Business as usual
An unsurprising result.
Dear Mr Campbell
Your complaint – Labour Party
Thank you for contacting the Advertising Standards Authority
I understand that you have raised concerns about a Labour party ad which asks for donations to fund staff to help Labour win the election. I’m sorry to learn that this matter has caused you concern however I should say straight away that because the ASA is a self-regulatory body we have been advised that under the freedom of speech provisions in the Human Rights Act 1998 we are unable to regulate ads that intend to affect voters taking part in the democratic process. As such the Code we administer contains the following rule, removing such material from our remit.
CAP Code Rule 7.1:
Claims in marketing communications, whenever published or distributed, whose principal function is to influence voters in a local, regional, national or international election or referendum are exempt from the Code.
Whilst I note that you have acknowledged this in your complaint, and feel that this ad is a direct solicitation of donations and is therefore within our remit, we still consider it to fall under rule 7.1 and outside of our remit. This is because although the claims are aimed at obtaining donations, we consider that the time-bound nature, close proximity of a general election and the purpose being specifically for the furtherance of their election campaign, rather than more generally, amounts to the claims’ principle function being to influence voters.
Given this, I’m afraid we can’t pursue your complaint further at this time. I would suggest contacting the Labour Party or your local MP directly with your concerns. I’m very sorry we are unable to help on this occasion, but thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with us.
The ASA website, www.asa.org.uk, contains information about the ASA and the work we do, including the results of our investigations into other recent complaints, many of which have been upheld. You may also find this ASA online article on Political Advertising of interest.
Kind regards
Emily
Emily Gent
Complaints Executive
Text of original complaint below:
———————————————————————————————————-
I note that your remit excludes political causes except in the case of materials “that are direct solicitations of donations for fund-raising”. This appears to come under that category.
Labour is soliciting £87,500 in donations specifically to hire campaign staff “to win the seats where the Tories are right on our tail”. However the emails do not mention that all of the 10 jobs are to be located in Scotland, where the Conservatives do not pose an electoral threat.
The posts can be found advertised on the Labour Party website here, under “General Election Campaign Assistant (x10)”, with the location clearly stated as “Scottish Labour Party offices across Scotland”:
In the only seven Labour seats where the Conservatives are in 2nd place, the average Labour majority is over 9,800 votes. Indeed, in NONE of the seven seats would even the combined 2nd-place and 3rd-place votes in 2010 be enough to overturn the Labour majority.
The relevant data can be found here.
I appreciate that this is a slightly arcane complaint. But nevertheless it is surely beyond question that the solicitation is being conducted under false pretences. The positions for which the money is sought are all in Scotland, yet in NO case is there a Labour seat in Scotland where “the Tories are right on our tail”.
(Indeed, the Conservatives are currently polling just 13% in Scotland, and aren’t on anyone’s tail. The only seats where their 2010 vote was within even 9,000 of the incumbent are all held by the SNP and the Liberal Democrats.)
I would appreciate your view.
———————————————————————————————————-
What the ASA has told us here is that even the solitary area where it IS expressly meant to investigate the claims of political parties is to all intents and purposes a fiction. The ads in question could not any more clearly be “direct solicitations of donations for fund-raising”, yet the ASA shrugs its shoulders and says that ultimately ANY money a political party raises is about furthering its cause, and therefore cannot fall within its remit.
In every single practical instance, then, our politicians remain free to lie to us with impunity. Indeed, according to the Advertising Standards Authority, lying to voters in order to fraudulently obtain money from them is actually their human right.
Excellent effort v the ASA, Stu.
“In every single practical instance, then, our politicians remain free to lie to us with impunity. Indeed, according to the Advertising Standards Authority, lying to voters in order to fraudulently obtain money from them is actually their human right.”
North Korea Syndrome. No political wrongdoing will be prosecuted in the UK. It is sufficient to deny such wrongdoing, for thereby the Gov. renders it’s own misdeeds effectively non-existent.
More slippery than eels.
The quicker we secure independence the better.
This will be the same human right to take your pension money and spend it all by the time you are 75!
Its all part of their human right to get anything that we may have garnered off us by any means, fair or foul
Cahoots.
I wish I had taken the red pill, or was it the blue one?
Yes nothing to see move along unless the SNP done it
I seem to remember a perfectly honest Wings ad being banned from Glasgow underground, for no other reason than it did not please Labour city fathers.
Seems the rules for lying are less stringent in the newspaper world..
Now why am I not surprised!
Can this ruling not be appealed?
So if we start a political party, as long as we are a unionist one, we can do or say anything we want. Is that what’s going on?
And they called you *MR* Campbell!
ASA simply a fig leaf for con artists and it all just means, you’re grown ups so “buyer beware” or, “never give a sucker an even break.”
If you are actually buying into this giant red Tory vote Jim Murphy’s all new Scottish Labour BBC, DailyRecord etc fraud, buyer beware.
(Fair enough Scotland, if you’re not buying the licence fee you’ll end up with a criminal conviction but still, who said life was fair)
I would like to say that it beggars belief, but in reality it’s just what we have come to expect.
While I fully appreciate that allowing the system to prosecute politicians for trying to get power through bare faced lies would be hugely dangerous (imagine if that was possible now – the Nats would all be in jail for not telling the truth according to the No Better Together establishment), there is an instinct within me that feels that what some of them do is a very close cousin to treason. What else would you call their efforts to subvert the governance of a supposed democracy, by conspiracy – explicit or tacit – to deceive the voters?
One rule for them, One rule for us…
Request an independent review of the ASA’s ruling?
link to asa.org.uk
Like I said, Democracy is dead at the hands of these creatures (I’m not speaking specifically about ASA here – the MSM and Establishment) and is buried in a shallow grave.
Those that would look for the remains are held in a soundproof cell with MSM and Establishment holding the keys.
If we fail to make any headway in May, I fear for the future.
who knew,chocolate teapot.
Well, if that’s the case…;D
This basically is confirmation that there is an absence of any organisation with the power to rein in less than truthful claims, except your MPs and their paties, who are part of the problem. Oh dear.
There must be SOMEONE who wants to pick this up as a real story. It’s a scandal. Rev – would you be willing to turn this into a press release and firing it out to EVERYONE? I would suggest including RT and Al Jazeera in that, along with all our own esteemed journals and channels.
Well thats clear enough. It falls within their remit, but is not within their remit. I think this letter should be used for the next higher English test. In my day it was called interpretation skills. Good luck to any student who can decipher this.
It’s a tedious, nit picking complaint you’re making anyway.
The Tories are close to labour, Scottish seats will help whether or not the tories are close in those seats.
You’re demeaning yourself and the nationalist cause.
One of the things people voting yes hope for is a less divisive, adversarial politics. This kind of pish doesn’t help.
The lying and cheating in tbe Referendum Campaign shows how the Unionist politicians lsck principles. They have none. They would betray anyone to line their pockets, even their own constituents. Food banks show their disdain for the electorate. They are a disgrace, funded by Hedge Funds. They can reap what they sow.
Guido had some letter from the toothless Electoral Comission the other day about political spending from Sept 2014 for the next election. I cannot get time to look at it just now, but I would wonder if what the ASA regards as electoral spend, the EC may see as in breach of its rules.
Did they raise the money anyway?
Never mind. The real fun is letting Labour know they are being watched
It’s also fun watching them spending months trying to raise funds that this site can do in a day.
The Advertising Standards Authority has already demonstrated, in the case of the ongoing funeral arrangements of the establishment club, that reality is what the Establishment say it is. Case closed. WATP.
I once submitted a complaint to the ASA regarding ‘subliminal’ advertising – the type that you never consciously notice but can influence you anyway – but it was rejected on the grounds that no-one would notice. Seriously, their response had more in common with a joke than a professional opinion. It seems clear to me that, like just about all professional organisations, the ASA are more interested in protecting their members than rigorously applying the standards they profess to uphold. There is more than enough wriggle room (as the ASA standards are simply standards, not law) to let them work round just about every single complaint if this is what they wish.
And they called you *MR* Campbell!
What else would they call him? My Dad was an honest-to-God minister, with his own parish and a pulpit he stood up in on Sundays, and every letter he had of that nature was addressed, correctly, as “Dear Mr. Kerr”.
WESTMINSTER Cardinal rule #001 ” don’t do as we do, do as we say”
Obtaining money by deciet or lies is a criminal offence. Unless the Establishment/HMG are involved, then it isn’t a criminal offence.
DONT TRY AND UPSET THE SYSTEM THAT HAS RUN FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, YOU NEVER HEAR THE ESTABLISHMENT COMPLAIN. head down arse up, now get on with it peasants.
I think this is a job for BBC’s ‘Watchdog’.
“Topical reports and investigations into the big names and smaller rogues letting viewers down.
Honest.. Annie (give us a wink) Robinson can cover the issue at length. Or we could Lynn Faulds Wood out to give the story a real Scottish feel.
What’s that.. there’s story about faulty Labour Fruit Machines.. Oh ok
@Donald
“You’re demeaning yourself and the nationalist cause.”
And YOU are talking rubbish.
From what has been done so far by London Labour in sacking Johann Lamont and replacing her with Jim Murphy, while more or less, retaining the entire backroom staff of Better Together led by Mr J McTernan, it ought to be clear that in Scotland, GE15 is only about Home Rule and Independence.
We don’t know yet what Mr McTernan’s instructions from David Cameron were before he sent him north, though it was probably ‘same again, John’, but it is crucial that the SNP and the Independence Alliance are looking at the same objectives as Mr McTernan.
Anything else will allow the Unionist strategy to be implemented unhindered – again.
And we don’t want that to happen, do we.
Apologies for going O/T so soon but this is a real belter from Scottish Labour:
link to news.stv.tv
I could’t read beyond the first paragraph without falling about laughing:
Scottish Labour will put the needs of Scotland first when creating policy under a new doctrine the party has dubbed “Murphy’s Law”.
Here is the wiki definition of Murphy’s Law:
Murphy’s law is a popular adage that states that “things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance,” or more commonly, “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”
Definitely the most stupid statement of the year so far.
Let’s start a political party! The name Scottish Labour Party is quite a good one and currently there is no such thing.
But, what’s the point? As far as advertising standards go it appears the only advantage is you can lie without any comeback. And we don’t need to lie! Truth is our weapon of choice.
Britspeak.
Sorted..So Wings can now establish itself as a Political Party and say whatever comes into it’s head with the same impunity as the Attack Dog Party
I’ll supply the Tizer Crate and we can all take turns of promising..Well, anything we like, to anybody, and if accused of Porkie Telling, if it’s good enough for The Labour Party it’s good enough for us..I feel a song coming on…Isn’t Insturgeoncy Great?…Or am i lying?
The ASA is itself an excellent example of false or misleading advertising. It’s very name “Authority” suggests that it is some kind of official body when the reality is it is a private club created by the biggest advertisers to avoid the danger of a real advertising watchdog being imposed on the industry.
It’s function is (a) to act as a fig leaf to make consumers believe that advertising is honest etc and (b) to harass any competitors to the big boys, regardless of facts or evidence.
It is worth knowing that they have no statutory powers whatsoever but they would hardly wish to help the likes of us even if they did. You might as well expect the BBC to respond reasonably to a complaint!
Murphy tries to keep the subsidy myth going. Scotland has more than enough to fund it’s own nurses. Not paying for illegal wars, tax evasion and bankers fraud will help. Not being lumbered by debts it doesn’t borrow or spend, because of Westminster mismanagement will help.
Scotland raises £53Billion+++ in tax revenues. (more pro rata) More than enough for an excellent NHS/Education system.
The rest of the UK raises £437Billion but borrows and spends £100Billion more, which it then lumps £10Billion (pro rata) on to Scottish accounts as a deficit.
Westminster increased Oil taxes 11% (£2Billlion) in 2011Budget. and lost revenues in Scotland. Lost £4Billion a year for nothing more than spite. LibDems from Oil related constituencies were responsible. Alexander, Carmichael, Bruce, with the Tories.
Scotland’s deficit is £2Billion without Westminster interference but could easily be covered by a tax on ‘loss leading’ drink. £1Billion. A £4Billion increase with 9% Oil tax cut.
Historically Westminster has secretly taken the equivalent of £220Billion in Oil revenues from Scotland.
OT can any winger please explain why the humongous figure of 800,000 postal votes? Honestly cannot get my head round it especially with our small population.
Hmm political party it is then.
@Wingman
How so? The fact you can’t muster an argument suggests I might have touched a nerve.
The complaint is clearly pedantic – the people are being hired to try to get Labour into power, ie to stop the tories.
A lot of Yes voters don’t want that kind of politics.
I don’t see what’s to argue with there?
“The complaint is clearly pedantic – the people are being hired to try to get Labour into power, ie to stop the tories.”
@ Donald, why cant you just say, vote SNP get Tory? This whole vote Murphy coz he really is a leftie batting for Scotland and all you YESers too, is either a complete and utter shyst or its not but you’re not helping your UKOK cause by trying it on too, old fruitee:D
Vote all new Jim Murphy’s Slab, he’s batting for Scotland!
Do you like that one Donald?
@ Dr Jim If am gonna be stawnin aboot on grates ah want a Vipto wan & giver the time year ah want a hoat Vimpto wan.
Port Jim says
“there is an instinct within me that feels that what some of them do is a very close cousin to treason.”
What about this
link to cps.gov.uk
@ Heedtracker Vote all new Jim Murphy’s Slab, he’s batting for Scotland! Ah the sound of the Wind in the Willows.
Tea break noo whose fur Spot the Dick Murph.
awe naw, sos Helena Brown xx.
@Donald
I simple couldn’t be bothered.
@ronnie anderson
Awright…an a pie…an a wulny even tax it, noo that’s as good as a Murphy Law…Bit nae maer than a thoosand pies, eh over an above whit they Nats are geein
Final offer, nae fone calls..
Jist come doon from the Isle of Skye Donald?
@ Donald The Rev does as he does We does what we does on the back o whit he does,ah bit like the Baker doz ther,s nae herm in gittin ah bit extra in.
@ ronnie anderson, can you hear that creepy unctuous well rehearsed Murphy tone, “I’m batting for Scotland, also I love YESers too”.
The really weird thing about another unionist on here with that bettertogether spacecadet glow, is how its not YES voters they are trying to bilk into saving their slots at the Westminster trough, its the Labour voters. Its Slab voters that all thought they were voting NO for Gordon Brown’s devo max con that need to be ripped off again.
Which is why BBC etc are desperately lying to Scotland about the spectacular vote UKOK for devo-max fraud.
Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice, I’m a Slab voter:D
Heres a thing
“Dishonesty or corrupt behaviour are not essential elements of the offence of misconduct in public office.
If, however, an allegation of misconduct in public office arises from circumstances involving the acquisition of property by theft or fraud, or where the holder of a public office is alleged to have made improper claims for public funds in circumstances said to be criminal, an essential ingredient of the offence is proof that the defendant was dishonest.”
@ Dr Jim am still no bitein. Bit nae maer than a thoosand pies, the’rs nae inginins,
My twapennies worth on the Labour fundraiser.
They’re trying to raise some cash to subsidise 12 employees.
They make a big hoohah about the fundraiser. Why?
Surely the amount they’re punting for could be paid by one of their big donors or from party funds, small change.
Looks like they’re trying to give the perception they’re skint so they can go “see, look, we managed to raise the cash from small donations from our LP members”, to make people think they still have a lot of grassroot level support.
Swithering members will donate as part of the pack but Labour know, at the end of the day they’ll make the total because the big donor will be on standby to pay out any difference.
Purely a fuse to confuse teir already confused and flagging membership IMHO.
Or something like that.
@ronnie anderson
Right atsit, ah cannae compete wae the Murphy Party ahve jist heard they’re prepared tae throw in a tawtie wae jam the morra, they jist keep raisin the fillet steaks, ahll jist hiv tae gie in an vote fur the Scottish Murphy Party, eh, wull it say that on the balloon paper?..ah mean ballot paper, or wull it jist say Vote Dim Jim?
Rocking the boat and upsetting the Labour Party’s cosy arrangements is not within our remit. Deal with them yourself as we don’t have the bottle for it.
The BBC block any comment on their news releases but the other mainline television sites do not. It follows therefore that there are opportunities to add comment to the news releases pointedly mentioning the bbc rhetoric, correcting it where appropriate.
Might be over time BBC will get the message and open their comments gateway once more.
You just don’t even realise how badly stitched up ordinary people are in the UK until you read things like this. Is there anything the establishment haven’t got sewn up in their favour? There’s no meaningful recourse for anything they do. They can lie with impunity, bend/break any laws or rules/charters they please and there’s hee haw we can do about it because all you get if you complain is, ‘Our remit doesn’t cover that…’ ‘Under section flah, flah, that doesn’t apply to…’ etc. etc. You hear people saying politicians are stupid but it doesn’t seem like it from this, it’s just that they put all their efforts into making sure that they’re all right and the rest of us can go whistle.
I don’t see how anyone could read this or any of the other things that have come to light over the last couple of years and say it’s no big deal or that the UK is a democracy, not without having their fingers crossed behind their back anyway.
boris 5pm
What a good idea.
It’s not really good enough,is it?
I suppose to be fair to ASA they might take the view that if they removed the lies from political adverts there simply wouldn’t be anything left including, I’m looking at you Mr Cameron, the pictures.
Re postal votes – which will be an issue in the GE. Is there a case for encouraging ALL yessers to request a postal vote?
There’s a chap called Jolyon in Change.org asking people to sign a petition to stop MPs being allowed to lie with impunity. I never contribute to petitions like this after the Gordon Brown hijack of “deliver the powers promised to Scotland” (whatever happened to that?) so have done nothing about it.
The video is quite good though.
link to change.org
@Capella,
Talking of which, didn’t fail to notice lord wallace of tankerness lying in the commons the other day.
He was yawning and nodding off so much he was virtually horizontal.
A petition wouldn’t even raise an eyelid.
Donald,
I’ve got a Lamborghini with only 200 miles on the clock I’m selling. Going cheap; it’s a great deal. When you get a rusty old wheelbarrow for your money, I guess you won’t complain since that’d be ‘pedantic,’ right? And hey, who cares that I lied to you in the first place, right? What you gonna do about it anyway?! Those laws don’t apply to me, right? Right. Wish I’d known you when I was doing telephone tarot card readings as a student, you’d have been a dream client…
Kirsty says:
10 January, 2015 at 6:03 pm
“Donald,
I’ve got a Lamborghini with only 200 miles on the clock I’m selling. Going cheap; it’s a great deal. When you get a rusty old wheelbarrow for your money, I guess you won’t complain since that’d be ‘pedantic,’ right? And hey, who cares that I lied to you in the first place, right? What you gonna do about it anyway?! Those laws don’t apply to me, right? Right. Wish I’d known you when I was doing telephone tarot card readings as a student, you’d have been a dream client…”
Who? Me? How? Whit? When? Where?
The politicians have got their scandalous lying treachery covered.
OT: What austerity?
link to dailymail.co.uk
No prob MPs as liars,ballot box next time oot
Donald Anderson,
He he
Not you, babe; you’re excused! But if you do happen to have a bridge or some snow you were planning to sell to an Eskimo, maybe the other Donald on here might be interested, he thinks complaining about being lied to is pedantic so… Not that I’m not encouraging anyone mind. Just saying.
@heedtracker
I think murphy’s a twat. I voted Yes. Partly because I hate this kind of politics. Voting SNP could get us the Tories. I’ve never voted Labour. I’ll probably vote SNP or green this year.
@ronnieanderson
There is harm in it though. Petty adversarial politics is self indulgent and helps no one.
@Arthur Thompson, I would have thought less postal votes would maximise and decrease any tampering should any be attemted.
So voting in person when possible would be more desirable.
I understand that is not possible for many people.
@kirsty
It is pedantic because the vast majority of people don’t care whether you’re keeping the Tories out by winning seats directly from them or from other parties.
Decent article here from Bernard
link to newsnet.scot
Donald,
What me personally?! I’m keeping out the Tories? Me? I am?! I didn’t even know I was in politics, I know I blacked out a bit at Hogmanay after that last shot but I still can’t remember going into politics let alone being voted for!
Wow, you guys!! You shoulda told me; I’d have put my expenses account in already – bit skint after Christmas, afterall. Obviously, I’d have bought you all a drink too…
Jesus Donald, try harder to troll, will you?! You’ll be saying a vote for the SNP is a vote for the Tories next…oh, you have. Christ.
Tory or Labour, Blue Tory or Red Tory.
I believe people in Scotland have had enough of that horrendous Hobson’s choice. Red Tories in Scotland destroyed any credibility they once held in Scotland by gleefully doing the Blue Tories dirty work during the referendum. Murphy was at the forefront of such deceitfulness. We will never forget that, and nor should we.
To protect Scotland’s best interests we have to vote SNP.
Jim Murphy: Labour ‘can be home for Yes voters’
link to bbc.co.uk
“After today, the whole of Scotland will be in no doubt that Scottish Labour will always put Scotland first and decisions about Scotland will be made here in Scotland.”
I actually feel dirty even posting this sh*te – put Scotland first my arse – you’re tainted by getting in bed with the Tories. You won’t put Scotland first, you’ll put yourself first and everything you say and do is for your own personal interest.
I (and many others) will take great delight in your Portillo moment after the GE. Take yer Irn Bru crate and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
@Donald said, ‘Voting SNP could get us the Tories.’
How? Please explain.
Marcia says:
10 January, 2015 at 7:56 pm
“@Donald said, ‘Voting SNP could get us the Tories.’
How? Please explain.”
Labour are Scotland’s Tories.
Now they are also claiming to be the “Scottish Patriots”. They are absolutely shameless grubbers with no Real Politick, just a bunch of patronising nepotists and lumpen numpties. I have more respect for the real Tories, who make no attempt to deceive anyone by pretending to be all thing to all gullible persons, than I have for auld/new Labour. They are not even “Red” Tories: just a bunch of Red, White and Blue Tories. Gerrem aht.
Plenty to discuss here. “Scottish Labour Party”? Constitution? Patriotic?
link to scottishlabour.org.uk
@ Dougiekdy
Jim Murphy: Labour ‘can be home for Yes voters’
In politics, Murphy and his Scottish Labour cohorts must be the biggest chancers ever.
The Labour Party stood shoulder to shoulder with, and campaigned on behalf of, the Tories to destroy Scottish aspirations. The Labour Party branded us YES supporters as a virus and as separatist Nazis.
Now they insult us further by presuming we’re some kind of morons with no memory of everything they said and did during the referendum campaign and think we’ll meekly go like sheep to vote for them.
testing
The task, to get the word out to the general population, that they are being lied to big time. Many still believe that politicians and such people actually tell the truth, they even believe what they read in the papers for crying out loud. When they do realise they are being had, it will be interesting to watch. By then, Orwells 1984 will look like a rehearsal for a tea party.
When the liblabtory lot scrap the human rights act, what protection will they have, fairs fair, so if the peoples’ rights go, so do the politicians rights to immunity, I would have thought, waving magic wand, abracadabra!
Maybe someone else posted but:
link to sundaypost.com
IAB-yes why was there 800,000 postal votes? Does not make sense.
The party that manifestos a commitment to pass a bill promising prosecution for any politician caught lying to or committing fraud against the electorate gets my vote.
Enough with the parliamentary privilege bullshit. The couched language, the ‘quaint traditions’, the protection of the house. You lie to us, you deceive us, you steal from us, you face prosecution.
Any business, any private individual, pulling the strokes a politician does on a daily basis, faces at the very least, severe legal penalties. If you’re a politician you can commit almost any crime in the book and walk away without fear. Its time these pricks learned to live in the same world, with the same penalties as the rest of us.
Macart says:
10 January, 2015 at 8:31 pm
Hear,Hear
@ jimbo
“Chancers” isn’t even close.
Liars, hypocrites and political opportunists might be closer to the mark.
The man’s a charlatan – his weasel words and his attempts to find favour with those in Scotland he and his party conned in the referendum debate are beyond contempt.
Just looked at twitter. Now we see why they have recruited Himmler mcternan.
Write back to ASA and ask them in what circumstances clause 7.1 would not apply in respect of political advertising Stuart. If they can’t do that then their ruling is perverse and should be reported to the ombudsman. Happy to do this if you’re under pressure with one or two other things!
Was in a Scoto Indian wimmen claes shoap in the Swallygate the day. He telt me he wrote to David Cameron, saying since Britain sold its manufacturing base for cheap Indian slave markets, why not hire an Indian Prime Minster for 100 Rupees a week and who could do a better job? He said he could get plenty of takers. His wumman worker said she voted Yes and nearly everyone she knows who voted No are really sorry that they fell for it.
@ Macart
“Enough with the parliamentary privilege bullshit. The couched language, the ‘quaint traditions’, the protection of the house. You lie to us, you deceive us, you steal from us, you face prosecution”.
Couldn’t agree more – does Murphy’s million plus expenses claims count as stealing from us?
Naw, he’s a Socialist isn’t he? He wouldn’t claim that much would he?
The system is rotten to the core and as long as we play according to its rules, we will never win.
Is there any clearer proof of a so called regulatory body lying than the one Stuart has provided here?
How did the people win on the poll tax? By being ready to go to jail.
45% of us voted Yes and most of us agree that the BBC is totally biased against independence and the SNP.
It is time for a massive public refusal to pay the licence fee.
It is time we started following Ghandi’s example.
‘Home Rule’, let alone independence, is not going to come the easy way.
Kevin’s article in the Guardian is worth a read. It is about Jim and John’s intended crusade to round up the stray Labour sheep like myself and Kevin. I did like the…
Apparently, I can look forward to a visit or a phone call from you or one of your acolytes, so I have bought in some quiche and alfalfa crepes in excited anticipation.
Pity. I get a free TV licence because I am over 70 and am refused a new boiler because I’m over 75. My wife paid my poll Tax cos she was frightened of me going to jail and falling into the wrong hands. Life is just no’ ferr.
As everyone is quoting Voltaire MSM
Voltaire was an infamous anti-Semite,[1] and referred to Jews as “calculating animals,” “plagiarists in everything,” and “the biggest tramps who have ever spoiled the face of the earth.”[2] He was also a Eurocentric racist, an Islamophobe, and derided Africans as “less intelligent than apes.” I
@ dougiekdy
Yeah, I’d say that parliamentary expenses is quite literally theft on a grand scale as practised by certain politicians.
As for Mr Murphy and socialism?
Complete strangers near as I can see. He is to socialism what Cochrane is to journalism.
had 3yr arrestment on my wages refused to pay poll tax
@kirsty
I didn’t say a vote for the SNP is a vote for the Tories.
I am saying that the SNP taking seats from Labour could possibly make the difference between Labour or the Tories being in power.
Donald
That is the argument but it doesn’t really stack up.
It is certainly the case that Labour might not have an overall majority if the SNP takes seats from them but the combined numbers of Labour and SNP seats will still prevent the Tories from winning. If Labour seats falling to the SNP mean that Labour are not the largest party then it was unlikely that Labour were going to win any way and they would have still been looking for a partner. The polls indicate that neither the Tories or Labour are setting the heather on fire with both around 32%. Scotland needs MPs that will fight Scotland’s corner in such a mix. Simply returning Labour lobby fodder from Scotland and Wales to secure Miliband in England won’t do that.
@handlandshrimp
I mostly agree and certainly won’t vote labour and may vote SNP. That would be tactical though – for the reasons you note – otherwise I’ll vote green.
But it could make the difference. Maybe it isn’t likely but it’s well within the bounds of possibility. And that’s why Rev stu’s complaint is petty. The difference between help keep the Tories out and help keep the tories out in seats where it’s close is irrelevant to the vast majority of people in the UK.
So, as I said – self indulgent, counter productive, choir preaching….
“But it could make the difference. Maybe it isn’t likely but it’s well within the bounds of possibility.”
It’s not really. There’s no rule that says the largest party gets first shot at forming a government. If the Tories had 300 seats, Labour had 280 and the SNP had 45, a Lab/SNP deal (whether coalition or CaS) would still put Miliband in Downing St.
It’s down to what all 650 MPs will vote for, and as the SNP have explicitly said they won’t do a deal with the Tories, they represent no threat whatsoever to Miliband’s chances, assuming Miliband will talk to the SNP. If he’d rather see Cameron as PM than deal with a left-wing party, as happened in 2010, that’ll be entirely Labour’s fault.
From the Politics Show it seems that Ed is leaving the door open to possible deals whether formal or informal.
Cameron will have to hope that the Liberals retain enough seats to back him but if he requires UKIP, DUP and the Liberals I think that will be a bridge too far for the Liberals
This election will be decided by the number of seats Ed gets in England. It is a given that the Tories will get few in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
If I lived in a seat where the Greens are a serious contender in 2015 I would certainly consider voting for them. I hope they do get a fair few list seats in 2016. They deserve a hearing.
Puts me in mind of the scene in Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil’, where the hapless Mr Tuttle is arrested by the state police, armed to the teeth, ( by mistake, due to a fly landing on the warrant being typed out), and the stricken wife being handed the bill for her husband’s arrest- you have to pay for your own arrest!. post hoc ergo propter hoc was never more apt…Kafka would be proud… you couldn’t make it up…come the day….
You seem to have difficulty distinguishing an email from an advertisement i.e.”a notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event”.
@rev stu
There’s no rule. But it would be politically very difficult for Labour to go into coalition with the SNP if the tories are the largest party.
Pretty sue fure way to get the tories straight back in if you ask me (which you don’t but.. well.. it’s the comments section).
Might be a fast track to independence too. But on nasty terms