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A Brave Tory MP trying to do the right thing gets short shrift from her own party !


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Tracey Crouch resigns as sports minister over fixed odds betting terminals delay

Sports minister Tracey Crouch has resigned in protest at the government’s “unjustifiable” refusal to speed up plans to curb controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).

 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/01/sports-minister-resigns-over-chancellors-delay-to-gambling-curb

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tracey-crouch-resigns-sports-minister-delay-betting-fixed-odds-government-a8613256.html

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/11/01/tracey-crouch-has-quit-government-delay-slashing-stakes-crack/

 

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An excellent example of the way powerful lobby groups influence government towards decisions, delays, mitigation etc.

 

It's essentially a corrupt system that represents the interests of those who pay or can provide 'services' (eg. Murdoch, media) and those they are supposed to represent take a poor second place.

 

Credit where credit is due and Tracey Crouch, a Conservative MP for Chatham and Aylesford, can hold her head high because she actually attempted to represent the people and decided to resign on principle as those with the cash to give to the party got their way.

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15 minutes ago, Scott7 said:

I thought she, the MP, gave the party short shrift and rightly so. Well done.

The way I see it is that if she was to be a principled MP who put the good of the people she represents first then the final decision by the party essentially forced her resignation.

 

But that is neither here or there really, the main issue is that this puts a focus on what is a corrupt and habitual custom on how politics work in Westminster.

 

Many will say that this is how the world works, that's because we let it be.

 

The problem today is that it now runs so deep and has become so powerful that it just eats up anything in front of it.

We've reached the stage where the effects are becoming very aparent, electorates are looking for people to blame, the old polarise,  divide and conquer tactics are used, opportunists spring up, bad things happen.

 

There comes a stage where you are on the edge, where you become close to an irreversible position.

The ownership/control of new technology monopolies comes with a license to do what you want.

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Those "corrupt and habitual custom on how politics work" are not confined to Westminster - you can be assured that they are very much de rigeur in Edinburgh too.

 

Lobbying in Washington DC is a multi-billion $$ industry and is, from last check, the 3rd biggest industry in that city.  When you have interests to protect, you will spend big money on them.

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6 minutes ago, craig said:

Those "corrupt and habitual custom on how politics work" are not confined to Westminster - you can be assured that they are very much de rigeur in Edinburgh too.

A post of mine from another thread this morning..........

 

Arguments about Holyrood and Westminster make me think of rival fans shouting at each other at the next Dundee v St.Mirren match.

 

Rather than standing four square behind the flag of choice, why not admit both are failing ?

 

 

Quote

Lobbying in Washington DC is a multi-billion $$ industry and is, from last check, the 3rd biggest industry in that city.  When you have interests to protect, you will spend big money on them.

Quote from the above post..........

 

The problem today is that it now runs so deep and has become so powerful that it just eats up anything in front of it.

 

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The scale you mention could be used as an index of how f**ked up the 'democracy' actually is.

Edited by buster.
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Being a Tory, she probably has some other, better paid, situation lined up and is merely trying to disembark from cabinet duties with her virtue intact.  

 

Gambling is a huge problem in the UK (in my job that is very apparent) and small measures by government will make little difference.  Kids should be taught in school to take responsibility for their finances.  You can't rely on politicians to take uneducated masses by the hand - it won't work. 

Edited by Gonzo79
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I agree entirely with the MP who resigned and it was good to hear Ian Duncan-Smith today agreeing that we need to get rid of these betting terminals without delay.

 

Gambling, and fixed odds machines in particular, is fast becoming an addiction disaster in this country. That it's still allowed to fill our TV advertising space is a disgrace. I hate seeing a betting company on the front of Rangers shirts.

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On 02/11/2018 at 17:53, Bill said:

I agree entirely with the MP who resigned and it was good to hear Ian Duncan-Smith today agreeing that we need to get rid of these betting terminals without delay.

 

Gambling, and fixed odds machines in particular, is fast becoming an addiction disaster in this country. That it's still allowed to fill our TV advertising space is a disgrace. I hate seeing a betting company on the front of Rangers shirts.

Quick word of advice....sit down before reading the next sentence!!!

 

I agree with everything you have said here.

 

The big problem is that Gambling generates approx £14bn towards the UK economy (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/31/uk-gambling-industry-takes-14bn-year-punters)

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3 minutes ago, Darthter said:

 

The big problem is that Gambling generates approx £14bn towards the UK economy (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/31/uk-gambling-industry-takes-14bn-year-punters)

The more difficult figure to calculate is the social cost that the gambling industry causes.

 

I think the huge growth of online gambling means that 'lines are being crossed' and revenue for the governement today will mutate into large scale problems a little further down the line.

 

The government(s) know(s) this but they want the revenue and the lobbyists cash.

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43 minutes ago, Darthter said:

Quick word of advice....sit down before reading the next sentence!!!

 

I agree with everything you have said here.

 

The big problem is that Gambling generates approx £14bn towards the UK economy (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/31/uk-gambling-industry-takes-14bn-year-punters)

Believe me, your advice is of no interest to me.

 

In any case, your point is completely wrong. What you should say is £14bn (or whatever the correct figure is) is channelled through gambling. But if gambling didn't exist, that money wouldn't just stay in the pockets of wannabe gamblers. It would simply be spent on something else and enter the GDP chain along an alternative route. 

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