Establishment networking, sleaze and corruption. A handy compendium.

[teqniq]

And it just keeps on coming, more tomorrow apparently:

NEW: Documents reveal VIP lane for testing contracts - Good Law Project

Good Law Project can reveal the existence of a VIP lane for Test and Trace spend – and that ‘VIP stakeholder engagement’ was run from a private gmail address. We are today publishing emails showing the existence of a “fast-track” for contacts of Ministers. One of those emails states: “If...

goodlawproject.org

 

[Chilli.s]

A whole bunch of people rubbing their hands with glee whilst others worried sick

 

[MrSki]

 

[not-bono-ever]

administrative error apparently.

 

[yield]

administrative error apparently.

This thread has taught me I wasn't cynical enough.

 

[existentialist]

administrative error apparently.

Isn't it funny how convenient so many of these "administrative errors" turn out to be.

And also how they never seem to be revealed/uncovered except via exposure in the press?

 

[two sheds]

Tax fraud is also always an administrative error

 

[Badgers]

Nissan are staying in Sunderland following an undisclosed payment from the government

 

[teqniq]

More on the administrative error, an updated list which appears to be deliberately misleading including the omission that Hancock attended 2 meetings with would-be suppliers

The lies that pass for transparency data - Good Law Project

On Monday we published a short post, pointing out that the so-called “transparency” data – which is supposed to list all of the external meetings Ministers have – failed to mention a meeting on 1 April 2020 that Lord Bethell had with Abingdon shortly before his department awarded it the first of...

goodlawproject.org

 

[MrSki]

Nissan are staying in Sunderland following an undisclosed payment from the government

Which just so happened to be announced on By-Election day!

 

[teqniq]

‘No record’ of Matt Hancock meeting Tory donor who owns stake in £346m COVID contract

 

[Badgers]

 

[Badgers]

On 2 April 2020, Lord Bethell met with Adjuvo Network – a company that brings together investors and early-stage business ventures. They were joined by the molecular diagnostics company QuantuMDX, which is part of the Adjuvo portfolio.

The founder, CEO and part-owner of Adjuvo is Mark Foster-Brown, who donated £127,500 to the Conservative Party between 2005 and 2010. Lord Bethell held two further meetings with Adjuvo, on 4 April and 3 May. Foster-Brown is explicitly listed as a participant in the latter meeting. All of the summits related to COVID-19 testing

Undeclared Health Minister Meetings With Firm Owned by Conservative Donor

One of the companies involved secured a £16 million grant from the Government, reports Sam Bright

bylinetimes.com

 

[MrSki]

 

[Dystopiary]

Mohamed Amersi calls himself “a renowned global communications entrepreneur, philanthropist and thought leader”. He's given some of his fortune to the Conservatives - a fortune made in part in Putin's Russia.

[...]

Switching to philanthropy, Amersi developed connections in the UK, where he holds citizenship.

[...]

Amersi, a Quintessentially client, became a Conservative donor - and [Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's nephew Ben] Elliot the party's co-chair. The £500,000 Amersi has given to the Tories has bought him a place in the Leaders Group, with access to ministers.

[...]

Now Amersi has set up a new group to help manage Conservative relations with the Middle East. He says the patron will be Theresa May, the former prime minister, with other senior Tories also involved.

[...]

Last year Charlotte Leslie, an ex-MP who runs the current group that takes Tory delegations to the Middle East, wrote memos raising concerns about Amersi. In response he spent £300,000 on lawyers including Carter Ruck to demand she retract them.

‘Knowing the right people’: the embattled concierge with elite connections

The donor, the Russian deals and the Conservative money machine

 

[MrSki]

 

[Badgers]

Snout in the trough
Cock in the Aide

Cunt in a cunts clothing

 

[MrSki]

 

[teqniq]

Lets spend lots more public money:

 

[elbows]

Not new sleaze but more of a review:

Alongside the rows over specific policy issues, there is a gnawing sense among some backbenchers – particularly in potentially vulnerable southern seats – that voters are becoming queasy about Johnson’s brand of Conservatism.

One senior MP who canvassed in the recent byelections said: “We picked up a bit of it in Chesham and Amersham and a bit in Batley and Spen but it wasn’t by itself: it was the attitude to aid, it was the chumocracy stuff.”

“You bundle it all together and you’ve got a party of Alan B’Stards,” he added, referring to Rik Mayall’s 1980s portrayal of an immoral, money-grubbing Tory MP.

From Tory jitters mount at political drift of Boris Johnson’s government

 

[Dystopiary]

Government won't publish records of meetings between Dido Harding and Covid firms​

The Government says the former head of the £37 billion programme won't be required to make her diary public

None of the meetings Dido Harding held with private firms and consultants while running the UK’s £37 billion Test and Trace programme will be declared, the Government has said.

Ministers and senior officials are required to publicly declare any meetings with stakeholders or private companies.

But no public record exists of any meetings held by Baroness Harding, a Tory peer and ally of shamed minister Matt Hancock.

 

[teqniq]

£30 million. For designs. I'd be interested to know if one of the directors of Babcock donated to the vermin:

 

[Badgers]

‘Ventilator challenge’ to equip NHS for Covid lost £143m of public money | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Bill included paying defence firm Babcock £30m even though no machines were bought from the company

amp.theguardian.com

 

[Sasaferrato]

‘Ventilator challenge’ to equip NHS for Covid lost £143m of public money | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Bill included paying defence firm Babcock £30m even though no machines were bought from the company

amp.theguardian.com

So, what would you have done? Commissioned no patterns until the current supply ran out?

There was indeed money wasted, but when you are in a situation where you don't know if you are going to need 1000 or 100,000 ventilators, you need to pay people to be in a position to manufacture and quickly.

The Guardian is a shitstain of a publication, long on carping, short on solutions.

 

[elbows]

Have you ever considered throwing your name into the hat for chairing the ethics committee?

 

[Sasaferrato]

Have you ever considered throwing your name into the hat for chairing the ethics committee?

Nope. I'm a pragmatist. I realise that life is not, and never will be perfect.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Have you ever considered throwing your name into the hat for chairing the ethics committee?

What would you have done?

Easy to carp, less easy to come up with a solution.

 

[elbows]

A pandemic plan that involved strong, timely measures in order to keep numbers very far below our intensive care capacity would have been a reasonable starting point.

 

[Badgers]

A pandemic plan that involved strong, timely measures in order to keep numbers very far below our intensive care capacity would have been a reasonable starting point.

Don't be ridiculous we are talking about the self serving #ToryScum here.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Bit of a tangent, but can be all spare a few seconds to hail this mighty duck and his pimping haircut?