Revolving Doors and Open Doors
08.16.07 - 08:59am
The well documented revolving door between the government and big business has apparently turned into an open door to allow companies and their lobbyists to penetrate the highest levels of the state and increase their influence over public policy.
According to a story in today’s press the Ministry of Defence has given 38 security passes to representatives of BAE, allowing the arms company’s employees to come and go as they please at the ministry’s Whitehall HQ. Apparently, one of the passes is held by the controversial company’s chief lobbyist, Julian Scopes. A total of 96 passes have been issued to representatives of various arms companies, including Qinetiq and Lockheed Martin.
Let’s not beat around the bush here, Julian Scopes’ sole role is to influence government ministers and officials in order to funnel public money into BAE’s bank account. The public may wonder why this pack of foxes should be given free passes to the hen house.
Apparently the Ministry of Defence regards lobbyists and representatives of private arms companies crawling all over its Whitehall headquarters as “normal practice”.
No doubt this will reassure the public as billions of pounds of their tax money continues to flow from the Treasury to fund disasters like the Eurofighter, started in the early eighties, years behind schedule, billions of pounds over budget, and a project the German government desperately tried to bail out of in the early 90s. Still, at least Saudi Arabia agreed to buy 72 of them, obviously needing such advanced fighters to defend against… um… not sure
In a typical display of the government’s “commitment” to openness and accountability the BAE revelations only spilled out in a letter from the defence minister Derek Twigg to Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb, who has brought it out into the open. Mr Lamb said:
“This demonstrates that there is far too close a relationship between the Ministry of Defence and BAE. This incestuous and potentially corrupting relationship must be brought to an end. BAE’s lobbying muscle helped to bring an end to a major corruption inquiry, which is totally unacceptable.”
The corruption inquiry referred to was, of course, was into allegations of bribes running into millions upon millions of pounds to Saudi contacts (Saudi Arabia… haven’t they figured in this story somewhere before?) to secure lucrative contracts.
An investigation by the Serious Fraud Office was stopped by the government, ludicrously citing “national security”, under heavy pressure from none other than BAE. The US Department of Justice is currently carrying out its own investigation into the case.
The real open door policy is the one that which leaves the Treasury door wide open to allow arms companies to get their dirty hands on public funds, funds which would be better spent on social programmes rather than on yet more ways to attack poor countries.
It’s morbidly funny,
We expend so much resources on supplying some short-time ally just enough firepower to get our brand of grand illusions. Then we end up confronting them in five to ten years for daring to dream to be as domineering.
Security passes - well, a security pass gets you through the door - I’ve had one, but it won’t get you in to see anyone of import unless you are supposed to be there anyway, in which case you would have a visitors pass anyway. I can see the sense in issuing passes to BAe staffers, they do do a lot of work with the MOD for dozens and dozens of projects, beyond just the Eurofighter, and giving them their own “key” sves a lot of hassle.
Now, the curious case of the SFO, the Eurofighter and the Saudi Prince is another matter entierly.
I also imagine that they feel they need those shint tanks and planes to defend against their not-so moderate neighbors - A Line in the Sand?
G