Establishment networking, sleaze and corruption. A handy compendium.

[Saul Goodman]

A rare bit of justice and fairness?

#daretodream

Or the judge trying to appear impartial, before meeting up with Johnson and his cronies later in the day, and pissing it up whilst laughing at the absurdity that anything will come of it?

 

[existentialist]

Or the judge trying to appear impartial, before meeting up with Johnson and his cronies later in the day, and pissing it up whilst laughing at the absurdity that anything will come of it?

I can't see it myself. But of course, an unprincipled government with an 80 seat majority is in a position to disregard pretty much anything the courts might say. As I believe they already have done (DWP?) several times.

 

[Saul Goodman]

I can't see it myself. But of course, an unprincipled government with an 80 seat majority is in a position to disregard pretty much anything the courts might say. As I believe they already have done (DWP?) several times.

What'll likely happen, if anything, is a slap on the wrist and a small fine, which will, of course, be paid for by the taxpayer, but it would be nice to see some of them do a few year porridge. (wishful thinking).
On the subject, why are these fuckers allowed to use taxpayer money to defend their illegal actions?

 

[Badgers]

 

[existentialist]

What'll likely happen, if anything, is a slap on the wrist and a small fine, which will, of course, be paid for by the taxpayer, but it would be nice to see some of them do a few year porridge. (wishful thinking).
On the subject, why are these fuckers allowed to use taxpayer money to defend their illegal actions?

At the very least, they should be forced to pay the costs personally, if they are found personally culpable, no matter how light the sentence.

 

[teqniq]

....On the subject, why are these fuckers allowed to use taxpayer money to defend their illegal actions?

At the very least, they should be forced to pay the costs personally, if they are found personally culpable, no matter how light the sentence.

I've thought for a long time that in situations such as this that they should be held personally responsible, using our money to defend things like this is just adding insult to injury, but how in reality could this be made to work?

 

[teqniq]

This was mentioned by an MP, showing links between tories and their pet companies. I don't fully understand it myself but the idea is interesting. Any thoughts?

My Little Crony

An interactive visualization of Tory cronyism during the pandemic

sophieehill.shinyapps.io

This has been updated, explanations of updates below first tweet:

 

[Badgers]

Boris Johnson told Sir James Dyson by text he would 'fix' tax issue

The prime minister and businessman sent text messages over plans for ventilators during the pandemic.

www.bbc.co.uk

Boris Johnson assured Sir James Dyson his employees would not have to pay extra tax if they came to the UK to make ventilators during the pandemic.

Sir James, whose firm is now based in Singapore, wrote to the Treasury to ask for no change in tax status for staff.

But in text messages sent in March 2020 - seen by the BBC - Sir James then went directly to the PM, with Mr Johnson replying: "I will fix it."

 

[Badgers]

UK government faces legal action over £102m face mask deal

Good Law Project says lucrative PPE contract was awarded without competition

amp.ft.com

Boris Johnson’s government is facing a fresh legal battle over its procurement processes during the Covid-19 pandemic, following claims it awarded a £102.6m contract for protective face masks without competition or contract details being published in line with official guidance.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Boris Johnson told Sir James Dyson by text he would 'fix' tax issue

The prime minister and businessman sent text messages over plans for ventilators during the pandemic.

www.bbc.co.uk

This is one that sounds worse than it is, Dyson offered to make ventilators when everyone was scrabbling around for the things and thinking that we'd need 1000's more of them, he asked that British people based in Singapore (lower personal tax, natch) would not have their non-dom status affected if they came over to help with the ventilator thing. Of course the whole non-dom thing is shady as fuck to start with and practiced by utter scumbags, but if you have that system in place and you're the kind of scummer who used it, then it is reasonable to ask that your status is not affected if you come to the UK to help in a national emergency. On the scale of other shit that is going on with this kleptocratic government, this is nothing. Still need Dyson's smug, grinning head on a spike though.

 

[ska invita]

Lets check out the BBC's ANALYSIS of it





Nothing to see here then

 

[MrSki]

The last gasp effort?

 

[Pickman's model]

This is one that sounds worse than it is, Dyson offered to make ventilators when everyone was scrabbling around for the things and thinking that we'd need 1000's more of them, he asked that British people based in Singapore (lower personal tax, natch) would not have their non-dom status affected if they came over to help with the ventilator thing. Of course the whole non-dom thing is shady as fuck to start with and practiced by utter scumbags, but if you have that system in place and you're the kind of scummer who used it, then it is reasonable to ask that your status is not affected if you come to the UK to help in a national emergency. On the scale of other shit that is going on with this kleptocratic government, this is nothing. Still need Dyson's smug, grinning head on a spike though.

The rest of him to the penguins

 

[eatmorecheese]

So was there civil service oversight or not? Love Kuenssberg trying to be understanding

 

[teqniq]

Happening today. More revelations in the thread:

 

[elbows]

So was there civil service oversight or not? Love Kuenssberg trying to be understanding

Welby even more understanding, the prick.

Justin Welby: Archbishop urges forgiveness amid political lobbying row

The Archbishop of Canterbury says 19th Century politicians would not "survive" today's standards.

www.bbc.co.uk

If you're going to raise standards, you need to have a strong ethic of forgiveness and compassion and understanding,

"We have raised our standards and raised our standards and of course it's not right to help out your chums or lobby inappropriately or whatever it happens to be."

"But the standards now are at a level that no 19th Century politician would have survived for one week.

"So, it's not that morality has disappeared; it's that morality has got much more sting and bite than it ever used to."

"Good, that's great. But let's not pretend that politicians are worse; if anything they're better."

Hes got form for this sort of shit, eg this from his wikipedia entry:

In July 2013, following the report of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards Commission, Welby explained that senior bank executives avoided being given information about difficult issues to allow them to "plead ignorance".[22] He also said he would possibly have behaved in the same way and warned against punishing by naming and shaming individual bankers which he compared to the behaviour of a lynch mob.

Justin Welby - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ViolentPanda]

Remember the 'sleaze' scandals in the Major administration. Seems like a more innocent time. Those twats would chance their arm for a kickback here or a directorship there, plus 'family values, back to basics' hypocrisy.

Now, they are all carpet-bagging mendacious cunts who carry on because they can and don't feel any consequences. They laugh at us, laugh at the saps that elected them. Make a pile of money and cache it elsewhere before the net closes.

Dismal. And little fucking opposition beyond liberal hand-wringing unctiousness.

We are a teat to be milked.

You gotta think the likes of Neil Hamilton are well pissed off that they only got bungs in brown envelopes from shady characters, not buckets of govt moulah!

 

[ViolentPanda]

Cost cap win:

Government struck down by the Court - Good Law Project

We are pleased to say that the Court has granted a Cost Capping Order in our judicial review of Government’s decision to hand a contract to Cummings’ pals at Hanbury without any competition. We will now be able to fight this case to its conclusion. Crucially, the Judge agreed with us that...

goodlawproject.org

Headline would be better if it were "Government struck down by necrotising fasciitis".

 

[ViolentPanda]

At the very least, they should be forced to pay the costs personally, if they are found personally culpable, no matter how light the sentence.

A surcharge similar to the one their Tory forebears inflicted on councillors in the 80s.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Welby even more understanding, the prick.

Justin Welby: Archbishop urges forgiveness amid political lobbying row

The Archbishop of Canterbury says 19th Century politicians would not "survive" today's standards.

www.bbc.co.uk

Hes got form for this sort of shit, eg this from his wikipedia entry:

Justin Welby - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

He's a former oil exec, so hardly surprising he'd want people to be more "understanding" toward corruption.

 

[MrSki]

So is it Gove or Cummings who leaked the texts?

 

[Badgers]

Explosive emails show how the Government’s VIP lane caused chaos in PPE procurement - Good Law Project

Explosive emails reveal politically-connected companies were allowed to jump the queue for PPE contracts.

goodlawproject.org

Remember Ayanda, the company linked to Liz Truss, fast-tracked through the VIP Lane – who supplied £155m worth of unusable face masks to the NHS frontline? This email shows Ayanda threatening to escalate their bid to ministerial level and another includes a civil servant warning of the Ayanda deal “the bar seems to have been lowered on this one.”

 

[Badgers]

 

[teqniq]

So is it Gove or Cummings who leaked the texts?

This may well be a distraction, I'm inclined to think so....

 

[MrSki]

Do people care? What a fucking stupid question from a BBC News presenter. Try playing the fucking clip & see if they do.

 

[MrSki]

 

[MrSki]

 

[yield]

Peter Geoghegan · Short Cuts: On Greensill · LRB 23 April 2021

When Cameron left Downing Street in 2016, he walked through the revolving door he had once promised to close. He became chairman of the advisory board to Afiniti, a US data firm, and a consultant for the biotech company Illumina. He also registered with Washington Speakers Bureau (through which Theresa May has received more than £600,000 in speaking fees since the pandemic began).

In August 2018, Cameron was hired by Greensill as a ‘part-time adviser’ and given share options worth as much as $70 million. Because it was more than two years since he had left ministerial office, Cameron didn’t have to notify the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba). It would in any case only have been a notification: the supposed watchdog doesn’t have the power to block appointments.

Good long piece in the LRB

 

[teqniq]

Cost cap win:

'We are pleased to say that the Court has granted a Cost Capping Order in our judicial review of Government’s decision to hand a contract to Cummings’ pals at Hanbury without any competition. We will now be able to fight this case to its conclusion.

Crucially, the Judge agreed with us that Government’s estimated costs bill of £450k (almost as much as the contract itself) is ‘disproportionate to a one day hearing’ – and set a cap at £120k for both parties.

Government’s decision not to consent to a cost cap is bizarre and – many of the same arguments were determined by the Court weeks ago in relation to our PPE challenges. It has now tried and failed twice to argue that these are not public interest proceedings. And it has now twice had to bear from the public purse our costs of seeking a cap. This is a phenomenal – and avoidable – further waste of taxpayers’ money.

Here’s what the Judge had to say on Hanbury:

“I start by considering whether or not there is a matter of genuine public interest raised by these proceedings. I am satisfied that there is. This matter concerns the direct award of a public contract without publicity or competition, and the issue is whether it was unlawful to award a contract in that way.”

The Judge went on to say she is “satisfied that there is a part for the courts to play in determining the legality of the procedures” and “it is appropriate that there should be a public hearing that the Court will consider the evidence and make a decision on the lawfulness of this particular procurement”.

 

[teqniq]

Why does she not make any direct mention of the corruption such as the PPE scandal? Something which has cost us the taxpayers a great deal more.