Maybe not someone identifying as a cat, but we now have gender fluid dachshunds. And this piece of nonsense has led to Cambridge Country Council paying out £63,000 of public money. A gender critical social worker was harassed by her colleagues after making “non-inclusive and transphobic” comments about a co-worker’s “gender-neutral” dog, a tribunal ruled. The meeting began with a male colleague claiming that his dachshund was “gender-fluid” and that he put a dress on the dog “to prompt debate about gender”. https://freespeechunion.org/gender-...-harassment-of-lesbian-worker-tribunal-hears/ Though I'm sure 2tier will do something about voicing an opinion soon enough.
I’m sure the below has been posted by lots in the left, but I have a few of the nutters on ignore so apologies if already posted. Sir Keir Starmer has received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader, Sky News can reveal. Government officials are worried the prime minister's willingness to accept hospitality to go to football matches could amount to a conflict of interest given plans to overhaul the sport's regulator which many clubs oppose. The prime minister received two-and-a-half times more gifts and hospitality than the next MP, according to a league table compiled as part of Sky News' Westminster Accounts project - which traces how money flows through our political system. Since December 2019, he received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality - a specific category in parliament's register of MPs' interests. The next highest in the league table is the Commons leader Lucy Powell on £40,289, while the prime minister received gifts roughly equivalent to the next five MPs combined. The table does not account for those who received help with legal fees. 'It's nuts' One member of the government called the situation "nuts" and said the freebies "should be banned". Sky News has also learnt that officials are warning the prime minister could be opening himself up to inappropriate lobbying by saying he will continue to accept football tickets. Ministers are usually told to avoid hospitality from any organisation connected to an ongoing government regulatory decision, and the future of a football regulator is under consideration at the moment. The Premier League is one of the biggest donors of hospitality, and Sir Keir - a renowned Arsenal fan - has received almost £40,000 in tickets overall since December 2019. The Premier League, which is lobbying against a football regulator, declared £12,588 of gifts to Sir Keir; including four Taylor Swift tickets during the election campaign worth £4,000; two Euros finals tickets costing £1,628; and numerous tickets spanning several Arsenal matches costing well over £6,000 in total. How to explore the Westminster Accounts PM defiant in face of criticism Sky News can reveal the prime minister ignored warnings from some in his senior team while in opposition. They feared the issue could cause him political damage, but he justified it by saying it was within the rules. Senior Labour figures are incandescent that the story about freebies for the Starmer family has dragged on for days, and ministers going out with different and often contradictory explanations. They blame a lack of political grip on the operation, intensifying pressure on Sir Keir's chief of staff Sue Gray, and sparking private calls for her to be side-lined or sacked. Sir Keir defended his right to continue to take football freebies earlier this week, saying: "If I don't accept a gift of hospitality, I can't go to a game." "Never going to an Arsenal game again because I can't accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far," he added. Sky News asked Number 10 whether football donations were a conflict of interest and about the pre-election discussions about the appropriateness of accepting hospitality. We also asked for comment on the fact Sir Keir is top of the table for gifts and hospitality, excluding legal donations. They did not comment. PM wants 'transparency' over donations Biggest donor refreshes PM's wardrobe Most of Sir Keir's gifts and hospitality - £86,708 of the £107,145 - were accepted in the last parliament, but £20,437 was declared in this parliament for accommodation that straddles the two periods. The biggest donor of gifts and hospitality is Labour peer Waheed Alli, who gave the equivalent of £39,122. These donations included an unspecified donation of accommodation worth £20,437, "work clothing" worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses equivalent to £2,485. Starmer's chief of staff under fire This comes on a bleak day for Sir Keir after the BBC revealed his chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than £170,000, which is higher than the prime minister. Ms Gray was the last government's ethics chief and even the prime minister's allies are incandescent she has not put a stop to this practice. This is embarrassing for Sir Keir after he previously criticised the scale of Dominic Cummings's salary, who was Boris Johnson's chief of staff. The government does not deny the salary level but insists she did not set the level of her salary herself - which is higher than her predecessor. However, this has been challenged for figures familiar with the process. They said successive chiefs of staff who preceded Ms Gray had to agree recommendations on adviser pay and advise on the decisions made by ministers.
"If I don't accept a gift of hospitality, I can't go to a game." Kier Starmer, 'a renowned Arsenal fan'
I don't like this idea that public servants can accept gifts. They're not gifts, they're bribes. There's no need for somebody to buy Starmer's clothes, I think he can afford a few suits. Same with holidays etc. Just stinks IMHO, and it opens the door to justified cries about undue influence. Should be banned, along with second jobs for serving MPs
In other public sector news, boxes of biscuits which were delivered by the public had to be donated to food banks to ensure that there wasn't a perception of bribery. Although to be fair public sector rules never ever seem to apply to MP's, regardless of the colour of their rosette
To be fair, he does have a season ticket (and has fine for a while) which he now can’t use for security reasons. He is still paying for it though.
Yeah this gifting is utterly moronic and foolish. I think it goes beyond Starmer really and is a cultural issue with the House of Commons as a whole, but as the most important figure he needs to be held to the highest standard. I can’t fathom how they didn’t think this would blow up in their face. The lines the ministers have been sent out with are incredibly bad PR/Comms too, feel like I can sense Alistair Campbell kicking a wall somewhere. Still doesn’t change that I think he is leagues ahead of the previous 4 PMs (at least) in terms of capability and I think we are in much better hands than we were 3 months ago, but some serious lack of judgement on display. Gifting for MPs should be banned outright anyway, do we think people/organisations give this stuff away for free? Absolutely no chance.
I think one of the issues here for Starmer is he said he was coming in and it was going to be different, then this blows up and people rightly question the validity of difference. I also agree with the calls above saying this should be outright banned - I mean it is literally banned in corporate business and other areas, but not here. Seems a bit mental.
More than 1500 pharmacies have closed over the last decade, as a result of funding cuts of up to 40%. Now pharmacies are set to vote on taking action, which would include working fewer hours, ending the free delivery of medicines and not doing jobs that have been passed over to them by GP surgeries. I hope that everyone now realises that should the Tories retake power or, God forbid, Reform rise to the top then the NHS and every good thing associated with it will come to an end. And the irony would be that they would lump all the blame on to Labour, unless Labour can come up with a plan to solve 14 years of deliberate neglect in the next 5 years.
A breath of fresh air that two left leaning posters have openly criticised Starmer. There are others on here who could do their credibility a favour by taking notice. Fair play for that and also have not resorted to making fatuous comments about wallpaper that was fully criticised at the time. Shandy has though implied that "they're all the same" , a comment that was roundly rebuffed during the last government's reign. But in the respect of expenses, freebies and donations, I do think that the vast majority of MP's are the same. And I would say that the Tories were even more corrupt by handing out contracts to their chums etc but plenty of time for Labour to catch up going by the speed current events. Everyone likes a freebie it seems, even Prime Ministers.
I will add my left leaning voice to the criticism of Starmer. I’m under no illusions that he is the Messiah, but I will settle for him being several degrees of magnitude less corrupt than the previous shower. With that in mind, he has to stop accepting freebies from anyone, and ensure the rest of his cabinet do as well.
I have always been critical of Starmer and have often said that I don’t know what he stands for. I think I referenced the publicity of his clothes being bought for him as “an own goal” or something similar. I also, maybe not on here, predicted that he would ostracise the more left of centre MPs so much that it would split the party, something that is looking likely as a group of MPs have already met and they even have a name for the new party - The Collective, iirc.
He’s apparently mulling over an offer of a box from Arsenal, worth about £8,000 pa. As he can’t, as PM, sit in the stands with the hoi polloi I have some sympathy with his dilemma there. He’s a married man with a family, so he can hardly tell Mrs S he’s pulling up 8 grand from the household budget either, so what goes he do? Take the box and invite fellow gooner Jeremy Corbyn to join him? It’s also worth pointing out that as the first Labour PM in 14 years, he can expect to be held to a far higher standard than any of his Tory predecessors. If this was Boris, the press and the electorate alike would no doubt chuckle indulgently.
There has always been an element among the left, of idealists who prefer the principled purity of opposition to the compromises of power. Those people have done very little to advance the interests of working people.
Yeah I absolutely believe he should be held to account. I still wouldn’t go as far as saying they are all the same, I don’t believe Labour would do anything on the scale of the Covid PPE scandal for example and I do think Starmer has the potential to be the most competent PM in terms of governance in a long while. But when your entire brand is based on cleaning up politics and bringing it back to service, to get caught out with your nose in the trough to this extent is pretty galling. Made worse by the gormless message the various Secretaries and Ministers are being sent out with along the lines of: ‘The Prime Minister needs to look good for the country’ and ‘Well he deserves it because he’s working very hard’. Stratospheric communications incompetence. Alistair Campbell is a somewhat chequered figure, but I can’t help but think Starmer needs someone that ruthless running the show behind the scenes, he clearly doesn’t have it right now. …and also wind in the freebies for **** sake.
Hardworking immigrant has Amazon van stolen and is killed in the process by white British man. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj4699ywp0o
HIGNFY. As the row continues over Sue Gray's pay, Keir Starmer insists he is completely in control of No.10, as Sue has Friday off and has left him the keys and instructions on how to lock up please log in to view this image
