As the TUC prepare to go on another pointless walk this weekend, Guido couldn’t help but chuckle when he read the London Loves Business interview with union boss Bill Hayes this evening. It turns out the £97,000-a-year fat cat is paid so much he has lost count:
“It’s not £97,000. Off the top of my head, I’d have to look it up. I don’t think [it’s more]. Without looking at my payslip, I don’t know, I don’t know – but it’s good pay.”
Union bosses are so rich they don’t know how much they earn. Guido wonders how many of those paying him through their subs can say the same?
Luciana Berger is shocked that Guido would possibly see a link between her pushing for property development tax cuts in the Commons and taking money from property developers:
“It is clearly defamatory to suggest there is any link between the donation to my constituency party and my question in parliament. My question in the Commons was motivated by a constituent’s concern about the availability of private rented accommodation. It was completely unconnected to any donation to me or Liverpool Wavertree Constituency Party.”
The notion that it’s all hunky-dory because the donation was to her local party and not directly to her bank account is laughable. And note that she only mentions one donation – we raised two. Now, while we have your attention Luciana, perhaps you could explain another donation that has caught our eye…
According the Electoral Commission in April 2011, Berger’s Liverpool Wavertree CLP received £5,000 from a company called ‘Purple Apple Facilities Management’. According to Companies House, as of 31 March 2010 Purple Apple was “dormant” and it was later dissolved. HMRC say “dormant” is a term for “any company or organisation that is not active, trading or carrying on business activity”. Now the problem for Luciana lies in Section 54 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. A company is only permissible as a donor if it is a company which “is carrying on business in the United Kingdom”. Purple Apple were not however carrying out any business in the UK. So why was Luciana’s team accepting donations from them?
The Guidogram round-up of the week is going out shortly.
Thousands of Westminster insiders read the Guidogram, everyone from Downing Street insiders to Fleet Street never miss it. Make sure you get the low-down on how expenses-hungry MPs have been rent-swapping in order to trouser taxpayers’ cash, and get all the latest on Luciana Berger’s dodgy dormant donations.
Join the conspiracy and become a subscriber to the Guidogram, free, to keep in the loop. You’re either in front of Guido, or behind…
How encouraging to see Tory MEPs Vicky Ford and Marina Yannakoudakis speak out against an EU diktat proposing to force companies to introduce a 40% quota for female board members. Ford has voiced her opposition in no uncertain terms: “yes diverse boards are a good thing, but rigid quotas go too far for me.” Marina also chipped in: “I oppose compulsory quotas. Quotas for women distort equality.”
Funny then that back in 2008 both Vicky and Marina received fewer votes than their male rivals and owe their seats in the European Parliament, that’s right, to a quota. Both MEPs only won seats due to the preferential ranking system for women used in the elections. One Brussels insider tells Guido:
“The sheer audaciousness of Ford and Yannakoudakis is astounding. It sticks in my gut to see these two superannuated flibbertigibbets attempting to derive political capital out of quotas – the very same process that handed them their seats.”
Quite…
Whenever Gordon Brown’s favourite former appointee to the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, David Blanchflower, makes a prediction, it’s probably a safe bet to expect the exact opposite to come true. Back in 2009 the out-of-luck economist looked into his evidently faulty crystal ball and predicted that unemployment would top 5 million if the Tories came into power. As of yesterday it stands at 2.53 million and falling. David is very nearly 100% wrong – quite a wide margin of error.
He forecast that unemployment would surge past 3 million to 3.4 million in 2010. It peaked at 2.5 million in 2010.
On Tuesday Blanchflower was at it again, wagering that the new set of unemployment figures would bring bad news:
i fully expect an increase in unemployment tomorrow
— Professor Danny Blanchflower economist & fisherman (@D_Blanchflower) October 17, 2012
Lo and behold once again the opposite happened, with unemployment dropping by 50,000 to below 8%. Keep trying David, you might get one right eventually…
Panorama set to broadcast on Monday investigation into dropped Newsnight Savile film. Huge problem for Entwistle who's at Culture Cttee Tues
— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) October 18, 2012
Ouch!
