Labour’s campaign has focussed on attacking the billionaires. The Tories have leapt to the defence of the super-rich, comparing Corbyn to Stalin for his “vindicitiveness” against “wealth creators”. And big business are opening their pockets to fund their Tory chums.
When it comes to demands for pay rises and improved conditions from workers, then the bosses are happy to plead poverty. We haven’t got the money, they whimper; you all need to tighten your belts instead. However, when it comes to rank self-interest and calls for help from their chums at Westminster, then the fat wallets of the rich fly open.
With a general election campaign in full swing and the prospect of a radical Labour government coming to power, the rich are in a panic. In particular, the bosses and bankers have spat blood at Labour’s promise to take on the billionaires.
Mike Ashley, billionaire owner of Sports Direct, dubbed Corbyn “clueless”. Financier Crispin Odey, meanwhile, hit back saying: “He just doesn’t know many people. He has lived a narrow life. Luckily they [Labour] can’t even run a campaign, let alone the country.”
Launching his campaign, Boris Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Corbyn’s “vindictiveness” and demonisation of billionaires and “wealth creators” had not been seen since Stalin.
The class division coming into this election could not be starker, with the Tories pulling out all the stops to defend the extraordinary wealth of these vultures whilst leaving the producers of that wealth to languish in poverty after a decade of Tory austerity.
As a result, the Tories have been tapping up big business for cash to fund their campaign to stop Corbyn winning. They want to raise £30 million from these wealthy parasites, and think they will get it. As one fat cat put it: “People recognise the outcome is binary – either you have Corbyn or Boris, therefore they want it to be Boris.” (City A.M, 31 October)
Rich look to hide their money
The establishment are certainly in a frenzy over the possible outcome of the election. According to the Guardian, top lawyers are being “deluged” with calls from rich clients asking how they can hide their funds offshore, transfer them to their children to avoid taxes, or indeed just get out of the country, should Corbyn win.
According to Geoffrey Todd from Boodle Hatfield, “Lots of high-end worth individuals are worried about having to pay much higher taxes… transfers of wealth are already being arranged.”
Compare this to what the 99% of the people have to worry about every day: paying basic bills, buying food, keeping warm this winter, getting paid enough, and so on.
It says volumes that 80% of one firm’s wealthy clients are worried instead about the prospect of not being able to send their children to Eton.
Money pouring in
In fact, the money has been flowing into the Tory bank accounts for some time now. In the last full quarter’s figures, released by the Electoral Commission in August, the register showed that of the recorded major donations to political organisations, over £5 million was paid to the Tories during three months. This came from just 206 people. Compare this to Labour’s £2 million, which came mainly from trade unions, reflecting the commitment of working class people.
The Tory donations included over £1,000,000 from just one man: Ehud Shelag, who has been rewarded by becoming Tory Party co-treasurer. Mr Shelag has a brother and claimed business associate, Ran, who had been involved in a company based in Israel that sold financial schemes. According to the Israeli police, this fraudulent operation may have helped fund crime organisations in Israel before being shut down by the authorities. Of course, both Ehud and Ran deny any knowledge of what went on.
Another recent donor has been Lubov Chernukhin, Russian wife of a former Putin crony, who had to hurriedly relocate to Britain after a little misunderstanding back home. She has been happy to fork out over one million in donations during the last seven years, and has been regularly photographed with top Tory politicians at social binges as a reward for her largesse.
This is all about the rich splashing out to promote themselves and to stop the 99% getting hold of the obscene wealth being hoarded at the top.
The Tory Party (and the Lib-Dems for that matter) are funded by the rich, for the rich. They are the party of big business, banksters, hedge fund scammers, wealthy layabouts and feudal parasites. No wonder they have reacted so furiously to Labour’s suggestion that we should get rid of the billionaires.
All their wealth is our money – it’s time to grab it back. Come 12 December, let the millions defeat the millionaires!
