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Glenn Copus / EPA, File
Video aired over the weekend shows Conservative Party fundraiser Peter Cruddas, pictured above in 2005, telling undercover reporters: "200 grand ($317,000), 250 is premier league ... it'll be awesome for your business."
LONDON -- The government of British Prime Minister David Cameron was reeling on Monday after a video emerged showing his Conservative Party's top fundraiser claiming to offer access to senior politicians in exchange for large donations.
In a sting operation, The Sunday Times (the newspaper operates behind a paywall) secretly videotaped fundraiser Peter Cruddas discussing donations. The film showed him telling undercover reporters: "200 grand ($317,000), 250 is premier league ... it'll be awesome for your business."
If donors met Cameron, Cruddas claimed in the recording, "within that room, everything is confidential and you will be able to ask him practically any question that you want."
'We will listen to you'
He suggested they could even influence party policy, saying: "If you are unhappy about something, we will listen to you and we will put it into the policy committee at (the prime minister's official residence)."
In an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain expressed the need to continue placing 'massive pressure' on Iran without resorting to military action.
Cameron responded by saying Cruddas' actions had been "completely unacceptable." Cruddas, a millionaire, resigned within hours of the report.
Obama, Cameron stand in united front
Cruddas made the remarks to two journalists he thought were international financiers and who were accompanied by a lobbyist.
Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and President Barack Obama have a personal bond that helps define their working relationship. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
"Because we depend on donors so much we have to be careful" to show "you cannot buy access," he said according to The Sunday Times. But, he told the undercover reporters, if you donate "you could well be at a private house having a private dinner with George Osborne, David Cameron, William Hague, the chairman around the table."
Osborne, the cabinet minister in charge of economic and financial matters, and Foreign Minister William Hague are both members of Cameron's center-right Conservative Party, which leads the governing coalition alongside the Liberal Democrats.
Embarrassing
The funding issue is embarrassing for Cameron, who promised before coming to power in May 2010 to curb corporate lobbying, saying it was the "next big scandal waiting to happen."
Following the report, Cameron admitted he had used his official home at 10 Downing Street to host dinners for Conservative donors.
Before David Cameron embarked on his trip to the United States, Brian Williams sat down with Britain's youngest prime minister in two centuries. Cameron talked about his relationship with President Obama, the war in Afghanistan and even Meryl Streep's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in Iron Lady. Rock Center Anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams reports.
The scandal threatened to undo Cameron's efforts to shake off his party's image of being too close to the interests of business and the rich as Britain undergoes an austerity program to cut its budget deficit.
"This is not the way that we raise money in the Conservative party, it should not have happened," said Cameron. "I will make sure that there is a proper party inquiry to make sure this can't happen again."
While there were also tax cuts for lower earners, the government's recent budget went down badly with many Britons, giving the impression the government was looking after the wealthy and cared little for those suffering rising unemployment and falling incomes as the economy struggles to recover from recession.
Despite mounting pressure after the recent civilian killings in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain reaffirmed their plans to slowly dial back their military presence. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
Previous attempts to reform the political funding system have foundered on the Conservatives' reluctance to cap donations from wealthy individuals and the opposition Labour Party's desire to avoid limits on contributions from unions.
Msnbc.com's F. Brinley Bruton and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
About time, that they started with public funding of the parties and banned or limited privat money. From Lloyd - George and forward, the hun for private money backing has lead to nothing but troubble.
No one in the US needs to be worried about getting caught saying something like that in a sting ... it is already known that big donations give you access... and the biggest get you Legislative action in your favor.
Limiting campaign money or donations of any type to politicians should be banned. If money can by "access" then democracy becomes pointless.
The real interesting question is: Is this why the west is so hell bent on turning monarchies into democracy? They can't buy the king, so replace him with someone on the market?
The UK conservatives were accepting money from anywhere in the world. This means a Saudi prince could buy "access" in exchange with discussing exceptionally high oil prices.
To About that:
One, it shows the US govt is unethical in the way it runs. Other govts are embarrassed or have to be forced into admitting they function like the US.
Two, the biggest donors don't get policy in their favor, they actually write it themselves. Congressmen don't even read it.
That's why Obama is so tight, John. His bowing and butt kissing has not only embarrassed us, the rest of our friends (the ones we have left). He has to buy access to everyone, he is a minuscule pecker-wood in a big boy world.
Paul, try not to regurgatate what you hear on Limburger. Please show proof of Obama butt kissing? Buying access???? If you read ANY report about the world image of Obama, it FAR exceeds their opinion of Bush. While you guys LOVE to polly parrot your talk show stars about Obama aplogizing for everything, the ONLY time he actually HAS done this was about our troops burning the Koran. Period. That was part of the Bush problem is he never apologized for ANY of his numerous mistakes to Americans or other countries. In fact the idiot couldn't even think of anything he did wrong during his 8 years... If you want to blame anyone for our current mess involving lobbiest, etc.. you place it right on the supreme court. They have turned our elections into a money free for all and we ALL lose......
Just goes to show how advanced we are on this side of the ocean. No reeling over lobbyists here.
Want to live, then pay. Soon to come for everyone. We need to change the way we do government.
Gee-just like the US.
Don't these politicians have ANY shame? they are much worse than prostitutes. These politicians are selling their souls, they have no honor.
Sheeeesh, who is taking lessons from Whom ? The Brits from the U.S. or the U.S. from the Brits.
Seems there is corruption in EVERY country. If it is not sex, it is money or it is power.
And this problem is not only in the "higher" ranks of government, i.e. legislatures, it can be traced down to the government departments.....just look at the Department of Energy for example.
"Higher Standards" to these folks has nothing to do with ethics.
Just goes to show that lobbing should be illegal.
This is just how we do it here in the USA.
wives fan, typical liberal selective memory!
All those who believe making large cash contributions to Super PACs provides absolutely no access or influence to the candidates they support, please raise you hand.
Torben - You are speaking about the US, right? One of the best ways to clean up bill buying ( or should I say riders?) would be to ban all political donations and fund both parties equally. Splinter parties, fine. They get part of the funding equally with the other parties. Maybe, since TV sound bites would be out, this would cause the electorate ( and candidates ) to actually have to discuss issues rather than personalities, Oh what an idea. Probably beyond the average voter's abilities.
What a great idea. That would take the influence away from businesses and others like the NEA...
Wow! Conservatives over there behave just like they do here...
In this case I was talking about the UK, but I think statefunded parties is a good idea everywhere. I would rather pay a little over my taxes and have parties that represent their voters, and politicians who speak their mind, then the current state of all lobby, no oppinion, politics.
A conservative in the modern UK would still be "liberal" here.
Why is everyone so surprised and taken aback.
These are politicians; accept that they ALL are lying, cheating, philandering, cheats who are in it for the "grace & favors" (backhanders) of the office they hold.
Life then makes sense, we have to have them, we don't have to trust or believe them.
Phil, nobody is surprised that this is going on. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be upset about it. I keep voting against my incumbent umpteen-term congressman, but he keeps getting reelected. We need to get money and corporate influence out of politics.
NFIL: I appreciate your comments however the bottom line is whomsoever we elect will, within a congress, be corrupt as their predecessor.
Us, as plebs (or muppets as Wall St. calls us) can do nothing, the system is SO corrupt.
The best we can try to do is replace ALL politicians at every election. (I would say term limits but getting that bill passed is like turkeys voting for thanksgiving!)
Ban "lobbying" (bribery by another name)
Make politics a voluntary, part time job (we need to rid ourselves of laws not make more!)
Naive? Maybe, but I am sure our constitutional creators did'nt want the mire we have now
Just like Washington, D.C.!
Politics = a game you can play anywhere as long as you can afford the ticket. Sure wish we had publicly funded elections. If politicians didn't need donations to fund election campaigns, legalized bribery would largely go away. When will we get serious about campaign reform?
We need a NO party system where a general fund will allow honorable candidates to post
their mission, then ONLY individuals may fund and support their chosen
candidate. No groups, unions, corporations, etc. can contribute or endorse.
We have a NO Party already. You see them making fools of themselves every day, especially when 'speaking through Faux News'.
Why doesn't it ever cause a scandal here? Ooops.. thats right, we expect this type of shenanigans from our politicians. Obama said he would end this practice but records show he is taking the lead in campaign fundraisers through this practice.
No surprise that money and politics are inextricably linked. Campaigns for public office should be limited to 6 weeks and be funded by public funds. No private money should be involved. But, it's not going to happen. Once you realize that most of the members of the United States congress are millionaires, you get the message. Doing things, as we did during the depression, for the 'common good' are no longer even part of our consciousness. I think of a group of fat, old men in togas sitting around talking about their villas overlooking the sea. As they talk, a slide show is running that shows how great Roman culture used to be. We are no longer a great nation. We're just a broken empire with bases all over the world. As we try to cling to our prestige, some of our elders sit in little mobile homes eating catfood. It's a sad state of affairs.
Eliminating the lobbyists and corporate donors will never happen anywhere, either here or Britain, because guess what? The lobbyist and corporate donors will lobby successfully to prevent it.
"This is not the way that we raise money in the Conservative party, it should not have happened," said Cameron. "I will make sure that there is a proper party inquiry to make sure this can't happen again."
i can't be the only one who took this to mean "we don't raise money by getting caught, it should not have happened. i wil make sure we buy journalists to make sure this can't happen again".
i have nothing against the brits necessarily. but the sad state of recent affairs is making me skeptical of pretty much everything. and the fact that he admitted hosting dinners at his official home doesn't help matters much, either.
Hardly a surprise - as one has more than enough reason to believe that is the current underpinning of our government as well ( and why we have a subverted democracy, and why said government serves only the interests of their 'donors' and themselves ). As for the Brits, well they apparently learnt and adopted our worst behaviour. Perhaps they will be smart enough to stop and reconstitute a government which firstly serves the interests of the nation and its people. Perhaps a vain hope - as corruption tends to act to protect/sustain itself.
As Fedupinorlando said none of this will stop ever and that is a fact everything is money no matter what you are speaking about and that is the way it is.
The UK is not the USA, I don't see why this isn't perfectly acceptable there. After all they still have classes in Britain, it's never been the lower class who has control over policy.
You have classes in the US too, UDunnoBro - you just have more 'upbeat' names for them: Blue collar workers, wealth creators, and, Im sure Ive heard plain old 'middle class' being bandied about in US news stories too.
Conservative means you want to conserve as much of the money for yourself as you can, by any means.
In the US we call that lobbying.
The Tories run true to form, pay to play for corporate interests.
Obamas methods don't work in the UK?
It's refreshing to see anotheer country that is as corrupt as the USA.
Perhaps you'd feel more at home in China or Russia?????
I'm Shocked! Shocked I say to find out that there is gambling going on in this institution! (psst, your winnings sir) Round up the usual suspects.
People are so stupid! How stupid are they? People are so stupid that the worst incompetent government they have is better than they deserve. Kind of like why they always become glazed over when they find out that their shepards like to have mutton for dinner.
Start screaming to your representatives about campaign reform the same way you did about congressional insider trading. That way congress will feel the heat and pass a bunch of laws filled with loopholes and call it a win for the american people. LOL
Really?
I think what he meant was "We should have not been caught."
Cameron keeps being shown as a dilettante who makes really questionable choices, one right after another. It is so charmingly "British" that he would shrug this off as he did, but seriously, this whole group of top leadership there seems quite corrupt and quite light-hearted about the large and getting larger number of lies they tell the world every day. At what point does he become a criminal? He seems always just at the edge of really criminal behavior and so far gets away with "not knowing anything", which is absurd on its face. The UK seems so irrelevant, yet they are able to posture as if they were relevant. This will be the decade of the International Clowns of Leadership the way it is shaping up. At some point all this crud will have to actually stick to him and his shiny expensive suits...or maybe the Brits really don't care?
There is no real democracy in the United States anymore, it is all pay to play and a special circus show to keep all of us sheep busy pretending that we mean anything at all. If you have the money you can pillage anyone you like and the Government will support you in your endevors.
Off with their heads!
Why is anyone shocked by this? This is how the political process is subverted and has been for the last 75-100yrs .....really.. I am shocked that people are shocked by this article --- wake up! ...Most of the time our "elected officials" dont even bother writing or reading certain pieces of legislation.
They are normally handed pieces of legislation written by lobbyists (really lawyers), who have already written/amended laws for the industry/special interest group, that they represent and the group that has lined the re-relection war chest of the politician, who will do everything he/she can to get it passed.
... it is a buddy system to garner all the power and wealth --- make a few phone calls to their fellow party members --- hey I need your vote to push X through --- next time i'll vote for your legislation that needs to get passed etc etc ---- wake up people --- take off the rose colored glasses already ----
This is what happens when you have a system that centralises all the power and influence in one location (DC) Is it any wonder you have hords of political and financial gold diggers overrunning DC ....like so many vultures on a ripe carcass...all at our expense and the expense of future generation tax payers ....
Ron Paul 2012!