Mark Ferguson, writing on LabourList, has this to say about the selection of Labour candidates for next year's European elections. Do read it, you won't be disappointed. But anyway, he points out that the selection of candidates (who are then placed in order by party members) is hardly transparent, and that there is evidence that there is nepotism, conflict of interest and outright corruption in the process. Actually, I used most of those words, not him. But he does point out the existence of these murky factors. And this is the dodgy process that Mr Howarth (prop. Public Impact Ltd, remember "Your Better Off With Labour"?) has now become part of. So, what favours did he call in to get on the list? What debts were paid? Party members certainly don't know how to get on that list. You have to have other connections. Howarth it was whose commercial services were touted around Parliament by then Reading West MP Martin Salter, who had been a director of Howarth's company, and whose wife at the time still was. Parliamentary premises were booked, free of charge, and a commercial platform was provided, courtesy of the taxpayer. Mr Howarth, the architect of the one-way IDR when a councillor in Reading, who ran away from the electorate when that got controversial. Mr Howarth, sacked by a number of reputable companies as their PR agent for pissing off their clients. Mr Howarth, who as lead transport councillor in Reading ordered the council to stop lobbying for Crossrail, because that did not suit his purposes, as the then Reading East Labour MP (me) was campaigning for it rather successfully with ministers. Bloke who has aligned himself with a process which makes Tammany Hall look like a Quaker meeting. Yep, vote for him next year. You'll be voting for a candidate who manages to be spineless, conniving and dishonest all at once.
Monday, 15 April 2013
dodgy as ....
Mark Ferguson, writing on LabourList, has this to say about the selection of Labour candidates for next year's European elections. Do read it, you won't be disappointed. But anyway, he points out that the selection of candidates (who are then placed in order by party members) is hardly transparent, and that there is evidence that there is nepotism, conflict of interest and outright corruption in the process. Actually, I used most of those words, not him. But he does point out the existence of these murky factors. And this is the dodgy process that Mr Howarth (prop. Public Impact Ltd, remember "Your Better Off With Labour"?) has now become part of. So, what favours did he call in to get on the list? What debts were paid? Party members certainly don't know how to get on that list. You have to have other connections. Howarth it was whose commercial services were touted around Parliament by then Reading West MP Martin Salter, who had been a director of Howarth's company, and whose wife at the time still was. Parliamentary premises were booked, free of charge, and a commercial platform was provided, courtesy of the taxpayer. Mr Howarth, the architect of the one-way IDR when a councillor in Reading, who ran away from the electorate when that got controversial. Mr Howarth, sacked by a number of reputable companies as their PR agent for pissing off their clients. Mr Howarth, who as lead transport councillor in Reading ordered the council to stop lobbying for Crossrail, because that did not suit his purposes, as the then Reading East Labour MP (me) was campaigning for it rather successfully with ministers. Bloke who has aligned himself with a process which makes Tammany Hall look like a Quaker meeting. Yep, vote for him next year. You'll be voting for a candidate who manages to be spineless, conniving and dishonest all at once.
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4 comments:
I don't know about "debts paid" but I did notice when going through the 2010 General Election expenses that Public Impact charged the local Labour Party a higher amount for producing an election tabloid than I was charged at commercial rates.
Corrupt dealings are not new in political paries - and certainly not our own dearet Labour Party. Other Labour Euro lists do not stand scrutiny either. Sick-making or what? Just wait for that stalwart Sally Bercow to turn up on a list or get a safe Westminster seat and then emigrate. Oh - sorry - you already have.
hmmm, Was, Howarth always used to tell us he charged the party a lower rate as a donation. Emigrate? Huh? Yes, I did that, but this is not about me.
Sometiems it might be a good idea to change cities, towns, even COUNTRIES to exchange varieties of shit. But they always smell the same in politics.
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