All party lobbyists

On Toast

As much as I love  my select committee PASC we are sadly neglecting a vital isssue on lobbying. One sinister aspect of the persuaders is through hidden illegitimate pressure applied through bodies known as All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG’s).

There are hundreds of them. Their function is to draw attention to causes and to put pressure on Government for reform. Some are mis-used by lobbyists and other commercial organisations.

The range of subjects covered is amazing. One backbench MP lists his main APPGS as covering the following bewildering litany of subjects, ‘  Aids Bullying and workplace violence, Cancer, Climate change,  Coeliac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis, Cuba, Design and Innovation, Earth Sciences Health, Heart Disease, Historic Churches, Infertility, Integrated and Complementary Healthcare, Malaria, Medical Research, Mental Health, Mobile Communications, Motor Neurone Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Patient Safety, Pesticides and Organophoshates, Public Data, Racing and Bloodstock Industries, Rowing, Science, Smoking and Health, Thalidomide and Town Centre Management.

He has omitted one from which he resigned in December. It was TOAST, an obesity charity that took tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money in government grants and gained access to key politicians but was actually a front for a highly profitable diet company. (pictures are of a TOAST parliamentary event)

The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust (Toast) boasted about causing an influential parliamentary inquiry into obesity while failing to declare its financial links to the weight-loss industry. Toast also used a Westminster lobbying firm to "acquire" a large group of "parliamentary patrons". The Labour MP for Lewisham West, Jim Dowd, goes further, saying he never agreed to be a patron of Toast, who named him as such on publicity material.

There was an inquiry into APPGS in 2006 which claimed to have created new transparency. It did not work with Toast where a drugs company used it to push anti-obesity drugs of questionable utility.
In the present press hysterical atmosphere of MP sleaze, it’s impossible to have a balanced sensible debate on  APPGs in the same way that it’s impossible to have one on MPs expenses. Many of the APPGs do very valuable work.

Best to let the Select Committee seek reforms with a balanced report.

No Whites

An appalling chunk of tabloid journalism stained the Observer today.

It misled and infuriated one constituent of mine who fired off an angry e-mail to me. The headline read 'Sorry, white men need not apply...'

The impression of an outrage of negative discrimination against white men is fixed in the reader's mind before the text is read. The report makes clear that ''The positive discrimination plan would apply only in cases where equally qualified candidates were applying or the same post.' No-one quoted in the story thought the proposed changes will make any significant difference. Reforms are needed in the far more important area of equal pay where injustices are still rampant.

But how many readers get further than the headlines. This is the crap we expect from the Daily Mail. But the Observer/ Tut. Tut.

Comments

[Jolly Roger]

Paul says....

In the present press hysterical atmosphere of MP sleaze, it’s impossible to have a balanced sensible debate on APPGs in the same way that it’s impossible to have one on MPs expenses.

Roger says....

The press hysterical atmosphere,
Will be around for much of the year.
When would you suggest the debate takes place?
We'd love to see if there's any disgrace
That can be brought to the fish tank buyers
And any more who are found to be liars.
There's clearly more than enough Labour sleaze
That needs to be exposed, please, pretty please.

I've no doubt Paul, that you'll add to the stories,
With mention of certain questionable Tories.
It seems that a cross-party consensus exists
To exploit the 'rules' with all their twists.
I accept that you have been receipted,
But there are many Members who have not repeated,
This exercise of open wide scrutiny
The thought, for many, would result in mutiny.

I met my MP, this week as I travelled
And showed the John Lewis List, gently unravelled.
"I haven't seen this before", I was told.
"Where's this from, If I may be so bold?"
"It's from the BBC website", I quietly replied,
"It's certainly opened the public's eyes wide".
The expenses that MPs gain is my loss.
Did you know? I even have to clear my own moss.

JR.

[paulflynn]

Thanks Jolly Roger, as always.

Your MP has the same reaction of all MPs that I know. None of them have ever heard of the John Lewis list. I have been there for 20 years and I am amazed at the items on the list. I know no-one with a fish tank or a plasma TV. Nor anyone who cliams for dry cleaning or an air conditioner!

The bigest story is the revolvg door for former ministers and civl servants.