Is This Corruption?

[Kromovaracun]

The Conservatives have continuously taken vast sums of money from Lycamobile, a telecoms company currently embroiled in a scandal about money laundering and tax evasion.

Buzzfeed investigation (approach with caution):

https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/uk-refused-to-raid-lycamobile-citing-its-tory-donations?utm_term=.rbBLp4YvL#.vr1YNz95Y

Electoral commission data:

https://tinyurl.com/y9v5n3o4

The UK government has, furthermore, refused to assist French investigators - noting the company's vast donations to the Tory party but pointedly insisting that they have not been factored into the decision:

https://news.sky.com/story/hmrc-raised-lycamobiles-tory-donations-in-denial-of-search-warrant-request-11337730

Is this corruption?

[gulliver1]

Kromo, are you suggesting that the conservative party are corrupt,?

[New Judge]

"Is" corrupt. There's only one party.

[Kromovaracun]

Labour were, in their time, responsible for the cash-for-honours travesty, so I don't especially want to suggest the Tories are the source of all corruption in UK politics, no. But they are currently in power and therefore more capable of doing this kind of thing at the moment. I also think that this bizarre decision (and the message sent out from the Home Office) indicates that the issue of corruption, political donations and special interests in UK politics deserves far more attention and vigilance than it usually gets.

[douglas9401]

Politicians + large wads of cash = corruption.

Good to start with an easy one.

[gulliver1]

Sorry , New Judge "Is " a LOB. There's only one person talking a LOB on answer bank and that "Is" new Judge. Get a life N/J, you" ARE " Boring = Tedious

[New Judge]

Sorry, gulliver, I find it very difficult to respond to your posts and usually desist. Your latest one gave me something useful to comment on.

[Zacs-Master]

Another small glimpse behind the curtain. And these are the people the leave voters trust more than the EU. Dichotomous, mmm?

[New Judge]

I would trust anybody rather than the EU's apparatchiks, Zacs.

That organisation is not, as we know, without its fair share of corruption and of course its accounts have not been properly audited for...I've forgotten how long. The difference between them and our own crooks is that our own crooks are elected by us and can be just as easily de-elected.

[Zacs-Master]

And replaced with......?

[jno]

EU accounts haven't been properly audited since ... 2016?

https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/AR2016.aspx

[Spicerack]

^Very wise. After 20 years of not getting their accounts signed off, they've set up/are relying on an internal audit.
What could possibly go wrong?

[Kromovaracun]

Much as I appreciate that emotions run high on the EU debate - this is surely a serious problem, isn't it? Because this looks very much like historical donations and personal links to the governing party providing cover for illegal behaviour. It's very will to dismiss EU apparatchiks (who have their own serious problems witg lobbying and special interests) but if government is just going to be bought by private organisations then none of it matters antway.

This stuff is poison. It is very,very bad for democracy and it does not get anything like the coverage it ought to.

Remember Malcolm Tucker's line from The Thick Of It? "Don't talk party donations - it makes everyone look bad." Maybe members of the public should be talking about this stuff more often.

[jno]

yeah, they should get it done by someone like PwC (just banned from India for not spotting a $2bn fraud) or KPMG (investigated over failing to notice anything wrong at Carillion) or EY (£1.8m fine for screwing up over Tech Data), KPMG, Deloittes or Grant Thornton

https://www.ft.com/content/7679af30-510f-11e7-bfb8-997009366969

I'd trust EU auditors over anyone in Britain, but to each his own.

[naomi24]

From NJ: //The difference between them and our own crooks is that our own crooks are elected by us and can be just as easily de-elected.//

From ZM: // And replaced with......?//

Other people who are elected … and hence, can be dispensed with. I really don’t understand that feeble ‘Shut up, roll over and accept it’, mentality.

[Kromovaracun]

This really isn't about the EU though. It's about the role of political donations and corruption in governing the UK. This should be a serious concern to people because it is very harmful to democracy.

[naomi24]

Krom, when ZM arrives practically all threads become about the EU. It's his obsession.

[naomi24]

^That wasn't about Brexit. It was about the election campaign.