O/T DDay for Brexit..well sort of...

[animallittle3]

You need organisations to talk to Government otherwise they won’t have a clue what’s going on.

While in principle it’s open to anyone to become an MP (though I think the deposit needed to stand is £1000) what we could do with is more political education about what MPs really do and an outreach programme to get more people to get involved.

Oh and for anyone who thinks they’re just in it for the money, you could earn stacks more in the private sector with much less scrutiny and fewer working hours.

Has anyone on here ever stood for election or even got involved in local politics?

Let's be clear Lobbying companies are paid persuaders who operate in the shadows for big corporations for the most part .

They represent big business because big business can afford to spend millions of pounds each year , clearly it must be effective or why would they spend such huge sums of money ?

Do you think they spend this kind of money to benefit the country as a whole or their profit margins and their share price ?

This is nothing more than millions of pounds buying you whatever you seek .

It opens doors that is denied to smaller businesses and the general public .

MP's too are more than complicit in this , private hospitality at Old Trafford perhaps to have a chat , what about the Opera or a nice little consultancy job once a month for 100k a year ?

The public have to be content with demos in central London on a given saturday , measure their effectiveness these days v Lobbying .

Don't forget too the electorate have to choose sides in a GE , the Lobbying industry does not .

I was once related through marriage to the former Barnsley MP Eric Illsley , he was at my wedding and obviously someone I knew very well .

I'll say no more on Eric other than once over he seemed a principled man until he started climbing the Labour Party ladder and I noticed a huge change in him and he finished up serving time in prison for fiddling his expenses .

MP's are vulnerable and doesn't the Lobbying Industry and big business know it .

[harpo88]

Let's be clear Lobbying companies are paid persuaders who operate in the shadows for big corporations for the most part .

They represent big business because big business can afford to spend millions of pounds each year , clearly it must be effective or why would they spend such huge sums of money ?

Do you think they spend this kind of money to benefit the country as a whole or their profit margins and their share price ?

This is nothing more than millions of pounds buying you whatever you seek .

It opens doors that is denied to smaller businesses and the general public .

MP's too are more than complicit in this , private hospitality at Old Trafford perhaps to have a chat , what about the Opera or a nice little consultancy job once a month for 100k a year ?

The public have to be content with demos in central London on a given saturday , measure their effectiveness these days v Lobbying .

Don't forget too the electorate have to choose sides in a GE , the Lobbying industry does not .

I was once related through marriage to the former Barnsley MP Eric Illsley , he was at my wedding and obviously someone I knew very well .

I'll say no more on Eric other than once over he seemed a principled man until he started climbing the Labour Party ladder and I noticed a huge change in him and he finished up serving time in prison for fiddling his expenses .

MP's are vulnerable and doesn't the Lobbying Industry and big business know it .

Federation of Small Businesses? Citizens Advice? Charities? All lobbyists, just depends on the interest involved. Manufacturers? How can Government set rules about products or services without talking to those who are in the know? It’s the Government’s job to review evidence and decide the best way forward. Many business owners or trade associations promote their products and services because they believe they are genuinely beneficial. Sure they’re trying to make money out of them too, but that’s capitalism isn’t it? The system means that money is a major (but not the only) driver.

I’m not saying there isn’t aggressive lobbying by some and that Government or individuals within it have their favourites, and that links between individuals and companies can be very mucky (a flick through any edition of Private Eye shows you that in a second) but ruling out all lobbying isn’t the answer.

Oh and the EU has a mandatory transparency register, the UK doesn’t...

[MillerBill]

Last night's stitch up in Westminster was a kick in the teeth for any future democratic vote.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

Last night's stitch up in Westminster was a kick in the teeth for any future democratic vote.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was a time when our democratic system was the envy of the world.

Now tin pot banana republics are looking more democratic

[great_fire]

There was a time when our democratic system was the envy of the world.

Now tin pot banana republics are looking more democratic

So were the police until "the long march through the institutions".

[Brin]

They're all in it for themselves, they don't give a toss about the general public it's what they come out with in the end.

[rolymiller]

They're all in it for themselves, they don't give a toss about the general public it's what they come out with in the end.

Dunno about this Brin. I'm sure some MPs will have their own agendas re brexit but I think many decent ones will be aware of the pitfalls for the public of a no deal brexit as well. Even the staunchest brexiteer will not be able to say for sure how this will all pan out if we come out and maybe they are the ones who have least to lose if it all goes tits up. It will be a gamble they might be willing to take because they waint have much to lose, us ordinary bods might not have that privilege.

[MillerBill]

How sad am I? I have just been watching the House of Lords live,(even though many looked half asleep), debating Brexit.A very pompous Lord Liddle, in reply to another Lord's speech, who said that the Lords should respect the Brexit result and the mood in the country was not good in relation to the attitude of the Westminster bubble.The bloated,arrogant Lord Liddle replied that the leave voters, thought they were getting a bargain,like a second hand car at a cheap price,when they voted leave.He then went on to say the mood had changed,look at the million protesters and the petition to revoke article 50.I could not believe what he had said and then looked across to Lord Adonis,another preacher of poison and they both laughed.This bunch of unelected and overpaid,patronising cronies are identical to the shower at Brussels.Brexit is being hijacked by these dis-honest parliamentarians, where 500 MPs voted remain and they are going to do make sure the public are not going to get what they voted for.That will turn out to be a very, very rocky road with massive repercussions if they continue to ignore the instruction given to them by the people from the referendum result.

[ragingpup]

Of course I'm reading, Zyles. I'm just baffled about where you are going with this?

You made a random request for information about donations to political parties instead of looking it up yourself. Am I supposed to feel bad now because raging is daft enough to carry out your research for you?

I was quite interested and happy to find out the difference in donation income streams between the parties. One party recieving 2.5 times more than their nearest competitor in a 3 month election campaign doesn't seem the most democratic process don't you think? I mean, there could be a better, more democratic process couldn't there? If we really tried? No?

[KerrAvon]

I was quite interested and happy to find out the difference in donation income streams between the parties. One party recieving 2.5 times more than their nearest competitor in a 3 month election campaign doesn't seem the most democratic process don't you think? I mean, there could be a better, more democratic process couldn't there? If we really tried? No?

If you are happy to act as some sort of sentient search engine for Zyles, that’s cool. Just be careful that you don’t get your ‘facts’ from the likes of Russia Today. I’m still puzzled about where Zyle’s question came from and its relevance to Brexit.

If your argument is that the figures demonstrate that there isn’t a level playing field, I would have thought that it’s more about what is spent on election campaigns than what is coming in and there are statutory limits on election spending. How would you level the playing field? Do you want to deny people the right to donate to political parties? And how would you value non-monetary contributions to parties? You yourself have told us how you and swarms of other activists are ready to ‘get on the knocker’ to bring Labour’s message to people’s doorsteps. I can see it now – the people of Ilford answering a knock on the door to find you standing there, all ready to explain the signs that show that the end of the world is coming, but how they can be saved simply by asking JC to come into their lives. Do you travel in twos and have little leather pouches (or plastic ones given your vegan tendencies) full of literature that further explains JC’s message of love and hope?

Back to topic. Have you worked out the difference between the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration yet?