In a ludicrous statement, the Crown Prosecution Service argues that Conservative Party agents and candidates did not dishonestly submit false returns – because the Conservative Party told them it was legal.
That really is what the decision says. I quote:
“However, it is clear agents were told by Conservative Party headquarters that the costs were part of the national campaign and it would not be possible to prove any agent acted knowingly or dishonestly. Therefore we have concluded it is not in the public interest to charge anyone referred to us with this offence.”
So the Conservative Party broke electoral law, that is not in question and they have been fined for it by the Electoral Commission. But no individual may be prosecuted because Conservative Party HQ told them to do it? Their defence was that they are collectively all crooks, and this was accepted by the “independent” Crown Prosecution Service?
On top of which, the Crown Prosecution Service also colludes with the Tory Party by repeating the lie the Tories have assiduously spread that the allegations only related to the “Battlebus”. Of course for generations every Party Leader has campaigned from a “Battlebus”, singular, and the public are familiar with it. The Tory meme then goes everyone does that, why is it illegal?
In fact this was about something much bigger. Not one bus, but scores of buses, bussing activists and campaign directors in to marginal seats where they were also in paid for accommodation. The CPS statement refers to no allegations at all except a “Battlebus”, singular. By repeating this Tory lie in presenting the issue, the Crown Prosecution Service prove beyond any doubt that they are directly in collusion with the Tory Party.
What was that phrase…. “ignorance of the law is no excuse”?
Ignorantia juris non excusat
They are the law makers and can make them up to suit any situation,does the word DICTATORSHIP come to mind
LOL, Fred @ 19.01
Hmmm, Fred’s joke has disappeared and my reply to it has appeared here. No point in repeating the joke – it’s the way Fred tells them.
Here’s what Lavrov (the Russian Foreign Minister) said about Trump yesterday…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S__fFT2CNpw
But you are programmed not to hear any of this.
You are programmed to hear constant war, war, war.
And if you go along with this agenda you are perhaps complete dickheads.
It would be delusional to put faith in Trump to resist calls for war. Trump is nothing but an opportunist. Pragmatism is ok but not with Trump.
Why would there be any need for a war when they’re cooperating.
Seems like a good thing to me, that they’re cooperating.
I know the neocons and neolibs don’t like it, but why don’t you like it.
If the indications are as they appear then the whole thing has been quite a sophisticated operation to leftside both media and neocons. Not an easy task.
Unless it’s all a trick of course.
The thing is that Corbyn now looks a better fit for the world that’s emerging than May, unless she develops some kind of one-nation Conservatism.
Yes co-operation is a good thing. Who knows what the future will bring, but if leaned on by military industrial complex I wouldn’t expect no great resistance from Trump.
So, someone has committed an illegal act, i.e. someone within the Conservative Party. In light of that, isn’t anyone going to pay for the crime?
For myself, I can’t see how the Tories are going to have the landslide that they’re claiming. True that Corbyn is not up to being convincing. But the Tories are descending from one lie to another. They don’t play well. result: minimal Tory majority. Don’t forget, transposition of local results into GE = Tory 48 seat majority, i.e not very much.
Unless I am greatly mistaken, Laguerre, your first reaction to Macron’s candidacy was that he seemed radical and refreshing. What is it that leads you to conclude that ” Corbyn is not up to being convincing”?
I am by no means anti- Corbyn, bevin. Indeed in favour of his policies. What I’m uncertain of is his personal capacity for getting things through. The reverse of my opinion about Macron. He is interesting not for his policies, whch remain often unknown, but for his general attitude, and effectiveness. Whether Macron is really going to be radical, I am far from believing.
Laguerre-but a least on recent form Corbyn has shown he can speak ‘impromptu’. Whereas may has proved she can’t. She may be a vicar’s daughter, but she can’t rise to ‘Debate’, apparently.
Surprised ?
Totally on board this one. But ‘Quelle surprise?’
Having just engaged in a seance, I contacted Al Capone’s ‘spirit’,who informed me that if he controlled the Judiciary (like the ‘Establishment’ does now) he would have become Preident of the USA, instead of being incarcerated in Sing-Sing’.
Now, I cannot vouch for his words, or even if I am not fu*king about, or even if I went to or agree with (Satanic) ‘seances’ (although the folks who do go to these aberrations don’t have a clue what they are dealing with), but the point I am labouring (vote Corbyn) is pretty clear.
Our politics and ‘Establishment’ stink, and it is well past time we realised that.
Good luck with Al Capone’s ‘spirit’.
Most of us are fighting a real revolution that’s happening in real time, and people like you won’t last five seconds in this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jujJ-QoBiFY
Hmm, judging by that post I think Paul Barbara was far more in contact with the spirit of Glenn Morangie than Al Capone!
Ok, Kudos to Murray’s board, where they’ve allowed me to continue posting.
Another UK board has apparently banned me for posting for 2 weeks.
What the feck?!
I really don’t give a shit about comment boards – mostly inhabited by brain-dead morons and trolls.
I will continue to post on my own blog.
And whilst there’s no censorship here, I will try to comment on Murray’s blog comments.
Yes. Please continue to post missives of great import ON YOUR OWN BLOG.
I hope that doesn’t hurt feelings..so tender.
Craig: I salute your intransigent and thick-skulled reliance on the heaping of narcissism and pathogenic local reflection..sans perspective worldwide…
Nice work getting any visitors at all.
Ben, since you touch so delicately on mental health issues, please may I mention that in the good old Victorian days which the Tory trash would like to emulate a woman objecting to her husband’s abuse of wealth and power to keep her encarcerated at home while he played the field of his desires with impunity were consigned to lunatic asylums.
Mental health, according to Jesus pbuh is related to observance and non-observance of given rules:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10
The question is, if someone flourishes under Hitler , are they sane?
RobG is fully aware of our human ability to be driven mad by injustice, failure, impotence and IMHO reminding us to be patient at a time it would be tempting to break down. At this particular time of government corruption and criminality, all that is needed is to put your X against Jeremy Corbyn
on June 8th, whatever his personal qualities or his party’s history. this will remove the nasty party from power for another 50 years until a another traitor like Nick Clegg allows them back in.
It’s so 19th century, stigmatising the ‘ poor in spirit ‘. Maybe you don’t know the teachings about patience of Jesus and Muhammad may God’s peace and blessings be upon all of them and all the prophets of Islam. ‘Poor in spirit’ is where it’s at, my friend.
I’m not saying anything of great import.
Except that those who believe the propaganda are totally brain-dead.
That’s probably the most important message of our time. Keep up the good work mate.
“I will continue to post on my own blog.”
So do we get the url of your words of wisdom so we can comment?
right hand click on Rob G’s name, Rab F., and hey presto, you will be able to comment on his blog.
http://www.spiderbomb.com/blog/
One law for them and if you arent a tory hard luck if you break the rules
“However, it is clear SS troops were told by Nazi Party headquarters that the murders were part of the national campaign and it would not be possible to prove any SS agent acted knowingly or dishonestly. Therefore we have concluded it is not in the public interest to charge anyone referred to us with this offence.”
Yeah ok, Godwin’s Law fail. Still, shouldn’t someone senior carry the can? I’m not convinced this merits prison, though maybe I’m being reasonable, but some sort of caution and fine seems ok. People get prison for smoking weed, which affects nothing but their own lungs and mood.
Or, you know, maybe we should just shoot them all, and dump them in The Thames. Start over.
Here’s another one that some people might find interesting…
Veteran Rages In Republican’s Face Over Healthcare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPzu4JOaAp4
It makes me wonder what the conversation on Craig’s board is all about.
Why is no one angry?
Because you all live in a totally propagandised society where nothing is real.
What’s the point of being angry? You only make yourself ill!
I agree. I decided to ignore it all and do some relaxing ancestral research, only to find murderers and lost fortunes. Feelings of anger returned.
I’m past the angry stage. This is the information stage. Right whinge snowflakes run away when you present them with facts…
And into the memory hole it all disappears.
Auntie shifted this off the front page, and the first click away, to politics in less than 9hrs. Soon it will have slipped down that page, and then before 48 hrs has elapsed, it’ll be as good as gone.
Move along now, nothing to see here. We ‘reported’ it, so we’re not in the slightest bit corrupted
Was Orwell compulsory reading at Eton ?
In comparison, Jeremy/SNP BAD type stuff, can stay visible for weeks. Months even.
BBC New at ten last night devoted 9 minutes to Trump, and 3 minutes to this amazing ToryStory. They buried it on TV too. Where’s Buzz when you need him?
Perhaps the crown prosecution service should be prosecuted?
In Kuenssberg’s summary of the leaked Labour manifesto, she refers to Labour party ‘bigwigs’ and ‘big cheeses’. Would she use the same vocabulary when referring to May and her cohort?
Who does Kuenssberg think she is? She has such a high opinion of herself.
General election 2017: Corbyn’s plans emerge in leaked manifesto
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39879538
PS It sounds good to me.
Sharp Ears
you had some Escapist Science moments Over At Squonk… Could you go back .Just once .For Squonk
Sharp Ears
Yes, it’s clear Kuennsberg is still on speed dial for those nice Labour moderates. So nice that they’re actually hoping Labour get a kicking on 8 June so that they can blame Corbyn and go back to the only day job they’ve concentrated on for almost two years – bringing their leader down, undermining him and feeding Kuennsberg plenty of inside information.
Spot on, Jo.
But if Labour gets too much of a kicking they’ll lose their seats.
Difficult balance, eh.
They have to do sufficient damage to the host, whilst leaving just enough life left for themselves to survive.
Typical parasites.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/07/cps-considers-complaint-that-leave-campaigns-misled-eu-referendu/
The CPS is also considering the case of the lies of the Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum
Alison Saunders decision that the CPS should not prosecute Lord Janner was about to be overturned, but this was prevented by his death. It was reviewed under the CPS Victims’ Right to Review Scheme, which allows people to have their case looked at again regardless of who took the decision at the CPS not to prosecute.
I am a victim of Alison Saunders’ decision not to prosecute David Cameron for directing his party officials to thwart electoral rules. Levels of corruption in the Conservative Party and in corporate big business are now so high that they would embarrass a banana republic in the third world or the second richest country in the world China. David Cameron should now be serving a prison sentence instead of the former president of South Korea Park Geun-hye.
Ms Saunders decision not to prosecute him was no doubt based on the case of Tony Blair’s mental condition. One completely unhinged war-criminal former Prime Minister could be an accident, but three, Blair, Brown and Cameron, might suggest that slavery to the Zionist cause in bombing stable and solvent Muslim countries was damaging to your health.
The General election was called to pre-empt the police report that would have found the accused guilty, requiring by-elections to be held. But once the General Election was called it was in the public interest to find them ‘not guilty’ as Central Office had already been fined and no by-elections could be held, because all MPs are being elected on a fresh mandate. The lesson to learn from it, if the aim is to strengthen democracy, as opposed bashing the Tories, is to change the voting system to reduce the importance of money in deciding elections.
A lot of comments on here, and perhaps this piece, are coloured by pre-existing views on the Conservative Party. Such views, especially before an election, are fevered.
There is a sense of proportion missed. Even if this was illegal (and the report from the CPS draws a distinction between inaccurate and illegal returns) what was the effect? Absolutely minimal. If you consider the issues surrounding the 2015 do you really believe this type of thing caused a significant ripple?
Talk of collusion is silly. The Tories and Lib Dems have been fined previously for their actions. There is talk perhaps of the Libs being in trouble for offering the Greens money to step aside in Richmond too.
The professionals in the field have spoken, its done. It appears though this decision doesn’t fit some commentators narrative.
I think what you are suggesting is that even if local election monies were overspent, illegally or not, the effect on the election was minimal.
That’s not really the point. If the CPS had found that there was an illegal overspend and prosecuted MPs and election agents, local elections might have had to be re-run, and the Conservatives might have faced losing their majority in the House of Commons. As it happens, not enough police forces submitted evidence to the CPS to fully dislodge that majority, but it might have been cut to two or three.
That would hardly have been viewed as minimal.
The Tories majority was based on 900 votes.
Bussing activists round the country and paying for their food, free booze and hotels is obviously worth far more votes than that they wouldn’t be doing it.
You should step outside of your East Midlands bubble and read the large number of newspaper comments. The usual paid suspects there have been having a very hard time in the threads defending this culpable nonsense. Absolutely minimal my RS6.
Ms War-criminal Faux-Christian Theresa May is off to a conference today on Somalia, where like Libya their Islamist slaves wrecked the lives of the practising Muslim populations and destroyed the country’s infrastructure.
How are they not ashamed to propose UK backed interim governments from the nest of spies in London, to secure a toe-hold and extract the oil without a meter, like Kurdistan under Barzani?
The neo-colonials have no shame. Al Qaida has no shame, in fact the UK Deobandi and the Asian Naqchabandi imams who support them for their own personal and political gain – La’anatallahu ‘alayhim, kullu wahidin minhum. may God’s curse be on them, each and every one.
The Establishment at it’s best.
Is this a joke?
Since when has ignorance of the law been an excuse?
In this country each individual is responsible fot knowing what the law is and abiding by that.
There is no: “I was under orders” excuse.
Bert.
A further thought has struck me.
While the agents may be able to say that they believed they were acting lawfully and, therefore, there would be no mens rea, it would not relieve their seniors of responsibility for wrongly instructing those agents.
I find it rather more difficult to excuse their seniors. It is more senior members of the party that should, then, be hammered.
Bert.
The problem is that they would have to be able to prove that the person at head office knew what the activists had been doing.
Send out a battle bus with activists handing out leaflets saying “Vote Conservative” and that is legitimate national expenses. If they hand out leaflets saying “Vote Joe Blogs your Conservative candidate” then that is local expenses.
It’s a mine field.
I think they would only have to prove that head office should have known what the activists had been doing.
Otherwise, any conspirator would be able to escape justice by claiming that he or she did not know what his or her co-conspirators were doing.
It appears that the illegality is already recognised, hence the fines already exercised.
Your proposition is the all too familiar technique of the organisation; to claim that the right hand did not know what the left hand was doing.
A few years ago my local Council was paying my rent automatically. I got dragged through the courts and thousands of pounds worth of property taken on a legal technicality: I was told that, “The principle is responsible for the actions of his her agents.” I was deemed to be the principle and the Council the agent so I got shafted.
This rule, like so many others, does not seem to apply quite so equally to the tory party; the government; or corporate organisations.
Bert.
The fines weren’t made by a court for contravening a law, they were made by the Electoral Commission for contravening electoral rules.
The electoral commission is a court of law ruling on matters of electoral law. I demand my FOADYFretardC prize now.
No the Electoral Commission levied the the fine for the Conservative Party breaking the law on reporting national expenditure accurately as required by the law i.e. PPERA 2000.
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/journalist/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-donations/conservative-party-fined-70,000-following-investigation-into-election-campaign-expenses
There is no doubt whatsoever that the Tories broke the law on their national expenditure return – and if their Chairman wishes to sue me for saying so then he can try to do so.
They do not have the power to prosecute the Conservative Party Treasurer at the time Mr Simon Day – but have referred the matter to the Met Police to see if they wish to prosecute. We don’t yet know what the Met Police decision on prosecuting Mr Day will be.
I agree its partisan and unfair, but the solution is to reform our democracy, rather than seek to prosecute and bring the whole system into further disrepute, because that encourages extremism rather than reform. The problem with the law is the law in elections, is its impossible to submit an accurate return of expenses and if there were prosecutions, it would open the floodgates and no one would agree to be an election agent on which our present system depends.
Wings Over Scotland with a good post about Theresa May’s attempt to smear the SNP. She said all parties have been fined on national expenses and mentioned the SNP.
However the SNP have never been fined by the Electoral Commission.
The SNP should demand an apology and take legal action if they don’t get one.
That Tory, ex-miner (against the 80s NUM strike), Sir Patrick McLoughlin, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said that people should remember that it’s an electoral offence to make false statements about candidates and it was defamatory too.
Done well tha lad.
Report them to the Electoral Commission in the first instance.
Wings over Scotland has been fined by the Electoral Commission though.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13899053.Yes_campaigner_Wings_Over_Scotland_fined_by_referendum_watchdog/
Irrelevant to the matter being discussed.
From your link.
“However, we welcome the confirmation that The Commission accepts that there was no intention to avoid transparency on your part’.”
Pity the Rev, didn’t have the CPS at his back, like the Tories do.
Meanwhile the beloved PM Theresa May, looks to have been caught red handed telling a bare-faced lie about the SNP.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/here-isnt-the-news/#more-94748
Re my above comment, in the link you’ll also find that most of the national and unionist press repeated the lie as well.
Ros
Theresa May For Wrong And Unstable Leadership
Wings over Scotland has been fined by the Electoral Commission though.
Better Together has been fined by the Electoral Commission though.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35351396
Yes campaign group fined for serious breach of referendum rules
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13738982.display/
You stick in there, Fred – Teresa didn’t lie. She’s an innocent and ignorant agent, a victim of misinformation from Tory HQ. A strong and stable leader, worthy of you defending her to all sorts of cul de sacs. ?
The Tory thieves are squealing like spit pigs that the peeps want their money spent on proper services rather than keeping the thieves in their lavish lifestyles.
“On 10 May, a draft of the Labour Party’s new manifesto was leaked to the press. While there were apparently few surprises in the document, the pro-Tory media completely lost the plot. And none quite so much as The Daily Telegraph.”
These are the Labour policies we need now:
“The leaked manifesto
A reversal of NHS privatisation and proper funding for the service.
Greater investment in education, and the total abolition of university tuition fees.
Lifting public sector pay caps and protecting pensions.
Fairer taxation. No tax increases for 95% of workers, but a hike in both corporation tax and taxes for people earning more than £80,000 a year.
Public ownership of railways and the creation of publicly owned energy firms in order to “deliver renewable energy, affordability for consumers, and democratic control”.
What The Mirror calls “the biggest social house-building programme in a generation”.
Reversing welfare cuts and strengthening workers’ rights.
Protecting both self-employed workers and small businesses.
Respecting international norms in terms of foreign policy, and treating war as a last resort.
Measures to protect the environment.
Controlling immigration without focusing on “false promises” like the ones the Conservative government has consistently broken. And cracking down on bosses who use immigrant workers to undercut wages.”
https://www.thecanary.co/2017/05/11/labours-leaked-manifesto-already-sending-tory-press-into-freak-out-mode/
Real policies for real people.
The BBC can’t forget something they never talked about in the first place!
No is deflecting, I know right whinge snowflakes don’t like facts but that’s what we’re discussing.
And I’ll bet you 1000 quid right now that Jeremy won’t take a drubbing but will win easily.
Are you sure you want to do this? Can you define “easily”, ie by how many seats?
I’ll double it to £2k just for Labour to win if you like.
Well a genuine alternative is to be offered to the public if the Labour manifesto passes the Clause V meeting today.
The BBC are going to have a hard time figuring out to trash popular policies during an election.
It is a genuine alternative and I hope the message gets past the gatekeepers.
Unfortunately the BBC won’t have a hard time though. They report the policy in question (and if they can do this over carefully-selected dog-whistle images of those who might benefit so much the better). Then they end the report with an ‘expert’ saying it can’t be afforded and will lead to businesses leaving the country. That technique passes as ‘balance’. True balance would start with inviting a second ‘expert’ to argue it can be afforded etc etc.
Brexit begins to bite.
“Data from the ONS showed Britain’s goods trade deficit with the rest of the world widened to £13.441bn, bigger than the median forecast of £11.8bn in the Reuters poll of economists.”
“That took the total trade deficit – including Britain’s surplus in services – for the first quarter to £10.540bn, more than double the shortfall in the fourth quarter.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/brexit-latest-news-uk-industrial-output-shrink-third-month-row-2017-a7729631.html
Add in the companies are fleeing to Europe taking thousands of jobs with them, and you begin to realise that the PM, needs to lie through her teeth.
For if the truth were to surface, about Brexit, who knows what could happen.
It’s probably irrelevant but there is an interesting socological analysis waiting to be done of our renewed caffeine addiction in the 21st century.
It’s the perfect stimulant for people who need to eat less and work harder ie the population of future Tory Britain.
Yes indeed. A boom. Round here, a cup of coffee costs upwards of £2.20
It used to be just tea shops and cafes.
Everyone wants a taste of booming UK coffee market https://www.ft.com/content/860d06cc-d13c-11e4-98a4-00144feab7de
Who dominates the coffee importing industry? E D & F Man Holdings Ltd.
Who makes a nice income for himself from his interests in that company? One Jack Straw.
‘In April 2011, Straw was appointed as a consultant to E. D. & F. Man Holdings Ltd., a British company based in London specialising in the production and trading of commodities including sugar, molasses, animal feed, tropical oils, biofuels, coffee and financial services. Commenting on his appointment to ED&F Man on a salary of £30,000 per annum, Straw said, “There are 168 hours in the week, and I will work in Blackburn for a least 60 and maybe sleep for 50. Providing there’s no conflict, I have long taken the view that I am not against people doing other things. I had two jobs as a minister. I think it’s really important that politicians are involved with the outside world.”.
That was 6 years ago. When he pushed off 2 years ago following the cash for access scandal, he was taking £60k pa from them.
‘Consultant to ED & F MAN Holdings Ltd; commodity traders, advising the group and its senior executives on the international and national environment in which it operates and on other specific matters. Address: Cottons Centre, Hays Lane, London SE1 2QE (£55,001-£60,000). Payment received on a quarterly basis.’
Look at what else he raked in during the last 15 years of the 36 ignominious years he held office as MP for Blackburn and high office in governments. A war criminal.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10574
Where is he now? At least, he did not get a peerage.
You are absolutely right.
Interesting that William Cobbett, in the first third of the C19th identified both tea and coffee as serving a crucial role in the changes of diet taking place in the urbanisation process.
For his pains-he also denounced reliance on the potato- he has been laughed at as an eccentric, with strange obsessions.
When my daughter was 12/13, she was playing in the next street and some guy came up to her and her friends and offered to sell them amphetamines. She came running home to tell me, and said the man was walking down our street at that moment!
I chased after him, stopped him, my daughter and her friends all identified him as the same man, he looked in complete shock at seeing her! So I made a citizens arrest. A scuffle followed and we ended up rolling about on the ground.
Once on top of him, he tried to eat a white wrap, which I stopped him from doing by putting my hand over his mouth and then grabbing his wrist til he let go of it. It was later confirmed to be the wrap of amphetamines.
Police came, arrested him. The man gave me death threats e.t.c.
A few months later the CPS wrote to me, “AJM appeared before magistrates charged with supplying class B drugs to minors. The CPS decided it was not in the public interest to prosecute.”
The CPS… consistent if nothing else.
Good for you Tom Speed and shame on your police force. Since the advent of Mrs May’s Police and Crime Commissioners, the police force has gone down the pan. Do you remember there was a vote on their introduction. In Surrey a fortune was spent under Hurley on the al Hilli murders – still unsolved. Theresa likes the odd election or two.
The Tories booted ‘Zero Tolerance’ Hurley out. We now have a stooge, an ex chair of Surrey County Council. LOL
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-35999971
I meant to say ‘Shame on the CPS’. Your police did act appropriately.
The Truth about Sleep is on Thursday at 9pm on BBC1 …. just at the time I will be getting ready to sleep.
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-05-11/michael-mosley-how-to-have-a-better-nights-sleep
Useful article.