letters

An objection and response, nostalgia, doubts, abuse and a question

Lord Ashcroft objects

I refer to your article in the Panama News Volume 12, Number 24, under the heading "Tony Blair's embarrassment has a Panama angle".

Other than I have not been questioned by police "about the suspected cash for titles practices", and the fact that I have never made "large loans to political parties instead of outright contributions", I am not, nor have I ever been, "Panama's honorary consul in Belize City".

I should be grateful if you would reconsider your article as it is available in the UK on the internet, and therefore subject to UK libel laws.

Thank you.

Lord Ashcroft KCMG

Editor's note: The above email was received via the email address of a "Janine Smithers," apparently from a Panamanian public relations firm. We presume it to be genuine, though an inquiry made of Lord Ashcroft throught the sending email address went unanswered.

I stand corrected about the identity of Panama's honorary consul in Belize. A correction has been run about that.

What happened was that a source incorrectly identified Lord Ashcroft as the honorary consul in Belize City, and the Ministry of Foreign Relations and a couple of law firms' websites listed "Andrew Michael Ashcroft," at an address that is the headquarters of the Belize Bank that Lord Ashcroft controls via BBHoldings, as holding that post. But Lord Ashcroft is Michael Anthony Ashcroft. He does have a son Andrew who works with the bank, who was born in 1978 and according to news reports manages the bank's operations in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Having made inquiries to various people in Belize we can't definitively confirm that Panama's honorary consul in Belize is Lord Ashcroft's son, but it appears that this is the case.

That correction having been made, we think that Ashcroft's other objections are groundless. To wit:

·        In the Wikipedia entry for Lord Ashcroft, it is said that "during the "Cash for Peerages" controversy, on 31 March 2006 he was named by the Conservative Party as having loaned it £3.6m."

·        In the British newspaper the Telegraph, on November 29, 2006, it was reported that: Lord Ashcroft, the former Conservative Party treasurer, is once again the most generous supporter with loans totalling £3.6 million from a company called Lanners Services."

·        On December 15, 2006, the British newspaper The Independent reported on the police questioning of Tony Blair --- the first time that police have ever questioned a sitting prime minister of the UK over a criminal matter --- in the so-called "cash for peerages" controversy, and at the end of the article appended this summary of how the multifaceted and bipartisan investigation developed (this editor's emphasis added):

How the drama has unfolded

13 APRIL: Des Smith, a headteacher involved in the Government's city academies programme, is arrested and bailed by the police.

12 JULY: Lord Levy, Labour's chief fundraiser, is arrested and bailed by police. He says the arrest powers were used "totally unnecessarily" .

14 JULY: It emerges that two ministers, the Labour donor Lord Sainsbury and the former party chairman Ian McCartney, have been questioned by police.

20 SEPTEMBER: The chief fundraiser Lord Levy is questioned again.

21 SEPTEMBER: Sir Christopher Evans, a leading biotechnology entrepreneur, who lent Labour £1m, is arrested.

29 SEPTEMBER: Ruth Turner, the director of government relations at Downing Street, is questioned.

1 OCTOBER: It is revealed that John McTernan, the director of political operations, has been questioned.

2 OCTOBER: The Tories confirm that four of their donors: Robert Edmiston, Lord Laidlaw, Lord Ashcroft and Johan Eliasch, have been interviewed by police.

23 OCTOBER: Michael Howard, the former Tory leader, is interviewed.

25 OCTOBER: It is reported that Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair's chief of staff, has been interviewed.

29 OCTOBER: It is disclosed that Richard Roscoe, the head of Downing Street's honours unit, has been questioned.

23 NOVEMBER: The Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt is questioned as a witness.

14 DECEMBER: Prime Minister Tony Blair is questioned as a witness.

Other reported interviewees include Matt Carter, the former Labour Party general secretary and Registered Treasurer; Sir Gulam Noon, the chairman and managing director of Noon products; Chai Patel, founder of the Priory clinics; the property tycoon Sir David Garrard, whose peerage nominations were blocked and stockbroker Barry Townsley, whose nomination was withdrawn, were reported to have refused to answer questions directly. Each was said to have been interviewed under caution at their solicitors' offices and limited their answers to written statements.

Meanwhile, I have received some criticism from a member of the British Labor who denigrates Lord Ashcroft as the "Sleaze from Belize" and objects to my linking Tony Blair to him.

Although three activists from Blair's party, of which Ashcroft is a staunch opponent, have been arrested, it's not clear than any crime has been committed under UK law. Moreover, although the whole controversy is labeled "cash for peerages" in the British press, it's about the questionable influence of big money in UK politics in general and the specific subject matter about which the police talked to Lord Ashcroft has not been disclosed.

Back in 1999, Lord Ashcroft was reported as having donated £1 million per year to the Conservatives, and though some argued then and would argue now that there ought to be a law against that, it was perfectly legal. But when large loans are made to a party, which the lender could extend or call in, that gives the campaign funding source substantially more leverage over that party's behavior in public office and questions about that --- whether or not there are any legal problems involved in any particular case --- are helping to fuel the "cash for peerages" affair.

Whether in Panama, where Lord Ascroft's former employee, Canal Affairs Minister Ricaurte Vásquez, just played an important role in the most expensive political campaign in our history, mostly with public funds but also with private "yes" committees that have not disclosed the sources of their funding --- that convinced some 78 percent of the 43 percent who voted to accept a plan whose underlying studies were concealed from the Panamanian people; or in Belize, where Lord Ashcroft is the leading political contributor to the ruling party and has enjoyed financial benefits from favorable legislation over the years; or in Australia, where Lord Ashcroft's contribution to Prime Minister John Howard's 2004 re-election campaign was that largest in Australian history; many people see big campaign contributions and spending, especially when combined with media control, as a major threat to democracy. It was an issue in Italy, where Silvio Berlusconi used his control of the private media and his huge fortune to line his pockets and those of his friends with the proceeds of political power. It was an issue in Ecuador, where the country's richest man attempted to buy the recent presidential election --- and now the Bush administration in Washington is crying foul because it didn't work. It appears to be on the agenda in Panama again, as one of the recipients of many millions of dollars via the "BANISTMO Law," Vice President and Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis Navarro, is considering a run for the presidency backed by his substantial fortune.

Panama faces the real prospect of a 2009 election between or among rich men who promise to run the government like a business but really intend to run government for the benefit of their personal businesses and those of their backers, and who drown out all serious discussion of public affairs with an avalance of vacuous advertising hype. That people in another country have called such practices into question, and that one of the people questioned therein has business and personal ties to people high up in our government, is newsworthy.

Hurting

I was at Howard (as a dependent from 80-84) and I miss it so bad...it hurts.

What a magical place...

John David Keith

Free trade 1

Thank you for your comments. I believe the Free Trade Agreement benefits the US. I worry about food dependency. Besides, I don't like the idea of eating meat (particularly poultry) coming from the US. Our phytosanitary regulations have worked for us quite well and we have had excellent meat. Besides, what will happened to Panamanian farmers? Obviously, additional poverty (as if we didn't have enough).

Azucena

Free Trade 2

Querido Eric Jackson,

How aronic that you should say that Torrijos's Goverment won't publish the Canal Expansion in Spanish our official language but you have the audacity to post your coments in English? who is you intended audience? I live in San Diego California and I was able to find more information IN SPANISH than I could digest but of course a comunist such as yourself won't acknolege this. Look Socialism is out!!! If you try to empede people from determining their income and posibilities they will produce nothing! It is clear that that you are a FRENADESO"S payroll so please don't try to pas as none afiliated!

In adition, please reaserch before you try to convice an audinece that knows more about your subject matter than you. :)

Martin Torrijo's is one of the most fertile presidents that Panama has ever had. We Panamanians who care about Panama and not about some corrupted Political Party like your beloved FUFO or dirty comunist organisations like Frenadeso. Would vote Martin into Ofice another term. I know it hurts but after the vote of confidence in the Referendum one would think that you counist would lear a good lesson and reaserch before you open your cloacas!

Any sector under the demonic control of a Unions or Sindicato has done nothing but hurt the Panamanian people, for example Transportation, Doctors Teachers.

OUT WITH THE COMMUNIST IN WITH THE PEOPLE'S GOVERMENT! Leader of FRENADESO, GET A REAL JOB AND STOP BEING SUCH A PARASITE! GET A JOB!

ERIC JACKSON WOULD YOU PLEASE GET A REAL JOB AND GIVE UP ON BOTELLAS KICK BACKS AND CORRUPTION! DO IT FOR THE REPUBLICS SINCE YOU CAN'T DO IT FOR YOUR OWN HONOR AS A MAN!

HU! and wash your mouth with clorox before you use the name of our GOOD president again!

ewingtm

Chinese Buddhist Temple in El Cangrejo

What is the exact location of the Chinese Buddhist Temple in El Cangrejo?

John

Editor's note: It's on the service drive to the Transistmica, near the Cafe Duran building, across the Transistmica from the brewery and across the perpendicular street (downhill) from Colegio La Salle.