294. crown: british parliament destruction: norman baker: the two faces of norman baker

8/14/2019 294. Crown: British Parliament Destruction: Norman Baker: The Two Faces of Norman Baker

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Thursday, June 05, 2008

The Two Faces of Norman Baker MPIain Dale 10:08 PM

In last week's PR Week, there was an article headlined 'MPs call for 'enforceable'

lobbying code of ethics'. Five MPs have signed a parliamentary motion calling for tougher

regulation of the lobbying industry, including the LibDem Transport Spokesman Norman

Baker. The EDM states:

'That this House notes the strong public cynicism about the influence of corporate lobbyists on British

politics; that individuals and organisations which engage in lobbying activities are able to do so

effectively hidden from public scrutiny.'

Surprising then for a friend of mine to receive the attached letter from Norman Baker himself,

offering a "small private dinner" with the frontbench Lib Dem transport team. He was told that

"tickets for the dinner are extremely limited", and that the party's new transport policy paper

would be discussed. This does not appear to be advertised widely, just hand-picked

lobbyists from the transport sector. So much for transparency!

But worst of all is the price....a staggering 881.25, (750 excl VAT). Now, to be fair, it does

include a conference pass (which is available elsewhere for just 77), and accommodation

(at those prices, lets hope its the main conference hotel but unlikely). But even with that

taken into account, the dinner and discussion must be fairly expensive!

Now, no rule has been broken here, but the hypocrisy from Norman Baker is staggering.

Here's the full text of the letter he has sent out, only a few weeks after signing an EDM

slagging off the very people he's trying to get 750 out of.

Dear XXXXXX

Fast Track Britain: Building a transport system for the 21st century

Liberal Democrat policy paper, autumn conference 2008

One of the key policy debates at the Liberal Democrat conference this September will be on transportpolicy. I am writing to offer you a special opportunity to meet the Liberal Democrat transport policy

team, and other industry colleagues, to discuss how these proposals could affect business, at a small

private dinner on Tuesday 16th September in Bournemouth.

The transport policy paper has just been approved by the partys Federal Policy Committee, and will be

published in June. It will include key proposals on national and local passenger transport, as well as

freight issues. The partys transport team including myself, parliamentary colleagues and key policy

advisers are keen to discuss these proposals with leading companies in the sector. Tickets for the

dinner are extremely limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. The ticket price is

750 +VAT and will include a two-day full registration to the conference including the debate on the

transport paper accommodation and dinner.

I do hope you will be able to join us at what promises to be a very interesting evening of discussion.

The Liberal Democrat conference office will contact you in the next week, but if you would like to

register your early interest please email [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you in

Bournemouth.

Yours sincerely

Norman Baker MP

Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

Don't all rush at once. Having heard Nick Clegg and Norman Baker tie themselves up in

knots over their unfunded rail policy on the radio a couple of days ago I can't think either of

them will have anything worth listening to. Especially for 750.

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l I'll be on Radio 5 Live at 10.15am talking about the West Ham takeover. 44 minutes ago

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Labels: Liberal Democrats

27 COMMENTS:

A t June 05, 2008 10:35 PM , P au l P in f i e ld s a id . . .

Just think back to the time when Charlie had to resign. It was a pretty low point for the

LibDems. I didn't think that it could have got much worse...

How wrong I was. Thanks Iain.

A t June 05, 2008 11:38 PM , s t u a r t s a i d . . .

Strange that this has emerged on the same day on which we learnt that Tory MEPs have

been trousering hundreds of thousands of TAXPAYERS' money.

A t June 05, 2008 11:41 PM, Iain Dale s a i d . . .

I actually learnt of this this morning, but as you will have seem, I havent posted much since

this morning as I have been busy with work.

I have posted on Giles Chichester's activities, which I am guessing is more than LibDem

Voice will do on this.

Perhaps you would like to condemn it?

A t June 05, 2008 11:52 PM , s t u a r t s a i d . . .

Hi Iain. I post comments on here regularly, and I do try to be fair. In that spirit, I will say that I

prefer your blog far & away above LDV. I think that the LibDems would be much better off

with a site that is genuinely independent of the party. I wish that there was a LibDem Iain

Dale.

Also, I trust you when you say that you got this before the Chichester story broke, and I

acknowledge that you did blog on that subject earlier. I want also to underline that I was not

accusing you of anything.

That said, I would assert that what some Tory MEPs stand accused of is far worse than this

story. That was taxpayers' money.

Keep up the good work, Iain. I am a big fan.

A t June 06, 2008 12:49 AM , a k 2 3 5 6 6 s a i d . . .

The only thing worse than dinner with Norman Baker is the thought of having to pay for it.

Nightmare Dinner Party scenarios: (I will get the ball rolling): Sarah Teather, Jenny Tonge,Jackie Ballard and Norman Baker.

I think I would rather have dinner with Norman Bates.

A t June 06, 2008 12:55 AM, Newmania s a i d . . .

Nice work Mr. D. He is fat fraud through and through and our useless local Paper ( it really is

dreaful) operate as a fanzine for the twerp.

Time for another letter I think. I am also getting somewhat sick of the BBC treating Cable like

a demi god.Time you trained your guns on that self satisfied zero as well.

This is not his first offence

A t June 06, 2008 1:10 AM , A n o n y m o u s s a id . ..

Good spot, Ian. A matter of, ooh, days behind Sam Coates on Red Box . . .

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A t June 06, 2008 2:19 AM, Charlie Root s a i d . . .

Really Dale, you're no one to talk about two faces.

Get youu're own house in order first eh?

Charlie

A t June 06, 2008 2:42 AM, tapestrys a i d . . .

Re transport, a story is going round amongst ex-pats in Asia as follows -

In the UK, porno movies are being filmed at petrol stations, so you can see someone else

being fucked at the same time as you are.

People over here who don't have to pay all those taxes, can laugh. You lot cannot.

A t June 06, 2008 3:19 AM, tapestrys a i d . . .

The Lib Dems are being trained in corruption politics by the EU at Henley Management

College.

Many are benefiting from 'Expenses Unlimited', as the tentacles of EU money politics reach

deep into our political system, and rot it to the core. Only Cameron is speaking out against

it. Clegg is as guilty as any of them, offering no resistance to the slush he hopes to get his

slimy little hands on, once he's finished shagging the wives of his colleagues.

Liberal Dirtcrats.

A t June 06, 2008 3:30 AM, Manfarang s a i d . . .

And who closed down Tunbridge Wells West?

Where is the rail network now that we need it?

A t June 06, 2008 4:34 AM, Manfarang s a i d . . .

In Tunbridge Wells

You can hear the yell

Of woe-begone bourgeoisie

We all get bitched about,lads

Whoever our vote elects

We know we're up the spout,lads

And that's what England expects.

Hurray,hurray,hurray

Trouble is on the way

A t June 06, 2008 6:23 AM , d o u g a l s a i d . . .

The big question is why anyone would be interested (to the point of 800) in any LibDem

policy, since they ain't going to form a government this century?

A t June 06, 2008 8:23 AM , s i m o n s a i d . . .

Knowing the Libbies, i bet the 'meal' on offer is a 'spit roast'.... I think i'll pass.


Umm i think it was 7.50 Ian.

plus expenses....

Hehe

A t June 06, 2008 8:47 AM, Neil Reddin s a i d . . .

A Lib Dem with only two faces? Staggering.

A t June 06, 2008 8:48 AM, James WB s a i d . . .

Very amusing, but all the parties (including very much the Tories) engage in these expensive

"come and meet the [insert your backbench/frontbench team here] soirees" where you "here

about and discuss" "policy" "ideas". Everything in inverted commas because most of them

are of course complete tripe.

I went on a few in my days as a representative for a major environmental pressure group.

They were invariably misinformed, off the point and over-priced. I always advised the body I

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worked for not to bother sending people to any more, but they felt if they didn't attend they

would be seen as losing influence.

However, there is a difference between this and the highly-paid corporate lobbying on behalf

of [insert your corrupt foreign dictatorship/mining corporation/arms manufacturer here] that

takes place with huge budgets and what is very obviously undue influence. Frequently, small

changes to legislation reveal in particular the activism of corporations whose interests don't

always, to put it mildly, happen to coincide with the wider public good. I would commend

Baker for trying to do something about that, even if there is an element of hypocrisy involved.

A t June 06, 2008 10:15 AM, Tone made me do it - he's a ba d influence s a i d . . .

Question Time BBC1

I don't suppose Iain or anyone else knows of a web site that keeps the stats on panalist

appearances.

Its just the unelected lady from the tiny organisation known as "Liberty" just keeps on

popping up.

You just know the BBC loves um.

She's allowed to yap.

Chris Hittchins is constantly interupted.

A t June 06, 2008 10:50 AM, James Graham (Quaequam Blog!) s a i d . . .

I'm really struggling to understand your point here Iain. Since when did supporting greatertransparency mean opposing raising money? Michael Ashcroft advocates transparency in

fundraising; according to your logic that makes him the biggest hypocrite in the known

universe.


Why on earth would a lobbyist want to pay so much money to listen to a manifesto that will

never be put in practice?

I can understand Lib Dems wanting to listen to it and debate, but there is no business sense

in a lobbyist wasting their time talking about, what is effectively, a boring piece of fiction.

A t June 06, 2008 11:39 AM, Newmania s a i d . . .

I would commend Baker for trying to do something about that, even if there is an element of

hypocrisy involved.

Oh would you . Well I would like Norman Baker to do something useful for his constituency

which is not posing as a tax payers friend when he is a tax and spend Beveridge Group

member who assisted in saving idiot Brown over Lisbon despite promising not to. I t might

have been nice if during the period when he using Parliamentary facilities to research his

infantile book for which he got 50,000 (just from the Mail)if he had concentrated on the

concerns of the local people who detest this more important two facedness. Why not pay

back the 8000 he spent on that

Local Councillors despair at his appearing for photo ops every time anyone protests about

anything in utter disregard of Liberal Policy and with contempt for the intelligence of any

adult obliged to suffer his posturing cant

He and his cohorts of semi employed public sector professionals who have all day to

acquire additional incomes dominate the local Press work in it and operate bad news

blackout for Baker . Its an industry in which the Libs share out sinecures and and goodies

and a corruption of democracy at every level

Who would like to take a bet that our Norm sees out his profitable hand wringing as an MEP,

not bad for someone whose other career option was the manager of an Our Price Record

shop.

A t June 06, 2008 12:21 PM, neil craig s a i d . . .

"I can't think either of them will have anything worth listening to. Especially for 750."

Somehow I don't think the purpose is for the lobbyists to listen to the party spokesmen but

vice versa.
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A t June 06, 2008 1:12 PM , P SJ s a id . . .

Who the hell would waste 750 on trying to influence LibDem policy? They haven't achieved

anything since the 20's, except propping up a terrible Labour government in the 70's. Far

better to spend 750 on ... well ... almost anything really.

A t June 06, 2008 1:23 PM , B u z z e r s a i d . . .

Norman Baker's name is mud down here in Brighton. The odious little toad tried to delay the

planning process for our stadium so long that it would force Brighton and Hove Albion out of

business.

He has more "faces" than a Danny Dyer movie and all the personality and charm of an FA

executive.

A t June 06, 2008 6:14 PM, Shaun s a i d . . .

Ugh he's my MP. Still, it gives me some abuse for the omnipresent libdem canvassers in

these parts.

A t June 08, 2008 6:05 PM , A n o n y m o u s s a id . ..

I read Baker's book on the killing of David Kelly and found it utterly compelling and terribly

well-written and well-researched. Methinks Baker is not quite as minor and unintelligent as

some of your more rabid Southern Tory Gentlepersons say above. Could it be that Baker is

actually much more useful for them than yet another nondescript Estate Agent/Company

Director/Barristor Tory backbench drone would have been?

Anyone who has studied the Kelly background in detail smells a huge rat and Baker has

done a profound service; what is really needed is for the incoming Cameron government to

launch a proper public enquiry into it, with sworn witnesses and perjury trials for those proven

to lie. With Blair, Campbell and Hoon summoned back to answer questions properly, not be

allowed to get away with their lies and evasions as they were under the witless early-retireee

ministerial drone, Hutton.

A tDecember 02, 2009 10:45 PM , rybrmn s a i d . . .

This shows the entire hypocrisy of 'Saint' Norman - Lewes locals often seem to believe he

can walk on water but here again he shows he is no better than many he criticizes and

worse than most MPs. When added to his poor attendance record at Parliament and his

poor delivery record for Newhaven and the constituency generally it is time for a change inLewes as in the country as a whole.

It's time to go Norman!

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294. crown: british parliament destruction: norman baker: the two faces of norman baker

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