From The Times:
Josh Ryan-Collins, of the New Economics Foundation, said: “There’s a sense that they are using their market power to dominate aspects of the economy. There is a need for more affordable housing but there is a danger with Tesco’s moves. If they provide the mortgage, if they act as estate agent, if they provide a credit card, if they sell you a house, they will end up with more personal information about you than the Government.”
OK. Firstly, the info that Tesco collect via your Clubcard or mortgage statement etc. is entirely voluntarily given, and information on mortgage applications tends to get pooled behind the scenes anyway.
Secondly, the statement is quite simply untrue - Tesco wouldn't have (or shouldn't have) access to HM Revenue & Customs, NHS details, criminal records, Contact Point and Heaven forfend, things like DNA records etc.
Thirdly, if we agree that it is A Bad Thing for large organisations to have 'too much' information on you, why doesn't this particular taxpayer-funded leftie 'think tank' say the same thing about the database state?
Monday, 26 April 2010
And they say it like it's A Bad Thing?
Posted by
Mark Wadsworth
at
13:12
11
comments
Labels: Data protection, New Economics Foundation, Quangocracy, Tesco
Saturday, 11 April 2009
This week's FakeCharity round-up
Two government funded propaganda bodies have this week called for the government to do what it was going to do anyway:
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From The Metro:
Calculations from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) revealed that because of rising consumption of products such as food and energy from abroad, we start "living off" the rest of the world just a third of the way through the year. And because our total consumption is growing and putting increased pressure on ecosystems, the day the UK effectively starts living outside its means is creeping earlier each year... "Uncontrolled growth of financial debt is currently laying waste to large parts of the global economy. An explosion of ecological debt looks set to do the same to a biosphere friendly to human civilisation."
A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokeswoman said: "The reality is we live in a globally interconnected world. As a planet, we must live within our environmental means and it's wrong to look at the UK in isolation... We're leading the way in committing to reduce our carbon dependency by 80%, but what's important is to get all countries committed to change in parallel. This is why we're looking for a global deal in Copenhagen this December."
Please note - The New Economics Foundation receives about £3 million a year from "trusts and foundations, local, regional and national government and through consultancy contracts" (per page 31 to the 2007 accounts) which is about ninety per cent of their total income (see page 35).
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From 24Dash.com (itself a propaganda website!)
The Government should channel £30 billion a year of investment into low carbon measures to create a green New Deal, its sustainability watchdog urged today. The Sustainable Development Commission said half of the UK's stimulus package, which should total 4% of GDP, should go on boosting renewable energy and green transport, redesigning the national grid and making homes more energy efficient. Outlining its recommendations for a sustainable stimulus package in the Budget, the SDC also called for low-carbon investments in the public sector and funding to improve green skills...
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change acknowledged there was an urgent need for action, as well as "real opportunities" in the low-carbon sector. The spokesman said Government policies were driving £50 billion of investment in the sector between 2008 and 2011, including £5.8 billion in renewables, £10 billion in energy efficiency programmes, £7.6 billion in the grid and £23 billion on public transport and low carbon vehicles... "We agree more needs to be done and we will be outlining further plans in these areas in the summer when will announce how we intend to meet our carbon budget commitments."
Please note - The Sustainable Development Commission is a straight quango (not true fakecharity), which was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee, number 6798740 on 22 January 2009, so it will be at least a year before we can find out how much taxpayers' money is wasted on them.
Posted by
Mark Wadsworth
at
15:07
3
comments
Labels: Department of Energy and Climate Change, New Economics Foundation, Propaganda, Quangocracy, Sustainable Development Commission, Waste
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Quangoes of the week
Just to put you all in a foul mood for the rest of the day, they're coming thick and fast now:
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Witterings from Witney covered the exploits of SOLACE - The Society Of Local Authority Chief Executives:
Serving council employees are operating a consultancy/recruitment company - a company which it is reported receives fees of £20,000 to head hunt chief executives and to recommend salary levels.
Having badgered them, WoW obtained a copy of the accounts for one of its subsidiaries, SOLACE Enterprises Limited, which he emailed me, these show that this subsidiary alone received £20 million of taxpayers' finest over the last two years.
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The Fat Bigot picked up on this story:
Former cabinet minister Alan Milburn is to return to the political front line in a key advisory role to Gordon Brown. The ex-health secretary is to head a new commission on social mobility. Mr Milburn, who is seen as a Blairite, will chair a panel of industry leaders to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds get on in key professions.
Following a reasonable argument based on personal experience, facts and logic, TFB concluded that "To suggest that a quango can do anything substantive in this field - and anything in proportion to the amount of taxpayers' money thrown at it - is a complete joke."
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Tim W rolled up his sleeves and tried to make head or tail of The New Economics Foundation's accounts.
To cut a long story short, the NEF receive about £3 million a year from "trusts and foundations, local, regional and national government and through consultancy contracts."
Just for fun, print off the accounts and try reading the 'Trustees' Report" over breakfast without choking on your cornflakes. Or take a peek at their website.
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UPDATE JuliaM stumbles across a taxpayer funded 'charity' which spends up to £1,000 per journey to help East Europeans who want to go home.
Posted by
Mark Wadsworth
at
07:13
5
comments
Labels: Alan Milburn, Charities, Corruption, Eastern Europe, EU, New Economics Foundation, Quangocracy, SOLACE, Waste