Break the law and you could have a criminal record. So says Peter Hain on this DWP poster on benefit fraud. No Ifs, No Buts. On the DWP website it's spelt out very clearly...
There are NO IFS, NO BUTS when it comes to benefit fraud. Deliberately withholding information that affects your claim is stealing. That’s why we are targeting benefit thieves! The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes benefit theft very seriously. Although the vast majority of people who claim benefits are honest, those who commit benefit theft are picking the pockets of law-abiding taxpayers. In 2006-07 benefit thieves stole an estimated £700 million from public funds, that's why we are determined to stop benefit thieves. All benefit theft is a crime and those found breaking the law face a criminal record. NO IFS, NO BUTS.
Now I suppose it's possible to argue that Hain didn't "deliberately" withhold information, but that is just semantics. He failed in his statutory and legal duties to declare donations. NO IFS, NO BUTS. He must now face the consequences - and if Gordon Brown can't see that, it's yet another reason why he is not fit to be Prime Minister. And there are plenty of others.
UPDATE 11.45: LibDem Voice adds to Mr Hain's woes by accusing him of misusing his Communications Allowance on his parliamentary website.
26 comments:
Great minds....
http://notasheepmaybeagoat.blogspot.com/2008/01/deliberately-withholding-information.html
(posted at 08:21)
""There are NO IFS, NO BUTS when it comes to ... fraud. Deliberately withholding information that affects your claim is stealing." So says the Department for Work & Pensions on its website page devoted to benefit fraud.
Maybe the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Peter Hain, should mull that over whilst he and his team claim that their admitted failing to declare more than £100,000 in donations to his campaign to be Labour deputy leader was due to "administrative failings". Sorry Peter but "There are NO IFS, NO BUTS when it comes to ... fraud""
However I still get the feeling that Hain could still get away with just a ticking off. Gordon Brown may feel that if he lets one disgraced minister go then he may have less chance of protecting the others who are currently, or who will in the future come, under investigation for similar reasons.
Hain is as guilty as hell of contravening Labour's own act on donations . ie corruption .
However , given the level of corruption ,political and otherwise, now endemic in the British state and actively fostered by Labour I doubt that he will pay the consequences . The Electoral Commission will roll over for Brown just like the CPS did on cash for peerages . And the opposition will take care not to push it home . They never do .
There is a regular pattern now .
Diane Abbott said last night on THIS WEEK that the backbenchers are NOT impressed - not at all.
Is now the time for Gordon to step down too? :)
From the press I've seen there are about 6 or 7 individual reasons to resign - if Brown doesn't sack him he's in the mire too.
The current Government is above the law. Get over it! Or at least stop bitching and actually do something about it. Private prosecution anyone?
Hain has the PM's 'full confidence'
David Davis has made a formal complaint to the electoral commission.
About time.
Can't we get over this 'make x history' thing already? That is well past the sell-by date
'Now I suppose it's possible to argue that Hain didn't "deliberately" withhold information, but that is just semantics'.
No, Iain, it's not just semantics, it's of great significance. Our law considers a person's intent to be very important when considering alleged breaches. I'm not defending the guy, but given that he wouldn't have had anything in particular to gain from withholding this information (as far as we know) deliberate fraud / deception will be very hard to prove.
Mark my words, no major heads are going to roll here.
Quite apart from the bone-headed stupidity of not ensuring absolute compliance with the regulations regarding campaign donations, made even worse by weasel-words about 'administrative failures' (i.e. blaming the 'staff' - what an arrogant man this hain really is!), can anyone explain in words of one syllable how it is possible to spend the thick end of £200,000 on a non-campaign for a non-job which is what 'Deputy Leader' really is? What did he do with the money - surely we are due an account of how the money was spent and on what? How did the other group of nu-lab misfits running in this pathetic little 'contest' manage on a mere hundred grand or so? (My heart bleeds for them, it really does.)And just how can IT and computers etc cost 20 grand for a temporary set-up? The whole thing is beyond ludicrous, it is totally incompetent expenditure - and now this man is in charge of our pensions???
A sentence including the words 'whelk stall' come to mind. This man should be deported whence he came as soon as possible - no doubt S Africa will be delighted to have him back. Everyone' wins.
I think it will be good politics for Cameron to come out fighting on this and all the other sleaze thats going on. Can't politicians see that we, Joe public, are fed up to the back teeth with all the corruption that is taking place and really want a leader that will be seen to be putting and end to it. I have just watched a report on Sky news and all we are hearing is that really he is a good man and has just made a simple mistake. What a load of tosh!
100,000 pound! Ah come on who's kidding who?
Lets have a clear commitment Dave that no lame excuses will be accepted and lets see the whole act cleaned up!
What's the difference between Peter Hain and a blanket?
Shit sticks to the blanket...
But have Harman and Alexander declared all their 'donations'?
Nice to see that there is no connection between these two stories from the bBC...
'Tony Blair has taken a part-time post with US investment bank JP Morgan.'
'Northern Rock has agreed to sell £2.2bn, or 2%, of its mortgage assets to US investment bank JP Morgan.'
What is so satisfying about this Hain-gate is to see his ex SPAD, Phil Taylor, splurting his innocence at every given opportunity. Let's not forget that it was Guido who forced that Mr Taylor to resign as SPAD last year when it became clear that he had been using his tax payer funded position as a SPAD in the Northern Ireland Office to campaign for his boss in the party. And we're meant to believe him when he says he would never had not disclosed donations?
I hope this is the last we ever hear of Mr Taylor, I know that the civil service in the NIO were glad to see the back of him.
I think this is the poster you were looking for:
http://www.anenglishmanscastle.com/archives/005169.html
Dear Gordon,
I never really wanted to be a Minister. My mother told me that I should.
I resign!
Peter
He'll be lucky to survive this. I can't see him quitting as he enjoys the power and lifestyle too much to return to the backbenches. Hain will only quit if Gordon tells him to and gives him no other option.
[on behalf of Senedd Whip]
But could the Primeminister get rid of Hain even if he wanted too? Other cans of worms etc?
Why, if the law is alleged to have been broken, have the Conservative Party made a complaint to Inspector Knacker of the Yard?
This is getting politics a very bad name. They make the law. They break it with impunity and nothing happens.
The 'opposition' ignore everything and look the other way and life goes on.
Yet out in the real world no common person is let off because he or she has made an administrative error...no they are taken by their ear to court..and will the court accept such a defence?
Politics these days stinks!
Everything is lied about and nobody has the guts to stand out and say so.
This country is disintigrating fast.
We are told that the inflation figure is 3-4% who on this earth believes such trash! These figures, like unemployment, like crime like any other government statistic is false.
Politicians with their major salaries and fat pensions may smile and 'play the game' but we common people have to live in a quite different world. A world where people are in debt, are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their commitments. A world where prices rise almost on a daily basis.
We live in a world where 'England' does not exist we are now all mongrels called 'Britons'
We have to accept immigration on a scale never known before, because to say anything would get one labelled racist!
We are told that people are being deported! That is another lie.
Our armed services are fighting two wars without the people supporting them. They are paid a pittance and expected to live in disgraceful accomodation STILL! (The Government are making trainers and experienced soldiers etc. live in shocking conditions whilst new recruits get the new accomodation!!! If you do not believe me travel to Catterick and find out for yourselves!)
We are being ruled by Brussels but no politician in Westminster has the guts to say so!
Lies Lies and not one politician of any party has got the G U T S to stand up and shout HALT! ENOUGH! the people are suffering.
Mr Dale. You can pontificate as much as you want. You can continue with your, what are, pin pricks and sometimes 'scoops' BUT until you and all politicians realise that unless something tangible is done this country is doomed.
I am being anonymous simply because I fear the consequences of honesty
1. His excuse is that he cannot be expected to competent enough to organize an election campaign for an INTERNAL party position that operates within the law.
BUT he is competent enough hold two offices of state in a Labour government. …enough said.
2. He broke the law by not declaring campaign funds with 30 days.
3. He also broke Parliamentary rules by no declaring it in member’s interests.
4. If he cannot provide detailed precise and auditable accounts of income and expenditure for is campaign he would appear to be in receipt of undeclared taxable income. A CRIMINAL offence.
5. He took more time to investigate this income (10 to 20 donations) than it takes to audit a FTSE 100 company. What does that say?
6.......and oh and by the way he is so cheap he will screw the Labour party of some dosh that is he required by party rules to hand over.
Nobody outside Labour in really concerned about that last bit. It just shows the calibre of the man.
Before everyone get holier than thou on this - perhaps they ought to look at the timing of the report of Cameron's campaign donations to the Electoral Commission and compare with that for the Davis camapaign where everything was done on time.
Looks to me like it was far from just an oversight.
The Labour Government brought in this legislation and therefore it's members should abide by it.
Ignorance or ineptitude is not considered an OK defence for individuals or organisations when dealing with Income Tax , benefits, VAT etc..
If it is so easy to innocently 'forget' to record a donation or it's true source, then Gordon Brown should announce that the law will be revised and that the Labour Government got it wrong.
Torymory
I could not believe my ears.. On PM tonight two labour MP's. Welsh MP's at that, both claimed that Hain was whiter than white. Anne Clwyd said she thought that you had much longer to report donations. (She obviously took great notice of what she was voting for then didn't she!!!) then a male MP who was PPS to Hain. He said he may have broken a RULE but not the law. When the legislation was pointed out to him he still denied Hain had broken the law. Just a RULE!
I tell you this lot a closer to Stalin and his 'government' than anything we have ever seen. LIES LIES LIES.
But have the Tories called for his resignation? NO! It is a club and they are all as bad as each other.
Not long before the revolution.
Anonymous, 2:28, I've got news for you. Your computer has a unique IP address. Any savvy 13-year-old could track it down.
I endorse your sentiments -- and I don't care about the consequences.
dennis.
WOT even the public library?
Why is it necessary for anyone to contact the police and ask them to investigate a crime. The function of the Police is to act against criminals.
I know why it has happened because it is the Metropolitan Police who should investigate and to whom do they owe favours?
That poster's funny. Hain already has a criminal record, but because he was pretending to be an anti-apartheid activist at the time of his crime, it's overlooked. So if a benefit cheat does it to give money to a good cause (er, not the Labour Party) that's all right then is it Pete?
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