As if it wasn’t bad enough having candidates who try their best to disguise that they are standing for the Liberal Democrats (Lucy Hurds), a high profile perjurer (Chris Huhne), assorted sex-pests (Rennard, Hancock et al) and lunatics (Jenny Tonge and David Ward), now they are involved in a cash for influence scandal centring on one of their Muslim parliamentary candidates.
It really has got to the stage that when you see the word ‘Sleazy’ in a media politics story, then you know that there is a fair chance that it will involve the Liberal Democrats. It really does beg the question: Are there any honest, sane, decent, respectable, sexually continent members of that party left still in it, or are they all freaks without honour, and without any hint of probity?
The famous phrase ‘would you buy a used car from these people?’ conjures up for me, and probably for many others, an image of the Lib Dem front bench.
Now they seem to have shown us all again just why the Lib Dems cannot be trusted to run a whelk stall and give the customers the correct change, let alone be a party of government.
The Daily Telegraph has played a blinder with their latest expose of Lib Dem sleaze with this story about influence buying.
The Daily Telegraph said:
“Over the course of a five-month investigation a Telegraph reporter posing as an Indian businessman held a series of meetings with Ibrahim Taguri, the Liberal Democrats’ former head of fundraising, was introduced to Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and taken on a tour of Nick Clegg’s office.
Mr Taguri, who was responsible for the Lib Dems’ fundraising for five years until last summer, is now standing as an MP in Brent Central and in January was appointed by Mr Clegg as the party’s spokesman on racial equality.
The Telegraph launched its investigation into Liberal Democrat fundraising after well-placed sources expressed concerns that the party was accepting questionable donations and promising favours and access in return for cash. “
Well what else could we really, honestly expect from a party that had Britain’s least favourite mendacious grievance-mongering taqiyya artist, Fiyaz Mughal, as an interfaith advisor to Nick Clegg.
The Daily Telegraph continued:
“The investigation began in October when the undercover reporter, posing as an Indian businessman, attended a fundraising event for Mr Taguri’s attempt to become a Liberal Democrat MP.
As Danny Alexander, committed activists and long-standing donors milled around the room, the “businessman” told Mr Taguri that he was keen to support him and the party.
A meeting over lunch quickly followed in November, where the pair discussed how donations could be made and how our businessman could keep his identity out of the public domain.
Over lunch in his constituency, Mr Taguri explained how his campaign could accept money from individuals registered to vote or UK trading companies, but financial support “over a certain threshold are declared”.
“Essentially £1,500, anything over that”, he said.
It was also possible to give as a couple, or as a family member.
“Yeah so it’s, yeah sort of an individual, yeah, so a husband and wife could give £3,000 and it remains utterly private. Or you know, however, cousins as well”, said Mr Taguri. The reporter said he was keen to keep a “low profile”.
Mr Taguri understood the issue. “Absolutely, yeah…I’ve been in this business a long time, I know the sort of, you know the ramifications of getting noticed”, he said.
When the reporter explained that he was actually hoping to give more than £1,500, Mr Taguri replied: “The other way to do it actually, is to go rather than give to me directly is to give it to my party… then the threshold for that is £7,500.
“Instead of writing contributions of Brent Liberal Democrats you write just for Liberal Democrats and the threshold, and the threshold to that is £7,500 per person so that’s going work out at £15,000… then the party will spend it on my behalf”.
TEA IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
At a second meeting, Mr Taguri gave the businessman a tour of the House of Commons and took him to the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.
Once again the conversation turned to donations. Mr Taguri described how making a donation was straightforward as long as an individual was registered to vote. “That’s the legal bit,” he said, and added that checks would be carried out on companies who donated to prevent “people funnelling in money from abroad which used to happen a lot”. He said the rules needed to be tightened to prevent this from happening.
Following the meeting, our “businessman” transferred £1,450 to the party. The figure meant the businessman’s name would not be declared because it was under the threshold. ”
This deal is looking dodgier by the minute.
The Telegraph added:
“When our businessman asked about the £7,500 limit – above which the party would have to reveal his identity, Mr Taguri suggested another way to avoid being noticed.
“I mean, the other thing you could do, is, it’s a bit cheeky, it’s a bit cheeky, but you could write a cheque and back date it” to the previous calendar year. This would mean a further £7,500 could be given without the businessman having to appear on the electoral commission register.
The reporter said that his wife was not on the voting list, but his cousins were, could that help he asked?
“Absolutely”, replied Mr Taguri.
Mr Taguri said the businessman’s cousins could each contribute £7,500.
Following the meeting, the reporter called Mr Taguri to check some details about the donation.
He explained that he planned to transfer the cash to his relative and they would call the party to make the donation.
“So I would transfer, you know, £7,500 to their account and then they can make a call to your, to your office. That shouldn’t be a problem,” said the reporter. “
And so the sorry tale continued. To read the rest of this latest bit of Lib Dem sleaziness please go here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/11465752/How-dodgy-donor-was-courted-by-Liberal-Democrats.html
Stories like this (and the other examples of Lib Dem scummery) do make me wonder if the honest Lib Dems are significantly outnumbered by the ones whose honesty is questionable to say the least.
I really don’t understand why any voter who wants to see positive change in the UK would even consider voting for the Liberal Democrats. The last five years of the Coalition has shown the whole country that they are not just a political party, they are the Wormtongues of British politics.
Background links
The Lib Dems ‘Windscale’ Candidate
The Liberal Democrats and the ‘Windscale’ policy of one of their candidates.
Chris Huhne the Lib Dems high profile perjurer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21737627
Mike Hancock Lib Dem sex pest
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2661537/Disgraced-MP-apologises-degrading-relationship-vulnerable-constituent-came-help.html
David ‘The Jews’ Ward and Jenny ‘Hamas’ Tonge
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lid-dem-mp-david-ward-4974335
Lord Rennard who ‘invaded women’s personal spaces’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2644121/Fury-friends-sex-pest-Lib-Dem-peer-Lord-Rennard-call-Clegg-job-back.html
