OUTSIDE EARNINGS

  CONSULTANCY FEES AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

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Why do people join local authorities in any capacity, or become members of our part time parliament?

Mainly, it is to get their feet under the table and steer decisions on a part time basis, while fostering their private interests, with their real day-jobs.

Sometimes it is to do favours for third parties (cronies) only possible because the rules are so lax as to potential conflicts of interest. For example, the term "Consultant" in politics, usually means taking a fee for representing the interests of a company or group during the normal course of voting, or even networking to help steer a decision one way or the other. Even though this is a clear conflict of interest, it is allegedly common practice in Boris Johnson's part time government in 2021.

There is no more powerful a conflict of interest, than a financial incentive.

For this reason, MP's should not be allowed to accept money from anyone, where that may have any influence on their ability to carry out their duties impartially.

Constituents have a right to know how much time and money MPs are taking separately to their political work, where being an MP is a full time job if they are to perform adequately.

In addition, taking paid consultancy work may steer MPs to influence policies in favour of powerful corporations who are offering jobs after they are MPs. Such that MPs are working to alter the law to secure money for themselves and their cronies after public life.

TRANSPARENCY - It is unclear if having a cabinet position in any capacity, removes the possibility of influencing the decisions of other cabinet ministers, on for example oil, concerning MP Nadhim Zahawi. Or, if they should leave any meeting where past employment, or present consultancies present a conflict of interest. Citizens have a duty to look out for possible corruption,  past and in the making, or violations of the parliamentary Code of Conduct.

TRANSPARENCY - The failure to answer on certain important subjects, suggest a conflict of interests. In this case Huw Merriman did not even acknowledge correspondence on transport infrastructure, let alone give any sort of considered response. Why? He was the chair of a Transport Committee. You would have thought that meant he and his committee members might be interested in looking at potential solutions. Unless of course, they were batting for competing oil and gas companies.

How then can an MP spend time working elsewhere, and do his or her job competently - such as answering pertinent correspondence. It takes time to reply to correspondence in a considered fashion. Especially on important subjects, such as zero emission transport.

One can imagine that taking a fee or donation from an oil, coal, or property developer, is tantamount to accepting a bribe in some cases where transparency is lacking. Especially concerning the special duty to reduce global warming, as per COP26's Glasgow Climate Pact and the Paris Agreement. Now looking to COP27 in Egypt, to further such ambitions.

One has to ask, that after considering the Parliamentary Code of Conduct, is this ethical?

The politics of the nation shape what happens locally and internationally. Political will is very important when it comes to implementing climate change policies in the quest for a Circular Economy. The political parties are answerable to the electorate, where for example, the present Conservative Government in the UK is not living up to its election promises on climate change or the delivery of affordable housing as one example of what could be done to stop kleptocratic councils. This leaves the door open for Labour or Liberal policies to shine with a Green hue, if only they would bite.

The problem is that "greenies" and "green" policies do not get the political donations the "coalies" and "oilies" shove into the hands of the more corruptible policy steering mouthpieces of black death.

POLITICS & POWER

Politicians have known about this for over 30 years but did not want to rock the economic stability of their domains and upset all their wealthy backers - hoping the problem would go away.

It is big business that is mostly to blame for backing politicians who turn a blind eye using spin and deniers to perpetuate the lie that we are not facing a climate emergency. This includes banks, oil giants, car & ship makers, and house builders - or rather those who give permits to house and factory builders. I.e. councils.

Mmmm. All that equates to lots of lovely money for the greed driven controllers, while they murder humans with lung cancer, kill wildlife and melt the ice caps free of blame, and milk the population for interest on more money lent than you should need to be able to live on sustainably. This means more carbon generation on your part for repayment. Interest payments = CO2. Borrowing more is the same as warming the planet more. Lenders should know better, but they want their Bentleys and Ferraris and they don't care how they get them.

PROCEEDS OF CRIME

The climate criminals get to keep their ill gotten gains. Yes, those in positions of power who do nothing are Climate Criminals. But there is no statute to convict them as yet! And there never will be because they make the law, despite you voting for change.

The cure is to start voting radically. Vote out the usual and vote in the unusual. It can't get any worse than 

Thousands of politicians and civil servants are professional liars who put spin on the facts and shroud information to control the electorate. They hate transparency and shield themselves from accountability to stay in power for as long as they can, to grab as much cash as they can before they get the boot. Lord Michael Nolan QC referred to these as cozy relationships in his Report on planning corruption in the UK. What is happening in any one country is happening everywhere around the world.

The same applies to police forces, the CPS and Judges in Courts concerning Masonic influence, perverting the course of justice.

LOCAL POLITICS

Regional policies and development is dependent on the sincerity of leadership from our Members of Parliament (jn the UK), the elected members of councils and on the efficiency of civil servant staff employed at great expense to plan ahead and provide all the services we need to survive. Where we have targets set by the Climate Change Act 2008 there is no road map as to how this will be achieved.

In an example of economics V the environment, councils in the UK have been set house building targets by central government that add to global warming. Where there is no stipulation as to sustainable features councils empire build to suck in as much rating tax as they can to squander on more bad management. It's more of the same all over the UK. This is hardly surprising since the councillors granting the permissions are the same core people with the same policy officers and the same house building contractors who only apply to build what they know will turn a pretty penny.

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