Monday, May 01, 2006
Jobs for New Labour Cronies
Do you know of New Labour cronies who've been awarded lucrative public sector contracts? Do you know of New Labour cronies who've been appointed to quangos through no merit of their own? As Peter Lilley might say, I'm compiling a little list... Please use the comment section.
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14 comments:
Would like to nominate: Mr Cliff Williams, Chairman of Nirex.
Nirex is the Public body responsible for developing UK disposal route for nuclear waste.
Relevant Qualifications: Regional Secretary of Unison for the Yorkshire and Humberside Region; member of Unison's Senior Management Team; Chairman of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional TUC and serves as a member of the Regional Board of the Labour Party. But was "full time trade union negotiator with responsibility for the Electricity Supply Industry in the region" [but no nuclear industry in the region!] Public domain source: http://www.nirex.co.uk/news/na50404a.htm
Other:
Nirex political donations 2005: 11k (Fabian Society; table at Labour Party Fundraising Dinner; sponsor event at Labour Party Conference)
Wasn't Powderjet (re vaccine delivery) a much publicized example of this?
Hahaha do you know of any Tory cronies who were awarded lucrative public sector contracts were the Conservatives were in power? Hahaha.
Come off it Iain, you're on the wrong track here.
Anne Campbell, former MP for Cambridge City is now Chairman of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Trust.
Slight correction, Anne Champbell is Chair of Cambs & Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, cutting back on treatment for young people with mental health problems.
What happened to Melanie Johnson and Helen Clark after they lost their seats?
I remember that Anne Campbell. When we moved to Cambridge, she was agitating against the founding of 6th Form Colleges - divisive, don't you know. She failed. And then where did she send the offspring? Clue: she's New Labour.
John Spanswick, Chairman of popular PFI contract winner, Bovis Lend Lease. Recently appointed to the Health and Safety Commission.
shameless plug
Anon - on the wrong track looking for Labour cronies awarded lucrative contracts?
Dear me, was anyone ever that naive.............
JP Hamster,
According to her website (the one that is still entitled Oona King MP in the top bar) she now chairs something called THANCS (Tower Hamlets Advocacy Network & Community Support). Apparently it campaigns to get people more involved in politics. One quote from the site: "politics is not just for the politicians" - pretty apt for someone who lost her seat, don't you think.
Under other work she lists all sorts of NGO type stuff and writing for the Guardian and New Statesman. I guess that means she's still connected and I'd suspect a true quangocrat.
RM
Have you ever applied for a job on a quango or tendered for a government job Iain? I've done the former and the process seemed scrupulously transparent and open. You have to declare political allegiances and party membership.
I've no doubt that all the information you need is available and you'll be able to get details of percentages of posts help by members of all major parties.
But Tories have never had much time for evidence have you? Anecdote, tittle-tattle and innuendo are more your style to judge by your policies. And never let bland facts get in the way of a smear campaign eh?!
Hughes Views, no doubt you are right about APPLYING for a job with a quango/government contract. What the thread here is talking about is being APPOINTED to a quango. Different thing altogether, there is no competition for the best/most appropriate person for the job.
Martin Curtis - And David Prior, the last Conservative MP for North Norfolk in now chairman of Norfolk NHS Trust and was given that job in 2001 (2002?).
Iain - I have no doubt that it is right to follow up corruption stories but it seems with this that you are primarily aiming at undermining the reputation of politics for your own party political ends and that is rather sad. I am not a Labour supporter but they number amongst their members (as do the Conservatives and Lib Dems) quite a number of capable people with an interest in performing roles in the public sector. They also have supporters who are successful individuals who tender for government contracts (amongst other work) - and as somebody who works in the field, I might just note that procurement processes are in my experience transparent and fair with practically zero ministerial input. Does corruption in public life exist? Of course. Is it best rooted out by making life intolerable for people without brass necks? Not really - you should really pick your battles carefully. I am sorry to say that there is more than an element of truth in Hughes Views' comment on your style of politics.
I'd be very interested if somebody with better delving skills than myself could find out how many of the independent and magistrate members of teh Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) are Labour Party members. The MPA claims not to hold the information.
The MPA comprises 12 London Assembly Members, reflecting party strength on the Assembly (currently 4 Con, 4 Lab, 2 LD, 1 Green and 1 ex-UKIP, ex Veritas)
There are also 6 "independents", 4 magistrates and the Home Secretary's appointee, making 23 in all. It's therefore quite conceivable that the majority of the elected members could vote one way, yet be overruled if most of the unelected members voted the opposite way.
When there was a contested election for chairman in 2004 Labour nominee Big Len Duvall defeated his Tory opponent 16-6.
Anonymous 2 above, the reason I ask this is because in Scotland 70% of Quango appointees have some link to the Labour Party. I'd like to know if this is the same in England. What's wrong with that? I don't deny that there is the odd Tory appointee, but this government is using public sector appointments for its own convenience. Look at the number of ex Labour MPs who are being appointed to Quangos as a consolation prize. I am sure it also happened previously under Conservative governments, but it's a question of degree - at the moment it's completely blatantand not egtting the scrutiny it deserves.
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