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I was quite pleased to learn how Sir Keir Starmer attended The Derby, accepting hospitality in a box worth £3,700 (very socialist). I did not have Starmer marked as someone with even a passing interest in racing.
Maybe a Starmer led government would not be quite so hostile to racing as I fear. He would look like a bit of a hypocrite.
My stomach churns hearing the sycophants saying Boris had been done up like a kipper and there was no evidence to prove it. For folks sake there were dozens of no 10 staff who testified exactly what went on,avoiding the cameras and not leaving together etc. These utter losers sound like mini maga supporters parroting scripts they have been given. Mad nad dorries even spouted he was innocent then admitted she hadn’t readthe report. We are still not at the precipice yet but by God the owners of the right wing media are dragging us there with humungeos whoppers trump would be proud of. He lied,he then lied again lied to the committee then was in contempt of the committee. Its there in black and white.
Is it not a communist state where facts are what the govt decide they are. I’m an optimist and hope the decent tories bin this clown and his garbage but I have my doubts.BTW wasn’t Robin Cook not a huge horse racing fan. Nowt wrong with that. Doubt labour will be a bother. Too many other issues to contend with.
Robin Cook loved his racing; that’s how his son, Chris who now writes for the Racing Post, got into the game.
I remember Robin Cook and Chris Cook being interviewed by Derek Thompson at Kempton.
Derek asked Robin for a tip for the next race: “Ask my son, he’s the expert” Robin said and the teenage Chris put up a horse, said it was based on speed figures, and it won at 11/1.
Never met Chris Cook, he’ll be in his 50s now, but memory endures and he’ll always be that precocious teenage judge to me.
Don’t have a problem with Starmer going racing any more than I’ve got a problem with anyone of any political persuasion going racing.
But then I’ve always been a bit of an, if not champagne, then cherryade, socialist myself.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Going racing is fine; it’s the fact that Starmer accepted hospitality that may be problematic.
‘I don’t believe the Conservative Party is much good at running the economy, or much else. But let’s not kid ourselves Labour has been any better.’
To be fair I don’t think most here see Labour as some kind of silver bullet. My view is that they at least won’t make things worse whereas the Tories certainly will if they get back in.
‘It might finally dawn on the public that absolutely none of these people know what they are doing. Their only skill is in self promotion. Yet they are still spoken to as though they are experts and treated with an absurd degree of sycophancy by the media.’
Absolutely this. There are literally zero qualifications required to become an MP other than ‘get people to vote for you’, which is where the self-promotion comes in.
“Going racing is fine; it’s the fact that Starmer accepted hospitality that may be problematic.”
Yeah, I get that.
The Labour Party isn’t meant to embrace the stuff the Conservative Party embraces and somehow I’ve always felt if a Labour politician gets caught using their position to line their pockets on any level (even a freebie day out) it’s worse than if a Tory does it because Labour aren’t meant to be about the politics of self.
To echo what Richard says, I’m not holding up Labour as paragons of fiscal excellence – I just think they’re no worse in that area than the Tories, that’s all.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Agree that Starmer accepting hospitality of a value that many working class Labour voters would see as very extravagant is not a good look.
It is a minor issue and will not cost him any votes. But I expect a few Labour activists will not be pleased at Starmer going to a place where “posh people” go, where animals are used for sport and where (shock horror) betting is taking place.
As I have said before, within racing there is a belief it will get a better hearing from the Conservatives. Labour are more likely to be sympathetic to the animal rights and anti-gambling lobbies. I doubt any of the people who tried to disrupt Aintree, Ayr or Epsom vote Conservative. But as Mickey says above, Labour in its first term is not going to be preoccupied with racing.
Whether we like it or not, about two thirds of our racecourses are in Conservative constituencies and so are all the four major training centres (one of them being in the Prime Minister’s constituency). The sport is worth millions to the rural economy and rural England is overwhelmingly Conservative.
Hard to dispute CAS’s analysis.
So I won’t.
Andrew Marr is probably closest to the way I view politics so I usually listen to his YouTube material once a week.
I liked his latest offering, not least because I’ve thought for some time the biggest contribution any Labour PM could make would be to embrace electoral reform: https://youtu.be/4EjuNALFWWU
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I am a little uncertain about one or two locations but as I see it our 62 racecourses (if you count 2 in Newmarket) by parliamentary constituency are:
43 Conservative
13 Labour
4 SNP (every track in Scotland except Kelso)
1 Liberal Democrat (Bath)
1 Plaid Cymru (Ffos Las)Starmer also accepted £700 of hospitality to attend a Coldplay concert.
I always thought he would like Coldplay.
I’d want more than £700 to watch/listen to Coldplay – grand minimum.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Mirror reports on a Xmas party during lockdown , 4th bi election with Warburton resigning , the Tory hopes were pinned on a financial bounce back before a last minute election but this is looking less likely with interest rates to peak in 2024 , will Sunak be tempted to go a lot earlier …
I tend to keep the news at arm’s length nowadays, but I chose this morning to pay a visit to the BBC News website and oh my goodness!
Sunday Mirror revelations which look bang on the money, Michael Gove apologising for them, FOUR by elections now looming.
Labour now 1.21 for Most Seats, Tories 5.6; Labour 1.71 for Overall Majority, No Overall Majority 3.1 and a Tory Majority is 9.6.
Gladders, I think I can finally say you’ve done your dough – not even the centre-right MSM can retrieve this.
Bet you’re delighted on balance, though.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Indeed, Chezza. A change of government is what this country desperately needs, although it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.
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