Thread 39 Starmer: chwech/saith - dechreuodd y plant ei

[DuncinToffee]

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https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5446809-thread-38-starmer-tax-your-hamster?page=40

Political and general chat

Taxes optional but greatly appreciated

Hate ages a person. I reckon. Farage has always looked older than his age too.

He’s a bit younger than me (months, nit years). I may be deluded but I think I look much younger than he does. I also think Starmer (older than him) looks younger.

Oh. Farage has just tweeted this:

It was leaked. Regardless of how many attempts to do so previously, and held for release before Reeves gave her speech. All planned and carefully choreographed and engineered.

I stand by my last comment.

I agree with you

Just seen the inevitable denial from Farage.

Remember he did a deal with Boring Johnson whilst leader of The Brexit Party. To get that shite oven ready deal.

He's an ex Tory member.

I wonder how many current Tory councillors might defect and stand for Reform in May if they think the writing is on the wall? It would save Farage the massive job of finding candidates who aren't nutjobs.

I also wonder who gave the story to the FT? Perhaps all is not well at Reform HQ.

26 piddling per cent in the polls isn't getting you anywhere near making a new government in 2029. It's laughable to think that a fist of thugs can overturn Labour's majority.

FGS there shouldn’t be a delay to this.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/02/cryptocurrency-political-donations-uk-ban-election-bill

It seems that it was Reform donors themselves [un-named] who spoke to the FT

''Reform donors told the Financial Times that the leader expected his party to join with or make a deal with the Tories.

One of those who spoke to the FT said Farage had described such an agreement as “inevitable” but that it would take some time because he was wary over making a pact between the two''.

How many Tories have joined him now, about 20?

Interesting. I was at an event at the Barbican last night - A Year in Westminster: Pippa Crear (Guardian Pol Ed) interviewing John Crace and Marina Hyde. They didn't think that the Cons and Reform would coalesce /make a pact... but maybe they're not as well informed as we would like to think!

Their predictions for Starmer and Reeves were:
Crace and Hyde thought they'd both be replaced after May elections.
Crear thought Starmer would still be PM this time next year.

Hmm. Are his donors worried that Reform won't win a GE on its own and they are chucking their money away to no avail. Trying to bounce Farage into a deal?

Badenoch has reportedly said she would consider a deal with Reform in Wales. Does she not read the polls? Even in coalition Reform+Tories wouldn't have a majority.

Is this one of those stories leaked to distract from racism, Russia and now his key aide being involved in a Premier League billionaire’s betting syndicate lawsuit.

Did they say who they think will replace them?

It also assumes that Tory voters will be happy to vote for reform or a Tory party that has done a deal with reform. They keep forgetting that about half the voters they lost more further left and what one nation Tory voters they have left wouldn’t ever consider voting reform.

It's no surprise that the dishonest Farage sees Reform as a centre right party, similar to the one nation Conservatives. And DuncinT nails the distractions.

With Putin acting the bully boy, I suspect a lot of Reformers want a leader they can envisage standing up to him.

Nigel Farage is not that man. His paymaster has undercut him.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/02/rachel-reeves-keir-starmer-budget

Here's Hyde's piece in The Guardian. Lots of moderation went on btl comments.

Regarding the c*ypto donations.

I wouldn't ban them. But I would insist that any donations in cypto have to be held in cypto. Let the party worry about the market volatility.

Converting c*ypto into a fiat currency (e.g. sterling) should attract tax, as basically the transaction is "buying" the stability of sterling - so should damn well pay for it.

Oh dear God TR and unite the kingdom are holding a carol service in London to put the Christ back into Christmas. Presumably as a grift for all those Christians who have never set foot in a church and have no idea when their local churches’ carol services are.

@RafaistheKingofClay I wonder if that is actually being held in a church 🤢 you would hope their congregation would vote with their feet

New print version of the Daily Mail released today.

Marina Hyde has disappointed me a few times lately.