Re: Fancy dinner with Sam Cam? A snip at £250k : Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:58 pm  

El Barbudo wrote:

You are referring to Wilson and the Union leaders, I presume.
Not the same situation at all ... Wilson was trying to get the unions "round the table" to do things that he wanted, not pimping for business.
Also, it was no secret, it was actually announced that it would be taking place, unlike this current sleazy issue.

Nice try though.

There's no real difference, other than justifying to yourself why it only counts as a bad thing when it's done by the ones you don't like, and it's a contructive or necessary thing when done by the ones you don't mind. Beer and sandwiches gave major political donors access to the highest level of policy and decision making, it wasn't a strange coincidence they were major political donors and therefore major political actors. Just like Labour's "cash for honours" thing wasn't a new thing, people have always paid out in various ways to access politicians/political power, be it lobbyists, donors, campaign groups, pseudo-charity pressure groups etc. It's always happened, the only strange thing is people being surprised by it, or even stranger in your case making some subjective value judgement about when it doesn't count because it's necessary and legitimate for those particular interests to get the attention they are paying for. Besides just because people pay doesn't mean they actually get anything never mind everything they want.

Re: Fancy dinner with Sam Cam? A snip at £250k : Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:48 pm  

Ed Millibands list released today amongst all the Labour bad news. Half of his dinners were with Union leaders. Eight of those with Unite Leader Len McCluskey.

More cheese grommit?

Re: Fancy dinner with Sam Cam? A snip at £250k : Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:09 pm  

littlerich wrote:

Ed Millibands list released today amongst all the Labour bad news. Half of his dinners were with Union leaders. Eight of those with Unite Leader Len McCluskey.

More cheese grommit?

How much did Len McCluskey donate to Labour? How much, other than the voluntary donation by individual Union members, did the Unions donate to Labour?
We're these dinners sold for donations? Were there any promises made when arranging these dinners that the donor would have input to policy making?

Re: Fancy dinner with Sam Cam? A snip at £250k : Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:43 pm  

And that'll be donations to political parties, from a trades union, that members have to opt into paying.

You do not get any say in whether any money you spend at a business goes to a political party or not.

Did the previous government rescind all the anti-union legislation introduced by the governments before that? Has Miliband offered to do this in the future - or offered even conditional support for any industrial action that has taken place or been mentioned since he became leader?

Mind, it's always amusing seeing the people who actually approve of the majority of their fellow citizens being shafted and who believe all the propaganda that has being flying around for years.