Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Stavolta Cameron e' nei casini

(pero', belle queste idee per il fundraising)
 
David Cameron is facing mounting pressure to disclose all details of
private meetings with Conservative party donors following damaging
claims by the party's treasurer that large cash payments could secure
intimate dinners with the prime minister and an opportunity to
influence government policy.
 
The Tories launched their own inquiry on Sunday after the resignation
of Peter Cruddas, whose claims were filmed by undercover Sunday Times
reporters.
 
Meanwhile, Labour demanded a separate, independent, inquiry to
investigate the suspicion that Tory donors can gain secret access to
Cameron, the chancellor, George Osborne, and their advisers. Cross-
party talks on the funding of political parties, which were due to
start in a few weeks, have been brought forward to this week.
 
Police were also asked on Sunday to investigate claims that the law on
political donations may have been broken. According to the Sunday
Times, Cruddas believed any prospective donations from the reporters
would come from Liechtenstein and would be ineligible under election
law.
 
He was reported to have discussed the creation of a British subsidiary
and the possibility of using UK employees to make the donation. A
campaigner, Mark Adams, said he had asked police to investigate. "The
article indicates that the party has done this before," he said.
 
The revelations reinforce the impression of a close relationship
between Cameron's Tories and millionaire businessmen. They come hard
on the heels of the storm over last week's budget, which has been
condemned across the political spectrum for giving the rich a cut in
the top rate of income tax while penalising pensioners.
 
Cruddas, a generous Tory donor who set up the betting company CMC
Markets, was appointed last June as co-treasurer and became treasurer
this month. He told the undercover reporters that they should pay
£250,000 to gain "premier league" access to Cameron, Osborne and No
10's policy team.
 
"Two hundred grand to 250 is premier league … what you would get is,
when we talk about your donations, the first thing we want to do is
get you at the Cameron/Osborne dinners," he said.
 
This could lead to access to dinners at Cameron's private apartment in
Downing Street, Cruddas told the reporters, who were posing as
representatives of a fictitious wealth fund.
 
Once inside, they could ask Cameron "practically any question you
want".
 
"If you're unhappy about something, we will listen to you and put it
into the policy committee at No 10. We feed all feedback to the policy
committee," he said.
 
Cameron, in an attempt to quell the row, said: "This is not the way we
raise money in the Conservative party. It shouldn't have happened.
It's quite right that Peter Cruddas has resigned. I will make sure
there is a proper party inquiry to make sure this can't happen again."
 
Labour called for an independent inquiry into Cruddas's comments as
well as a list of the Tory donors who have visited government property
and of those who have made submissions to the Downing Street policy
unit. While details of official meetings between the prime minister
and donors at No 10 and Chequers are publicly listed, private dinners
are not.
 
The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, told the BBC that a Tory inquiry into
what had happened was not good enough. "These allegations can't be
swept under the carpet – there needs to be a proper independent
investigation into what influence was sought, what influence was
gained and what impact it had," he said.
 
Miliband said it "would be right" for Cameron to make a statement to
parliament on the issue. In particular, he will be expected to explain
which donors have had access to his private office.
 
A Downing Street source said private meetings and social engagements
are not published and made clear that Cruddas had never been to
Cameron's Downing Street flat.
 
In his resignation statement, Cruddas said: "I deeply regret any
impression of impropriety arising from my bluster in that
conversation. Clearly there is no question of donors being able to
influence policy or gain undue access to politicians.
 
"Specifically, it was categorically not the case that I could offer,
or that David Cameron would consider, any access as a result of a
donation. Similarly, I have never knowingly even met anyone from the
No 10 policy unit."
 
Cruddas was last night replaced as treasurer by Lord Fink, a hedge
fund manager and former CEO of Man Group. Senior Conservatives were
last night attempting to portray Cruddas as boastful and naive.
Sources said that he was "bullshitting" and "trying to impress" and
described his claims of influencing government policy as "ludicrous".
Cruddas was put under pressure to resign as soon as the full facts
became known on Saturday night, one insider said.
 
Conservative Party deputy chairman Michael Fallon told Sky News that
Mr Cruddas had been "blustering and boasting and that was clearly
wrong". A Tory party spokesman claimed on Sunday afternoon that Andrew
Feldman, the party's chairman and a close friend of Cameron who
appointed Cruddas to his position, would be involved in the internal
inquiry into Cruddas's comments. Later, the spokesman said Feldman may
not be involved in the inquiry after all. The three major parties have
put forward two representatives each for the cross-party talks on
funding reform which are now expected to begin this week, sources said
on Sunday. Andrew Feldman, the Tory chairman, will represent the
Tories alongside Francis Maude.
 
During a review of party funding by the Committee on Standards in
Public Life last year, the Tories suggested an annual cap of £50,000
per donor.
 
This was dismissed by the committee as it amounted to twice the
average UK salary and over a five-year parliament added up to
£250,000. Instead, a cap of £10,000 per donor was recommended by the
committee, with an extra £23m of taxpayers' money, to be shared
between parties.
 
Committee chairman Sir Christopher Kelly said: "The only way to remove
the suspicion surrounding very large donations would be to ban very
large donations. For the Conservatives it means giving up their
advantage of having more wealthy supporters, for Labour, the
relationship with the trade unions," he said.
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/mar/25/david-cameron-peter-cruddas-pressure?CMP=EMCNEWEML1355
 


 
Mah, le cene a 1000 eur le ha fatte anche IRRENZI, icchevoi..
 
 
fe...@delenda.net
 
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