The Tory donor who’ll take a sword to the ‘morons’
David Blackburn 4:24pmBuried deep in the Sunday Times is the Tories’ answer to the problem that is Lord Ashcroft. James Tyler is a fund manager who has donated £250,000 to the Tory party since 2007. He is that rare creature: a multi-millionaire who is both resident and domiciled in merry old England. Tyler’s chief attraction for the Tories is his virulent opposition to what he terms ‘the morons’ – City Boys taking excessive risk and Gordon Brown’s culpability in the financial collapse. It was his subject in a speech to the Adam Smith Institute last year and he remains consumed by it. The Sunday Times reports:
'His chief bête noire is the rampant creation of money and the inflation target of 2% set by the government. The system, he says, “loots pensions, savings, fixed incomes and the actions of the prudent” while rewarding “the biggest borrower of all: the government”.
His secondary targets are the big banks that lend depositors’ money many times over, keeping just a tiny fraction in reserve. The system has created mountains of debt.'
The Tories are pushing Tyler, whose agreement with Cameron and Osborne’s radical plans for City reform is significant. But they mustn’t overdo it in the current political climate. Few things contain more joy than today’s Sunday Times. Stephan Byers personifying a dodgy minicab and Patricia Hewitt’s presumed right to sanctimony finally terminated – Britain, we’ve never had it so good. The New Labour triumvirate's disgrace, coupled with the Ashcroft scandal, mean that the Tories must avoid anything that suggests yet more affluence for influence in British politics.
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Ian Walker
March 21st, 2010 4:40pm Report this commentOr they could make sure that it's billed as "influence for competence" perhaps?
TomTom
March 21st, 2010 4:54pm Report this commentThe Wilson Committee was Harold Wilson's swan song after he resigned in 1976, looking t the workings of The City. Why not have Mr Tyler draw up his list of those he would appoint to such a Committee were he to chair it - and then ask Vince Cable to do the same.....and have Cameron agree with Clegg that such a Committee will be formed after the Election to report in 180 days with policy proposals
David Ossitt
March 21st, 2010 7:11pm Report this commentTom Tom.
"and then ask Vince Cable to do the same"
Why?
Anthony
March 21st, 2010 9:06pm Report this commentBoth Stephen Byers and Patricia Hewitt are history, thank God - but how many voters will remember the damage their incompetence caused while they had the temporary power to do so? Alas, human memory is short.
Major Plonquer
March 22nd, 2010 12:53am Report this commentWe should all take a minute to reflect on all the good things Byers, Hewitt and Hoon have done for us while they held the levers of power.
Byers saved British Rail. He wrenched our national rail system from the hands of greedy shareholders and returned it to public ownership so we can all share in its success. Travel in Britain has never been the same since.
Hewitt saved our NHS. She cleaned it up by first sweeping all those malignant Tory voters lying around in hospital corridors waiting for the News of the World to turn up. How I miss her fireside manner and the wonderful advice she dispensed to us mere voters.
Hoon saved our armed forces. He refused to give them those dangerous helicopters which can put your eye out and even provided our brave boys in Iraq with skis so they'd have something to do and didn't have to sit around in their barracks in Basra every weekend.
We should give these three the respect they truly deserve.
Chuck Unsworth
March 22nd, 2010 9:30am Report this commentI'll bet the soldiers, the nurses and the travelling public are all delighted by this.
TomTom
March 22nd, 2010 3:48pm Report this commentOh David Ossitt you are so blind. If LibDems and Conservatives agree they can form the Committee in Government or Opposition nd isolate Labour.....you really are not in the picture are you ?
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