Elon Musk giving Reform $100m

What would you like to talk up please?

It does, however, seem a shame when our country gets talked down in this way though.

I suspect that the leaders of all the other countries were worried that our exit might lead to other countries leaving. As it happens it did not have that effect, on the contrary it made many inhabitants of those other countries realise how much better off they were in the EU.

What has happened in Ukrains since and the prospect of four more years of Trump has made the inhabitants of EU countriesrealise the advantages of being part of a large block with economic power, rather than a small unattached country living off its imperial past.

I can remember seeing some Frexit posters in France around the time of Brexit. I haven't seen any since then.

M0nica

BevSec Her is a link to the figures showing that the majority of the citizens of countries in the EU actually want to remain in it www.statista.com/statistics/1360467/euroscepticism-europeans-future-leave-eu/ In the least enthusiastic country, a majority just still prefer to be in the EU, while in most countries well over 50% wish to stay in the EU.

Thank you Monica for the link, it makes interesting reading. Is odd though, that when the UK withdrew from the EU that it was said to be made deliberately difficult as this was said to be hoped to deter other countries from exiting. If its such a wonderful institution, why would any country want to do so?

BevSec Her is a link to the figures showing that the majority of the citizens of countries in the EU actually want to remain in it www.statista.com/statistics/1360467/euroscepticism-europeans-future-leave-eu/ In the least enthusiastic country, a majority just still prefer to be in the EU, while in most countries well over 50% wish to stay in the EU.

growstuff

BevSec The UK never lost the freedom to trade with whomever it wanted. Even when the UK was in the EU, the US was still the UK's biggest single country trading partner.

What benefits have this so-called additional freedom brought? Seriously?! Quite honestly, if that's the reason you voted for Brexit, you haven't convinced me you (and your neighbours) used your vote wisely.

Ardent remainers would never be convinced a leave voter had used their vote wisely! There are many reasons why I voted leave. Richard Littlejohn (daily mail columnist) and leave voter puts the leave argument much more eloquently than I ever could. We seemed to have to follow EU diktats. There has been so much written in the media around Brexit. It would be interesting to know if other countries in the EU were allowed the same vote, how many would choose to remain or is it just their politicians giving them no choice?

BevSec The UK never lost the freedom to trade with whomever it wanted. Even when the UK was in the EU, the US was still the UK's biggest single country trading partner.

What benefits have this so-called additional freedom brought? Seriously?! Quite honestly, if that's the reason you voted for Brexit, you haven't convinced me you (and your neighbours) used your vote wisely.

Romola

What would the Electoral Commission have to say about this?
There are strict rules about who can and cannot make donations to political parties, and I'm pretty sure that foreign nationals are disqualified
This smart dodge of running Reform as a plc stinks.

Yes, it stinks. The question now, can the Government put a stop to it. Surely the Electoral commission should disallow this.

What would the Electoral Commission have to say about this?
There are strict rules about who can and cannot make donations to political parties, and I'm pretty sure that foreign nationals are disqualified
This smart dodge of running Reform as a plc stinks.

What are Reform's policies please? Yes, I know Google is my friend. But I am none the wiser.

I suppose " pushback" is attractive if you regard some people akin to vermin.

growstuff

BevSec

growstuff

BevSec

growstuff

BevSec This is a genuine question. If you didn't listen to any arguments about Brexit, how did you form an opinion? What was inside you as a person which made you think that leaving was the correct decision? I'm genuinely baffled. I remember listening to all the arguments and weighing up the pros and cons. I voted to remain, but I did recognise the arguments against and I balanced the arguments. I just don't really understand how anybody can make an important decision without considering all sides of an argument.

I live in a fishing town, there were posters around the harbour after the vote saying thank you from the fishermen. That is just one reason. I like Boris, Richard Littlejohn, .nigel Farage,Tom
Utley, I trust them to understand what is best for this country. I feel like they feel about the EU. If it had stayed as a simple trading agreement I would never have voted leave, but it didnt. It became power mad. Most people I spoke to and all of my family voted leave. Winston Churchill said always choose the sea and I agree with him. I spoke to a couple who had been to Brussels and they said it was eye watering the amount of money spent there. I love our commonwealth and the relationship with the USA and would much rather keep that than belong to the EU. I feel its a sclerotic set up and would much rather we had freedom of our own to act decisively. There are no attractions to me about being a member of the EU in its present set up. I wish it had just been for a common market and left it at that.

That makes it sound as though you followed people for emotional reasons (ie you 'liked' them) without knowing any of the facts.

I am not sure what facts there were to know really, each side were giving reasons to either stay or leave. It was and remains an emotive issue.

I'm not surprised you didn't know what facts there were to know because it seems you didn't bother to find out. It was 8 years ago and I'm not going over old ground, but surely you can see that closing your mind to alternatives doesn't lead to rational decision making.-

I would be interested to know which facts you think I should know about and why it would have changed my mind. How can you compare how much better off we would be by staying in the EU for trading against freedom to trade with our commonwealth and the US? How do you know?

Disgusting....

correction first sentence "donating the money via third party companies"

I think the grey areas are donating the money via thread party companies since Reform is a PLC.

This interview on Radio 4 yesterday

"Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s PM, Mr Farage said “nothing of the kind” had been discussed by him and Mr Musk.

He added: “Certainly, it leads us into a big debate about the funding of political parties and how we should do things.

But I want to make it clear whilst even a fraction of that money could make a massive difference to our operations, it is purely theoretical

Really?

mum2three

Why did they have to make it public? If he had quietly handed over the money, there would have been no problem. Instead, he has to turn it into a publicity stunt.

All donations are declared. Reform is all about making money for its owner, Farage.

ie, Do we really want to follow Farage into the USA?

Yesterdays news reports on topic of Musk, UK, and donations:
From ITV news

Is Elon Musk really planning to donate £80 million to Reform

The world's richest man, who helped make Donald Trump the world's most powerful man by donating over $100 million, is no stranger to political donations.

He does support Farage, and if his posts on his social media platform X are to be believed, he has a strong dislike for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Musk recently shared an official petition calling for a fresh general election in the UK, which has around 3 million signatures, claiming the "people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state".

Starmer dismissed Musk's intervention and the petition, saying that is "not how it works", but another comment by the billionaire days later might cause Labour - and the Conservatives - much more concern.

Musk shared a post on X which said "Reform will win the next election". The Tesla and Space X owner simply said "yes" when reposting the claim to his more than 200 million followers.

And the Times reported over the weekend that Musk "could be about to put his money where his mouth is" with a massive £80 million donation.

*Farage, speaking about the reports on GB News, said Musk is "very supportive of me" but claimed to be unaware of any donation plans.
"He thinks that if Reform do well in the UK, we can bring about the same kind of change that he intends to do with Donald Trump in America," he said.
But he also said he has "absolutely no idea" about any donations*

My POV - the last thing I want is what Farage said above:

"He thinks that if Reform do well in the UK, we can bring about the same kind of change that he intends to do with Donald Trump in America," he said."

BevSec

growstuff

BevSec

growstuff

BevSec This is a genuine question. If you didn't listen to any arguments about Brexit, how did you form an opinion? What was inside you as a person which made you think that leaving was the correct decision? I'm genuinely baffled. I remember listening to all the arguments and weighing up the pros and cons. I voted to remain, but I did recognise the arguments against and I balanced the arguments. I just don't really understand how anybody can make an important decision without considering all sides of an argument.

I live in a fishing town, there were posters around the harbour after the vote saying thank you from the fishermen. That is just one reason. I like Boris, Richard Littlejohn, .nigel Farage,Tom
Utley, I trust them to understand what is best for this country. I feel like they feel about the EU. If it had stayed as a simple trading agreement I would never have voted leave, but it didnt. It became power mad. Most people I spoke to and all of my family voted leave. Winston Churchill said always choose the sea and I agree with him. I spoke to a couple who had been to Brussels and they said it was eye watering the amount of money spent there. I love our commonwealth and the relationship with the USA and would much rather keep that than belong to the EU. I feel its a sclerotic set up and would much rather we had freedom of our own to act decisively. There are no attractions to me about being a member of the EU in its present set up. I wish it had just been for a common market and left it at that.

That makes it sound as though you followed people for emotional reasons (ie you 'liked' them) without knowing any of the facts.

I am not sure what facts there were to know really, each side were giving reasons to either stay or leave. It was and remains an emotive issue.

I'm not surprised you didn't know what facts there were to know because it seems you didn't bother to find out. It was 8 years ago and I'm not going over old ground, but surely you can see that closing your mind to alternatives doesn't lead to rational decision making.-

Regarding Brexit the arguments were straight forward.
The promise of something better v the status quo.

The promise of change always has an advantage, especially when the status qou is not argued well.

My own reasoning was, you don’t leave a partnership then insist on special treatment, if you don’t like the rules that 27 stick to why would they change?.

So it was, we had no special deal with the EU nor anything substantial from other countries

growstuff

BevSec

growstuff

BevSec This is a genuine question. If you didn't listen to any arguments about Brexit, how did you form an opinion? What was inside you as a person which made you think that leaving was the correct decision? I'm genuinely baffled. I remember listening to all the arguments and weighing up the pros and cons. I voted to remain, but I did recognise the arguments against and I balanced the arguments. I just don't really understand how anybody can make an important decision without considering all sides of an argument.

I live in a fishing town, there were posters around the harbour after the vote saying thank you from the fishermen. That is just one reason. I like Boris, Richard Littlejohn, .nigel Farage,Tom
Utley, I trust them to understand what is best for this country. I feel like they feel about the EU. If it had stayed as a simple trading agreement I would never have voted leave, but it didnt. It became power mad. Most people I spoke to and all of my family voted leave. Winston Churchill said always choose the sea and I agree with him. I spoke to a couple who had been to Brussels and they said it was eye watering the amount of money spent there. I love our commonwealth and the relationship with the USA and would much rather keep that than belong to the EU. I feel its a sclerotic set up and would much rather we had freedom of our own to act decisively. There are no attractions to me about being a member of the EU in its present set up. I wish it had just been for a common market and left it at that.

That makes it sound as though you followed people for emotional reasons (ie you 'liked' them) without knowing any of the facts.

I am not sure what facts there were to know really, each side were giving reasons to either stay or leave. It was and remains an emotive issue.

BevSec

growstuff

BevSec This is a genuine question. If you didn't listen to any arguments about Brexit, how did you form an opinion? What was inside you as a person which made you think that leaving was the correct decision? I'm genuinely baffled. I remember listening to all the arguments and weighing up the pros and cons. I voted to remain, but I did recognise the arguments against and I balanced the arguments. I just don't really understand how anybody can make an important decision without considering all sides of an argument.

I live in a fishing town, there were posters around the harbour after the vote saying thank you from the fishermen. That is just one reason. I like Boris, Richard Littlejohn, .nigel Farage,Tom
Utley, I trust them to understand what is best for this country. I feel like they feel about the EU. If it had stayed as a simple trading agreement I would never have voted leave, but it didnt. It became power mad. Most people I spoke to and all of my family voted leave. Winston Churchill said always choose the sea and I agree with him. I spoke to a couple who had been to Brussels and they said it was eye watering the amount of money spent there. I love our commonwealth and the relationship with the USA and would much rather keep that than belong to the EU. I feel its a sclerotic set up and would much rather we had freedom of our own to act decisively. There are no attractions to me about being a member of the EU in its present set up. I wish it had just been for a common market and left it at that.

That makes it sound as though you followed people for emotional reasons (ie you 'liked' them) without knowing any of the facts.

Musk needs to do one.

If we rejoin anything it will be with their rules, if we just get more cooperation it will help.
Chaos on France wont help

MaizieD

So you'd have no objections if we rejoined the single Market and the Customs Union, then, BevSec?

I'm very much afraid that the fishing industry regrets it's Leave vote now...

Hi Maizie D, it would depend if that is all it means, just to make trading easier. I have not heard that the fishing industry is regretting the leave vote, after all the UK did not have much of a fishing industry left after our membership of the EU.

I'm not sure Farage wants a party in the UK traditional sense, where you have to be voted in as a leader and could be voted out, where you have the tiresome job of consulting your members.....