Lord Waheed Alli, has he bought the government?

Allira

People think governments run the world.

They don't. It's powerful business and wealthy individuals who have the influence and make the decisions that affect us all.

I’m still waiting for my nod from the Bilderberg Group 😉
On a serious note if more people understood where the power is it would save a lot of angst.

On a serious note if more people understood where the power is it would save a lot of angst.

Why is that, petra?

Do you think people would just stop making a fuss about it?

eazybee

So you disapproved but sent the flowers, gifts and alcohol; you disapproved but refused to send the cheques, (to the Conservative Party).
Perfect example of hypocrisy.

You can be a smarty pants eazybee - I was 20 and had landed a great job with prospects. I loved the work and my colleagues. My immediate boss owned the company, I’m so pleased I worked with people with a sense of humour.
Calling 20 year old me a hypocrite is really rather nasty after a light hearted post.

I dont think it was hypocritical Iam - not very many 20 year olds would have said "no".
The gifts all went out anyway as you knew they would. It seems to me you were just marking that activity as particularly unpalatable one. Your boss had the good sense to remove that task from you and follow it up with humour.

If you'd said you wouldn't send anything out at all -it would not have been so pointed. I suppose you could have said "I don't approve of corporate gift-giving". But a lot of gift giving in business at Christmas in particular, is mainly a thank you
Corporate gift giving is an old custom - I don't see it dying out.

My father (from his business) always gave boxes of beautifully wrapped Bronnley soaps at Christmas to his customers. There were some I might have been happy to "forget" about but as a small business he was grateful for their continued custom.

You boasted about how were happy to send bribes to the wives of corporate clients yet refused to send cheques to the Conservative Party; did you regard these as bribes too? What entitled you to be selective in what you would and would not do?
Your likeable, charming boss was laughing at you and your so-called principles, and rightly called you his socialist PA, to the amusement of his clients.

It’s irrelevant after all this time, but if he’d asked you to send money to the Labour Party, would you have done so Iam64?

Goodness me eazybee - I.was not ‘boasting’ . I was making the point that I was naive when I arrived in corporate world. I’d no idea that it was (and remains) the norm to schmooze important clients. I had many discussions with the directors I worked with about this. No one was ‘laughing at me and my so called principles’. The socialist PA was not sneering. It was warm and genuine - I was liked and respected - why else would I have worked there for 2 years. I learned a lot. I’, surprised by the level of anger you’re expressing to 20 year old me as well as by your deliberate misconstruing.

Thanks for ‘getting it’ NotSpaghetti.

Mollygo - a relative is a very successful financial advisor. His daughter now does the day to day business management. He volunteers for a local homeless charity two nights a week. He donates to the Labour Party. If I was his PA yes. I’d have written the envelopes and posted them.

Apparently the alleged super injunction on something KS allegedly doesn’t want to get out has been broken on X

It’s not just the MSM who has it in for KS, I am beginning to wonder what skeletons are in his cupboard

I also feel somewhat emphatic towards KS and his family, being in the spotlight is not much fun, which they are finding out.

I think that's what makes being an MP such a difficult job. I think many people have "things" in their life that spun by the media could be embarassing or awkward but fortunately the media isn't interested in most of us. It's not just the MP that needs to have a thick skin but also their spouse/partner, children and wider family, the constant intrusion into their lives must be horrible.

I agree Gg13 and foxie about the awful pressure on people in the public eye. We need high quality people in parliament and the often one sided distorted reporting helps no one

foxie48

I think that's what makes being an MP such a difficult job. I think many people have "things" in their life that spun by the media could be embarassing or awkward but fortunately the media isn't interested in most of us. It's not just the MP that needs to have a thick skin but also their spouse/partner, children and wider family, the constant intrusion into their lives must be horrible.

I suspect skeletons there are in many public figures cupboards that could stand up to this level of bitter and destructive scrutiny.
This is a full on attempt by the right to try and destroy. Nothing the person ever did that was good or laudable never mentioned.

Correct "I suspect skeletons exist in many public figures cupboards that could not stand up" etc

Many years ago I had a job where I was responsible for departmental budgets and acquisition.

Along with colleagues I “enjoyed” corporate days out, meals, gifts at Christmas etc etc. it was normal and commonplace.

I also worked in a software house and had a very healthy expense account where I regularly “treated” our clients to lunches and evenings out.

It was pretty much normal back in the 70’s and 80’s.

Wyllow3 that’s where we differ, as I do not think it is an attack on the left per se.

It is just the media’s delight in knocking people off of their pedestals, whether they be politicians, musicians, actors, anybody in the public eye or who is brave enough to out their heads above the parapet.

There seems to be this unwritten rule that if you are in the public eye you have to be as white as white

Iam64

I agree Gg13 and foxie about the awful pressure on people in the public eye. We need high quality people in parliament and the often one sided distorted reporting helps no one

But do "high quality" people go into politics?
I doubt it. The clever ones avoid it like the plague which leaves the altruistic types not always suited to this rough business.

I think, if there is any truth to the ‘super injunction’ rumour, it may be to stop the media commenting on KS’s family, particularly his children, rather than any ‘skeleton in his cupboard’.

KS is, quite rightly, very protective of his children and, during the election campaign, he said very openly that the impact on his children was his main concern.

The Telegraph printed a story (I think it was yesterday) about KS’s son staying in Lord Alli’s flat in which the focus was on the boy - totally unacceptable. I posted my views about it on the thread.

The media are vultures; they will do anything for ‘good copy’. This witch hunt against KS is getting out of control and is expanding to his family, which is totally vile. Criticise the PM, but leave his children alone.

I hope he has used the law to prevent the media reporting anything about his children!

Of course, all this may be just another Twitter storm, with no substance to it at all.
I’m not on Twitter so haven’t read anything about it.

Twitter is repeating allegations about Keir Starmer’s children. Disgusting

What a vile, repulsive platform Twitter is.

LizzieDrip

What a vile, repulsive platform Twitter is.

Not all X is toxic

The Royals have accounts, the Government plus MPs, all major retailers, most local councils, all TV companies and many 1,000’s of normal folk.

Please do not tarnish all because of a few.

Yes, it's open to all, but it won't set limits on what is acceptable, and x posts on children are totally, utterly out of order and should be deleted. And most definitely criticised in MSM!

I sincerely hope certain newspapers don't give these x posts the time of day, disgusting.

I’ll rephrase my comment GG:

IMO, what a vile, repulsive platform Twitter is.

GrannyGravy13

LizzieDrip

What a vile, repulsive platform Twitter is.

Not all X is toxic

The Royals have accounts, the Government plus MPs, all major retailers, most local councils, all TV companies and many 1,000’s of normal folk.

Please do not tarnish all because of a few.

The same could be said for any social media platform.

I hear the same about Facebook, but, apart from annoying videos and reels about cats and some rudeness on a local FB group page (usually stamped on very quickly), I never see any of the stuff that others on GN claim they see.

I hope whoever is doing this on X is dealt with.

I think there is a difference between Facebook and X though. Facebook is much more moderated, particularly in groups, so somebody is taking responsibility for what is posted - and posts are removed if they are outside the conduct boundaries. That doesn’t happen on X.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes”🤷‍♀️

Elon Musk is as far as I’ve understood, all for free speech. That’s why he let the lies about Southport stand.