Professor John Robertson OBA
From the Ipsos Scotland Political Pulse survey, taken between 21st and 26th February 2025, these little-reported facts, at the time, in response to the question – To what extent, if at all, do you have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of the following politicians and political parties?
Adding Very and Fairly Favourable scores:
- The SNP 33%
- John Swinney 30%
- Kate Forbes 27%
- Scottish Greens 25%
- Keir Starmer 22% (above Sarwar!)
- Scottish Labour 23% (above Sarwar!)
- Lib Dems 22%
- Anas Sarwar 19%
- Nigel Farage 19%
- Reform UK 19%
- Donald Trump 18%
- Scottish Conservatives 15%
- Kemi Badenoch 13%
- Elon Musk 12%
- Alba 9%
This was some time ago but does anyone image any major improvements for any of the above apart from the SNP and Reform UK? Look at the recent polls:
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Long comment but really crucial as something that really exposes the sheer hypocrisy and blatant double standards applied by the Labour party…and also those individuals still connected to them.
You know most people in Scotland, and elsewhere, may not realise that one of the biggest political losers in Scottish politics and also a very unpopular Labour leader in Scotland , Jim Murphy , has apparently now been ‘winning’ since ‘losing’ Labour a majority of their Labour MP’s in the 2015 UK GE………where he lost Labour 40 MP’s in Scotland out of total of 41….which included him losing in his own constituency.
Yesterday , The Times newspaper did a piece on him in relation to how he has now made millions of pounds in a piece entitled:
“How Jim Murphy has made millions in Starmer era”
“Arden Strategies, set up by the former Scottish Labour leader after he resigned in 2015, has become a lobbying behemoth”
“A former Labour cabinet minister whose frontline political career ended in catastrophic defeat has become a multimillionaire as Sir Keir Starmer has risen to power”
“Financial accounts filed by Jim Murphy’s Arden Strategies, a public affairs company, show that its transformation from a relatively obscure operation with only three staff to a lobbying behemoth has mirrored Labour’s return to government”
“However, his company, of which he is the sole shareholder, has increased its staff headcount 12-fold since Starmer became Labour leader in 2020. As of last October it had £3 million in the bank and reported assets of £4.5 million“.
“Arden, whose clients have included controversial arms manufacturers, has made little secret of positioning his company as a conduit to the top of Starmer’s party, setting up a “Labour directorate” of nine staff, including himself”.
“Arden boasts that its staff, who include a string of former Labour advisers with links to people in government, can help “build meaningful relationships across the Labour Party’s ecosystem” including facilitating “high-level discussions with ministers”. The company said it was proud of the service it provided to its clients and followed the “highest ethical standards”.
I say this reeks of what happened with the former Tory party when Boris Johnson was the UK PM….but this was with a Tory MP , Owen Paterson , who then had to resign because it was reported that:
“He , Paterson, had been paid half a million pounds to lobby Tory government ministers” …………
“He had also breached the rules relating to paid advocacy, declaration of interests, and the use of parliamentary facilities”….. ………
“He had been a paid consultant for Randox Laboratories and Lynn’s Country Foods. He was paid £8,333 a month by Randox for 16 hours work and £2,000 every other month from Lynn’s Country Foods for four hours work”).
Back to The Times Jim Murphy article…..
“In October 2018, 18 months before Starmer replaced Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, Arden Strategies had £387 in the bank and assets of less than £2,000, its financial accounts show” (but remember this article also stated that “As of last October it -Arden Strategies- had £3 million in the bank and reported assets of £4.5 million“).
“The company was well represented at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool last week. It welcomed a string of ministers to events at its two-storey Arden Lounge, positioned in a prime position just outside the hotel used by senior cabinet figures and MPs”.
“The venue was used to host dozens of conference events, and was attended by figures including Rachel Reeves, the chancellor; Hilary Benn, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland; Michael Shanks, the energy minister, and Luke Pollard, the defence minister”.
“In August, a Times investigation , found that dozens of Labour MPs had benefitted from fundraisers held in partnership with Murphy’s firm before last year’s general election. Arden has said it entered into “commercial partnerships” with prospective Labour candidates in the same way, it said, that many of its competitors had”.
“Because the deals were not with the Labour Party itself there was no obligation to declare the support, even though the party winning power had apparently been beneficial to the company’s interests and profits”
“Blair McDougall, who was recently made a minister in the department for business and trade, was a senior strategist in Arden’s Labour directorate until he became East Renfrewshire’s MP at last year’s election. Anna Turley, now the Labour MP for Redcar, has also worked for the company”.
“Last year, it, Arden, said it had been working on behalf of arms manufacturers including Northrop Grumman, which supplies the Israeli military, as well as oil companies and energy multinationals”.
See these are Tory newspaper examples of the only times (pun intended) when you get a Tory newspaper communicating truth about another UK opposition party….as in the Labour party……..on those (political losers) who were formerly and yet also currently still linked to them , Labour, as a political party….shared interests so to speak….but also very much a case of with Labour ….”Oh, what a tangled web we(Labour) weave, when first we practice to deceive” …………(time and time again).
Sorry did Labour politicians actually have the audacity to refer to the “SNP Police investigation” and so then make comments as to how terrible it was and still is as a scandal linked to the SNP !!!!…….
Give over…….Labour’s Political Glass house…….but also a case of under a Labour’ UK government we are seeing “Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics”- come on….can more people in Scotland open their eyes to some of the actual political parties who are the actual real “Baddies” in UK politics …..
Oh and also , The Times, noted a ‘Blair McDougall former connection’….with Arden Strategies and now he is a new Labour MP elected in Scotland last year…and he has also been promoted to a position where he was recently been made a minister in the department for business and trade !!
Also as a real political story #Scandal….. it is political news that you will not read about or hear about on and in the BBC Scotland’s ‘news where we are’……as they , BBC Scotland political news teams, are way too consumed with always only promoting mostly #SNPBAD stories (as concocted by them and also supplied, as political #SNPBAD stories, by parties like the Labour party)…….as a way to try to ensure that the Labour party win next year in Scotland……….I guess that then also makes BBC Scotland news teams the “Baddies” as well……
Liz S
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Actually on 14 October 2024 the BBC UK Politics page of their website included this same story……so apologies to the BBC….who must have still been reeling from their preferred party, the Tory party, losing the 2024 UK GE.
“Ex-minister’s firm lobbies for defence and oil giants”
Oops they, the BBC, left out the fact that he was a “Ex Labour Minister”.
However they did include the fact that “Murphy’s firm is one of the most prominent lobbyists of the new Labour government”.
They also, to their credit, included “Over the past 12 months, Arden has spent tens of thousands of pounds sponsoring Labour conferences and events, including helping more than 30 aspiring Labour MPs raise funds for their campaigns“.
(Democracy for sale in force with Labour….again).
And even added that “Arden also works for the Premier League which, alongside individual football clubs, has given tens of thousands of pounds in freebies to Labour politicians, including Sir Keir“.
They also noted “Among the 29 companies Arden Strategies lists as clients is defence giant Northrop Grumman, which supplies weapons components to militaries across the world including the Israeli Defence Forces”……………also adding that……
“Murphy also represents the Premier League, which opposes Labour’s plans for a new football regulator”……….what ?………wow UK losers do reap many rewards for being political losers….it seems ….but only as Pro UK losers….obvioulsy.
Then the BBC added that Arden’s “Other clients include INEOS”……….really….well that’s a “fundilymundily” point…..that is for Grangemouth Refinery’s workers being shafted by Labour as a UK government………and also by the INEOS Tax exiled boss Jim Ratcliffe.
Once again as a repeat ….tangled web etc etc etc
Liz S
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See Jim Murphy , see the Labour Party , see corruption …naw ?
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