Sayeeda Warsi

smod · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:47 am

Which is odd considering not so long ago Warsi was seen as vital to their re-election hopes by appealing to female and Asian voters. Since Shiny Dave polls very badly with women. Yes, she maybe gaffe prone, but, as Medhi Hassan points out, the level of bullying and hypocrisy stinks:

Quote:

In May 2009, at the height of the MPs’ expenses scandal, the Daily Telegraph accused Andrew Lansley, Francis Maude, Michael Gove and George Osborne of “flipping” – that is, the shameless and cynical designation of their properties as “second homes” in order to maximise financial benefits from the allowances system, as well as potentially avoid capital gains tax. Gove volunteered to pay back £7,000 in expenses; Osborne was ordered to pay back £1,666 by the parliamentary standards commissioner. Yet all four men continue to sit comfortably in Cameron’s cabinet.

In fact, writing in the Daily Mail in June 2009, the Tory-supporting commentator Peter Oborne castigated David Cameron for his “shameful decision” to “stand by the frauds and cheats inside the shadow cabinet”.

Naturally, two wrongs don’t make a right.

If the Conservative Party chairman is guilty of financial malfeasance, she should be punished. But here’s where it all gets rather murky. For a start, the accusations relate to Warsi’s stay in the west London property of Dr Wafik Moustafa, an Egyptian-born GP, back in . . . wait for it . . . 2008. Warsi says she was the guest of a Tory official, Naweed Khan, not Moustafa. Khan was living at the home of the latter and, according to Warsi, received “appropriate” payments from her “for the inconvenience and additional expense to which he was put when I stayed with him”. Khan has since issued a statement saying that Warsi did indeed pay him rent. Remember: under the lax expenses regime of 2007/2008, peers were not required to provide or keep receipts.

Then there is the credibility of her accuser. Moustafa is the chairman of the Conservative Arab Network (Can). I can reveal that on 14 May, Warsi wrote to Moustafa reminding him of the party’s refusal to allow Can “affiliated” or “official” status and warning him that he would face “prompt legal action” if he did not “remove the Conservative logo” from his website. (Read the letter on our website: newstatesman.com.)

Less than a fortnight later, Moustafa’s allegations against Warsi appeared on the front page of the Sunday Times. Coincidence?

http://www.newstatesman.com/2012/05/str ... and-her-gp

Another good piece on her:

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... ian-voters

mattomac · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 3:43 pm

They seem to have given up on trying to get the votes of Asian voters it seems.

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:58 pm

I think Asian voters need a bit more than "look, there's one of us up there!"

The evidence that there are loads of Asian votes the Tories should get but don't seems to be that a lot of Asians are socially conservative. This may or might not be true (and even if it is, it doesn't mean that's what they decide their vote upon). But while Warsi is supposed to have campaigned on social conservatism as a candidate in Dewsbury, she's had to row back on it since. So how many votes is she going to bring in?

Her presence on the frontbench is probably more to do with the Tories own sense that they're very white and male and middle class (Warsi's working class origins aren't mentioned enough in discussions about her).

Her allies have hit back pretty strongly, much more than Cameron. The unregistered business interest, they say, was only for a short time, before the shares were transferred to her husband. This is still a breach of the rules, but wouldn't be very serious, if true. and as Hasan says, the expenses rules were incredibly lax in 2007. Unless she's been criminal, no reason for her to resign. Gove didn't.

Labour's calls for the police might turn out to be incredibly rash. Since she's not up to the public side of her job, why push to get her out? Why not say you'll wait to see the investigations done? If you want a partisan line, why not play up the obvious antipathy to her among some Tories?

mattomac · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:55 pm

I didn't attempt to sound slightly off with that remark but I have heard that crap spoken in Tory circles.

It's calculated by Labour and probably done before Cameron decided to push her.

Bones McCoy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:08 am **Posts:** 7336

Abernathy wrote:

Really? I have no unease whatsoever.

I'm with Abers on this - I'm an equal opportunity Tory hater.
Some of their most odious have come from "so called" minorities (starting with "Grew up in a council house" -Jeebus let's sell tickets).

satnav · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:18 am

It looks like Cameron was so keen to appoint a token Muslim woman to a top position that he failed to properly check out all her business dealings.

Cameron has now been Tory leader for the best part of 7 years but in that time he seems to have sacked very few ministers or shadow ministers is this a sign that he is a good manager or extremely weak leader? I'm guessing that when he does start firing ministers the dismissed ministers will soon start to stick the knife into him.

Winegums · **Joined:** Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:04 pm **Posts:** 711

I think when he wasn't in power there was probably less of a focus on him and his parties activities, especially given that the Murdoch press wanted him in charge. Now he's got a lot more attention by being in charge, and has lost his sponsor in the press, questions are being asked.

Bones McCoy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:08 am **Posts:** 7336

smod wrote:

Which is odd considering not so long ago Warsi was seen as vital to their re-election hopes by appealing to female and Asian voters. Since Shiny Dave polls very badly with women. Yes, she maybe gaffe prone, but, as Medhi Hassan points out, the level of bullying and hypocrisy stinks:

Quote:

In May 2009, at the height of the MPs’ expenses scandal, the Daily Telegraph accused Andrew Lansley, Francis Maude, Michael Gove and George Osborne of “flipping” – that is, the shameless and cynical designation of their properties as “second homes” in order to maximise financial benefits from the allowances system, as well as potentially avoid capital gains tax. Gove volunteered to pay back £7,000 in expenses; Osborne was ordered to pay back £1,666 by the parliamentary standards commissioner. Yet all four men continue to sit comfortably in Cameron’s cabinet.

In fact, writing in the Daily Mail in June 2009, the Tory-supporting commentator Peter Oborne castigated David Cameron for his “shameful decision” to “stand by the frauds and cheats inside the shadow cabinet”.

Naturally, two wrongs don’t make a right.

If the Conservative Party chairman is guilty of financial malfeasance, she should be punished. But here’s where it all gets rather murky. For a start, the accusations relate to Warsi’s stay in the west London property of Dr Wafik Moustafa, an Egyptian-born GP, back in . . . wait for it . . . 2008. Warsi says she was the guest of a Tory official, Naweed Khan, not Moustafa. Khan was living at the home of the latter and, according to Warsi, received “appropriate” payments from her “for the inconvenience and additional expense to which he was put when I stayed with him”. Khan has since issued a statement saying that Warsi did indeed pay him rent. Remember: under the lax expenses regime of 2007/2008, peers were not required to provide or keep receipts.

Then there is the credibility of her accuser. Moustafa is the chairman of the Conservative Arab Network (Can). I can reveal that on 14 May, Warsi wrote to Moustafa reminding him of the party’s refusal to allow Can “affiliated” or “official” status and warning him that he would face “prompt legal action” if he did not “remove the Conservative logo” from his website. (Read the letter on our website: newstatesman.com.)

Less than a fortnight later, Moustafa’s allegations against Warsi appeared on the front page of the Sunday Times. Coincidence?

http://www.newstatesman.com/2012/05/str ... and-her-gp

Another good piece on her:

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... ian-voters

Medhi Hassan's pieces exhibit liberal use of logical fallacies.

Abernathy · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 1:49 am

Now, this is good........

oboogie · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:15 am

Excellent.

But what's Nigel Lawson doing in that rowing boat and why's he in drag?

Gourami · **Joined:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:51 pm **Posts:** 2005

Forget that, why is he taking a shit?

oboogie · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:28 am

Gourami wrote:

Forget that, why is he taking a shit?

You've never tried his daughter's recipes then?

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:10 pm

Has anyone?

Malcolm Armsteen · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:12 pm

Yes. Often surprisingly good.
She might be the daughter of a tosser, but she's made a good living out of celebrity cheffing and she knows her stuff.

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:14 pm

I didn't think anyone had ever cooked a meal done by a chef on TV.

A friend of mine dealt with her in hospital- very pleasant.

Sayeeda Warsi

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