Monday 5 June 2017

Tory "magic money tree"

Simon Kelner`s excellent appraisal of the election even acknowledged that some of the recent "puerile discourse" is partly the responsibility of the media (Most soul-destroying election of my life, 02/06/17). He mentioned the Tories` latest soundbite "to discredit Labour spending plans", which is frequently mentioned in the media, the "magic money tree", but then failed to add any information about another "money tree", the one funding the Tories` election campaign.
Since the election`s announcement, £9.5m has been donated to the Tories, compared to Labour`s £3.4m, and rumour has it that much of this Tory money is from people linked with tax avoidance. Some of the donors have been fined by HMRC for using tax avoidance schemes, whilst others are under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, or have companies registered in tax havens. This is clearly another of the subjects which the media has "left hanging in the air".
I don`t care if my prime minister can`t remember every single figure in the manifesto, but I most certainly do object to a PM who talks about making Britain a "country that works for everyone", but relies on donations which should be funding our schools and NHS! 

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