Today’s Irish Times has this:
Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan yesterday described as “disturbing” a report that Libertas had received £3,000 in cash and non- cash donations of £13,964 from Crispin Odey, a London hedge fund manager.
Now factor in this, from the Daily Mail on June 24th:
Odey, who recently became cotreasurer of the Conservative Party, clearly is fearful of the damage that New Labour is inflicting on Britain’s economic future.
Strangely tolerant beastie, the Tory Party.
Unsurprising.
Paul Staines, of Guido Fawkes, who tends to be quite energised to agree with Iain Dale’s view that his site is “libertarian” rather than largely anti HMG and thence pro Tory has changed his claim that his site is funded from his own earnings placing advertising on various sites.
The categorisation used in “Total Politics” poll of blogs is an invaluable means of foisting a view of this on us all. As it encompasses so many it’s edict is powerful.
Most recently on the BBC Radio 4 Staines claimed that he attracts enough advertising to his site to earn a very good living, comparable to that of a couple of journalists. According to public info he was bankrupt ten years ago, now owns a couple of houses.
His site is registered in the WIndies, which makes libel actions more difficult.
Who pays for whatever advertising he benefits from in what ever way may well hold the clue to who is trying to buy their way to regime change in the UK, as presumably they see it.
http://quietzapples.blogspot.com/2009/08/no-bad-publicity-were-billionaires.html and much else there.
Notable that Ashcroft is unmasked by Iain Dale as an investor in His publishing company, and its associated company, BUT NOT HIS BLOG he makes clear.
When I win the lottery, Malcolm, and become the eminence rouge of World politics, which of your occupations would you like me to subsidise, so as to allow you time to promote your excellent, and even after my intervention, entirely independent blog? (You will support Miliband D when Gordon goes in 2012, won’t you?)