Craig,

You have manifestly highlighted the formal structures/constructs set in place to further the cause of the neo: liberal/conservative.

The reciprocity between the private and public office holders, renders any notional residue of democracy with in our current system; null. This is whilst creating a monstrous working arrangement whereupon; the private cause becomes cause for the public, and the puerile Freedom brand and the associated narrative further prescribe austerity for the masses, and welfare for the corporates.

I love the smell of Freedom in the morning!

Both Allen Stanford and Bernie Madoff deliberately had very small non blue chip accountants

Some of the biggest accountancy firms had/have the same addresses offshore as companies involved in carousel fraud. One big accountancy firm even owned one of the buffer companies involved in a carousel fraud/frauds

Dear Craig

Well said on corruption.

Rich people oiling the wheels of the Tory Party to ensure the cash doesn’t stop flowing in.

Nothing changes.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

@Ruth: “One big accountancy firm even owned one of the buffer companies involved in a carousel fraud/frauds.”

I didn’t know that. You couldn’t point to a link or something, could you Ruth?

Cheers,

Rob

Madoff and Stanford did not have big four accounting firms.

But generally, I don’t think it’s helpful to lump in the Big 4′s political back-scratching with the quality of their audits.

Most of the time, they do a pretty good job; I’d argue the case wrt RBS (and the Rock and HBOS) where the sin was to get massively overleveraged and dependent on short-term funding and securitisation, for which it’s pretty hard to blame Deloittes. And Equitable’s legal advisors were considerably more at fault for that firm’s failure.

No reason to step out and defend everything the Big 4 do, but these are large firms with a good many honest, diligent employees, and to my mind they do far more good than harm.

With respect to Equitable Life. Private Eye #1240 has a lengthy piece on their auditors Ernst & Young.

To summarise Private Eye :

In 2004 Ernst & Young were charged by the accountants governing bodies Joint Disciplinary Scheme with “producing unqualified audit opinions… for failing to understand Equitables business.. and failing to act with independence and objectivity”

The report was completed in October 2008 when Ernst & Young went to court for an injunction to stop the JDS sending their report to the FSA or even to let any third parties (ie the press) know there was a report.

Ernst & Young fought tooth and nail in the courts to suppress publication and finally lost on 22nd June The report should now be published by the end of the year. Given the money E&Y spent trying to suppress it I think we can assume it is critical of E&Y.

(Like Craig I am an Equitable sufferer)

After Norwich – “Labour : What Is To Be Done?”, see http://dronfieldblather.blogspot.com/2009/07/labour-what-is-to-be-done.html

Derek, should go without saying that no-one comes out of the Equitable situation with credit.

Most of my information is drawn from the Penrose report, and I am pretty convinced from this that Equitable’s board and its legal advisors were the prime culprits, some distance ahead of E&Y or anyone else. Had E&Y blown the whistle on how Equitable intended to treat its policy holders, the main effect would have been to provide extra publicity to a matter that was being litigated anyway.

That Equitable thought it could get away with treating its policy-holders so unfairly was so outrageous (and illegal) – if it turned out that E&Y encouraged them to do this, that would be a whole other matter though so far I am not aware that E&Y did this. The JDS report may however shed more light.

I read the Independent article on this at around 5:50 am this morning when I got up.

Now I have spent rather a lot of time over the last couple of years posting my views on American political websites and completely slagging the totally obvious corruption in America re the total control of the US Political system via the system of Lobbying – which is just sort of accepted in America.

“Sure I’ll slip you a Million Dollars and we will get the Result…No Problem”

I have been quoting our political system in the UK, as whilst being somewhat corrupt, it is nothing like as bad and totally obvious as it is in America – and people actually risk prosecution for doing things like this.

Then I read the Independent

And thought FFS – We are Just as Bad as The Americans

And went back to bed in DISGUST

Tony

“The idea that private sector consultants always know better took full wing under Thatcher and was enthusiastically adopted by New Labour. I have always found the argument that accountants know best how to fight wars, run hospitals and teach to be complete tripe.”

Well, there are some things KPMG seen very good at:

“In early 2005, the United States member firm, KPMG LLP, was accused by the United States Department of Justice of fraud in marketing abusive tax shelters. KPMG LLP admitted criminal wrongdoing in creating fraudulent tax shelters to help wealthy clients avoid $2.5 billion in taxes and agreed to pay $456 million in penalties in exchange for a deferred prosecution agreement.”

From the KPMG Wikipedia entry.

Helping wealthy clients cheat the system, eh? Fancy that!

I know absolutely nothing about the political views of Chloe Smith except which that which is obviously available to anyone by simple research.

I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to think anything bad about her.

I know nothing about her.

Simply because she is obviously so incredibly intelligent to actually get herself elected as an MP at such a young age, is no reason to have a go at her.

And I thought Craig Murray was completely out of order in attacking her in the way he did – and his attack was totally counter-productive and made him, nit her look a total plonker – inviting all sorts of obvious counter attacks

For all anyone knows – and only Chloe Smith really knows this – She Might Make an ENORMOUS Contribution towards Political Change For The Better.

The LABELS are IRRELEVANT

Its What You Do That Counts

Tony

I have nothing personally against Chloe Smith. However i’m sceptical that she’s been selected for her intelligence. The reason the tories have young candidates is to try to distance them from the MPs involved in the expenses scandal.

I also have something against close relationships between certain political parties and certain big companies. It’s fashionable to use euphemisms like ‘public private partnership’ for these – a more accurate description is corruption. Governments have to regulate the actions of companies and treat all of them equally. When they don’t you get catastrophes like PFI/PPP and the credit crisis.

Craig’s absolutely right to point out that the big parties have largely become agents for big companies at the expense of taxpayers, jobs and small businesses.

Yes couldnt agree more. The auditors do not do their jobs. Even more so where the government/cabinet starves the SFO of resources to pursue complex cases. What a rediculous system. Why have auditors when most dont audit?

I saw Chloe Smith interviewed on C4 News.

A few days before the election. If she hadn’t been introduced as a Tory I would have thought she was New Labour.

Not just the “accountancy firms”…

http://tinyurl.com/m3a873

“There may be one problem for them from this subterfuge strategy – unlike the secondments and donations mentioned in the Independent article, and unlike other secondments from Deloitte, Chloe Smith’s secondment has not been declared to the Electoral Commission as a donation to the Tory Party.

That is illegal.”

Craig – have you not considered that perhaps her secondment to the Conservatives is not a donation? Perhaps her employers (Deloittes) are invoicing the Conservatives for her time and advice?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m fairly certain that employing the services of a consultant is not illegal…

What will be illegal however, are your poster boards in and around Norwich if they still have not been removed from the streetlights to which they are secured by next Thursday – refer to your own related postings from the begining of your (failed!) election campaign!

My God what a serious crime that will be anon. I would urge you to carry out a citizen’s arrest but I see that you are so committed to the fight against the evil child-eating murder that is fly-posting that you don’t even post your name. Probably sensible as fly-posters are undoubtedly the most dangerous and violent criminals known in Britain today.

P.S To my eternal shame I am one of the fly-posters. How will i ever sleep at night knowing that a council worker might have to spend up to 5 minutes cutting them down with a pair of clippers?

If you put the posters up, please take them down. if not the council will get their chaps to do it an bill the publisher accordingly ( at rates that will be quite punitive). Believe me I know….been there. It’s a lucerative little scam that councils “enjoy” using, particularly against political opponents.

I’m sure Ingo or Steve will take the remaining ones down now the election’s over

“Craig – have you not considered that perhaps her secondment to the Conservatives is not a donation? Perhaps her employers (Deloittes) are invoicing the Conservatives for her time and advice? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m fairly certain that employing the services of a consultant is not illegal…”

Only the Conservatives can clear this up by putting the necessary information into the public domain. So why don’t they?

(And that information should include the fee per day. If Chloe is billed to the Tory Party at peppercorn rates then I expect this should be considered a donation.)

I think it is a tragedy that the Tories succeeded in keeping the facts about Chloe’s employment secret almost to the very end of the election campaign and after the point at which it was possible for Craig’s campaign to make the facts widely known.

It would be good to if some Norwich North voters who voted Tory in good faith on the Tory campaign pledge to clean up politics but are unhappy about this new information could step forward to tell the world how they feel about being played for fools by David Cameron. The rest of the country have 10 months to wise up and not have to learn the hard way.

To: Anon at July 29, 2009 10:32 PM

You are missing the point about Chloe Smith:

She is 27 years old and has never had a proper job.

After university, she worked for two Tory MPs, Gillian Shepherd and James Clappison then joined Deloitte, but continued to work for the Conservative Party on secondment.

Whether Deloitte billed for her time is beside the point, it was deliberate attempt to build up her CV by making it appear she had not spent her entire working life with the Conservative Party. The purpose was to deceive the electors in Norwich.

I’ve just watched a company I did business with for over 20 years get taken over by one run by an ex-Tory minister, a serving MP.

This company then bought another two businesses in the same sector and a few weeks after its last purchase went into administration, owing the Inland Revenue and declaring that there was very little money with which to pay its creditors, me included.

The company then rose, Phoenix-like, from its previous incarnation, this time in a joint venture with yet another company; and with the chairman (Mr. MP) and managing director each owning 15% of the new, debt-free, business. This in my opinion is blatant fraud. But I doubt that I can do anything about it and the administrator is not working for me, but for the bank – the only secured creditor. There is no incentive to pursue allegations of fraud nor trading at risk to creditors as this company most assuredly has done.

Given that senior Tories are busily engaged in defrauding sole traders like myself I fully expect them to get into bed with the usual pillars of capitalism once elected. Nothing will change.

@Tom Kenendy: Don’t suppose you could name some names there, could you?

@Tom Kennedy: Don’t suppose you could name some names there, could you?

Has Chloe Smith been enrolled into the Conservative Friends of Israel yet? Her mentors, Shephard and Clappison are members and Shephard was a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Membership of the CFoI is fairly secretive although you could say it has an allegiance to a foreign country at the most and support for Israel at least which is never declared when its members like MacShane, Dismore and Howells speak in the House on matters relating to Israel and Palestine.

‘CFI helps make the case for Israel inside the Conservative Party.’

http://www.cfoi.co.uk/

posters have been down for days, this braggatorial elegance by anonymous posters is such a waste of time and spittle.

Thanks for that little insight from Tom and Mary, they have not lost the ability to be the nasty party then, what refreshing reminder.

You might do the most basic research about the facts that you have gathered to grind you axe. As it is, you are revealed for the badly informed conspiracy theorist that you are.

Lemme get this straight. You are accusing Chloe to be some sort of a schmuck employed by DT as a bauble, but in your campaign literature she was responsible for bringing down the financial system. Sounds like Gordon Brown’s criticism of Cameron for being a novice and the mastermind behind White Wednesday. *rolls eyes*

Honest man, lol.

A few additional titbits for you to think on in addition to the obvious corrections re Big Four involvement in business collapses.

Rather than coming out of Enron smelling of roses, Arthur Andersen’s role in that corporate disaster took down that 90 year old institution. Who was the auditor of the fraudulent Versailles Group? Are there any other examples of a FTSE 250 firm being audited by a small name auditor? And have you seen who audits the Labour Party?

Misguided, economically illiterate and plain wrong. Don’t you think that you ought to understand the industry on which you opine before proposing solutions?

Jail holding many more accountants?

Craig – do you not realise that Western democracy, at core, is the best that money can buy?

Why are you so shocked and outraged at something that has been the trade mark of this brand of democracy for a long time?

Praguetory,

“Rather than coming out of Enron smelling of roses, Arthur Andersen’s role in that corporate disaster took down that 90 year old institution. Who was the auditor of the fraudulent Versailles Group? Are there any other examples of a FTSE 250 firm being audited by a small name auditor? And have you seen who audits the Labour Party?”

Rather than posting presumably rhetorical questions, could you spell out your argument as clearly as Craig spells out his, for the benefit of those of us that are not specialists on this matter?

Judging by your malicious exagerations in your second paragraph, I expect that you rather wouldn’t.

Please tell us. Just where does the fault lie for the financial crash?

I think the the most logical answer as to who Chloe Smith works for is the intelligence services.

If you take my belief that the political party in power is the executive of the Establishment/permanent unelected government the executive must be compliant. The executive must also have some support of the populace. If people feel they have no say then they may revolt.

So it’s very important for those in power to maintain the three party system and to control those members of each party. It’s also very important for the incoming party to have a large majority so that it can pass legislation with a big majority. As the economy dips further and people become embittered then some very unpopular measures will have to be taken.

How better to enhance a party’s image than with pretty young women. This I presume is aimed at bringing young people into political fold; the young are probably going to be the hardest hit in the recession and it’s the young who are more likely to go for violent revolution.

So are the ‘babes’ the answer? How many of the ‘babes’ will have odd employment histories? Have these ‘babes’ been groomed by MI5 not just to be MPs but to rise as high as possible so that they can carry out the wishes of the Establishment/permanent unelected government all the whist the rest of the country happily believes it’s living in a democracy.

Ingo – I think you will find that not all posters are down yet. Some of them, secured to lamp posts on pedestrian footpaths in the Cromer Road area, have slipped and are now at such a height that they pose a health and safety risk to the general public as the bottom of the boards are now at “head height”.

It is beyond belief that the height of lamp-post posters are being “whipped up” into some kind of vital piece of illegal practice on a thread which is attempting to draw out the possibility of actual serious criminal activity.

Who was the auditor of the fraudulent Versailles Group? Are there any other examples of a FTSE 250 firm being audited by a small name auditor? And have you seen who audits the Labour Party?”

Allow me to help. 1. Nunn Hayward 2. No. 3. Horwath Clark Whitehill

By the way, bribery and accepting bribes are criminal offences. If you were more significant, Craig, the defamatory statements that you have made without any substantiating evidence against both the auditors and the Conservative Party would probably be actioned.

Interesting item about the new Norwich North MP by Stephen Glover in yesterday’s in Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-1203113/STEPHEN-GLOVER.html

“Chloe has not had experience at anything – apart from politics, and then to a very limited extent.”

praguetory

you can’t defame a political party, or a profession, silly.

anon,

a secondment isn’t paid – that’s the nature of a secondment. Otherwise it’s just a consultancy contract, which is quite a different thing. I fear you are rather grasping at straws.

You can defame an oraganisation like Deloitte – it has a legal personality.

You can defame an organisation like Deloitte – it has a legal personality.

It’s all about revenue streams.

Getting consultants into juicy positions in this or that government dept provides a secure revenue stream from public funds. Just as winning a PFI contract to build and run a school/hospital/whatever. The private sector has gazed hungrily at the whole domain of public services in this country for decades, and while Thatcher/Major laid the groundwork for PFI and other scams, it took a Labour government to throw open the gates and let the pillaging wolves descend upon health and education.

The question I always want to know is how much public money goes on the profits, exec bonuses and share dividend payouts of private companies contracted under PFI? I think we’d be stunned if we found out the actual figures.

Praguetory,

I see you’ve posted answers to your own questions. Now please state the significance of these answers and link them into a coherent argument.

Maybe I’m just thick, or maybe people like you wish to convince people like me that we can’t possibly understand the business of people like you. But I tend to find that most things can be understood, so long as they’re explained clearly enough. Even quantum physics makes sense.

You never answered my question. What is your angle on how tens of billions of taxpayers money ended up being given to those who gambled it away? Where was the Tory opposition to this, and to the policies that led to it?

Please note that these questions come from CLARK, not CRAIG. Yes, Clark is an unusual name, and I sometimes get called Craig by mistake. I see Craig got called Clive the other day, another name I get called occasionally. But I suppose that if you want to sue CRAIG because CLARK is asking questions, that’s up to you.

Clark – there is a term for what the misconceptions that Craig has put on display here and in his campaign. It’s called the audit expectations gap – google it. An audit is first and foremost a regular check of PAST results and position. Although audit reports do opine on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, auditors aren’t supposed to act as an early warning system and they are not there to regulate the behaviour of companies – that’s the role that the regulator failed to do in many of the cases that have been listed.

To acquaint yourself with the limitations of the external audit process I suggest you look at the excellent results reported in Northern Rock’s 2006 annual report. How were they (or PwC their auditors) to know when that report was issued that the inter-bank lending (on which their business model was based) would dry up within months?

If the UK went bust should we blame the National Audit Office? Of course not. The fault would be Gordon Brown’s and his team. As you can probably guess, I could go on, but the reason I am contributing to this thread is first and foremost to illuminate the lack of basic knowledge Craig has into finance, banking, accounting and the accounting profession and knock down a few of the more obvious false premises under which he is operating in the hope that he will get himself up to speed before spraying around his poorly thought through catalogue of ‘ideas’ for change.

I can almost hear the ‘the whole system needs to change’ replies this post may provoke, but if you’re up for tearing down the current system, you’d better have a coherent alternative and it would be handy if those ideas came from well informed people.

I find it utterly baffling that a qualified, or at least an experienced, accountant can look at the unravelling of the credit crunch and not see a case for reform in financial audit.

The auditors fulfilled their duties within the letter of the law. But the law, or the regulatory framework, clearly needs to be changed. As it stands now, audit is almost completely pointless. It’s not worth the paper it’s written on. The idea of using a company’s audited accounts as a decision-making tool is ridiculous, for shareholders or directors.

Incidentally, risk management is an accountancy function that was clearly not working either. The extreme leverage of Northern Rock and its Granite obligations against vulnerable market margins was sort of tucked away as a footnote in the bank’s accounts and brushed under by the board of directors. While perfectly legal, it clearly fails to conform to any definition of truly professional behaviour.

The audit expectations gap needs to be closed, or we might as well give up on audit, because it does next to nothing, and costs a fortune. Hell, might as well nationalise it. It’s a Big Four monopoly already, and however badly they do, the FRC has made clear none of them will ever have to “leave the market” a la Andersen.

“I can almost hear the ‘the whole system needs to change’ replies this post may provoke” — anon

Indeed.

Didn’t I read that “Banks watchdog ‘role-played’ crisis at Northern Rock ?” three years before crash”

http://tinyurl.com/mcngvd

Wasn’t much help, was it.

Having listened to some waffled non sensical reasoning on Radio 4 this morning, on how this Government is not going to regulate the banks, but will try and publicise their actions should banks err in future, has not filled me with the required confidence, nor does it deal with bonus driven haste, shady derivative packets or tax havens, something everyone has conveniently forgotten about, bar Mr. Stanford in the US, nobody will get arrested here for defrauding the taxpayer, so what has this and any future Government learned?

answers on the back of a stamp please.

Thanks for pointing out a few lone some posters, July, unfortunately I was not with the crews putting them all up and noLabour’s activists must have missed some when taking them down.

SO CAN THOSE WHO PUT THEM UP PLEASE send me an email telling me exactly were these posters are…. thanks in advance.

July should you come accross one you have my permission to take it down, thanks.

” at July 31, 2009 12:36 PM”

Was that you, Praguetory? If not, who was it? Coherent argument is more difficult when the participants can’t be identified.

I certainly haven’t suggested “tearing down” anything, let alone the whole system. I do suggest opening the curtains and letting in the light. Any objection?

Rob Lewis: thanks for your clear post.

An auditor’s independence could be improved as follows: (1) prohibit the firm from auditing AND providing consultancy services to the client; (2) insist a third party appoints the auditor, perhaps on an annual basis.

Turning to the regulators. Generally I find these are unsatisfactory (e.g. FSA’s handling of Equitable Life and Northern Rock) because there is a reluctance to thoroughly investigate because if wrongoing is discovered then regulation has failed. Also, even when wrongdoing has been proven HMG is reluctant to pay out (see Equitable Life). A better alternative may be a compulsory insurance levy, as suggested by John Nott in his autobiography.

As strange as it may seem, I was never aware of what I would deem as corruption during the vast majority of my working career. I never fiddled my expenses, and the companies I worked for were actually very strict about maintaining a high level of integrity.

I think I first became aware of what I thought was certainly bordering on the bent about 15 years ago. My niece was a journalist working at the Premier UK Monthly Computer Magazine, and she used to test and write reviews about new kit. She was telling me about how she got wined and dined and flown all over the world courtesy of some of the main manufacturers. She was never passed any dodgy packets containing wads but she was treated exceedingly well by some of the companies.

So when she came and reviewed their products, rather than the companies that hadn’t treated her so well, she slagged their products off remorselessly – even when they performed better than the companies who hadn’t wined and dined her.

I made the last bit up.

I haven’t a clue whether she wrote what she was paid to write. But she couldn’t stand it for long, and left and went back to university.

Now, things have got considerably worse since then. Most internet websites are crawling with people giving the impression of just being ordinary punters who have been paid to slag off other company’s products as are even magazines like…

I know for a fact that internet review sites and magazines are full of blatant lies, and I know that the very biggest companies are the worst offenders and I know that some companies don’t do it at all, and their products sell, simply because they really are the best.

Some companies still have integrity.

Tony

I confess to a degree of corruption myself. During the final year of my employment, I was actually working very hard.

You see the company had changed, and I didn’t want to work for them any more. I nearly just walked out twice, I was so angry and frustrated about the way things had changed.

My management did their best to humiliate me , because I was so critical of their ridiculous decisions. They made a young colleague of mine redundant, because he criticised their idiotic decisions even stronger than I did. And he was technically completely Brilliant, far better than me – yet with a very similar skill set. I volunteered that they make me redundant instead of him – he wanted to stay and change the system – I had just had enough of having complete fucking idiots telling what to do and not do.

So they broke UK law by refusing to make me redundant instead of him.

And I thought YOU CUNTS.

So the management did everything to be absolutely horrible to me – hoping that I would just FUCK OFF without compensation.

So I had no respect for my management – just complete contempt. But I had enormous respect for the people within the company and outside who were dependent on my work.

So I continued doing my job to the best of my ability, but refused to get my hair cut

After 3 years I looked like Gandalf, but I thought this is not going to work

So realising that the hire and fire decisions were made by complete fucking bullshitting idiots, who judged the staff on the amount of work they were perceived to do, which included evaluating expense claims cos my job did indeed involve some travel, I decided to do something rather strange.

I continued doing all the travelling I needed to do to do my job, but I didn’t claim any expenses whatsoever. I paid all the company expenses out of my own pocket.

So when the next wave of redundancies came up, they got the impression that I was doing absolutely nothing, because according to the information they had re my expenses – I hadn’t travelled anywhere or done anything.

So when I got invited into the room to be given the decision, that they unfortunately had to lose me…I tried not to smile..

And went straight to the barbers and Chris said – Where the hell have you been?

Tony

This is confession time. The corruption was even worse than that. My immediate boss was desperate that I did not leave, because if I did – he would have to do my job (I did train him as best as I could – he used to work for me)

But I managed to get his boss, not him to do my annual review…

Now this guy new the score – he understood – how bent the Senior Management were and how they had broken the law by not making me redundant instead of the much younger guy…

So he did a fair annual review of me…

And it was totally complimentary – he had recognised how hard I was still working…

He said to me – if that goes up to Senior Management – you will stand absolutely no chance of being made redundant…

He then produced his other version of my annual report – which highlighted everything wrong I had done, and most importantly downgraded my overall score from something like an A+ to a D-

He said like in the Matrix

Do you want to sign the Red Version or The Blue Version?

I said Thanks Mate

Tony

Rob – I may name names at some stage but not right now. I am still trying to negotiate with the new company to accept the debt owed in its previous incarnation. Wish me luck.

But even if I did reveal his identity, I could guarantee that the senior Tory involved would spout some bull about “the overriding imperative to safeguard British jobs”, or about the tragedy of “being a victim of this economic crisis caused by the Labour government” etc etc.

If I can think up excuses this easily then you know that these professional liars can do even better. None of it would change the facts: that a company has dodged all of its responsibilities and the principals involved have walked away scot-free.

Ingo – I’ve emailed you about the only ones i remember seeing still up when i was leaving Norwich.

An open letter sent to the Lord Chancellor on July 1st (widely copied)

An Open Letter to Britain’s Establishment

The Norman-English Empire [sic] has enjoyed a better reputation than it has deserved, but it should be credited, at least from the time of Edward VII, with having a sensible regard for public opinion.

Crown immunity has long been used to secure and preserve that reputation by keeping inconvenient facts from the public. Because so much corruption has accumulated at all levels, the government cannot afford to be honest.

The first charter of his dynasty was granted by William the Conquerer in 1067 to the Corporation of the City of London, making it self-regulating. The current royals, his direct descendants, have had little choice but to continue to placate associations of powerful self-serving men.

Sir Kenneth Cork (deceased), a City insolvency practitioner and government ‘fixer’, was the driving force behind the creation of ‘instant’ livery companies in his term as Lord Mayor (1978-79). His autobiography makes it clear that the intention was not just to increase the influence of the City, but to make that influence impossible to resist.

William the Conquerer and King John had to defer to the combined might of City men and their own barons by granting them charters setting out privileges which were not granted to ordinary people.

Royal charters are anti-democratic. They almost always concentrate power at the top. Most of them (if my survey is at all representative) place the powerful above the law, even specifically excusing fraud (‘non-recital’ and ‘mis-recital’).

The government has never been a democracy, but as a weak monarchy it can plead duress and belief in a greater good.

The plea of duress carries substantial weight. Readers of the attached documents will see that men acting in association have semi-covertly dictated government policy for their own financial gain and, in all too many cases, to the detriment of the common good.

If the government’s belief that it was serving a greater good (stability) by allowing self-described ‘wealth creators’ to drive public policy might have been defensible in the past, this is no longer the case. A government which has enabled privileged people to ride roughshod over others will struggle to be respected.

Walter Bagehot’s ‘middle and lower orders’ are angry. We are angry that bankers were bailed out while small businesses have been allowed to fail and people have lost their homes through no fault of their own.

We are angry that MPs not only gave themselves allowances to cover both luxuries and necessities, but even then cheated the system.

We are angry that we have no economic security, long and often unsocial hours of work, an environment under constant threat and countless petty restrictions on our everyday activities.

The British people will now come to understand how their basic rights have been disregarded, not just through Crown immunity, but through royal charters which have been exploited by specific professions and commercial interests. At public expense. At great cost to the environment. Adding to the sum total of human misery.

The perceived greater good–based upon the greatest gain for and the least damage to the established order–is inferior to the common good which benefits everyone.

The revelations in the attachment are no threat to the monarchy. To the contrary, they can liberate it from its powerful supporters, allowing a new social contract.

What Can Be Done Now?

1. Our common goal should be increased security for everyone regardless of status. This can be done by forgiveness of debt and the secure possession of a primary residence.

2. People in positions of power should conduct themselves from this time forward to qualify for mitigtion in any amnesty or other resolution.

3. Amnesty can be based upon the admission of wrongdoing and appropriate expressions of remorse.

4. Restitution of or compensation for property which was obtained by fraud or other unconscionable manipulation can be decided by lay allocation boards.

5. Common law should be established as superior to statutory law and issues of ‘right and wrong’ settled by juries charged with giving reasoned decisions.

6. Never again should corporations be allowed to profit from activities which are detrimental to human life and the environment.

7. A progressive land tax would, over time, reduce inequality and increase everyone’s well-being without causing major disruption.

Our common fears have been based upon (1) the assumption of scarcity and (2) the knowledge of our personal vulnerability. The former can be shown to be false. The latter may best be dealt with by understanding that, despite every wrong and disaster we see in the foreground, the human race has become ever more concerned, more principled and more determined to address what is wrong.

Terrible damage has been done. There is now a fortunate opportunity and a moral obligation to mend and heal.

Suzon Forscey-Moore, BA, LLM

Cambridge

1 July 2009

N.B. This open letter and the documents in ‘The Corporation 1067-Present’ are being distributed in the public interest to academics, office holders, journalists, campaigners and (separately) other individuals in the UK and elsewhere. Along with the full research, it has also been circulated in hard copy and on CD-Rom.

http://bankruptcyandinsolvency.blogspot.com/2009/05/cork-insolvency-dynasty-story-of-four.html

Four generations of Corks all well embedded in the City and financial establishment. Knights of the Realm etc.

Cork Gully>Moore Stephens>Coopers & Lybrand>Price Waterhouse Coopers

Latter’s revenue niw £28.2 billion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PricewaterhouseCoopers

Craig, I know this is offtopic, but did you know that there was a shortage of volunteer vote counters for the by-election?

http://bloodandtreasure.typepad.com/blood_treasure/2009/07/abstainers-from-the-process.html

If the Conservative party is paying the lady’s salary then her secondment cannot be considered a political donation. I think you ought to clear this up, Craig, as you will appear most unfair otherwise.

In my view Craig is doing a public service for highlighting the close ties between the Conservative party and large financial organisations, because it reeks of corruption of the democratic process.

It makes the UK Political system look nearly as corrupt as the US Blatant system of Lobbying where multi-millions of US Dollars change hands between large corporations and the people who have been elected. It is buying crucial decisions for large corporate profit and not in the interests of the vast majority of the people.

This point is quite fundamental to the principles of democracy and a healthy honest society.

Where I disagree with Craig Murray, was in digging up the personal history of Chloe Smith, and jumping to conclusions about the person he assumed she is.

I think its highly probable that he knows absolutely nothing about her and what her thoughts and motivations are.

He is trying to give the impression that she is just a young female puppet of the Establishment, yet for all he knows, she might have even stronger views with regards to human rights abuses, justice and honesty, than he does.

She may realise that the only way to really change the system is from within.

I hate prejudice in all its forms.

Tony

Chloe Smith failed to be upfront about her employment. This conjures up all sorts of negative ideas; the worst of which is that she may in fact work for the intelligence services.

Chloe Smith failed to be upfront about her employment. This conjures up all sorts of negative ideas; the worst of which is that she may in fact work for the intelligence services.

Ruth,

The original fundamental idea of the Intelligence Services was not necessarily a bad one. Gaining intelligence is a fairly sensible thing to do. Blowing things up and torturing people definitely is not.

Anyway here is an Article in today’s Independent some of which is bollocks

Tony

Britain’s torture role must be investigated, say MPs

Joint Commons and Lords committee expected to issue damning report on MI5′s part in the rendition of terror suspects

By Jane Merrick, Political Editor

Sunday, 2 August 2009

Binyam Mohamed says he was tortured in Morocco after his arrest

An MI5 officer was in Morocco when Binyam Mohamed claims he was being tortured

Allegations of Britain’s involvement in the torture of terror suspects must be subject to an independent inquiry, a parliamentary committee is expected to demand this week.

MPs and peers on the cross-party Joint Committee on Human Rights will step up pressure on the Government over the role of MI5 in extraordinary rendition. It follows fresh allegations heard at the High Court last week, including claims that an MI5 officer known as Witness B made three visits to Morocco at the time that former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed claims he was tortured in the country.

The human rights committee is expected to issue a damning report on the Government’s role, saying that only an independent probe will be able to establish whether Britain was complicit. Ministers have denied that Britain has played any role in torture, but have shifted their position on extraordinary rendition since the first revelations of the practice by the US emerged in 2005.

Related articles

* Phil Shiner: ‘We torture people, yet no one admits it’

* Sean Langan: Held hostage and waiting for rescue

Labour MP Andrew Dismore, the committee chairman, refused to confirm that the report would call for an independent inquiry when asked on BBC2′s Newsnight on Friday. But it is understood the report will be critical of the piecemeal confirmation of details of extraordinary rendition, as well as the way ministers have handled the affair.

After talks in America with the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, last week, David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said London and Washington have a “uniquely close intelligence-sharing relationship based on deep trust and a fundamental principle is that we do not disclose each other’s intelligence publicly”.

There were more difficult revelations for MI5 last night with claims that the security service mistakenly recruited up to six al-Qa’ida sympathisers in the wake of the 7 July 2005 bombings in London.

Patrick Mercer, the Commons counter-terrorism committee chairman, said two would-be officers had attended training camps in Pakistan where it was likely they came into contact with al-Qa’ida, while another three or four had gaps of up to three months in their life histories, which led to them being thrown out.

Mr Mercer said: “I believe that two candidates got some way into training, though I don’t think very far, before they were hoofed out because there was a black hole in their CVs. It probably involved terrorist training in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Three to four others were picked up during the vetting process along the same lines.”

Mr Mercer said it was “hardly surprising” that terrorist groups tried to infiltrate MI5, just as the IRA had in the 1970s and 1980s, and vice versa.

It was unlikely the two candidates that had been taken on had ever got inside Thames House, the headquarters of MI5, he said, but he called on the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, to hold an investigation into the incidents.

The Tory MP added: “It is a relief that it would seem that there was a small number that got into training.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “MI5 takes vetting seriously indeed. All candidates are required to undergo the most comprehensive process of security vetting in the UK. Applicants go through extensive vetting and it is not unusual for a number to drop out or fail at the earliest stages for a variety of reasons.”

Incidentally I think David Shayler’s apparent nervous breakdown is kind of genuine.

Whilst extremely “convienient”, I don’t think he had been “got at”. I nearly met him a couple of years ago, but he didn’t turn up – though his girlfriend did. Whilst I didn’t meet her because I wasn’t that interested – I was there for the music, not the 9/11 stall – but was sufficiently intrigued to speak to the guy who was there between bands.

He seemed convinced that he had genuinely lost it…

I think it is a natural reaction to escape both the emotional pressure, but also the physical threat. He knew the score – and by appearing a nutter in the David Icke shape-shifting messiah alien god thing – he realises that he will be perceived by most people as a complete nutter and not worth being David Kelly’d.

It will make him feel safe – which is exceedingly important for any person’s sanity.

Tony

Not sure where you got the idea that The Sharpener is an accountant’s blog, Craig.

As for the sociopathy of accountancy practices please see Prem Sikka’s entire body of work:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/premsikka

Particularly this:

http://visar.csustan.edu/aaba/TamingtheCorporations.pdf

Dorries Dale has been busy over the weekend. I haven’t seen a lot of TV but he was on Sky last night reviewing the Sunday papers. He was introduced as the publisher of Total Politics Magazine?

Then just now on BBC 24 being asked for his opinion on Harperson’s comment that there should be a woman in the No 1 or No 2 place. He said much the same as he did last night on Sky and not worth reporting. I suppose he picks up token fees for these ‘appearances’.

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/92529-iain-dale-bites-back-with-new-publishing-venture.html

Craig,

Off topic but would love to hear your thoughts on British Law Graduates in Brazil Fraud story. I’m so sick of the way the media report these stories with the soft focus terribly concerned mother railing at the injustice of it all.

A.L

personally I think manic depression is a completely normal human state, in that you are so close to the real existence of human beings that you can literally feel the terror of others.

you see i think we are even more intelligent than whales – yet they are so much better than us

of course life on this planet is not all hell

but you have got to know what it is

the real low

i think my wife has only survived it, because she cries a lot, and we all hug and cuddle her when she is her normal manic completely extrovert lovely loving person

when she is down which hardly ever occurs now – maybe once a year which usually lasts about 3 days – and she manages to schedule her down bits for when the weather is really crap and we aren’t doing anything much…

Well, she’s walking through the clouds

With a circus mind that’s running ’round

Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams and fairy tales

That’s all she ever thinks about

Riding with the wind

When I’m sad, she comes to me

With a thousand smiles she gives to me free

It’s alright, she says, it’s alright

Take anything you want from me – anything

Anything

Fly on little wing

Yeah yeah, yeah – little wing

Tony

‘Insanity’ is the only rational response of a caring person in this world.

People like Craig, make it much more bareable and give a glimmer of hope.

I want to see the Video Footage Again

When Tony Blair won the election and a he Outstreched his hand like he Was God – to This Girl

And She SAID LIVE ON TV

I Will Not Shake Your Hand – It Has Got BLOOD On IT

I thought what COURAGE

How Come She Did That?

Tony

Interesting graph here:

http://www.fourmilab.ch/fourmilog/archives/2008-10/001060.html

Just click onto the pictures they will enlarge…

http://tinyurl.com/nx879u

Extract JPCHR Report References on report

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200809/jtselect/jtrights/152/152.pdf

Mr Craig Murray

13. Mr Craig Murray was the UK ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004. His

memorandum and subsequent oral evidence alleged that:

The post above was mine from which I omitted my name by mistake. I omitted the footnotes and references which are on the pdf (140 pages long!)

I should imagine that Craig is seething at the content at the end of Para. 16. We ALL remember the fight he made to be heard. How dare they.

Hey, Craig, I just heard your name mentioned on Today on Radio 4 during a story about the JHRC and the refusal of relevant ministers to sit and give evidence before it.

Of course, there was some weasel from the FCO given more than equal time to natter on about how Britain needed to associate with murderers, rapists, torturers, and all-around Bad Guys in order to keep the British public safe from the blowback from the War on Terror which her adopted masters, the Americans, started.

But, hey, it’s a start!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8182000/8182865.stm

The link to the interview with Andrew Dismore and Ivan Lewis, in which Mr Dismore held the moral highground and in which Ivan Lewis failed to answer the question ‘Is the Government complicit in torture?’.