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I find it incredible that it's taken this long for it to unfold whilst McSweeney and co were pushing Mandelson for the Labour project.
At the top, as with all the scandals no one seems to notice or report anything at the time until it all unfolds.
Wonder if Starmer - the only one who can change legislation to remove 'son will bother? I mean that's what he alluded to.
Heads really need to roll for this. McSweeney included.
This country needs a massive reboot if we're to get out of this cesspit.
75k to you guv. No questions asked.
tbf he also went for the "future job please" approach which has served many politicians and senior civil servants very well. See all the top ranking military who end up working for the arms firms.
but this is Britain, so absolutely nothing will happen. It’s just the way things get done here old chap
Well if they got charged it would show we are one of those dodgy easily corrupted countries wouldnt it and that just wouldnt do?
Nathan Gill was done for promoting the interests of a country we’re apparently technically at war with.
It’ll be interesting to see if passing information to convicted sex-traffickers and serial rapists is viewed with the same degree of seriousness.
I think this is the tip of iceberg.
Probs turns out these people shouldn't be measured by their sophisticated foreign business acumen as opposed to their covert corruption skills while enjoying plenty of benefits.
Nathan Gill was done for promoting the interests of a country we’re apparently technically at war with.
The UK is not technically at war with Russia.
It's like a bloody episode of House of Cards.
Mandlescum may be in for a rough ride
Misconduct in a public office looks the most likely and this seems to qualify, penalty can be quite high, prison- maximun life sentence, though I doubt anything weve seen so far would be that severe?
If the money his partner took can be seen as a bribe (or more bribes emerge) he could be in similar hot water to Nathan Gill and thats one theyd (CPS) probably go for.
the irony is that the Bribery Act was a New Labour Victory that Jack Straw pushed through despite heavy opposition from the Tories
And ironically the responsibility for drawing up that bill was taken away from mandelson
The UK is not technically at war with Russia.
You may not think so, but seeing as Sir Richard Dearlove, former chief of MI6, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, Ben Hodges, former Commanding General of the United States Army Europe and Donald Tusk, Polish prime minister have all stated in the last few months that we are, I think I’m going to go with their collective opinion rather than yours
I cannot be bothered any more with people who cannot see, or wilfully ignore that the only realistic choicein the current system we have nowthat can hold off Reform is voting for Labour
And that, in a nutshell, is why Labour haven't got a hope in hell of winning the next election and will hand the country to Reform. If all Labour have got is 'we're not the tories/reform so it's your public duty to vote for us' then they've already lost. It's pure outright arrogance and entitlement that Labour expect anyone who isn't a raving fascist or free-market nutter to vote for them. But yeah, carry on telling people they're idiots (when did that happen before eh?) and see what happens. We all know where this is going.
And don't worry I'll be voting, probably for Labour despite how much I want to vote for the greens, it depends very much on what happens between now and the election, and what our local MP does. I have a lot of time for Josh Fenton-Glynn, he's a workhorse of a backbench MP who as far as I can see represents his constituents very well. I know of at least two or three examples personally where he's taken action on behalf of causes or cases of people I know. He's in the wrong party though, and I know many people who will simply not countenance voting for him because of that.
I really don't think you understand the levels of disappointment, anger and disgust people out here hold about how Starmer and the Labour govt have conducted themselves since winning power. They came to power promising change, that they weren't the tories, that they're honest and devoted to public service, and more than anything else that they would be on the side of working people. They've failed on every single one of these points. You think Reform should terrify people into voting Labour, but from where I'm sitting huge numbers of Labour voters think Labour are more terrifying.
I cannot be bothered any more with people who cannot see, or wilfully ignore that the only realistic choicein the current system we have nowthat can hold off Reform is voting for Labour
This argument is done. It was done the minute that prick of a PM lied his way into power to do virtually nothing progressive.
It's up to Labour to earn our support. And they've had a good chunk of their chance.
It's on them. Not us.
Voting for better the devil you know has gotten us here.
To really enact change we need to stop voting for mendacious pro-market, wealth transferring chancers who are screwing the country.
Starmer and co need to offer something better. It's up to them.
Centrism is giving way to fascism. Centrism doesn't yield measurable enough results to stop people going to these extremes.
Blame impotent governments.
Green all the way.
I really don't think you understand the levels of disappointment, anger and disgust people out here hold about how Starmer and the Labour govt have conducted themselves since winning power. They came to power promising change, that they weren't the tories, that they're honest and devoted to public service, and more than anything else that they would be on the side of working people. They've failed on every single one of these points. You think Reform should terrify people into voting Labour, but from where I'm sitting huge numbers of Labour voters think Labour are more terrifying
Yes. But it's the fault of the voters 🙃
No longer being in Labour isn't nearly enough... relinquishing his place in the Lords won't be enough.
What if he's also stripped of the title 'Prince of Darkness'?
It's pure outright arrogance and entitlement that Labour expect anyone who isn't a raving fascist or free-market nutter to vote for them.
It has nothing to do with arrogance, and everything to do with availability. If your choices are Chicken or a shit sandwich. Your question shouldn't be "How's the chicken cooked?"
I really don't think you understand the levels of disappointment, anger and disgust people out here hold about how Starmer and the Labour govt have conducted themselves since winning power.
I really do. At least as disappointed as they were with the last 4 PMs, each of whom has been in turn; the most unpopular PM of all time. The public want what no politician can offer them (regardless of what they say): Low taxes, high performing state provision, cheap prices and high wages and a growth economy. We (and the rest of the world) are currently busy burning down the systems and trade and energy that gave us those things, and it's not coming back in the near future. We either vote for; "worrying bad at comms, and disappointed given their majority" or your actual honest-to-goodness proto-fascists. There's no arrogance, you don't owe Labour anything, but they remain the only realistic choice.
Edit: Of course the lucky folks of Wales have two choices as do the lucky folks of Scotland, the rest of in England don't.
You think Reform should terrify people into voting Labour, but from where I'm sitting huge numbers of Labour voters think Labour are more terrifying.
Yep, and Starmers Labour are as terrifying as Sunak's tory party. I really think most people won't notice any difference.
The tories being crap is a given so while frustrating to have them in power it is all expected. I genuinely didn't think Starmers Labour would be the same which is why I am so annoyed about what he has done.
What if he's also stripped of the title 'Prince of Darkness'?
Think he's in danger of being stripped of his underpants in Belmarsh at this rate. 😀
Seriously though, how the hell did Starmer think he was a suitable choice for US ambassador? I think we all know, because Mandelson is McSweeney's best mate. McSweeney must be gone after this surely? Starmer has a lot of questions to answer and no amount of tough talk about stripping his peerage will get around that. If it was the tories in power Labour would be calling for the PM's resignation.
Then those people are morons.
Voting for the same people and expecting a different result seems just as moronic to me. If you want a rerun of the brexit vote carry on though. Comfortable middle class metropolitan liberals telling the proles in the fens and shires how stupid they are is a great way of getting the outcome you don't want.
What if he's also stripped of the title 'Prince of Darkness'?
Think he's in danger of being stripped of his underpants in Belmarsh at this rate. 😀
Seriously though, how the hell did Starmer think he was a suitable choice for US ambassador? I think we all know, because Mandelson is McSweeney's best mate. McSweeney must be gone after this surely? Starmer has a lot of questions to answer and no amount of tough talk about stripping his peerage will get around that. If it was the tories in power Labour would be calling for the PM's resignation.
If mcsweeney is kicked out whilst landing flat on his face then it couldn’t happen to a nicer person, he’s been a Mandleson lickspittle all his political life.
And what should happen to Mandleson ?, i imagine Gordon Brown may want to get his hands on mandleson before the police have him safely ensconced in a cell
Comfortable middle class metropolitan liberals telling the proles in the fens and shires how stupid they are is a great way of getting the outcome you don't want.
Total blinkers as to understanding how we got here from that lot.
I put myself in the middle class-ish now / very working class background and literally I can see all around me why the moderates haven't got a clue/don't care about fixing the conditions of those who are fed up of the state of things.
Then they vote for something the moderates hate.
Are you ****ing surprised?
Their conditions were not being met by a string of useless governments. Being more useless (aka Labour) doesn't stop them now from moving on to Reform.
It's not rocket science.
Get a grip, understand the basics. People who have done okay don't understand how radical things need to be to fix this God-awful mess.
It's nothing to do with Brexit in the end. Brexit is symptom of a bigger problem.
A lot of people doing very nicely thank you voted for Brexit, and are at risk of voting for the party previously known as the Brexit Party. The Reform offering isn’t about making lives better, it’s about making other people’s lives worse. And this Government have decided that if they throw asylum seekers under that bus, they might win some of those voters back. They won’t. Not that way.
Framing the vote for Brexit, Johnson’s Get Brexit Done, the Brexit Party and now Reform as the left behind sticking it to the establishment is fine… but the truth is they’re voting to hit down not up.
Mandy stepping away from parliament for good now. Not enough. He’s going to have to face the law.
Yep, and Starmers Labour are as terrifying as Sunak's tory party. I really think most people won't notice any difference.
the same kind of false equivalence is the nonsense that got voters in the US to not vote for Harris
and now they have a miltia with 'absolute immunity' sweeping through their cities abducting children from nursery, snatching people of the streets at randon and brutalising them, shooting unarmed protestors.........
whats insane is that the government is lookin at passing a law just to get rid of 1 lord, coz theres no way of forcing him out!!
Sums up how badly 2nd chamber needs to be scrapped and looked at again
The 2nd chamber should be reformed, but the big picture here is the close links between wealth and political power. Reforming the HOL is just window dressing, the real changes need to be in political financing, and clearly the personnel finances of politicians.
I have said before all political donations should be capped at 500 per person per year.
I also think there should be a department of the police fraud squad who audit politicians and party finances, none of the internal HOC bullshit. If sportsmen have to submit to drug tests just to run around a bit, then politicians should have to have their finances audited in order to hold power.
While all the Mandleson stuff has been going on, yesterday the local paper published an article on my Labour MP and his expenses and gift declarations for 2025. It sounds like he's had a lovely year...
I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed....
https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/25810961.bury-mp-gifted-tickets-worth-thousands-biggest-uk-events/
... and I genuinely mean that.
Like lots of others, I chopped my Labour party membership in a while back, for a variety of reasons, but I thought that after the furore over the freebies at the start of this administration, they might have got the memo about putting a stop to it. Apparently not. I wouldn't imagine many of his constituents were going on corporate jollies of three and a half grand VIP trips to Glastonbury. I know I certainly wasn't. Looking at who the jollies were paid for by doesn't make for good reading either. Betting companies? Really?
Anyway.... lots more ammunition for the "they're all the ****ing same' brigade who it would appear have a valid point
I liked that post Binners, and then saw what the tickets were for… some are just notional values really, aren’t they? Invite MPs to your music awards, and give them a headline ticket price to declare.
I'll put this here for your outrage / amusement
MY hobby horse the assisted dying bill. the HOL ( or rather a few religious nuts) are filibustering this out. they have tabled over 1000 amendments all ridiculous and intended to either make it unworkable or to give scope to legal challenge then are making huge long speeches to make sure the bill times out
Examples include everyone applying for it must have a negative pregnancy test no exceptions!
its a deliberate attempt to kill this bill and to frustrate the will of the HOC.
Its time the HOL went - just be abolished in its entirety. Its a bloated mess with no democratic legitimacy
I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed....
We also have to remember, it's not the gifts and bribes themselves that are costing us, it is the policies that are enacted for them. The privatisation of government services and the private financing of government services, the holes in the tax laws, the unlevel playing field for corporations over small businesses, the protection of tax havens etc etc
The value of the bribes themselves are nothing compared to the cost in health wealth and happiness of us all.
I liked that post Binners, and then saw what the tickets were for… some are just notional values really, aren’t they?
Its all about the optics though, innit?
They should be smart enough to see what it looks like to voters and politely decline.
I know I'm being old-fashioned but I don't think my MP should be getting his expensive VIP nights out payed for by betting companies based in tax havens. On a salary of 95 grand, if he fancies a night at the darts he can probably afford it without the need for a corporate VIP jolly, being shmoozed by tax-dodgers
Its time the HOL went - just be abolished in its entirety. Its a bloated mess with no democratic legitimacy
Its an absolute disgrace - and totally undemocratic - what they're doing to the assisted dying bill. Did I hear the Attorney General say that if they carry on with their nonsense, they can overrule them (as they should) and force it through?
I think Keir and Rachel from Accounts will be on a few company boards after the election..The rest of us will be living under Farage.
Its time the HOL went - just be abolished in its entirety. Its a bloated mess with no democratic legitimacy
Its an absolute disgrace - and totally undemocratic - what they're doing to the assisted dying bill. Did I hear the Attorney General say that if they carry on with their nonsense, they can overrule them (as they should) and force it through?
As I understand it it would have to go back to the commons for another vote ( which means time allocated) then they can use the parliament act to force it thru - however its unprecedented for a private members bill.
Betting companies? Really?
Come on binners, betting companies are important employers in this part of England. That as well as the Association of Fried Chicken takeaways, pound shops, charity shops and the Guild of Nail, Hair, and back, sack and crack professionals*. The fact that these sort of businesses are what populate our high streets is testament to the social decay overseen by successive governments. Doesn't look like Labour MPs like James Frith are too bothered about changing that though.
*How do people afford all these beauty treatments in run-down countryside towns? Todmorden has more hair dressers and nail bars than pretty much every high street business combined and they all appear to be doing ok.
Its time the HOL went - just be abolished in its entirety. Its a bloated mess with no democratic legitimacy
It's a flippin disgrace but I'm not so sure about totally abolishing it despite reading some god awful stats about its members recently.
Sums up how badly 2nd chamber needs to be scrapped and looked at again
I dunno. Its one case where I would tend towards the "things were better in the past" and go back to the good old days where rogue lords were removed from office at the tower of London.
It's a flippin disgrace but I'm not so sure about totally abolishing it despite reading some god awful stats about its members recently.
I think a second chamber makes sense but the problem is whilst there are some good people put in there its too often a retirement home for former mps who are still well connected but their constituents loathed and a smattering of people who paid their way in. Especially when combined with the "need" to tilt the numbers in favour of the current government (after the last did the same etc etc) results in a bloated house which is only sort of saved by how rarely a lot turn up.
Todmorden has more hair dressers and nail bars than pretty much every high street business combined and they all appear to be doing ok.
Drug money laundring.
Edit: Of course the lucky folks of Wales have two choices as do the lucky folks of Scotland, the rest of in England don't.
English voters don't want regional devolution and never have.
a tiny minority are they not?
Drug money laundring.
Must be. How many people in a given area need their hair cut so often to sustain 10 barbershops in a single high street. Simple supply and demand would suggest most of them would be out of business if they didn't have another income stream.
Peak Grauniad 🤣
"Streeting, cast in recent months as a rival to the Labour leader, found himself in the position of having to repeatedly defend the prime minster’s judgment in appointing Epstein to Washington, as the scandal threatens to engulf Starmer and his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
Asked about Starmer’s judgment, Streeting said: “We took a view and take a view generally that we don’t make people guilty by association but assurances in the vetting process were sought and the prime minister was not told the whole truth about it.”
Is the weather reflecting the state of the nation's morale?
Has all really good news finished?
Feels like it.
Two things coming to a head here… a full release of the files from the time of the appointment (as needs to happen if the government really want to “draw a line in the sand”) is bound to give some insight into the true assessment of (and attitude towards) the start of the second Trump presidency by both key politicians and perhaps some in the civil service… paired with the fact that the political decision to appoint Mandelson isn’t going to match up with the advice given to the PM. “Not knowing the full truth” isn’t a line you can hide behind if “ignored all the private and professional warnings about him” is shown to be a better picture of what happened… while also putting the UK government (and us) in Trump’s firing line when/if candid comments about him don’t match the greasy obsequious public approach towards him at the time.
Streeting is cut from exactly the same cloth, taking money from private health and I bet promises of a highly lucrative post politics career, to sell out the NHS, greed over service personified.
You really think McSweeney would be Starmer's get-out here.
He's got an opportunity to drop him and come out smelling better.
(Labour's first 18 months has just been on bad chapter after another. But this takes some beating.)