Why despite 3 profit warnings did the Tory Government keep giving Carillion public contracts? Because its Chair was a key supporter?

Not sure he was a donor but Carillion Chair, Philip Green, was an open Conservative supporter. The corruption of public life in national politics (and local politics) is just appalling. Left and right politicians can be corrupt, but this current Tory regime is simply beyond the pale.

I found out at the Newham Governor Forum tonight that the only school in Newham with a Carillion contract is able to carry on (due to a willing subcontractor). Many other public bodies with more exposure to Carillion are running around trying desperately to maintain services.

Just a thought. If we could nationalise the banks in 2008 when they went bust, why can't we nationalise Carillion now?

A History of Housing 1918 to 2012

Check out this excellent post at Red Brick about a new report on the "Politics of Housing" by the National Housing Federation.

As part of this report there is an interactive timeline on the history of housing from 1918-2012.

It is hard to believe that there was ever the time that both Labour and the Conservative pledged to build 500K homes per year if they were in Government!

No Heart, No Brain, No Courage! OMG Toto, They're Conservatives!

Hat tip to the President of the National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers Alex Gordon!

Fidelity: the big bad wolf?

I haven't had a pop at Fidelity Fund managers for a while. So being Christmas and all that...I thought it was about time I had a go at one of the biggest single political donors to the Conservative Party.

Now, Fidelity is a private company and if they want to give money to the Tories then fair enough. But what isn’t on is that they don’t disclose this to the clients. Not only do they not disclose it but they vote in other Companies AGM’s to give even more money to the Tories. Again without properly disclosing it. They also give money to pro-tory policy organisations, again, without properly disclosing it. Anyway, this is an email I sent this evening to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).
I’ll let you know what happens.

“Dear Baroness Hogg

I wish to bring to the attention of the Financial Reporting Council my concern that fund managers Fidelity (FIL) don’t disclose their political donations to the Conservative Party as a conflict of interest under the “conflicts section” of their stewardship code statement here: https://www.fidelity.co.uk/investor/about/uk-stewardship-code/uk-stewardship-code.page?smid=geiz5krb

They make significant political donations to one UK political party (£400,000 to the Conservative Party in the last three years) yet also get to vote on resolutions seeking authority to make political donations, and in practice they have voted in favour of at least one company (Caledonia Investments) seeking to make donations to the same party. They also funded the 2011 anti-AV campaign, despite the fact that they are employed by some funds where the beneficiaries may have a different view (i.e. a majority of voters in Camden were pro AV in the referendum yet the Camden Council LGPS fund employs FIL).

I believe that Fidelity should at least disclose these donations, and the possible conflict with client views/interests, in its Stewardship Code statement. I would be grateful of your view of this matter. Yours sincerely"

New Conservative Party Logo

Naughty but nice. Hat tip Maturin

Magic Moments

I had a letter published recently in the Newham Recorder as West Ham Labour Party agent criticising Tory East Ham Chair, Neal Pearce,  for being abusive about West Ham  MP Lyn Brown and using Remembrance Day to make cheap political points.  A number of Newham residents also wrote in to complain about his behaviour.  On 29 December Mr Peace responded defending his comments by claiming that I had been “rude” about his appearance on this blog during the 2009 by-election and had apparently “booed” him during the May 2010 election count?  How childish and ridiculous. 

In the 2009 campaign I had criticised a Tory election leaflet he published about himself which I said he appeared to have a (my Welsh Compatriot) “Vinnie Jones” skinhead haircut.  Nothing more and nothing less.  I supposed he is complaining that I was actually comparing him to a yob.  But please look at the picture on his leaflet (see video) and make your own mind up.  The fact that so-called “thick skinned” Pearce made a thinly veiled threat of violence against me does I suppose support this yobbish assumption. 

On Election day this year there was as you can imagine a lot of cheering and booing going on from both sides during the formal declarations.  As far as I remember I was trying to fix my camera to record the result when his came up.  I am pretty sure that I never behaved in the daft and boorish manner that Mr Pearce displayed at his election declaration in 2009.

The big issue of course is that he has never responded to my criticism about him politicising Remembrance Day – instead he tries to shirk responsibility for his comments by claiming I have been “orrible” to him.  How silly and immature.  Mr Pearce should realise the first rule of politics is that if you are in a hole.  Stop digging.

Meanwhile someone has sent me this YouTube link.  Headphones and speakers on.  Pearce’s nonsense helps proves my point. Why are the opposition in Newham, extreme left and extreme right, so completely rubbish?  Obsessed solely with personalities?  None of them have any real politics.  Oh well.

"Many Conservatives are disappointed and frustrated that after 13 years in opp..."

"Many Conservatives are disappointed and frustrated that after 13 years in opposition, up against a dreadfully unpopular Labour leader, in the middle of the biggest economic slump for 70 years, Dave still couldn’t win an overall majority.

Yep

Hat-tip Tom Harris

Conservatives: Call this Change?

Brother Pearce and the collective ownership of the means of production.

Is the Tory candidate for the Royal Docks By-election, Neil Pearce, a militant far left entryist into the Conservative Party?

This question arose following the shock disclosure in local newspaper "Wharf" (no link) that he is also a Shop Steward for the GMB trade union (General Municipal and Boilermakers Union).

This major trade union is affiliated to the Labour Party and has in its GMB rule book (Rule 2.8) "aims" to help elect MPs and Councillors who

“are pledged to collective ownership, under democratic
control, of the means of production, distribution and exchange”.

Nice but dim Royal Docks Tory spokesman Anon claimed that they would report anyone who claimed that Comrade Pearce was not a true blue Tory to the Central Committee. While former Newham Labour Councillor turned Tory firebrand, Mike Law, is believed to have rejected any suggestions that Neil was part of a desperate plot by disheartened militant tendency supporters to infiltrate the Conservative Party.

Working class Tory MP and ex-shadow Home Secretary, David Davies (and grandson of revolutionary communists) is secretly pictured above with his Conservative Red Action supporters during his recent coup attempt to become leader of Conservative Party.

Nuff said?

Time to Say Goodbye to Tory Fund Managers Fidelity?

Or is it belated good riddance to bad rubbish? Tom P of Capital & Labour (and his Mrs) has finally had enough of active Conservative Party supporters,Fidelity Investment. Fidelity has donated £435, 500 (£115,000 in 2007 alone) to the Tories in recent years without disclosing the information to their investors.

Tom and his family have had a long term saving plan with Fidelity for many years. Once they found out that the company was giving the Tories huge amounts of money they were very concerned. They tried to contact Fidelity about their over why Fidelity were giving this money to the Tories but felt they were “fobbed off”. So they are leaving Fidelity.

Personally, I think anyone who does not support the Conservative Party should think about doing something similar. This includes pension fund trustees. I’ll hopefully be posting further on this in the near future.

Pic & video of top artists Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli (not Tom & Mrs!)

A Tory Reality Check

I know that this post has already done the rounds in Labour Party blogs. But I think it is really important that trade unionists remind themselves about who the real enemy is and why. This is a picture of Hendon Tory Councillor Brian Gordon. This is not a "one-off".

In 1977 Brian Gordon was the Conservative candidate for the Burnt Oak by-election, he told a meeting of Edgware Conservatives that he wanted an end to immigration because he felt that Britain should not be the 'dustbin' of the world At the same time he has also been accused of calling for an electoral pact between Conservatives and the National Front to defeat Labour.

While we have our differences with the present Labour Government it is clear in my view that it is in the overwhelming "interest" of trade union members that a Labour government continues to govern and is re-elected. The Tories are in the lead in opinion polls, not so much because of Labour failings (and there has been a few) but because the Tories have suddenly decided that they don't like being in permanent opposition and want to return to power. To do this they are trying to publicly ditch their old policies with a young, articulate leader and capture the centre ground. Sounds familiar? However, it is still clear from policy statements that they want to introduce insurance in the NHS, dismantle public sector pensions, end national pay bargaining, compulsory privatise all Council services, cap the minimum wage, get rid of pension credit etc.

Thanks to Gweirdo and Hendon Times.