Robert Durward

Robert Durward is based in Scotland where he operates a granite quarry company, Cloburn Quarry Company Ltd., which he formed in 1982. In 1999 he formed the British Aggregates Association to "help protect independent quarry firms from adverse legislation and unfair competition." Durward founded the New Party (originally the Peoples Alliance) in 2003, stating that the creation of the party owed "much to the BAA’s failure to overturn the aggregate tax". Both the Peoples Alliance and the Scientific Alliance (founded in 2001) were established by Durward with assistance from Mark Adams of Foresight Communications, who is a former private secretary to John Major and Tony Blair. [ [http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=83662003&tid=733 The rich recluse masterminding Britain's new party] , Gethin Chamberlain, The Scotsman, January 22, 2003] .

The New Party

The New Party is a UK political party founded in 2003, which describes itself on its website "as a party of economic liberalism, political reform and internationalism".

According to the Electoral Commission, Durward's company, Cloburn Quarry Company Ltd, donated over £360,000 to the New Party during 2004. [ [http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/regulatory-issues/regdpoliticalparties.cfm?ec=%7Bts%20%272006%2D01%2D06%2010%3A40%3A44%27%7D Electoral Commission documents] ] The Party's total income for that year was £374,000 according to its audited accounts which are also available from the commission. [ [http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/files/dms/NewParty_17912-13263__E__N__S__W__.PDF New Party accounts] ] According to the party accounts Durward hold the position of party treasurer. Cloburn Quarry Company Ltd and the New Party share the same accountants and auditors, I A Stewart and Co, Lanark.

Public comments

In 2001, Durward was in the news for suggesting in a letter to a newspaper that the army could run public services. He has said that comment was made about the fantastic job they made of handling the foot and mouth crisis - and did not mean he really wanted martial law for the whole country. He has also spoken out on environmmental issues, including the 'media-fuelled circus of Kyoto', and the 'bluster emanating from the collective witch-hunt referred to kindly as the green movement'. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2848523.stm BBC News story on Peoples Alliance] ]

References

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*"The original version of this article incorporated text from the article [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_Durward Robert Durward] at Sourcewatch."