Channel 4 undercover re Farage

We’re the fastest growing country in the G7, unemployment is very slightly up, the NHS isn’t in turmoil, the cost of living is up because of Trump’s war in the Middle East which affects petrol prices all over Europe, the government recognises the NEETS issue and has a plan to deal with it. Oh, and you didn’t mention it but immigration is down by 42%. We were actually in recession for the last two quarters of 2023 but I expect that passed you by.

Well to be the honest the ‘direct experience’ or lack of it certainly applies to the present Government. None of them have any business experience and it shows. No Growth, Unemployment up, NHS in turmoil, cost of living up, NEETs the highest it has ever been. Not particularly a fan of Farage but to be honest would vote for him if it meant getting rid of this god awful Government.

I totally get what you are saying. But I don't think that doing one thing means you are good at doing a different thing.

How many of us have been in a job where a peer is promoted from the shop floor to management, and the discussion in the canteen is " We lost a good worker and got a crap boss".

I know people who were not actually any good at the base level. But their ambition was seeping out their pores. And no matter what it took to get ahead, they done it. I could point you to a corporate website and point out few directors and their mini bio. And that bit where they say " Started in the toolroom", or " worked on designing....", my reaction would be " Aye, and they were fecking useless at it , the backstabbing barstewered"

I am in no way saying that applies to Angela. And I agree that back story can be important. But it should not be used as the measure for performance in the current job, or their character.

There is no perfect system as we know. But I tend to lean towards meritocracy. If someone is not a charismatic visionary but has potential to be a solid career politician, then a bit more time at the coal face among the backbenchers please.

Edit to add. Take Farage. He was really crap at being an MEP, yet there are people who think he would be a great PM. He has shown no ability, just ambition.

😂

Nadia Whittombe- is also a brilliant advocate for the care sector. Not everyone's cup of tea but quite good during COVID when she worked part time in a care home.
I don't think people realise just what an achievement it is being heard, if you work in one of these areas. There are MPs with social work/ care experience who don't tell people. Getting elected and progressing makes Angela by definition better than peers- because it's not a struggle for many peers to get elected or progress. Even teachers are taken a lot more seriously, those MPs with money even moreso.
Care is hard work.

Yeah. I don't really hold to this direct experience needed thing.

Take Farage for example. He is super passionate about fisheries. Seems there is nothing he does not know about the industry. He knows so much about EU fisheries policy, and he talked about it so much, that the EU even put him on the EU fisheries committee when he was an MEP.

Brexit: Nigel Farage only turned up to one of 42 EU fisheries committee meetings | Descrier News

He done nothing. And lo and behold, at Brexit time, he was again an expert on fisheries. So much an expert in fact, that the fishers he persuaded to vote for Brexit, would soon become rather disillusioned with him. You know, when swathes of that industry collapsed. And I recall at the time, he said about the people who did know what would happen, that they were part of a project fear conspiracy of some sort. They were in with the "globalists", the elite overlords, or something like that.

He does like a good conspiracy does Nigel,

I even disagree with me sometimes.

I give myself a good hard thinking to now and then.

:-)

I have near zero tolerance for anything that can be seen as corruption in public office. She done more than that. There was the NY trip too. She was deputy PM with the Stamp Duty thing. Back benches fine, but no cabinet. At least until after another GE to see if her electorate vote her back in. The least her electorate can expect of their MP is that they at least research the law regarding themselves, and if there is to be error, it should be on the side of caution.

I also think Starmer should have gone over the football box, the glasses, his kids using a donors flat, the clothes... near zero tolerance.

No hanging about for me. Caught with fingers in the till... out. Face your electorate before any chance of a senior position again.

When I think back to my first factory job, that was in the time when suppliers would give bottles to customers at crimbo, even then we had an unwritten rule. Two or three bottles max kept, any more than that had to go into the staff bottle raffle. This was in a heavy industry factory with about 90 people. Solid working class. And there was a code of fairness. If a foreman was seen to get a case handed into his office, and most of that case did not appear in the raffle, that foreman had workers for a while who were working to rule.

Are crimbo bottles corruption? Yes, in a way.

In other jobs, a gift from a supplier that was more then a pen? Reported to the factory manager. They decide if registered and keep or not.

I never said it should be different for Reform

I had no issue with the investigation into Rayner or any other investigations either.

If the investigations find all is good with Reform than they can continue as they are 👍

I really don’t think Rayner could give expert advice on anything😃 but that is a great excuse to get back into cabinet!

Well why are you discussing it? Point being made is that all political parties should be investigated against any criminal activities and that includes Labour. So again Rayner, Haigh, Reynolds etc have been appointed to the front bench even though it is proven they have dubious records. So why should it be different for Reform?

So who else could provide an expert opinion on social care from a front line perspective?

Shouldn’t even be in the cabinet!

An MP with direct experience of the social care sector is exactly what we need.

The care sector has been neglected for far too long. Remember the soundbites from Johnson, Hancock.

Again, nothing to do with the investigations into Reform.

Who said she was the best? She’s the only Cabinet voice with first hand experience of the front line of social care. Unless, of course, you can think of any other MP who has?

If that is the best we have god help us.

Labour has messed up with more than expenses. You reap what you sow relates to Rayner.

Farage is being investigated under rule 5 of the House of Commons code of conduct – “failure to register an interest”.

Punishments for breaking the code range from a written or oral apology to suspension from the House – or even expulsion in the most serious cases.

ETA this is about the £5m investigation

There's a big fundamental difference in making an arrangement to look after your disabled child who is now an adult and what Farage has done.
It's a problem that the ethics advisor who advised Kier didn't highlight this. However it does seem a bit obvious to me. Whose ethics exactly was he reflecting?
I personally don't think families making such arrangements for disabled family members should be taxed like this. It's not like there was any doubt that that was a factor. .
5 million to support a racist endeavour and as a reward for a Brexit that cost billions ( not for billionaires) and to advantage billions naires so they can pay even less UK tax-
You don't have to be an accountant. The two things are qualitatively different.

It's common sense

I think this is possibly the first time I’ve ever disagreed with you @RedTagAlan! I’m delighted Rayner’s back in cabinet, her unique insight into the social care system from a care worker’s perspective is invaluable to Burnham’s commitment to reforming it.

@RedTagAlan

I also think it was a mistake by Burham to appoint Rayner as housing minister after being discovered attempting to avoid payment of stamp duty. Which is effectively cheating the government. However, they are both mates and from Manchester.

for taking foreign money and hiding where it came from. Is that not what we are talking about?

Yes. That’s the main principle. I can’t work out why he did not declare what he had received and from whom.

What would have been the disadvantage? Even if he wins argument it was a gift, will he not then be liable for tax?

I disagree with Rayner bring in cabinet.

I daresay Farage could return the money. What he has not spent of course. I suppose he can always find another dodgy person to make up the difference.

But the 5 mil is not the big thing. The big thing, that is in the title of the thread, is the potential criminal charges for taking foreign money and hiding where it came from. Is that not what we are talking about ?

If Farage is found to have done nothing wrong, he can keep his £5m and continue working as an MP.

@DuncinToffee

Rayner paid the stamp duty after she had been caught not paying. She was later appointed housing minister.

So, if Farage is found of wrongdoing over the £5 million, could he not just return it and wipe the slate clean like Rayner did?

Nathan Gill was a pretty big case with Farage saying he never met the guy.

Labour messed up with their expenses, they did declare them though. And Rayner was investigated and had daily newspaper articles scrutinising her entire life.