A UKIP and Brexit MEP, as well as Welsh Reform leader (briefly).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6xwy015ngo ..The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has pleaded guilty to bribery charges relating to making statements in favour of Russia while being an elected member of the European Parliament. Nathan Gill, 52, from Llangefni on Anglesey, admitted eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019, but denied one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. It was alleged he made statements in the European Parliament which were "supportive of a particular narrative" which would "benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine". Gill will be sentenced in November and his defence barrister said he expected jail. The charges stated that Gill, as an elected member of the European Parliament for the constituency of Wales in the UK, "agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money", which constituted "the improper performance" as the holder of an elected office. He also made these statements in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine. The court was told he was tasked by Ukrainian Oleg Voloshyn on at least eight occasions to make specific statements in return for money and there was evidence of WhatsApp messages between the two men. Mr Voloshyn is a former member of the Ukrainian parliament for the pro-Russian Opposition Platform for Life party...
Imagine if I took an hour and nine minutes to NOT answer a call from my editor at the Gazette or the Master of Flints - to literally keep them on hold and then they just get cut off
Unless I had an extremely good excuse involving grave personal injury, I'd be out of a job the next day
I now have to call them AGAIN to chase up documents I should have hjad decades ago
Even better? - my accountant tells me average waiting time to get through on the phone is "40 minutes or maybe much more"
This is simply not acceptable. The UK state is crumbling
And these are the people we expect to handle "digital ID cards for all" without a hitch?
Feck off
You've been on the phone to HMRC for decades? Man, that is unacceptable.
I used to object to ID cards on principle. Very very firmly. Passionately
Now I find I don't really care, as so much of our data is available to everyone, via phones, social media, everything. And I can see why digital ID would be helpful
My main objection now is practical. If a large tech company was proposing this - Apple, or Amazon - I'd be fairly if not entirely confident they'd get it right. With the UK government, I am absolutely sure it will take years, cost billlions, and be a fucking pointless disaster
I think you might have responded to the wrong post/ poster.
Is the sun over the yardarm already?
I am now in minute 23 of my call to HMRC. No human has answered, yet
My wife waited over an hour the other week. Problem is if you fail the attitude test with these people they can nake your life more difficult
This country is shit. Our public services are shit. The enshittification of our nation continues apace
It is increasingly hard to believe that within living memory we efficiently ran the biggest empire in the history of the world, acquired by our mighty forefathers
What a descent, what a dismal fall
It wasn't efficient. There was vast amounts of corruption.
It was incredibly efficient, by definition. It was the most successful empire in modern history - ie the biggest and grandest
Now we can't build a fucking railway from Acton to Solihull
If thirs poll was closer to the election and therefore worth taking seriously it would be worth considering the weapons available to the governing party
1. Rejoin the EU without a referendum. That would kill Farage at a stroke 2. Introduce PR (Ditto) 3. Deleted (Bad taste) 4. (Ditto)
Among other things, 1) would require accession talks with the EU. There is simply no way to get those done inside a decade. There would also be none-stop legal challenges in the U.K.
Finland - two years from start of negotiations to membership.
Comments
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6xwy015ngo
..The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has pleaded guilty to bribery charges relating to making statements in favour of Russia while being an elected member of the European Parliament.
Nathan Gill, 52, from Llangefni on Anglesey, admitted eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019, but denied one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
It was alleged he made statements in the European Parliament which were "supportive of a particular narrative" which would "benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine".
Gill will be sentenced in November and his defence barrister said he expected jail.
The charges stated that Gill, as an elected member of the European Parliament for the constituency of Wales in the UK, "agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money", which constituted "the improper performance" as the holder of an elected office.
He also made these statements in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine.
The court was told he was tasked by Ukrainian Oleg Voloshyn on at least eight occasions to make specific statements in return for money and there was evidence of WhatsApp messages between the two men.
Mr Voloshyn is a former member of the Ukrainian parliament for the pro-Russian Opposition Platform for Life party...
I bet you could do the same to half the public sector
NEW THREAD
Unless I had an extremely good excuse involving grave personal injury, I'd be out of a job the next day
Is it a State-based system - coverage seems to be partial?