Robinsons mired in corruption scandal

The recent revelations of Peter and Iris Robinson’s lucrative dealings with property developers has once again revealed corruption at the heart of the political establishment. The Robinsons bought a piece of land, then worth and estimated £75,000, for just £5 from their good friend and property developer Fred Fraser. The piece of land was a crucial access strip to the back gardens of the Robinsons and their neighbours. This allowed the Robinsons to sell part of their garden, together with the access strip, to Bloomfield Developments.  

The access strip, although then worth an estimated £220,000 was sold for £5. Although they did not made a profit on this transaction, without it, they would not have been able to secure the £460,000 for part of their garden. Furthermore, buying and selling the land for a mere fiver, the Robinsons avoided thousands of pounds in capital gains tax. 

Peter Robinson failed to declare the property on the MP’s Register of Interests. He also failed to declare a possible conflict of interest when he attended a Castlereagh Council meeting where the planning application involving his garden, was to be discussed.

Once again, these revelations confirm the cosy relationships between the political establishment and wealthy business people. It is no coincidence that Fred Fraser, one of the wealthiest property developers in Northern Ireland, was involved in many of housing developments in Castlereagh, a council politically dominated by the Robinsons for decades.

How many other councillors, MLAs and MPs have close corrupt links with wealthy business people? The Assembly is selling off our public services through Public Private Partnerships and Public Finance Initiatives, handing millions of pounds of our tax payers mone to private companies who, in return, run down our services as they seek to maximise their profits.

Working class people need a mass working class party, with representatives who live on a workers wage, defending our rights and interests.

 

Total
0
Shares
Previous Article

Britain after the election: “Deeper & tougher” cuts than under Thatcher

Next Article

Thailand - Red-shirt supporters invade parliament

Related Posts

Kazakhstan – Mass prison hunger strike against brutal regime

OSCE Chair presides over torture of prisoners – Protests needed urgently!

In the “strict regime” prison colony, AK159/6, in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan, a collective hunger strike was declared by the prisoners in protest at alleged brutal beatings, the prison’s military regime and claims of ’frame ups’ of prisoners by the authorities. Starting with a few prisoners at the end of May, the hunger strike has now been joined by the mass of prisoners. Kazakhstan currently holds the Chair of the The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

A video, filmed on 28 May, shows the typical brutal treatment of one prisoner

Anti-union laws deny RMT workers democratic rights

Once again, the High Court in London has ruled in favour of the bosses by placing an injunction against RMT railway workers in Britain taking strike action. This is the second high profile example of the anti-union laws being used by big business to deny workers their democratic right to withdraw their labour.

 

WELB ‘efficiency’ cuts target primary school children

Like most other Governmental bodies, the WELB have placed a moratorium on the recruitment of staff as a means to met the stringent efficiency gains agreed by the Stormont parties in their three-year Comprehensive Spending Review (May 2008- April 2011). The impact of this has been to place an ever greater burden on those staff remaining on to provide front-line services.

 

Save the jobs at Quinn Group

Bring Quinn Group into public ownership under democratic workers’ control

Press Statement: Joe Higgins MEP (Socialist Party)

“The thousands of jobs under threat at the Quinn Group must be saved. The Quinn Group employs 6,000 people in Ireland, North and South, and is located in an area which has suffered from long-term underinvestment. The company’s impact extends far beyond these numbers through secondary spending in the region. There is no doubt that the group represents a critical source of employment for many more thousands in Cavan and Fermanagh and further afield.