Op-ed: Last weekend the so-called panama papers were released. A massive amount of data leaked to journalists in the mainstream media worldwide. The revelations showed a trail of money laundering and tax free off shore investments and that trail appeared to lead to many high profile figures, including some notable politicians. In the UK three former Tory MPs and six members of the House of Lords were involved though not named. Then there was UK PM David Cameron and his late father's off shore dealings. That was in many ways old news after being revealed by a C4 investigative team in early 2015. But the panama leaks led to fresh questions being asked. Downing Street seems to believe it is a private family matter for the Camerons but it is not. It raises suspicions and tarnishes the reputation of Cameron and therefore the office he holds. More than 11 million documents from Mossack Fonseca were released and some western journalists have preferred to try to implicate Russian President Vladimir Putin who is not named; however the panama papers do include the names of people close to Putin. But the scale of the leaks means that in the coming days, weeks, months and even years there may be more shocks to come. First blood is Tuesday as Icelandic PM, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, resigns. He cut short an interview at the weekend as soon as the question of the "panama papers" and his involvement was raised but it was too late to save his neck; last night huge crowds demonstrated outside the Icelandic parliament showing their displeasure by throwing eggs and calling for a snap election. What will happen to Gunnlaugsson now? Iceland has jailed bankers who were 'caught napping' during the 2008 global financial crisis. It is hard to imagine they will pat Gunnlaugsson on the back and let him walk away with his stash of cash. Gunnlaugsson and his wife had purchased an offshore company called Wintris in 2007. Gunnlaugsson never stated his interest in the company when he entered parliament in 2009, according to the BBC, one of the news organizations to examine the so-called Panama Papers. Eight months later, Gunnlaugsson sold his stake to his wife, Anna Sigurlaug Palsdottir. People across Europe and further afield have been told that austerity is necessary to balance the books; they have been fed a diet of misinformation and lies. There has also been an absence of some information. Will the real truth, no matter who it touches, finally be revealed or will it be a watered down version of events? C4 in the UK were at the cutting edge of allegations in July 2015 when they also published details of another 'family affair' this time linked to George Osborne. Chancellor George Osborne's family business made £6 million in a property deal with a developer based in a tax haven, a Channel 4 News investigation has found.
2 Comments
Op-ed: On April 29 2015 we posted "Cameron unfunded tax lock promise" but the well-funded Tory propaganda machine had already messed with enough minds to win the May general election with a majority. But it means all along most people knew PM Cameron and his Chancellor George Osborne would be unable to live up to election promises. They have tried to fulfil those promises made to tory donors and voters and along the way have wrecked communities and savaged the poor and vulnerable. The tory majority is and was small but it is enough for them to govern and in true Tory style class divisions have been perpetuated and in some cases extended. We now have the working population set against the non-working and the old against the young. For a while that divide and conquer method of operation served them well but we are now at a crossroads. The jig is up. With Iain Duncan Smith resigning Friday and spending the weekend knifing Tory colleagues back, front and sideways the Tory government is in danger of collapsing. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for Chancellor Osborne to resign and later Monday David Cameron will address the House of Commons. Could the government fall? When the last Labour government lost the 2010 election the incoming Lib Dem Tory coalition government made at least one significant change-they shifted the timeline for elections allowing them five years in office with little chance of removing a government in less time. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 sets the interval between general elections at five years. At the end of this time a new House of Commons must be elected. Could a general election be called in 2015?
Having stitched up General Elections the Tory government is making boundary changes that will tip the balance of voting in their favour-assuming areas that are Labour or Conservative strongholds run true to form. In my neck of the woods it looks like "Hull West and Hessle will disappear into a constituency that embraces Cottingham, North Ferriby, Swanland and large chunks of the East Riding. The constituencies of Haltemprice and Howden and Brigg and Goole would disappear." England is in danger of becoming a one-party state. But if the Tories are trying to sell these boundary changes on economics their argument is flawed. David Cameron continues to stuff the House of Lords to the rafters to try to get his way in that other chamber and with life expectancy reportedly on the up vacant seats are few and far between. The cost of bureaucracy and administration of various reforms aimed at taking money away from the people illustrates flawed government policies. Less than a year on from the 2015 General Election the Tory party is wrecked by in-fighting and it has little to do with certain MPs suddenly finding a conscience and everything to do with the next Tory leader. Iain Duncan Smith may or may not have been backed into a corner but he has come out fighting. One man touted as next leader of the Conservative party is Boris Johnson widely viewed outside of the tory party and its supporters as a buffoon. He is part of the same BRexit campaign as IDS and his sidekick at the DWP Priti Patel. There seems little doubt that how the country votes in the EU referendum will seal the fate of many high-profile Tory MPs. And the bad news is this. Most budget announcements do not come into force until sometime in the future. That makes them hard to keep track off. While we are all caught up in the row over benefit cuts to people with disabilities other previously announced changes will be coming into force and other new ones sneakily slid into place. David Cameron's government has failed to cut the deficit and he needs billions to make a dent in the country's huge debts. So how will he fill the gaps and who will be made to pay because it sure as hell will not be the 1%? Days ago we asked "Will Osborne dish out cuts post election and EU referendum" but it may not be Gideon George Osborne who is Chancellor. Related: Tory onslaught on welfare is not an austerity agenda Osborne using public money to fund private corporations, more cuts ahead Get set for £12 billion July budget |
British political scene
The next General Election in the UK may not be scheduled any time soon but the British political landscape is changing. With that in mind this blog will concentrate on the political scene but with a left wing perspective. Opinion pieces and news will bring you the stories that the MSM prefer to ignore. Archives
September 2018
Categories
All
|