The fall of the Tory party

Something feels a bit weird about the Sky coverage on that.

Saw Sam Coates say soimething about how their "exhaustive research" has shown that the donations came from a company owned by a chap called Peter Hearn.

They're making it sounds cloak and dagger but he's a long term Labour donor, all the donations are on the register and the company ownership is transparent and on companies house. It takes less than 5 minutes to look up the company name, see who owns it and then find the corresponding donations on the register. Why the big fuss?

I think its that the donations are to individual MPs and not the party

I mean, is it really that suspicious that a well known Labour donor who is a Director of 15+ active companies has a standalone company, with full ownership information publicly visible, in order to handle investments and donations?

They're making a big scene about MPM Connect Ltd having no employees....but thats kind of the point. Its an SPV. really can't see how its unusual or worrying at all.

Is the suggestion that he is circumventing donation caps by buying sham services from members? ie these payments are separate and on top of the declared donations?

I think its that the donations are to individual MPs and not the party

Ah ok. Is that not an allowable thing then? I thought all MPs received private donations towards running costs.

Is the suggestion that he is circumventing donation caps by buying sham services from members?

Didn't see that in the article but would explain it...

Here's the list of donors

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Is the suggestion that he is circumventing donation caps by buying sham services from members? ie these payments are separate and on top of the declared donations?

Just checked. The Sky article makes no mention of this and simply states that they are donations towards the running of MP's offices.

I'm sure I'm missing something important here, but I'm still struggling to find the scandal. Other than its pretty murky that these donations are allowed at all.

https://news.sky.com/story/westminster-accounts-the-biggest-donors-to-mps-since-the-last-election-12767944

Virtually all of Redwood's "earnings" come from here
https://www.charles-stanley.co.uk/

where he is a "Chief Global Strategist"

struggling to find the scandal

I tend to agree

Isn’t the aim to insinuate a scandal when none exists. Idiots will latch onto it until someone says “where there’s smoke….”

And then unsubstantiated rumour becomes a real thing.

A bit like Philip May's purported holdings of G4S shares

I saw somebody on Twitter say, I assume with a straight face, that Yvette Cooper receiving properly declared donations from MPM Connect Ltd is the single most corrupt thing he has ever seen an MP do.

Wasn't the husband of one of the government drug tsars (cant remember which MP it was) a shareholder in the world's largest produce of medical cannabis?

Wasn't that Teresa May's husband?

Possibly!

I'd much prefer it if MPs could run their offices without private donations using taxpayer money rather than accepting private donations. Its murky AF. If that means even more expenses than so be it.

This The Carlton club?

https://www.carltonclub.org.uk/

Or perhaps this one from 9 years ago

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And pushing the narrative of “they are all the same (so no point voting)”

'Private Eye' is amazing and uncovering conflict of interests and dodgy deals. Anyone else read it?

I never used to read it because I thought it blurted a pro-tory narrative, but I've been subscribing since Covid, no.10 parties and change of PM's and it's been incredible at unearthing the dirty world of Westminster - to me at least. I think alot of other media outlets (and MP's) actually use it as their source to hold the governement to account. I don't read the 'jokey' section in the second half, I don't find it that funny.
Things like the Freeports - who is behind them and what their motives might be....
All depressing and hopeless really, but important.

Just read up on my MP a bit further, his dad was part of the cash for questions scandal so the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree as the son fraudulently claimed expenses

“During the parliamentary expenses scandal the Daily Telegraph reported that Wiggin had wrongly claimed more than £11,000 mortgage payments on his Herefordshire property. This property had no mortgage and Wiggin who had made 23 declarations that it was his main home said the expenses were claimed in error”.

Although I guess we’ve all accidentally claimed £11k…

Rats/sinking ships;
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/09/ex-tory-minister-quits-party-and-lavishes-praise-on-starmer

made 23 declarations ... said the expenses were claimed in error

Looool.
The other day as I was drifting off to sleep I was wondering what things (society, state of everything) would look like if we didn't have all this lobbying, bullshit and corruption in politics and instead we simply had effective government that served the people. What kind of decisions would be made on provision of services, strategic planning, the environment... Sadly almost unimaginable. Kind of blew my mind.

simply

If it were simple some country somewhere would have achieved it!

yeah 'simply' definitely the wrong word there. 'only' maybe. as in, only that, without the bullshit.