No. 214 The Tory Party Conference: The Biggest Con-Trick in British Political History?
Dear James,
This morning, on the BBC’s Today programme, Nick Robinson told Boris to ‘stop speaking, Prime Minister’. In other words, ‘Shut up, Boris!’. Boris was on a high, his verbosity on steroids as he forced his latest list of slogans upon the listeners. At this week’s Tory Party Conference, he is surrounded by fans and the oxygen of publicity without which our PM fades and withers. Boris needs applause to survive. He hates being alone in No.10. Look at his childish glee as he runs through the Tory conference on a green bike. He desperately needs to be liked and the best way to do that is to play the clown and tell people exactly what they want to hear. There is no crisis. He’s happy about the increase in the cost of living. There will be no supply chain shortages at Christmas. The increase in National Insurance is counterbalanced by other measures. The Russian donations went through the normal checks. The list of his patrician assurances is endless. It doesn’t matter about the consequences of his statements or that he has no plan. It is delivered in the plausible, confident manner of the polished public schoolboy. To the intelligent British public however, his flippancy and disregard for the seriousness of the situation beggar belief.
Borls tells us that he has a new ‘high wage, high skills’ economic model for us all and that the current stresses and strains in the economy are due to the period of post-Brexit adjustment. We can all look forward to a future of "better paid, better skilled jobs". The arch optimist believes in his dreams. He fails to see the inconsistencies, the complexities and the sheer cliff face of impossibility of doing this in our long troubled nation.
Britain is a deeply unequal country. Where you are born dictates where you end up. Those at the bottom should largely look after themselves. For those at the top however, there are special provisions. Britain is the biggest aider and abetter of tax abuse worldwide. Taking into account the British territories worldwide, the UK in one form or another facilitates tax abuse globally through its networks of global tax-havens. The Caymen Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the City of London itself hide huge sums within their jurisdictions. According to Statista Infographics, the two largest facilitators of tax abuse are in fact the Cayman Islands ($70.4bn -16.54% of the total) and the City of London ($42.5bn - 9.9% of total). All told the British connection accounts for just over 30% of off-shore tax-havens worldwide. Why does the government not act? Because the Tory party itself is largely funded from it both individually and collectively. And especially through the Russian connection.
Lubov Chernukhin, wife of a man with close connections to the Kremlin, has donated has donated £2.1m to the Tories since 2012. Viktor Fedotov, a Russian-born oil tycoon, also linked to previous scandals, has made huge donations to the Conservative party. His company Aquind has donated more than £1.1m to the Party. You can add to this Mohamed Amersi who funded Johnson’s campaign to become prime minister and is connected to a multi-million dollar scandal with a Swedish electronics operator. He has contributed £1.2m to the Party. This is ‘access capitalism’ at its worst. Lob half a million at the party and get a round of tennis with Boris. It’s all so easy in Johnson’s government.
James, we are witnessing the biggest con trick in British political history. Yours is a party founded in graft, protective of the social and economic privileges of its class, pretending to be a friend of the poor while slamming added taxes on them and avoiding higher taxes on the rich. Research by the Rowntree Foundation shows that 312,000 working-age families in the Greater Manchester area alone, will be hit by the £20-a-week cut in universal credit and working tax credit. Consumer price inflation (CPI) is predicted to rise above 4% in response to higher import prices. And Boris is ‘relaxed’ about such rises. He calls it ‘adjustment’!
Boris’s slogans and sound bites such as ‘Levelling up’,‘ A new economic model’, ‘A country drunk on cheap labour’, ‘Build back better’ and ‘Let’s get on with the job’ now replace the old lies of the Brexit campaign. Here’s a more accurate slogan James. It is accepted by many of the informed worldwide that 'London has become the money laundering capital of the world'. And I would add to that, that the current Tory Party is at its core.
Our nation deserves so much better than this James. You should hang your head in shame!
Your Concerned Constituent