Mandelson failed security vetting. Starmer says he didn’t know

Mollygo

MartavTaurus

What is it about potholes which so obsess people??!!
New tyres needed for me, thats what.

I've been driving many kilometers in France these past 10 days. How come their roads are immaculate, not a pothole in sight?

Likewise in Germany.
We have MPs doing photoshoots around our potholes (they tell us they can’t do anything about them because they’re in the wrong party). So even those who voted Labour get no support.

I'll keep my phone handy to take pictures next time in France. Last time I was there (just a few weeks ago), there were plenty of "nids-de-poule".

The whole fiasco could be an episode Yes Minister that went horribly wrong.

If the Civil Service did over ride the vetting decision. Isn't this done kind of Treasonable Offence?

Just exactly who is running this country?

MartavTaurus

^What is it about potholes which so obsess people??!!^
New tyres needed for me, thats what.

I've been driving many kilometers in France these past 10 days. How come their roads are immaculate, not a pothole in sight?

Likewise in Germany.
We have MPs doing photoshoots around our potholes (they tell us they can’t do anything about them because they’re in the wrong party). So even those who voted Labour get no support.

Menopauselbitch

MayBee70

So who do you want to be running the country at this moment in time?

Rupert slowed snd you can vilify me all you want.

No. I thank you for your honesty.

Boz

If he didn't know he should have known or if he knew and hoped it would not come to light; either way is an error of judgement and he should go.

I think that depends on whether information was withheld that he should have been told or not. We will know on Tuesday, to repeat myself.

Personal antipathy is clouding the vision of so many Gransnetters on this thread.

MayBee. Nigel Farage. Definitely.

eazybee

^ I think Peter's weaknesses (Loves all the Lotd business, not really rich compared to those whose company he keeps, likes a pretty boy) are well known and may be outweighed by his being very clever, charming, able to flatter the real toads of the world. - Possibly would have done a good job for UK.^

Those sort of views explain the mess we are in; total lack if integrity.

And all the excuses made for the choice of Mandelson ignore the fact that he keeps getting found out. Latest: links with China.

I hope nobody ever links me with my late father-in-law's business transactions with China and the Chinese government.

Apparently a Shanghai-listed company paid £2.24 million to Lord Mandelson's company. Frankly, that's peanuts. My FiL was based in the Far East for nearly 20 years and would have expected to do business worth over £2 million every couple of weeks, mainly with companies in mainland China.

If he didn't know he should have known or if he knew and hoped it would not come to light; either way is an error of judgement and he should go.

orly

Why won't the pundits say it? Starmer is a LIAR.

They won’t say it simply because they don’t yet know for sure whether he is or is not. None of us know either, whatever supportive or derogatory views we may have. We just have to wait until Tuesday to find out.

And those stating that KS is a liar do not have evidence for that

Agreed Luckygirl13

Perhaps it would be good if politicians could sue for liable!

Even many of us who believed Johnson was a liar, waited for photographic evidence of him actually at the parties (that he said didn’t happen over & over again) before we said ‘Johnson is a liar’.

Greciangirl

For heaven’s sake, just leave him alone.

He’s got enough on his plate at the moment.
Dealing with Trump etc.

Mandelson has been dismissed, so that’s that.
There are more important things to be fretting about at this point in time.

I agree with this. It is no moment for jumping on political bandwagon.
And those stating that KS is a liar do not have evidence for that.

^ I think Peter's weaknesses (Loves all the Lotd business, not really rich compared to those whose company he keeps, likes a pretty boy) are well known and may be outweighed by his being very clever, charming, able to flatter the real toads of the world. - Possibly would have done a good job for UK.^

Those sort of views explain the mess we are in; total lack if integrity.

And all the excuses made for the choice of Mandelson ignore the fact that he keeps getting found out. Latest: links with China.

For heaven’s sake, just leave him alone.

He’s got enough on his plate at the moment.
Dealing with Trump etc.

Mandelson has been dismissed, so that’s that.
There are more important things to be fretting about at this point in time.

Why won't the pundits say it? Starmer is a LIAR.

Oh, I know that!

I wouldn't believe it anyway but if people think Reform might wave a magic wand and resurface every road, they might. As well as cutting Council tax.

I'll correct myself. Potholes are more than a nuisance. They're a killer for cyclists. If it's raining, a cyclist doesn't know how deep a pothole is and can be thrown off.

I'm not denying they're important, but inadequate social care is a killer too. Why does my local Reform candidate mention potholes and not social care, which takes the lion's share of local government spending?

Yes, Allira, I drive. And, yes, potholes are a nuisance, but they're not the "only" issue (or even the most important) when people are voting for a county council.

sandelf

Of course they all lie from time to time. Real question - who better suited to swim with these sharks? I think Peter's weaknesses (Loves all the Lotd business, not really rich compared to those whose company he keeps, likes a pretty boy) are well known and may be outweighed by his being very clever, charming, able to flatter the real toads of the world. - Possibly would have done a good job for UK - We need a bit of a snake in that role.

It would appear that was Starmer's reasoning for the appointment.

AJKW

Of course Starmer knew.
Let’s put it this way, when the name Mandelson was suggested my first thought was Hinduja scandal. Now if I could come up with that, why couldn’t Starmer.
Starmers sister said her brother was always good at telling lies and was well know for it at school.

Where's your evidence? Sorry, but hearsay isn't evidence.

Luckygirl3

On the subject of potholes, the new cash has made a massive difference round here. So many roads mended.

Yes! It's certainly made a difference here. The only problem is that my little road leads on to a main road, which has been partially closed for weeks, while the potholes are fixed.

Casdon

TakeThat7

Casdon says don't know the whole story yet above I think it's bad enough that a really dodgy character could get passed a vetting system for a pretty big job in government It shows no respect for the victims of Epstein The poor woman who exposed Epstein killed herself but a close friend of Epstein is fit to be an MP and have power in an important role in government

We don’t know if the vetting failure is related to the Epstein issues or not yet TakeThat7, I’m not sure whether we will know ultimately what the actual issue was, or whether confidentiality will prevent that.

I think that's a problem behind this. Everybody seems to be assuming that Mandelson failed the vetting as a result of something related to Epstein, whereas it could have been for something relatively trivial. If it really was something serious, Olly Robbins really does have some questions to answer. There's no doubt Mandelson knew Epstein and had stayed with him, but it's unlikely that Mandelson was involved with underage girls and, as far as I know, there's no evidence that Mandelson knew the extent of Epstein's abuse.

When Mandelson was appointed, everybody already knew that he was a controversial figure. There was loads already in the public domain. Starmer decided to appoint him despite (and maybe because of) his history. The kind of stuff which would have come up in the vetting was likely to be the subject of blackmail. You can't blackmail somebody for events which are already in the public domain.

On the subject of potholes, the new cash has made a massive difference round here. So many roads mended.

Of course Starmer knew.
Let’s put it this way, when the name Mandelson was suggested my first thought was Hinduja scandal. Now if I could come up with that, why couldn’t Starmer.
Starmers sister said her brother was always good at telling lies and was well know for it at school.

Of course they all lie from time to time. Real question - who better suited to swim with these sharks? I think Peter's weaknesses (Loves all the Lotd business, not really rich compared to those whose company he keeps, likes a pretty boy) are well known and may be outweighed by his being very clever, charming, able to flatter the real toads of the world. - Possibly would have done a good job for UK - We need a bit of a snake in that role.

What is it about potholes which so obsess people??!!
Do you really have to ask, twaddle? !! 😲

Potholes filled with water cannot be seen.

Burst tyres, could cause an accident if the car swerved.
Motorists might swerve to avoid one.
Not just the tyre might be wrecked, the wheel could be wrecked too.
The suspension could be damaged.
The alignment could be skewed causing steering problems.
Traffic going over potholes cause more vibration, could cause structural damage to nearby buildings.
The cost of compensation paid out by Councils could fill a lot of potholes.
Added to which someone who suffers from travel sickness like my DGC could feel far worse after a pothole-ridden journey.

Do you drive, twaddle?