You have to hand it to the Liberal Democrats. They are never more self-righteous or sanctimonious than when they themselves have something they would prefer to be swept under the carpet. The next few weeks and months are going to prove very embarrassing for them as the tsunami proportioned ripples caused by their erstwhile donor Michael Brown inexorably spread ever wider, and in their direction. After being exposed recently for having concealed their leader's alcoholism from the electorate for years, you might have thought they would keep their heads down for a respectable period. Alas (for them) it is not their way.
Robert Watts and Melissa Kite report today in The Sunday Telegraph about a story which is an attempt by the Liberal Democrats to divert attention away from themselves, onto the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman, Lord Oakeshott, claims that a Westminster office block was sold to the Tories for millions less than it was worth. The Conservatives bought Tufton Street in March for £15.6 million. Lord Oakeshott, who manages a property investment company, says the true market value would be at least £25m (but then of course, he would say that, wouldn't he?) According to Lord Oakeshott the acquisition of the office block “looks like a purchase on very favourable terms, so that it could be in effect be a concealed donation.” However a spokesman for the Conservatives has clarified that the party had not bought the property for substantially less than its market value and explained that the two properties acquired are situated next door to each other and are worth jointly more than if they belonged to separate owners.
It is only a few weeks since the Conservatives were "reported" for a deal involving the sale of their former headquarters at Smith Square. In that case, being sitting tenants, quite legitimately they had been able to purchase the freehold of the property for a lower significantly sum than the price at which they could sell it. Foul! shouted cash strapped Labour and Liberal Democrats.
Of course, this is all pure politics and the moral of the story is not to let the Liberal Democrats (or anyone else for that matter) get away with diverting attention from the mote in their own eye.
Just make a note of this somewhere…