Thursday, March 01, 2007

WTF?

Can anyone explain to me what business Network Rail, an effective state monopoly masquerading as a private company, has in donating any money at all to the regional franchise of the governing party?

Scottish Labour

Network Rail Ltd status: Company
company reg no: 04402220 40 Melton Street, London NW1 2EE
28/02/06 £ 5,000.00

Scottish Labour

Network Rail Ltd status: Company
company reg no: 04402220 40 Melton Street, London NW1 2EE
31/12/06 £ 6,000.00
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5 comments:

Will said...

I just followed your link to the Network Rail website: it claims to be a "'not for dividend' company and all our profits go straight back into improving the railway".

Giving £11k to Scottish Labour is not putting profits straight back into the railway.

3/01/2007 2:59 pm
Richard Thomson said...

I've done a bit more digging and both payments came within a few days of Labour's 2 Scottish Conferences last year (24-26 Feb & 24-26 Nov). Scottish Power also made payments of £3,000 on 16 March and £6,000 on 2 Nov.

It might all be perfectly above board (payment for a fringe event, for instance), but the sums involved do seem quite steep. Anyway, why should only 2 companies appear if that's the case, with the 'not for profit' one shelling out the most?

If that is what the payment was for, I'd also expect to see more similar donations to the UK Labour Party from well-known blue chips. A quick scan of the register only reveals Microsoft and a suspicious number of PR & consulting firms (surely there's no payment for access going on there?)

Even on the best interpretation, spending £11K on getting access to Scottish Labour delegates seems like a dubious use of funds to say the least of it.

3/01/2007 4:00 pm
Will said...

Also, I checked, and in the same time period, I saw no evidence that Network Rail had given any sums of money to any of the other major parties. If it were just a conference thing, then why would they only represent themselves at one party's event? I didn't see anything from Scottish Power on anyone else's register either.

Also, would it be naughty of me to point out that since 2003, whether it's been Alistair Darling or Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport has also been the Secretary of State for Scotland?

Co-incidence?

3/01/2007 4:34 pm
Richard Thomson said...

That would be naughty, Will, although not in any way inaccurate!

There is always the possibility that Labour's Scottish accounting unit has been more dilligent in reporting such conference income (assuming of course that's what it is...) than their 'national' couterparts. Something just doesn't smell quite right about this, though.

3/01/2007 4:42 pm
Anonymous said...

While you're looking at the EC website for donations have a look at 'Cardiff 2008' and the Welsh Labour Party...

Organisation setup with public funds to promote Cardiff a City of Culture for '08 (which Liverpool won).

Surprisingly they've given over £7k...depsite beign entirley funded by either Cardiff Coucnil or the Welsh Assembley.

3/01/2007 5:15 pm

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