This should be good.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/jan/11/peter-watt-donorgate-gordon-brown
Ive just got in to find my copy waiting on the desk.

Anyone for a spot of mobile phone hurling?

😉

Nameless slush funds all round!

The Prime Minister
10, Downing Street
London, SW1A 2AA

3 February 2010

Dear Mr Brown,

At Prime Minister’s Questions today, you told the House of Commons that you knew nothing about the secret fund, worth a reported £50,000, which was held by the Labour Party for your benefit. When asked why you did not declare this on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests (RMFI), you said specifically: ‘I know nothing about what he [the questioner] is talking about.’

This simply cannot be true.

It is clear from Peter Watt, the Labour Party’s former General Secretary, that you were the beneficiary of a secret fund held by the Labour Party. He has said explicitly:

‘Before becoming Prime Minister, Gordon went to some lengths to insulate himself and the Treasury from our financial troubles, setting up his own personal pot of cash at party HQ. This was money we could not dip into, since it was set aside for the Chancellor’s own pet projects. Murray Elder helped secure donations from the Chancellor’s supporters’ (Inside Out, January 2010, page 105).

He went on to claim that it may have been used to finance your ‘long-term campaign to become party leader’ (Inside Out, Peter Watt, 2010, page 105).

Mr Watt’s assertions were widely reported. Indeed, across several pages in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Watt claimed that you used ‘up to £50,000-a-year of Labour money to pay for private polling’ (Mail on Sunday, 17 January 2010).

The allegations were explicitly confirmed as truthful by a Labour official who said in the same article: ‘It [the fund] was funded through donations to the Party.’

In the light of these allegations, my colleague, Greg Hands MP, wrote to you more than two weeks ago, on 17 January, to query why you had failed to declare the fund properly the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. This letter was publicised in several newspapers on 18 January.

As you did not respond, Greg Hands submitted a complaint to John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner this week. I attach a copy of this complaint for your reference. Again, this complaint was reported.

Yesterday in a speech titled ‘Transforming Politics’, you said that you would ‘do all that is necessary to restore trust’ in politics and the conduct of MPs. If you wish to restore trust in politics, you should stop treating people like fools by claiming that you were unaware of this fund when all the evidence points to the contrary.

I therefore urge you to admit to this fund’s existence, apologise for misleading the House and co-operate with any inquiries that John Lyon may wish to make.

Yours sincerely,

Eric Pickles
Chairman, The Conservative Party
Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar

yup politicians are all lying cheating bastards the priority seems to be about how much money you can get out of the system and attaining power whatever the cost

cant we just have the government picked by lottery?

id be willing to bet things would be better run than they are now

That's interesting. A letter from Eric Pickles to Boring Frown dated today.

1: Does Porky Pickles know you're leaking his correspondence, Flashy, and

2: Who are you?

😯

Great stuff CF, but the problem with cut and pasting from Paul Staines is that this is the same bloke who thought it would be jolly japes to get in bed with the BNP. Any chance of finding a new source that isn't quite so morally and fiscally bankrupt? 🙂

Ah. Remember, remember, the 5th of….

1: Does Porky Pickles know you're leaking his correspondence, Flashy, and

2: Who are you?

1. Google "Eric Pickles letter to Gordon Brown", and it is obtainable in the first hit.

2. The alter ego of someone else on here, I am sure. Amuses me, tho'. 😀

the secret fund, worth a reported £50,000, which was held by the Labour Party for your benefit.

That, right there. The existence of the fund will be doubtful, as will the amount of it and it will not have been held "for the benefit of" Brown. There will have been no breach of the Members’ Financial Interests rules. He'll manage to come over as utterly pathetic all over again, but I bet he's not actually done anything wrong. 🙂

Whilst not trying to defend Brown, I think he might have justified not declaring the money as it was his to control as chancellor and not his personal money for buying doughnuts or whatever. In the same way I control my club funds and sometimes spend them in ways which incidentally benefit me – say lights I can borrow – without the money being mine or paying tax on it. So in this case, party funds used to promote a party member are being used legitimately without being his at any time…

Oops. Has Porky shot himself in the foot by (ahem) going off prematurely? 😯

Hadn't seen it on Guido, IanM. BNP you say? Where's that then?

It's more about the fact that surely the PM had at least heard of both this book and the allegations made in it. As it stands in his answer at the moment, he was either "misleading" Parliament (albeit over something rather trivial) or he really has no idea what is being said about him in the media! Either way, not ideal!

Also, I do so hate the term "misleading the House". Why can't we ditch all that and say "Lying"?

Have the t-boy blogsters been telling the faithful to go forth and post trivial horseshit in an effort to divert attention away from yet another pathetic performance by the witless thick shadow chancellor flashy?

Goodness knows, if he gets the exchequer, I hope all he's allowed to manage is the fifty grand. Idiot!

he really has no idea what is being said about him in the media…not ideal

I really don't agree with this Captain. This country would be altogether better governed if those trying to do the job stopped paying any attention to the domestic media at all, or perhaps were just given a file of cuttings to review on Friday afternoons. Of all the things I'd like the PM (of whatever party) to keep on top of, tittle-tattle about him in the press is low down the priority list. 🙂

This is coming out soon too and wont be popular in No 10 End of the Party

This year will be my 21st as a registered voter, the first time I voted was in a local council election and I went to the ballot box as a young man full of hope and belief in the politcal system. It was also the last time I voted.

Its a 2 horse race. I don't like what Labour have become and the Tory's are all too young IMO and full of half-baked policies. My Labour council are crap and the Lib Dems are the only viable alternative for our council.

What can you do?

That letter seems to be based upon anything being reported in the press as being true.

🙄

It was also the last time I voted.

So for the last 21 years you have left it to others to decide which MPs should sit in the House of Commons ?

Ah well, never mind ……..it's a difficult decision which not everyone is confident to make.

Ahhh, Eric Pickles…. let us re-visit one of his finest moments.

"Like a job, in other words?" 😈

he first time I voted was in a local council election and I went to the ballot box as a young man full of hope and belief in the politcal system

BWAAAA HA HA HA HAAA!!! *choke*

Sorry…

white101 – Member
This year will be my 21st as a registered voter, the first time I voted was in a local council election and I went to the ballot box as a young man full of hope and belief in the politcal system. It was also the last time I voted.

I really get this. Likewise, voted once, not bothered since. They're all a bunch of lying, cheating, swindling toe-rags who I wouldn't trust to look after a goldfish, let alone a country. I can't vote for any of them, if I don't believe any of them. I'm not just going to vote for the best of a bad bunch for voting sake.

Don't moan about them then 🙄

If you don't vote you can't moan.

CFH – some nasty stuff on its way about Cameron and his cronies, Ashcroft – does he pay tax here or not? Cameron wont say. someone has been lying. More of the same to come. Its going to get dirty.

Nice series of U turn over the economy as well. Which way is he facing now?

I don't usually get involved in this sort of debate on here, but frankly all this talk about MPs all being cheating, lying, power mad and out for everythng they can get is the biggest load of ignorant, lazy, trite cobblers I have ever heard. And I keep hearing it.

If you can earn much more money for shorter hours as a senior manager in the public sector, and tones more not doing anything particularly clever in the private sector, why on earth would someone see becoming an MP as an easy way to get rich? The hours are rubbish, you spend most of your life away from home (in most cases) and at least half the population hate you all of the time. Job security is low, and you have to spend loads of time listening to, and responding to the problems and complaints of your constituents. On top of that, the actual chance of obtaining any power and changing anything is very low.

I'm not a big fan of many politicians, but whatever their colour I think they at least deserve a bit more respect for their motivation. You've got to seriously believe I'm wanting things to be better to spend your life as an MP.

Rant over.