Post by pchallinor on Oct 1, 2011 12:35:26 GMT
But Red Ed's in hock to the unions, wah wah wah wah wah....
Hedge funds
Hedge fund operators are the biggest contributing sector to Tory coffers, giving the party nearly £1.4m in the past year. Contributors include fund tycoons Michael Farmer and Stanley Fink.
Government policy The sector has been lobbying against a tax of 0.1% on each share or bond trade (Tobin tax), proposed by the European commission whose president, José Manuel Barroso, says it could raise €55bn (£47bn) a year. The Treasury says it would only back a financial transaction tax applied globally. Michael Spencer, the Tory donor who runs money broker ICAP, described the tax as "deluded" and threatened to move his businesses from the UK.
Banking
Companies and individuals involved in the banking sector have donated more than £600,000 in the last year. They include Sir Simon Robertson, the former Goldman Sachs banker who is on the board of HSBC, and Jeremy Isaacs, the City banker who once worked at Lehman Brothers.
Government policy Over that period, George Osborne has been accused of rowing back on promises made during the election to impose tough new restrictions on banks. Instead, he handed the thorny issue of banking reform to Sir John Vickers, chairman of the newly formed Independent Banking Commission. The proposals have been attacked for not going far enough in addressing issues that led to the financial collapse of 2008.
Businesses are funding a lobbying campaign to scrap the 50p top rate of income tax, as Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians argue over its rights and wrongs. Osborne decided to keep it in his first two budgets but told the BBC last month: "I've said with the 50p rate I don't see that as a lasting tax rate for Britain because it's very uncompetitive internationally."
Insurance
Donors from the insurance sector have given more than £179,000 to the Conservatives in the last year. Andrew Brannon, of the insurance consultancy Charles Taylor Consulting, and Sir Henry Keswick, chairman of the Jardine Matheson group, have each given £50,000.
Government policy Jonathan Djanogly, the justice minister, is pushing through a bill to slash the legal aid budget by £350m and shift part of the costs of bringing no win, no fee cases from losing defendants to winning claimants. This reduces the liabilities of companies and their insurers if they unsuccessfully defend a claim, because it will force claimants to pay out of any awarded damages their lawyers' success fees and insurance policies that cover court costs.
The Guardian has disclosed that Djanogly has investments worth at least £250,000 in companies with insurance arms. He denies any conflict of interest.
Construction
Donors from construction, including Aggregate Industries, one of the "big five" building companies in Britain, have given more than £200,000 to the Tories in the last year.
Government policy Planning ministers have met senior property and construction industry figures 28 times since the general election, as against 11 meetings with environmentalists, while considering a major change to planning regulations. The draft National Planning Policy Framework has been criticised for containing a "presumption in favour of sustainable development", and critics fear firms are preparing to seize the chance to win permission for green belt projects.
Eric Pickles' Department for Communities and Local Government has been accused by environmentalists and the Daily Telegraph of "loading the dice" in favour of developers.
Guardian
Hedge funds
Hedge fund operators are the biggest contributing sector to Tory coffers, giving the party nearly £1.4m in the past year. Contributors include fund tycoons Michael Farmer and Stanley Fink.
Government policy The sector has been lobbying against a tax of 0.1% on each share or bond trade (Tobin tax), proposed by the European commission whose president, José Manuel Barroso, says it could raise €55bn (£47bn) a year. The Treasury says it would only back a financial transaction tax applied globally. Michael Spencer, the Tory donor who runs money broker ICAP, described the tax as "deluded" and threatened to move his businesses from the UK.
Banking
Companies and individuals involved in the banking sector have donated more than £600,000 in the last year. They include Sir Simon Robertson, the former Goldman Sachs banker who is on the board of HSBC, and Jeremy Isaacs, the City banker who once worked at Lehman Brothers.
Government policy Over that period, George Osborne has been accused of rowing back on promises made during the election to impose tough new restrictions on banks. Instead, he handed the thorny issue of banking reform to Sir John Vickers, chairman of the newly formed Independent Banking Commission. The proposals have been attacked for not going far enough in addressing issues that led to the financial collapse of 2008.
Businesses are funding a lobbying campaign to scrap the 50p top rate of income tax, as Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians argue over its rights and wrongs. Osborne decided to keep it in his first two budgets but told the BBC last month: "I've said with the 50p rate I don't see that as a lasting tax rate for Britain because it's very uncompetitive internationally."
Insurance
Donors from the insurance sector have given more than £179,000 to the Conservatives in the last year. Andrew Brannon, of the insurance consultancy Charles Taylor Consulting, and Sir Henry Keswick, chairman of the Jardine Matheson group, have each given £50,000.
Government policy Jonathan Djanogly, the justice minister, is pushing through a bill to slash the legal aid budget by £350m and shift part of the costs of bringing no win, no fee cases from losing defendants to winning claimants. This reduces the liabilities of companies and their insurers if they unsuccessfully defend a claim, because it will force claimants to pay out of any awarded damages their lawyers' success fees and insurance policies that cover court costs.
The Guardian has disclosed that Djanogly has investments worth at least £250,000 in companies with insurance arms. He denies any conflict of interest.
Construction
Donors from construction, including Aggregate Industries, one of the "big five" building companies in Britain, have given more than £200,000 to the Tories in the last year.
Government policy Planning ministers have met senior property and construction industry figures 28 times since the general election, as against 11 meetings with environmentalists, while considering a major change to planning regulations. The draft National Planning Policy Framework has been criticised for containing a "presumption in favour of sustainable development", and critics fear firms are preparing to seize the chance to win permission for green belt projects.
Eric Pickles' Department for Communities and Local Government has been accused by environmentalists and the Daily Telegraph of "loading the dice" in favour of developers.
Guardian