… but if you want to know what it was, search for it, because it was so blatantly hot air nonsense that Owl isn’t giving it the extra oxygen of publicity.
Category Archives: Hugo Swire
Today: Swire asks a question at Prime Minister’s Question Time (no, not about East Devon)
Hugo Swire, a Conservative, asks if May has a message for the people of Hong Kong.
May says people were marching peacefully in Hong Kong. It is vital that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy is respected. She has raised this with Chinese leaders, she says.
Run by family members (Owl seems to recall cousin Barnaby runs the Hong Kong end:
“Swire Group is a Hong Kong- and London-based diversified conglomerate. Many of its core businesses can be found within the Asia Pacific region, where traditionally Swire’s operations have centred on Hong Kong and mainland China. Within Asia, Swire’s activities come under the group’s publicly quoted arm, Swire Pacific Limited.[1] Elsewhere in the world, many businesses are held directly by parent company, John Swire & Sons Limited, in Australia, Papua New Guinea, East Africa, Sri Lanka, the USA and UK. Swire controls a large property empire in Asia – mainly Hong Kong. The current chairman is Barnaby Swire. Taikoo (太古) is the Chinese name of Swire. It serves as the brand name for businesses such as Taikoo Sugar and Taikoo Shing.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swire
Here’s some info about the family:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Swire_family
and here’s some history of the Swire Group in China and Hong Kong:
https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1941580/history-swire-group-hong-kong-began-146-years-ago
“You can expel an MP for fiddling expenses – but not violence or misogyny. Why?”
” … Under the Recall of MPs Act 2015 constituents can recall their MP if they receive a custodial sentence, if they are banned from the House of Commons for 10 sitting days (which only happens if they’ve previously been banned for a shorter period) or if they are convicted of providing a misleading expenses claim.
That means that so far this year, the public has been able to recall one MP for lying to avoid a speeding ticket and another for fiddling his expenses claim for two landscape photographs. But even if an MP admits to aggressive or violent behaviour, without a custodial sentence they are untouchable until the next election. That’s why the Women’s Equality party has written an open letter calling on parliament to amend the Recall Act 2015, to give the public the power to recall their representatives in cases where they have been found guilty of violence or harassment by the independent parliamentary commissioner for standards.
We live in a country where violence against women and girls is endemic yet rarely prosecuted. An astonishing 98.3% of rapes reported to the police in England and Wales do not lead to a conviction. Nor does assault always result in a prison sentence, with many perpetrators getting off with a fine. These problems urgently need to be addressed, but we should not have to wait for an improvement in conviction rates to ensure that MPs are held accountable for their actions.
Violent people do not belong in government. Let’s make that clear.”
Another directorship for Swire … and an update on his business partner Lord Barker
Perhaps not his finest hour:
“From 12 April 2019, unpaid director of Fresh Voice and Vision Limited, which was set up to provide support to the leadership campaign of the Rt. Hon Dominic Raab MP. The campaign was launched on 10 June 2019. (Registered 12 June 2019)”
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/190617/swire_hugo.htm
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering about the still dormant company he set up with his mate Sir Greg Barker (supposedly to focus on “renewable energy projects”:
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/190617/swire_hugo.htm
here is an update on what Lord Barker has been getting up to:
https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2019/04/23/barker-19-04-23/content.html
“Tory MP used taxpayer-funded stationery for 250 birthday party invites”
“Andrew Rosindell has to repay £42.86 by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner after arguing invites were for ‘community event’…”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-mp-used-taxpayer-funded-17278331
Almost as bad as when Hugo Swire charged us all for a Mulberry i-pad cover – £395:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8108027.stm
and £349 for a sat-nav:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5581638/MPs-expenses-25-most-ludicrous-claims.html
Both our MPs backed “also rans” for PM – what now?
Swire was Raab’s campaign manager – Raab was knocked out of the race.
Parish backed old coke-snorter Gove, who is also out of the race.
So who will they back now?
Both started off as Remainers and switched to Brexit (they can change their minds, we can’t).
Johnson and Swire are both Old Etonians, so that looks a pretty likely match.
Parish left school at 16 to work on the family farm so Bojo AND Hunt, who have no interest in agriculture, will patronise him, if they notice him at all.
Neither of them says anything (much at all) on their websites.
Probably still trying to extricate themselves from the tangled voting webs.
Swire’s week getting even worse?
A commentator has just drawn Owl’s attention to Chairman Swire’s Conservative Middle East Council website:
Swire justifies his Saudi links
From his website – there is no date but probably just before bin Salman’s visit to UK in March 2018:
“Visit to the UK by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman
The Government expects the visit to usher in a new era in bilateral relations focused on a partnership that delivers wide-ranging benefits for both the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Government intends to enhance our co-operation in tackling international challenges such as terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen and other regional issues such as Iraq and Syria.
I am aware that Vision 2030, a programme of internal reforms, has been set in motion in Saudi Arabia by the Crown Prince. These include lifting the ban on women driving from June this year, opening up attendance at major sporting events to women and allowing cinemas to operate in the country. Vision 2030 aims to catalyse and open up the country’s economy over the next 15 years, which will provide opportunities for British businesses to help support delivery in areas such as education, entertainment and healthcare where they have world-class expertise.
It is my view that maintaining a good relationship with Saudi Arabia allows us to support their important programme of reform, and to have frank conversations on matters where we both have concerns. It is for this reason that I did not agree with the petition to prevent the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from visiting the UK.
Additionally, as the Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council (https://cmec.org.uk) I am committed to improve our understanding of the threats, challenges and opportunities in the Middle East which as you will be aware is a complex but important part of the world.”
https://www.hugoswire.org.uk/visit-uk-crown-prince-saudi-arabia-mohammad-bin-salman
Swire’s Saudi Arabian arms sales efforts undone by Appeal Court
It has been a bad week for Swire. His choice for PM (Dominic Raab, whose campaign he helped to conduct) was defeated early on and now questions are being asked (and decisions made) about the thorny subject of arms deals to Saudi Arabia during his time as a Foreign Office minister and since then during his (continuing) chairmanship of the Conservative Middle East Council.
Swire was made Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 4 September 2012 and was in the job until 15 July 2016.
During his time as Foreign Minister, Swire made trips to Saudi Arabia in the company of BAE Systems and an attempt was made to examine arms sales to the country (and to Colombia) in 2016, as reported by East Devon Watch here:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/12/crispin-blunt-to-intensify-row-about-saudi-arms-sales?
and here:
https://eastdevonwatch.org/2016/07/22/swire-economical-with-the-truth-at-the-foreign-office/
Since then Swire has again visited the country in his capacity as Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC) and a Labour MP tried to instigate an inquiry into the CMEC dealings in Saudi Arabia last year, mentioning Swire:
and Wikipedia states:
“Swire became Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC) in September 2016, having previously been a member of the group. In June 2016, he accepted a donation of £10,000 from the wife of a billionaire with links to the leadership of Saudi Arabia. The journalist Peter Oborne has criticised the direction of CMEC away from its earlier focus on Palestine, to greater interest on the Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia.[16]”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Swire
Now, the Appeal Court has ruled that arms sales to Saudi Arabia are (and have been since 2015) unlawful because they contributed to civilian casualties in indiscriminate bombing:
The Guardian explains:
“… The UK has licensed the sale of at least £4.7bn worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the start of the civil war in Yemen in March 2015, with most of the recorded sales taking place before 2018.
Sales are signed off by the foreign, defence and international trade secretaries, and ministers and former ministers including the Tory leadership candidates Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt have defended the UK’s arms relationship with Riyadh.
Latest figures estimate that the death toll in the complex civil war in Yemen since 2016 is fast approaching 100,000 – although there is currently a ceasefire – with nearly 11,700 civilians killed in attacks that have directly targeted them.
Estimates say that two-thirds of the civilian deaths were caused by the Saudi-led coalition; the rest were victims of actions by the Houthi rebels they are fighting.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said: “We welcome this verdict but it should never have taken a court case brought by campaigners to force the government to follow its own rules.
“The Saudi Arabian regime is one of the most brutal and repressive in the world, yet, for decades, it has been the largest buyer of UK-made arms. No matter what atrocities it has inflicted, the Saudi regime has been able to count on the uncritical political and military support of the UK.
“The bombing has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. UK arms companies have profited every step of the way. The arms sales must stop immediately.”
Swire – where has he been for the last 10 years asks voter
Letters, today’s Midweek Herald – hear, hear says Owl!
Swire’s choice for PM knocked out of ballot
Oh dear, Swire backed the wrong horse so he will have to try to suck up to Boris now if he wants a top job.
But we can hope that Swire is similarly knocked out of East Devon’s ballot so that Claire Wright can win.
Swire’s choice for PM not doing too well at present
Guardian satirist John Crace :
“… During the night, medics must have been mainlining Dominic Raab with valium to try to control his anger. It didn’t wholly work, as his neck bulged out of his shirt and the anger vein in his forehead still pulsed, but for once he didn’t actively look like someone who was about to commit GBH. Instead, the air of menace was more latent. The reason he was going to be able to force the EU to renegotiate the withdrawal deal was because they were terrified of him. He could out-psycho anyone. He knew where the bodies were buried. Mainly because he had put them there….”
Swire “hated maths”
Well, you don’t need to be numerate or literate or even moderately intelligent to be a Tory MP … just have a party to fund you …
How Parish and Swire voted on Parliament taking control of Brexit
Of course, they voted against it – their first (maybe only) priority is to keep the Conservative Party in power.
Swire: obsessed by Raab and Brexit – no time for East Devon
And if you believe this, you will believe anything. Remember, Swire’s party (with Lib Dems and DUP support) has been in power for NINE years – they CREATED the problems they now say should be solved!
Swire’s choice for PM: food banks are only for when you have “a cash flow problem”
Swire’s choice for PM: EU says he is a liar, others weigh in with further criticism
One has to wonder (or at least Owl does) why Swire picked on Raab as his choice for Prime Minister. Raab has said that he is willing to override and suspend Parliament (our “sovereignty”) to get what he wants, is “probably” not a feminist as he thinks men get the rawest deal, has been accused of having zero emotional intelligence, has been branded a “dictator” by other rivals for the job, didn’t realise how important Dover was as a port – and many believe that a current aide (a woman who used to work for Michael Gove) was the person who leaked the Gove cocaine story:
He has also been accused of being a bully by a member of staff, who had to sign a non-disclosure agreement to settle the claim :
Ah, on further thought, Owl can see exactly why Swire would back him!
“… Dominic Raab, is held in low-esteem in Brussels. During his four-month tenure as Brexit secretary, he lost trust of his EU counterparts. “He was seen to be working against his prime minister and making things up,” the first EU source said.
The European commission recently accused Raab of making “fraudulent” claims and spreading “pure disinformation” in a campaign video about the views of its secretary-general, Selmayr, on the future of Ireland.
Responding to unfavourable reports from Brussels, Raab told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show that it “probably tells you that I was doing my job in terms of pressing them hard and making sure that Britain’s interests were resolutely defended” ….”
Drug-taking MPs can be compromised (would only a handful be left?)
“… The whole issue has actually laid bare just how MPs and ministers (paid for by taxpayers) are treated differently than other public sector workers (paid for by taxpayers) on drugs.
While civil servants are required to be vetted formally (especially those working with access to intelligence), MPs do not have to fill in any forms on drug use. If the spooks are unaware of any such conduct, they are powerless to advise a PM on the blackmail risk or otherwise of someone in line for promotion. …”
Source: The Waugh Zone (Huffington Post)
Swire’s choice for PM – Robot Raab?
A few comments when audience asked if Swire’s choice for PM has “emotional intelligence”:
Swire’s choice for PM gets even more flak!
“Stephen Bush in The NewStatesman:
“…For now, Raab holds the dubious accolade of being the candidate that Conservative MPs would most like to prevent reaching the final vote of party members”.”
What DID Swire find attractive about him?
East Devon Watch 