Sunday, June 08, 2008

Westmonster: Seem To have Fallen For Tory Spin


Boris' Tory Attack Dogs Independent Investigation Panel don't actually seem to have come up with any new lines on issues with GLA or LDA grants even though Westmonster are chewing their knuckles in anticipation of major disgrace. Well one similar arts project is all. Tory ex-financial journalist wallah said the all-Tory "independent panel:

"... believe that there is evidence that GLA [Greater London Authority] systems and processes were not followed, and that cash may have gone missing or been misappropriated and a criminal act may have been committed.”

Which is not very precise or certain. Bit of a Tory sleaze smear really. Are they saying cash went missing at GLA, LDA or in a funded organisation? That a (singular) criminal act is within or without?

The Times piece quotes Ken Livingstone:

“The fact that even a Tory-dominated panel keeps repeatedly coming back to such a small number of projects which allegedly failed and which represents such a tiny fraction of the LDA’s budget actually shows the organisation’s overall success.”

The fact that the story/Tory sleaze smear comes as Tories Chichester, Dover, Purvis and Spelman struggle with Tory sleaze allegations is surely just one of those little coincidences.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

For those of us with long memories, is an all-Tory investigation panel really appropriate for a sleaze inquiry?

Letters From A Tory said...

Either the LDA was indeed an overall success or the crooks were extremely good at hiding their tracks.

The two are very hard to distinguish.

Chris Paul said...

Indeed. Meanwhilst we have this Tory Sleaze Smear (as in Tories doing the smearing) just as real Tory Sleaze with real self enrichment is so rampantly coming home to roost.

Most grant regimes that are not completely constipated are subject to mistakes at both ends, pushing of envelopes and try ons again sometimes at both ends, as well as possible fraud.

Mistakes and mild try ons are I think far more likely than fraud and criminality.