“The only blessing was that this offered distraction from the truly toxic Afzal Amin, who may well have cost the Tories a crucial seat in the Midlands after he was accused of a deal with the far-Right English Defence League so improbable, stupid and cynical that it sounded like the plot of a satirical television drama.
Lest we think this was just idiocy from a rookie newcomer to politics, consider Hugo Swire, a Cameron ally and Brahmin of a banking dynasty. Representing a party which has to conduct difficult welfare reforms while being accused of being led by heartless toffs, he made jokes about people on benefits being able to afford £60,000 in auction prizes at a fundraiser. Swire is also a minister of state — a Cameron appointment — so the task of diplomacy without shooting his foot should not be entirely beyond him.”
East Devon Watch 
Of course, not just any old Minister of State (all of whom should have diplomacy running through their veins) but indeed a Minister of State in the Foreign Office where, if anything, diplomacy is even more important. (His Greek gaffe rightly offended the Greeks. Enough said I think.)
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Anyone know who or what the Exeter Constitutional Trust is/was? Between 2005 and 2010, they gave Hugo Swire £28,000, £11,250 to Neil Parish, and £3,500 to Mel Stride. A job to find out who they were? http://searchthemoney.com/profile/584/767
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Can we seriously believe that these people do not regard themselves as part of our imperial past, who are part of our lost Empire, and all this is a new found role of a Conservative elite to keep power over their underprivileged underlings.
This is the only way they can keep their personnel and impressive life-styles to the god given standard they have come to expect.
They no longer claim to rule half the worlds natives, and what was long ago called British prestige has since eroded.
If this Election is lost, it will not be the balance of payments people are concerned with, it is more likely to be the environment. and the situation with the lack of Policing and Social Services, and Housing for young Families, non of which has had any effect on the likes of Hugo Swire’s Friends and Family.
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