Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Less than 11% of people know who lynton Crosby is. Less than 1.5% know about the plain cigarette packet story. It is a non story.

Today

Mother of union boss love child fixes MPs for Labour: New scandal as McCluskey gives £75,000-a-year key role to ex-mistress

Married Unite union leader Len McCluskey fathered child with Jennie Formby
Ms Formby led public defence of McCluskey after he was accused of trying to rig a Labour selection contest in Falkirk, Scotland, for another union ally
She has now been given £75,000 job as Unite's political director
Move is embarrassing for Labour leader Ed Miliband who is desperate to counter Tory claims he is in the unions’ pockets

The union baron accused of Commons seat rigging is at the centre of a new scandal after a former mistress who gave birth to his child when he was married was given a top job in his union.

Unite union leader Len McCluskey’s ex-lover, Jennie Formby, was last month given the £75,000-a-year post of Unite political director, with the task of getting more union supporters picked as Labour Parliamentary candidates.

She won the job after leading the public defence of Left-winger Mr McCluskey, dubbed ‘Red Len’ by critics, who was accused of trying to rig a Labour selection contest in Falkirk, Scotland, for another union ally and friend, Karie Murphy.

The disclosure is deeply embarrassing for Labour leader Ed Miliband, who is desperate to counter Tory claims he is in the unions’ pockets. He has to face Ms Formby at meetings of Labour’s national executive council.

Ms Formby effectively acts as Mr McCluskey’s spokesman at the NEC. At a meeting, she challenged Mr Miliband, who was present, head-on over his attempt to weaken Labour’s ties with their union paymasters.

Unite helped Mr Miliband become Labour leader in 2010 and has since given Labour £7.5 million from subscriptions paid by its 1.4 million members. Last night a Unite spokesman said: ‘All appointments are authorised and ratified by the union’s executive council.’ He declined to comment further.

Official documents show that in 1991, Ms Formby gave birth to a child by Mr McCluskey, who was married at the time and living in a union-subsidised home, while his wife stayed in his native Liverpool. The Unite general secretary is named as the father.

The disclosure that Ms Formby has been given such a powerful and lucrative post in the union, follows a series of allegations against Mr McCluskey and his union and Labour Party allies, including cronyism.

Union insiders fear the disclosure of his love child with Ms Formby will lead to claims of a conflict of interest.

A senior Unite official told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The existence of McCluskey and Formby’s child is known to a handful of senior figures in the union but not to its members. Many earn a pittance compared to McCluskey and Formby and will be shocked nobody told them about the connection. It helps critics who say the union is run by a clique.’

Although Ms Formby’s appointment was the decision of Unite’s executive committee, a well-placed source said: ‘With most senior appointments like this, the general secretary makes it clear what he wants and usually gets his way.’

Union officials say that while Ms Formby is widely regarded as able, her closeness to Mr McCluskey has been an asset. ‘She has always enjoyed strong support from Len and he is so dominant in Unite you can’t get far without it,’ said one.

d Miliband was forced to sit in silence as Britain’s most senior woman union leader read the riot act to him for trying to curb the power of trade unions over the Labour party.

Former dinner lady Mary Turner, president of the GMB, told him Keir Hardie, founder of the Labour Party, would be horrified by the way Mr Miliband was treating the unions. Mrs Turner, who once had her union’s name emblazoned on her arm, rounded on Mr Miliband at the party’s ruling national executive committee last week.

‘Keir Hardie would be turning in his grave if he knew what you were doing,’ Mrs Turner told Mr Miliband, according to witnesses. ‘You should be proud of the historic link with unions and fight to defend it.’

Witnesses say Mr Miliband was visibly shocked by the onslaught from Mrs Turner, whose union pays £1.4 million a year to Labour. Her attack followed his attempt to curb union influence after claims Unite tried to rig a Labour Parliamentary selection contest in Falkirk, Scotland.

Last year, Mrs Turner also gave Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls a dressing down for refusing to reverse George Osborne’s public sector pay hiatus.

http://news.sky.com/story/1118435/economy-figures-set-to-show-positive-growth

Economists are predicting good news when the first estimate of economic growth during April, May and June is revealed next week.

Analysts expect the Office for National Statistics to say that the economy grew by around 0.5% when it reveals its preliminary estimate for Q2 GDP on Thursday.

They point to several important economic indicators which have been positive in recent months.

Consumer confidence was at a 25 months high in June. Business confidence in Q2 was at its highest since 2007.

Retail sales volumes rose by 0.9% between Q1 and Q2. New car sales were 13.4% higher in June compared with the same month last year.

Hays,

Were you born in wedlock?

Were all your family born in wedlock?

Were all your "experiences" absorbed in "wedlock"

I think for the majority of the public "marriage" and "innocence" is becoming less and less important as are homosexual unions.


Other than to a small bunch of R/tory party Neanderthals.

-----------

The difference between labour party funding from the unions is that the union payment represents a "large group of individuals" and it is open, whereas a lot of the money from "wealthy individuals" is it less open and attempting to covertly by favours and tax rewards and appears to be direct lobbying for favours.


Should the union "Party Levy" system be alter? Yes.

But simplifying it to "Do you wish to pay a political levy, to such and such a party as suggested by the union, or not to pay any political levy at all?" would probably be sufficient.

The payments by the unions should be open to public view.

I think it would be interesting to see where the profit from bar receipts from the local CON clubs goes?

The point is not wedlock, but the nepotism.

Labour also get substantial sums from wealthy individuals and that is likely to increase as union funding decreases.

The smile which suggest I have F that and now going on holidays to check my family trusts.

Now we see the politics of envy.

Referring to what exactly?

It seems to be that greed is the driving force of the present CON party and many of its membership.

Well done to Joe Root at the cricket surely a genious in the making and from Yorkshire. Not only a batsman but an ace shock spin bowler aswel.

Well done to Froome aswel inthe Tour De France.

Dear ohhh dear.......

David Cameron Dodges Lynton Crosby Plain Packaging Question YET Again

@HuffPostUKPol http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/21/david-cameron-dodges-question_n_3630671.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003 …


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/21/david-cameron-dodges-question_n_3630671.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Late news just coming in .........Lynton Crosby linked with Fracking Lobbying.


What more has he and Cameron got hidden away??????????????

Old story from a week ago.

Raises even more the stench around Cameron and crew.

Obviously a lobby company works for companies that need lobbying. It doesn't mean that he affects policy. You are barking up the wrong tree. Less than 1 in 10 people have heard of Lynton Crosby.

CAMERON all is friends are crooks liars cheats some are even evil
Cameron is a liar .
is name should be hilter Cameron .that about sums him up

fred the stench from the con party you can smell it all over the uk