https://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story ... qqqx=1.asp
Desmond donates £50k to Tories[/b]
Sunday, October 05, 2008 By Pat Leahy, Political Editor
Businessman Dermot Desmond has donated stg£50,000 to the British Conservative Party, entitling him to policy briefings from Tory leader David Cameron.
According to a Channel 4 documentary screened last week, the Irish businessman is one of a group of high net worth individuals who responded favourably to requests from the Conservative Party for substantial donations.
The £50,000 gift entitles Desmond to private meetings with Cameron a few times a year as part of his ‘‘leader’s circle’’.[/b]
It is not known if Desmond, whose worth is estimated in billions of euro, has availed of the opportunity to meet Cameron.
Calls to his office in Dublin last week were not returned.
Much of the funds raised are being ploughed into marginal constituencies that the Tories hope to win to swing the next British general election in their favour. The Channel 4 documentary was critical of Cameron’s promises of ‘‘openness and transparency’’, questioning the secrecy which surrounded many of the Tories’ donors.
Desmond was instrumental in the creation of the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin, where he maintains several business interests.
He is thought to have made close to €1 billion from the sale of London City Airport in 2006 and is a backer of a plan for a major oil refinery in Newfoundland, Canada.
He is also a large shareholder in Celtic FC. He was recently reported as having been offered the chairmanship of Aer Lingus, although the appointment never transpired.
