Sunday, January 20, 2008
Peter's Friends
Writing in this morning's Wales on Sunday, Matt Withers provides a cut-out-and-keep guide to the men who made Peter Hain's Deputy Leadership bid possible. They are:
Neville Allport, the chief executive of finance company Picture Financial Services, which received a glowing endorsement from Mr. Hain in August 2005 for creating 200 jobs. This endorsement is now on their website and appears to be an integral part of their marketing strategy. The company offers to lend people up to 125 per cent of the value of their home (less their outstanding mortgage), something that many other lenders will not consider because of the risk involved. Matt draws attention to a press release put out by Mr. Hain's Work and Pensions Department on 9th January warning that "more than half of people in the UK (55 per cent) spend more than they can afford and are struggling."
Bill Bottriell, is Britain's 798th richest man with an estimated value of £85m. He founded the IT recruitment company, SThree. Matt tells us that Mr. Bottriell still owns nearly 10 per cent of the company, which pays six-figure bonuses to senior staff. Mr. Hain made headlines last year by describing such bonuses as "grotesque" and suggesting that they fuel envy and crime. He received £5,000 from Mr. Bottriell.
Mike Cuddy, is the managing director of the Cuddy Group, a firm Mr. Hain paid tribute to last year after he presented it with a minor health and safety award. Matt tells us that Mr. Cuddy, who spent much of last year locked in a lengthy and costly legal battle with Neath RFC Chairman, Geraint hawkes, gave Mr. Hain a £10,000 donation.
Patrick Head gave £2,000 to the Hain campaign. He was co-founder of the Williams Formula One team and remained technical director for over 25 years.
Isaac Kaye gave £14,600 to Mr. Hain. He is the former Chairman of Norton Healthcare, which was investigated by police looking into an alleged £400m price-rigging of pharmaceuticals sold to the NHS. Two years ago the company made an out-of-court settlement of £13.5m to the NHS after being implicated in a cartel with six other firms. He converted to Blairism after supporting South Africa's Afrikaner-led National Party, a history that appears at odds with Mr. Hain's own anti-apartheid past. Matt tells us that Mr. Kaye was caught up in a 'gifts for influence' scandal in South Africa during the early 1980s, amid claims that doctors were being rewarded with everything from cars and TVs to swimming pool equipment and chandeliers for prescribing drugs made by his firm. He denied any wrong-doing saying that the presents were not an inducement but an appreciation.
Steve Morgan is a Welsh lobbyist who gave £5,000 of his own money to Mr. Hain via the Progressive Policies Forum think-tank. He was brought in by Mr. Hain to run his campaign.
Willie Nagel is a former Conservative supporter who had made large donations in John Major's constituency. Matt tells us that it later emerged that he had tried to interest the Prime Minister in an unmanned aircraft developed by Israel despite the fact there was an embargo on Israeli equipment at the time. He was one of the benefactors of the Progressive Policies Forum, giving a £5,000 donation and a £35,000 interest-free loan.
Elsewhere in the paper Matt reports the praise that Mr. Hain received for his work in helping bring the Ryder Cup to Wales. He tells us about lobbyists, TM Communications who include amongst their clients Newport Networks, a company set up by billionaire Sir Terry Matthews, whose Celtic Manor Resort will be hosting the Ryder Cup. TM donated £1,500 to Mr. Hain's campaign for Labour's deputy leadership.
Despite all this there is very little new in the weekend press on the Peter Hain donations affair, suggesting that he can rest a little easier for now. Well, until the Commons' Standards' Commissioner reports anyway.
Neville Allport, the chief executive of finance company Picture Financial Services, which received a glowing endorsement from Mr. Hain in August 2005 for creating 200 jobs. This endorsement is now on their website and appears to be an integral part of their marketing strategy. The company offers to lend people up to 125 per cent of the value of their home (less their outstanding mortgage), something that many other lenders will not consider because of the risk involved. Matt draws attention to a press release put out by Mr. Hain's Work and Pensions Department on 9th January warning that "more than half of people in the UK (55 per cent) spend more than they can afford and are struggling."
Bill Bottriell, is Britain's 798th richest man with an estimated value of £85m. He founded the IT recruitment company, SThree. Matt tells us that Mr. Bottriell still owns nearly 10 per cent of the company, which pays six-figure bonuses to senior staff. Mr. Hain made headlines last year by describing such bonuses as "grotesque" and suggesting that they fuel envy and crime. He received £5,000 from Mr. Bottriell.
Mike Cuddy, is the managing director of the Cuddy Group, a firm Mr. Hain paid tribute to last year after he presented it with a minor health and safety award. Matt tells us that Mr. Cuddy, who spent much of last year locked in a lengthy and costly legal battle with Neath RFC Chairman, Geraint hawkes, gave Mr. Hain a £10,000 donation.
Patrick Head gave £2,000 to the Hain campaign. He was co-founder of the Williams Formula One team and remained technical director for over 25 years.
Isaac Kaye gave £14,600 to Mr. Hain. He is the former Chairman of Norton Healthcare, which was investigated by police looking into an alleged £400m price-rigging of pharmaceuticals sold to the NHS. Two years ago the company made an out-of-court settlement of £13.5m to the NHS after being implicated in a cartel with six other firms. He converted to Blairism after supporting South Africa's Afrikaner-led National Party, a history that appears at odds with Mr. Hain's own anti-apartheid past. Matt tells us that Mr. Kaye was caught up in a 'gifts for influence' scandal in South Africa during the early 1980s, amid claims that doctors were being rewarded with everything from cars and TVs to swimming pool equipment and chandeliers for prescribing drugs made by his firm. He denied any wrong-doing saying that the presents were not an inducement but an appreciation.
Steve Morgan is a Welsh lobbyist who gave £5,000 of his own money to Mr. Hain via the Progressive Policies Forum think-tank. He was brought in by Mr. Hain to run his campaign.
Willie Nagel is a former Conservative supporter who had made large donations in John Major's constituency. Matt tells us that it later emerged that he had tried to interest the Prime Minister in an unmanned aircraft developed by Israel despite the fact there was an embargo on Israeli equipment at the time. He was one of the benefactors of the Progressive Policies Forum, giving a £5,000 donation and a £35,000 interest-free loan.
Elsewhere in the paper Matt reports the praise that Mr. Hain received for his work in helping bring the Ryder Cup to Wales. He tells us about lobbyists, TM Communications who include amongst their clients Newport Networks, a company set up by billionaire Sir Terry Matthews, whose Celtic Manor Resort will be hosting the Ryder Cup. TM donated £1,500 to Mr. Hain's campaign for Labour's deputy leadership.
Despite all this there is very little new in the weekend press on the Peter Hain donations affair, suggesting that he can rest a little easier for now. Well, until the Commons' Standards' Commissioner reports anyway.
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I believe one can excuse the donations from Mike Cuddy and Patrick Head, who are people who share Mr Hain's sporting interests.
Acceptance of the other contributions does seem to have compromised the minister, to say the least.
A footnote on Isaac Kaye's Norton Pharmaceuticals: it changed its name to Ivax, and was later sold to the Israel-based multi-national, Keva.
Frank Little
Acceptance of the other contributions does seem to have compromised the minister, to say the least.
A footnote on Isaac Kaye's Norton Pharmaceuticals: it changed its name to Ivax, and was later sold to the Israel-based multi-national, Keva.
Frank Little
Peter, I smell a tad bit of hypocrisy here, in Glaswegian: "There's you supporting Obama!"
And there's you criticizing Hain, when Obama's name is actually linked to illegal political donations from a fixer - Rezko, who is now on trial for organizing, inter alia, illegal donations to Obama's campaign (where Obama is referred to as "the political candidate" - as reported in today's Chicago Sun-Times).
And there's you criticizing Hain, when Obama's name is actually linked to illegal political donations from a fixer - Rezko, who is now on trial for organizing, inter alia, illegal donations to Obama's campaign (where Obama is referred to as "the political candidate" - as reported in today's Chicago Sun-Times).
You seem to be under the misaprehension that I am supporting Obama. I am not. The only view I have given on the Presidential contest is that I want a Democrat to win.
Are you saying Peter that if Obama wins the nomination you will support him? Please answer that question. I honestly don't think you would support any politician of any party who has a friendly past with questionable characters, I really do believe you are a very honest and caring politician.
But I strongly urge folks to engage brain before jumping on a bandwagon about which folks have no real idea - just because the wolf looks like a sheep doesn't alter the fact that the wolf is a wolf. Illinois and Chicago politics are not terribly clean - it came as a great shock to me when I moved to Chicago and worked/studied law there. At first I couldn't accept it, but after four years of law school and working full time in law and becoming very familiar with the court system in Chicago and Illinois and after following several trials involving very well known Illinois/Chicago politicians and strategists/political fixers one has to tread carefully when discussing politics - who you support has implications if who you support turns out to be a crook.
For my part, I can't support a candidate of any political party who has done hard drugs, accepted donations from a connected fixer, bought land from the wife of a connected fixer to add to his luxurious Chicago house, and endorsed a banker with reputed ties to the outfit/mob. Chicago politics is often corrupt. Don’t get me wrong, in the words of Blue Eyes, “Chicago is My Kind of Town" - so much so in fact that I moved there and lived/worked there for some years where I learnt that despite the fantastic skyline and great many positive sights in/around Chicago, that this town has, at times, a very dark under-belly. But there have been some truly great politicians in Chicago - Harold Washington stands out. Harold Washington was around before I moved to Chicago, but I have read quite a bit about him, HW is one of my political heroes, everything I have heard about him speaks to his integrity, honesty and love for all Chicagoans. Chicago's, imho, best library and public building is named after him, the Harold Washington public library - on the next block west of my downtown law school. A great honest politician. When I lived close to Foster Beach on Chicago's north side, my Alderman often spoke fondly of him. His death was a great loss to Chicago, RIP HW.
I would caution anyone to think twice jumping on the band-wagon supporting Obama. Obama has got to come clean on Rezko - Chicagoans knew about the red flags, it is incomprehensible that Obama did not know - he either knew or should have known that there were a lot of red flags about Rezko. Obama was so friendly with Rezko that they lived next to each other and Obama bought a strip of land off Rezko's wife to add to his Chicago residence. At least partly because of Rezko’s political connections (with several Illinois politicians, not just Obama) Rezko got access to a lot of money from the public purse that was supposed to be spent on housing projects for the working poor, projects that did not pan out, loads of public money not properly accounted for, and was allegedly used to line Rezko and his buddies pockets.
Can the United States risk having a future President with unanswered questions about potential exposure to organized crime?
Frankly, I think there are very good candidates on both sides - but like I said, I can't support a candidate of any political party who has done hard drugs, accepted donations from a connected fixer ... bought a strip of land from the wife of a fixer, etc.
But I strongly urge folks to engage brain before jumping on a bandwagon about which folks have no real idea - just because the wolf looks like a sheep doesn't alter the fact that the wolf is a wolf. Illinois and Chicago politics are not terribly clean - it came as a great shock to me when I moved to Chicago and worked/studied law there. At first I couldn't accept it, but after four years of law school and working full time in law and becoming very familiar with the court system in Chicago and Illinois and after following several trials involving very well known Illinois/Chicago politicians and strategists/political fixers one has to tread carefully when discussing politics - who you support has implications if who you support turns out to be a crook.
For my part, I can't support a candidate of any political party who has done hard drugs, accepted donations from a connected fixer, bought land from the wife of a connected fixer to add to his luxurious Chicago house, and endorsed a banker with reputed ties to the outfit/mob. Chicago politics is often corrupt. Don’t get me wrong, in the words of Blue Eyes, “Chicago is My Kind of Town" - so much so in fact that I moved there and lived/worked there for some years where I learnt that despite the fantastic skyline and great many positive sights in/around Chicago, that this town has, at times, a very dark under-belly. But there have been some truly great politicians in Chicago - Harold Washington stands out. Harold Washington was around before I moved to Chicago, but I have read quite a bit about him, HW is one of my political heroes, everything I have heard about him speaks to his integrity, honesty and love for all Chicagoans. Chicago's, imho, best library and public building is named after him, the Harold Washington public library - on the next block west of my downtown law school. A great honest politician. When I lived close to Foster Beach on Chicago's north side, my Alderman often spoke fondly of him. His death was a great loss to Chicago, RIP HW.
I would caution anyone to think twice jumping on the band-wagon supporting Obama. Obama has got to come clean on Rezko - Chicagoans knew about the red flags, it is incomprehensible that Obama did not know - he either knew or should have known that there were a lot of red flags about Rezko. Obama was so friendly with Rezko that they lived next to each other and Obama bought a strip of land off Rezko's wife to add to his Chicago residence. At least partly because of Rezko’s political connections (with several Illinois politicians, not just Obama) Rezko got access to a lot of money from the public purse that was supposed to be spent on housing projects for the working poor, projects that did not pan out, loads of public money not properly accounted for, and was allegedly used to line Rezko and his buddies pockets.
Can the United States risk having a future President with unanswered questions about potential exposure to organized crime?
Frankly, I think there are very good candidates on both sides - but like I said, I can't support a candidate of any political party who has done hard drugs, accepted donations from a connected fixer ... bought a strip of land from the wife of a fixer, etc.
This is the most worrying thing for me.
"Isaac Kaye gave £14,600 to Mr. Hain. He is the former Chairman of Norton Healthcare, which was investigated by police looking into an alleged £400m price-rigging of pharmaceuticals sold to the NHS. Two years ago the company made an out-of-court settlement of £13.5m to the NHS after being implicated in a cartel with six other firms. He converted to Blairism after supporting South Africa's Afrikaner-led National Party, a history that appears at odds with Mr. Hain's own anti-apartheid past. Matt tells us that Mr. Kaye was caught up in a 'gifts for influence' scandal in South Africa during the early 1980s, amid claims that doctors were being rewarded with everything from cars and TVs to swimming pool equipment and chandeliers for prescribing drugs made by his firm. He denied any wrong-doing saying that the presents were not an inducement but an appreciation."
Given Peter Hain's previous political stances it seems almost like he has turned his back on what he stood for in order to pay off a few bills.
It is also shocking that Steve Morgan is one of those listed as an undeclared doantion. How do you forget that you gave £5,000! He was in charge of this and yet "forgot" that he contributed!
Also on a side note you say you are not supporting Obama, but I'm sure I read in the Western Mail that you are indeed supporting Obama/Clinton?
"Isaac Kaye gave £14,600 to Mr. Hain. He is the former Chairman of Norton Healthcare, which was investigated by police looking into an alleged £400m price-rigging of pharmaceuticals sold to the NHS. Two years ago the company made an out-of-court settlement of £13.5m to the NHS after being implicated in a cartel with six other firms. He converted to Blairism after supporting South Africa's Afrikaner-led National Party, a history that appears at odds with Mr. Hain's own anti-apartheid past. Matt tells us that Mr. Kaye was caught up in a 'gifts for influence' scandal in South Africa during the early 1980s, amid claims that doctors were being rewarded with everything from cars and TVs to swimming pool equipment and chandeliers for prescribing drugs made by his firm. He denied any wrong-doing saying that the presents were not an inducement but an appreciation."
Given Peter Hain's previous political stances it seems almost like he has turned his back on what he stood for in order to pay off a few bills.
It is also shocking that Steve Morgan is one of those listed as an undeclared doantion. How do you forget that you gave £5,000! He was in charge of this and yet "forgot" that he contributed!
Also on a side note you say you are not supporting Obama, but I'm sure I read in the Western Mail that you are indeed supporting Obama/Clinton?
Now you see that is your problem, you believe what you read in the Western Mail :-)
To be precise I was asked who I would support and I told them Obama or Clinton, I don't mind as long as a Democrat wins. Christopher Wood has highlighted some issues that makes one pause on Obama but the whole exercise is academic as I do not have a vote. I only mentioned Clinton and Obama in the first place because it seemed to me that one of them will be the candidate.
To be precise I was asked who I would support and I told them Obama or Clinton, I don't mind as long as a Democrat wins. Christopher Wood has highlighted some issues that makes one pause on Obama but the whole exercise is academic as I do not have a vote. I only mentioned Clinton and Obama in the first place because it seemed to me that one of them will be the candidate.
I don’t want anyone to think I have it in for Chicago – I don’t. I literally love Chicago and miss it terribly along with my mother who spent six-month stints there on an extended visa. Honestly, Chicago is a better place to visit and enjoy than Orlando. Chicago’s skyline is just amazing – its lakefront (really a coastline) is FANTASTIC; imho the best views of the Chicago skyline are to be had from Chicago’s Adler Planetarium from which you get a perfect landscape vista of Chicago, many just-married couples go there to take wedding pictures with Chicago's fantastic skyline and bay in the background.
You can cycle or roller blade along the lakefront, the beaches are great – one beach is set up for volley ball. North Avenue beach has facilities that look like a steam boat. The annual air show over North Avenue is just awesome. The John Hancock Tower, imho, offers the best views of the Lakefront including the S-bend of Lake Shore Drive. Sears Tower is the tallest building in the USA and offers great views, but it is set further back and so views of Lake Shore Drive are blocked by other tall buildings. I moved downtown to live in Presidential Towers, about two or three blocks west of Sears Tower, my second apartment at PT was a corner apartment on the 42nd floor facing Sears but I still had to crank my neck to see the top of Sears Tower. The best years of my life were spent in Chicago. Princess Diana also loved Chicago, the Princess often visited and stayed at the Drake Hotel at the north end of the “magnificent mile”.
Chicago is a true wonderland.
I regard myself as a Welshman and a Chicagoan; I still fly back to Chicago to visit, see friends and do CLE (continued legal education, a requirement for Chicago/Illinois lawyers under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 794).
You can cycle or roller blade along the lakefront, the beaches are great – one beach is set up for volley ball. North Avenue beach has facilities that look like a steam boat. The annual air show over North Avenue is just awesome. The John Hancock Tower, imho, offers the best views of the Lakefront including the S-bend of Lake Shore Drive. Sears Tower is the tallest building in the USA and offers great views, but it is set further back and so views of Lake Shore Drive are blocked by other tall buildings. I moved downtown to live in Presidential Towers, about two or three blocks west of Sears Tower, my second apartment at PT was a corner apartment on the 42nd floor facing Sears but I still had to crank my neck to see the top of Sears Tower. The best years of my life were spent in Chicago. Princess Diana also loved Chicago, the Princess often visited and stayed at the Drake Hotel at the north end of the “magnificent mile”.
Chicago is a true wonderland.
I regard myself as a Welshman and a Chicagoan; I still fly back to Chicago to visit, see friends and do CLE (continued legal education, a requirement for Chicago/Illinois lawyers under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 794).
Just a footnote, as I predicted the Hillary Clinton team/camp are going after Obama on the Rezko issue, “The exchanges included a claim by Clinton that her opponent had worked for a slum landlord (i.e., Rezko) in Chicago” – see today’s Guardian, “Jibes and boos at Democrats' bad-tempered debate”, URL:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2244829,00.html
The Rezko related issues, plus other more personal issues as I outlined some days ago, are going to be manipulated by the Clintons in a Rottweiler drip-drip series of verbal assaults and rumour mongering to stop Obama setting the debate. It’s going to get very dirty when in fact the Clintons really should not go for the jugular, but the Clinton’s are mesmerized with regaining control over what I call the White House Power-Pack.
To understand Hillary Clinton’s team just takes an appreciation for just how hungry Hillary and Bill are to get back into the White House. It’s all about POWER. Consequently, Hillary and Bill are like a pair of Rottweilers who want to dig away the soil under Obama’s feet. The problem for the Clinton camp is that they must pull their punches because if the Clinton’s don’t pull their punches they may win the battle against Obama but loose the war – black voters may not come out and vote for Hillary come Presidential election day if they see Obama “done down” thereby risking the Clinton’s play for the White House Power-Pack.
For background, read the Chicago Sun-Times, e.g., the Jan 20, 2008 article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/749138,obama20web.article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2244829,00.html
The Rezko related issues, plus other more personal issues as I outlined some days ago, are going to be manipulated by the Clintons in a Rottweiler drip-drip series of verbal assaults and rumour mongering to stop Obama setting the debate. It’s going to get very dirty when in fact the Clintons really should not go for the jugular, but the Clinton’s are mesmerized with regaining control over what I call the White House Power-Pack.
To understand Hillary Clinton’s team just takes an appreciation for just how hungry Hillary and Bill are to get back into the White House. It’s all about POWER. Consequently, Hillary and Bill are like a pair of Rottweilers who want to dig away the soil under Obama’s feet. The problem for the Clinton camp is that they must pull their punches because if the Clinton’s don’t pull their punches they may win the battle against Obama but loose the war – black voters may not come out and vote for Hillary come Presidential election day if they see Obama “done down” thereby risking the Clinton’s play for the White House Power-Pack.
For background, read the Chicago Sun-Times, e.g., the Jan 20, 2008 article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/749138,obama20web.article
What “anonymous” regarded as an old story is proving to be anything but … Peter Black’s website is ahead of the game … in today’s (Jan 23-2008) Earth Times:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/177521,report-obama-had-ties-to-slumlord.html
Extracts:
“The Los Angeles Times said that its examination of records found that Rezko, known as Tony, provided campaign donations at critical moments in Obama's rise from community activist and lawyer to state (Illinois) legislator, U.S. senator from Illinois and presidential candidate. Rezko is under a federal indictment on charges of extortion and conspiracy.”
Rezko and his wife also helped Obama buy a historic $1.6 million Chicago house for $300,000 below the asking price.
One Chicago political activist says that Obama should have known better.
"Everybody in this town (Chicago) knew that Tony Rezko was headed for trouble," Jay Stewart of the Better Government Association, told the Times. "When he got indicted, there wasn't a single insider who was surprised."
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http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/177521,report-obama-had-ties-to-slumlord.html
Extracts:
“The Los Angeles Times said that its examination of records found that Rezko, known as Tony, provided campaign donations at critical moments in Obama's rise from community activist and lawyer to state (Illinois) legislator, U.S. senator from Illinois and presidential candidate. Rezko is under a federal indictment on charges of extortion and conspiracy.”
Rezko and his wife also helped Obama buy a historic $1.6 million Chicago house for $300,000 below the asking price.
One Chicago political activist says that Obama should have known better.
"Everybody in this town (Chicago) knew that Tony Rezko was headed for trouble," Jay Stewart of the Better Government Association, told the Times. "When he got indicted, there wasn't a single insider who was surprised."
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