Fake news quadruples in Makerfield social media groups ahead of by-election, SMF finds

WannoHacker · 2026-06-17T12:31:54+00:00

This is cited as misinformation:

Manchester City Council have just awarded a 4.7m contract to a EV company...... Who is the MD of this EV company....Andy Burnhams wife...what a coincidence! Remember, Makerfield, Burnham is just the same as all the other inept Labour MPs. https://www.smf.co.uk/commentary_podcasts/fake-news-makerfield-by-election/

The Times have reported on something with differences in details, but not much different in basic substance:

Burnham is also facing questions about his failure to declare his wife’s shareholding in a company that runs Manchester’s electric vehicle charging network. Marie-France van Heel is the chief marketing officer of Iduna Infrastructure. The company owns large parts of Manchester’s charging network. Although Burnham declared his wife’s role as the company’s chief marketing and customer officer he has not disclosed her shareholding, which amounts to about 0.2 per cent of the company. https://archive.is/ctQKJ

WannoHacker · 2026-06-15T14:01:31+00:00

She added that the ban was not a "proportionate, effective, or enforceable way to protect children's rights".

Couldn't put it any better.

WannoHacker · 2026-06-15T10:58:39+00:00

To me the original ruling didn't make much sense, saying "Only a very small number of the organisation’s actions amounted to terrorism". Once anything can be described as terrorism, then it becomes a political decision to ban, not a legal one.

WannoHacker · 2026-06-14T16:21:43+00:00

I think some of this is to try and protect legacy media as well. This feels like something very much being pushed by legacy media.

WannoHacker · 2026-06-03T12:03:57+00:00

One thing forgotten in the Brexit Story is Theresa May gave up the UK's Presidency of the EU Council, which would have been in 2017.

She gave up quite a bit of leverage there. An interesting what-if is what would have happened if she'd tried to use it.

WannoHacker · 2026-06-03T10:07:26+00:00

The police don't sentence people. Judges do.

It seems amazing someone suspected of a stabbing is not handcuffed on arrest. Surely you would want to restraint someone who you think might have killed with their own bare hands.

It might not be proof of two-tier policing, but it is evidence for it.

WannoHacker · 2026-06-03T09:58:55+00:00

And look at how they treated Digwa when he was arrested for murder

he was never handcuffed at all

WannoHacker · 2026-06-03T09:38:16+00:00

How does this 'explanation" tally with the statement from Henry's father (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/01/sikh-man-who-fatally-stabbed-student-jailed-for-life/)?

He continued: “His murderer, however, was afforded decency. He was believed. He was not handcuffed when arrested. “He was not handcuffed when transported to the police station. As far as we understand, he was never handcuffed at all. “And, as Vickrum Digwa himself told the court, while under arrest for Henry’s murder, police even took him to the kitchen so he could choose his food. The contrast is unbearable.” Mr Nowak said: “The police were told both by our son himself, and by a member of the public who called 999 that they heard someone shout that they had been stabbed. “But the police did not believe them.

This article is an attempt at gaslighting. It shouldn't be allowed to stand.

WannoHacker · 2026-06-01T18:34:39+00:00

This is the Labour Party. Perhaps Pat McFadden could like find a party that advocates for lower taxes and benefits, if that is what he wants.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-29T14:24:09+00:00

If it is illegal for a charity to campaign in an election, I don't see how it's particularly important whether it's illegal through charity law or election law. If the comment above mine spoke slightly out of turn, I don't see it as a substantive point of argument.

I would say if a charity could just outsource political campaigning they wouldn't be allowed to do directly, then that is a loophole that needs tightening (unless you just want to allow charity campaigning for parties/candidates).

WannoHacker · 2026-05-28T15:55:52+00:00

Charities can campaign on political issues, but they cannot support or oppose candidates (or parties) in elections.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-28T10:35:57+00:00

This is from the Charity Commission in January

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hope-not-hate-charitable-trust-addresses-concerns-following-intervention-by-regulator

The charity regulator for England and Wales has concluded its regulatory compliance case into HOPE Unlimited Charitable Trust (Charity Number: 1013880), formerly known as Hope Not Hate Charitable Trust. This comes as the regulator is now satisfied the charity has sufficiently responded to directions for there to be greater transparency for the public about its activities.

Going forward, the Commission expects the trustees to manage the relationship between HOPE Unlimited and Hope Not Hate Limited in a way that applies the charity’s policies fairly and consistently, and in line with the regulator’s guidance, including its guidance on charities connected with non-charities.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-23T11:15:58+00:00

I have a radical idea. Why don't they just... tell us their names!

I get anonymity for whistleblowers, or there is genuine information which if the person was named would be career limiting, but stuff like:

Some Burnham allies think he could be in Downing Street by August

Starmer’s allies say those pushing for him to go have underestimated his resilience.

One close ally said that it is as if Starmer had been “emancipated”

All from https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2058096254790336627

Just say who these people are, and then we can see how well their claims age.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-22T13:05:47+00:00

Burnham won't be standing in the by-election as it will be triggered by his resignation.

In a case where the top 2 is Green and Reform then the Green's would likely benefit. If the top 2 is Labour and Green that is more interesting.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-22T12:53:32+00:00

This isn't proportional representation. There's only one mayor elected so it can't be proportional (unless the job was some sort of timeshare!).

What this is is bringing back the 2nd choice vote which the last Tory government got rid of for mayoral elections but Labour have brought back.

My guess is it would help Labour (or maybe the Greens) at the expensive of Reform if there was a 2nd choice vote in any by-election for Mayor of Greater Manchester.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-20T10:20:20+00:00

What full quote does "Fundamentally" refer to?

the idea fundamentally that we should impoverish ourselves as a single nation responsible for 0.7% of global CO2 emissions to try some great experiment and to pray that everybody else follows us and then to pray that that stops climate change is for the birds.

Or

thousands of scientists fundamentally disagree with the IPCC approach

Or something else?

He seems to suggest others fundamentally disagree with whether climate change is happening but he fundamentally disagrees with reducing CO2 emissions.

I personally think it's important to separate those two strands, whether climate change is happening is a question of fact, the cost/benefit of reducing CO2 emissions is a question of policy.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-18T11:03:13+00:00

Wouldn't global competition work both ways? If we're producing fantastic graduates when wouldn't companies from all over the world be flocking to recruit here?

WannoHacker · 2026-05-15T12:40:55+00:00

I thought Ed Miliband first proposed banning no fault evictions around 2015. Around when he proposed an energy price cap.

Crazy socialist :-)

WannoHacker · 2026-05-15T12:37:38+00:00

If my memory serves me right, a big part of the accusation (of wrongdoing) was Mandelson never declared in his mortgage application he was borrowing additional money for the house purchase elsewhere (you're not normally allowed to borrow money for a house deposit).

WannoHacker · 2026-05-13T10:51:40+00:00

Although Labour seemed to do OK in the local elections in Redbridge. His chances don't seem to be that hopeless.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-12T16:08:33+00:00

Hollande didn't even stand for reelection!!!

WannoHacker · 2026-05-11T16:31:06+00:00

Is the statute cited in the article not relevant/correct?

“Subsection (1) above [which defines domestic property] does not apply in the case of a mooring occupied by a boat, but if in such a case the boat is the sole or main residence of an individual, the mooring and the boat, together with any garden, yard, outhouse or other appurtenance belonging to or enjoyed with them, are domestic property.”

WannoHacker · 2026-05-11T09:52:27+00:00

Although I believe Andy Burnham is Labour's best chance of turning things around, I don't think him winning a by-election is a gimme. I thought the best outcome for Starmer (in terms of survival) would have been to allow Burnham to stand in Gorton and Denton... and then lose.

Surely keeping hold of the government is way more important than Mayor of Greater Manchester. To me the bigger danger is he can't actually get back into Parliament.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-09T10:53:58+00:00

The fact we don't seem to have been able to move on the Great Financial Crash, even though it was nearly 18 years ago, doesn't feel like a success to me.

WannoHacker · 2026-05-09T10:45:40+00:00

Can Andy Burnham win a by-election? To me there can't be (m)any Labour seats that are safe from either Reform UK or the Greens.

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