They all claim tax exemptions and charitable status. They are all neither charities nor is it in the public interest that they be subsidised, allowed to hide their accounts, be given privileged access to the national media, be given almost unfettered access to our democratic representatives. They are criminal cabals that exist solely for the purpose of neutering the democratic wishes and oversight of the people.
Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist
By MIKE McINTIRE
Published: April 21, 2012
“We know its mission is to bring together corporations and state legislators to draft profit-driven, anti-public-interest legislation, and then help those elected officials pass the bills in statehouses from coast to coast,” said the president of Common Cause, Bob Edgar. “If that’s not lobbying, what is?”
When in a hole…..
Mr. Seitz, who sits on ALEC’s governing board, said he believed that liberal groups like Common Cause are attacking the organization out of frustration that “they don’t have a comparable group that is as effective as ALEC in enacting policies into law.” He said that ALEC was not much different from other professional associations that represent state legislators, and that members were free to ignore or disagree with the group’s policy positions.
“This concept that private companies are writing the bills and handing them to gullible legislators to trundle off and pass is false,” Mr. Seitz said. “There is nothing new, surprising or sinister about private-sector organizations coming together with legislators to share ideas and learn from each other.”
How effective was the organisation?
A membership brochure last year boasted that ALEC lawmakers typically introduced more than 1,000 bills based on model legislation each year and passed about 17 percent of them. A members-only newsletter from 1995, found in an online archive of tobacco company documents, bluntly characterized that success ratio as “a good investment.”
That’s just under 200 laws per annum cutting minimum wage rates, removing welfare entitlements, destroying collective bargaining, ensuring that attempts to protect children from tobacco and fat-laden sugar-saturated foods is resisted…. It’s not just the number but the squalidness of a body that NEVER asks whether something is ethical, safe or beneficial for customers, consumers, clients or the ordinary member of the public.
At a time when the liars in Downing Street are talking about restricting tax deductible giving has anyone heard of this being applied to the organisations that are used by the Tory Party as fronts in order to get around restrictions imposed by law on the conduct, financial and otherwise, of political parties.
Exxon Mobil, perhaps the single-most criminal private sector corporation on the planet were at the heart of the worst of the worst along, predictably, with tobacco, health and insurance companies, fast food franchises, energy, telecomms and the big media monopolies.
Typical of many ALEC Bills is to put forward legislation that looks as if it is addressing one problem when the major aim is to hide another:
Last December, ALEC adopted model legislation, based on a Texas law, addressing the public disclosure of chemicals in drilling fluids used to extract natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The ALEC legislation, which has since provided the basis for similar bills submitted in five states, has been promoted as a victory for consumers’ right to know about potential drinking water contaminants.
A close reading of the bill, however, reveals loopholes that would allow energy companies to withhold the names of certain fluid contents, for reasons including that they have been deemed trade secrets. Most telling, perhaps, the bill was sponsored within ALEC by ExxonMobil, one of the largest practitioners of fracking — something not explained when ALEC lawmakers introduced their bills back home
What is the definition of non-partisan?
Alan P. Dye, a lawyer for ALEC, acknowledged that the group’s practice of communicating with lawmakers about specific bills could meet the federal definition of lobbying, if not for an exception that he said applied when such interactions were a result of “nonpartisan research and analysis.” ALEC simply offers independently produced material for elected officials to consider, Mr. Dye said.
“If you look at the ALEC method of operating, it’s all based on nonpartisan research and analysis,” he said. “They have consensus building, pros and cons, everyone has a say.”
Sounds reasonable?
Critics dismiss that argument as misleading. Lisa Graves, the executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy, which teamed up with The Nation magazine to publicize a cache of 800 ALEC model bills last year, said that as of last August, all but one of 104 leadership positions within the organization were filled by Republicans and that the policies ALEC promoted were almost uniformly conservative.
Hmm so in the USA conservative means bi-partisan – how about the UK?
What do the facts on the ground show? Here’s a list of those who have moved on from Policy Exchange and it doesn’t even include Michael Gove, founder of the ‘independent’ organisation.
Policy Exchange, November 28, 2011
Policy Exchange People(it’s not what you know)
Nick Faith, Director of Communications was previously with Luther Pendragon: a PR Organisation responsible for representing the interest of Pharma in the discussion over NHS reform.
David Skelton, Deputy Director & Head of Research formerly with P A Consulting , perhaps most famous for being part of the failed Fire Control Project, their incompetence and lack of accountability was the subject of scathing criticism by the Public Accounts Committee ‘£42 million of the total spend was paid to PA Consulting to advise on project management issues’
Blair Gibbs is the Research Director for Crime & Justice at Policy Exchange, formerly of Taxpayers Alliance and advisor to Nick Herbert, Minister for Police
Dean Godson, Head of Security– A first – rate neocon in favour of war with very Moslem on the planet plus the Irish, he actually believed Ian Paisley had sold out by doing a deal with Sinn Fein thus carrying on the neocon tradition of fighting for their principles to the last drop of other people’s blood.
PE Alumni include:
Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens now at the Centre for Social Cohesion (could be a neocon description of Guantanamo)
Amy Fisheris now a Special Adviser to Caroline Spelman at DEFRA.
Anthony Browneis now Adviser for Economic Development for Boris Johnson
Charlotte Leslieis now the Conservative MP for Bristol North West
Chris Skidmore was elected as MP for Kingswood in 2010 and is a member of the Health Select Committee
Dr Andrew Liliconow involved with the Institute for Economic Affairs
Ed Condonis now Senior Parliamentary Aide to Damian Hinds MP
Gabriel Millandis now Head of News at the Department for Education.
Gavin Lockhartis now working as an adviser in Number 10.
Greg Munrois currently working as Research Assistant for Sarah Newton MP
James O’ Shaugnessy is now a Special Adviser to the Prime Minister
Jesse Norman MPis the Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire and a member of the Treasury Select Committee
Munira Mirzais now Cultural Advisor to the Mayor of London
Natalie Evans is now Head of Operations at the New Schools Network
Nick Boles is currently the Conservative MP for Grantham and Stamford and has also served as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of London
Sam Freedmannow works as an adviser in the Department for Education
Simon Horner is now a researcher for Mark Hoban MP
Maybe they have some integrity over at the Institute for Economic Affairs?
Another independent charity with no partisan leanings.
Mark Littlewood – Director General
26 Nov 2011 – IEA’s Director General becomes independent adviser to No 10
Professor Philip Booth – Editorial and Programme Director
professor of insurance and risk management at Cass Business School ( a Koch funded neocon body)
Dr Stephen Davies – Education Director
Previously he was program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) at George Mason University in Virginia ( a Koch funded neocon body)
Kristian Niemietz – Poverty Research Fellow
After graduating, he went on to work for the Berlin-based Institute for Free Enterprise (IUF).
Tom Papworth – Development Manager
Tom is a Fellow of the Adam Smith Institute
Ruth Porter – Communications Director
she spent five years working for the independent think tank, Maxim Institute ( ‘the Institute moved to emphasise fiscal conservatism…..The Institute also holds regular public lectures on topics such as tax and “social justice”.. in 2011 Iain Duncan Smith was a guest of theirs)
Gabriel Sahlgren – Research Fellow
Here’s what the IEA website states:
Having been active at several European and US think tanks…
a slightly more forthcoming description:
Christopher Snowdon – Research Fellow
Snowdon is described on the website of his book on smoking regulation as ‘an independent researcher and author and has no affiliation or financial ties with the tobacco industry or any anti-smoking group’, he also an adjunct scholar at the Democracy Institute which is a think tank with close links to the tobacco industry
Dr Richard Wellings – Deputy Editorial Director
He is a Senior Fellow of the Cobden Centre, the Economic Policy Centre and the Libertarian Alliance.
Trustees
Kevin Bell
Kevin was an adviser to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Robert Boyd
Again the IEA is rather coy…’He has also been a trustee of various think tanks for more than twenty-five years.’
International Policy Network -
Trustees/Directors – Robert Boyd
The IPN were so bad at making their propaganda look credible they folded in 2011.
Michael Fisher
For the past eight years Mike has been on the Council of Aims for Industry, he spent two years on HM Government’s Deregulation Task Force, as well as three years on HM Government’s Enterprise and Deregulation Panel at The Cabinet Office.
Michael Hintze
In addition to being one of the largest funders of the Tory Party he is a funder of theGlobal Warming Policy Foundation, and was also mired in the 2012 Cash For Cameron scandal , having eaten at Number Ten Downing Street with Prime Minister David Cameron in return for £250 000, Hintze was also a financial backer of disgraced cabinet minister Liam Fox.
If anyone can find me some influential left leaning members of either of the above tax frauds I would be only too pleased to publish the details; I am not holding my breath.
