Hz Liz Trus handd pǎr ovr t ɖ xtrim niolibṛl ʈnctancs?
(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 23 September 2022)
Ɖ prîm̦inistr z in hóc t a grūp v rîtwñ lobiists hu r ɖmslvz indétd t oḷgarcs n corṗreśnz
Jorj Monbio, Frîde 23 Sptmbr 2022
Hu ćouz Liz Trus? Cnsrṿtiv-parti membrz, v cors. Hu r ɖe? Dispṛporśṇtli rić, ẃît, oldr men livñ in ɖ sǎʈ v Ñgḷnd. Bt ɖr r sm membrz huz profîl w hv no mīnz v nwñ. Ɖe d’nt liv in ɖ YC, hv nvr bn rezidnts or sitiznz hir n hv no rît t vot in ǎr ilex́nz. Astoṇśñli, sins 2018 ɖz foṛn membrz hv bn pmitd t dtrmin hu ɖ YC prîm̦inistr śd b.
Ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti’z rūlz v asośieśn r an opn invteśn t enwn hu wonts t mes wɖ ǎr poḷtics. Ɖr sīmz t b nʈñ t stop ejnts v anɖr guvnmnt fṛm rejisṭrñ az membrz wɖ Cnsrṿtivz Abrōd. Nr, it sīmz, z ɖr enʈñ t stop wn prsn (or wn bótsworm) aplayñ fr multipl membrśps. So mć fr ɖ parti v petrịtizm, sovṛnti n naśnl s’kṛti.
Ɖs opn invteśn, t juj fṛm ɖ litl inḟmeśn w cn glīn, hz yt t b fŭli xplôtd. Phps foṛn guvnmnts hv’nt yt riylîzd ẃt a goldn oṗtyṇti ɖ’v bn gvn. Phps ɖe simpli c’nt b’liv hǎ irisponsbl ɖ Tōriz r.
Bt w d’nt nīd t sjst a campen bî anɖr stet t si Trus az a cnd v Manćŭrịn Canddet, sbvrtñ ẃt rmenz v ǎr dmocṛsi on bhaf v undeṃcratic inṭrests. Az a rūl, ɖ mor lǎdli a poḷtiśn pṛclemz ɖer petrịtizm, ɖ mor lîcli ɖe r t act on bhaf v foṛn muni. Evri rīsnt Cnsrṿtiv prîm̦inistr hz plest ɖ inṭrests v trnznaśnl capitl abv ɖ inṭrests v ɖ neśn. Bt, t a gretr xtnt ɖn eni prīvịs līdr, Trus’z poḷtics hv bn śept bî orġnîześnz ɖt cōl ɖmslvz ʈnctancs, bt wd b betr dscrîbd az lobiists hu rfyz t rvil hu fundz ɖm. Nǎ ś hz bròt ɖm intu ɖ hart v guvnmnt.
Hr sīńr speśl advîzr, Ruʈ Portr, wz cḿṇceśnz d’rectr at ɖ Insttyt v Ic̣nomic Aferz (IIA), an xtrim niolibṛl lobigrūp. An invstgeśn bî ɖ dmocṛsi campen Trnzpaṛfî listd ɖ IIA az “hîli opec” abt its fundñsorsz. W nǒ fṛm a comḅneśn v līcs n YS fîlñz ɖt it hz a hisṭri v tecñ muni fṛm tbacocumṗniz n sins 1967 fṛm ɖ ôlcumṗni BP, n hz olso rsivd larj dsbrsmnts fṛm fǎndeśnz fundd bî YS biłnerz, sm v ẃć hv bn amñ ɖ mejr sponsrz v clîṃtsayns dnayl. Ẃn ś wrct at ɖ IIA, Portr cōld fr rdysñ hǎzñbeṇfit n ćîldbeṇfit, ćarjñ peśnts t yz ɖ NHS, cutñ oṿsìz ed n scrapñ grīn fundz.
Ś ɖen bcem hed v ic̣nomic n sośl poḷsi at Poḷsi Xćenj, ẃć wz olso listd bî Trnzpaṛfî az “hîli opec”. Poḷsi Xćenj z ɖ grūp ɖt (aftr Portr left) cōld fr a ny lw agnst Xtñśn Rbełn, ẃć bcem, in formr homsecṛtri Priti Ptél’z handz, ɖ P’līs, Crîm, Sntnsñ n Corts Act. W lêtr dscuvrd it hd rsivd $30,000 fṛm ɖ YS ôlcumṗni Xón.
Liz Trus, acordñ t ɖ hed v ɖ IIA, hz spocn at mor v its ivnts ɖn “eni uɖr poḷtiśn ovr ɖ past 12 yirz”. Tū v Trus’z mītñz wɖ ɖ orġnîześn wr dlitd fṛm ɖ ofiśl record, ɖen riinstetd aftr ɖ dliśnz cōzd a scandl.
Mor importntli, Trus wz ɖ ostnsbl fǎndr, in 2011, v ɖ fri-enṭprîz grūp v Cnsrṿtiv MPz. Ɖ grūp’s webpej wz rejistrd bî Ruʈ Portr, hu at ɖ tîm wrct fr ɖ IIA. Ɖ IIA orġnîzd ivnts fr ɖ grūp n s’plaid it wɖ mīdịbrīfñz. Twelv membrz v ɖ cuṛnt cabiṇt, includñ sevṛl v its most sīńr figrz, b’loñd t ɖ grūp. Tde, f y trî t opn its webpej, y r rīdirectd t ɖ Fri-Marcit Foṛm, ẃć cōlz itslf “a project v ɖ Insttyt v Ic̣nomic Aferz”.
Trus’z ćīf ic̣nomic advîzr z Máʈy Sncler, formrli ćīf xektiv v a similr lobiyñgrūp, ɖ Taxpeyrz’ Alayns. It z olso fundd obskrli bî foṛn donrz. Sncler rout a bc cōld Let Ɖm Īt Carbn, argywñ agnst ax́n t privnt clîṃt brecdǎn. It clemd ɖt: “Eqtorịl rījnz mt sufr, bt it z intîrli poṣbl ɖt ɖs wl b baḷnst ǎt bî eriaz lîc Grīnḷnd.” In uɖr wrdz, w cn tred ɖ livz v biłnz v ppl agnst ɖ prospects v sm v ɖ līst inhaḅtd plesz on Rʈ. It’s amñ ɖ most caḷs n ignṛnt stetmnts I’v evr sìn.
Trus’z inṭrim preșecṛtri, Alix Wîld, wz rsrć d’rectr at ɖ sem orġnîześn. Hr hlʈ advîzr, Caṛlîn Elsm, wz sīńr rsrćr at ɖ Sntr fr Poḷsistudiz, ẃć wz listd bî Trnzpaṛfî az – y gest it – “hîli opec”. Hr p’liticl secṛtri, Sofi Jarvis, wz hed v guvnmnt’ferz at ɖ Adm Smiʈ Insttyt (olso “hîli opec”), n fundd, amñ uɖrz, bî tbacocumṗniz n YS fǎndeśnz.
Ɖz grūps repriznt ɖ xtrim frinj v niolibṛlism. Ɖs mntenz ɖt hymn rleśnśps r intîrli trnzax́nl: w’r motvetd abv ol bî ɖ psyt v muni, ẃć śeps ǎr bhevyr. Yt, hlerịsli, ẃn y ćalinj ɖm abt ɖer fundñ, ɖe dnî ɖt ɖ muni ɖe rsiv inflụnsz ɖ pziśnz ɖe tec.
Fr decedz, poḷsidveḷpmnt on ɖ rît wz śept az foloz. Oḷgarcs n corṗreśnz fundd ɖ ʈnctancs. Ɖ ʈnctancs pṛpozd poḷsiz ɖt, bî śir cǒinsidns, sūtd ɖ inṭrests v oḷgarcs n corṗreśnz. Ɖ biłnerpres – olso ǒnd bî oḷgarcs – rportd ɖz poḷsipṛpozlz az briłnt insîts bî indipndnt orġnîześnz. Cnsrṿtiv fruntbnćrz ɖen sáitd ɖ prescuṿrij az evidns v public dmand: ɖ vôs v ɖ oḷgarcs wz trītd az ɖ vôs v ɖ ppl.
In hiz ōṭbîogṛfi Ʈnctanc, Madsn Piri, fǎndr v ɖ Adm Smiʈ Insttyt, xplend hǎ it wrct. Evri Saṭde, in a wînbar in Lstr Sqer, stāf fṛm ɖ Adm Smiʈ Insttyt n ɖ Insttyt v Ic̣nomic Aferz wd sit dǎn wɖ Cnsrṿtiv rsrćrz n līdŗaitrz n coḷmnists fṛm ɖ Tîmz n Teḷgraf t plan “straṭji fr ɖ wīc ahd” n “co-orḍnet ǎr activtiz t mc s mor ifctiv c’lectivli”. Ɖ Dêli Meil weid in t hlp ɖ lobiists rfîn ɖer arğmnts n enśur ɖr wz a s’portiv articl on its līdrpej evri tîm ɖe publiśt a rport.
Bt nǎ ɖ ʈnctancs d’nt nīd a rnd’bt rùt. Ɖe r no longr lobiyñ guvnmnt. Ɖe r ɖ guvnmnt. Liz Trus z ɖer canddet. T dfnd ɖ inṭrests v globl capitl, ś wl wej wor agnst eni comn indevr t impruv ǎr livz or pṛtct ɖ livñ planit. F Lebr z lcñ fr a ʈri-wrd slogn wɖ ẃć t fît ɖ nxt ilex́n, it cd d wrs ɖn “Mnd Ɖs Cuntri”.
