Sunday Sleaze Round-Up
Guido has introduced a simple "Pigs in Shit" rating system for guidance on the misdemeanors of porcine politicians (guide here). Post links in the comments and we will update this post during the morning.
The Times
Accenture, is like Capita and Halliburton, a para-statal corporation dependent on government contracts for hundreds of millions in revenue. It is unbelievable that senior civil servants who are ex-Accenture still have millions of pounds worth of shares. This is obviously a conflict of interest when they are in a position to influence the award of lucrative contracts.
MPs Claim Expenses for Unnecessary HomesTelegraph
Getting the taxpayer to pay for homes that are nowhere near the constituency or Westminster is a new twist on this fiddle.
Report Re-Ignites Wendy Donations Row
BBC
All you really need to know is that she knowingly and deliberately broke the rules - despite her claims.
38 comments:
John Major (supposedly one of the crappest prime ministers) on Andrew Marr this morning.
But, seriously. Appeared and sounded relaxed, confident, knowledgeable, and, when appropraiet, even generous in respect of Brown's situation. And one just kept thinking how Major's performance (remembered by some, perhaps, as dull, monotonous and often uninteresting) showed-up, so horribly, what a poor communicator is the awkward , carping, repetitive, anti-social Brown.
Just one man's view.
Talwin
Agree about Major this morning. What was interesting was his views on the economy - it really is going to get very ugly
Agreed about Major, I was shocked by how eloquent he was, not at all how I remember him.
Whilst our young kill each other with knives, those that are supposed to represent the people fill their bank accounts and property portfolio's. They believe that they alone can make it better, they believe a series of empty announcements and pathetic initiatives will resolve things.
Democracy is truly on its knees in this great nation.
Lord Allesley
Surely our troughing 'civil servants' deserve a third piggy !
An interesting correlation might be between donations to labour and contracts awarded ???? eg crapita, those friendly poeple who harrass single mothers for not paying their dues to the broadcasting arm of nulab.
Nulab, to computerisation projects, what Nero was to fire prevention.
I see that Guido gets a mention in the NotW's The Snitch column regarding the Rosindell photo and reaction.
What I want to know who is the Labour MP referred to in The Snitch's last story? When they phoned him, he uttered: "Honest, mate, she was gagging for it." before they had a chance to say they were ringing about a finance query. Who can it be?
Perhaps you should add this?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/13/do1308.xml
Don't forget that Accenture and Crapita have also been the source of heavy donations (in staff time and money) to the Labour Party.
Accenture's predecessor Arthur Anderson was unofficialy prohibited from working for HMG after the collapse of DeLorean pending a court case over its incompetence. This was settled for a ludicrously small sum after 1997. See Oborne, pp 81-2.
Both firms should be barred from working for HMG after 2010, if there is any justice.
talwin's testicles...
It's this that ruins them: As a unit, the Cabinet is expected to give public support to government policy even if privately they did not support that policy – this is known as collective responsibility.
I've heard so many former ministers sounding reasonable and human on radio interviews post career. I'm sure it's that which causes them, whilst in power, to make robotic, retarded sounding pronouncements.
Let's fuck off the concept entirely and have the post career persona acting like that while still in the job.
The sweet smell of corruption from a rotting democracy - bang 'em off to Newgate!
Accenture and Capita not only are New Labour donors but a massive users of outsource and imported workers displacing British people. Many hundreds of thousands are either unemployed or under employed as a result of the fraudulent work permits issued by this government. Access to cheap foreign workers is hidden state aid to both companies and foreign countries at the expense of the long tern prospects of the British people and economy.
Lord Allesley (July 13, 2008 11:24)
> Whilst our young kill each other with knives, those that are supposed to represent the people fill their bank accounts and property portfolio's
New Labour: Soft on crime, soft on the casues of crime.
tim h - wtf? If Accenture or Capita want cheap workers to operate their outsourcing functions, they move the work to India or Poland. Why would they need those workers brought to UK to be paid UK minimum wage? Nothing you said makes the remotest sense - although I suspect there is a BKFBW undertone which I suspect means you don't like off-shoring.
anonymous eurocrat - Arthur Anderson (the former Accountancy firm) is only the parent of Accenture in the same way that BCG is of Bain. Anderson Consulting fought a bitter battle to break away from AA - I don't really get the link. KPMG mess up an audit means Atos Consulting are somehow involved?
The idea that these firms will be barred from HMG work after 2010 is laughable. There are only a handful of firms capable of doing the sort of work government needs them to do because the Civil Service can't do it - IT projects, outsourcing etc. Every single one of these big firms has people on the inside, and every single one makes sure they keep both parties sweet.
The idea of Accenture being a New Labour firm who won't get work under the Tories? Here's a quiz - where does Caroline Spellman's better half work as a Senior Partner?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Spelman
There is no stopping this sort of influence - the Civil Service will always have ex-partners of City Firms working for it. Is it corrupt? Maybe it is unseemly, but unless there's blackmail or bribery involved...?
What I would say is that if my firm paid me £10m in shares that I could cash in, and I then left to go to the Civil Service, I'm not sure why I'd give them government work.
The link is because of who people know personally - the money isn't covenanted. How grateful do you feel to your comapny for your salary and bonus? I don't, I earnt mine. When I leave (soon) I'll take my money and walk - I don't owe any favours, so why would I help out my ex-company?
If they get the work, I keep the money and look corrupt, if they don't, I still keep the money and look fair. What incentive is there, beyond 'helping a mate'?
The money is a bit of a red-herring to the fact that tender is still always going to be about who you know and how insiders guide their friends on the outside through the bid process. And that's got nothing to do with the cash.
Raphael: I am grateful for your insight of how all these things work. For what it's worth it's just the same here in Euroland and I am just as subjected to Tiger Woods and his inane publicity for Accenture as everyone back home.
The problem is that companies like Accenture, Capita, Cap Gemini, etc have become a pernicious a part of the political class and this is not just a New Labour problem: the rot really set in in Major's day. The amount we are paying these firms is way in excess of what we should: often they are being used simply to justify what the Government were going to do all along.
Eisenhower used his 1961 farewell address to warn against the influence of the military-industrial complex. The political-consultancy complex is in its own way just as bad theses days.
John Major was so unlucky with his timing. The nation just wasn't ready for a decent, honest, hard-working man - what they wanted was a glib, lying, facile 'straight-kind-of-guy': they got what they deserved, and I, for one, will never forgive the elctors who fell for Bliar's smarmy 'charms'!
So, does this mean our Government followed Bush's instructions during Blair's time as PM, and now we are governed by an American Company in the name of Accenture?
On July 19, 2001, Accenture offered initial public offering (IPO) at the price of $14.50 per share in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE);
Are we an American Colony?
Guiodo, you will be pleased to know that, following the publicity you gave it last week, Labour's annual fund-raising event was a huge success.
Interstingly Gordon Brown has always been in favour of the American Economy and has religiously mirrored their financial strategy when he was Chancellor, (still is if the truth be known)! Darling is just Gordon's poodle.
Brown has spent nearly all his vacations in America over the years, meeting with the big American Financiers of the time, then carryng out their practices in the UK.
No wonder we're up the 'Swanee' with him at the helm, he's useless!
Raphael, the shipping in of cheap Indian IT staff has been endemic for years. They currently come in under an intra-company transfer (ICT) scheme with the claim that they have specialist knowledge of the business; it is utter tosh. None of them are really needed as there are plenty of British IT professionals available.
It is blatant fraud condoned by New Labour in return for ‘favours’. Sadly, I do not expect a future Conservative government to be any different as they are probably rubbing their hands together in anticipation of continuing the ‘arrangement’.
It is causing long-term damage to the economy of the UK as it disencourages youngsters from entering the field, it eliminates any training that companies may do, and the skills of those displaced are destroyed. Then there are the losses from tax receipts as they are not paid in the UK. As I said before, this is a hidden subsidy to companies and foreign aid by stealth.
Norman Tebbit quoted on Any Questions Friday said that it took 10 years to fix the damage done to the economy when Mrs T came and put it right.
This gang of miscreants who are claimed to be "not bad people" have at best been incompetent, charitably speaking, or more likely malevolant wallet dippers selling a help the poor story whilst spending the nmoney you give in tax to give it back to you minus a handling fee, all 22 million now eligible for benefits. And the income tax bill dont even pay for the DWP now!
When you look at your wage slip, check out the tax you pay. All of it is going to pay benefits (its your right!)
There's going to be no quick fix for this manure heap save a long toil with the shovel.
It is impossible to catch a liar as only another lie follows to explain the last...delusional politics
Major was a very much underestimated Prime Minister. Although he had his faults, most of what went wrong wasn't directly of his making, and he was let down by the behaviour of a very small number of his colleagues in the Commons.
The actor William Roache can "tell it like it is" about John M, and is interesting to listen to on this very subject. The three-minute piece he did for the Daily Politics is available HERE, and I recommend it.
Raphael,
You appear to know nothing about the outsourcing business. European banks are full of Indians, working on the cheap, not paying all their taxes, living in high density accomodation and working on dodgy permits. Of course these are all low wage jobs, now.
John Major was probaly one of the best PM's Britain had, unfortunately the media and the proles love a shiny suit who will tell them what they want to hear, Fuckwits. It is amusing that Brown was chosen because people thought he was dull and a safe pair of hands (similar to Major), instead they got a complete basket case.
Sorry, TimH, this is nonsense. I work with some brilliant Indian IT guys who do six-month secondments, but they are not brought in because they are cheap (they are moderately senior) - they are brought in because they are brilliant at what they do, and because it gives them exposure to UK/US working practices to help develop the Indian practice when they return.
The 'cheap work' is just sent to India. Why would you pay to bring an Indian to the UK, including hotels, air fares, and expenses, as well as being forced to pay minimum wage (or higher), when you could just send the work to India?
What benefit does that serve the companies? What benefit does the government get out of it?
These companies already employ the vast majority of the UK's best IT professionals - the idea that their success hurts home-grown British talent is as crazy as the belief that a few temporary wrk visas for Indians is the results of high-level complex fraud.
There is dirty prctice in both government and consultancy, there are practices that lack integrity, but this isn't one of them.
Anonymous Eurocrat - I don't disagree, and would heartily recommend 'Plundering the Public Sector' as the best account of this politico-consultancy complex. There is some good work done by consultancy, and the industry could be a force for good if it wanted to be, but I think it is some way from that.
I should also revise what I said earlier. I still believe that if you have cashed in your shares, there is no gratitude that warps the tender process, just 'relationships' with former colleagues. What I shoudl have added is if a substantial shareholding remains, and the civil servant is overseeing tender of such a scale that the share price could be affected over the longer-term, then this is a very serious conflict of interest.
Bob,
I know something of the Outsourcing business, as I work for a consultancy that does outsourcing as well. We make a lot of money because we are not stupid enough to bring Indians to the UK to do jobs that have been outsourced to us - we send the work to India instead. If Indian employees are coming to the UK, they tend to be higher-skilled or more senior staff, and not in huge numbers.
I can't speak for Outsourcing on the Continent, but if there is an outsourcing company who think they'll make money by flying thousand of Indians *to* minumum wage controlled coutries in Europe, then I wouldn't buy too many shares in them.
I'll let the irony of a man located in Switzerland complaining about people not paying all their taxes go...!
Raphael,
You are showing your ignorance again. You think people working in Switzerland don't pay tax?
Banks are full of Indians who have no special knowledge, they are there to learn the business, which they generally know nothing about, and to act as liaisons to their staff in India and because they cost a third of European contract staff for obvious reasons. Experts my ass.
I will add, it's cunting bastards like the consultancy you work for who bribed the Govt to bring in IR 35 so they could take the independents out, greedy fucking crooked bastards.
Guido,
Small beans in the overall sleaze scheme, but what about this Lib Dem caught spending our money on slagging off his likely opponent?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7502211.stm
bob- chillax! I was just making a joke about Switxerland being the spiritual home of tax avoidance - it wasn't a debating point!
Banks are full of Indians who have no special knowledge, they are there to learn the business, which they generally know nothing about, and to act as liaisons to their staff in India and because they cost a third of European contract staff for obvious reasons. Experts my ass.
I don't do financial services much any more, but I can recognise this. I would point out that the Indians who are not experts are no less expert than the spanking-new British graduates who are not experts either - although like-for-like, the Indians are both better qualified and marginally cheaper (because of cost of flights expenses etc - these often can't be charged t client because they get sniffy about it if you have EU based staff to do the job)
Essentially, I don't disagree you that there are these liaison staff doing the mobilisation of outsourcng to India. I was originally taking issue with timh's comment at 12:25 talking about the 'hundreds of thousands' of British jobs taken by migrants on dodgy visas, so was talking about the actual outsourced business areas, not the Indian consultancy support in effecting the transition.
On the IR35 - I know little of it, I was in industry befre consulting. I'm not disagreeing that consultancy needs a lot of cleaning up, but making use of foreign workers isn't much of a scandal to me. What proportion of staff at Banks in the City are British? Companies will always use the best staff they can get at the cheapest they can get away with. Pound for pound, the Indian consultants I work with are superb, but I recognise that might not always be true.
The industry needs to change, but I just don't think this is the biggest problem.
> Agreed about Major, I was shocked by how eloquent he was, not at all how I remember him.
From a time when Al-BBC was the only source of news you got.
Thank the maker for the Internet.
AntiCitizenOne said...
"> Agreed about Major, I was shocked by how eloquent he was, not at all how I remember him.
From a time when Al-BBC was the only source of news you got.
Thank the maker for the Internet."
Never heard of ITN?
Major really was hopeless on television when he was PM. It was embarrassing.
He went on the public speaking circuit when he left office and (probably after a lot of professional coaching) is now a competent performer on TV.
Don't forget Edwina. Grey man indeed. Major-league shagger with fake Victorian credentials. Where's my Albert?
Guido old chap,
Accenture certainly isn't 'para-statal' - it's 'Public Service' operating group is by far the smallest of the 5.
Accenture isn't even in the top 20 of UK Govt IT/consultancy suppliers according to the Kablenet report "The supplier landscape in the UK public sector marketplace 2007"
I doubt very much that the likes of Hall, Rider etc(ex-ACN types in Whitehall) are in a position to influence greatly the award of government contracts as they'd all go through the usual channels, in fact I'd imagine that the people named in the shoddy Times article would probably duck out of any decisions like that citing conflict of interest.
And, yes, I do work for them.
ps - anyone who cites the Arthur Andersen connection really needs to wise up - AA and AC were separate firms and competed against each other throughout the 90's. AC went to court to get the 'divorce' in 1998.
Anonymous at 7.31:
I realise that consultants are just as good at hoodwinking the private sector as they are at fooling civil servants. But as someone who through the 90s was required to commission the likes of Deloitte and Andersen I can assure you that half of the time we were doing it not because we needed to but because either the rules required us to or because someone wanted to cover his arse. I acknowledge on the other hand that we could not have commissioned large IT projects in house.
The point in mentioning Arthur Andersen is more succinctly covered by Peter Oborne in his recent book. The legal wrangles over DeLorean seemed interminable and during the 1990s the links between Labour and AA/AC became very close.
You almost get exhausted reading about the the amount of corruption don't you?
Old news, but saw this mentioned recently elsewhere regarding David Marshall, the MP "retiring for ill-health reasons" (500,000 of them) in Glasgow East. His daughter Chirstina Marshall was also involved in the "Lobbygate" scandal a few years back in Scotland, along with John Reid's son.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/
1999/sep/26/scotlanddevolution.devolution
I am told that there is a trend of many people, students etc. not be paying their TV licence, as they do not see the need. they feel that the internet has superceded BBC and TV licences. So, how can the BBC Executive award themselves a 17% pay increase this year. Or, do they know that the writing is on the wall...
The costs vs benefits argument with regard to immigrant workers is completely irrelevant.
People have the right live and work where the hell they like.
If someone from Pakistan can afford a ticket to England and somewhere to live then good luck to him. It's not anyone else's business. No visa, no nothing.
John Major's an idiot. The nadir of Tory personality to vote against everyone else so that chump got in was pathetic and unforgivable.
Did Wendy break the rules? Or did she bend them so vigorously that they accidentally snapped in two?
Either way she is a disgrace.
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