Is it OK to break the law if you are a Tory?

MaizieD I don’t think we’re are going to understand each other so best not try.

ronib

MaizieD just sent mp a correction. Still worried about Open Democracy and this whole episode from a lot of angles.

What's wrong with Open Democracy? They do investigative journalism.

Public servants (which, of course, includes MPs and government ministers) are paid to work for the UK, not for sanctioned Russians and their lawyers.

MaizieD just sent mp a correction. Still worried about Open Democracy and this whole episode from a lot of angles.

MaizieD yes I know. He can have fun finding out!

ronib

Just written to my mp about Open Democracy and the ability of hackers to enter government computer systems. Seems remarkable to me that this is even happening. This is extremely concerning for the safety of government and of us all.

Did you actually read the Open Democracy article I linked to?

You have been too hasty in writing to your MP, who probably won't have a clue what you are talking anout.

The vast cache of hacked emails and documents from one of Russia’s biggest law firms was made available to openDemocracy and The Intercept via a third party. The unsorted files were first provided to a US non-profit called Distributed Denial of Secrets, which makes them available to anyone with the necessary expertise.

They lay bare the incredible ease with which one of the world’s most notorious warmongers was able to use the UK legal system to try and further his aims, even while sanctioned.

www.opendemocracy.net/en/prigozhin-government-russia-ukraine-hack-libel-slapp/

Just written to my mp about Open Democracy and the ability of hackers to enter government computer systems. Seems remarkable to me that this is even happening. This is extremely concerning for the safety of government and of us all.

I don’t believe that only Mr Sunak was responsible for handling the situation with the Wagner group once Giles Thomson presented evidence.

I'm not saying that he personally handled it. Just that as Chancellor the Treasury was part of his responsibilities and he was ultimately responsible for all that it did.

Re Sunak
1. Section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 applies to the hacked emails obtained by Open Democracy. Hacked information is not admissible in court.

2. What is the political affiliation of Open Democracy? Where are they based?

3. Seems obvious to me that Dominic Raab, Justice Sec, acted appropriately to bring in legislation to
prevent a reoccurrence of oligarchs and corporations attempting to silence journalists.

4. I don’t believe that only Mr Sunak was responsible for handling the situation with the Wagner group once Giles Thomson presented evidence.

5. In any event the court here threw out the case.

6. We need a full explanation!

7. I am tempted to think what is good for the goose etc and wonder how easy it is to hack into Open Democracy!

MaizieD

Thank's for that Dinahmo

When I checked the govt. website earlier I noted that the lowest rate charged is 8.5%. I don't recall the higher rates. Wasn't this part of last year's tax increases, supposedly to pay for Health and Social Care?

Someone whose only source of income was £100k salary would pay £27432 income tax (not taking into account NIC).

Of course, there's no NIC paid on dividend income (NIC s were also increased last year, weren't they?)

Yes to your comments about increases in rates for the current year. I used 2021/22 rates because I'm immersed in tax returns at the moment.

MaizieD

ronib

Casdon my reading of this situation is that it was a matter of compliance and money laundering regulations as the Russian in question had been exiled abroad. I think he wanted to sue for libel against a journalist and it was to do with the transfer of funds. This is when the government department and not Mr Sunak became involved I imagine. I doubt that the merits or desirability of the court case for libel would have been a consideration at the department.

That’s my best understanding at the moment. If you have any influence in the Labour Party, please try to get David Miliband on board!

Was that the same thing that I mentioned in my 15.34 post?

If it is, it was a Treasury department and Sunak was Chancellor at the time. So completely responsible.

Yes that is what I was just going to post. Meant to do it earlier on but busy.

Sunak was chancellor and given the sensitivity of the situation would certainly have known about it, or at least run it past the friend of the KGB.

MaizieD hacked emails? Available to read ?

MaizieD just going out. The court threw out the case immediately did not even get a hearing!

ronib

MaizieD exactly how do you know that The Chancellor had oversight of this sub department of The Treasury? Compliance is a separate department. How do you know, as opposed to guess, that Giles Thomson did not have autonomy in his decision making? It may not have been Giles Thomson but his predecessor in fact.

Chancellor has over all responsibility for the Treasury. This other guy would have been a 'junior' minister. The buck stops with the Chancellor.

But a vast cache of hacked emails shows that, under the leadership of Rishi Sunak, the UK Treasury issued special licences in 2021 to let the oligarch override sanctions and launch an aggressive legal campaign against a journalist in the London courts.

(link in previous post)

May 18 2022 Financial Times reports that Dominic Raab as Justice Secretary was framing new legislation to avoid oligarchs and corporations from using current rules to silence reporters.

Clearly had gone much wider than the Treasury!

MaizieD I think much more likely that Rishi Sunak’s predecessor involved in the legality of the case now I reflect.

MaizieD exactly how do you know that The Chancellor had oversight of this sub department of The Treasury? Compliance is a separate department. How do you know, as opposed to guess, that Giles Thomson did not have autonomy in his decision making? It may not have been Giles Thomson but his predecessor in fact.

ronib

Casdon my reading of this situation is that it was a matter of compliance and money laundering regulations as the Russian in question had been exiled abroad. I think he wanted to sue for libel against a journalist and it was to do with the transfer of funds. This is when the government department and not Mr Sunak became involved I imagine. I doubt that the merits or desirability of the court case for libel would have been a consideration at the department.

That’s my best understanding at the moment. If you have any influence in the Labour Party, please try to get David Miliband on board!

Was that the same thing that I mentioned in my 15.34 post?

If it is, it was a Treasury department and Sunak was Chancellor at the time. So completely responsible.

MaizieD sure Gransnet is in a league of its own!

Casdon my reading of this situation is that it was a matter of compliance and money laundering regulations as the Russian in question had been exiled abroad. I think he wanted to sue for libel against a journalist and it was to do with the transfer of funds. This is when the government department and not Mr Sunak became involved I imagine. I doubt that the merits or desirability of the court case for libel would have been a consideration at the department.

That’s my best understanding at the moment. If you have any influence in the Labour Party, please try to get David Miliband on board!

ronib

MaizieD maybe we could offer to help Starmer next week?🙊

He gets plenty of offers of help on twitter

MaizieD maybe we could offer to help Starmer next week?🙊

ronib

Casdon he is banging the table jumping up and down about Mr Sunak’s involvement with a Russian when the department in question is headed up not by Rishi Sunak but by Giles Thomson!

Meanwhile I am freezing to death, paying £550 a month for energy, my kids can’t buy an affordable house, childcare is extortionate and the Nhs is collapsing along with everything else.

Get real

I'm not sure what you are talking about there, ronib. Can you explain a bit more?

I've seen a shocking story about a department at the Treasury allowing lawyers for the sanctioned founder of the Wagner group (who was trying on a SLAPP case against a journalist) to fly to Russia to meet his Russian lawyers. This was pre the Ukraine invasion but, hey! what is going on that UK lawyers are able to work for sanctioned Russians?

www.opendemocracy.net/en/prigozhin-government-russia-ukraine-hack-libel-slapp/

Whitewavemark2

So that is what paid for his useless visit this week presumably?

Although Stewart and Campbell didn’t seem to know about what it was set up for.

The 'taxpayer' paid for his flight and security, apparently.

I wish that Starmer had asked why at PMQs today...

Casdon the prime function of the leader of the opposition is to hold the government to account.

Creating misleading scenarios about the Russians and Mr Sunak is very far away from this. First of all the department in question is involved with money laundering and I object to the wilful misrepresentation that Starmer gave to the House today.

I don’t understand why integrity is such a lost value these days.

ronib

Casdon he is banging the table jumping up and down about Mr Sunak’s involvement with a Russian when the department in question is headed up not by Rishi Sunak but by Giles Thomson!

Meanwhile I am freezing to death, paying £550 a month for energy, my kids can’t buy an affordable house, childcare is extortionate and the Nhs is collapsing along with everything else.

Get real

I think you’ll find time will prove I’m right ronib. A leader of the opposition has no power, there’s nothing he can do about your power bills now. It’s all about the long game.