Open Democracy article exposes industry links of donors who gave tens of thousands to his leadership campaign
Earlier this month, Skwawkbox covered the appalling – and electorally damaging – call by Labour and Keir Starmer for a ban on climate protests affecting oil facilities – and on any protests affecting UK roads. The move would also criminalise workers in the industry striking for fair pay.
Now, an article by Caroline Molloy on the Open Democracy website has revealed the extensive links with the motor industry of two of Starmer’s biggest donors.
Starmer received £50,000 from Trevor Chinn, the former boss of the RAC, the AA and Kwikfit – along with traffic information company ITIS. Chinn also invested in the UK’s largest car club operator and a huge car fleet company. Chinn was one of the donors Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves failed to declare according to parliamentary rules and according to the electoral commission has also donated to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and front-benchers Wes Streeting, David Lammy and Steve Reed.
Starmer also took £25,000 from Martin Clarke, who was chief financial officer of the AA before returning to his “twin passions of private investing and politics”. Clarke has also funded right-wing pressure group Progress and gave more than £37,000 to Shadow Home Seretary Yvette Cooper.
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As we have seen in other countries, and in other parties, NO-ONE gives that sort of cash without expecting something in return.
cant comment on faceache at the moment, currently on an enforced hiatus from there. not much point in commenting here either, i pop comments to you, but they never appear here.
Starmerfuhrer truly is an enemy of the people, socialism and the planet’s health and welfare. If he had not purged a former socialist political party of socialists, there would be plenty of money in the coffers to conduct business with.
Labour, at the top, is utterly corrupt so it seems to me.
Yup, Labour at the top consisting of 95% of the Rotten Parasite Party, The Neo-Labour Party TORIES! Those who we once thought of as Democratic Socialists have proven themselves to be careerist and more concerned of their wage packet than the matters that matter, quickly throwing in the towel at Blobby and BlueKeef’s threats! As far as I can see, the only UK Labour Party MP still standing and fighting, regardless of BlueKeef and Blobby’s Culture of Fear, is Andy McDonald, even my once top MPs Zarah, Apsana, Bel, etc appear to have zipped it! It is a terrible disease, The Neo-Labour Party TORIES, vile TORY virmin, no, lower than vermin as Bevan once said!
Surely, even remaing Labour party members who do not see Sir Keir and his clique’s small-c conservative authoritarianism (and worse) as problematic for Labour are beginning to see the wood for the trees?
The thing is though, so tight is his grip and control of the Labour bureaucracy, the Labour party itself is the main victim although it is Democracy and Working People that will pay the price (as per 2008 ‘banking crisis’).
Mass spontaneity and political creativity to create a ‘new party’, without it democratic socialism is as good as dead already.
13 August 2020, received £14,130. Hours: approx. 50 hrs.
Nearly £300 an hour!
Name of donor: Joan Bakewell
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000 for my campaign for leadership of the Labour Party
Against the mansion tax but found the money to donate to Starmer.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/mar/09/deborah-orr-mansion-tax-opposition
Should Socialists be bothered with this mob? They are not a fit shoal to fish for socialist votes. I read that Guardian link and the letters column. That paper and its readers thinking embodies the tears of liberal greenery. Some per cent of 5 or 10 million is meaningful because 0.5 is better than grannies fucking greenhouse. It’s irrelevant so let them die a natural death in an American penitentiary with its compulsory suicide policy or covid Asov variant.
What I do in my grannies’ greenhouse is my business!
Trevor Chinn is listed as an Israeli activist too! Many other Labour MPs benefited from donations from him! The most money went to Tom Watson.