Durham Police to Investigate Kier Starmer over breaking lockdown rules

The spirit of Joe Grundy lives on. volver.

volver

"If he gets away with not breaking the law"

If I were Glenda Jackson I would be thoroughly ashamed of my son...

I'm reminded of the 1970s TV political drama Bill Brand (available to view on YT). It's a very different country now but Brand’s ideology was and is sound. The words that still ring in my ears from that are those of the centre-right Labour PM (in the drama) who said we use unemployment as a weapon against inflation.

Well, you know that that has been a mainstream economic theory for a long time, OakDryad? That full employment causes inflation. It's only with the relatively recent rise in interest in MMT that it's now being challenged.

varian

After the fraudulent referendum of 2016, analysis showed newspaper readership to be the most powerful influence on voters. More that 80% of UK newspaper readers read those with a strong right wing pro-leave bias. The Sun and Daliy Mail are the most widely read, hence most influential.

The UK could have abolished general elections and just asked Rupert Murdoch who he wanted to be Prime Minister to save time and money. Since Harold Wilson won the 1974 election, not one Prime Minister has been elected in a general election without the backing of Rupert Murdoch.

I can still vividly remember the newspaper headline I saw at our village shop which said ‘The Queen supports leave’ and wondering why it was possible for a newspaper to be allowed to write such a thing. Surely freedom of the press shouldn’t mean freedom to tell blatant lies? And, even though I’ve never been a Corbyn supporter I let rip at a poor lady working in a garage when they were displaying a paper with a blatant lie about Corbyn in the front page. I did apologise and say I realised it wasn’t her fault personally.

I explained near the beginning of the thread that in terms of the optics I meant that when he was going for Johnson it might have been worthwhile to reflect whether anything could surface that would make things difficult for him. I wasnt thrilled with his responses when it surfaced in terms of pr (I am centre left and want a labour government and anything that may get in the way of that is an irritant) however I think his recent statement is an absolute nasterstroke. Somebody earlier said it was blairite in its approach, I agree but they meant it as a criticism, I dont

It is at times like this, when the right wing press are orchestrating a campaign against a politician they don't like and, it seems, deciding on what the police investigate, that I am very happy that we now have social media. At least there is an alternative source of information and opinion, some of dubious content, but a lot from people with intelligence, experience and who follow a moral code. Without people like Carole Cadwalldr and James O'Brien and others, we wouldn't know about these dirty tricks, about the poison being dripped in the ears of those who, sadly, get the bulk of their political information from trashy and malicious publications such as The Daily Mail and Daily Express. Without Twitter we wouldn't know about Nadine Dorries' libelous photoshop showing Starmer 'enjoying a curry' with someone who died in 2019, without Twitter we wouldn't know about most of these Downing Street illegal events.

Yes as they say ppl in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Looks like kier was in one of them houses lol

Nannashirlz

Yes as they say ppl in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Looks like kier was in one of them houses lol

Well, he’s certainly thrown a boulder at Boris hasn’t he? Even if he were to be found guilty and got a fine then resigned, he’s set the right high standard now. Good for him I think, we desperately need to have politicians we can trust.

Whitewavemark2

Well, if you read their editorials and comment pages, they are consistently critical of left wing policies - so people like Corbyn get very short shrift.

Neither can they be described as strong Starmer supporters. In the past they have supported the Liberals at election time.

So I think that they are more centre than left of centre.

One thing they are not are supporters of the right wing of the Tory party, but they have supported more central Tory policy. Not that there has been much of that over the past 10 years.

I am happy to take the view of a nationally conducted poll. That said that:

16% thought the Guardian was very left-wing
30% thought it was fairly left-wing
25% thought it was slightly left of centre
11% thought it was centre
7% thought it was slightly right of centre
7% thought it was fairly right-wing
5% thought it was very right-wing

This probably says as much about where those replying sit on the left-right spectrum. However, that is what this poll was deciding. I'm sure your view would be represented by one of those groups WWM. It was about where the country sees these newspapers, not where a single individual does.

Galaxy

I explained near the beginning of the thread that in terms of the optics I meant that when he was going for Johnson it might have been worthwhile to reflect whether anything could surface that would make things difficult for him. I wasnt thrilled with his responses when it surfaced in terms of pr (I am centre left and want a labour government and anything that may get in the way of that is an irritant) however I think his recent statement is an absolute nasterstroke. Somebody earlier said it was blairite in its approach, I agree but they meant it as a criticism, I dont

I think Starmer has been learning to be a politician - but he's been stress-tested by the far-right not found wanting - just not fast off the draw. He is a quick learner and will learn from this.

Johnson, on the other hand, has been learning to be a human being. He has been stress tested by events and found considerably wanting. He is not only a lying, incompetent Prime Minster, he is also a coward who hides behind others and blames them for his mistakes. He cannot learn and will continue to make costly mistakes which he will lie about.

‘Johnson….. lying incompetent, coward, hides behind others and blames them for his mistakes. He cannot learn and will continue to make costly mistakes which he will lie about”

Wow, imagine someone reaching these conclusions about the PM, leader of this country.
Especially when all the evidence says Daisy Anne is spot on

Interesting article in the New European.

Does Daily Mail boss Lord Rothermere fear Keir?

Rothermere, who pays minimal tax on account of his non-dom status, appears to be fretting about Starmer's pledge to abolish the loophole.

Explains a lot

Yes I think thats a fair analysis about Starmer Daisy Anne. I have always thought he was going to be the person who started to make the labour party electable rather than necessarily the next PM. But I am not so sure now. I thought he lacked a bit of ruthlessness and that still worries me a bit.

Iam64

The DM reports it has a Labour Whistleblower who claims the curry/beer event was planned in advance. S/he claims no work was done after eating because everyone was p****d. The DM also quotes Dianne Abbot as a supporter of Starmer, who says he should resign if fiubd to have breached the regulations. Good old Abbott, always on hand to criticise anyone who isn’t Corbyn.
It’s all very unedifying. One thing the DM and Tory ministers screaming for Starmer to resign if given a fixed penalty notice is whataboutery. Johnson, Sunak?

The DM also quotes Dianne Abbot as a supporter of Starmer, who says he should resign if fiubd to have breached the regulations. Good old Abbott, always on hand to criticise anyone who isn’t Corbyn.

One thing for sure, she can criticise away but it won't bring Corbyn back as leader. The more Abbott criticises Starmer, the better he seems.

Good grief. I actually emailed Abbott a few days ago to complain about the way she constantly criticises and undermines Keir. And I told her that one of the reasons people gave for not voting Labour at the last election was the fact that she would be in Corbyns cabinet. The Mail obviously don’t read her Facebook page.

Quote today on twitter if you genuinely think someone who offers to resign IF they have broken the law is worse than someone who won't resign WHEN they have broken the law you're a big part of what's wrong with this country

Whitewavemark2

*If Johnson survives, and Starmer doesn't, then it will be the final nail in politics for this country*

That is what I’m so frightened of.

So very true. The last nail in democracy.

I don't agree. Democracy can be exercised at the next GE.

Germanshepherdsmum

I don't agree. Democracy can be exercised at the next GE.

Only if you’ve got photo id…

What democracy? If you mean government elected by a minority I don't call that democracy.

Democracy isn't just something that happens at GEs though. We are seeing the Daily Mail manipulating voters and making up stories about the LOTO. That threatens democracy.

Lovetopaint037

Whitewavemark2

If Johnson survives, and Starmer doesn't, then it will be the final nail in politics for this country

That is what I’m so frightened of.

So very true. The last nail in democracy.

That’s not going to happen though, Boris is so flaky that pretty soon his own party will be eating him for breakfast, however unpalatable. He’s no longer a vote winner.

Germanshepherdsmum

I don't agree. Democracy can be exercised at the next GE.

But are you sure? One of the worst things about living in this time is that we have seen Trump and we have seen Putin. All the things we thought had been locked away seem to be escaping and I see much of it in Johnson.

DaisyAnne

Germanshepherdsmum

I don't agree. Democracy can be exercised at the next GE.

But are you sure? One of the worst things about living in this time is that we have seen Trump and we have seen Putin. All the things we thought had been locked away seem to be escaping and I see much of it in Johnson.

Even Kenneth Clark is saying Johnson is becoming dictator like.

I am getting concerned about the impartiality of our police, which is something I have until now never given much thought.

The Met seems biased towards the Government of the day, and after seeing this is the force in Durham biased towards Labour as the PCC is a Labour favourite.

Shouldn’t all police and legal appointments be non political?