THE Majorca-based multi millionaire last week hailed as the mystery man who bank-rolled the Liberal Democrats with a £2.5 million donation at the last election said yesterday that the party hung me out to dry.
Ever since May, when it was revealed that the Liberal Democrat party allegedly mis-managed his donation and, pending an investigation by the electoral commission, may be forced to give the £2.4 million back, people knew his name, but very few knew where he lived and what he looked like.
Michael Brown, whose IDB Foundation has just held a charity weekend in Majorca, said yesterday that he is not angry with the Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, but feels let down by the party and maintains that, based on the way they handled his money, the party is not fit to govern. I like Charles, I see good in Charles, Brown said, adding quickly that his support for Charles is not a Scottish thing, that's got nothing to do with it.
I'm not a political person, especially after all this mess, but Charles and the Lib Dems get the closest to what I believe in, the Glaswegian told The Bulletin.
I guess I agree with 75 percent of their policies. I see Charles as a true Liberal, I agree with his social and humanitarian policies - the Liberals in their day brought about some very significant social change to Britain - that's why I invested in Kennedy.
He has a lot to learn and has to become a statesman before he can lead. He needs to sow his political oats, travel, see what's happening outside the UK with his own eyes - running Britain is not just about home policies. We're one of the richest countries in the world and we should be sharing our wealth with the poor and needy - Charles needs to get out to experience the world's problems and wider issues.
Outside of Britain, people don't know there's a serious third party, everyone still think's it's a two horse race.
The Lib Dems didn't establish themselves as the opposition at the last election - like they claimed -- they established themselves as a serious third party, at the next election I would like to see them become the opposition, that's the kind of experience Kennedy needs to win an election, said Brown.
But, to be honest, I've had it with politics now.
I'm going to do it on my own.
When I made the donation, I wanted nothing in return, no business favours, no peerage, nothing. But I wasn't even contacted by the party, no one called, no one asked for a bit of feed back or in-put. I have not even been given a breakdown of how the money was spent.
They just took the money and ran.
So, if they are told to give the money back then I will gleefully accept and all of it will go straight to the foundation, Brown said.
To hell with politics. To get anything done you've got to be non-denominational and non partisan.
The media have blown this issue out of proportion.
I'm not the story, the Lib Dems are. I made this donation because I thought it was the correct thing to do.
I am the first to put my money where my mouth is and that's what I did by backing Charles Kennedy.
If the Lib Dems, and the likes of (campaign chief) Lord Razzle, can't handle a big Glaswegian with radical views giving them £2.5 million then that's not my problem.
I might back Kennedy again, I would be delighted to see him become Prime Minister one day, but I can't see it happening over the next couple of years. As I said, he's got a learn to learn.
Charity
weekend
on road to
500 '000
euros
THIS weekend's IDB Foundation charity golf tournament and gala auction to raise money to help build a village in Ethiopia should not only reach the 500'000 euro target but exceed it.
The IDB Foundation's first annual corporate golf challenge was held at the Golf de Andratx club on Saturday after the welcome cocktail party at the Dorint Hotel on Friday which was sponsored by Spanish bank La Caixa.
Thirty-five golfers, some of whom had not played for ten years, took part in the tournament while over a 100 guests attended the gala dinner and auction that night at the Santa Ponsa Hotel and Restaurant.
Michael Brown, who set up the foundation in honour of his late father, Ian Downes Brown, said yesterday that about 250'000 euros has been counted but we've not finished yet.
We'll hit the target.
All of the 24 auction items, which included items from private jet usage to private yachts for a weekend, a slave for a day and a personal pyrotechnic display at your own home, were all bid for. It was a great weekend and all of the people who came want to return next year, said Brown.
The money raised will go to the Calvia-based non-governmental organisation Mediterranea which was founded by Dr Michael Stoma.
Stoma told guests at the dinner that in ten years time we will be able to invite members of the village's first generation to this event.
The first village, including medical centre, school, sports facilities, areas for teenagers and special living accommodation for widows, is going to be built in Kombolcha, Ethiopia, but Brown says that the model for the village is going to be the blueprint for other villages in other poor countries.
Everyone who attended the charity weekend had to arrive with a tooth brush and teddy bear for orphans in the Third World. We have hundreds, thousands of tooth brushes and teddy bears now, so we'll have to decided on an orphanege soon, said Brown. We've already had a call for help from Vietnam so perhaps we'll focus there next.
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