Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Bad Form: Cameron is Dithery, Weak and Late


Iain Dale claims that Dave has seized the transparency agenda. But from my point of view DC's response to the scandalous "Family Fortunes" played by Del Boy Con-way is (a) dithery; (b) weak; and (c) late.

Why dithery? Well, following his dither on Con-way's carpeting from the Con-servatives, he announced reports from front benchers starting 1 April 2008. In other words the end of Q1 of the current year. In effect he's been got at allowed that to slip slide along to the end of Q2. Pathetic! As Dale himself might harrumph.

Why weak? Well, apart from Cameron's collapse over when it starts it's front bench only and so would not have caught Conway at it. It also would not have spotted the thoroughly legal but highly immoral wheeze of the Winterton's in renting a flat they kind of own off a Trust in favour of their children. In other words giving their children tax payers' money.

Why late? Well, we've touched on the six month delay to the first reports under this scheme, and on the dither. But Cam's interview indicated the Con-servative world view when it comes to expenses. That is that as Tory MPs think their wages are so very low - and they may have a point, but that's the deal they contracted to - they simply help themselves to whatever they choose to squeeze out of a rather liberal and rather flakey expenses system.

He should have dealt with that surely as soon as he had this Damascus moment? Or even perhaps when in May 2007 the conduct of Derek Conway MP was first reported by the Times and to the Standards Commissioner.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What about all those labour MPs who employ interns, cheap labour, paying only expenses, that is a real disgrace.

Anonymous said...

Funny how David Davis comes up with this 3 week old letter during a very bad time for the Tories.

I think Davis never sent the letter to GB at all, I think he has made the whole letter thing up. He wrote the letter to coincide with the Times story...or he was in cahoots with the Times when formulating the story.

The bug was in 2006...rather convenient for the story to leak during Conway week.

If Davis though this was a matter of national security..Why didn’t he register the letter to GB…I’ll tell you why, because he wrote the letter this Sunday to give the story more impetus.

Anonymous said...

silly me
i never realised that the tories are guilty of financial curruption whilst nu labour only ever guilty of forgetting things. silly me fancy forgetting that cameron is an indecisive ditherer whilst the rocking horse is a man of action

Chris Paul said...

BHT: What are you on? Del Boy has not forgotten anything except basic human decency and honesty. He has lined his family's pockets with OUR money.

Whereas Hain for example has taken money off various people in voluntary donations, possible including a shyster or two, and been late in making a full declaration of that.

Not even for an intra-party contest. Where is the pain for the Tories in that?

As for unpaid interns ... We have covered this before, for example here. It is ridiculous and mischievious anon to suggest it is particularly a Labour problem.

It should be outlawed IMO beyond grant-suuported placements from schools and colleges.

Anonymous said...

i think all this sleazy nonsense reflects badly on all politicians, irrespective of which flavour of socail democracy they claim to represent.
i wouldnt let the buggers have any expenses without proper reciepts and subject to the same rules that apply at local government
Lazy devils should not be allowed to employ any one do it yourself i say!!!