Lord Waheed Alli, has he bought the government?

It is true, we now have Starmer’s sexuality , his wife’s religious faith, his children’s Christian names being questioned.

Questions about the Starmer family are due to Keir Starmer; his relationship and the amount of money involved with Waheed Alli have provoked some most unpleasant rumours which I would not repeat. Starmer made a throw-away remark about how he spent Friday nights some time ago, then explained it was Jewish tradition; most people neither knew or cared his wife was of Jewish descent. I cannot see there is a problem with revealing the names of his children; the names of the Blair, Johnson, Clegg, Truss and Sunak children were all known and probably their ages but nothing else.
And as for:
I'm afraid that I didn't notice 'public opinion' being quite so vociferous or sustained when Johnson was accepting gifts and holidays and attending parties in Italian properties belonging to the son of a KGB officer...
Where have you been for the past five years?

ronib

I think a campaign against the government needs to start with looking at Rachael Reeves and her proposal to spend £22 billion on carbon capture. It makes Starmer’s £6k to £100k freebies look insignificant.

Views about Net Zero tend to very polarised with an amount of scaremongering and downright lies thrown into the arguments. Rather than a "campaign against Labour", I'd like to see rational discussion about the issue taking all views into account. IMO it's too important to relegate it to a party political issue.

I think a campaign against the government needs to start with looking at Rachael Reeves and her proposal to spend £22 billion on carbon capture. It makes Starmer’s £6k to £100k freebies look insignificant.

This is a deliberate campaign against Starmer and the government...

Not true.

What bit isn't true?

This is a deliberate campaign against Starmer and the government...

Allira

Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose.

Or in other words, this all makes little difference to the way any government operates or the decisions it makes. It’s not a central issue, and it never was, the real scandals are elsewhere in their cupboards.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose.

It is true, we now have Starmer’s sexuality , his wife’s religious faith, his children’s Christian names being questioned

Mollygo

MaizieD
I'm afraid that I didn't notice 'public opinion' being quite so vociferous or sustained when Johnson was accepting gifts and holidays and attending parties in Italian properties belonging to the son of a KGB officer...

This is a deliberate campaign against Starmer and the government...

Not true.

What bit isn't true?

Allira

Casdon

I don’t see that anybody has denied what they have said before though Allira? We all take standpoints depending on our political allegiance, naturally.
The point I was making though was that there was a huge public scandal in 1997 regarding Bernie Ecclestone funding Labour’s election campaign, and it was thought then that it would see off Tony Blair. It didn’t. Here we are, almost 30 years later, numerous scandals later, and the ‘dubious’ donations are still coming. I don’t think this will be the reason for Starmer’s demise either - which will obviously come, as it does for them all.
I know I’m repeating myself, but it’s the system that has to change to avoid this happening again and again. I don’t think it will.

Of course they did!!

Unfortunately I can’t read your first link as it has apparently ‘moooved’ which is frustrating. I can’t see anything untoward in the second one, which I could open. Therefore I’m not sure exactly what you’re getting at - I’m certainly happy to hold my hands up in terms of being critical of the scandals of the last government, and I expect people to be so of this one - but I was trying to make a different point here.

MaizieD
I'm afraid that I didn't notice 'public opinion' being quite so vociferous or sustained when Johnson was accepting gifts and holidays and attending parties in Italian properties belonging to the son of a KGB officer...

This is a deliberate campaign against Starmer and the government...

Not true.

Casdon

I don’t see that anybody has denied what they have said before though Allira? We all take standpoints depending on our political allegiance, naturally.
The point I was making though was that there was a huge public scandal in 1997 regarding Bernie Ecclestone funding Labour’s election campaign, and it was thought then that it would see off Tony Blair. It didn’t. Here we are, almost 30 years later, numerous scandals later, and the ‘dubious’ donations are still coming. I don’t think this will be the reason for Starmer’s demise either - which will obviously come, as it does for them all.
I know I’m repeating myself, but it’s the system that has to change to avoid this happening again and again. I don’t think it will.

Of course they did!!

I don’t see that anybody has denied what they have said before though Allira? We all take standpoints depending on our political allegiance, naturally.
The point I was making though was that there was a huge public scandal in 1997 regarding Bernie Ecclestone funding Labour’s election campaign, and it was thought then that it would see off Tony Blair. It didn’t. Here we are, almost 30 years later, numerous scandals later, and the ‘dubious’ donations are still coming. I don’t think this will be the reason for Starmer’s demise either - which will obviously come, as it does for them all.
I know I’m repeating myself, but it’s the system that has to change to avoid this happening again and again. I don’t think it will.

Badenoch also accepted £10,000 from Neil Record (a climat change denier) and, just by coincidence I'm sure, has announced that she's in favour of backing down from Net Zero commitments.

www.gransnet.com/info/search?q=Tories+sleaze

Goodness, what short memories!!

www.gransnet.com/info/search?q=Boris+Johnson+sleaze

People have short memories, because this difficult start for the Labour government almost mirrors the big donations scandal there was when Tony Blair first came into power, with Bernie Ecclestone.

Well it’s going to take a lot more than this minor skirmish to remove the government - don’t worry Starmer will be around for ages ….. or maybe worry depending on your political affiliation.

MaizieD

I'm afraid that I didn't notice 'public opinion' being quite so vociferous or sustained when Johnson was accepting gifts and holidays and attending parties in Italian properties belonging to the son of a KGB officer...

This is a deliberate campaign against Starmer and the government...

True

Definitely Mazie it is a vicious attack, no way was anything said about Johnson as vile as we now read of Starmer

I'm afraid that I didn't notice 'public opinion' being quite so vociferous or sustained when Johnson was accepting gifts and holidays and attending parties in Italian properties belonging to the son of a KGB officer...

This is a deliberate campaign against Starmer and the government...

It’s public opinion, not to be sniffed at either that wants to abolish donations and influencing of political parties.

KS and his wife must pull in an impressive salary between them.
What he accepted when LOTO wasn’t noticed but is now that he’s the PM. He’s also accepted more gifts and hospitality than many others.Not against the law we all know that but maybe time that it ended for all of them.Only money given to help an election or for the running of offices in future with checks now and then to see if all is above board.Nobody could object to that.No more free pop concerts, tickets to the ballet free designer gear or anything else.
Sir Keir! Should have gone to Specsavers.🤬

eazybee

Oh come on. This man was a barrister, comfortable income; he knows all about accepting gifts and the trouble that can cause. After all, he spent five years preaching at the Tories for doing just that.
I am sure Lord Alli is extremely persuasive but Starmer was not some ingenue new to London; he must know Alli has an ulterior motive, which may well be to see Labour elected, but keep control once there.
Starmer has bought his party into disrepute by his foolishness and greed. The thing is, who exactly is briefing against him, and why? I would say, watch your back.

Who do you think is briefing against Starmer eazybee, and do you think it is somebody or some organisation that wants to abolish donations and influencing of political parties?

Anniebach

Using his children is acceptable, using his wife’s religious faith is acceptable?

Nobody is saying that.

Boz

In defence of Starmer, and I didn't even vote for him, his expenses must be horrendous. Living in London, expected to always look good etc. etc.
I rather suspect he just let all the freebies roll on without being totally aware of them all and the consequences when revealed to a hostile Press. He doesn't strike me as a materialistic man; just somewhat lax in letting Alli give too much.
Remember, Keir, no such thing as a free lunch.

That makes Starmer sound naïve.

I would never have described him as naïve. He's a very clever man and has had an impressive career before he entered politics, earning far more than he does as a politician.

He wasn't living on the breadline, unlike some pensioners who are going to feel the chill this winter.