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Cameron Shameron on the need for new laws to clarify Ashcroft tax status
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13 December 2009
So David Cameron says a Tory government will pass a new law to ensure all MPs and members of the House of Lords pay taxes in Britain.
Two thoughts spring quickly to mind. The first is whether, given he keeps going on about Britain being a bust and broken nation, that is really where the country's legislative priorities will lie. I will assume, given he has been an MP for some years now, that he knows how the legislative system works. The government has to prepare a programme, drawn from many competing priorities which ought to be set out in his manifesto... (can't wait for that one) The Queen reads it out in the House of Lords. Bills then get introduced, debated, sometimes amended, often passed. So is he saying this 'new law' will be part of his first Queen's Speech? I doubt it. Yet he says it is going to be 'rushed through.' Oo er ... exciting eh?
The second thought relates to the reason he was being asked the question in the first place, namely the continuing lack of clarity concerning Lord Ashcroft, who is putting large sums of money into Mr Cameron's campaign to become Prime Minister, and Zac Goldsmith, his non-dom ecological advisor and fellow Old Etonian (oops sorry, there I go again, bringing up that boring old 'Cameon went to Eton but wants you to thinks he really cares about Back Street Comp' thing again.)
One plus two equals the fact that to avoid giving a straight answer to a straight question - namely whether Lord Ashcroft has abided by the undertakings given at the time he was made a peer to pay taxes in the UK - Cameron has to come out with this nonsense about passing a new law.
As John Prescott has said on Twitter today - why does Cameron need new legislation to clarify Ashcroft's tax status ... just bloody ask him!
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And Prezza is right. And you are right, that it is all a little scam to get through his interview today and look like he is doing something when we all know that what he is doing is anything that allows him to be able to keep Ashcroft’s money going into the marginals
Nice to see you pop up on the religious programme this morning, on Tony’s interview with Fern Britton. I’m going to keep asking if you have found God too! I thought you both came over very well. So did she.
I live in a marginal in the Midlands and barely a day goes by that we don’t get something through the post from the Tories, well maybe not every day but it sometimes feels like it. As we all know Ashcroft is paying for a lot of it, Cameron will want to make sure he keeps on paying for it. It might stop, but only if people do a better job of making it an issue
Chameleon hasn’t been an MP for long -just 8 years.
But for most of the time since he has been an Ashcroft sycophant.
When Ashcroft offered Michael Howard his largesse with strings attached Dracul said: “No, we’ll spend it our way thanks.”
When it was Chameleon’s turn he rolled over and said: “Tickle my tummy please Lord Cashcroft. Please can we ride in your jet, and of course you can have more office space at CCHQ than I have.”
Prezza overestimates the cojones of likely the fourth tory leader in a row to fail to become PM. Chameleon would as like send Geo Osborne out for 20 Rothmans while the TV cameras were running . . .
I think this issue with Lord Ashcroft will remain alive throughout the election campaign as will the funding for the Conservatives. I think the Observer did a good job with its analysis of donations given to the Conservatives showing that six companies and individuals who profit from the oil and gas industries have begun to give it money over the past year.
I think Labour should stick with a “core voters” strategy economically but obtain floating voters with Green issues.
I live in Hove which is very marginal and the Greens do very well indeed here as they do in the Brighton constituencies.
If Labour highlights its Green credentials and has a very Green election manifesto it will greatly benefit the Labour candidates in Hove and Brighton.
That these oil and gas companies have started giving the Conservatives money rather undermines the idea that they are interested in environmental issues.
now I stay tuned..
AC:
Tony Blair has recently said he would have invaded Iraq even without evidence of weapons of mass destruction and would have found a way to justify the war to parliament and the public.
In your professional opinion, in the same way as the “WMD” dossier was sexed-up, do you think it would have been possible to sex-up a “Regime Change” dossier sufficiently to get the House of Commons to vote in favour of going to War in Iraq ?
Willaim Hague ( who proposed Ashcroft be given a peerage) was asked six times by Andrew Marr to clarify Ashcroft’s tax status; he fudged the answer on each occasion.
In our marginal the tories who were pleading poverty last year have sent out a glossy pamphlet and a direct mail already, our suspicions lead us in that they are being funded generously from outside the constituency.
AC, we have a fundraiser on January 21st, it would be nice if you could join us, I believe the invite is in the post.
sounds to me lke cameron does not want to upset the man that is bank rolling the party in marginal seats! the audacity to say that if we want his party to have uk tax payers as members we have to vote for them…sorry what?!ask lord ashcroft and then that will clear the whole thing up!
It is another example, along with the inheritance tax, of who the tories are really out to protect.. people need to look beyond the media calls of class war because there is a serious point to be made. The only thing the tories can commit to is raising inheritance tax, to everything else they say they dont know what the economy will be like..come on!! the simple fact is they do not look out for the majority of people in this country!
I hear osbourne saying he would reverse the rise in national insurance. so he can commit to that then?! well tell me something, a tory government will reverse the rise in national insurance losing out on approx 3 billion and they plan to lose a further 2 billion in tax revenue through the increase in inheritance tax.. how do they plan to tackle this deficit? perhaps bye bye nhs, education, welfare? i dont think too many tories would object!
Alastair:
I have remarked before that to suggest you “sexed up” the documents we have seen published online alongside the originals was something of an exaggeration, but then you were a spin doctor and those who accept your phrase re this are either gullible or on tendentious bent.
Mostly the latter.
Recalls the saying: “Everyone’s a comedian.”
Had Tony Blair said: “We cannot prove that Saddam still has WMD materials, BUT . . . ” he might not have carried a majority of the PLP, but I reckon he would have had a majority to support him in working with our principal ally.
I think Sir Ken Macdonald sums up TB’s cosy Sunday sofa chat quite neatly really; interesting to see how softened up and compliant the BBC is these days when it comes to allowing old crooked mouth and his master on the box for a pr exercise. Bring back Greg Dyke.
Alistair- is it a foregone conclusion that the election will be in March, and not May?
I heard ? Phil Collins talking to Jon Sopel on BBC Politics Show yesterday, saying this is linked to the timing of a future Budget?
Some of us think it would be better to wait until May.
Regarding you comments on DC and this so called rushed legislation- it seems nothing but an attempt to reassure the public the Tories are not the party of privelege.(!!!)
Also- what about the fact this wouldn’t be reformed until after the election? We’ve heard promises like that before …
I expect to hear a great deal of this kind of “populist speak” to win votes pre election.(following announcements on tabloid driven/”politically correct” Health and Safety laws etc.)
It all seems blatantly obvious to me- is the electorate supposed to be a bit dim?
As the election draws closer and the gap narrows Labour still need to ask themselves who will come across better in a television campaign – Brown or Cameron? If Labour still had Blair there’d be trouble for the Conservatives, but Brown for all his arguable strengths, good presentational television skills aren’t necessarily among them. The question is how do Labour plan to address this?