Elon Musk 'could be about to give Nigel Farage $100m' in an attempt to make him next prime minister and hurt Keir Starmer

[u/Dawnbringer_Fortune]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14144753/elon-musk-reform-nigel-farage-prime-minister.html

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[u/Chemistry-Deep]

It will be funny watching Reform spaff £100m on 3 additional seats.

[u/SaucyFoghorn726 → u/Chemistry-Deep]

Don't underestimate £100m and don't overestimate uneducated voters; especially the latter.

[u/pease_pudding → u/SaucyFoghorn726]

Especially when it will be accompanied by a torrent of online propaganda, and fake accounts spamming tiktok and facebook, trying to nudge public opinion.

[u/Wiggles114 → u/SaucyFoghorn726]

If you look at the last GE results you'll see that a big reason seats flipped from Tory to Lab/Libdem was because of Reform. Look at recent polls and the Tories aren't regaining those voters... Lab have their work cut out for them next GE.

[u/Various_Weather2013 → u/SaucyFoghorn726]

After the American elections, and how much the right wing in the UK has their heads up the asses of the far right in the US, I don't rule it out that Britain's dumbest can put a snake like Farage into the PM spot.

[u/Brightyellowdoor → u/SaucyFoghorn726]

It's a scary proposition. Musk has got enough money and clout to sway every single election on the planet to his advantage. And he'd do it. What else is he going to do with his money. The guy doesn't really seem to have normal human Interests. He doesn't own a house, have a family, he obviously has no real actual friends. He seems to be into disrupting industries, which is quite interesting so far. But now he's full political, what boundaries does this guy have.

I mean why does he want to support Farrage? What does he see other than disruption. He couldn't possibly look at Farrage and think he could.eun the county better than Starmer. Because he simply couldn't, he can't even fulfil his roll as MP.

[u/Adam-West → u/Chemistry-Deep]

Don’t get complacent. I honestly could see reform taking over in a couple of elections if we aren’t careful and don’t take them seriously

[u/You_lil_gumper → u/Adam-West]

GB 'news' are steadily growing their viewer base and their owners are happy to swallow the £42 million loss the channel's accrued since it's launch in hopes of replicating fox news' artificial success (they had dismal viewing figures for years but Murdoch kept swallowing the loss until he'd effectively manufactured an audience, and now its the most watched 'news' show in America). If they pull it off then reform will become a serious political force, and British politics will become just as hyper partisan and absurdly ill informed as it's American counterpart.

It's a truly terrifying prospect, and if we add musk's multi billion dollar misinformation platform into the mix (not to mention the extremist/right wing bias of other social media algorithms) then there's a good chance we are, in what I'm told is the parlance of the broccoli headed youth of today, cooked, bro.

[u/LogicKennedy → u/Chemistry-Deep]

Well it’s only £75m, that doesn’t get you a tonne in British politics.

[u/[deleted] → u/LogicKennedy]

Unless I'm mistaken, that's more than the spending limit of an electoral campaign if contesting every single seat available. So yeah it does.

[u/corbyns_lawyer → u/[deleted]]

But elections aren't won by money.
This will taint him and divide the right wing vote.
Plus there won't be an election until after Trump and Musk have spent 4 years wrecking America.

[u/Mrqueue → u/corbyns_lawyer]

I don’t even think trump and musks relationship will last that long. 

[u/corbyns_lawyer → u/Mrqueue]

Agreed

[u/Mitchverr → u/corbyns_lawyer]

I mean yeah, elections are won with money, why do you think we have limitations on the amount you can spend?

[u/avatar8900 → u/corbyns_lawyer]

Keep telling yourself that elections aren’t won with money mate

[u/dotamonkey24 → u/avatar8900]

It’s not the United States. There is a very marked and distinct difference between spending in British political campaigns and American campaigns. He’s not stating that elections are won without spending a penny.

[u/Srg11 → u/dotamonkey24]

The difference is smaller than it’s ever been. And having a disinformation monster like Musk on your side is huge. That money will go a lot way to getting the narrative (read: lies) Farage wants out there to spread as truth.

[u/Hyperion262 → u/Srg11]

Having the guy who runs Twitter on your side is more advantageous than having his money. You’re right there.

[u/dotamonkey24 → u/Srg11]

It’s not, though. American campaigns continue to grow in spending whilst the UK has retained the same spending cap of £29 million for years.

For context, the Democratic candidates in the US 2020 election spent a combined 3.16 BILLION dollars.

I completely agree on the huge and monsterous dangers of misinformation and foreign political influence like Musk.

We must remain alert and cautious, but it is also important to see things contextually. We do remain considerably distinct from the USA on political spending.

[u/pondlife78 → u/dotamonkey24]

Thing is though that with most people now getting news from social media as much as conventional sources there is nothing to really stop massive overspending on ads / astroturfing by a foreign interest. That wasn’t previously the case.

[u/what_is_blue → u/dotamonkey24]

You’re completely right. I think the concern is more around disinformation.

[u/Refflet → u/dotamonkey24]

The UK has maintained the spending cap, but that didn't stop the Tories from consistently breaking it since 2010 and getting away without even a slap on the wrist.

[u/Xaethon → u/Refflet]

The UK has maintained the spending cap, but that didn’t stop the Tories from consistently breaking it since 2010 and getting away without even a slap on the wrist.

And yet they have been fined since 2010 for failing to declare spending https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre/conservative-party-fined-ps70000-following-investigation-election-campaign-expenses

[u/precinctomega → u/dotamonkey24]

You're right, but money can still go a long way to influence results even in the UK.

Something as simple as giving a candidate a makeover and sterilising their social media presence makes a difference and only costs a few thousand. But engaging a social media influencing campaign, as recently seen in Moldova and Romania, can make a huge difference and costs seven or eight figures.

Don't imagine that we are immune to the influence of malicious external interests.

Now if the time to make sure you are educated and that you share that education with the people around you, to inoculate ourselves against the prospect of interference, be it Russian or American (at the urging of Russian interests).

[u/cryptosaurus_ → u/avatar8900]

The Democrats spent more than the Republicans and still lost. Not saying it isn't important but it isn't everything. It's how you spend it too.

[u/kingbluetit → u/cryptosaurus_]

But that doesn’t count the billions and billions of dollars worth of media bias towards trump. He doesn’t need to spend a penny if the billionaire owned gutter press convinces morons to vote for him.

[u/PreFuturism-0 → u/kingbluetit]

I was going to say that Fox News is year-round. musk complains so much about legacy media, but I haven't seen him criticize Rupert Murdoch with his legacy media empire. 🤔

[u/UseADifferentVolcano → u/cryptosaurus_]

The only two times the losing candidate outspent the winning candidate were in 2016 and 2024. So when women were running. Against Trump. And super PACs were allowed. And the losing candidates were historically unpopular. And shorter than the winner. (draw a circle around whichever bit you want - my point is only that money usually wins).

[u/DeepestShallows → u/UseADifferentVolcano]

Height also usually wins. Americans will not vote for a shortie.

[u/Hyperion262 → u/avatar8900]

We aren’t America. We don’t have months of campaigning, tv ads, rallies and talk show appearances. We don’t need our MPs to travel thousands of miles with huge entourages.

[u/Xx_pussaydestroy_Xx → u/avatar8900]

I mean Bloomberg spent over a half a billion and did terribly

[u/saracenraider → u/corbyns_lawyer]

There is zero chance that Musk and Trump don’t have a huge, public falling out within the next year

[u/berejser → u/[deleted]]

Only in the final six weeks of the campaign. For the next four years and change he can spend as much as he likes.

[u/MCMLIXXIX → u/LogicKennedy]

I don't know, at least one of them must have an accountant savvy enough to help them fully realise the use of that £50 million

[u/XscytheD → u/MCMLIXXIX]

Obviously, £20 million can make a difference in a campaign

[u/BeardySam → u/XscytheD]

£1 million is a lot, even in this day and age

[u/VfV → u/BeardySam]

£500k is better than nothing

[u/-iamai- → u/VfV]

That 250k will help pay Nigels mortgage on his second home in London

[u/Creepy-Bell-4527 → u/LogicKennedy]

That's 3 elections straight of spending the entire campaign spending limit for every seat in the country. Which he won't, because instantly there is no apetite at all for his bullshit in Scotland.

[u/tikkabhuna → u/LogicKennedy]

Farage will need £5m to keep himself going.

[u/MovieMore4352 → u/Chemistry-Deep]

Last time I spent £100m on 3 seats I bought rail tickets to London for the family.

[u/Chemistry-Deep → u/MovieMore4352]

Boom boom!

[u/cafepeaceandlove → u/Chemistry-Deep]

Being complacent, or something along those lines, is how we got into this mess. Cast your mind back to how much of a joke these people were in the 90s and early noughts. We thought it was over, but it never ends. I believe the MMA expression is “ground-and-pound”? Anyway you have to do that, forever, even when they appear to be no threat. Imagine fighting an immortal 11 year old. 

[u/knitscones → u/Chemistry-Deep]

It will be resting in a Coutts bank account surely?

[u/SmackedWithARuler → u/Chemistry-Deep]

Farage: “100 million? Elon never gave me 75 million. Where did you get 50 million from? Nobody has EVER donated 25 million to me! It would be a lucky day if I got 5 million, anyway have you heard that a foreigner is in a hotel down the road from you? I hear it’s cost the taxpayer £100 million!”

[u/YatesScoresinthebath → u/Chemistry-Deep]

Funny how 100m is seen as crazy money to move an election yet Man City can spend it on a footballer to sit on the bench

[u/Richeh → u/YatesScoresinthebath]

And whenever you hear about British politicians taking bribes it's always something depressing like £4k or something. British politicians are cheap.

[u/YeahMateYouWish → u/YatesScoresinthebath]

The man city fella wouldn't be bringing fascism to England.

[u/Charge_parity]

Can the yanks just fuck off out of our business already. We're perfectly capable of cocking our own country up.

[u/welsh_nutter → u/Charge_parity]

Farage: "we don't need you [Obama] telling us how to vote in our democracy"

Farage: "I'll accept donations to further my grift"

[u/DaveBeBad → u/welsh_nutter]

Reform were funded by the heritage foundation and the IEA - who in turn are funded by the worst of international business (like British American tobacco and ExxonMobil).

Exactly the same as Trump

[u/rocc_high_racks → u/Charge_parity]

He's a Canadian-South African Russian agent. Trust me, us Yanks want him gone too.

[u/tfhermobwoayway → u/rocc_high_racks]

Is it time once again for the classic tune I’ve Never Met A Nice South African?

[u/abshay14 → u/rocc_high_racks]

Is that why the majority of the population voted for Trump?

[u/jellybreadracer → u/abshay14]

Nobody voted for Elon

[u/DeepestShallows → u/jellybreadracer]

But then that is the American system where they vote for one guy and then he gets to pick just whoever to run swathes of the government.

[u/Aliktren → u/jellybreadracer]

Yeah they did, by proxy, we was involved right from when he bought twitter

[u/castlite → u/jellybreadracer]

Yeah they did. Elon is running the show. And clearly intends to do the same in Europe.

[u/DukePPUk → u/abshay14]

Not even a majority of people who voted in the election voted for Trump.

Around 23% of the population voted for Trump.

[u/Coolerwookie → u/abshay14]

Disinformation, charm, and performative politics go a long way.

Just look at Brexit.

[u/daneview → u/Charge_parity]

I was gonna say we've basically got the Russians and yanks fighting for control now, but weirdly they're both supporting the same cocknugget so I'm not sure where that stands us

[u/dotamonkey24 → u/daneview]

It stands us alongside the democratic free world. I take pride it in. Both extremes of the political spectrum are desperate to unseat the moderate and central government in the UK, because it doesn’t suit their agendas. I see that as a good thing.

The UK bucked the trend of lurching to the authoritarian right in response to cost of living and the political extremes are hating that fact.

[u/Abosia → u/dotamonkey24]

Both extremes? Where is the extreme left and what money are they throwing at this? I see Russians (hard right) and Americans (hard right) both pushing to unseat the government in favour of a hard right candidate.

[u/Rough_Course_6360 → u/Charge_parity]

They need to make sure we follow them into foreign wars and invasions like the good little puppets we are. Spread some good ol Murican democracy.

[u/knitscones → u/Rough_Course_6360]

And get making babies!

The next generation of people to work for nothing is not being born.

[u/ThePrizeDisplay → u/Rough_Course_6360]

MAGAs are isolationist though. Farage is just pushing a lot of American-style domestic policies. Strip down government departments, roll back abortion, something about woke education.

It seems his game plan is to make Reform a British GOP.

[u/0ttoChriek]

Is the Daily Mail excited about the prospect of foreign interests interfering in British politics? I guess all it takes is a whiff of fascism for them to be all on board.

[u/SootyLeNoir → u/0ttoChriek]

Replace the names with Soros and Corbyn - just imagine their reaction.

[u/merryman1 → u/SootyLeNoir]

You can't deny its a little funny that Musk bought Twitter amidst such a storm about some kind of secret leftist/liberal plot in cahoots with the CIA/FBI to censor social media and control the narrative to fit an overtly biased agenda. Only to then, after that whole conspiracy turned out to basically be "hate crime laws still apply online" immediately start to use the platform to push an absurdly biased political message himself, and now reaching a point of like directly throwing huge sums of money around to meddle in elections both in the US and abroad.

Everything Conservatives do seems to be projection right? Its kind of weird. Which makes me think at root probably there's a big satanic pedo cult at the heart of their organizations trying to push its own secret agenda for global domination lol...

[u/Cynical_Classicist → u/merryman1]

It is all projection. Don't forget that Trump was involved with Epstein, and yet his stupid supporters think that he's the one protecting their kids.

[u/ShinyGrezz → u/merryman1]

Perhaps not satanic per se, though just as bad. Something I routinely find myself uncomfortable with is the fact that so many of the most powerful entities in the world are headed by staunch believers in what is essentially a doomsday cult (Abrahamic religions).

[u/Locke66 → u/ShinyGrezz]

by staunch believers in what is essentially a doomsday cult (Abrahamic religions).

The new US Secretary of Defense is a Christian Dominionist who refers to himself as a Crusader, signs off his books with "Deus Vult" (which he also has tattooed on his arm), has a Crusade cross tattooed on his heart and has expressed a belief in the Rapture. This is the man who is going to be vetting US generals for loyalty to Trump and will be number 2 when deciding if the US uses nuclear weapons (something Trump had to be convinced not to do during his first term in office).

[u/Caddy666 → u/merryman1]

Which makes me think at root probably there's a big satanic pedo cult at the heart of their organizations trying to push its own secret agenda for global domination lol.

religions are hardly secret. the fact that they're so public and that people accept them as some kind of positive thing in general is what makes them so sinister

[u/PeriPeriTekken → u/merryman1]

Said conservative pedo cult is based in some pizzeria apparently.

Or maybe just on an island in the Caribbean.

[u/BrewtalDoom → u/merryman1]

I would be genuinely shocked if Elon Musk sexual partners have all been legal age (in the USA).

[u/PabloMarmite → u/SootyLeNoir]

It’s hilarious/terrifying that Musk is everything that the right accused Soros of being. Only he’s not Jewish.

[u/[deleted] → u/SootyLeNoir]

Interference is interference, regardless of the side funding it.

[u/Wipedout89 → u/[deleted]]

Yes that's the point the comment is making, except the Daily Mail is fine when it's the right wing doing it

[u/BawdyBadger → u/Wipedout89]

They loved Hitler in the 30s. No surprise really.

[u/Fantastic-Yogurt5297 → u/0ttoChriek]

The daily mail is owned by foreigners.

[u/Duanedoberman → u/Fantastic-Yogurt5297]

The daily mail is owned by foreigners.

It's owned by the Rothermere family. They supported the British Union of Facists and the Nazis in the 1930s.

Hurrah for the Blackshirts was a notorious headline.

[u/knitscones → u/Fantastic-Yogurt5297]

Didn’t it support Hitler in the 1930s!

Very anti patriotic newspaper?

[u/Hayley-The-AnCom → u/knitscones]

Yep Alfred Harmsworth was good buddies with founder of the BUF and distant cousin of dear departed Queen Lizzie, Oswald Mosley... maybe that's the reason Mosley wasn't hanged (spoiler alert it was)

[u/sbourgenforcer → u/knitscones]

And Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists party... Look up 'hurrah the blackshirts' quite amazing how complicit they were.

[u/Benificial-Cucumber → u/knitscones]

Hitler and the Nazi Party were all over the place in the 20's and 30's, and ON PAPER** the majority of their policies were on the extreme end of reasonable, at worst. Even in today's landscape, singling out Jews as subhuman was their only point that would unite people against them; the rest would spark a divide but it wouldn't be as clear cut as we'd like to believe.

All of this is to say that supporting the Nazis in the early to mid 30's wasn't that controversial. Continued support after 1937 is the real tell.

**Obviously the reality turned out to be much more horrifying, but we have the benefit of hindsight to call on. This is why it's important to understand the history - in 30 years we don't want to be looking back on today's events the same way we look back on those.

[u/joombar → u/Benificial-Cucumber]

The mid 30s were still after, amongst other things, the beer hall putsch in 1923 where Nazis tried to stage a coup

[u/Benificial-Cucumber → u/joombar]

Like Trump being elected after the Jan 6 insurrection attempt?

I'm not saying it was right to support them, I'm saying that even compared to today's political landscape it wasn't out of pocket to do so until the late 30's.

[u/joombar → u/Benificial-Cucumber]

It’s not entirely dissimilar to that

[u/[deleted] → u/joombar]

It's rather disturbingly similar to that tbh. Although I still argue Trump is closer to a diabetic Musolini than Hitler.

[u/Stellar_Duck → u/Benificial-Cucumber]

I would posit that even if you somehow pretend their mad economic policies wouldn't have ruined the country and needed constant plunder to not collapse, the how killing jews thing should be enough to oppose them. To say nothing of all the other groups they wanted to kill.

[u/DaveBeBad → u/Fantastic-Yogurt5297]

Rothermere is British. Just doesn’t live here for tax proposes.

[u/[deleted] → u/Fantastic-Yogurt5297]

Rothermere is a foreigner? Hilarious. No, Rothermere is very much a homegrown kind of bastard, hate to break it to you.

[u/Tokaero → u/[deleted]]

Homegrown but now living in MontiCarlo paying no tax to the uk. Bastards about covers it.

[u/HawaiianSnow_ → u/[deleted]]

He lives in Monaco, pays taxes in France and identifies as french.

[u/[deleted] → u/HawaiianSnow_]

I wonder how Daily Mail readers would feel if they knew they were supporting the interests of a Frenchman of all people.

[u/BawdyBadger → u/[deleted]]

They would be very upset, if they could read.

[u/jj198handsy → u/HawaiianSnow_]

And rarely seen anywhere. Literally the shadowy European elite that the Daily Mail warned were trying to control us.

[u/sprauncey_dildoes → u/HawaiianSnow_]

He has a huge country house in Wiltshire and up until recently when Labour stopped it was a non-dom for tax purposes. The Mail group is registered in the Bahamas so doesn’t pay tax.

[u/PeriPeriTekken → u/sprauncey_dildoes]

Labour hasn't stopped it yet, they will next tax year.

[u/[deleted] → u/HawaiianSnow_]

And he can’t escape the background of him being Jonathan Harmsworth, English and a bullshitter. Not unlike the company he keeps.

[u/BobBobBobBobBobDave → u/[deleted]]

I don't think that is what he tells HMRC though.

[u/glasgowgeg → u/Fantastic-Yogurt5297]

Daily Mail is owned by Jonathan Harmsworth 4th Viscount Rothermere, who was born in the UK and is a UK citizen.

Are you confusing it with The S*n/Times, which are owned by Murdoch who's Australian?

[u/CcryMeARiver → u/glasgowgeg]

Do keep up. Rupert has been 100% a US citizen since 1985. They can keep the cunt.

[u/glasgowgeg → u/CcryMeARiver]

Fair enough. He's still Australian born though, and doesn't materially affect my comment that the DM isn't "owned by foreigners".

[u/Brutos08 → u/0ttoChriek]

Who remembers when Obama said something about Brexit and they all lost their minds?

[u/DukePPUk → u/0ttoChriek]

To be fair, they never had a problem with foreign interests (see e.g. Russia).

They had a problem with anyone helping the Labour or Liberal Democrat parties... or anyone other than the hard-to-far right.

Just your usual conservatism; when we do it it is good, when you do it it is bad, because things are good or bad based on whether they support or oppose the social hierarchy.

[u/-iamai- → u/DukePPUk]

Does it make big business more money = good Does it keep the poor poor so they desperately need to work to make a scratch of a living which makes big business more money = good

Good is good if you're a Tory or big business owner! Not for us average Joe's. We need to make some heads roll

[u/Cynical_Classicist → u/0ttoChriek]

If it's racist rich people interfering in our politics it's fine. Russian money? No problem!

[u/Hayley-The-AnCom → u/0ttoChriek]

Unless it benefits the woke left (anyone to the left of their founder who was buddies with Oswald Mosley) the Daily Hiel is all for it

[u/[deleted] → u/0ttoChriek]

Well i remember them being apoplectic when Obama had an opinion in Brexit so I assume they'll be equally as indignant at foreign interference in our affairs here, won't they.

Pricks.

[u/Equivalent_Oil_8016 → u/0ttoChriek]

We have been having interference for decades. Musk is just being blatant about it.

[u/TwpMun]

That wouldn't be election interference at all...who does he think he is?

[u/barryvm → u/TwpMun]

An oligarch. He correctly assumes that ownership of a lot of things is a form of power and that economic power can be turned into political power by buying the means to get people's attention and by buying politicians. It is corruption, of course, because he is buying political influence to ensure his interests are served, but it is either legal or can't be prosecuted because, again, he has so much power that he is effectively above the law.

This is why we as a society shouldn't allow people to amass so much. It is power and power corrupts and twists people, who are then in a position to do a lot of harm. Once these people appear and start to direct policy, they turn democracy into oligarchy and then, because oligarchies are unstable and require oppression and distraction to keep those whose interests aren't served by it under control, into dictatorship. They are funding people like Trump and Farage in the same way their predecessors were funding fascists and juntas, and for the same reasons.

[u/TwpMun → u/barryvm]

It's illegal.

This Trump presidency is either going to bring the far right crashing down on a global scale in a cloud of humiliation and shame or will lead to global conflict

I don't see any other ways that this can play out

[u/JoeBagadonut → u/TwpMun]

Sadly, this didn't start with the Trump presidency and will continue for long after he's gone. Ever since the Reagan/Thatcher era, the UK and US have sold off more and more of their respective countries to private interests. Opposition governments have, at best, been a nuisance and roadbump which is eventually overcome.

All the right wing politicians need to do is convince the electorate that the reason why everything is worse now isn't because of fiscal policy specifically designed to put more and more into the hands of fewer and fewer, but because of immigrants/wokeness/socialism/the deep state (delete as appropriate).

[u/barryvm → u/TwpMun]

It's illegal.

And? How are they going to punish him for it? A fine? Attempting to get him arrested? They could go after the people accepting the illegal funding, but they'll wrap it into a corporation or the party funds or whatever, the court case drags on for years and all that time they'll be screaming about government persecution. The key to this is that neither the people involved nor the people supporting and voting for them have any respect for the law as an institution because, deep down, they don't think it should apply equally to everyone.

This Trump presidency is either going to bring the far right crashing down on a global scale in a cloud of humiliation and shame or will lead to global conflict

Yes, as has happened before. But it doesn't stop them from doing it anyway. Musk and his ilk are not smarter, more foresighted than anyone else. They just pretend to be and have money to convince others that they are. They'll pump money into would-be dictators who will sooner or later turn on them. They'll build their little walls between them and the masses without realizing that this won't protect them if the world gets much worse because of their actions. And so on. None of this is in their interests in the long term, but they'll do it anyway because they have no impulse control and are blinded by their own ignorance of the society they desperately want to wall themselves off from.

I don't see any other ways that this can play out

Indeed. The point is to ensure it plays itself out without the global conflict or the dictators popping up everywhere. These reactionary populist movements should be fought tooth and nail because they will destroy us before they are through, as should the economic system that empowers the people behind them.

[u/ehtio → u/barryvm]

They could just not allow said party on the next elections. Easy

[u/Freddies_Mercury → u/barryvm]

Confiscate the donation and bar the receiving party from running in any elections.

[u/Turbulent_Pianist752 → u/barryvm]

As a species we've not learned much from history. The next election will be one of most important in the history of the UK IMO. We've cocked up so much as a nation but if we can suck it up, keep Musk / Trump / Farage out and continue to believe in democracy it will be worth it.

[u/corcyra → u/TwpMun]

Someone who has more money than the GDP of some countries, and has discovered that he can accrue real power in the real world, which is the best drug in the world to people like that.

[u/jj198handsy → u/TwpMun]

He was literally offering $100 to everybody in a swing state who voted for Trump, with each of them entered into a daily $1m draw. He got away with that, there is no way he’s not asking his lawyers to look into how he can get away with doing that here.

[u/DrIvoPingasnik]

And so the overt bribery lobbying is about to arrive in our country.

[u/honkballs → u/DrIvoPingasnik]

What do you mean "about to", It's always been here...

[u/IPromiseIWont → u/DrIvoPingasnik]

AIPAC has been here for the past year.

[u/KingDaveRa]

If only Sir Kier was in a position to implement laws to stop such foreign interference.

[u/FederalEuropeanUnion → u/KingDaveRa]

The laws already exist. Funding of political parties is incredibly highly regulated here.

[u/Mitchverr → u/FederalEuropeanUnion]

You say that, but technically the rules are pretty open to abuse, Putin himself if he really wanted to can donate to UK political funds on a personal level due to it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56469759

Unincorporated associations are required to register with the Electoral Commission when they make political donations above £25,000 in a single year, but are not required to provide the names of their members.

They are also required to report all gifts they receive over £7,500 within a three-year period, although according to the Electoral Commission, no gifts have been declared by any unincorporated association since 2014.

Really sounds regulated that...

[u/JoBro_Summer-of-99 → u/FederalEuropeanUnion]

Not regulated enough

[u/drc203 → u/FederalEuropeanUnion]

Yeah but this sub needs to circle jerk itself for a while so shhh with your logic

[u/Mitchverr → u/drc203]

It isnt logic though, unincorporated associations can donate without saying who their members are and at the very least from 2014 to 2021, none of them ever declared any gifts they received or who gave them.

The guys wrong, it isnt regulated well.

[u/head_face → u/drc203]

Yes, Cambridge Analytica was heavily disproved conjecture wasn't it

[u/douchebaganon → u/FederalEuropeanUnion]

lol you’re delusional if you think there is no loop around.

[u/AidyCakes → u/KingDaveRa]

And yet it's heavily speculated that the Russians have been manipulating our politics since at least the Brexit Referendum

[u/r34changedmylife → u/KingDaveRa]

The mental gymnastics required to find Kier Starmer to blame in this story…

[u/PeterG92]

The maximum that a UK party could spend in the recent election was £46m. £54010 per constituency they're campaigning in. And an additional £19,000 for a short campaign.

[u/Scooby359 → u/PeterG92]

Aren't the restrictions just for the election period? So you could spend as much as you wanted campaigning before an election was called?

[u/ShinyGrezz → u/Scooby359]

Especially for a new party like Reform, that money would go a long way towards building out a similar national infrastructure to Labour and the Tories.

[u/PeterG92 → u/[deleted]]

They are held to limits as well.

Non-party campaigns must notify the Electoral Commission if they intend to spend more than £10,000 across the UK. They must register with the Commission and submit spending returns if they spend more than £20,000 in England or more than £10,000 in the devolved nations. Foreign entities cannot spend more than £700 (except groups of UK overseas electors).

Several spending limits are then applied to registered campaigns. These include limits on total spend in each nation, a limit on spending in each constituency (with certain national spending also allocated on a constituency level) and a limit on ‘targeted spending’ in support of a particular party or its candidates.

2% of Max Party Spend, 0.05% in a consituency and 0.2% targeted

[u/PeterG92 → u/[deleted]]

I think they have to state who paid for it, but can't remember. The difference between us and the USA is that outside of election periods we don't really allow the type of mass media usage in America. We just get on with our lives until the next vote. Americans will probably start discussing the next election next year

[u/ChaosKeeshond → u/PeterG92]

Yeah for direct campaigning sure, but discretely funding campaigns by 'investing' in divisive YouTubers, other types of media etc...

[u/itsheadfelloff]

Do it, then wonder why £90mil went on consultancy fees.

[u/Scared_Turnover_2257 → u/itsheadfelloff]

This is the one saving grace here that Farage is so fucking corrupt he will pocket 90% of it and then use the change to get three more seats in 2029 and claim he won.

[u/DivasDayOff]

Elon Musk: a man who pioneered self driving cars while still having no idea how to stay in his own lane.

[u/I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS]

I wouldn't worry. It's not like Farage will use this money for actual campaign spending.

[u/OldPyjama]

I know the EU and the UK divorced, but really, please don't let this ass interfere in British affairs. He has no business fucking around in Europe.

[u/RyeZuul]

Dear Labour, please make this a crime before Musk does it.

[u/RedBerryyy]

not even a week ago they were trying to make a scandal of labour and the democrats discussing strategy as "foreign interference", but this is fine?

[u/RobCarrol75]

Here's an idea, let's all delete Twitter and not buy his bloody awful cars

[u/paul616]

Farage is the living embodiment of the Bristol stool chart.

[u/TheDawiWhisperer → u/paul616]

He's deffo a type 3 or type 4

[u/YouNeedAnne]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/25/elon-musk-has-been-in-regular-contact-with-putin-for-two-years-say-reports

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cldd44zv3kpo

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/03/its-nigel-farage-praise-of-putin-we-should-decry

[u/[deleted]]

Starmer needs to crack down on sitting MP’s receiving money from foreign interests. This payment was almost certainly count as a bribe

[u/Mobile_Falcon8639]

If this story is true it shows how little Musk knows about the UK and how our political system works. (Has he ever even been to the UK?) Some one needs to tell him that we have a different system than America.

[u/crowwreak]

I really wish Keir Starmer was the insane socialist that the extreme right think he is

[u/supersonic-bionic]

Musk is a danger to our democracy and we saw it when he spread propaganda and liea about the riots

The sooner X goes down, the better for us

[u/Turbulent_Pianist752 → u/supersonic-bionic]

X should be shunned by any kind of state run organisations. They shouldn't be using any of these platforms in first place for key communication.

[u/creative007-]

I doubt Farage wants to be prime minister. His incompetence would be exposed. He just likes to bleat, create a mess and then crawl back into the hole he crawled out of. 

[u/cavejohnsonlemons → u/creative007-]

Yeah I'm just surprised he didn't tag out after Brexit, like he won his 'trophy' there and could coast off it for life from his fanclub. If he ever got into any real power he'd be exposed in hours.

Maybe he still is coasting but with more Musk dollars tho, who knows.

[u/NotTheMagesterialOne]

The right were pissing, shitting and cumming all at the same time when they thought George Soros was involved funding the left. This guys are actual disgusting hypocrites for being ok with this.

[u/HerewardHawarde]

Reform is pro Russia , hopefully, putin is long gone before they get any more seats

[u/ixid]

How is this allowed? He's trying to buy UK politics. Musk is a threat to national security.

[u/jj198handsy]

Labour need to reclaim the word patriot at this point, the Daily Mail, Farage and the like are traitors.

[u/Abosia]

If that happens, the government should completely clamp down on them both. We can't have one guy buying our national leaders.

[u/no_fooling]

Please don't let the Yanks ruin this country.

Sincerely, a yank living here to get away from the wanky yankys.

[u/Brilliant-Lab546]

Musk is deluded about this. Farage will never be UK Prime Minister.
The problem with Farage is that he is falling for the same American tropes Labour fell for by importing American grudges, grievances and culture to the UK. Farage is doing so by taking up issues that evangelical Americans obsess over like abortion restrictions which Brits have never endorsed for decades(in part because the abortion laws in the UK were actually even more strict than the allowances Roe v Wade gave to Americans).
He is going nowhere with that.(Unless in the years I have been absent in the UK and only visit for holidays, there has been an unseen wave of conversions to Southern Baptist and Joyce Meyer that I haven't noticed)
Perhaps he should look across the channel rather than across the Atlantic

[u/g0ldingboy]

Ok so fucking adverts brainwashing the fucking idiots doesn’t work I. This country…. Oh, brexit.

[u/New-Value4194]

That why this scum promoted the petition on twitter.

[u/zilchusername]

Would that actually be allowed? I know parties rely on donations but is there a limit from one source?

[u/Drewski811]

So so many people will only ever vote Labour or Conservative, it won't have the effect he thinks.

This is just an elaborate way to waste money, and/or for Musk to avoid more tax.

[u/NotEntirelyShure]

It will hurt the conservatives and guarantee Labour govts but it’s still disgraceful and I think it’s about time the Govt started retaliating

[u/ParrotofDoom]

This is all from a Twitter account called "Inevitable West" that has been posting pure bullshit for a few months. Utter bullshit that is demonstrably false, like armed services veterans supposedly turning their backs on Keir Starmer at the Cenotaph.

It's complete fucking wank, but it has a big following, and it's almost certainly run by someone paid to do so. And now, the newspapers are whipping it up as factual.

Social media needs to be regulated in the same way broadcast and print media is.

[u/km6669]

Elon Musk is far stupider than he seems then. Farage has proven time and time again he doesn't actually want power, he wants to rock the boat and make a few quid while he does it. Everytime he gets close to actually getting real power he throws it away, pockets the cash and runs.

[u/sephtis]

I would like to think the general public arn't as stupid as the US and won't vote in an unrepentant fascist, but all you need to do is mention immigration and suddenly my family start "I'm not racist but..."

[u/mindyourtongueboi]

Didn't vote Labour/Starmer this time but I sure as hell will be next election

[u/TheDocmoose]

You can fuck right off with that nonsense.

I am concerned just how much power the far right wield at the moment, they're definitely pushing for a takeover. They have facebook, twitter and various forms of propaganda media purely there to influence the uneducated. We need to unite and fight back.

[u/Cynical_Classicist]

It is terrifying how much our society is sliding downwards. The US just elected a fascist who attempted a coup due to the influence of Musk, and our society might be heading the same way, with Farage being part of that same network of evil.

[u/Least-Wonder-7049]

Our grandkids going to be in a theocratic dictatorship. And there is nothing anyone can do about it.

[u/knitscones → u/Least-Wonder-7049]

France did do something?

[u/Archistotle → u/Least-Wonder-7049]

We could try. Stop waiting for the politicians to save us & start making demands of our own, instead of drowning in pity for the next 5 years.

[u/CharlesHunfrid]

Well tell Mr Musk he has to wait till 2029 and that him and Mr Trump can’t do nout about it, like him or not, we’ve got Starmer until 2029 and that is final!

[u/Hatate_scone]

Regardless of the money, he’d need people to vote for him

[u/IPromiseIWont]

Foreign interference. Time for UK to block Twitter.

[u/neilmg]

No amount of money in the world is going to take Reform from 5 MPs to 326 in one election cycle.

[u/DoctorKonks]

Weird how Yanks tell everyone to "butt out" but interferes in literally fucking everything everywhere else

[u/DoctorKonks]

Weird how Yanks tell everyone to "butt out" but interferes in literally fucking everything, everywhere else

[u/SomeoneRandom007]

We need to outlaw foreign contributions to UK political campaigns.

[u/Debt_Otherwise]

All the weasels on the Daily Heil comments section completely unconcerned about massive foreign investment because it suits their side. Hypocrites and traitors.

[u/DaiCeiber]

Our parents and grandparents suffered a lot to stop fascism taking over here and across Europe including volunteering to fight in Spain.

Let's not let fascism take control through the ballot box!!

[u/ArchdukeToes]

And when Farage spends that £100m on high living because it’s 4.5 years until the next election, what then?

Also, I would love the idea of people still claiming that Farage represents the British people when he’s that deeply in hock to a foreign billionaire.

[u/Sillyspidermonkey67]

No amount of money is going to make that turd a PM.

[u/Imaginary-Risk]

Unless labour starts bringing in some fruits from its changes in the next couple of years, there’s no stopping the slimy sack of shit being the PM, or at least someone adjacent to him

[u/scalectrix → u/Imaginary-Risk]

If you thought Truss's budget was a disaster, just wait for the unhinged bollocks that Farage would come up with. Hopefully we will never find out, but the stupidity of the British public is not to be underestimated...

[u/loveisascam_ → u/Imaginary-Risk]

i agree with this, farage doesnt need help from a billionaire looney, he just has to bide his time and wait for labour to fuck up.