Martin Calladine

From my perspective, it's your entitlement to vote in the elections that's the anomaly, not a hypothetical ban on overseas political donations.

There's all kind of ways of staying engaged that fall short of donating to political parties to influence the outcome of elections on a country in which you no longer live.

Congratulations, Philippe! It looks fascinating.

The Mbappe Project: Making a Superstar Making a Superstar

Publication day! My new book, "The Mbappé Project", is officially out today. It is not a biography, but an attempt to understand and explain how a football prodigy was built into a global star by his entourage and by himself, retaining control every step of the way.

uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

"If you live there and pay taxes, should you be able to donate to parties?"

I think so. It seems to me that tax residency by non-UK nationals is the threshold for participation in UK political life, even if they may currently be barred from voting in UK general elections.

This is what's so weird: IIRC, the EFL gave approval for the bid (after nine months of hemming and hawing) even though the club was already relegated. So, in theory, the new owners had already met a much higher standard than a new owner buying an NL club.

If you're interested, there's a good, brief, readable paper here on why the UK should ban all crypto donations to political parties.
bsky.app/profile/timp...

It doesn't. That's on the party receiving it.

The government's lack of urgency is terrifying. At some point, probably the day after some US billionaire gives Reform £50m, they will be stirred into action. By which time it will be too late.

The argument to allow all these things are so weak and the potential risks of foreign interference in our politics so clear and present that the government must act immediately to secure our democracy.

Crypto is an irreducible money laundering risk.

Companies are not people and present another route for foreign interference in UK politics.

People who don't live and pay taxes here should have no right to influence UK politics.

People who are not tax resident in the UK should not be allowed to donate to UK political parties.

Companies should not be allowed to donate to UK political parties.

No one should be allowed to use crypto to donate to UK political parties.

For Panjab Warriors to be in trouble with the league only nine months in is incredible - just a basic failure of business management.

To get approval to buy, you're supposed to be able to shown you have several seasons' worth of money and a clear business plan.

Something's gone very wrong.
2/2

He did, indeed. He ran the club completely into the ground and left it only days away from administration. But this happened after years of trouble in his other businesses, which were collapsing.
1/2

It's taken well less than a season to show that, in fact, while Jason Whittingham was mercurial and reckless, he at least knew the importance of letting competent people run the club day to day.

Many Morecambe fans, quite understandably, clutched at the only buyers who seemed willing to stump up the money necessary to pay off the old owner and rescue the club.

After the years of chaos, it seemed reasonable to assume that things simply couldn't be any worse under a new owner.

At the time the owners bought the club, there was a lot of focus (rightly) on the source of their funds and, to a lesser degree, why they wanted it.

But, IMO, there was never enough focus on their experience and competence.

Morecambe Non-compliance with League Financial Regulations 27 February 2026

Dec: Morecambe cut ties with spokesperson sanctioned by the UK for alleged involvement in terrorism.

Feb: club hires COO banned by Guernsey financial regulator for involvement in a fraud.

Now: club embargoed by National League for "non-compliance with League Financial Regulations."

Total clowns.

Princess Haya: Dubai ruler's wife in UK 'in fear of her life' Princess Haya, a wife of Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, is said to have fled in fear of her life.

The harassment of a now ex-wife when she fled Dubai.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-m...

Princess Latifa: The Dubai ruler's daughter who vanished Dramatic new details have come to light about the extraordinary kidnapping and secretive detention of Princess Latifa in the UAE.

The 2018 kidnapping of a second daughter.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-m...

Princess Latifa urges UK police to reopen sister's kidnap case Dubai ruler's captive daughter writes to British police about her sister's abduction 20 years ago.

The 2000 kidnapping of one daughter from Cambridge.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-m...

The kidnapping of the first daughter happened on the streets of Cambridge, while the harassment of his wife was also in the UK.

Maktoum, not least by his involvement in horse racing and association with Elizabeth II, has always been a welcome visitor to the UK, however.

Only thing to add this thread about the world captial of organised crime is that it is run by a man who has twice had one of his daughters kidnapped and disappeared, as well as having harassed and intimidated one of his wives who, like his daughters, fled from him.

Ha ha! Exactly. No one hates Britain more than its most committed patriots.

Important to understand, therefore, that when he talks about how unfair this is to "'British families' [weird speech marks] who before moving abroad paid huge amounts of taxes into the UK system" he doesn't mean himself.

Ant Middleton @antmiddleton Follow The absolute worst toxic mentality of the UK msm and some daytime TV presenters (woke puppets) saying that British families in the Middle East being repatriated should pay their way or be left in a current conflict zone. All whilst you keep your scumbag months shut about illegal criminals invading our country, murdering and raping our children, men and women, all fully funded by the British government and most likely at the expense of most of these 'British families' who before moving abroad paid huge amounts of taxes into the UK system. Yet you have the audacity to sit there and spout this absolute bs nonsense about native Brits. How can you do this to your own people? Traitorous scumbags! The current UK government and msm needs a complete overhaul. Until this happens then societal decline will continue until complete collapse or civil unrest. P.s. I would only ever return to live in the UK to aid with this overhaul. So you may actually see me in the not too distant future! Brits abroad, be safe, stay strong and stay together. You matter! 10:10 04 Mar 26-7,099 Views

Man who left the UK after he was banned as a director following his failure to pay over £1.25m in tax is furious at people suggesting that tax exiles in Dubai ought to contribute to the cost of their repatriation.

I think part of the reason people are underpricing this possibility is that, even now, we don't fully appreciate just what a horrendously badly run team Arizona are.

My most strongly held weakly evidenced sports opinion is that there's at least half a dozen coaches in the NFL who could turn Murray into peak Russell Wilson and that he could easily put the Geno Smith and Sam Darnold renaissances in the shade.

Venezuela: replaced President with Vice-President.

Iran: replaced spiritual leader with namesake son.

Any country whose head of state has an identical twin better be on the watch out.

Trump to POLITICO: ‘I really don’t care’ if Iran plays in World Cup The country has pulled back from World Cup preparations after U.S. military attack.

It would be so ridiculous if Iran lose the chance to play in the World Cup because they’re being bombed by the hosts and FIFA actively helps exclude them because Infantino is the biggest Trump fanboy.

www.politico.com/news/2026/03...