Has Andy Burnham ended up as PM somewhat under false pretences?

[Imdunfer]

Please note that this is from a left wing Labour supporting paper.

It turns out that the marvellous redevelopment of Manchester that was the central plank of his credibility to become PM was triggered by the fall of Mubarak in Egypt in 2011 and what were effectively, or previously close to, bribes set up by the then Tory government to retain our massive defence contracts with the Middle East.

The owners of Man City, recently found guilty of breaking well over 100 financial football rules, are heavily involved. UK developers were excluded from access to large development contracts. Man City was sold a deal including the naming rights to the stadium, owned by the council, for £750k a year when professional rights brokers estimate the market value to be between £10m and £15m a year for the name alone.

The question is, did a local Mayor with no experience outside politics and only a tiny amount of experience of cabinet roles, (3 jobs in 3 years), get to be Prime Minister without a challenge on the strength of the development of the centre of his city that he actually only had a small part in creating?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/oct/25/thats-the-way-the-city-works-how-the-uae-changed-the-face-of-andy-burnhams-manchester

The idiom of rolling the dice is tantamount to promoting gambling? Politics IS a gamble. That's what manifesto promises and elections are about. You're taking a phrase seriously - seriously?

That's a very good question, @hedgeknight .

As is the one about the selective nature of outrage asked earlier - oh so terrible when a female Trump supporter is assaulted, but if it happens to a woman from the left, it's suddenly 'oh, but she was a heckler and shouldn't have been there'. And when you ask about the double standard, you get crickets.

"Posters may disagree with you on here, but they will not put any meaningful money behind it" is what is being referred to.

I have already replied and now I feel like you are hounding me.

Please confirm that you are not hounding me.

<Makes small bet with self>

Do you promote gambling on this thread @Imdunfer

As to Mahmood abandoning plans to force many care workers to wait 15 years for permanent settlement, whilst migration can be a positive thing, we mostly seem to admit asylum seekers, ‘students’ and ‘care workers’.

Why not allow in more professionals and European graduates, and simultaneously end the corrupt asylum system which is evidently exploited by scammers, and instead get our non-working people upskilled to work in the care sector?

As far as I can see, Kemi Badenoch has not been fined for speeding on the motorway - unlike Andy Burnham and Harriet Harman (the hacked MP you referred to): Burnham was fined/charged nearly £2,000 for driving at 78mph in a 40mph temporary speed restriction zone and Harriet Harman received a fine and short ban for driving at 99mph. Perhaps Andy Burnham should have a new title, 'Speed King of the North'.

The accusations of bullying are unsubstantiated and Harriet Harman described the hacking of her computer as 'mischievous';

"Thank you for that. It was a long time ago. No harm was done (I’d forgotten about it!) It was wrong but it was mischievous rather than malicious. She’s [KB's] apologised. The Met, I'm sure, have more important things to be doing right now!"

As an aside, I thought it was quite amusing that Kemi Badenoch posted 'Vote Boris' [for London Mayor] on Harriet Harman's web page.

Chris Philp received the ire from Edward Leigh today in the HoC. "We will never move on" he said to Philp with regard to not recognising the years the Conservatives did nothing when in power.

You have not replied, your mate Fox tried to to an extent.

Why are you tagging me if you don't want to talk about it?

You understand these are common English turns of phrase, don't you?

So we both agree to drop it, thanks.

As to LHF, I agree with much of what they post, and I am happy to say I consider them to be a good (internet) friend.

As an aside, I thought it was quite amusing that Kemi Badenoch posted 'Vote Boris' [for London Mayor] on Harriet Harman's web page.

Does this childish nonsense behove you as an adult? @Clavinova

And the leader of the opposition should not be behaving in this way.

Any winnings should be committed to charity of the winners choice

Confirms Erasewind was talking about betting. But cheers for the helpful input 🙃

Bless you. Likewise x

Erasewind! That genuinely made me LOL, so, thank you.

There's serious discussions to be had in this thread yet it descends into "don't hound me, I'm delicate and I want my mummy" answers.

Does robust and intelligent debate trigger you?

Say what now?

Reread @TemperanceWest post.

Just spotted this - how apt!

Marine Le Pen’s EU dream is a nightmare for Brussels

Readers of a nervous disposition, look away now.

The year is 2030 and French President Marine Le Pen’s sweeping overhaul of both her own country and the EU shows no sign of slowing down.

The Berlaymont, or the European Commission’s HQ, has been repurposed as the Ministry of National Sovereignty, except for the 13th floor - the current work base and living quarters of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - which is now a cat cafe.

https://www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-eu-dream-nightmare-brussels/

Le Pen vows to downsize EU
https://www.politico.eu/article/le-pen-downsize-eu-contribution-cut-brussels/

You are not a new poster then, just have reinvented yourself once more. I thought I recognised the poting style and the betting comment.

Shall I consider this as a bit of a pile on?

Hacking someone else’s computer is a criminal offence. Badenoch was extremely fortunate that Harman was so benevolent. I doubt she’d be so generous if she was the victim. Are we really scraping the barrel with speeding offences? At least the examples you cite didn’t turn their spouses into criminals by asking them to take their points like Chris Hulme.

Very interesting Clavinova.