Should we really be doing this?

Witzend

If I found Americans canvassing for any political party before a general election of ours, I’d be livid. Let them stick to their own messy politics.
I seem to recall Barack Obama kindly telling us how we ought to vote in the Brexit referendum. IMO he should have minded his own business, too.

Didn’t he just point out that the trade we were going to lose from the EU would not necessarily be replaced with great trade deals with America. Which was the case.

There was apparently an email on August 2nd from Patel asking if people wanted to volunteer - I read this in The Times today.

I think this answers most of the questions above. Re expenses/legal

I think (willing to be corrected) easybee got her information from the now deleted link-in post by the planner but it's in this summary.

A "fair enough"article as it mentions Farage and as well as the 100 volunteers from the L Party.

www.yahoo.com/news/uk-labour-party-efforts-help-190153038.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJrWBNvPun05pjIUoShl9qZ5C7XiUuTrIvPA8OoK3kNm_YFSm93v6WQUiPF6uBP6K1rkBV__js4SZKiBAbG1rnSDAbsNcpfy2eIRM8R_TR5AQQ_1kfZvkhe4sNhmuoL0VG9QX4mKhZoomsDOA1onjRjLXZT-V6gQXzvEFPd7p-SE

AFAIK no L Party MP's are going its members and workers.

Mollygo

I thought there was only one MP. I Justcto clarify, I was referring to *all those LP members who are involved and the equal wrongness of their involvement and not just the MP. Your response doesn’t make that clear.

My response makes it clear, particularly as I’ve already said several times on this thread that I think both were equally wrong. What more are you expecting exactly?

eazybee

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.

This from eazybee sounds as though NO funding was given to the individual MPs who decided to go to the US

"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."

What is your source for that, eazybee ?

I thought there was only one MP. I Justcto clarify, I was referring to *all those LP members who are involved and the equal wrongness of their involvement and not just the MP. Your response doesn’t make that clear.

Mollygo

^It’s not different at all. He was specifically there to support Trump’s election campaign, and said so. It wouldn’t matter if it was his brother, he would still be a UK MP supporting an election campaign in another country.^

Exactly. Are his actions are being used to excuse or justify the LP members or are they saying that both are equally wrong?

Both are equally wrong in my opinion - the involvement of serving MPs in the elections of other countries should be against the law.

If it's volunteering it's allowed (subject to the provisions I linked to above).

It’s not different at all. He was specifically there to support Trump’s election campaign, and said so. It wouldn’t matter if it was his brother, he would still be a UK MP supporting an election campaign in another country.

Exactly. Are his actions are being used to excuse or justify the LP members or are they saying that both are equally wrong?

Are you sure? Don't they just have to list expenditure?

Patel took down her adverts pretty swiftly but we do know she herself spent time in the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016.

The rules about foreign nationals are quite clear here:

www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/foreign-nationals/

And here:
www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/volunteer-activity/

Which seems to me they can have expenses covered (I did say paying but meant ^picking up the costs^).

NotSpaghetti

Can someone tell me where they discovered the Labour Party us funding this anyway please?

I believed the Democrats were paying for the help.

Actual political parties are not allowed to pay foreign helpers.

"Can someone tell me where they discovered the Labour Party is funding this anyway please?

It reminds an unfounded assertion in the small group of newspapers who reported it so dramatically shook horror the news.

We do know its not an official L Party act as people going are doing it in their own time.

Freya5

nanna8

100 is pretty en masse to me, depends on your definitions. Interference in another country’s electioneering is not on. The Americans should tell them, and Nigel Farage come to that, to butt out.

I believe Nigel Farage is a personal friend of Trumps, and has been for many years. Big difference.

It’s not different at all. He was specifically there to support Trump’s election campaign, and said so. It wouldn’t matter if it was his brother, he would still be a UK MP supporting an election campaign in another country.

Can someone tell me where they discovered the Labour Party us funding this anyway please?

I believed the Democrats were paying for the help.

ah - "Friends" in high places, justifying special treatment,a welcome, a political platform, plus fringe paid for benefits -that makes it all Ok?

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Think the headline should read"should Labour be doing this"? We as a country are not involved,it is the LP that are possibly condoning this. Let's face it if Trump does get in,they've blown any cooperation due to the FS Starmer promoted above his competence. They have already shown their bias in kowtowing to Biden re letting the Chagos Islands be taken over by a country that never owned it in the first place.

nanna8

100 is pretty en masse to me, depends on your definitions. Interference in another country’s electioneering is not on. The Americans should tell them, and Nigel Farage come to that, to butt out.

I believe Nigel Farage is a personal friend of Trumps, and has been for many years. Big difference.

Yes Casdon - I've been checking - googling and checking out any references it remains only in the 3/4 newspapers that released it as a shock horror story and some minor outlets.

Still, its allowed us to check the impressions given in those stories that it was some kind of paid official delegation as opposed to a volunteer unpaid "do it in your own time" move, or that it was some kind of new event in terms of the way connections are made by like minded groups across the pond.

This story hasn’t made the main media channels yet, so I wonder it’s bigger news on Gransnet than of national importance.

It's to do with very long term ties between groups in both countries on both the centrist left and the right. Small numbers of democrats have helped in UK elections, again as unpaid individuals.

Contacts and links at conferences and think tanks are common/shared USA/UK and again across the spectrum - and ongoing.

Some Republicans are currently decrying the 100 low level volunteers who have gone in their own time and are unpaid (staying in democrat activists homes)

But some Republicans are happy to look the other way when things like this happen: look the other way look at what is going - on as regards paid involvement in the states by a UK MP:

“Farage given free team of US PR advisers by former Bannon aide’s firm
Reform UK leader received support for his American activities after becoming an MP but has not declared the services as a benefit”

“Nigel Farage has used a team of three US advisers to help him with “perception management” and public relations in America, as well as with settling a $3,500 hotel bill this summer, new documents show.”

.....the MP for Clacton has been assisted at least 15 times....

According to the documents, CapitalHQ was hired to take on activities for Farage including “promotion, perception management, public relations, speeches, appearances, communications, travel, accommodation and logistics and other political activities in furtherance of political interests of the foreign principal”. It describes his address as the House of Commons in London

www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/17/farage-given-free-team-of-us-pr-advisers-by-former-bannon-aides-firm


www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/17/farage-given-free-team-of-us-pr-advisers-by-former-bannon-aides-firm

We must stay away from the US election just as we would expect them to stay away from ours.
Is this something to do with "the Special Relationship" between the UK and the US? (which has always only worked one way - and not ours!)

No one bothers with us lot- too small on the world stage, thankfully. I suppose when you think about it the UK was in at the start of the USA foundation.

As I've only just seen this, I've only skimmed it. But I'd like to point out that most political parties across the world send staff to work in election campaigns in other countries. It's good experience and they share ideas.
I have known several who have come to join British election campaigns over the years, including Americans. Friendships are made, and a greater understanding of how the election systems work - not just at the top, but on the doorsteps and at local level.

I agree eazybee, local issues pertain to those who know and live in the area, one could even argue that MPs should be local to their own constituencies let alone bringing in people from overseas.

To address the balance, though regarding Maizie's comment above, no I don't think we should pay to bring in the Lynton Crosbys of this world which the Tories did.

I don't see how people born and bred in another country can canvass on local issues, and I don't think Americans are so concerned with world affairs as we are. Makes the election even more false than it is already.