Westminster Politics 2024-2029

They not only feel entitled to the power, but they really, really beleive they should have power without any sort of accountability.
Jones can be annoying, but hes asking pretty soft stuff here.

 
Sweet Square said:
I don’t think he gets it

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Bear in mind that this is the person who when asked if a loved one was "on a long waiting list for surgery, would you, if you felt that that was the only way forward, use private healthcare?", he (bizarrely) answered - “No.”
 
Smores said:
Christ the Starmer lot are starting to sound like crackpot republicans on fox news.
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They were pretty insufferable in their callousness before the election but they could always turn around and say that the Tories were such a plague on the country that any temporary genuflection before the altar of Kier was worthy in service to the greater cause, that of a Toryless political landscape. Some did express this view.

The election came and went, and still these same dolts and dullards continued with the mission to defend Kier and his hulking majority, at all costs.

Trump worship is evil but somewhat explainable: he had pizazz and stupid people love that. What motivates these mini Starmers is harder to understand and a lot creepier.
 
Labour are going to get a much rougher ride than this, given the mountain of problems that need solving. I'm not saying they couldn't be a.lot sharper at the moment but a little bit of perspective might be useful as well.
 
M16Red said:
Wonder what the private school kids coming out of private school because of extra VAT cost, think about this impact on young Starmer
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Seriously? Man why won't anyone ever think of private school kids, eh?
 
nickm said:
Labour are going to get a much rougher ride than this, given the mountain of problems that need solving. I'm not saying they couldn't be a.lot sharper at the moment but a little bit of perspective might be useful as well.
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They've made it infinitely more difficult now that everyone knows they're pieces of shit that can't be trusted.
 




Keir Starmer’s top No10 business adviser Varun Chandra retains multi-million pound stakes in his former company, whose clients aren’t public. He’s agreed to sell a stake in Hakluyt, valued at £7.2m in 2023, back to the firm at a set price over an undisclosed period of time. But he still has a stake in its investment arm, Hakluyt Capital, where finding a buyer quickly is proving difficult. Hakluyt says it represents many of the biggest companies and private equity firms in the world. Its client list is secret Chandra, a senior No10 Spad who is the gatekeeper between the PM and business, will know who they are. He will inevitably deal with Hakluyt client interests in his No10 job.The arrangement had to be signed off by Sue Gray, according to the Spad code of conduct. The Cabinet Office says it has a process “to ensure any conflicts of interest are properly managed and mitigated”. It won’t say how conflicts are being avoided in Chandra’s case
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Sweet Square said:
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From The Spectator:

Now it transpires that a Labour MP took a million-pound loan from Lord Alli – to buy a flat for her sister. Mitcham and Morden’s MP Siobhain McDonagh was helped in her bid to buy accommodation for her terminally ill sibling and formerly Labour’s first female general secretary, Baroness McDonagh, by Alli – with the Labour peer said to be the ‘best friend’ of the donor.

McDonagh registered the £1.2 million loan from Alli in March last year, stating that it was an ‘interest free loan to bet repaid on the sale of the home I share with a family member’. She added: ‘The move was necessary to provide the family member with complete ground floor access.’ Defending the decision, McDonagh took to social media to write:

Waheed Alli was my sister’s best friend for 25 years. Tragically she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumour in November 2021 and died on 24 June 2023. He took every step of her last terrible journey with her. Lending me money to buy a house with ground floor bed and bathroom.
The loan will be repaid on gaining probate on Margaret’s estate. It has been properly registered and Waheed wanted nothing other than his best friend being comfortable in the last months of her life.
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Frosty said:
From The Spectator:

Now it transpires that a Labour MP took a million-pound loan from Lord Alli – to buy a flat for her sister. Mitcham and Morden’s MP Siobhain McDonagh was helped in her bid to buy accommodation for her terminally ill sibling and formerly Labour’s first female general secretary, Baroness McDonagh, by Alli – with the Labour peer said to be the ‘best friend’ of the donor. How curious…

McDonagh registered the £1.2 million loan from Alli in March last year, stating that it was an ‘interest free loan to bet repaid on the sale of the home I share with a family member’. She added: ‘The move was necessary to provide the family member with complete ground floor access.’ Defending the decision, McDonagh took to social media to write:
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I find it strange that it was a loan to the sister who is a Labour MP.

Why didn’t he just rented out or buy the flat for the ill sister(The guy is apparently worth £200 million).
 
Frosty said:
From The Spectator:

Now it transpires that a Labour MP took a million-pound loan from Lord Alli – to buy a flat for her sister. Mitcham and Morden’s MP Siobhain McDonagh was helped in her bid to buy accommodation for her terminally ill sibling and formerly Labour’s first female general secretary, Baroness McDonagh, by Alli – with the Labour peer said to be the ‘best friend’ of the donor. How curious…

McDonagh registered the £1.2 million loan from Alli in March last year, stating that it was an ‘interest free loan to bet repaid on the sale of the home I share with a family member’. She added: ‘The move was necessary to provide the family member with complete ground floor access.’ Defending the decision, McDonagh took to social media to write:
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And this is why everyone, Siobhain McDonagh included, should be angry at the idiots getting their clothes bought and everything else.

Because they create the environment of distrust that means her situation gets dragged into it.
 
Sweet Square said:
I find it strange that it was a loan to the sister who is a Labour MP.

Why didn’t he just rented out or buy the flat for the ill sister(The guy is apparently worth £200 million).
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She also says she is waiting for the estate to be released to pay it back, so the sister must have at least part ownership of the property. So yes, the story is probably more complex than she is saying.
 
Nogbadthebad said:
She also says she is waiting for the estate to be released to pay it back, so the sister must have at least part ownership of the property. So yes, the story is probably more complex than she is saying.
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Even if it was all about helping a close friend the end result is now a labour politician owing a massive loan to a businessman. Not to mention the natural goodwill that comes with it.

Completely clouds a politician judgement.
 
Sweet Square said:
Even if it was all about helping a close friend the end result is now a labour politician owing a massive loan to a businessman. Not to mention the natural goodwill that comes with it.

Completely clouds a politician judgement.
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Mental, if I was in that type of debt I'd be fired from my job in financial services :lol:
 
Raven said:
They've made it infinitely more difficult now that everyone knows they're pieces of shit that can't be trusted.
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Of course the reason everyone knows is because they told everyone by registering it properly.
 
Nogbadthebad said:
Not really.

This all started because starmer didn't register the gifts of clothing properly.
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Which he then did, and the parliament standards commissioner said case closed.

MPs should follow the same rules as the rest of us, and labour have at minimum been naive, but there is something disconcerting about the way the left is doing the Tories such a favour here.
 
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nickm said:
Of course the reason everyone knows is because they told everyone by registering it properly.
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No. They know because labour ran on an anti sleaze platform whilst taking (legalised) bribes off of anyone who could afford it. Surprise surprise, the right wing media that Starmer was sucking up to for the last 5 years have stabbed him in the back, exactly how most on the left predicted they would.
 
With current interest rates, a free 1.2m loan is a gift of around 50k per year, comparing with a decent mortgage deal.
 
Sweet Square said:
I find it strange that it was a loan to the sister who is a Labour MP.

Why didn’t he just rented out or buy the flat for the ill sister(The guy is apparently worth £200 million).
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Because people who are worth £200 million didn’t get that rich by being generous. If he rented the flat then that’s money he would never get back.

I think the loan vs gifting it is a tax issue. If she gets gifted a property then she will owe a lot of capital gains tax on that transaction. When it’s a loan there’s no tax to be paid (providing you pay at least some interest on the loan)

Sounds like their arrangement was the most tax efficient way for him to use his wealth to help out a friend. Although it’s caused a massive headache for her sister.
 
Are we not all of the opinion that the Tories were baddies and Labour are the goodies? However comparative your scale may be.

This site seems to want to go overboard on balance. It’s close to the BBC during Brexit.

The fella is worth £200m and until he’s shown to be an absolute Cnut, he seems to be helping out a party and people that he believes in.

If I had £200m I’d be doing this kind of shit all the time. Anything that I asked for, could probably be seen as corruption. But I’d be pushing for societal change and positive things. That’s not inherently a bad thing.

From what I know, this fella isn’t pushing buttons to restrict human rights, dehumanising poor people or ethnic minorities, and increasing wealth inequality. He’s not on record for saying abhorrent things.

I’ll look like a naive twat if he does something dastardly, but I do think it’s possible to be an ethical rich person. Maybe money truly does corrupt you absolutely. But I have to believe that some rich people are good. I can’t wrap my head around being a good person and not just trying to do some good with that money.

The Tories have wrecked us to the core. We see corruption everywhere. Declared transactions are being warped into brown envelope bribes. I just don’t see it.

I really hope I’m right on this. I need just one man or woman to be good, and be using their current privilege for good. I WANT good people with lots of money, to do good. To influence politicians in positive directions, as long as they are not the sole arbiter of what ‘positive direction’ is.

Probably sounds like I’m making excuses for one side and not the other. But in totality, Tories are takers. Labour are leavers. The rules are the same, but their systems are so different. Night and day.
 
DanH said:
Is that a policy specific to your employer? I know the FCA guidance wouldn't require it.
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Every insurer I’ve worked for wouldn’t take it, but then I am in roles where I have access to the accounts so I’d imagine that makes them twitchier
 
UnrelatedPsuedo said:
I really hope I’m right on this. I need just one man or woman to be good, and be using their current privilege for good. I WANT good people with lots of money, to do good. To influence politicians in positive directions, as long as they are not the sole arbiter of what ‘positive direction’ is.
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You could be right... but personally I find it stinks a bit that Labour's head of candidate selection for the election worked for Lord Waheed Ali's business and was on secondment.

For example, Lord Ali is on the board of a company called Executive Pipeline. The candidate who went up against Corbyn and lost was the son of one of his fellow board members. Labour's candidate selection was heavily criticised for multiple 'stitch ups'. Based on things we know, you'd have a hard time convincing me he is just some altruist who isn't buying influence.
 
Snowjoe said:
Mental, if I was in that type of debt I'd be fired from my job in financial services :lol:
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Lord Ali seem to be like a Godfather figure. MP’s go to ask him for help and he gives them a offer they can’t refuse. It’s crazy.
Pogue Mahone said:
I think the loan vs gifting it is a tax issue. If she gets gifted a property then she will owe a lot of capital gains tax on that transaction. When it’s a loan there’s no tax to be paid (providing you pay at least some interest on the loan)

Sounds like their arrangement was the most tax efficient way for him to use his wealth to help out a friend. Although it’s caused a massive headache for her sister.
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Cheers.

UnrelatedPsuedo said:
Are we not all of the opinion that the Tories were baddies and Labour are the goodies? However comparative your scale may be.

This site seems to want to go overboard on balance. It’s close to the BBC during Brexit.

The fella is worth £200m and until he’s shown to be an absolute Cnut, he seems to be helping out a party and people that he believes in.

If I had £200m I’d be doing this kind of shit all the time. Anything that I asked for, could probably be seen as corruption. But I’d be pushing for societal change and positive things. That’s not inherently a bad thing.

From what I know, this fella isn’t pushing buttons to restrict human rights, dehumanising poor people or ethnic minorities, and increasing wealth inequality. He’s not on record for saying abhorrent things.

I’ll look like a naive twat if he does something dastardly, but I do think it’s possible to be an ethical rich person. Maybe money truly does corrupt you absolutely. But I have to believe that some rich people are good. I can’t wrap my head around being a good person and not just trying to do some good with that money.

The Tories have wrecked us to the core. We see corruption everywhere. Declared transactions are being warped into brown envelope bribes. I just don’t see it.

I really hope I’m right on this. I need just one man or woman to be good, and be using their current privilege for good. I WANT good people with lots of money, to do good. To influence politicians in positive directions, as long as they are not the sole arbiter of what ‘positive direction’ is.

Probably sounds like I’m making excuses for one side and not the other. But in totality, Tories are takers. Labour are leavers. The rules are the same, but their systems are so different. Night and day.
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Labour just got a £10 billion investment from Blackstone. Blackstone chairman is Stephen Schwarzman who is a Republican and currently backing Trump for the presidency.
 
UnrelatedPsuedo said:
Are we not all of the opinion that the Tories were baddies and Labour are the goodies? However comparative your scale may be.

This site seems to want to go overboard on balance. It’s close to the BBC during Brexit.

The fella is worth £200m and until he’s shown to be an absolute Cnut, he seems to be helping out a party and people that he believes in.

If I had £200m I’d be doing this kind of shit all the time. Anything that I asked for, could probably be seen as corruption. But I’d be pushing for societal change and positive things. That’s not inherently a bad thing.

From what I know, this fella isn’t pushing buttons to restrict human rights, dehumanising poor people or ethnic minorities, and increasing wealth inequality. He’s not on record for saying abhorrent things.

I’ll look like a naive twat if he does something dastardly, but I do think it’s possible to be an ethical rich person. Maybe money truly does corrupt you absolutely. But I have to believe that some rich people are good. I can’t wrap my head around being a good person and not just trying to do some good with that money.

The Tories have wrecked us to the core. We see corruption everywhere. Declared transactions are being warped into brown envelope bribes. I just don’t see it.

I really hope I’m right on this. I need just one man or woman to be good, and be using their current privilege for good. I WANT good people with lots of money, to do good. To influence politicians in positive directions, as long as they are not the sole arbiter of what ‘positive direction’ is.

Probably sounds like I’m making excuses for one side and not the other. But in totality, Tories are takers. Labour are leavers. The rules are the same, but their systems are so different. Night and day.
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When you say shit like the part I've bolded you just come across as silly.
 
ZupZup said:
You could be right... but personally I find it stinks a bit that Labour's head of candidate selection for the election worked for Lord Waheed Ali's business and was on secondment.

For example, Lord Ali is on the board of a company called Executive Pipeline. The candidate who went up against Corbyn and lost was the son of one of his fellow board members. Labour's candidate selection was heavily criticised for multiple 'stitch ups'. Based on things we know, you'd have a hard time convincing me he is just some altruist who isn't buying influence.
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That’s kinda my point though. It’s where that line is drawn. If the line is “The establishment is broken and I can’t do another round of Corbynisn as the system is rigged against those politics”… I’m stepping in.

I’ll have Starmer goggled up in diamond encrusted goggles like Elton John and get him a live-in Saville Row tailor.

There is undoubtedly a level of proximity and accessibility that leaves things looking foul. I truly don’t think we’re there though. I don’t think Starmer is going to be enticed by exciting shiny shit at the expense of public service. It would be such a heel turn.

The rest of the party though? Many of the MP’s being fresh and new and have never been in Parliament? Huge concern there.

I don’t think he’s the Captain of a Pirate Ship. More like the Captain of a Cruise Liner. Not a boat full of thieves and scoundrels. But one of excited and naive tourists, running to the free bar on day one. Hopefully their first hangover will set them straight and reset for the rest of the voyage.

There are worries and concerns. It could all go wrong, but I think everything we’ve seen has been confected and overblown.
 
DanH said:
I'm not sure if the insinuation is we should be rejecting investments from Republican voters or hedge funds?
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It raises questions over whether we are looking at another VIP Lane if contracts are being handed out to corporate donors.
 
Sweet Square said:
Labour just got a £10 billion investment from Blackstone. Blackstone chairman is Stephen Schwarzman who is a Republican and currently backing Trump for the presidency.
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Should we block US firms from expanding their businesses in the UK if their bosses are Republican backers?

That's potentially a lot of jobs for a region with high levels of unemployment.
 
Pexbo said:
It raises questions over whether we are looking at another VIP Lane if contracts are being handed out to corporate donors.
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I think by "raise questions" you mean "cast aspersions" right?

This one has been in the pipeline since well before the election and the local (tory) council has been a key driving force.
 
nickm said:
I think by "raise questions" you mean "cast aspersions" right?

This one has been in the pipeline well before the election and the local (tory) council has been a key driving force.
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Ok and the Labour Party could have put it back out to tender?

I’m sure the £4m donation was purely altruistic and had no strings attached.
 
Pexbo said:
It raises questions over whether we are looking at another VIP Lane if contracts are being handed out to corporate donors.
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I'm not sure what kind of investment into the project was required by those who benefited from the VIP lane contracts?
 
DanH said:
I'm not sure if the insinuation is we should be rejecting investments from Republican voters or hedge funds?
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When you can't criticise the funding, you can always criticise the funder, it's the nature of purity tests.
 
Pexbo said:
Ok and the Labour Party could have put it back out to tender?

I’m sure the £4m donation was purely altruistic and had no strings attached.
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Or just complete an existing deal, take the credit and bank 4,000 jobs.
 
Pexbo said:
Ok and the Labour Party could have put it back out to tender?

I’m sure the £4m donation was purely altruistic and had no strings attached.
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What's the link between Quadrature and Blackstone, barring an apparent holding in one its funds?

I've followed this as closely as others.
 
Jippy said:
Should we block US firms from expanding their businesses in the UK if their bosses are Republican backers?

That's potentially a lot of jobs for a region with high levels of unemployment.
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I was mostly using it as a example against the idea of labour politicians and the rich people they work with being “inherently the good guys”

Although tbh Blackstone are god awful. The jobs will be shite and what the government gives up in return for the investment will end up fecking the country over.
 
Sweet Square said:
I was mostly using it as a example against the idea of labour politicians and the rich people they work with being “inherently the good guys”

Although tbh Blackstone are god awful. The jobs will be shite and what the government gives up in return for the investment will end up fecking the country over.
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I don't think anyone was claiming Blackstone are 'inherently good guys'.

A lot of the criticism is silly though. 'The jobs will be shite'. This Reuters report says there'll be 1,200 construction jobs, then whatever jobs in the data centre and obviously it will mean extra business for suppliers in the region etc...The company will likely get tax incentives to develop a scheme in an area of deprivation that potentially takes a load of people off the dole.
 
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