You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
A quite beautiful telling of a very ugly story:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/17/world/europe/britain-covid-contracts.html
Thanks Kelvin, interesting if depressing read. The urgency can only excuse a small amount of it, and the original lack of readiness in the face of their own test exercises is criminal.
Thats an interesting read Kelvin. Confirming what we all already suspected
Does anyone else have the suspicion that behind the scenes theres going to an awful lot of work going on to either prevent completely, delay or hobble the public inquiry into this debacle?
If it does ever happen, it'll be a humdinger. 11 billion quids worth of PPE contracts, 50% of the total, being handed out to their mates, with no other qualifications or experience other than being their mates/tory party donors.
Proper banana republic stuff. Snouts in the trough while thousands die.
I bet theres plenty of email chains being deleted and documents being shredded
The Good Law Project are about the only ones I have heard of that are trying to bring this to light, but it sounds like they are trying to scare them off. I have made a donation and would donate more if I could afford it. From an email received earlier this week:
This year, Good Law Project has exposed cronyism and incompetence right at the heart of Government. Through litigation, we’ve brought to light the enormous PPE contracts awarded to companies with little to no experience, the “VIP” channels that allowed those with political connections to win those contracts, and the hundreds of millions of pounds wasted on PPE that can’t be used by the NHS.
So it’s no surprise that Government is doing everything in its power to derail us. They are asking the court for delays to our cases, racking up huge costs to (we believe) try and scare us off, and refusing to come clean about basic facts. They want us gone - and they’re not the only ones.
I also receive an increasing number of threatening letters from expensive lawyers, hired by the companies who have made fortunes flogging PPE, in an effort to silence us. The threats contained in these letters are, we believe, devoid of legal merit, and none have led to further action. But they can have the effect of grinding us down and diminishing our resources.
We will keep going - but this is no easy fight. Good Law Project is a small not for profit pitted against the limitless resources of the State and companies with deep pockets, engorged with PPE windfall.
But what we have on our side is thousands of people like you - just as determined as we are to hold this Government to account. If you’re in a position to do so, will you consider setting up a regular donation to Good Law Project?
Donate
More regular donations mean our small staff team can continue to expose how enormous PPE contracts were handed out to wholly unsuitable counterparties, all at the expense of the taxpayer.
And crucially, it means that when we receive bullying letters from expensive law firms or face yet another derailing tactic from a Government intent on silencing us, we know we have enough money in the bank to keep going.
Thank you for all your support this year. With your help, we will continue to hold this Government to account.
Jolyon Maugham QC
Director of Good Law Project
I bet theres plenty of email chains being deleted and documents being shredded
I am not sure about that since I suspect in most cases it was just a phone call or IM or two rather than bothering with anything like proper email chains and documents.
So, the Good Law project have won their case....
Hancock ordered to seek back public money on failed contracts, provide a list of all contracts and invoke a judge led investigation. Ouch!
👍
IANAL so don't know if this is the first step or only step and whether the clowns in charge can still wiggle out of it (this claim of 'good standing'????). Still, I contributed to GLP and am delighted its going their (our) way. I hope Jolyon and his gang treat 'emselves to a nice bottle of red tonight.
EDIT - oh and the VIP lane. Will be interesting to lift the lid on that process...
Hancock ordered to seek back public money on failed contracts, provide a list of all contracts and invoke a judge led investigation. Ouch!
The judgement only mentions publication - nothing on the others.
Much respect to the good law project, the government used really underhand tactics in an attempt to prevent this getting to court. When they started ramping up the legal costs to ridiculous levels it needed balls of steel to stick with it.
I donated because I really want these ***** brought to task.
👍🏼
Looking at the most read stories on BBC website now, the ppe is number 1 and a few down is a story about a judicial review being sought regarding Johnson's decision not to sack Patel.
Coming home to roost.....??
Hopefully.
Coming home to roost…..??
One can but hope.
It gets even better, 3 stories now!! The third is regarding the new 'union advisor':
Boris Johnson's main adviser on keeping the UK together has departed, saying his position was made "untenable" by others within Downing Street.
Latest news - GLP have been granted a cost capping order in their judicial review over the award the PPE contracts. Government claimed their defence would cost £1million, GLP asked for a cap of £100k. The judge has granted £250k cap. They will still need support from donations to fight this case.
Flung 'em another fiver for LOLz.
Same here. 🙂
I keep meaning to donate but always end up forgetting. This has been a good reminder. Just sent them some cash.
Has anyone else spotted the rehearsed answer that all government ministers are using regarding the court judgement?
"So sorry, but we were very busy fighting the pandemic, so we published two weeks late, but really it's a minor issue"
The problem I see, is that Jo Public and most of the media has swallowed the line, without hearing any of the detail, so GLP come out as trouble-makers, squabbling over a technicality.
The reason GLP needed to take this case to court was to force the government's hand to publish the data. Now it's been published, it'll be the next case which hopefully will expose the corruption and then I hope heads will roll.
Heads will not roll.
Pushing for transparency about what is going on is essential, but even when it’s laid out for the press to investigate, and for the public to question it… nothing will happen. Cronyism is just blatant and naked now… it’s just “how we do things”… and many of those that are concerned about that will just parrot “the Labour Party would be worse, they’re all at it”. Depressing.
Heads will not roll.
yup, nothing will ever happen. Nobody will lose their job or end up facing the law on a corruption charge with a prison cell looming. No monies will be repayed outwith a token amount.
Recently(a few years back) Romania's PM was sent to prison for corruption. Their laws state something like this, that no party is allowed to look to get money for themselves OR their party, and if they do that is against the people. they are only supposed to be acting in the interests of the people and nobody else.
Under such terminology, the Entire UK government and across the parties are guilty of the most scandalized corruption.
They make all the rules and appear to control the law.
Reading that, once again it's the sheer recklessness of it that blows my mind. Like, it's not like I'd approve of corruption and nepotism if it were just about giving contracts to your mates, or inflating amounts. That should still be resignation material, in a sane world.
But some of this stuff wasn't just corruption, it meant that in the middle of the biggest health crisis in our lifetimes doctors weren't getting the kit they needed, because contracts had been given to donors and friends who weren't able to deliver. That's the real nightmare of it, the wasted money is trivial in comparison.