Elon Musk Is The REAL President Elect.

Wyllow3

It's probably just as well that we'll see what he gets up to in the USA and who loses out before there's too much enthusiasm to "import".

Yes!

I don't question his talent in space technology, EV transportation, software development, mechanical engineering, etc, etc, and under Capitalism we reward such people which is OK as long as they pay their taxes in order to support the infrastructure and welfare of the people they employ, without which they would be stuck with their ideas and their raw materials, going nowhere.

What I do question is the sycophantic 'bro' tech culture... he may be something of a polymath, but he doesn't have all the answers.

... handsome is as handsome does - and wealthy is as wealthy does. If you see what I mean.

Yet the wily fox Bill Gates, enters Downing St. wonder what influence him and the WEF have over this Gov. Is it normal for non political , not attached to this country, billionaires,to attend Downing St, secret meetings. Unions coughing up for Labour.
Then the Conservatives, Ashcroft, who now resides in Belize, coughing up for the Tories.
The biggest interferance in this country came from the EU during Brexit. Who doesn't remember Barnier and that horrid bespectacled being, oh yes Guy Verhofstadt, calling all no voters awful names.
As Musk has several business ventures in this country,he's quite entitled to donate to any political party he wants too.
If they bring in a rushed law, they're going to have to ban other businesses donating. They won't do that though, will they.

Galaxy

Twitter was hideous pre Musk, it censored speech and was just awful. It absolutely has its problems now, but I can cope with hearing different opinions. Blue sky has the usual death threats towards feminists so I dont see how that's much different to Twitter.

What about the freedom Elon Musk wants to give to pornography, child pornography, hate speech, anti-semitism etc etc.

Just because what was there before was not that good doesn't justify or explain why it should now be allowed to get even worse.

The intention is to limit what can be donated Freya not ban it and after the excesses of what was spent in the USA elections its well about time.

To be fair, there have been debates for a long time in the UK on the whole issue of donations.

I'd like to throw light on one matter however that I don't know if posters realise.

When you join a union legally you have to specifically opt in to political donations.
It doesn't come out of some general pool with unsuspecting members "having no say" as some seem to assume. the law is very strong and very specific about this and also about consulting members by ballot and a register of those who have opted in

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a8eb8dded915d1dddcd3ca4/trade-union-political-funds-guidance.pdf

In addition, many unions are not affiliated to the Labour Party ie political donations don't go to the L Party unless members vote and choose.

I'm also not clear why Bill Gates is supposed to "Be a bad thing" or specifically attached to Labour.

Gates and Sunak met in 2023 to work together:

Government report
www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-meeting-with-bill-gates-15-february-2023

I'd suggest, given Gates' NGO interests in the UK, he would be well in contact with any government of the day.
"

There has been a considerable increase in suspensions for child abuse images etc, under Musk, they have also widened the guidance for what isnt allowed. I think it now includes physical abuse which it didnt before if I remember rightly.
I dont remember many threads condemning the previous owner of Twitter for his failure to try and tackle this problem.
My view is that for many it is a concern about Musk views rather than a concern for children.

Genuine concern on both.

Freya5

Yet the wily fox Bill Gates, enters Downing St. wonder what influence him and the WEF have over this Gov. Is it normal for non political , not attached to this country, billionaires,to attend Downing St, secret meetings. Unions coughing up for Labour.
Then the Conservatives, Ashcroft, who now resides in Belize, coughing up for the Tories.
The biggest interferance in this country came from the EU during Brexit. Who doesn't remember Barnier and that horrid bespectacled being, oh yes Guy Verhofstadt, calling all no voters awful names.
As Musk has several business ventures in this country,he's quite entitled to donate to any political party he wants too.
If they bring in a rushed law, they're going to have to ban other businesses donating. They won't do that though, will they.

The biggest interferance in this country came from the EU during Brexit. Who doesn't remember Barnier and that horrid bespectacled being, oh yes Guy Verhofstadt, calling all no voters awful names.

Public name-calling is hardly interference.

On the matter of calling people "awful names" Boris Johnson once accused Trump of "stupefying ignorance" and claimed he wasn't fit for the office of POTUS - would you class that as interference?

Unions coughing up for Labour. Well that's how the Labour movement started, it's hardly a secret. Their donations make up about 50% of Labour's income I believe. And they are entitled to do that in the same way that Musk via registered British business is entitled to donate to Reform.

If they bring in a rushed law... As far as has been said in the media, they're not intending to do that as it's not an immediate priority.

Anyway, this isn't just about the Labour government - I think Reform is hoping to obliterate / absorb / replace the Tories, too.

Wyllow3

Genuine concern on both.

Well I'm concerned about Musk's views - especially in relation to women, and particularly if they don't have, or have decided not to have, children.

'Offering' to impregnate Taylor Swift because she openly challenged him is straight from the misogynist's playbook.

It's little more than the response some 'opinionated' women get from men who think they need a good man to 'sort them out'.