Lord Waheed Alli, has he bought the government?

This thread has gone sone way to reassuring me that gransnet still has some thoughtful, reflective posters who want to analyse and discuss rather than regurgitate inaccurate, often inflammatory, provocative distortions

On the wallpaper front, my outrage was at the ludicrous expense for lodgings the current inhabitants were unlikely to remain in long enough to get value for money from.

^ As a multi millionaire Lord Alli’s thousands mean the same to him as my fiver does to me.^

Do we know this for a fact or is it opinion?

Well, when I had to count every pennies I did exactly that - if I was filthy rich, I don’t suppose I’d need or want to count pennies, maybe count millions

I don’t believe that Lord Alli has bought the government but it’s brought to our attention that overgenerous personal freebies and luxuries can certainly look that way and could make refusing a donor anything awkward.
I think it’s time that politicians only accepted money to help campaigns and run offices, nothing more.

When Lord Alli gave gifts of clothing, spectacles etc, this was much criticised. He loans money for a terminally ill person and suddenly in some eyes he is a saint, subject to a witch hunt! Interesting.

Wouldn’t it be easier just to say no gifts…full stop!
Must be upsetting for those who buy their own clothes and entertainment tickets etc and who are now freezing in their homes to see this wanton hypocrisy.
Also why do they need designer gear….? Delusions of grandeur….they should flaunt their working class roots not behave like tasteless peacocks. But then as always it’s one rule for them….
They should turn the heating down in Westminster and Parliament…not add more heaters…taste of their own medicine.

Just because people are given loans and gifts or does not mean they are ' owned' or duty bound to do the givers bidding! If it's declared it's fine! Why not help people to carry out their roles as MPs by alleviating as much of the everyday strain as possible. The hidden 'old boys' networks, corporate, class and elite networks are far more sinister.

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Pippa22 rock bottom and still drilling

So the Tories took donations and a lot of us went "that's disgusting." Starmer jumped up and down a lot about it and now we find out that he has received donations. To criticise him is somehow wrong. 🙄

What I think is wrong is that the system is open to abuse regardless of which party is in power and it should be changed. There is no reason for a sitting Prime Minister to change the wallpaper in Downing Street...you can't do that in rented accommodation! We should give the Prime Minister an allowance suitable to his/her position so that he can dress, entertain and do what needs to be done.

Oreo

I don’t believe that Lord Alli has bought the government but it’s brought to our attention that overgenerous personal freebies and luxuries can certainly look that way and could make refusing a donor anything awkward.
I think it’s time that politicians only accepted money to help campaigns and run offices, nothing more.

I agree. Whether it’s wallpaper or designer clothes, expensive tickets to Taylor Swift or freebie holidays, I believe gifts, large or small to politicians should no longer be allowed. It smacks of bribery and corruption, even if that’s not true.
Donations to running a political party and towards election expenses would seem reasonable.
It’s hard to imagine how expensive wallpaper or designer suits add anything to the government of this country, and leads one to conclude that the giver has some kind of expectation of reward, even if they don’t.
It needs to be stopped. It’s unethical.

Sleaze, sleaze, and more sleaze. greed and power.

OldFrill

My goodness Sago - how low will you stoop to stir negativity. The chap did a very generous thing for his dying best friend, and was reimbursed.

But he seems to have a lot of Labour 'best friends'

He loaned interest free money to a woman who is terminally ill, she will repay the loan when she sells her home

He invited a friend to stay in his New York apartment whilst she was on holiday.

He loaned a property to a friend because the friend son was sitting his GCSE’s and their family home was surrounded by
media and protesters.

Is it unusual to have several friends? I am sorry if you do

Just because Conservatives were s***doesn't mean this lot aren't as well! This either/or 'my side's better than your side, na na na' rubbish only obscures the truth. Witchhunts are great fun if you hate what you're hunting, but 'boring' if it's your 'side' that's being held accountable.
Please wake up!

I think accepting money or freebie holidays or spectacles or suits from any donor is suspect. It stinks frankly. !
There is no need for these donations (bribes )to be paid to any party surely. ?
Very unimpressed so far with the labour government 🤬

What were the bribes. do tell

icanhandthemback

So the Tories took donations and a lot of us went "that's disgusting." Starmer jumped up and down a lot about it and now we find out that he has received donations. To criticise him is somehow wrong. 🙄

What I think is wrong is that the system is open to abuse regardless of which party is in power and it should be changed. There is no reason for a sitting Prime Minister to change the wallpaper in Downing Street...you can't do that in rented accommodation! We should give the Prime Minister an allowance suitable to his/her position so that he can dress, entertain and do what needs to be done.

The prime minister is permitted £30,000 per year from the public purse for the decoration of his residence. (Independent).

That should do the job alongside "We should give the Prime Minister an allowance suitable to his/her position so that he can dress, entertain and do what needs to be done."

Otherwise I'm finding general agreement in GN about gifts, setting limits, perhaps long overdue after years of "custom and practice".

Whats different is the debate over friends staying in accommodation.

Dillonsgranma

I think accepting money or freebie holidays or spectacles or suits from any donor is suspect. It stinks frankly. !
There is no need for these donations (bribes )to be paid to any party surely. ?
Very unimpressed so far with the labour government 🤬

There is no need, but this whole row really blew up because KS deemed things wrong under the previous government, but sees them as acceptable under this one.
And of course, with the Internet there is less chance of keeping things private.

Well, there were 3 broad areas of criticism of the last government in broad terms of handouts.

One was excessive gifts as such.

The second was the habit of linking gifts to getting/trying to get a place in the H o L

But the other whole area was the incredible extent to which handouts were given for contracts during Covid and similar "Favours"

Anniebach

Her sister is terminally ill, she needed to live on the ground floor, he loaned the money interest free until they sold their home living in.

Why did they need to buy a £1.2M house? Could have simply rented. The stamp duty alone on a £1.2M property as a second home would have been about £98,000. That's a rent of approx £8200 a month.

It certainly isn’t my business why someone buys a house rather than rents , it has nothing to do with you either

I think anyone who gives money to a government will want a favour in return.

It is people's business when the donor has been creared a member of the House of Lords (for his generous donations?) and has been discovered to be lavishing money of prominent members of the present Government.
Plenty of very wealthy people give gifts to those in need on the strict understanding that they are not to be revealed while they are still alive; Lord Forte (I think) and George Michael for example.

From what I've read it does seem so far that Lord Alli is a very wealthy man who has not received any benefits from his donations and he's just a philanthropist who is able to support what he believes in. It seems he's been donating to the LP for many years before they were in power.
Until all parties agree not to accept donations then this kind of thing will never be resolved and that's not likely to happen. I just think the LP have been very foolish to accept gifts for clothes and 'jollies', didn't they realise it was contrary to exactly what they's been criticising the Tories for?