That Starmer fella...

Must be great to be a cabinet member sent out to explain to the press why your boss loves football more than pensioners surviving at Christmas.

Arsenal usually freeze around April.

enjoyed watching phillipson blame being on the take on her daughter wanting swift tickets. different from the wimbledon tickets of which, by her own words, were taken in a "professional capacity". probably the most politically relevant revelation tho, trying to say her several thousand pound birthday party paid for by lord alli, in which she invited various lobby people from business and press to attend in the run up of her education sec position as "a business event".

but i suppose it really provided great cover through its absurdity to rayner who tried to argue that using her frequent donators, lord alli's apartment with former labour mp tarry, on a "friends trip to new york" - was "not a political donation but a kind gift from a friend".

none of these people have any political talent; all seem to be quite dim to the world around them at large. it's no suprise they see nothing wrong with this stuff as they've gotten to where they are because it's so effective on them. selling parts of their morals, their beliefs, under the guise of political pragmatism and soothed by the, relatively cheap, treat. from a benefactor who could benefit from the ear of a dim, flexible, politician. jingle some keys in front of these people in the form of a knighthood, a private car, a cabinet seat, a holiday or a new frock and they'll clap their hands and say "arnt' i popular!" then mention no more of it.

Reynolds was flopped over the table and fucked so hard by Cathy Newman on C4 news that his comedy beard melted. His materiel was enlivened with a smug condescending grin. What I find interesting is that an overwhelming interest in assocation football is seen as a positive by these man children. Such wastemen...

Nigel Farage is the only beneficiary of this in the long term.

Yes, but due to Neo-Liberalism as a whole, rather than any current specific New-New-Labour corruption.

Are we going to have to put up with 5 more years of this drivel?

There's literally a thread called "fall of the Tory party". Suck it up or put them on ignore?

I suspect that being 'flopped over the table' is the ultimate freebie!

Reeves says she does not mind ministers, or shadow ministers, going to a concert. She points out that she has been to events like the First Night of the Proms with Robinson himself, and Chris [presumably Chris Mason, the BBC political editor] as a guest of the BBC.

If people keep responding to him, yes.

My point was less that he'd written stuff, more that if it's so low profile that searching the guy's name doesn't bring up his article then he's pretty low profile (which I think was the justification for not granting the pass).

The hope here, although it isn't looking that likely, is that this may finally drive some reform in the rules like the expenses scandal did.

It's nothing new, didn't the JCB guy pay for Boris Johnson's wedding whilst he was PM, but now that the press are making a big thing of it maybe someone will take a step back and think "Yeah, this is a bit dodgy isn't it".

I guess that’s the answer. The almost tangible masturbatory guffawing is quite tiresome.

I've never been at home to Mister Ignore Button before but for this guy I've made an exception.

Excellent description

I ignored them ages ago.

Zero downside.

Bit late but some info from a journo friend

In the last disclosed list of 'senior officials salaries' above £150k,
from 2023, no less than 372 were paid more than Keir Starmer's current
rate; presumably there are more now. "Paid more than the Prime
Minister" is a Fleet Street meme...

"At least four council bosses around the country are paid more than
the Prime Minister, despite their areas facing financial ruin",
Telegraph September 2023

"Named: 172 civil servants paid more than the Prime Minister" Daily
Mail June 2010

"The Bank of England was last night accused of hypocrisy after it
emerged that 141 of its staff are paid more than the Prime Minister."
Daily Mail June 2015

"Dozens of London hospital bosses are being paid more than the Prime
Minister - despite some of them racking up record levels of NHS debt,
it emerged today." Daily Mail September 2015

"The number of town hall bosses paid more than the Prime Minister has
soared – as households are hit by huge council tax rises. " Daily Mail
April 2012.

So if the real story is that people working under Sue Grey are
unhappy, let's know exactly how many, what specifically they are
grumpy about, and how it ranks with those who were grumpy with
Alastair Campbell and Dominic Cummings in previous administrations.

Hard but fair.. Just finished guffawing at Cooper on WA1. The main act begins shortly with the fat greedy comedian. A James Corden without the talent.

So James Corden

From what I saw, Labour is in the service of lobbyists, not working people. Pay-to-play.

There is a vacuity and an emptiness to this speech that is alarming. None of the ministers and grandees look like they buy into it. Sounds brittle and defensive, and looks embarrassing as he waits on laugh and clap lines.

From what you saw where?

Labour Conference

He's warmed up a bit, to be fair.