Tories fined for spamming voters

[Fambo Number Mive]

The governing party of the U.K. has been fined £10,000 by the national data protection watchdog for sending spam.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has sanctioned the Conservative Party following an investigation triggered by complaints from 51 recipients of unwanted marketing emails sent in the name of the prime minister, Boris Johnson.

The emails in question were sent during eight days in July 2019 after Johnson had been elected as Party leader (and also therefore became U.K. PM) — urging the recipients to click on a link that directed them to a website for joining the Conservative Party...

In another damning twist, the Conservative Party had been subject to what the ICO calls "detailed engagement" at the time it was spamming people.

This was a result of wider action by the regulator, looking into the ecosystem and ethics around online political ads in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal — and the Party had already been warned of inadequate standards in its compliance with data protection and privacy law. But it went ahead and spammed people anyway.

£10k is going to be zero deterrent for a party with so many billionaire doners.

https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/03/uk-pm-boris-johnsons-tories-guilty-of-spamming-voters/

[olliebean]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the probable value of the fine was priced into their marketing budget.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Yeah small change for winning an election really.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Meanwhile the government ignores instructions to strengthen anti-corruption laws:

The British government has ignored instructions to strengthen UK anti-corruption laws, Europe's integrity watchdog has said – in a scathing report published after series of scandals.

The Council of Europe, which oversees the European Court of Human Rights and keeps tabs on corruption in states, said the UK failed "to demonstrate an acceptable level of compliance" after being told to toughen up sleaze laws.

It said weak points left unaddressed by Boris Johnson's government include a lack of independence for the government's standards watchdog – who can only take action on the orders of the prime minister – and non-existent controls to stop the revolving door between the government and private sector.


In a new report, the council's corruption monitoring arm GRECO said just five out of 12 recommendations previously handed to the UK government in 2018 had been "dealt satisfactorily with".

It comes after revelations about cash-for-peerages and concerns over the access and influence granted to lobbyists and Tory donors...

We might as well replace the statue of Churchill with one of Private Walker

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/corruption-uk-boris-johnson-council-of-europe-b1859988.html

[bgmnts]

It's like living in ancient Rome without the orgies.

[Paul Calf]

The orgies are happening. We're not invited.

Although if Johnson's at them, you couldn't pay me to go.

[Sebastian Cobb]

The orgies are happening. We're not invited.

Although if Johnson's at them, you couldn't pay me to go.

Not even for the buffet they put on?

[kittens]

The orgies are happening. We're not invited.

Although if Johnson's at them, you couldn't pay me to go.

the pay is actually pretty good. gove certainly has stamina, i'll give him that!

[Kankurette]

The orgies are happening. We're not invited.

Although if Johnson's at them, you couldn't pay me to go.

A Tory orgy would be the most unsexy thing ever. Especially with the current lot.

[Paul Calf]

the pay is actually pretty good. gove certainly has stamina, i'll give him that!

I will never forget that you said that.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

[petril]

The orgies are happening. We're not invited.

Although if Johnson's at them, you couldn't pay me to go.

the whole atmosphere is one of complete awkwardness as nobody actually feels like anyone is actually genuinely consenting to anything

[Paul Calf]

I reckon even the idea of consent gives Gove softcock.

[jobotic]

Not even for the buffet they put on?

You have to eat if off Johnson.

Or Gove. Depends how specialist you are.

Here comes Williamson with his whip!

[BlodwynPig]

Labour orgy:

Starmer in a corner staring into space with a weak lager in his hand.