Michael Ashcroft

Lord Ashcroft tells it like it is

He urged the new Development Secretary Justine Greening to rebuff the overtures of ‘self-aggrandising popstars and lobbying from self-interested groups’.

The rebuke came after revelations that the Government’s burgeoning aid budget was funding ‘poverty barons’ who were raking in millions through their consultancies.

Lord Ashcroft, who was made a privy counsellor in last month’s reshuffle, wrote an open letter to Miss Greening on the Conservative-home website, saying: ‘I urge you to recommend to the Prime Minister to turn off the golden taps and  stop flooding the developing world with our money.’

The UK keeps forking out aid to countries who do not spend it wisely.  In the meantime the only people getting richer are consultants.

Sounds familiar for Wellington “businesspeople” who indulge in brown mail.

Lord Ashcroft is a former deputy chairman of the Conservatives who donated millions to the party. He has recently commissioned a series of polls that have been critical of the party.

There had been speculation that he would be given a job in Whitehall after the last election, but none came.

Lord Ashcroft funded the tories to government and worked his guts out doing so. Afterwards Dave and his mates forgot who their friends were.

So Lord Ashcroft took some polls showing that everyone thought Dave was dead set useless.

Dave got a bit toey about the honest opinion of an honest man backed up by some bloody good research so they offered him a job to shut him up.

Patrick Gower is normally better than this muck:

3 News has learned that John Key has had a private meeting with a controversial right-wing British billionaire, Lord Michael Ashcroft.

Mr Ashcroft was a leading figure behind the last election campaign by Britain’s Conservatives, but Mr Key says the two men did not really talk politics when they met.

The billionaire flew into Auckland in his private for the rugby, and a meeting with Mr Key.

Mr Ashcroft is known in New Zealand for putting up the reward for the stolen Victoria Cross medals.

But he is best known for pumping his time – and millions – into the British Conservative Party and right-wing politics.

“He’s deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, I see him every time he comes to New Zealand,” says Mr Key.

Well, actually Mr Ashcroft is not the deputy chairman any more.

Nope Patrick but he is the Treasurer of the International Democratic Union of which National is a member. This is a stupid story of no merit other than Patrick Gower’s hushed tones about a billionaire. Not only that but they used footage from three years ago to pad out the story. It is shabby and disrespectful to the guy that actually helped get the stolen medals back.

I should confess now before Patrick finds the conspiracy. My father is an office holder of the APDU, a constituent member of the IDU and has met Lord Ashcroft many times, I think he even has his cellphone number written down somewhere.

Instead of looking for conspiracy under the wings of executive jets why doesn’t Patrick Gower go ask Phil Goff about his attendance at the fundraiser with a person charged with electoral fraud?

Our billboard went up on Thorndon Quay today. Just a couple more days and our Tauranga billboard will be up. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.

We have today launched our new billboards. The first was erected in auckland on Ponsonby Road. tomorrow will be the launch of our Wellington Billboard and there is one more to go up in Tauranga.

Once again the Beehive is leaking and WOBH has Labour’s new billboard.

Helen Clark says the election is all about trusts(s). I agree.

National could do worse than taking the advice of Chris Trotter. Actually they are doing worse with whom-ever is designing their crap billboards.

Read Trotter’s post.

National has launched their campaign and predictably it was with a billboard.

Meanwhile WOBH has received the following two suggestions for billboards.