Having
an undemocratically selected Prime Minister in a democratic society takes some
doing, but we have managed just that! Step forward Theresa May. I think this
pretty much sums up the mess that has been created perfectly.
What
we do know is that she is not afraid to pull the ‘exit’ gun and fire the bullet
to leave the EU. As she announced forcefully, “Brexit means Brexit”. I guess
the direction of travel and timescales will become clearer as the weeks
progress but there should be very few surprises.
What
I am concerned about is transparency……well, Theresa May’s interpretation of it.
In fact I have a bee in my bonnet about Westminster and transparency. Actually,
I’ve had my knickers in a twist for a few months and wrote about it in April
(Tax Transparency http://stevesmithlive.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/tax-transparency.html)
Now,
some would give Theresa May credit for going public with her tax affairs during
the leadership campaign for being transparent. However, simply telling us that
you have submitted your tax returns tells us that……you have submitted your tax
returns.
(if you have no life like me then you can read it here: http://www.theresa2016.co.uk/theresa_publishes_her_tax_returns).
However, it is the detail of the tax returns that have not been shown that is a
key point.
For
example, £5,419 of income relates to dividend payments for shares she owns. Ok
then, so which company shares? She will be one of the most significant and
powerful people (from an economic perspective) in the country and in the top 10
in the world. Is it too much to ask which companies she could benefit from and
have a conflict of interest in when she is setting political and economic
policy? Will Brexit enhance the value of these shares and her back pocket?
In
an age when the lack of transparency at Westminster causes so many problems
(just ask David Cameron), Theresa May’s version of transparency is simply
laughable.
And
that ladies and gentlemen is your new unelected Prime Minister.
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