Marconi scandal

The Marconi scandal [ also called: Marconi affair ] (English Marconi scandal or Marconi affair ) was a domestic political scandal in Britain in the years 1912 to 1913, he arose from allegations of abuse of office against senior members of the Liberal government Asquith. including some ministers in the Cabinet rank, and fundamentally shook the confidence of the British public in the integrity of government and the political class in general. The name of the scandal goes back to the Marconi Company, the leading company of the age of telecommunications ( wireless telegraphy, etc. ) in Great Britain, which played a central role in the alleged corruption scandal. Importance was the matter as one of the few equipped with pronounced anti-Semitic undertones press campaigns in British history.

Course of the affair

As one of the largest public companies of the United Kingdom, the Marconi Company had always been a political issue and an object even government action because of their enormous importance to the UK economy. In the summer of 1912, several ministers of the then reigning Liberal government in the press was accused of insider knowledge in relation to the Marconi company, which they had acquired in their capacity as government officials, exploited in order to obtain private economic advantages for themselves. In particular, rose to the press the accusation that the politicians had their knowledge of internally made ​​but not yet known to the public declassified government decisions affecting the Marconi Company, abused order in regard to the already foreseeable for her performance of the shares of Marconi in exchange trading these stocks to participate. And you would also exploited the knowledge advantage granted to them as public officials and policy makers of the State in its capacity in order to provide as private benefits, and thus gives unfairly advantages in the stock market over other speculators.

First raised the weekly " Outlook " the accusation of stock fraud against several ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) David Lloyd George, the second most important man in the government and leaders of the left wing of the party. Various other media outlets picked up on the report of " Outlook " and brought their own " investigative " reports of complications. It came off Lloyd George in particular Sir Rufus Isaacs, as Attorney General of the top legal adviser to the government, in the crosshairs of criticism. The criticisms of the established especially in the work that his brother Godfrey Isaacs worked for Marconi as Managing Director. Isaacs Jewish ancestry eventually led to the reports of some press organs assumptions decidedly anti -Semitic coloring and indulged in prejudices and stereotypes, for example, edited by Cecil Chesterton magazine " New Witness".

To clarify the matter, finally, a parliamentary committee was established which should clarify the matter. Although this stated that Isaacs and Lloyd George had acquired shares for the American subsidiary of Marconi, but the allegation of corruption or abuse of the information could not be corroborated.

Follow

Although the parliamentary committee of inquiry is no clear evidence of an abuse of authority on the part of Lloyd George had been able to find the motivation for the affair Marconi the reputation of the later prime minister as political Greyhound and corrupt advantage seeker who accompany him for the rest of his political career and his reputation as " the founder of the British welfare state should " (as trade Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer ) and" adhere the man who won the war " ( as Prime Minister during the First world War) as a continual blemish.

Cecil Chesterton was displayed in the wake of the Marconi scandal of Isaac's libel and sentenced by a court to pay a fine in the amount of 100 pounds.