Should we really be doing this?

I think extraordinary and very wrong. Any chance the source has got hold of the wrong end of some stick?

mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/british-labour-party-sending-staff-to-campaign-for-harris-in-us-swing-states-united-kingdom-uk-left-leaning-kamala-harris-2024-election-democratic-party-north-carolina-pennsylvania

winterwhite

I think extraordinary and very wrong. Any chance the source has got hold of the wrong end of some stick?

Doesn’t look like it sadly! In Telegraph, Daily Mail and Express

Aveline

I'd go. No expenses required in such a good cause

Same here.

A huge difference with open canvassing and secret, underhand interfering (as from Russia and possibly Trump and others).

Starmer is setting himself up for a big fall if Trump wins.. but I really support Kamala Harris so maybe it's worth it..

It's not about the rights of wrongs of the cause. If you approve of it you would have to be happy with for example the Tories going to support Trump.

Galaxy

It's not about the rights of wrongs of the cause. If you approve of it you would have to be happy with for example the Tories going to support Trump.

Which of course they have already done. Who knows if high profile Tories speaking at the national Republican convention has more or less influence on voters than 100 foot soldiers? I don’t pretend to, I just wish they would all stop.

I wasn't happy with Liz Truss going to the republican rallies either, nor Farage supporting Trump. So I think it's morally dubious.

To be fair now I think about it wasnt Lammy involved in Obama's campaign, I may have imagined this, but it rings a bell.

I didn’t know about Liz Truss, but I did know about Farage (hard not to know.) Anyway I had no truck with that either, they shouldn’t be supporting Trump (for God’s sake, Trump!!!)

The thing with this is that it’s 100 people going, one of whom is an MP, a woman, but I’ve forgotten her name. Posters were quite rightly outraged about Farage going over to support Trump, particularly after he became an MP. I remember the questions, who was looking after constituents and doing his surgeries? Quite right to ask those questions. So the same applies to this female MP who has gone (or is going) now.

No serving MP should abandon their constituency to interfere in another country’s election. To put it bluntly, it’s not their business. Their constituency is their business. As for the other 99 people, presumably party members, they should not be going under the Labour Party banner simply because our government is Labour. It would be the same for any other government we had. Our government is supposed to be non partisan with regards to the governments of other countries, so that we can work with other countries diplomatically. Is this not impossible if our government has made clear that it is partisan?

The Republican convention was a proper little right wing love in maddyone, I’m surprised you missed it being reported.

www.itv.com/news/2024-07-17/russell-brand-and-boris-johnson-the-familiar-faces-at-us-republican-convention

I don’t agree with any UK political involvement in foreign elections, but it’s been happening for many years between the UK and USA. If I could be bothered I’d try to find out if large numbers of UK politically affiliated volunteers have supported either side in previous elections, a pound to a penny they will have done.

Frankly I think Trump is a threat to Western democracy and any legitimate action to keep him out of the White House is worth pursuing.

Galaxy

It's not about the rights of wrongs of the cause. If you approve of it you would have to be happy with for example the Tories going to support Trump.

Farage is the one complaining louder, and he DID go and campaign for Trump and support him several times!

Yes why are we doing this? Americans may reflect on why they fought against Britain in the American War of Independence, Maybe they'll tip a load of Yorkshire tea bags in Boston Harbour in protest.

Well, I'm sure you'll all be shocked to hear that this guy, an Australian, was involved in

Crosby first ventured into overseas politics at the 2005 United Kingdom general election, where he managed the Conservative Party's unsuccessful campaign. He has since also run Conservative campaigns for the 2008 and 2012 London mayoral elections, as well as the 2015 general election, all of which resulted in victories for the party. His campaign was not successful for the 2016 London mayoral election (which was won by the Labour candidate, Sadiq Khan)[5] and the 2017 general election in which the Conservatives remained the largest party but lost 13 seats and their parliamentary majority.[6

And was given a British knighthood...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynton_Crosby

The Russians are also very good at interfering in other countries' politics. They are no doubt working hard to get Trump elected at this moment.

Not a sensible thing to do and I would be furious if Americans turned up on my doorstep 'advising' me how to vote
Apparently Labour staff were emailed on August 2nd by Sofia Patel asking if any were willing to travel to the US to'help our friends across the pond to elect their first female president.'
Labour activists are asked to pay for their own travel and car hire but will be put up by Democrats. Staff intending to travel have to book annual leave.
I would have thought they had enough to do here.

Galaxy
It's not about the rights of wrongs of the cause. If you approve of it you would have to be happy with for example the Tories going to support Trump.

I’m still waiting for an answer to this that doesn’t involve a wriggle round by saying a member of another party did it first.

No I don’t think it’s right.
I would be equally unhappy about members of any party doing that, or any other countries sending people to interfere in our politics.
I’ve just read eazybee’s explanation of the finding, which does make it clearer. Thank you.
If LP funds/union contributions were being used to finance the trip, presumably all those who contribute to LP funds are happy about that.
Will there be 100 expense claims put in, or will that only be the MP?

Casdon
You appear to think I’m a fascist. I can assure you I’m not.
And no, I didn’t know anything about any Republican love in, as you called it. Why on earth would I?

I though eazybee said that volunteers were to pay for themselves and take annual leave Mollygo, so I’m not clear what you mean by contributions from Labour Party members financing the trip?

maddyfour

Casdon
You appear to think I’m a fascist. I can assure you I’m not.
And no, I didn’t know anything about any Republican love in, as you called it. Why on earth would I?

I certainly don’t think that maddyfour, I have no idea why you would think I do? I assumed you’d know about it because it was on the news, and reported widely in the media, I’d expect any Gransnetter on this forum to read the big stories on news and politics topics, that’s all.

Apologies then Casdon.
I keep up with news but not so much as others on this forum.

Casdon

I though eazybee said that volunteers were to pay for themselves and take annual leave Mollygo, so I’m not clear what you mean by contributions from Labour Party members financing the trip?

If you read my post I explained.
I also thanked eazybee for her clarification.
One poster earlier mentioned the trip being paid for out of LP funds.
A previous thread explained that the LP received funds from union contributions, whether or not the union members were LP voters.
So, had eazybee not explained that the delegates were funding their own trip the earlier statement that they were financed from LP. funds seems quite probable.

Incidentally, regardless of who else has previously involved themselves with the politics of other countries, do you think it is right to send LP supporters or MPs to involve themselves in the politics of other countries?
Do you support the idea that previous or future foreign governments should send people to try to influence politics in the UK?
That was the OP.

Mollygo

Casdon

I though eazybee said that volunteers were to pay for themselves and take annual leave Mollygo, so I’m not clear what you mean by contributions from Labour Party members financing the trip?

If you read my post I explained.
I also thanked eazybee for her clarification.
One poster earlier mentioned the trip being paid for out of LP funds.
A previous thread explained that the LP received funds from union contributions, whether or not the union members were LP voters.
So, had eazybee not explained that the delegates were funding their own trip the earlier statement that they were financed from LP. funds seems quite probable.

Incidentally, regardless of who else has previously involved themselves with the politics of other countries, do you think it is right to send LP supporters or MPs to involve themselves in the politics of other countries?
Do you support the idea that previous or future foreign governments should send people to try to influence politics in the UK?
That was the OP.

Your post must be ambiguous, What do you mean by the final paragraph if not what I assumed?
‘ If LP funds/union contributions were being used to finance the trip, presumably all those who contribute to LP funds are happy about that.
Will there be 100 expense claims put in, or will that only be the MP?’
if not
Regarding what I think about it, haven’t read my previous posts Mollygo, I’ve made my thoughts abundantly clear.

Oh what a brilliant idea no hang on a minute, what will happen to our working and what's always been stated as our mutually beneficial relationship with America if Trump wins?

Answers on the back of a postage stamp and there'll still be plenty of space left.

If Starmer had brain, he'd be dangerous.