The Times reported ‘Labour woos rich donors after Unite cuts funding’ however it seems one Times reporter doesn’t know what story the other Times reporter is making up in their rush to support Starmer
The story comes after Tuesday’s events when Unite’s executive council voted to cut its affiliation to Labour by 10%, or 50,000 affiliates. It is understood the move could reduce the union’s funding to the party by just under £1m.
Unite will instead use the money to fund other organisations, although it stressed it would still remain Labour’s largest trade union affiliate.
Union and Labour members have increasingly shown their anger at Sir Keir Starmer’s personal decision reportedly going against legal advice to pay out to the former staffers who both appeared on the panorama program and were the focus of the #LabourLeaks scandal that showed staffers working to lose the 2017 general election.
There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch
Today the Times ran a story giving this reduction in funds as an excuse for Sir Keir Starmer to solicit rich donors who can make up the shortfall. Many people understand that in politics “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” and any donation comes at a price.
Donors and Corporations don’t give their money away for nothing.
There is an understanding (rarely made explicit) that large campaign donations buy political access and favourable consideration in policy development and legislation. Why else would a corporation, which is bound by law to pursue profits, make these donations?
Eleni Courea, for The Times, writes: ” Sir Keir Starmer is seeking support from wealthy donors to help the Labour Party to amass a £5 million election war chest and reduce its reliance on trade unions. The Labour leader has begun a drive to increase donations and contributions from grassroots members amid threats from left-wing unions supportive of Jeremy Corbyn to reduce or withdraw their financial support.”
Sir Keir Starmer is seeking support from wealthy donors to help the Labour Party to amass a £5 million election war chest and reduce its reliance on trade unions https://t.co/tTiJSFsUn0
— The Times (@thetimes) October 8, 2020
This may seem like a perfectly acceptable response after losing a large amount of funding until you realise that in fact Sir Keir Starmer was soliciting rich donors way before ‘unite the union’ reduced their affiliates.
The Sunday times reporter Gabriel Pogrund tweeted the story in September as an exclusive saying: “Exc: Labour under Keir Starmer is offering wealthy donors “invite-only strategy updates” It comes as he seeks to woo those alienated by Corbyn Per brochure those who “give at the highest level” go on a “journey” including a welcome party hosted by Angela Rayner at conference
Exc: Labour under Keir Starmer is offering wealthy donors “invite-only strategy updates”
— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) September 26, 2020
It comes as he seeks to woo those alienated by Corbyn
Per brochure those who “give at the highest level” go on a “journey” including a welcome party hosted by Angela Rayner at conference pic.twitter.com/CTafclI1jv
We all know that the Times is fully behind Sir Keir Starmer, he writes directly for The Times using this outlet for communication with ‘the people’ and we all know ‘what people’ and its not the working class. However, it seems the enthusiasm of the Times journalists to make the case for Sir Keir Starmer and his excuse to pull in rich donors seems to have crossed wires a little and they cannot get their story straight.
It’s not even as if Eleni Courea was not aware of Starmer’s courtship of the rich, last month she tweeted what she called an exclusive saying: EXC: Keir Starmer has begun sending personalised letters to attract former major Labour donors who left under Jeremy Corbyn Among those who have received them is David Abrahams, the Newcastle property developer who donated more than £650,000 to the party under Tony Blair
EXC: Keir Starmer has begun sending personalised letters to attract former major Labour donors who left under Jeremy Corbyn
— Eleni Courea (@EleniCourea) September 26, 2020
Among those who have received them is David Abrahams, the Newcastle property developer who donated more than £650,000 to the party under Tony Blair pic.twitter.com/ZqujEcbDJI
Starmer’s opening the doors to corruption.
Labour’s heading back to the bad old days of becoming the other Tory Party.
This signals a return to the bad days of New Labour, when the party’s direction was dictated by a small number of wealthy donors – for their own gain – rather than by its members and affiliates for the good of the UK as a whole.
It wasn’t so long ago that Jeremy Corbyn vowed to stop the “influx of big money into politics” as he accused the Conservatives of being captured by big donors who are “corrupting democracy”.
Mr Corbyn said “politics should work for the millions, not the millionaires”, telling a rally in Bolton on Saturday evening: “People are right to feel that politics doesn’t work for them.
“It doesn’t. Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party are captured by big donors, who are corrupting democracy.
“If you have the money you can get access to ministers.
“Look at the fracking industry.
“But if you wish to protest against the frackers because it will damage the environment, you can’t get a hearing.
“We have to stop the influx of big money into politics. Politics should work for the millions, not the millionaires.
“Labour is the party of the many, not the few and we do things very differently.
“We are funded by workers through their trade unions and small donations, averaging just £22 in the last general election.
“That’s why we will be able to drive big money out of our democracy.”
He added: “So today, I’m announcing that we will ban donations or loans to political parties from people who are not registered for tax in the UK, so are not contributing to our public services and infrastructure.
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