The UK Gold is not a “riveting documentary”, but merely conspiracy theorist drivel. Mark Donne is not a journalist, but merely an amateur film maker who has contributed a small number of ‘opinion pieces’ (space fillers) to newspapers. With no journalistic experience and no grasp of basic research methods he got taken in by various nutters with their loony assertions about the City of London Corporation.
Far from secretive, agendas and minutes for all the Corporation’s myriad committees are available online. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk Committees are held in public in the same manner as any other English local government body.
The Corporation does not have an office at the Palace of Westminster nor does it have a budget of $1.2 billion, nor anything like it. Residents and businesses in the City are subject to the same laws and pay the same taxes as anywhere else in England.
Cayman Islands
As for the Cayman Islands (mentioned in the trailer and a matter Donne has prattled on about elsewhere) the premier lost his majority in Parliament when two or three of his members crossed the floor and joined the opposition; giving the then opposition leader sufficient members to form a new government.
@heckblazer
All proposed legislation (or Bills as they are better known) are available on the Parliament website for anybody, anywhere in the world to view for free.
Up until the 1980s all principal councils in England and Wales set their own business rate. It is an Urban Myth that businesses can vote. See my comment on a previous doctorow post: http://bbs.boingboing.net/t/city-of-london-police-told-they-cant-just-take-away-domains-because-hollywood-doesnt-like-them/19106/17
@doctorow
The City is represented in Parliament in the normal way by the member for the Cities of London and Westminster. The City Remembrancer no more ‘sits’ in Parliament than a hack in the press gallery or a Japanese tourist in the press gallery does.
