There is not a great deal more one can or wants to add to the tawdry little episode uncovered by The Sunday Times. The inferences are obvious - Peter Cruddas is Cameron's "people", underlining once again that the man masquerading as our prime minister is no judge of character.

But even when they are banged to rights, his sort still don't get it. Announcing his resignation, Cruddas says: "I deeply regret any impression of impropriety arising from my bluster in that conversation".

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I do wonder at the sort of person who would pay any sum of money to meet the PM. And £250.000 is, I would suggest, a large sum even for a business leader who can see that equal results can be achieved other ways. For example the expansion, or not, of Heathrow.

Here there's no need to hand over money just start a rumour. We are told, and not only by that well known honest broker Richard Branson, that the Chinese will not do business with us unless we have another runway at Heathrow.

It's a daft rumour, that's all. There's no evidence, it is a rumour told so often it's well on its way to becoming a myth. But the PM has taken this to heart and will 'look again' at the promise to freeze expansion at Heathrow. So is contemplating breaking another election promise.

It's all down to trust and why give money to a man you cannot trust. After all what if someone gives more than you? Remember the PM is keen on competition!

Beats me anyway: how anybody could stomach a meal with Camoron in view. The idea of paying to make oneself that sick opens a new perspective on the scale of sublime and ridiculous.

There has to be mileage in this ... putting up cash to stop the lad visiting you.

It's not as if Cameron is the CEO anyway. He's merely one of many branch managers in a large firm whose share price is tanking. He visits HQ from time to time but only to be told what to stock and what to charge. Paying to meet him is a thorough waste of money unless one wants a title with which to gain easier access to expensive restaurants.

Richard, could I borrow a hundred grand or maybe two because I'd like to talk to Cameron about a referendum.

I wonder how much it cost to met Mr. Crudass?
Paying to reach the next layer up of officialdom is standard across most of the world so maybe this is Globalization??

Many moons ago I was one of a group of plumbers that were caught reading newspapers outside of the designated break time by a line manager (who once nodded off in front of us all whilst his boss was prattling on).
This line manager was not expecting the scene that met him and he started shouting, calmed down and then took our names (he didn't know any of our names which says a lot about his management abilities) and then reported us to the Head Foreman.

We trooped in one by one to take our punishment and the Head Foreman simply told me 'Don't get CAUGHT reading the paper,"
At the post bollocking debrief we discovered we had all received the same message.

I took it that this was a man who simply wanted a quiet life where those 'under him' don't do anything to draw the attention of those over him down onto him. I believe that this 'don't get caught' approach is the default position for almost everyone whose wages are funded by tax.

Slightly on subject.

Listening to the Today Prog this am re. the volte-face by the govt on the third runway at Heathrow.
It occurred to me that a few people probably paid for some face time with Cameron to get this through.

I had quite a few years working out of Heathrow and runways are not all it is short of.
SPACE is what it doesn't have and that will always be the case. On the day the 3rd runway is completed Heathrow will be too small.

This is all about not breaking the BAA airport monopoly and BA's monopoly of Heathrow slots both of which would suddenly become worth a lot less if the Thames Estuary Airport (the only sensible solution) became a reality.

Peter Cruddas told undercover reporters that 'things will open up for you' if they donated a large amount of money to the Tories

But...

'Clearly there is no question of donors being able to influence policy or gain undue access to politicians.'

'Specifically, it was categorically not the case that I could offer, or that David Cameron would consider, any access as a result of a donation.'


So our 'business representatives' would have handed over money for something Cruddas knew full well at the time he couldn't possibly deliver. Isn't there a name for that? Just wondering.

The beneficial crisis this time is that the politicians want taxpayer funding of their parties.

Look you just bung them a load of cash, get some face time during which you promise some more cash and have a better chance of getting what you want.

It's the same old same old.

Of course, he could hardly say he regretted the act because that would accept that he meant what he said to the potential donors and, whilst everyone knows that is true, the pretence must be kept up! Weasel words from the Crud that got to the top, but, hey, this is Politics!

Perhaps, if we could designate, each year, which party gets our 50p, this might give the voter slight power - a sort-of mini-referism! I think I would accept that!

I admit I used to be a member of the Tory party because I loathed Blair/Brown and the remainder of the New Labour twats. Unlike swathes of the sheeple who fell for the snake oil salesman, I never did. When there was the election of party leader between David Davis and Camoron, I voted for Davis as I believed then that Camoron was exactly the same as Blair. Again, because he allegedly did a better speech than Davis, people fell for this PR prat just like they did for Blair.

After the last general election I decided not to renew my membership of the party as I still did not fall for the PR prat. Of course Peter Hitchens, Richard North etc were right about Camoron. I wasn't impressed with him either but I could not stand Brown and just wanted Labour out. I would not vote for the Tory party at local or national level or any of the other major parties whilst Camoron is in charge. And no, I would not vote for Labour or LDs either. There seriously needs to be a "restructuring" of politics in this country. But what will happen at the next election? Sheeple will in the main vote for the 3 main parties. They (the sheeple) deserve everything they get.