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EU Trade Commissioner Enjoyed MS Hospitality
Brian Blessed writes "Today's edition of The Times contains a report that Peter Mandelson, the EU (European Union) Trade Commissioner, spent New Year's Eve as a guest of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, in the Carribean on Mr Allen's luxury yacht. The story mentions the conflict of interest that this causes because of the protracted legal battle between Microsoft and the European Commission. Perhaps the Trade Commissioner has also been in a position to influence the progress of European Software Patent legislation?"
Although Mr Allen is no longer directly involved in the management of Microsoft, he remains its second biggest shareholder. There is no suggestion that Mr Mandelson has broken the Commission's code of conduct.
As a rule, rihc and powerful people tend to hang out with other rich and powerful people. I suspect this is more about giving the appearance of impropriety rather than any impropriety itself. Political opponents will try to make hay from this.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
They buy everything else in sight -- how much can the EU possibly cost, anyway?
Paleotechnologist and connoisseur of pretty shiny things.
Well at least we have proof positive that U.S. polititians aren't the only dirty ones.
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DNA, So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
Ahhh the benefits of centralizing power. Now Microsoft only has to buy off a few flunkies in the EU as opposed to each former European country. Much better for business.
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During the party on the Octopus, Mr Mandelson and Mr Allen greeted each other, but his spokesman insisted that "there was no substantial conversation" and that the pair merely exchanged pleasantries. This was merely an introduction. The bribes come later.
If you give a liberal an enema, he'll turn transparent.
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If Peter Mandleson is behind you I dont think its to scratch your back.
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
This tastes like tinfoil to me. Paul Allen may be the second largest shareholder at Microsoft, but he's long since moved on from the Redmond giant.
I don't think it's a great idea for people like this to be enjoying the luxuries of other rich influential people at all, but I doubt this is a Microsoft specific thing.
This looks more improper than it truly is.
Conservative leaders say that Mr Mandelson, who was twice forced to resign from the Cabinet over allegations of sleaze, should learn the lessons of the past, demanding that he should be "totally open" and branding him "naive".
TWICE?! he was twice forced to resign over allegations of sleaze?! Wow, he either has vicious enemies or he's not so much on the up and up.
Starsucks
I'll extend an invitation to the TC for a hiking/camping trip any time he wants to discuss FOSS. If everything goes well, I'll even break out the marshmallows.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
It all started at the party. Peter noticed Paul staring at him the whole time, and knew that he had to do something about it. He walked over to Paul and waited for him to say something. ... talk about those patents?"
Mandleson and Allen gazed longingly into each other's eyes. They knew that the moment was right, and if everything was perfect, there would be magic tonight.
"Whatever shall we do, Paul?" Peter said with a coy smile.
Paul just grinned and patted his hand. "How about we go into the bedroom and
Seriously. Homoeroticism abounds in this article. Two men spending New Year's Eve on the Caribbean in a private yacht? Whoa.
Anyways, to continue the story...
It was a night to remember. The two were up all night long, engaging in passionate discourse about patent restrictions on software in Europe. They say that private bargaining is like eating at a Chinese restaurant - it's not over until everyone gets their cookies. Paul got his patent cookies, and Mandelson got his legal jibblies off.
They knew that they could tell no one, so they told their spokespeople that "there was no substantial conversation" and that they had merely exchanged pleasantries.
I like my version better.
I am scientifically inaccurate.
How in the hell he thought it , Either A: acceptable , or B: a good idea , is simply beyond me .
.
.A letter is sometimes all it takes (oh and while you at it , make sure to bug you MEP again about the patents issue)
Here is a man of immense power and persuasion taking what ammounts to a large bribe from microsoft and i have no doubts he was having a good drink enjoying ways to amicably let microsoft off on the fine , the opening up thing , oh and the Patent issue.
Tonight i am going to write a letter to my MEP and urge that they raise a question as to whether he should be thrown out of this position imediatly , and at the very lest that he get some awnsers as to why he thought this behaviour beffiting of a politican.
I do not want large lobby groups and private industry to have a strangle hold over the european commision , and if people like this are in office then i am begining to lose hope
This will not stop me kicking up a fuss , and if you agree with me i urge you to do the same
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
Reminds me of former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, who had quite the large collection of priceless gems, for someone who got by on a mayor's salary. There was a reason Detroit kept getting worse and worse and it couldn't all be blamed on Ford, GM and Chrysler.
Isn't Paul Allen away from Microsoft? I thought he left the company and took his billions of $ to pursue his own dreams.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
..his own power.
For those who are not familiar with him, Peter Mandelson is one of the most skilled, cynical and cunning politicians in recent British history. A true heir to Macchiavelli's crown, he has shown himself unparelleled in his ability to attain and retain power. The guy has been sacked from the British cabinet on two occasions, but still managed to emerge with his acreer intact. His trick is to make himself invaluable as the right hand man of the guy with the power. First Blair, now Barrosso. He is not the sort to be bought by Microsoft. He will stay close to them just as long as they are useful to him and no longer. I think this a case where the cynical MS lobbyists have met their match.
First up, he was in the cabinet culminating in Trade Secretary, but had to resign after it was discovered he had taken a loan of £373,000 (about $700,000) from another minister and not declared it in the public records.
A few years later, long enough for Blair but not the rest of the population to forget, he was back "resurrected" as it were (apt, as he's also known as the Prince of Darkness) to be the Northern Ireland secretary. Guess what, not that long after it transpired he was involved with a dodgy claim by some rather wealthy businessmen to gain British passports.
He got the Trade Commissioner job by merit Blair being blind to his foibles. So, now we discover that he's been taking benefits in kind, presumably rather on the sly, from a co-founder of Microsoft that just happens to have been landed with a hefty fine by the EU.
Why am I not surprised?
More here on the esteemed gentlemans career if you don't like bitter and twisted British political mumblings.
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Linus invited this guy on the same day to hang out, discuss kernal optimization and play some D&D but was turned down in favor of Allen.
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served some Guacamole.
Wanted : A Signature.