Hewitt a job in any case, just to have the sexy little thing hanging around the office.
Boots up the arse is what she deserves.
Boots? She wouldn’t know where to start. These people are deviod of reality and full of their own self-importance but have little or no common sense at all.
…or even devoid
Ahhh BOOTS. You’d think she’d refuse to join the board on principle. After all their new boss is none other than Andy Hornby – ex boss of HBOS. One of those who is to be judged in the court of public opinion and certainly not associated with in any way.
Refuse on principle? Ahahahahahahahaha.
Labour politician? Principle? Ahahahahaha.
Although of course this stigmatising of the banks was only ever naked scape-goating to avoid blame for the economic clusterfuck that they allowed to occur on their watch. Arseholes. Incompetent jackasses and arseholes.
Boots is the next Woolworths IMHO.
Shabby shops + Random stock = Time to go.
Just send Jonah round, they’d be gone in three weeks.
Classic case of corporatocracy in action :
Macho corporate fuckwits trying to one-up eachother with influential people they can name-drop are naturally attracted to high profile pols – who in turn are naturally attracted to wheelbarrow loads of easy cash offered for the prospect of directorships after they ditch out of the House of Shame.
Interesting to see that latest scare tactics being pushed by Pravda this morning with the CEOP types : ‘You’re children are in danger on-line, you’re only safe with the large corporates as “providers” ‘ was the message.
Gone completely away from the approach of knowing who you’re dealing with on a local level and taking responsibility for things yourself, hasn’t it ?
“…..and taking responsibility for things yourself…”
Good God, have you taken leave of your senses? We are talking 13 years of NuLiebour control-freakery and the nanny state here (although I accept that it seems like at least a lifetime).
The larger the scale, the harder it is to trace, and the easier it will be for government to spy on people. Isn’t that what it’s alll about?
Fuck all Mp’s off. we can all vote on the fly through the internet.
Erm, what was that echo above about Internet Explorer crashing?
Rumour has it M$ has lots of lovely patches to issue today.
Think I’ll wait and let the automatic-download beta-testers try ‘em out first.
As for voting on-line, that must be the biggest wet dream that even the Lib/Lab/Con tossers could slaver over.
Dave’s just fucking asking for it….
http://www.conservatives.com/Donate/Donor_Clubs.aspx
The Leader’s Group
Annual membership: £50,000 Chairman: Andrew Feldman
The Leader’s Group is the premier supporter Group of the Conservative Party. Members are invited to join David Cameron and other senior figures from the Conservative Party at dinners, post-PMQ lunches, drinks receptions, election result events and important campaign launches.
Dave’s just fucking asking for it….
http://www.conservatives.com/Donate/Donor_Clubs.aspx
The Leader’s Group
Annual membership: £50,000 Chairman: Andrew Feldman
The Leader’s Group is the premier supporter Group of the Conservative Party. Members are invited to join David Cameron and other senior figures from the Conservative Party at dinners, post-PMQ lunches, dr*nks receptions, election result events and important campaign launches.
I’d rather wipe my arse with it.
I’d expect a top-class goody bag AND a conjuror for that money. And LOTS of jelly.
I’d expect a peerage.
You get it!
Speak to me later.
I’d wanna shag top totty like Pat Hewitt or Julie Kirkbride
Have they got a website with a caveat:
“Any money paid to this club is for time and companionship only.
Anything else that occurs is a matter of choice between consenting adults. Anything implied or inferred by any of these pages is not to be taken as inducement for payment for anything other than time and companionship”
The Leader’s Group?
Der Fuhrer Dave?
Re-arm the Stukas with biodegradable wet lettuce cannisters!
Do trades unions count as lobbyists?
Dave takes the fight to Gordon “Banana Man” Brown. Did you know Brown eats at least 252 bananas a month? Just worked out that’s 115,200mg a month of potasium. That’s a lot
………….. makes a good mix with cyanide ………….!
Ohhhh Yes
They can count up to ten.
Starting to talk about the Lobby system is a good start the more under-hand corrupt dealings are exposed the better.
Should we make a start with No. 10?
Three Labour MP’s thrown to the dogs won’t cover up Gordon Brown method of government.
How does a PM like Tony Blair make so much money in such a short time?
How has Peter Mandelson got where he is?
Love people and use money, not the other way around. A few quid to charity doesn’t make it right.
You may well ask that, Greychatter. I couldn’t possibly comment.
neither could I
What I say amounts to the same
Don,t forget the Royal Lobbyists
A really good read
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-how-can-the-state-justify–supporting-homeopathy-1893339.html
Um…
How can you stop people having lunch with each other and discussing things of interest?
If a man takes a lady out for an excellent supper and fills her with champagne and they then choose to sleep with each other that is courtship. I fear that you are confusing this with prostitution.
How would you regulate this?
Please do explain if I have misunderstood anything here.
It might be a better comparison if you were to say that the gentleman concerned was married to a different lady, that he was the guardian of nationally important and sensitive information, that the lady concerned was in the employ of someone who wanted that information and was equipped with sound recording devices.
Also, that he has a face like a bag full of spanners, a fat wobbly arse, some fake Tudor beams in his mansion and couldn’t pull his own todger let alone a good looking bint unless she had the ocular abilities of that fat turd burglar in Downing Street. But he is stupid enough to believe that he is a luuurve God because of his importance.
Nobody in Westminster is as stupid as yo… sorry, yes they all are.
Full disclosure, that’s the answer.
The same way you regulate Doctors and solicitors. A Code of Ethics and by that I mean a proper Code of Ethics, not just a Green Book which can be interpreted to suit.
For the perpetrators, punishment would include a huge fine together with a very stiff sentence, the invalidation of their pension and never being allowed within cooee of any government/council department, ever.
It’s a nice thought, but it’ll never catch on.
Ali Dizaei got a stiff sentence here last night
Sorry – you think doctors and solicitors are properly regulated? Most of the staged claims rings are organised by solicitors in the North West and Midlands. The authorities know this and have the evidence, names and addresses but are unwilling to move against their own. As for doctors; fine as long as you support the mainstream view. Start being contentious and hello kangaroo court.
On Topic and a possible quote of the day…
When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.
P. J. O’Rourke
……… there should be a law about that …………
Another Quote of the Day…
“Happy Birthday Guido!”
Harriet Harman is in the running for rear of the year. –
Underneath that frumpy,plain disapproving exterior she would love to have an ‘allo ‘allo Herr Flick session with Gordy.
I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago (just flip the genders).
Bill – I think you’re reading too much into the fact that Hattie has a prize arse.
Now she wants him to be an MP, to keep the family income up.
Ohhhhhhh Yes…
Dave could make an immediate start by selecting PPCs with real-world backgrounds, or even better, by allowing local Conservative Associations to select their own candidates, preferably local people. The central list dominated by political researchers and lobbyists sits rather uneasily with yesterday’s statement.
That said, the general tone of his statement is welcome. However, the devil is always in the detail, and this is one area of political life with a lot of very iffy details.
“real world backgrounds”?! By that logic he should sack himself.
I think he has been attempting to do that by his performances at PMQs.
Fully agree, Engineer that MPs should be local people of substance and experience not these careerist fuckers who`ve never known an honest day`s work, just imbibed politics since they hung off their mother`s teat and now want a job for life hanging off our teat and get parachuted in. Agree, Sockpuppet that would rule DC out.
I think the problem as DC and the other party bosses would see it would be the independence of the local constituencies. They might well tell CCHQ to stick their PC shortlists; they might well support an embarrassing MP against the leader`s wishes.
Cast your minds back to the sunny carefree days of `97 when sleaze came in the form of used fivers in an envelope – how quaint. One of the many pains in John Major`s arse was the stubborn refusal of Tatton constituency to ditch Neil Hamilton thus leading to the Martin Bell scenario.
What about the”BlobbyLobby” ie Prescott and his Chinese friend s
rets get mia preshcot he big fick fucker
an he rike fuckie fuckie so we gi him girrys
an
we geh big useress cun to rook afer chinese intrest in bwitten
But aren’t the freemasons another powerful lobbying group? And hasn’t Dave hosted at least one freemason “event” at the Commons? (And Berco another) As I recall it, one has to be fairly well off to become a freemason… and they do have a tendancy to “look after one another”.
Not a word in the press on this subject, nor from Guido, come to that. Are you one of the rolled-up trouser brigade, Guido?
No you dont have to be well off to be a freemason
i knew a guy who was a bricklayer for the council and one who was a plumber for another council and both were freemasons !
Thats why they had contracts with the councils…..
You’ll be telling us that they hang people under Blackfriars Bridge next!
I doubt that the Lady Freemasons of Witney are a powerful group, secretly plotting to dominate the Universe. I picture the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons more as a group of well-spoken, well-upholstered, apronned ladies of a certain age, conservatives in the best senses of the word.
For what do Freemasons lobby? Tax relief on silly handshakes?
I guess Dave’s hob-nobbing with aprons has more to do with building contacts with senior professionals than anything else.
I don’t know if Masonic lodges commonly donate to political parties – a quick look at the Electoral Commission website will confirm or deny this.
No they don’t. The Craft expressly forbids it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-how-can-the-state-justify–supporting-homeopathy-1893339.html
A really good read
Sorry for repeat of above
England is like a blocked up toilet at Heathrow, yellow piss, festering turds, footprints on the seat, spy hole in the wall
England is just a paid for facility to shit in by those hate it
Nothing to do with me.
Come on….you must have interests in St. Tropez spray tan!
OT but equally important to anyone who watched ‘Ji.had Generation’ last night, what the **** is Call Me Dave doing being proud to put up for election the first Tory M.uslim MP.
It will come round to bite not only him but the entire country in the arse!
Its a bit like the England cricket team around 1900 where nobility from the sub continent were treated as honorary whites. Dave has a category of honorary twats.
You are exactly why so many people hate our party. You are a proper twat you retard fuck. Get a fucking brain you shy.
test
icle
[...] Guido Fawkes today launched his strongest assault yet on lobbyists, declaring today [...]
“the Government could fall victim to a sudden increase in its funding costs”
.
………. the I M F is coming …….
Plenty of Building Societies already paying savers 4.5 – 5% for 3/4/5 year bonds. This 0.5% interest rate is a fucking gag.
This recession hasn’t even got started yet.
Exactly jgm2 – follow the money.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6181E320100209
Even with the £ shafted, trade deficit worsened. Growth my arse. Recession.
While we are on the subject – slow house sales in Jan, worst jan high street sales growth in 15 years
Banks having to pay 5% for savers cash is the giveaway. Inflation and higher interest rates here we come. The housing crash was merely postponed by the application of 300bn quid of borrowed money.
Gosh – who would have believed that was what they were up to. 300bn quid just to prop up house prices until after the election. It’s almost as if high house prices were the only ‘industry’ we’ve had for the past decade.
We are world leaders
W
If there’s a hung Parliament an L…
> Even with the £ shafted, trade deficit worsened.
Nope the pound falling means we have to pay more for imports.
This isn’t good news as it means that we could be mostly importing demand inelastic goods.
5% on a bond locking your savings in until 2015 in the aftermath of Gordon’s financial wizardry?
Suddenly the on-demand rate of 0.007% that my bank pays is looking good.
The IMF is coming
Dave sounds as if he has been studying the Tea Party movement in the US. I hope so. He is in need of attitude adjustment as is our entire governing class.
Good luck to him. It is their last chance.
The fleeing rats are turning into a herd:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8505255.stm
Hilary Benn has all the appeal of a piece of limp lettuce. So he denied it………and…?
Please find another phrase. Since the pub group named the Slug and Lettuce after Gordon and Dave all comparisons with lettuce are limited to Dave.
What’s wrong with lobbying? If I go to see my MP I am lobbying him.
As Cameron says it should be transparent.
Meantime I think Mr Fawkes should grow up – its a dopey idea to say Lobbying should be illegal.
What the EU does of course should be illegal. They give funds to organisations so they can set up office to lobby them and thus pursue policies that they then say have followed ‘consultation’.
And of course the trade unions take money from the govt then spend millions funding Labour to gain influence.
Is this a good article? Absolutely yeo – oops,typo, absolutely yes. It does however confuse me a little, I’m still very, very angry about expenses, I’m angry about Iraq, angry about quangos, angry about foreign travels ‘on official business’, angry that HoL remains a highly secretive den of iniquity, angry at people – viz Michael Martin – who are still being appointed there, angry at bankers, angry at the laxity with which government deal with bankers, etc. and I’m also angry about lobbying. My confusion is in the prioritising of so many political scams; I favour expensess; as things stand, for many of our ‘honourable members’, it’s a case of steal 100 grand over thirty years and repay a few hundred for the last 4 years – some penalty! And , to boot, they get a golden goodbye. Expenses will not be over until the punishment fits the crime and the current token gesture of 3 MPs and a lord falls way short. Smith? McNulty? Hoon? Darling – I’ll clamp down on tax evasion but flipping is ok , Brown – PM, highest office in the country fiddling expenses, Cameron – now that the taxpayer picks up the tab, I’ll bump my mortgage up to the maximum. thieving bastards, the lot of them.
I agree. When a British Prime Minister was questioned by the police, as Tony was over the cash for honours scam, he should have been got rid of then. It was an absolute disgrace. We will put up with any sort of behaviour here. It doesn’t matter that the country is run by shysters and thieves – they know that 99% of them will get away with it in the end and, because we did nothing when they introduced these Rules, there’s nothing we can do about it. They’re laughing all the way to the bank.
Pissed off is not enough. we should all walk round in burkas and put the shits up them
we are exactly the same……..nice one gordon.
I SAVED THE WORLD AND THE BANKS
Now they are trying to fuck us
I, too, want my country back – now!
and my money
Awesome!
Citigate Dewe Rogerson being an example.
They employ ex-Labour workers and supporters, then get contracts such as Aim High, then appear on the list of people who use Parliament for receptions, then appear as Labour party donors.
How is this not public money just shifting out to agencies which employ and support party workers running the party line? It should either be done by the civil service or not done at all.
However, Cameron’s got nothing to look smug about.
Simon Nayyar is the managing director of Citigate Dewe Rogerson Public Policy in London and the head of CDR’s public policy division. Simon is the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Hackney South & Shoreditch which he will contest at the next general election.
Spot the difference.
Here’s an example of how it works. (Link is to a 24 page pdf)
In April 2007 Citigate pitched to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Board to do its information monitoring and advice. Never mind that the quango might have been expected to do this itself; obviously not, why do any work when you can put it out to an agency.
Citigate explicitly offers an old-pals network
Citigate Public Affairs will also add value through the following;
• Making use of the information, knowledge and contacts from our own
respective political backgrounds e.g. Labour, Liberal Democrats and the
Scottish National Party
An example of this is given in the ‘about us’ section.
…worked for Scottish Lib Dem MPs (inlcuding Highlands and Islands MPs) as a Westminster Parliamentary Researcher from 1994-97, where he was responsible for the development of the Party’s education policy. He has been Leader of the Opposition on the London Borough of Haringey, where he served as a Councillor for four years.
Similar profiles are offered for the other PR workers.
The cost of the monitoring service was a very reasonable £6,750 + VAT per month, which makes one wonder if there isn’t some redundancy at the HIE which could be junked in order to pay for the intelligence, or if perhaps Scotland should just hire CDR direct and do the logical thing of handing all the HIE work to Citigate.
From the sample monitoring report though, it’s a cheeky to sell them back a pile of public sector press releases including one which comes from the quango they were pitching to.
The Telegraph reports today that Harriet Harman is the current leader in the race for “rear of the year”. Apparently she has had 12 nominations in a week and it is suspected that mp’s are nominating her for a joke.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7192900/Harriet-Harman-in-the-running-for-Rear-of-the-Year-award.html
It wil be great if she wins and has to show off her arse in a little thong. That will knock her wimmin agenda. Perhaps they are voting her face as rear of the year?
http://political-graffiti.blogspot.com/
why is my comment awaiting moderation there is nothing libellous or even that rude in it . in fact it is factual
http://www.political-graffiti.com
wow wish I was you.
There are all sorts of things that get you moderated.
ie who’s your fabourite beatle: John, george, ringo, or that other one?
That’s why it’s being moderated!
A MESSAGE FROM THE RELIGION OF PEACE
Yeah yeah.heard it all befor. is this cos of Ali Dizaei
Nice!
Here’s someone being prepared in a town near you.
Note the kindly tone of the inquisitor!
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2010/extreme-brainwashing-islamic-kid-p1.php
Wait till she’s 15 — teenagers always rebel — that is, unless she’s buried alive by her own parents first.
This generation of jihadists are merely rebelling against their more moderate parents.
OT Whats the point of having TV debate between party leaders during EC when it is propsed to ask them questions with no follow up questions from the presenters or audiance or rebuttals from the other leaders?
Because we are the BBC and we say so.
anyone see Blair on the box lastnight ?
he looked Chinese
it looked like he had had the skin on his face pulled back and tied in a knot on the back of his head
a massive forehead shining away without a wrinkle in sight
a mouth that wouldn’t close ,slanty eyes
and a deep tan (real or false ) i dont know
he looked a right twat !
That was my Wealthy but Saintly look.
too far up his own arse syndrome
Mandy likes buttocks, Blair likes Botox?
Plastic surgery. His mate Cliff recommended him.
Dearly Beloved
Thought for the day
Lifes like a dick, it gets hard sometimes for no reason!
AMEN TO THAT
THE GORD’S PRAYER
Our Pariah, which art in Downing Street,
Hated be thy name.
Thy government come,
Our Nation’s wealth go, in 2010 as in the 1970’s.
Give us this day our daily soundbites
And forgive us our tirading against those who tyrannise against us
And lead us not into another term of office,
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the catastrophe, the penury and the gloom
For ever and ever. Amen.
Fawkes, this tilting at windmills has to stop.
“Wherever yuman beans foregather, there shalt thou find cruption” (Judges 22).
We come here for:
1. Totty
2. Abuse of Gordon Brown
3. More totty
4. Jokes
5. Abuse of other politicians
6. Possibly, more totty
We do not come here for serious political debate, not only because it is futile, and bollocks, but because no one ever changes his mind anyway. But we do come here to ridicule and denounce everyone else whose opinions do not exactly coincide with our own.
So, more jokes about Gordon’s bananas, please. Totty-wise, Emily and the Weathergirl are a passable start, but when is Guy News going to go topless?
We’re all just waiting for the spark that lights the fuse.
“Fawkes, this tilting at windmills has to stop.
“Wherever yuman beans foregather, there shalt thou find cruption” (Judges 22).
We come here for:
1. Totty
2. Abuse of Gordon Brown
3. More totty
4. Jokes
5. Abuse of other politicians
6. Possibly, more totty
We do not come here for serious political debate, not only because it is futile, and bollocks, but because no one ever changes his mind anyway. But we do come here to ridicule and denounce everyone else whose opinions do not exactly coincide with our own.
So, more jokes about Gordon’s bananas, please. Totty-wise, Emily and the Weathergirl are a passable start, but when is Guy News going to go topless?”
This just reinforces your story yesterday about the influence you claim to have Guido? Which is, because no-one ever, ever changes their mind, fuck all.
Just like the impact anyone who votes has on the country. Fuck all. Lobbyists run this country, and always have. We focus on the politicians, especially the leaders, while they focus on what they are being told to do by the vested-interest groups.
BAN FUCKING LOBBYISTS. BAN FUCKING MP’s WHO HAVE EVER BEEN A LOBBYIST. REFUSE ALL INCOME/FUNDING/DONATIONS FROM PRIVATE INTERESTS.
I come here to offload the extraordinary hatred I have for Gordon Brown.
And Guido,when we do all eventually kick the moron and his thugs out,I shall personally deliver a bottle of the finest champagne to your offices,to thank you for providing me with this opportunity to make a few jokes,de-stress and generally channel my anger away from doing a “Day Of the Jackal” on the most odious man to enter politics.
Absolutely right but lets not overlook the story that integrates politics with totty in the most entertaining way – Natalie Rowe. Guido; when are you going to get hold of a copy of the manuscript of her book. Its due to be published soon so must be completed. Sod their politics. We just want confirmation of which shadow minister is the 2 minute wonder and which one has a thing about wearing nappies.
Christ – googled her and the stuff that could come out will make the M*sley man look like a Red Cross charity function.
Dynamite.
I’M BACK !!!!!
My wife went into the toilet at Tesco & came out complaining that the seats were covered in hairs.
What does she expect, it’s a Pubic Toilet.
You are a pubic heir
Yes! Told ya! I’m leading the entire globe out of recession – UK imports rose an eye-watering £1.4bn in December.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=199
Thanks to
mythe bankers policy of printing moneywethe bankers’ puppets have deluded the English twats into thinking they are not cataclysmically fucked. As a result they have indebted themselves further. They and their great great-granchildren will owe the bankers trillions, and all for a few deathtrap shitheap cars from the Far East. Genius or what!I keel you.
High Fyffes all round !!
How about lobbying to be allowed, but through written, publicly available submissions only, with no entertainment allowed?
Right,
That’s the private side of the unacceptable face of politics.
Now,
The public side.
DC now has to state that the similar trade between Trade Unions/NuLab/Labour/Socialists, Local Authorities, Quangoes, Think Tanks, Charities, Regional Development Boards et al etc,. also needs to be addressed.
And,
Whilst he’s there he can do the same for Brussels/EU/MEP’s and the public/private sector.
We all know that Politics is a bit of a midden, but of late it appears to have taken on a particulary unsavoury aroma that is quite vile.
Nice!
Here is someone being prepared in a town near you
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2010/extreme-brainwashing-islamic-kid-p1.php
Note the kindly tone of the inquisitor
Sorry, that was a reply to 203 and has popped up twice.
Such a peace loving faith……… fcking child abuse anywhere else…….
In 4 years time she’ll be old enough to marry that p4edo-prophet Mohamed, and at age 9 she could look forward to being raped by him, just like Aisha.
Such a perfect life to emulate?
France gets it right – no burqas, all migrants from Mozzielands must take that pledge or go home.
Eric Pickles on Sky News, for f*cks sake I wish he would go on a diet, he is just getting bigger and bigger……….
Looks like the Gov’t have told the media to bring up the Ashcroft situation at all possible opportunities …….. pisses me off, especially when those of us in a Union have no say in our monies being sent to Labour via the union fees, political levies are sh*t!!
Bunch of 2 faced thieving b*stards !
Ah. Fuck. I can’t believe it took me this long to figure out what Cameron was up to.
Public funding of political parties. That way you get rid of the Unions and Ashcroft – but more importantly for Cameron and the already entrenched parties you stymie the development of other competing parties. So no public funding made available for anybody who fails to get (say) 5% of the popular vote.
That’s what this is all about.
Public funding and AV – the tyranny of the centre ground. That way the big three will divvy up power for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever.
Apparantly it’s called democracy.
There’s a civil war going on – has been for some decades. The political establishment, doing their masters’ bidding, versus us. It’s just, we didn’t really notice. We thought they were shit, we didn’t realise they were actually *evil*.
I believe he’s sponsored by “Jammy Dodgers” !
BTW – the Tories have to permanently negate all of these NuLibore opportunities – such as the L Ashcroft saga; both support and potential support is eroded whilst such topics persist!
The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.
Fucking result or what!
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6180KL20100209
* Euro hits 3-week high vs pound at 88.14 pence EURGBP=D4
* UK trade gap highest since Jan 2009
* UK retail sales drop on Jan, house prices rise
* Poll suggests hung parliament after election
LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Sterling fell to a three-week low against the euro and sagged near multi-month lows against the dollar on Tuesday as data showed the UK trade deficit unexpectedly widened to its highest in nearly a year.
Britain’s goods trade gap widened to 7.278 billion pounds from 6.798 billion in December, its highest level since January 2009. Economists had forecast a deficit of 6.63 billion pounds. [ID:nONS004778]
That put pressure on the pound as it suggested the economy may not have made much progress although Britain emerged from recession in the final three months of last year.
“December’s UK trade figures suggest that the external sector is still feeling little benefit from either the lower pound or tentative global recovery,”
Keep looking at muslim cops, female suicide bombers with exploding breast implants, jihadis under the bed… it’s all a psy op to get you uselesseaters dead, through a UK civil war and global Christian/Islam bloodbath. Meanwhile, the plan to take down, what’s left of UK’s real economy, continues to plan – almost there. Serfdom and penury for the masses, middle-classes finished, oligarch class in place.
Love and kisses, Dave, Gordy and Cleggy.
You didn’t really believe you lived in a democracy? Jesus wept.
The question of Lord Ashcroft will not go away, indeed will be brought up at tomorrows PMQ’s
Tory billionaire donor Lord Ashcroft makes millions through a company accused of damaging a rainforest.
Our investigation has found the peer’s British Caribbean Bank has a 24.8% stake in Numar, the biggest producer of controversial palm oil in Costa Rica.
Numar, which earned the bank £14million in the 2009 financial year alone, has previously been denounced for killing off wildlife in unspoilt jungle.
It is another blow to the Tories’ environmental credentials after George Osborne’s launch of the party’s planned “green bank” last week.
Although there is no suggestion Lord Ashcroft is aware of the claims surrounding Numar and its behaviour, there is a clear paper trail linking its activities to the bank, in Belize, which owns 25% of the company.
And Ashcroft, one of the biggest Tory donors, owns 72% of that bank.
Put simply, some of Numar’s profit ends up in the bank’s Belize-based parent company BCB Holdings.
Registered at the same bank offices in Belize City is Stargate Holdings, linked through complex share deals to Bearwood Corporate Services.
Lord Ashcroft plans to leave £900m to charity
BUT I WANT IT !!!!!
Eric Pickles sings the Numar Numar song.
Bloody hell – sound’s like Lord Ashcroft needs some help from Tony Blair’s financial advisors !!!
The Tories are going to ask about the Labour non-doms !!!
Has Tony Blair made any donations to his old party. His springboard to vast personal wealth on a par with an African dictator? Or would he get caught out by the residency requirements (if any)?
I’ve heard it said that is why he hasn’t been made a peer yet as befits an ex-PM.
Bliar is a tight arsed b’stard……… he is keeping out of the country to avoid paying tax….lots of dirt to be dug up there………no way would he give anything to his old Party !
Having seen the devastation of deforestation in Costa Rica and consequences of palm oil production there…. if true I sincerely hope that the Tories do dump him…..Lord Ashcroft that is!
He’s staying out cos he knows there is soon going to be a warrant out for him.
Just do bit of digging around Blair’s “funding” vehicles, Windrush and Firerush – that’s where your answers are.
I’m suggesting it. The bastard knows,thats not a suggestion is it
A nice blog Guido, but I don’t think it will happen.
And as for the democratic moves on 100,0d a million signatures, I think there could be a better way.
If a minister does something wrong. I don’t mean making an honest mistake, I mean being caught out milking the system, taking bungs etc, then a 10% cut in salary should be made for the rest of their time in Parliament in this and any further elections they win. i.e. a 10% cut forever as long as they are in Parliament. Then a further 10% cut for each extra 100,000 siggies.
That would direct their minds far better.
Next time you get burgled you can have 10% back.
Your good. I bet you voted us in, and will again. 10% I will accept that,easy make that up on the interest
Just seen Pickles on TV steaming like a fat turd and, effectively, confirming that Lord Cashbox of Belize is still a non-dom. Will Dave do the right thing and immediately withdraw the whip in the Lords and sack him from his party posts?
Gordon was very good at listening to lobbyists, he took note of what they wanted, nay demanded, and low and behold the BANKERS? got their way, and look where that got the country.
Rubbish. Gordo was the clown pushing for massive increases in Credit. He was pushing on an open door, but he was still in charge of the pound, and totally failed it.
Is that what the BANKERS? wanted NO REGULATION because it limits “our” profits, we want to do what we want to do, if it goes wrong we will be bailed out because we are TOO BIG to fail. Bliar got a few nice little lucrative little numbers from BANKERS? did he not. Lobby groups are for self interested promotion why else would they do it, for the good health of the country?
Come on, think yer ard enuf?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/schoolgate/2010/02/come-and-ask-ed-balls-your-questions-and-take-our-education-poll-.html
very unrealistic to expect lobbying to be banned but it should be declared…the states system works quite well but it does not curb the scale of course.
So you’re saying we are just to enter politics just to serve the people?
Fuck that.
Just slightly ON-topic…
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8505920.stm
Peers to be cleared over expenses
That’s nice for them.
I have been dining at the Ashcroft table.
And you came back for seconds you fat Hunt
Anybody say seconds?
Hahah… its exchanges like this which makes me go through all the comments!
If you fancy a “shot” at Ed Balls – go to here;
http://timesonline.typepad.com/schoolgate/
and post a question to him – he is on a live question session on The Times website.
You can already see the questions piling up.
I asked why he ever claimed for £400 per month for food when he and his wife NET £15,000 per month and a pensioner gets £398 per month for their entire budget.
Anyway,this most odious of the odious will soon be obliterated at the election.
‘Ow is it that Julia Kirkbride and her husband had to pay back cash because they were cross-claiming for their primary/secondary residences. But you and your missus don’t?
Why’s that Ned?
I do hope so.
Fingers crossed and don’t walk on the cracks
in paving stones.
I’m off to ask him what it’s like to have no soul
Dave Cameron is a mate of mine
He is my mate too.
Give me a job.
Send for the men in white coats.
have you been lobbing him ?
Just call me Dave.
Fuck off Dave or you’ll get a bunch of Fyffes.
Ooh, get her.
Derek was keen on lobbyists..
http://www.gregpalast.com/tony-blair-and-the-sale-of-britain/
Did anyone hear Sarah Palin on the radio making that speeach. That is one very scary and very thick chick.
Americans are the most astonishingly thick group of people – those that have never strayed beyond the 100 miles or so of their home simply have no idea what happens outside their little bubble.
Oh and I am American.
we are all American !!
As long as she’s only scaring the piss out of the bed-wetters she’s probably on the right track.
Agreed, we need more of her type over here to give all the hand wringers heart attacks.
I cause heart attacks
bedwetting accusery is one of the many signs of being A WITCH!!
take thy satanic forked tongue away heretic lest I will exorcise thee
thou reeks of the harlot science and her abominablie lie of evolution
God spake to me and revealed that books and the horned demon moose are the very devils work so my path to politics was made clear by the divine Dubya
when rapture comes you will all burn for your secular heresy and sinning
The American Harperdaughter
So are most yanks.you get what you deserve.
Frightens the life out of me. Imagine if she had her digit on the nuclear button.
The fact that nutter James Gordon Brown does have his bogey covered digit on it, gives you some comfort does it?
Imagine if she had her digit on the nuclear button.
Is that a euphemism?
Better class of whore
Harriet Harman wants to ban prostitution. They could just extend the laws to Parliament
good i prefer not to pay
……but have always had to
I’d pay…
if the alternative was a night with Harman!
Ampers.
After a night with her I would forgive all your sins and let you straight in the pearly gates
I look forward to Harriet Banning Marriage. A financial deal sealed by sex.
She’s been charging me for years
but enough about you and you’re hilarious home life
A Cabinet Minister, on being asked;
“What would happen if Labour won the election?”
Replied. (Once he had got his breath back),
“There would be an immediate leadership election.”
It’s official;
We are being asked to vote for an unknown and faceless Prime Minister, concealed from head to toe in an impenetrable burqua.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/5760533/what-happens-if-labour-wins.thtml.
Credit to Coffee House.
I forgot to mention; the reason why the Parliamentary Labour Party hasn’t replaced Brown, is that they thought that all the possible contenders would be even worse.
This is the stuff that nightmares are made of; Balls, Harman, as PM?
Is this the same anti-lobbyist David Cameron who prior to his election to Parliament was the lobbyist for 7 years for the odious Michael Green of Carlton Communications? No hypocrisy there then.
“We don’t know who is meeting whom. We don’t know whether any favours are being exchanged. We don’t know which outside interests are wielding unhealthy influence….”
Becasue as Michael keeps telling me it’s none of my business.
I’ll fucking get all of you bastards when I get elected.
While your at it Dave, how about breaking the cosy cosy world of briefing the press nudge nudge wink wink.
Am sick and tired of the papers telling me what will happen rather than what happened. Why do they have to do that?
The only amusement is when one hack gets it totally and utterly wrong because he or she’s upset someone with a word out of place and got duff info as a consequence.
Lobbyists are covertly subverting democracy, it should be a criminal offence, says Guido.
Er… it already is (Prevention of Corruption Acts 1889-1916) but for reasons unexplained New Labour appointed DPPs or policemen haven’t seen fit to investigate such dusty old laws. By the sounds od Dave it doesn’t seem prosecution policy is about to change anytime soon.
Modern MPs seem to think that laws are like paintings, there to be admired rather than used.
[...] was reading Guido and his analysis of Lobbying and its future under a new Tory government. This really is something that bugs [...]
So at last an admission from the establishment that it is seriously corrupted. Why did it take a political party so long to even pretend to arrive at this? The fact that they were all so tardy means that only a fool could be in favour of letting any of them oversee any reforms.
60 million fools then
Then, straw dummies are tossed into huge bonfires. Commercial Property
Guido, let me know when MPs or their parlimentary assistans run through every single piece of legislation or statutory instrument they get to vote on and pick up every single detail. Reality is, lobbyists tell MPs where to look for obscure wordings, then they can make their mind up and vote according to their views.
I’m a lobbyist, I tell MPs here, look at this and these are my arguments to vote X or Y, then they can make their mind up about the issue. If they just simply follow us without questioning our arguments then they are probably not very good at their job, are they?
I thought you were a libertarian, son.
Fuck’s sake.
What about the “Health” lobbyists (see fakecharities.org)? The likes of ASH and Alcohol Concern are paid to fund junk science reports and then lobby for change based on their recommendations. ASH Wales receives only 0.2% of its funding from public donations, the rest coming from the tax-payer and Big Pharma (ASH undurprisingly is a major shareholder in Nicotene Replacement manufacturers so it is hardly surprising they do this (even crowing about their relationship whwn trying to suck up more cash from the Pharma companies). Also unsurprising they then produce fake studies that show NRT products are twice as effective as they actually are (see Dick Puddlecote’s blog today). Until the likes of ASH and Alcohol Concern are forced to survive on public donations (or their well-known links are made clear to the simpletons in Government) I suspect this is just Dave blowing smoke up everyone’s arses again.
@410 Re fake charities…
Did you know the Royal Town Plannign Institute was a registered charity?
Not like they put life and limb at risk as the RNLI people do every time they launch out to sea to save lives is it?