Keir Starmer another scandal?

Galaxy

Well yes of course she had people complaining about her views, that is why many of us supported her. She believes in single sex spaces, lots of people are opposed to that. So what, it doesnt make them right.

Absolutely

Rosie51

I voted Labour, want a Labour government, but am not blind to Labour's faults.
I note not one single person has made any comment on Starmer launching his election campaign in Kent and not inviting the only elected Labour MP in the county. Could he have made it any clearer that RD was persona non grata as far as he was concerned? He did however, just a few weeks earlier, make a great show of being photographed welcoming Natalie Elphicke (MP for Dover) to the party after she defected from the Conservatives to cross the floor, even though it was known she would stand down at the next election. Of course at that time nobody knew just two weeks later Sunak would declare that intention.

On a point of accuracy, Starmer has not said no more acceptance of gifts, he was very careful to say no more clothes
I mistakenly thought that the criticism Starmer and colleagues had expressed for Conservative greedy freebies etc would mean that even if legal under the rules they would not be availing themselves of the same. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
I do think there is a concerted campaign to find or manufacture things to criticise Starmer for, but that shouldn't blind us to justified criticism.

I utterly agree and many elements thus far have disappointed as I thought the LP would be better than this, having said that, I’d vote for them again and I’m prepared to give them a fair chance and it would be nice to see some positives out there, especially from our media.

It feels like a witch-hunt

It is a witch hunt

Anniebach

It is a witch hunt

Indeed, Annie.

I'm going to enjoy seeing what all the witchhunters have to say now, though. Cause for the goose and all that.

I think we (as a society) need to have a conversation about how MPs are funded in campaigns. Only the rich could fund themselves, so what to do? Charge the taxpayer? At what level (unless we fund every wannabe parish councillor there has to be a starting point)? Leave fundraising to bring and buy sales and tombola stalls? Or allow donations from supporters?

We all support causes with which we agree - what's the difference? Whether I give money to Amnesty or a political party it is in the hope that my views are represented. In my case the amounts are very small, but the principle is the same.

Sauce for the goose . Bloody Autocarrot!

I have never been able to give much to the Labour Party but
I have tramped pavements and knocked doors during elections
because I have always wanted a Labour government if wealthy
then yes large donations

I’m blooming well sick of him already!

whywhywhy

I’m blooming well sick of him already!

There is a great deal of muddle here and in general as to what we are talking about as regards donations/freebies. Its being discussed on
www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/a1340994-Robert-Jenrick-accepts-75k-in-donations-from-company-with-unclear-origins

but in terms of sorting out the different kinds of donations/freebies/abuse of power on that thread I said:

"Four kinds of "donations and areas to look at".

1. For political campaigning at elections. Its the way we currently fund elections.

2. Large handouts for contracts and contracts for close friends/favours.

3. Payment for jobs/work outside parliament - like directorships or work in the media - possible favours

4. Personal/private gifts such as the ones we have been talking about at length and apply to both Starmer and Jenrick and have previously been "custom and practice" as well as legal
but no longer clearly unchallenged.

Does anyone know how much Johnson is being paid for the serialisation of his ‘diaries’* in the Mail?
*I use the word loosely because they appear to be a fictionalised version of what really happened; a version of the truth known only to Johnson himself.

MayBee70

Does anyone know how much Johnson is being paid for the serialisation of his ‘diaries’* in the Mail?
*I use the word loosely because they appear to be a fictionalised version of what really happened; a version of the truth known only to Johnson himself.

Well he won’t be earning any money from me for his reminiscences, but then, I didn’t by Spare either.

I dread to think Maybe but I’m sure it’s a great deal of money. Apparently, over the past 3 days, the Mail has devoted 22 pages to the ‘diaries’ of the disgraced former PM.

No idea but they are a bluddy good read! Macron eh?

Not important he is a Tory

I’ve no interest in reading Johnson’s fictionalised account of his Downing Street adventure.

Good points as ever from Doodledog and Wyllow about the 4 key ways in which donations are made to politicians and their parties.

I wonder why this has all come out now. KS and the glasses and the clothes.

Perhaps people relentlessly digging away found a seam they could mine. The donkey thing failed miserably. He doesn't put his family on show.
Lets scrape around till we find something.

eggplant

I wonder why this has all come out now. KS and the glasses and the clothes.

Probably because we were all made more aware of things like freebies and gifts etc. in the last government.

It was right we should have known then, and it’s still right now.

It aroused more desire to investigate when Starmer said he wouldn’t accept any more gifts of clothes.
It made the media and the GBP interested in what he would accept.

Relentless digging came with the internet and is applied across all walks of life now. It’s often applied to things we’d prefer not to hear or be made public.

Incredibly naive to believe that someone with such a high profile, friend of Princess Di etc would not have gone straight to the top man.

Was Kwier Scrounger getting Freebies from Harrods too?

Relentless digging came with the internet and is applied across all walks of life now. It’s often applied to things we’d prefer not to hear or be made public.

Yes, like the most public invasion by the press of the family whose mum died in the river. Or families of victims, "and how did you feel".....

Boberto

Incredibly naive to believe that someone with such a high profile, friend of Princess Di etc would not have gone straight to the top man.

Was Kwier Scrounger getting Freebies from Harrods too?

Eh? I'm scratching my head at this post.

Which friend of Diana? Is 'the top man' Al Fayed? Who didn't go to him about what?

Who is Kwier Scrounger, and why would he be getting freebies from Harrods?

An unknown poster posts a generalised hint dropping set of weird allegations without context - not worth it, Iam.

Wyllow, maybe you meant Doodledog. I agree weird post from new poster - bot
??

Whoops! Oh, so sorry, Iam, yes, meant Doodledog!

"bot? " Comes up blank in a search.

Iam64

I’ve no interest in reading Johnson’s fictionalised account of his Downing Street adventure.

Good points as ever from Doodledog and Wyllow about the 4 key ways in which donations are made to politicians and their parties.

Yes, I agree.

I think a bot is some kind of AI or people employed by bad guys (Putin) to influence us 🙈.

Iam64

I think a bot is some kind of AI or people employed by bad guys (Putin) to influence us 🙈.

A bot is an automated programme that can interact with online users. The sort of thing we 'speak to' when we want to return something to Amazon. They can definitely post on discussion sites and comment on newspaper articles etc. Obviously they are not real people, so must be controlled by someone.