Mone is the route of all evil
Wednesday 21st December 2022
JT
Recently, whilst going about my lawful occasions, I happened to stop by a coffee shop when I noticed an old copy of The Times which had been neatly folded and put into the paper rack along with the up to date tabloids
Whilst admiring this inspired use of recycling, It concerned the very well known Baroness Mone, who it would seem, had blotted her copybook in regard to the sale of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) to the department of health. Imagine how surprised I was to read that during Covid, face masks supplied by a PPE firm linked to Baroness Mone, were sold to the Department of Health for more than twice as much as identical ones which could be obtained elsewhere. That a politician of such standing, wealth and reputation could be involved in something so underhanded, so dishonest and at such a time, so cruel, is hard to believe.
How much profit?
But it is believable because documents leaked to The Times clearly show that during the pandemic, PPE Medpro supplied masks for 38.5p each as part of an £80.9 million contract. Identical masks, made by the same company, were provided by other suppliers for as little as 14.5p. The revelation and hint of gross dishonesty has, as it should, attracted scrutiny of the good lady's trading habits who along with her family all fed from the trough of plenty which had been filled to over brimming with the £29 million pounds profit she had secured after lobbying ministers for the contract.
Now for those of you not familiar with the term lobbying, this is a method of letting powerful people, in powerful positions, such as those who can place orders for £90 million or so, "have your way". This is often achieved by the promise of huge "bungs" in numbered bank accounts or the loss of job and pension for non compliance.
Questioned by The Guardian newspaper, Mone wiped away a tear from her heavily made up face and said "I did nothing wrong. "If idiots in the department of health want to pay way over the odds that's up to them. Its not illegal. Besides which nobody has lost anything apart from the electorate who have always been losers. I could have sold them for much more she blubbered but I am a kind, considerate, responsible person and would never have done such a thing. Besides which I was terrified the deal would fall apart and the need for speed prevailed. In my own defence I have set up several businesses including the Ultimo lingerie company, a naturopathic weight loss company flogging diet pills and a fake tan venture and have never had any major problems.
Continuing, she went on to say that unlike her billionaire husband who has the threat of a lengthy prison sentence hanging over him if found guilty of fraud charges in Spain, she herself was pure as the driven snow. Purer in fact.
Yesterday, Baroness Mone said in a statement that she will take a break from the House of Lords to "clear her name" over the allegations. She believes she can do this in less than 40 years - by which time she should have been able to spend most of the money. In the meantime, her good friend Lord Phartarse will clock in for her every day so she does not loose her £500 daily attendance allowance.
When it was suggested to her that If she really wanted to clear her name wouldn't a good way be to explain to the country why she ripped the Health Service off with a contract for face masks costing twice as much as could be obtained elsewhere.
Question Time
During Prime Ministers Questions in parliament, Sir Keir Starmer, that bastion of honesty and integrity, asked the prime minister how Mone had ended up with nearly £30 million of taxpayers money.
Standing there at the despatch box, wearing one of the suits which cost over £3500 and shoes which cost more than £550 the prime minister said he was "absolutely shocked" to hear allegations that Baroness Mone received millions originating from the obscene profits on a government contract with PPE Medpro and said he was furious because his cut of 10% had only been £250 when it should have been £2,900,000.
"It's right that she is no longer attending the House of Lords and therefore no longer has the Conservative whip," he told MPs in the House of Commons, continuing, I am very disappointed with what seems to be a dishonest act. I did nothing to her to justify this but she ripped me off. Is nothing sacred? In regard to the face masks in question, the department of health are still trying to locate them!
But to digress for a moment, the real kick to this story comes from the now established fact that 5 months before Covid broke out, the Chinese suspended the delivery of all PPE to the rest of the world. By the time delivery had started again, Covid had become well established and the cost of face masks, surgical gloves and other PPE equipment supplied by the Chinese had risen by a staggering 500 percent.
Despite the best efforts of many, no one has yet discovered a reason or received an explanation from the Chinese as to why or how this happened. Why did the Chinese do this? What did they know? Could there really be something in the view held by many, which is Covid came from a Chinese laboratory, which believe it or not was part funded by the United States of America.
When it comes to the face mask issue, as others ponder how this could possibly have happened in a country which has a corruption level of well below 65% others believe the answer can be found in that famous song by the Andrews Sisters "Money is the root of all evil". Or was it Mone?
Maybe delivering a gross of polygraph machines to the department of health will help us understand this insanity.
