Craig Murray - The Smith Institute: New Labour's Corrupt Tax Dodge

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July 31, 2008

The Smith Institute: New Labour's Corrupt Tax Dodge

The corruption of our institutions under New Labour is evidenced by the fact that the Charities Commission have yet again given only a warning to New Labour's most blatant tax dodge, the Smith Institute. Everybody active in Scottish politics recognises full well that the Smith Institute - named after ex-Labour leader John Smith - is part and parcel of New Labour. It is run by Brown's close friends and often meets in Gordon Brown's home. Its board are all New Labour - the supposedly "Neutral" members are John Milligan, New Labour's biggest Scottish donor, http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2007/12/john_milligan_a.html, and Jack Straw fan Paul Myners. Under Myners' watch the Guardian has finally broken with the terms of C P Scott's trust. which stipulates that it must pursue the causes of liberalism. With its support for the New Labour's "War on Terror" and its pathetic equivocation on the War in Iraq, the Guardian has been a cheerleader for the biggest move away from Liberalism since 1821. Are there any lawyers out there up for a legal challenge in terms of the Scott Trust acting ultra vires? There can be no argument that support for New Labour is compatible with liberal values.

The Smith Institute would be perfectly fine, were it not for the fact that it has charitable status as an independent research organisation and thus dodges hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in tax. There is a good report here from Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?
pid=20601102&sid=a40bVP9nqITA&refer=uk

But the article fails to hit the real point. This is the most transparent bit of crookery imaginable. Plainly the Charities Commission in Scotland is fully aware that this is part of New Labour. And yet for years the Smith Institute has been given chance after chance after chance to meet the regulations, without ever having its charitable status removed. No other fake charity would be treated so leniently. Is the Charities Commission yet another quango that has been stitched up by New Labour?

Posted by craig on July 31, 2008 3:38 PM in the category Dundee Uni

Comments

" Is the Charities Commission yet another quango that has been stitched up by New Labour?"

Evidently so. Now, name one quango that has not been stitched up by the NuLab illegitimates. The Smith Institute is yet another noble cause being dragged through the mire by self-serving and -seeking unprincipled politicos.

I cannot think of a single government body or quango in the whole of the UK which does not reek of corruption, avarice, incompetence and malice.

I challenge anyone to name a single such body which remains untainted.

Posted by: Chuck Unsworth at July 31, 2008 8:15 PM

" Is the Charities Commission yet another quango that has been stitched up by New Labour?"
It's very much my impression too. I pointed out to them that their own literature makes it a legal requirement that "Charities must be independent of government and other funders" but that the British Council, which is dependent on government financially as well as operationally, operating out of government premises with diplomatic status, FCO grant, civil service pensions etc, is nevertheless a charity and what was their comment? That they were unaware of any way in which the British Council acts inconsistently with its charitable aims. The British Council chair is former leader of the Labour Party, Lord Kinnock.

Posted by: David Blackie at August 1, 2008 9:14 AM