Dirty money and dirtier politics

Moriarty

I hope you're not implying that actual corruption involving cabinet ministers is somehow more important than the ambiguous residency arrangements of a rich philanthropist?? Shame on you. This is a non-story and I hope that the BBC ignores it in favour of the real scandal: why Lord Ashcroft insists on not paying tax in the UK on money he doesn't earn in the UK.

Mazza1230

Unfortunately for Byers this was not a Good Day to bury Bad News.

Vulture

Do I detect Bruin's dirty paw prints somewhere in this expose?

Or is it just a coincidence that the corrupt MPs exposed in this scam - Byers, Hoon and Hewitt - are the remaining representatives (Mandy apart) of the Bliarite rump of Nu Liebour who are currently being supplanted by the equally ugly and corrupt resurrection of Old Liebour? Two of the trio - Hoon & Hewitt - were the leaders of the last failed putsch against Bruin too. Is he taking revenge?

Either way, they should all be sewing mail sacks, smokin ganja, reaching for the soap in the showers or whatever they get up to these days in HMP.

In2minds

Tom Wise the UKIP MEP, remember him? Wise boasted to a journalist about his income and way of working the system. Eventually reality caught up with Wise and he went to prison, he's there now. Is Byers next?

denis cooper

It's not "anti-politics" as much as "anti-politicians", disgust with those who've risen like scum to the top of our political system. But maybe the public's disgust is already close to saturation, so these further revelations will have little additional impact. To be really shocked now we'd need to be told something much worse than this, which merits little more than a shrug of the shoulders.

Tim Carpenter LPUK

The Government has its fingers in so many pies, places itself as Arbiter to all manner of activities that should be left to the interactions of private individuals, companies, groups using their own money. It is therefore not surprising that people want an "in" to this process that is opaque, secretive and monopolistic. A big and bureaucratic State practically invites and breeds the environment for corruption.

I have posted here before of the dangers of Gove's Schools policy, putting the State as Arbiter and broker/gatekeeper between those wanting schools and a list of "approved providers". That stinks already, before they even enter government.

Get the State out of our lives and out of as much of the economy as possible. This will make it not worth BOTHERING to lobby or bribe most of the time, as the State does so little and when it spends it spends it on very narrow areas that anyone can then look at in detail.

If companies are corrupt they tend to try and rig the market and charge too much. If we have plurality and no State distortions, in almost all situations people will be able to chose another provider, rendering those corrupt companies at a disadvantage. Yes, we need to look out for cartels, but with the State it is the Gamekeeper who is out poaching.

A small State that does not act as gatekeeper is a very sound way to reduce the scope for corruption.

Paul - Worcester

This is corruption.

A police investigation must to be set up and those involved prosecuted.

Tax payers money must be returned.

Thieving scumbags.

Tankus

Its corruption , no other word for it .

Anan

This is clearly a labour scam and a perfect opportunity to highlight labour sleeze, but what does foetus do? He says "politicians" should not do this and should not be lobbied. What the hell? Would Labour have been so accommodating if it was Tory ministers or even Tory shadow ministers caught like this? Of course not. It's as if this stupid brain-damaged foetus Hague wants the Conservatives to lose - sour grapes against a Cameron victory? Or does he have something to hide? Or is it both?

It's high time this treacherous imbecile be expelled from the front bench and relegated to where he belongs - the ignominy of the back.

mitch

And is it plastered all over our news channels?? nope as far as the BBC are concerned its a none story.

Rosa

Labour brown envelopes not as bad as those Tory ones, hopefully of long ago?

Dirty Euro

Stephen Byers is a disgrace. What do these idiots think they are doing?

Boudicca

" bit like a sort of cab for hire"
--------------

Or alternatively, a bit like a political prostitute.

strapworld

People will never have the respect for Members of Parliament and Government Ministers unless we have a Nuremburg type trial of all the expense scandal MP's and Ministers. And All the Ministers involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, including ALL civil servants and senior military top brass who collectively conspired together to effectively deny our armed services of all the equipment etc they needed. Denied them the proper medical facilities here at home and their widows and children proper recompense in the event of their giving the ultimate sacrifice.

Following such a show trial, public hangings in all towns and cities, shown on all television channels, hosted by Sir Bruce Forsyth!!

Only then when our society has been rid of these cowards, parasites and traitors will respect be restored, in the full knowledge that no politician/civil servant etc would dare do anything as they would have re-discovered that great word that has kept countless people in order for thousands of years, and which is missing from our 'modern' society. FEAR!

malone

Where's Richard (aka John Prescott) this morning?

Take any lobbyist money yourself John? Or was sexual harrassment of your staff and GBH of voters your limit?

Sorry I forgot your son did have some help with local connections in Hull over some property deals did n't he. Shame you failed in having him selected as the local candidate.

Nicholas

I love the way that the full exposure of New Labour's corruption in power and troughing translates into bile against all politicians in general. Even the Speccie is at it by Speccie-lating how much this will damage the poor old Tories, in opposition and without power or influence for 13 years.

New Labour must really be laughing up their sleeves. The BBC ignores their disgusting behaviour and sleazy scandals completely whilst the rest of the MSM lumps the Tories in and generalises for good measure, drawing the poison from any New Labour wounds in the process.

Will New Labour ever get their well-deserved and long overdue comeuppance for the vile, dishonest and conniving scum they are? I do hope so, but it is heavy going with the myopic MSM and the selectively blind BBC who can't seem to see the wood for the trees, exacerbated by the ability of the New Labour Goons In Power to show no shame whatsoever and instead to continue pointing the finger arrogantly at everyone else.

You know what? My greatest contempt is actually directed at those who should be reporting the truth and investigating this mercilessly. What happened to all that journalistic integrity trumpeted in the last years of the last century, you know the dogged, high principled investigative journalism that brought Nixon down? Oh, yeah - of course - that was from the left and directed at the wicked right wing. Maybe someone with a bit of decency will investigate the now blatant bias in the BBC and "leak" a few pieces of evidence to show how they are manipulating the news on behalf of their New Labour chums. Who knows they might even be ordering the executive champagne already on the strength of Kellner's dodgy polling.

Verity

Moriarty ... paging Moriarty ... please report to your trollmaster for lessons in subtlety. The idea is to undermine the Conservatives, not give them a good laugh over their first cup of tea.

JohnPage

Good one, Moriarty :)

Actually, mitch, it's the lead on the BBC news site at the moment.

GDT

13yrs of labour - the disintegration of british politics under their stewardship is dreadful.. 13yrs to fix these problems that have been well known about and what have they done. Sweet FA. And they want us to believe we can trust their guarantees of changing things for the better? I don't think so.........

The Cat Anan

I personally have the highest regard for Mr Hague and his intelligence and political nous, unlike my human namesake who has run off at the mouth above. Are you yet another troll, Anan? You are certainly filled with hatred. Meow!

teledu

Wonder if the BBC will give this a mention on national news (I'm sure they would have had it involved a Conservative donor):-
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7069783.ece
Concerns public sector contracts being given to Labour donor in Glasgow.

Moriarty

Verity.

Their first "cup of tea"? How can the Tories expect to be taken seriously as a putative party of government while they continue to drink that antedeluvian beverage with its connotations of Third World forced labour? They should follow the lead of Mr Liam "we won't raise taxes what's that Peter?Oh yes we will" Byrne with his three a day coffee habit prepared to order by his terrified officials.

Tea? And they think they're fit to govern? Shoosh!

Fergus Pickering

The World at One mentioned it but didn't cover it. We had fifteen minutes on bloody Bloody Sunday instead.

Moriarty

"You're listening to Today on Radio 4 with Evan Davis and Jim Noxious. It's 8 o'clock on Frday 7th May. The headlines: the BBC has learned that animal rights campaigners in east Suffolk are alarmed by a sharp rise in Dormouse baiting . The practice, which involves placing a pair of dormice in a glass bowl and watching them duke it out was outlawed in 2002. However campaigners in the county have told this programme that incidents of the practice have increased alarmingly in the last six months. Possibly by as much as zero per cent. In other news, the Conservative Party have won the general election with a larger than deserved, sorry expected, majority of 120. we return now to our main story, the alarming rise in dormouse baiting in Suffolk...."

Alan Douglas

No wonder Byers is an EX-commune-ist. £ 5000 per day is far to good to share in the commune.

Alan Douglas

Zoo keeper (Elephant house)

@ Nicholas 1:02 pm

"... the poor old Tories, in opposition and without power or influence for 13 years."

Yes Nicholas... the "poor old tories".
"... without power or influence for 13 years."
Yes.
But not without responsibility.
Responsibility as Her Majesty's Opposition to oppose, to check, to limit the damage done by this rogue government.
Responsibility not to fall asleep at the wheel of opposition for nearly a decade-and-a-half.

It's about responsibility. And the tories are as guilty as the other bunch of deadlegs for the current state of UK plc.

When a week is a long time in politics, the tories momentarily took their eye off the ball for the "13 years" you mention.

The Opposition represents the people in the United Kingdom. And the Opposition have betrayed the people by its negligence. So why should they now be fit to govern ???

X-Factor politics.

Roger Clarke

You are talking sense strapworld.

Oh for the firm stamp of an Oliver to rid us of these scum!!

“...It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

“Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
“Ye sordid prostitutes, have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd; your country therefore calls upon me to cleanse the Augean Stable, by putting a final period to your iniquitous proceedings, and which by God's help and the strength He has given me, I now come to do.

“I command ye, therefore, upon the peril of your lives, to depart immediately out of this place! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors. You have sat here too long for the good you do. In the name of God, go!”

A version of Oliver Cromwell's speech dismissing Parliament
20 April 1653"

BTW I know Dave is a pretty flexible kind of guy - and he aims to please a pretty broad Chuch - from the Latvian Nationalists to the UAF here.

But shouldn't he be distancing himself from the latter in view of the charging of Weyman Bennett with conspiracy to organise violence ?

Nicholas

Mr Zoo Keeper, please don't lecture me. If you have a wander round you'll find plenty of ire from me about the Tories "opposition" performance. My post was about the lack of objectivity in the MSM - so in that context, yes, "poor old Tories". They get treated unfairly, regardless of their performance in opposition. And, you know what, that unfair treatment has more than a passing relevance to their ineffectiveness in opposition.

But you vote for UKIP in protest if you want to. I'm sure Gordon Brown will appreciate it.

Frank Leader

I am surprised that Stephen Byers knows what £5,000 is. Based on his numeracy skills, he thinks that 7 x 8 = 54. Would he be willing at accept £4,821.5 that is what £5,000 would be when reduced by the 3.27% he reduced the correct answer of 56. It would seem that there is no need for numeracy or honesty to float to the top in New Labour.

TGF UKIP

Vulture, you echo my first thoughts that it was probably Balls, Whelan or McBride who fingered them to the ST and CH4.

However, what seems to me the bigger and much juicier bone for the Tories and the media to chase are the claims made that senior ministers, Adonis and Mandelson, were compliant to previous lobbying requests which in the Adonis case cost the taxpayer "hundreds of millions of pounds."

That should be the bigger story which would at the same time, of course, kill off any notion of Adonis joining any notional Calamity Cameron governemnt.

David Ossitt

Look at the face; the eyes, the set of the jaw, read it, he is an obvious chancer, on the make.

Look again; who or what does he most remind you of?

A little clue; a black uniform with a pretty silver trim, a scull badge set under the eagle cap badge.

It was his girl that said “that the 11 September was a good day to "bury" bad news” the sh*t head.

Moraymint

God, give me strength.

David Lindsay

What "influence", exactly, have these embittered, retiring has-beens, that anyone might consider stumping up hard cash in order to buy it? At least more than anything else, they are guilty of having allowed their vanity to be flattered.

Noa Zrk

David Ossitt
"Look again; who or what does he most remind you of?
A little clue; a black uniform with a pretty silver trim, a scull badge set under the eagle cap badge".

Yes David, its definitely Heinrich 'Bloody' Himmler, in his '34 Oxford Cox's cap.

It was his girl that said “that the 11 September was a good day to "bury" bad news” the sh*t head.

Cassandrina

Hoon, Hewitt, Byers - have all got previous on this cash for services racket.
But Adonis and Mandy could be interesting, and if they combined efforts could give the Brown Balls and his Scottish mafia some agro.
Just finished watching the film "In the Loop" supposed to be a comedy, but I found it too typical of the rampant bullying that NuLabor give out to control their fiefdom.
They need slow hanging.

Keith D

What a disgusting little tw.t.
This irredeemable sh.t needs the key throwing away.

In addition to the treachery of the Neather unmentionable,it should be treasonable to offer influence for cash.

Lock the vile scumbag up.

The Laughing Cavalier

Dive should make it clear that not one of these sleazebags will be allowed into any ministry after May 6th. They should not be allowed access to civil servants, nor to Ministers. That proscription should extend to the gruesome twosome, the former Dear Leader and the former Dour Leader.