Molly Scott Cato MEP, the Green MEP for the south west of England and Gibraltar, has launched this website:
As she says on the home page:
The purpose of “Bad Boys Of Brexit” is to challenge the myth that the EU referendum was the greatest example of democracy in our history. A democratic experience means well-informed citizens deliberating with each other between genuine and attainable futures. This is far from what we witnessed.
Our intention here is to expose those who worked both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras to build the campaigns, who funded them, and to ask: who was really taking back power from whom?
This site describes not a conspiracy theory but a conspiracy fact. We unpick, using widely available and credible sources, the stories of the people who funded and ran the dishonest and opaque campaigns that persuaded a majority of UK citizens to make a decision damaging to their future.
Much of what happened remains shrouded in secrecy and considerable efforts have been made to hide the ugly truth. I think you will find what you read here frightening. I know I do. But please don't turn away, because our democracy itself is at stake. Please share this information.
Please also use this information to reinforce the growing understanding that Brexit can, and must, be stopped.
Molly Scott Cato MEP.
This is initial list. You might like to take a read.
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Very good. A pit of vipers if there ever was one.
But where is my mate Daniel Hannan?
He should be on this list in my view if only for making BREXIT seem respectable.
ENTRYISM or just REJOINING? Arron Banks has clearly stated a strategy on two websites of recently incorporated ‘Leave’ companies.
“Let’s face it, UKIP achieved its goal of gaining & then winning the referendum without success in Westminster.
Maybe by flooding back into the Conservative party we can change the course of history again. With a leadership challenge on the cards once more, this may be the perfect time.” [1,2]
[1] https://leave.eu/ukip-lets-end-party-now/
[2] http://www.westmonster.com/banks-we-could-have-clear-majority-for-real-brexit-in-tory-party-if-ukip-supporters-join/#.WmuHupUMvaU.twitter
A very interesting list.
For me Mathew Elliot remains the poster boy of Brexit dodginess he’s got it all: the the seedy “think tank” link, the most blatant Russia connections, Cambridge analytica, electoral rule breaches etc. etc.
Come to think of it why aren’t the Remainers and progressives making more of all these Russia links that appear throughout this list? Surely that plot must thicken.
I’m loving some of the Twitter replies to that stupid “Brex Pistols” photo, such as
“Pretty Vacant” and “looks more like the damned to me” for my part I would like to add:
Never Mind the Pillocks. Any other takers for renaming that photo?
Hello Richard,
This sort of thing is counterproductive and intellectually lazy.
The Liberal Elite establishment has got us all into the mess we are in by engaging in this sort of personality politics and this website is a clear sign of the ELite Luvvies retreating into their identity politics bubbles.
In or out of the EU what are the Political and Socio-Economic realities of EU and British Citizens in the Middle and lower income brackets, Molly knows nothing about this and neither do the Rogues Gallery of pantomime villains she produces in this risible web site.
Varafoukis gave a good talk at the House of Commons last week.
https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/2018/01/31/the-magnificent-oomph-aiming-for-norway-plus-to-secure-a-progressive-brexit-transcript-of-speech/
The Issues and the Great sea change in our Geo-Political and Socio-Economic realities taking place requires much more effort and intellectual ability that Scott – Cato demonstrates with this abject excuse for political engagement.
My own focus this past few month has been on the phenomenon of Blockchain and the distributed web, the argument between Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Core is a useful handbook for how not to Argue one’s case. Brexit is a wicked Problem and therefore will not be solved by pantomime ya boo sucks politics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbvtAlmfYQI
Molly is a professor of economics
I guess she knows something
Molly is a professor of economics
I guess she knows something
Richard, I am sure Professor Scott Cato knows a great deal, this website demonstrates none of it.
With respect, I differ in opinion
Oh yeah sure, Roger,
So we let this mob off the hook and blithely assume that there is nothing to be gained by knowing about this. No way!
Marco, This is a case of not engaging with the issues this website has not a single word of Arguments for and against Brexit, a second Referendum and the current positions of the EU commision, The EU Parliament , Individual EU states , Continuing problems with the world economy with growing inequality, it merely indulges in a Blame Game seeking to hang the whole thing on some Billionaires.
Bexit and Donald Trump are a reaction of the disengaged and forgotten to 40 years of Neo-Liberal Trickle Down Economics the pantomime villains are one of the Symptoms of this Voodoo experiment in Socio-Economics and Geo-Politics.
Engaging in Arguments seeks solutions not scapegoats . Scapegoats usually end up with the real problem ( As I say in this case a Wicked Problem ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem.
My other reply to Richard awaits moderation, with respect to looking at this question more deeply you can consult the series of Blogs I have published on the subject, I refuse to engage at the Juvenile level that this website( The Cato one not Richards excellent Blog)
encourages.
http://letthemconfectsweeterlies.blogspot.se/2017/06/brex-zit-limerick-poem-election2017.html
http://letthemconfectsweeterlies.blogspot.se/2017/02/meet-fuggers-brexit-euro-and-clueless.html
http://letthemconfectsweeterlies.blogspot.se/2017/02/article-50-globalisation-and-real-seat.html
http://letthemconfectsweeterlies.blogspot.se/2017/03/brexit-timeline-from-brexitschmexit-to.html
And finally the Long Poem I wrote with a stanza, especially for Caroline Lucas MollyÅ› party leader.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBfdJLl0QNc
Brexit does seem to have been elevated to a national problem via yah boo sucks voting though. It’s the idiots who voted for Brexit and against their own interests Molly has to appeal to. I imagine she feels she has to do it in their level, hence this site.
Far from being puerile, this list also profiles these people and reveals what could be their vested interests in seeing BREXIT achieved.
It also shows how private wealth/money can be used in a country’s democratic processes to influence the result. This is something we should all be worried about Roger.
I mean, look at the United States!
HI PSR,
Money in Politics is a huge problem it is not restricted to Brexit. This site has a whole section alleging Russian Links and interference, probably the greatest example of the Media Elite and their wealth distorting the political realities of domestic politics seeking to scapegoat that old chestnut, the Here there be monsters card.
The Private Funding of Politics works on all sides of the argument both Stay and Leave, of course, the issues remain the issues and are not confined to the size of the PR budget available to sponsors of one side or other of the debate.
I have questioned Caroline LucasÅ› financing in the past, The Richmond By-Election was a troubling case of a Liberal Democrat Peer funding the Green Party in a very suspect front-running of a decision to frustrate local Green Party Democracy there,.
The Super Pacs and citizens United Case in the US are well known to me PSR and I share your concerns about these aspects of modern Politics frankly though it is disingenuous to claim that these are the Sole reasons that the Brexit referendum went the way it did.
And Bill,
. It’s the idiots who voted for Brexit and against their own interests, Molly has to appeal to. I imagine she feels she has to do it in their level, hence this site.
This Hifallutin sort of attitude sums up the problem much more than money in politics I feel.
The website is a cliche-ridden boil upon the face of reasoned argument, that is quite clear defend it if you must, you are seeking to defend the indefensible which only detracts from any strong arguments which rest with the case for remaining in the EU.
I’m with Roger on this. I’m afraid that website offers more of the stuff that obliged me to abstain in the referendum. Let’s stick to the real, underlying arguments which, in my view should be about austerity. Austerity here AND austerity in the EU which has blighted lives in Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland and contributed to Latvia’s losing 18.2% of its populace AND CONTINUES to blight lives here.
Referring to the Brexit voters as ‘idiots’ won’t help as many will already feel slighted and left behind by neo-liberalism and treated like mushrooms being fed ‘bogus dis-information.’ We need to properly inform people and get a message of clarity out there that the reason they feel abused, stressed, tired is not because of the EU in itself but because of the bogus economic ideology practised BOTH in the EU and UK.
Corbyn, to his credit, is not neglecting this message by getting sidetracked by the Brexit decoy because if we are to have Brexit, we sure as hell don’t want the Tories in when it happens and if we want the Tories out we need to keep explaining the underlying factors.
This website looks more like a continuation of the pie-throwing contest. Not good enough, I’m afraid.
“This website looks more like a continuation of the pie-throwing contest. ”
Bring it on!
I have no appetite (sorry) for letting these shitty little would-be oligarchs off the hook because someone else has an arbitrary, high-handed view about what approach ‘should’ be taken.
Reviewing the list and the events of the past 40 years one conclusion that could be drawn is that “the enemy” is not the Russians, it never was. The enemey in terms of a group delivering negative impacts on UK citizens (social & economic), has sat throughout that perod, in Downing Street with support from the likes of the trash listed by the Greens. The amusing thing is, UK citizens voted for “their enemies” in that period & if current polls are to be believed – a significant part of the pop’ still will.
In terms of the “trash” list – I guess any large political body tends to attracts “trash” (political physics – a new theory of political gravity?) – it would seem the British body polit-sick is rather good at that (certainly better than the Euros) , ably helped by a trash media, writing about people you would cross the street to avoid. Funny old world.
I like political physics
Clearly it’s a list of very nasty people, and I’m sure that Prof Scott Cato’s heart is in the right place, but I think there are (at least) three major flaws in her analysis.
First it technical, but significant — beyond the obviously self-serving claims of the company themselves, the evidence that all the money sprayed at Cambridge Analytica had any effect is non-existent. Plenty of talk of targeted social media posts and Russian bots and all that, but very little evidence that this had any effect — even at the margins.
Secondly, and more importantly, is the assumption that Britain post-Brexit will be in some way handed over directly to these people for their no doubt nefarious ends. This is a widely held assumption that certainly suits the liberal remainers, but there’s also no evidence that our democracy, imperfect as it is, would stand for it — all the polling evidence suggests that in the event of any crisis ‘disaster socialism is just as likely an outcome. Outside the constraints of the treaties something really progressive would always only be one election away.
Finally, if Brexit is now cancelled, the EU we’ll be allowed back into is very likely to be one that will carry on in it’s neoliberal direction that would continue to benefit the rentiers, tax evaders and gravy-trainers that constitute her list of shame anyway.
Adrian,
Any evidence of this lack of evidence? Carole Cadwalladr must be hallucinating.
At any rate Vote Leave’s Dominic Cummings doesn’t seem to agree with you:
https://dominiccummings.com/2016/10/29/on-the-referendum-20-the-campaign-physics-and-data-science-vote-leaves-voter-intention-collection-system-vics-now-available-for-all/
“A democratic experience means well-informed citizens deliberating with each other between genuine and attainable futures.”
That discounts any election ever held – including the one that elected Molly.
Nobody knows enough to make a ‘well-informed decision’ about voting. Nobody, ever, not even close. The information required to pass any test of ‘well informed’ is too vast for one person to digest.
I suspect the decision to vote is some combination of very partial knowledge, gut feel about a candidate or a cause, and tribal loyalty.
The beauty of democracy is 1) wisdom of the crowd – the collective ‘knows’ more than any individual member of it (that’s what gives Molly’s election legitimacy) and 2) the opportunity to put a broom of change through existing arrangements.
No “Bad Girls” – why is that?
Roger
No one seems to be claiming here that BREXIT happened just because of the money involved. And in this case we are talking about the winning side – and this means that the issue is especially relevant and should be exposed to the full glare of accountability. Which it has not. And we all know – especially here – the many varied causal factors were and are still at play in this issue.
FWIW I’m sure that you agree with me that such debates and referenda should be in future state funded on equal terms rather than being allowed to use other’s money – especially when we are not sure where the private money has come from.
We are also aware of the election expenses scandal of the last general election – something else that should make us prick up our ears and ask questions about BREXIT.
But how often are the background people in these affairs revealed? Especially when we consider the issue that the ‘bad boys’ are implicated in?
We are living in a time where the mainstream media is used to demonise even an independent judiciary; where experts are derided and where people who question BREXIT get labelled with words like ‘traitor’ in headlines which seem more at home in Soviet era Russia denunciations.
A lot of these histrionics concerning pro-BREXIT are also taking place in the more populist media
outlets.
In a way – and seen in the round – the pro-BREXIT hysterics reap what they sow. It’s tit for tat; fighting fire with fire. Normal rules go out of the window.
It’s not nice and I wish it were otherwise. But this is what happens when a country elects an inward looking Party that instead of ruling chooses instead to have a big public argument itself whilst letting its people go to ruin.
This is what you get when you ‘divide and conquer’ which is what the Tory Party has been doing since 2010. This is what you get when you attempt to blame others for the outcomes of your policies – as the Tories have sought to do and still do.
The disingenuousness you speak of started in 2010 (if not before): not on Molly’s website.
Who is this “Liberal Elite establishment” to which Roger refers. At least Professor Cato has named names. Roger is being equally as intellectually lazy in his glib referencing to this un-named shadowy fantasy group.
Really at the stone cold political heart of it all is the one thing that goes beyond the how’s and where’s. The synchronicity in terms of dates is startling.
Something that needs to be remembered for obvious reasons.
Towards the end of his life, Edward Carson, the Moses of Ulster Unionism, said “What a fool I was! I was only a puppet, and so was Ulster, and so was Ireland, in the political game that was to get the Conservative Party into Power.”
Ulster was created as a separate legal entity on 3 May 1921, under the Government of Ireland Act 1920.