Sainsbury v Ashcroft
It is worth noting when Labour MPs in marginal seats start bleating about Ashcroft's money being a threat to democracy that they never mention Lord Sainsbury. He has actually given the Labour party, one way or another, some £15 million. Far more than Ashcroft has given the Tories.Sainsbury has in the past given under-the-counter money to Blairite modernising groups as well. The odd £250,000 here and there to groups like the Progress faction. Guido thinks that he was overall a force for good in the Labour party, bringing them into the real-world. Lord Drayson bought his peerage off Blair, he too has become an effective minister - probably because of his business background. Similarly, probably because of his business background, Ashcroft forces Tory candidates to come up with a serious business plan. The sharpening up of their campaign objectives is probably worth more than the £10,000 to £30,000 he gave them in the past. Now the party has adopted what was his freelance system at CCHQ and brought him back inside.
Don't forget incumbent MPs have voted themselves an extra £10,000 of taxpayers money for propaganda and already have well funded office teams of staff. They have all the incumbent advantages and they are up against candidates who invariably have jobs to do as well. To lever out an incumbent MP takes some doing...
16 comments:
Tory incumbents give back their £10,000 then I assume?
You've got form on this too Guido - does the name David Hart ring any bells?
"It's a far from glamorous life for the back room men and women working in Number Ten Downing Street: long hours, tight security and non-state of the art office facilities.
One of the few perks has always been the occasional chance to take family and friends in for a quick tour, just to prove that you really do work at the hub of power.
But now we hear that the Prime Minister has banned staff from bringing in personal guests.
More work and no play in Brown's Britain."
Adam Boulton
http://adamboulton.typepad.com/
Labour is trying to boost the power of incumbency (as it has most incumbents) by sucking furiously at the taxpayers' teat while denying free speech to the rest of us.
Just before Brown bottled the election, I received a leaflet throug the door from my useless MP (Jowell) telling residents how busy and in-touch she is (she is devoid of self knowledge). I suspect the timing was deliberate -state funding of the parties is already here, and Labour want to undermine property rights and stifle free speech so that state funding bolsters the status quo.
Widen the accusation to include local councils, where nulab have highjacked the system to bring through the next generation of parasitic tax payer funded jobsworths.
Nulab = Serially incompetent
Criminally corrupt
What's David Hart got to do with a load of Labour stooges taking taxpayers money to fund their re-election campaigns?
Sainsbury also bought Cowley Street for the Lib Dems (well, the SDP before them...) Shame they lost him...
Absolutely right Guido - that is the situation in Twickenham. And it is not just Labour that are taking advantage of this. A certain well-known LibDem voted with the government for the £10k communications allowance - against his own whip. The excellent tory candidate here is funding her own comms and has to hold down a full-time job as well.
However, the "doing" is bearing fruit. In the recent Lib Dem 'ides of October', there seemed to be some concerns about the impact that conservative resurgence was having on the incumbent MP and the fortunes of the local LibDems.
Bottom line, Ashcroft has invested well. Can Sainsbury say the same? Presumably some time soon Labour will bring in the Sour Grapes Act 2007 to put a stop to all this profligacy.
Guido - you omitted to mention the scandal of the undemocratic pressganging of union funds which all go to Labour coffers, regardless of members' wishes. See http://watervole.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/power-to-the-people-the-labour-leadership-election-sham/
The Lib Dems may have inherited Cowley Street but they also inherited the SPD's massive debts
I have received £17,000 from Mr Ashcroft and I am genuinely very grateful..
Watervole said...
"Guido - you omitted to mention the scandal of the undemocratic pressganging of union funds which all go to Labour coffers, regardless of members' wishes."
Any Trade Union member can opt out of the Political levy. I have.
Is it only wealthy jews (Cohen, Ashcroft, Sainsbury etc)or wealthy Indians (Hinduja, Mittal) who bankroll political parties these days?
Dacre gets his payback for brown-nosing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7061013.stm
confused said...
"Is it only wealthy jews (Cohen, Ashcroft, Sainsbury etc)...."
I don't think Lord Ashcroft or Lord Sainsbury are Jews.
Incidentally, is Kate Silverton Jewish? She spent some time on a kibbutz and the name Silverton sounds Jewish.
The Sozi's are as usual trying to tip the playing field into their favour.
No mention of the loot many Lab MP's get from unions.
Plus of course as the incumbent party they can manipulate events in their favour, particularly local news stories.
Well said Watervole.
But, don't forget the inherent corruption that 25+ years of Lib-Dem council management has created.
And the holier than thou attitude of that arch-prick Serge Lourie. A pickpocket if ever there was one.
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