The Tories talk about cleaning up politics whilst conveniently choosing to forget that the Tory Party, above all others, did more to frustrate reforms of parliaments procedures than any other party. But when it comes to outside of the Palace of Westminster, the Tories seem quite happy to use front organisations to pursue their aim of misleading the electorate.
Take the Countryside Alliance. This so called independent organisation is nothing more than a Tory dominated lobbying organisation. They actively help Tory candidates and they campaign for them yet the press speak to them and give them a voice as "the voice of the countryside". If the press were being fair they would properly designate the CSA as a part of the Conservative Party.
Now we read that another group purporting to be independent is also heavily linked to the Tory Party. The Taxpayers Alliance it seems are very much the plaything of the Tories with senior members of Cameron's team speaking at their meetings and now Cameron and Osborne repeating the words of the Taxpayers Alliance verbatim. yet despite these clear links the BBC, SKY and ITV insist of speaking to the Taxpayers Alliance (who certainly don't have my support because of their willingness to support lawbreakers who refuse to pay tax and put my tax up) as "The voice of the Taxpayer". If the broadcasters were being accurate they would properly describe the Taxpayers Alliance as the Tory linked right wing Taxpayers Alliance.
On top of all this, we read that the Taxpayers Alliance has as one of its leading light a man who does no even reside in the UK and pays no UK tax. Talk about hypocrites.
It's dead easy to talk about cleaning up politics with regard to donations and expenses. but resentment at politicians not answering questions or manipulation the agenda will not go away whilst the Tories continue to use front organisations to do their dirty work.
13 comments:
The TPA are not tories, I know some of them well. They are too right wing for Tories; so this is just smearing!
hey what do you think of this?
http://cityunslicker.blogspot.com/2009/10/lib-dems-had-worst-uk-political.html
And there was me thinking that the Chairman of the Countryside Alliance was Labour MP Kate Hoey...
Chris, can I refer you to my previous posting on the subject of the Countryside Alliance. In response to that many Tories wrote in saying that the CSA are Tories and get over it !
As for Kate Hoey, she is lose to Boris and its tokenism.
If you follow the comments on that previous story you will see that the CSA actually campainged agat at least one Lib Dem MP who did not support the Hunting Bill and actually voted against it. This, so the CSA claim, is something they do not do.
Also Read iain Dale's comments at the time.
http://norfolkblogger.blogspot.com/2008/01/whop-says-countryside-alliance-are-not.html
So, you're saying that where someone lives in the EU has a bearing on how they do their job?
Personally I don't give a damn where he lives, just so long as he and the TPA continue to hold government to account for wasting our money. As for being a Tory front, well no doubt Unite and any other donors to the Labour party could be described as Labour Fronts, doesn't mean they are though as their agendas often show.
I am a Tory and a local spokesman for the TPA. I don't try and hide this, but I can assure you in this area I am the only active member who is a member of the Conservative Party.
I have also spent a large amount of my time attacking the Conservative controlled East Riding of Yorkshire Council. I have been critical of its lack of transparency and come of its policies, but I have been supportive of the LibDem controlled Hull City Council.
If you look at the TPA website you will see we have been critical of many Tory councils around the country.
But what gives you the right Andrew to say you speak on my behalf ?
As for the stuff Quiet Man about Unite. I think we all know that they are Labour donors and are quite open about it. They don't get Unite on to the TV to be anything other than a left wing union voice.
As for the stuff about living aborad, I take great umbrage at someone who admits to spending two weeks a year in this country and paying no taxes here lecturing me on how localy elected councillors should spend money.
I also get fed up at the TPA praising those refusing to pay council tax. This results in court cases, extra expense and MY council tax going up further.
More important than the fact he lives abroad is the question why? If there wasn't so much waste, corruption, fraud and an unbearable tax burden, would he live in France? If his organisation is successful in fixing things then will he move back?
He apparently retired there many years ago. Oh, and tax rats are higher there than over here, so that argument hold no water.
I believe his wife is French and this is the reason for him living in France.
I wonder how many ex-pats donate to the Lib Dims in an attempt to influence policy in the country of their birth and why that might be acceptable but the TPA guy living abroad isn't.
I would hope none as my understanding is that if you don't pay UK income tax you can't make donations to UK political parties.
If you are a non-UK taxpayer you cannot donate to a political party, however, there are ways and means, such as making the donation through a company that pays corporation tax. All parties benefit this way, although for Labour it has dried up.
As Mr A says, they can donate through UK companies and you can, of course, be a member of a political party if you live abroad.
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