Freelance #poet, educator, lecturer. Nine collections and four pamphlets. Knitter, maker of books. Former teacher of English/Drama. Remainer, Labour Party. ♿️
Cheshire, UK
Joined February 2010
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Angela retweeted
My latest article, on the new series of A House Through Time, staring tomorrow on BBC Two at 9m. Set in the amazing, beautiful, gothic city of Edinburgh.
theguardian.com/tv-and-radio…
Angela retweeted
The more I dig, the more I realise that Nigel Farage is literally done for. It's over for him. The £5 million bung is big enough to take the entire Reform movement down and possibly land Nigel in jail.
1) The fact the donation was made BEFORE Nigel was MP is absolutely irrelevant. Parliamentary Code of Conduct requires all receipts for the full 12 months before election. Nigel receiving his bung just a few days before he announced his candidacy makes it so much worse, not better.
2) "Category 5: Gifts and benefits from sources outside the UK - THRESHOLD FOR REGISTRATION Section 39. Members must register, subject to the paragraphs below, any gifts or benefits with a value of over £300 which they receive from a source outside the UK."
Nigel argues this was 'purely personal' but the Code refers to partners or families when it comes to personal gifts... this takes us to the next issue...
3) Christopher Harborne has a long track record of making SUBSTANTIAL political contributions to Nigel's parties, first to The Brexit Party, and later to Reform. He is a POLITICAL DONOR - any "gift" he made to Farage CANNOT be argued as personal or without political context due to this track record.
4) Using his platform as an MP, Nigel went on to promote 2 companies in which Christopher Harborne holds $ billions in stock - Nigel NEVER publicly endorsed or mentioned these companies prior to the "gift". Nigel also began actively pushing for policy that would directly interest Christopher Harborne and his business affairs. These were not interests that any could argue could possibly be of interest to his constituents - deregulation of crypto, and lowering of taxes on crypto gains. Nigel spent a substantial amount of time and effort pushing these policies.
It is beyond a doubt that this is the biggest breach of Parliamentary Code of Conduct rules in relation to donations in parliamentary history.
But even more concerning for Nigel will be that if it can be proven he was secretly incentivised to use his public office to push for policies to support a wealthy donor, then he should very likely face a criminal probe for corruption and bribery. I suspect Harborne might also be exposed to this. The United Kingdom and Thailand have a bilateral extradition treaty. Maximum prison sentences of up to 10 years for the offence.
This is not going to go away.
Angela retweeted
Sally Nugent just did something almost nobody in British broadcast media has managed. She actually pressed Farage on the £5m from Christopher Harborne, and didn't let him wriggle off it.
His answers shifted as they went. It was for security. Then it was for cars. Then it was nobody's business. Then he questioned why it mattered at all. When Nugent kept pushing on how much he'd actually spent, he accused the BBC of putting him in danger by asking.
At one point he tried turning it back on her, asking what she does with her own salary. She didn't blink. "My salary is on the public record." His isn't, not the £5m anyway.
Then the line that mattered. He let slip that the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards "may disagree" with him on the donation rules. That's not a denial. That's a man who knows which way this is going.
Farage has prior form here. The Commissioner already found he breached the rules once, failing to register 17 payments worth around £384,000 within the required 28 days. No action was taken that time, it was called an error. A second breach, on a £5m personal gift, is a different category of problem.
Three minutes and forty five seconds of someone actually doing the job. Worth the watch.
Angela retweeted
THE QUESTION THE PLOTTERS NEVER ANSWER
Keir Starmer rebuilt Labour from the ashes.
He took a party written off as unelectable and turned it into a government.
He won the mandate.
He inherited the problems.
Now, before the work is finished, some seem more interested in replacing the architect than completing the building.
That is the question nobody answers.
If Starmer is failing, where is the evidence?
If he is succeeding, why the hurry?
Politics is full of people who want the crown.
It is rarer to find those willing to carry it.
#Labour #KeirStarmer #UKPolitics
Angela retweeted
Well done @UKLabour on delivering.
The fascists have nothing to cry about now though.
Angela retweeted
This week I’ve published two lists of things the Gov are doing/planning including this help for families. Labour are doing very well. We need to get this out to people.
Angela retweeted
The Guardian: “Net migration down by three-quarters, the biggest fall in NHS waiting lists for 17 years, knife crime cut by 10%, the economy growing the fastest in the G7, rising wages, energy bills and petrol prices held down, the biggest sustained rise in defence spending since the cold war, a massive expansion of free childcare …
If Keir Starmer did tub-thumping lists of Labour’s achievements in the style of Gordon Brown, he would not actually have a shortage of things to talk about.”
During the two years of Labour government, following fourteen years of Tory mismanagement, there have actually been significant improvements in Britain. Why does the Tory media not report them?
Angela retweeted
I really wanted to show my support for @KeirStarmer so I joined the @UKLabour party, signed the @LabHoldtheline petition and sent a message directly to cabinet office. If you’re #TeamStarmer please let him know. Here’s the link I used contact.no10.gov.uk/
Angela retweeted
“I do not expect there to be a leadership challenge” Housing Secretary Steve Reed tells #BBCbreakfast
Angela retweeted
I will vote for Starmer again. Never Burnham (I don’t like chancers), Miliband has been there before and failed (albeit he is a very good minister), and Rayner, sadly, would never win a General Election. Wes Streeting is not even worth a mention.
This is all so unnecessary. It was a bad result in a midterm council election. So what?!
#StandWithStarmer
Angela retweeted
I hope the BrItish media takes a long hard look at the chaos they have happily helped to cause.
I've lived a long life & never before seen such a disgraceful attack on a legitimate Government & even worse the whipped up hatred of a PM.
Angela retweeted
A huge announcement in the King's Speech - what a pity it’s getting little media attention due to all the reporting on a possible leadership challenge.
The government have pledged to introduce a new bill to abolish right-to-buy for new social homes
Angela retweeted
More Than 100 Labour MPs Sign A Letter Of Support For Starmer
The pro-prime minister camp now outnumbers the rebels who have urged him to go.
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/l…
Angela retweeted
At least one pro-Keir Starmer front page was published today - by this news&media account.
Keir Starmer refuses to bow to Labour’s panic merchants after bruising local election results — as jittery MPs look north for “salvation” instead of backing the man trying to rebuild Britain after 14 years of Tory decline.
While Westminster gossips melt down, Starmer tries to be focused on housing, energy bills, NHS and economic renewal.
Angela retweeted
So if you're watching the TV News today, or listening to a political radio programme, bear in mind that you're not getting an accurate weighting of Labour MPs' views - you're getting the sensationalist, entertainment industry version.
Angela retweeted
Thank you. Labour Voters want Keir Starmer to stay. We do not expect this from our Government. I waited 14 years for a Labour Gov and a Leader like Keir.
