Is democracy being by-passed in favour of the billionaires?

Whitewavemark2

Yes looking at the voting pattern of the recent local elections, it is the poorest, less well educated and over 65s and most deprived areas that voted for Reform.

That should tell the other political parties something.

Apparently, there is also a very strong correlation between voting for Reform and for Brexit - maybe not surprisingly.

Ironically, one of the people who did some good academic work on studying the profile of those voting Brexit was Matt Goodwin. He labelled them the "left behind" voters - these are the same people who now vote for Reform.

This document is shown as withdrawn now as “Levelling Up” is no more but the data profile for Clacton will still be largely the same.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67cf11d775d299c71177bd1a/_WITHDRAWN_Clacton-on-Sea.pdf

It’s a constituency which could really do with an MP who wants to work hard to make a positive change.

In the GE, more people in Clacton didn’t want Farage than did but sadly that’s how FPTP works and they got a dud.

A lot of money has and is is still being pumped in by central government to try to improve things but Farage had attended none of the meetings which have been held by the Clacton Town Board to discuss how best to allocate funds.

Best thing that could happen is that he gets a suspension over the £5m bung and there's a recall and by-election. However, the mood in Essex at the moment seems to be to want to elect racists, Islamophobes, conspiracy theorists, fraudsters and perverts so he'd probably retain his seat.

hopenothate.org.uk/2026/05/02/reform-uk-essex-white-supremacist/

Forget Reform.

This is just pocket money compared to what various individuals,politicians and bankers and Political parties have trousered over the years.

Plus you have all the various lobbyists. The Influencers.

The Tories did not become the Landed Gentry by giving gold sovereigns to beggars.

Let us also include Labour who have had a ton of money from the Unions and the Coop over the years.

See some of the Unions like Unite are now questioning this.

And of course the 3 or 4 American Banks the UK Govt borrow money off to pay for the Welfare Bill., Bonds etc

Due to their connection eithpower, lobbying and influence.

The people of neary all countries on this planet are just here to serve the financial and other interests of the Super Rich..

Think of recent Scandals about Mandelson, Andy Boy and Jeffrey Epstein..Loads of money.!

MP's expenses a few years back with relatives being described by the Daily Mail as having their snouts in the trough.

Nigel Farage also served as an MEP
The Europeas Union s very corrupt, dodgy place. Especially around expenses.

Maybe he picked up a few tips and tricks from Brussels?

A secret five million pounds in crypto given to an individual does not count as 'pocket money'.

WithNobsOnIt, Surely you can see the difference between defined groups of people (the landed gentry or the unions) giving money to political parties to promote their interests and one individual giving a significant amount of money to another individual, which he then tries to hide. This isn't just "business as usual".

LizzieDrip

Here’s a post I’ve just put on the ‘Andy Burnham’ thread, in response to a comment saying that all politicians should be treated the same (paraphrasing).

I’m re-posting my comment here because it’s relevant to this topic.

“When Keir Starmer was given a few pairs of glasses by a Labour Party donor - gifts which were declared - it was media headline news for days and days. It was apparently apocalyptic!

Fast forward to Nigel Farage’s secret, undeclared gift of £5 million from a Thailand based crypto guy … hardly a mention🤔 Even though Farage promotes cryptocurrency; says he’ll deregulate it ‘when’ he’s PM; and even promoted his donor’s crypto company Tether, in radio interviews.

Farage refused point blank to answer any questions about it in an interview with Beth Rigby the other day - she just accepted that and moved on to his agenda.

When Rigby asked Keir Starmer about glasses etc she was like a rabid dog with a bone. She would not let it drop, to the point of embarrassing herself.

Level playing field? I don’t think so!”

This dirty money is overriding our democracy, and the media (main stream and social) is complicit.

Glasses? I thought it was full outfits for him and his wife.

Yeh, it probably was £5million worth of glasses and frocks!

LizzieDrip

Yeh, it probably was £5million worth of glasses and frocks!

Were his specs made of solid gold and titanium and Lady S's frocks made from Vicuna wool designed by Chanel?

Absolutely no comparison.

Fallingstar

AGAA4

I wonder if those who voted Reform realised they were voting for a billionaire business man in Thai who certainly doesn't have the welfare of British citizens at heart.

It does worry me that, as well as the fact that Reform are a company funded by billionaires and Farage has benefitted personally from this, that some of those recently elected to serve on a local council are on the record for making outrageously racist comments. As has been said, if any other political party followed suit they would be hung drawn and quartered in a very short time.
I remember Trump stating that he could shoot a person dead and his supporters would still follow him.
Is this the kind of scenario we are facing with Farage, with supporters prepared to ignore every awful thing Reform represent??
I fear it is very much the case.

Yes, absolutely the same scenario.

Also the tactics of not answering valid questions on the basis that they are some vague "smear" is exactly what Trump did in the run-up to his first election and during his first term.

I'm amazed that it works, that we've had rules for decent conduct in politics for so long & yet people like Trump & Farage can say / do their worst & they only have to say "Fake news" & people think "oh, that's OK then".

Lzziedrip you clearly read all thewrong papers and media. there has been a continual discussion about Farage and his $5 million ever since it burst on the scene.

However Farage is not in government, more importantly he is not a member of a party that has always been very quick to cry foul when they think anyone is getting something they do not think they should have. Farages indifference to financial dodgy dealings by anyone in his party. including himself is not hypocritical, he lives by the rules he espouse, even if most of us do not approve of them.

Under those circumstances it is only to be expected that the Labour party and its leaders should be scruntinised in far greater detail than those who claim no virtue for themselves and are unbothered about those who transgress. If you expecct others to live up to very high standards then you must live up to them yourself and accept if you are found falling from these standards, then you are going to get a leathering

In the early day of his premiership it became clear that Starmer had received many expensive freebies, mainly clothing, for free from other people. Now had Starmer been a poorman, who devoted his life to the service of the poor then a lack of smart clothes and a need to have them provided by others is understandable, but Keir Staarmer is a wealthy lawyer, with an expensive house and all the trappings of comfortable living. Why on earth would he need some one else to pay for his smart suits and ties and why was he prepared to sell himself to successful business men to get them?

Ben Habib has now alleged that Harborne paid Farage a million pounds to rig the 2019 election in Johnson's favour.

Catherine Blaiklock says she was asked about this by a Guardian journalist yesterday and said this happened after Farage had bullied and and harassed her into giving him her shares in the Brexit Party.

We do know this from November 2019:

Nigel Farage has ditched plans to take on the Tories in more than 300 seats, after what he said was Boris Johnson's "shift of position" on Brexit.

The Brexit Party leader had planned to run candidates in 600 seats after Mr Johnson rejected his offer of a "Leave alliance" to deliver Brexit.

But he has been under pressure not to split the pro-Brexit vote.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50377396

WithNobsOnIt

Forget Reform.

This is just pocket money compared to what various individuals,politicians and bankers and Political parties have trousered over the years.

Plus you have all the various lobbyists. The Influencers.

The Tories did not become the Landed Gentry by giving gold sovereigns to beggars.

Let us also include Labour who have had a ton of money from the Unions and the Coop over the years.

See some of the Unions like Unite are now questioning this.

And of course the 3 or 4 American Banks the UK Govt borrow money off to pay for the Welfare Bill., Bonds etc

Due to their connection eithpower, lobbying and influence.

The people of neary all countries on this planet are just here to serve the financial and other interests of the Super Rich..

Think of recent Scandals about Mandelson, Andy Boy and Jeffrey Epstein..Loads of money.!

MP's expenses a few years back with relatives being described by the Daily Mail as having their snouts in the trough.

Nigel Farage also served as an MEP
The Europeas Union s very corrupt, dodgy place. Especially around expenses.

Maybe he picked up a few tips and tricks from Brussels?

What other politician has trousered a single £5million "pocket money" windfall?

M0nica

Lzziedrip you clearly read all thewrong papers and media. there has been a continual discussion about Farage and his $5 million ever since it burst on the scene.

However Farage is not in government, more importantly he is not a member of a party that has always been very quick to cry foul when they think anyone is getting something they do not think they should have. Farages indifference to financial dodgy dealings by anyone in his party. including himself is not hypocritical, he lives by the rules he espouse, even if most of us do not approve of them.

Under those circumstances it is only to be expected that the Labour party and its leaders should be scruntinised in far greater detail than those who claim no virtue for themselves and are unbothered about those who transgress. If you expecct others to live up to very high standards then you must live up to them yourself and accept if you are found falling from these standards, then you are going to get a leathering

In the early day of his premiership it became clear that Starmer had received many expensive freebies, mainly clothing, for free from other people. Now had Starmer been a poorman, who devoted his life to the service of the poor then a lack of smart clothes and a need to have them provided by others is understandable, but Keir Staarmer is a wealthy lawyer, with an expensive house and all the trappings of comfortable living. Why on earth would he need some one else to pay for his smart suits and ties and why was he prepared to sell himself to successful business men to get them?

Starmer declared the gift, which was £36k. Lord Ali is a fashion tycoon, & Kier has not promoted any fashion contracts within the House of Commons nor personally promoted ASOS.

Fargage's was £5,000,000. It wasn't declared so no -one knew he had received the gift from Hargrove. Hargrove is crypto and Farage has promoted crypto and his party says they will deregulate it.Hargrove is also a Thai citizen.

valdali the amount and effect is irrelevant. When someone or some party set themselves up as sea-green incorruptibles and then do what they have condemned then they stand and fall by it.

The ways of helping somene who helps you is rarely as transparent as giving their company advantages specific to them. It can be much wider than that - just friendly meetings now and again, off the record and discussing things generally, always answering the phone when they call etc. That kind of influence can befar more dangerous and insidious than Farage acepting money from someone. He is a dodgy shyster and everyone knows that.

Starmer's determination to hang onto power no matter what shows him for what he is, a man who wants and likes power of itself and once he has got it will not willingly give it up no matter what.

It certainly is not irrelevant.

When a single individual donates an eye watering amount of money to a single political party making it the most wealthy political party in the country, which means it can afford a massive amount of media coverage - far and away more than labour and conservatives combined.

This wealth has come in particular from one individual who lives overseas and pays no tax in the U.K. but there are 4 other large donators.

You have therefore to ask yourself what a Thai citizen is hoping to achieve and what in fact his interest is in ensuring the continuation of a far right party and indeed Farage’s reversal of his decision to leave politics for good.

Add to that the fact that Paul Marshall provides a continuous platform to Reform in the form of GBNews - you can begin to understand why it is so alarming that very few wealthy individuals are beginning to undermine the democratic process in the U.K. and England in particular.

he [Farage] is not a member of a party that has always been very quick to cry foul when they think anyone is getting something they do not think they should have. Farages (sic) indifference to financial dodgy dealings by anyone in his party. including himself is not hypocritical, he lives by the rules he espouse, even if most of us do not approve of them

Wow, M0nica!

Firstly, Farage was very quick to criticise (ad nauseum) Keir Starmer for receiving the gifts.

More importantly IMO, is your interesting take on the issue. So, what you’re arguing is that, because Farage and his cronies make no bones about being morally corrupt, and are therefore not hypocritical when they are morally corrupt … that should be deemed as acceptable🤔???

It’s fine for him because he’s simply being who we know him to be?

No, the point I am making is that Farage's personality, venality etc etc are all in the public domain, so we know what we are dealing with. It doesn't make him in any way acceptable, but we know where we are, and we weigh all these negative points against him whenever he says anything.

The Labour party, on the opposite set themselves up as sea green incorruptibles being down on everyone else who accepted gifts from individuals. Then they were discovered to be doing exactly the same thing themselves. This then raises the uestion of what other high peaks of unsullied principle are they standing on, while doing the exact opposite in private.

I am reminded of that old saying The more he talked of his honour the faster we counted the (silver) spoons Every time any one in the Labour party gets virtuous we wonder what they are really up to.

But I’m not clear that regarding Farage it is all out in the open and transparent - in fact I’m sure there is much we don’t know.

His Russian connection

His Breitbart Connection

His connection to Cambridge Analytica

These are just scratching the surface.

AGAA4

Farage never attended a surgery for the people of Clacton to hear their concerns. That's how much he cares.

There is a committee for a ten year project for the regeneration of Clacton, Farage has not attended one meeting.

M0nica

valdali the amount and effect is irrelevant. When someone or some party set themselves up as sea-green incorruptibles and then do what they have condemned then they stand and fall by it.

The ways of helping somene who helps you is rarely as transparent as giving their company advantages specific to them. It can be much wider than that - just friendly meetings now and again, off the record and discussing things generally, always answering the phone when they call etc. That kind of influence can befar more dangerous and insidious than Farage acepting money from someone. He is a dodgy shyster and everyone knows that.

Starmer's determination to hang onto power no matter what shows him for what he is, a man who wants and likes power of itself and once he has got it will not willingly give it up no matter what.

That kind of influence can be far more dangerous... More dangerous than deregulating cryptocurrency? Don't we need more regulation of these new, web-based technologies, not less?

& the bigger issue isnt the amount, it's the fact Starmer always declared his gift (although there was some furore as he put it under private office rather than personal, corrected as soon as he realised) but Nigel Farage's gift was given at the same time & has only just come to light as it wasn't declared at all.

I am not arguing individual policies. I do not support Reformor any of its policies and am appalled at the thought that there was even a possibilty of a Reform gvernment.

What I am saying is when someone is an unlovable rogue and prances around the neighbourhood proclaiming that fact. They are a lot less of a danger than the person who sets themselves up as a pattern of moral rectitude, while actually doing all those things that they claim to avoid. It is a return to 19th century values where what you do in private does not matter providing you look as moral as possible in public.

Jane43

AGAA4

Farage never attended a surgery for the people of Clacton to hear their concerns. That's how much he cares.

There is a committee for a ten year project for the regeneration of Clacton, Farage has not attended one meeting.

Clacton is receiving £60 million from various Labour government sources. As you say, Farage hasn't lifted a finger to raise any of it.

loveclacton.org/regeneration-investment/

Whitewavemark2

But I’m not clear that regarding Farage it is all out in the open and transparent - in fact I’m sure there is much we don’t know.

His Russian connection

His Breitbart Connection

His connection to Cambridge Analytica

These are just scratching the surface.

What is the news now that he was paid to not oppose Johnson in the election when he threatened to stand candidates in 300 constituencies but then withdrew. And that Johnson was paid, too?

Yes I read that -

“There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio” - than are dreamt of in Farage’s cupboard full of skeletons.

Will that have been part of the £1000000 paid to Johnson as a bribe for a mod contract or a different bribe?