All these accusations flying around Twitter just say one thing too me. Are not all the parties, like the expenses story, simplying not clean on party donations.
The Liberal Democrats being cleared by the Electoral Commission after donations made by Michael Brown now a convict fraudster.
Labour Parties various donations from a number of non-doms (outlined on Iain Dales Blog).
The illegal gifts by retired bookmaker Alan Bown to UKIP
Is this not simular to the expenses scandal in that all parties have not come out well and this will again put more people of voting in the general election.
Party funding is the real problem here. It, like the expenses, needs to be cleaned up.
It's not really similar at all, Lord Ashcroft is part of the UK government, but he doesn't pay tax in the UK. That's a lot more serious than expenses, where much of the scandal was due to systematic failings and the need to sell newspapers.
ReplyDeleteI can't see a reasonable argument as to why anyone should be able to serve in our government without contributing to our economy in the same manner as all other citizens. Even the worst offenders in the expenses enquiry paid tax on their earnings - Ashcroft is in a whole new league.
This has nothing to do with party funding, whilst I agree that is an important issue, it simply has no relevance to Ashcroft's situation. I don't think anyone minds that Ashcroft chooses to donate to the Conservatives, only that he doesn't pay tax in this country. He owes us somewhere in the region of £180 million in back tax. The total expenses scandal was no more than £2-3m including the cost of the inquiry. Ashcroft owes this country as least ninety time the amount that all MPs owed us, after scrutiny. That is no small amount and brings the whole political establishment into disrepute.
This has seriously shaken the perception that there's been a fundamental shift in the nature of the Conservative party. If Dave wants to win, he'll need to resolve this situation - this story has legs that'll take it through the election and could determine our next government.
...alternatively, you could just believe that it's all about party funding, but I think that's a line that gift-wraps the election for Brown.
I guess I dont mena related in value or how bad it is just in public preception that this is like the expenses in that it put people of politics and therefore voting
ReplyDeleteLord Ashcroft non crowned King of Belize appears to be a tricky character.
ReplyDeleteAs always royalty ( and MPs - notably our MP Andrew 'expenses ' Mackay and Mrs Julie 'never buy your own sheets when the tax payer can do it for you' Kirkbride)gets away with stuff that would land ordinary mortals in the clink.