Cruddas quits after donor access claims

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 25 Mar 2012, 19:59

New treasurer Stanley Fink is funding Boris http://londonist.com/2012/03/who-funds- ... idates.php

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 25 Mar 2012, 21:49

£250,000 is a bit steep to get access to the PM. For a mere £50,000 you can join the leaders club, and be invited for a meals and drinks too http://www.conservatives.com/Donate/Donor_Clubs.aspx.

Ludwig · Post by **Ludwig** » 25 Mar 2012, 21:55

woodburner wrote:£250,000 is a bit steep to get access to the PM. For a mere £50,000 you can join the leaders club, and be invited for a meals and drinks too http://www.conservatives.com/Donate/Donor_Clubs.aspx.

Makes you wonder whether "access" is a euphemism for something with more of a guarantee attached to it...

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 25 Mar 2012, 22:07

*barfs*

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 25 Mar 2012, 22:08

Perhaps it has something to do with a brown nose.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 25 Mar 2012, 22:09

Oh come ON, I've just had my supper, this isn't fair...

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 25 Mar 2012, 22:36

The Guardian - 25/03/12

David Cameron has described revelations that the Tory party co-treasurer Peter Cruddas offered access to the prime minister and chancellor for up to £250,000 as "completely unacceptable" and said it was not the way the Conservatives raised money, as he faced demands for an independent inquiry.

Article continues ...

So now Dave wants us to believe that he knew nothing of the offers made by Cruddas?

'Right gentlemen. What am I bid? £250K sir? That'll do nicely'.

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 26 Mar 2012, 04:49

Cartoon courtesy of The Independent - 25/03/12

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 26 Mar 2012, 11:35

And where are the lists of donors, so we know who to write to, who to boycott, who to thank?

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 26 Mar 2012, 11:41

There were plenty of rumours that the illegal (as defined by the High Court, Court of Appeal and, last Friday, Supreme Court) change to the Feed in Tariff came about through the lobbying by the Big Six electricity producers of the DECC.

Today we have the formerly greenish MP Tim Yeo calling for a third runway at Heathrow, just a week after Richard Branson's call for more capacity at London's airports.

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 26 Mar 2012, 22:33

BBC News - 26/03/12

Who's who: Donors who dined with David Cameron in No 10

Article continues ...

See also:

The Independent - 27/03/12

Guess who came to dinner: bankers, traders and an oil baron

Article continues ...

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 27 Mar 2012, 11:08

Thanks for that, though political parties should really provide a simple listing of names/companies and amounts.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 27 Mar 2012, 17:39

The problem with all the eejits who came to dinner is none of them is connected with goods-and-services that we can boycott.

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 28 Mar 2012, 05:15

The Independent - 28/03/12

A major donor to the Conservative Party proposed the dilution of workplace rights in a report which won the backing of David Cameron but was blocked by the Liberal Democrats.

Adrian Beecroft, a venture capitalist who has given £593,000 to the Conservatives since Mr Cameron became leader in 2005, recommended companies be allowed to sack unproductive workers at will. The businessman, whose interests include payday loans company Wonga.com, argued that "coasting" workers inhibit economic growth and deter employers from recruiting.

Many of his sweeping proposals would have gone ahead if the Tories governed alone, Lib Dem ministers claimed, because Nick Clegg's party could not have mounted its strong rearguard action inside the Coalition.

Article continues ...

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 28 Mar 2012, 16:12

Sam and Dave's dinner party list includes climate denier who funds Lawson:

Michael Hintze, a leading Conservative party donor who runs the £5bn hedge fund CQS, has emerged as a financial backer of the climate sceptic thinktank founded by former chancellor, Lord Nigel Lawson.

The Global Warming Policy Foundation, launched by Lawson in 2009, regularly casts doubt on the science and cost of tackling climate change in the media and has called on climate scientists to show greater transparency, but has refused to reveal details of its donors. Leading Nasa climate scientist James Hansen calls it "one link in a devious manipulation of public opinion [regarding climate change]."

On Monday, Downing Street was forced to reveal that Hintze was among the leading Tory donors who were invited to privately dine with David Cameron at a "thank you" dinner following the general election in 2010. The revelation that Hintze, who has also donated £1.5m to the Tory party, is connected with climate change scepticism will be an embarassment for David Cameron, who has pledged to lead the "greenest government ever".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... -thinktank

And furthermore:

The government's chief scientific adviser has hit out at climate sceptics who attack global warming science on spurious grounds.

The statements from Professor John Beddington appeared to be a veiled attack on the former Tory chancellor and arch climate sceptic Nigel Lawson.

Beddington said that he had met Lord Lawson to brief him about the science of global warming.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... e-sceptics