Ɖ Gardịn vy on cronicapiṭlizm: a moṛl c’rupśn stōcs parḷmnt
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 24 Nov. 2022)
Ɖ cuntri z in trubl f jrñ a naśnl imrjnsi ɖ icoṇmi cd b so īẓli rigd t fevr cnctd insîdrz
Ʈrzde 24 Nvmbr 2022
Cronicapiṭlizm in ɖ Hǎs v Lordz z nt a gd lc fr Britn. Yt jrñ ɖ Covid crîsis, ɖr apird t b a stroñ ces ɖt p’liticl axes alaud priṿlijd indivijlz t xtract a gret dīl v wlʈ fṛm ɖ stet. On Wnzde, ɖ Gardịn pṛdyst astoṇśñ evidns fr ɖoz wśñ t proṣkt ɖs arğmnt. It sjstd ɖt Miśél Mǒn, a Tori pir, hr huzbnd, Dugḷs Baromn, n hr ćildṛn sīcṛtli rsivd £65m oriɉnetñ fṛm ɖ profits v PPI Medpro, a cumṗni ɖt wz awordd larj guvnmntcontracts jrñ ɖ pandemic aftr ś rec̣mndd it t ministrz. F capiṭlizm jrñ a naśnl imrjnsi cn b so īẓli rigd t fevr cnctd insîdrz ɖen ɖ cuntri z in trubl.
Ɖ guvnmnt lūbṛcetd sć qsćṇbl dīl-mcñ bî setñ p a “VIP len” intu ẃć s’playrz rec̣mndd bî poḷtiśnz or ofiślz wr fast-tráct. PPI Medpro’z biznis wz rfŕd t ɖ VIP len aftr Ledi Mǒn cntactd ɖ ministrz Mîcl Gove n Lord Agny t ofr hlp in Me 2020. A fy wīcs lêtr, ɖ guvnmnt cntractd t pe ɖ frm £203m fr pṛtctiv iqipmnt fr ɖ NHS. A cort lêtr sd ɖt ɖ VIP len wz unlwfl. Phps wrs, it wz inifctiv. Ɖ guvnmnt z nǎ in dspyt ovr miłnz v srjicl gǎnz s’plaid bî PPI Medpro ɖt it sz wr nt p t scrać. PPI Medpro insists its products pást inspx́nz.
Ledi Mǒn wz apôntd az a lîftîm pir bî Devid Camṛn in 2015. Hr arîvl on ɖ Tori bnćz rezd îbrǎz, gvn hr prīvịs s’port fr Lebr. Uɖrz qsćnd hr bizniscṛdnślz, gvn hr lãẓ́ribiznis hd lost muni (it wnt undr in 2018). Bt ɖ Tori pir wz unditŕd, selñ juwlri on a hom-śopñ ćanl n pṛmotñ hrslf az a criptocuṛnsi xprt. Ledi Mǒn’z cnspiḳs s’xes hz bn hard t mis rīsntli, wɖ a laviś lîfstîl v lux̣́riyotñ, an xpandñ proṗtiportfolio, a hunimūn in ɖ Indịn Ośn n a wedñ fīćrd in Hlo! maġzīn. Ɖ pir, hvr, dnîz bcmñ fntasticli rić bî proḟtñ fṛm a cumṗni ś lobid t b awordd stetcontracts.
Ledi Mǒn z biyñ invstgetd bî ɖ Lordz cmiśnr fr standdz aftr biyñ akzd v felñ t dcler an inṭrest in PPI Medpro. Ɖ frm z olso biyñ psyd bî HM Reṿny n Custmz, apaṛntli fr unpeid taxz. It sz ɖt it wl “pe in fl” f eni ǎtstandñ muniz r oud. Ɖ Mǒn faṃliproṗtiz hv bn rêdd bî ɖ Naśnl Crîm Ejnsi, ẃć z invstgetñ ptnśl frōd rletñ t ɖ cumṗni. Ɖ Naśnl Ōdit Ofis ʈt ɖt £1.4bn v spendñ ʈru ɖ VIP len z “at risc” v nt aćivñ valy fr muni.
Ɖ hol episod rìcs v a cntmt fr guvnmnt. Piṛjz śd nt b jst a mīnz t prsnl – or îdịlojicl – endz. Nɖr śd ɖe b dǒld ǎt t wlʈi biznis ppl in rtrn fr bancrolñ p’liticl partiz. Ɖ Lordz hz bcm imprudntli blǒtd, nǎ wɖ ovr 800 pirz. Līcs sjst ɖt Sr Cir Starmr wl aboliś ɖ upr hǎs n rples it wɖ a ny ilectd ćembr az part v planz t “rstor trust in poḷtics”. Mni pirz pform a vałbl rǒl bî cāmli scrūṭnîzñ n amndñ lejsleśn ɖt hz ofn bn ruśt ʈru ɖ Comnz. Hvr, ɖ reṿleśnz abt Ledi Mǒn śo jst hǎ mć stren ɖ upr hǎs n Britiś stet insttyśnz hv bn pt undr bî ɖ cuṛnt p’liticl dispnseśn. Moṛl c’rupśn at ɖ hart v ɖ Britiś parḷmnt z a morbid simtm fr libṛl dmocṛsi itslf.
