bluethrunthru
Well-Known Member
Surely that book should feature a price of 30p
No doubt the tories are setting up some VIP channels for their mates to supply sawdust at silly prices.
Think this Mone story could yet become bigger and more damaging, though the time of when documents are released will be key. The Guardian is doing a good job uncovering it, and it looks as if she thought others were getting even more than her.
All good points, but given that contracts were awarded to companies that had only just been founded and had no experience in that particular field, then I think common sense should have dictated irrespective of whether there were particular rules that might have been broken or not. As you say, it stinks. To the extent that the public might need PPE.This all stinks of cronyism and blatant criminality.
But it might no be as slam dunk as people think.
In normal times government procurement is a slow, time consuming, bureaucratic process. Specifications are drawn up, minimum number of bidders that must meet certain criteria are invited to bid, tendering takes place on a points basis, price, delivery, specs and so on and so forth.
But Covid was not normal times and the normal process was not fit for purpose, throw in the fact that everyone everywhere wanted PPE and they wanted it now and it became incumbent on ministers to act quickly on their own initiative.
And there in lies the rub.
Rules are put in place to keep us honest, when rules are discarded in extraordinary times it behoves ministers to act with probity and honesty of their own volition, clearly they did not.
But, as they were acting without rules because the rules had been discarded, can anyone make a case for the rules being broken?
All good points, but given that contracts were awarded to companies that had only just been founded and had no experience in that particular field, then I think common sense should have dictated irrespective of whether there were particular rules that might have been broken or not. As you say, it stinks. To the extent that the public might need PPE.
The sheer scale of the corruption has been breathtaking. It’s nothing new, of course, but its brazen nature this time has taken even me by surprise. It takes some nerve to found a company with PPE in its name, when you have no experience whatsoever, and to then not only be given millions from the public purse but be upset because you don’t think you have been given enough!You're right of course, regardless of the normal rules being suspended, you can't do due diligence on a company set up the day before yesterday, and the VIP lanes fiasco stinks of cronyism.
I'd love to see some of these arseholes do the perp walk, but I suspect it'll not happen, but maybe that's not the point. Everyone knows, even die hard Tories, what went on here, if Labour is clever they'll let this run and run, eventually this shit will splash all over Sunak, no clean broom he, he'll reek of Johnson's sleaze.
Maybe a guilty verdict in the court of public opinion is the best outcome all round.
The sheer scale of the corruption has been breathtaking. It’s nothing new, of course, but its brazen nature this time has taken even me by surprise. It takes some nerve to found a company with PPE in its name, when you have no experience whatsoever, and to then not only be given millions from the public purse but be upset because you don’t think you have been given enough!
A guilty verdict in the court of public opinion is probably about the best that can be expected. However, that is really no deterrent and future governments (of all hues) will be just as corrupt. The expenses scandal was small beer, by comparison, yet it led to criminal charges, so maybe we do need to see some collars felt over this, be they ermine or worsted Vicuña.
Without a shadow of a doubt.This all stinks of cronyism and blatant criminality.
But it might no be as slam dunk as people think.
In normal times government procurement is a slow, time consuming, bureaucratic process. Specifications are drawn up, minimum number of bidders that must meet certain criteria are invited to bid, tendering takes place on a points basis, price, delivery, specs and so on and so forth.
But Covid was not normal times and the normal process was not fit for purpose, throw in the fact that everyone everywhere wanted PPE and they wanted it now and it became incumbent on ministers to act quickly on their own initiative.
And there in lies the rub.
Rules are put in place to keep us honest, when rules are discarded in extraordinary times it behoves ministers to act with probity and honesty of their own volition, clearly they did not.
But, as they were acting without rules because the rules had been discarded, can anyone make a case for the rules being broken?