FlyTheNest

Tubby Isaacs

Laura Pidcock on her feet right now at a Stop The War meeting, behind a sign referencing Trump. No mention of Putin or Assad. and you don't mention the Saudis - or the Israelis either.......where do we draw the line? The US has been involved in wars (or conflicts) whether directly or covertly most ...

Tubby Isaacs

Laura Pidcock on her feet right now at a Stop The War meeting, behind a sign referencing Trump.

No mention of Putin or Assad.

Tubby Isaacs

I think what I've said is full of positive reasons to do it now. It's straight talking, economically responsible, solves Ireland, Givraltar and will get a better deal. Drift and get pushed into it, and that's far weaker. Make a virtue of it.

Tubby Isaacs

I think there is a narrative for Labour here. Agree stuff now we'll have to agree anyway, then we can fight harder for benefits at the edges- deals to be done on Euratom and other programmes, on paying in to the budget etc. Better than a panic the week before and concede everything. I think it has a...

Tubby Isaacs

16:33 No 10 stands by Steve Baker over his Treasury civil servants comments (Politics Live, Guardian) Pretty weak support really. "No reason to doubt" etc. A few people are right now providing reason to doubt, including another Tory MP, Antoinette Sandbach. Interesting times for Baker.

Tubby Isaacs

It'll be as in the long term too. We're not replacing that tax revenue ever.

Tubby Isaacs

The CBI will agree with Corbyn on this, if nothing else. He's got the best of both worlds there. Still got his populist appeal (which I never believed he had till the election) and can quote his pro-business EU policy.

Tubby Isaacs

Citizen, all I'm meaning really is you can afford more stuff with no Hard Brexit. Nothing more profound.

Good bit of personality politics for Corbyn too. When will weak May take on Rees Mogg etc!

Tubby Isaacs

Commit now, day "told you so" at leisure. And be able to say you can afford nice stuff. Be the party of business.

Tubby Isaacs

Labour can talk about health but they can't pay for it. Solve Brexit, they can.

Tubby Isaacs

It should never have happened, but given that it did the fact it had the highest voting participation of modern times can't just be wished away unfortunately. Agree. I think softest of soft Brexit is best. I'd back it sooner rather than later and take the hil, becaus point by point opposition can c...

Tubby Isaacs

I am not sure that it is unusual for party leaders to have a group of senior people around them to help them form strategy - in fact I would assume that they all do it to a lesser or greater extent Obviously, some of those outside this will be annoyed but I don't find anything in that article start...

Tubby Isaacs

On a tangent, watching an old London Programme, to bring back how shit the 90s were, on illegal drugs and young people. Not even a drugs agency in East Herts.

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tubby Isaacs

Rotheram overseas Merseyrail.

Tubby Isaacs

Like Sadiq Khan and Burnham, getting out the best option https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/news/92361/excl-labour-mp-dan-jarvis-prepares-bid-become" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I think these metro mayor roles are good for Labour politici...

Tubby Isaacs

Some small acorns for HSOM and Wolverhampton. http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/next-phase-of-150m-wolverhampton-tram-extension-to-move-forward-in-march" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Next phase of £150m Wolverhampton tram extension to move forward in March Th...

Tubby Isaacs

Given her CLP, she won't have any choice in the matter. Must be miserable, poor woman. I don't think she is going to be deselected. Hard to remember anybody like her being pushed out in 87-92. It was more old MPs who wouldn't retire. So you might lose an Ann Clwyd (who's been good on Brexit) put no...

Tubby Isaacs

I note in passing that Stella Creasy has been making some good comments re what to do about PFI contracts now. You see, this is what Labour "moderates" should be doing. Party members will notice, as will the leadership (despite what SH claims to the contrary) Whining and moaning in the ba...

Tubby Isaacs

Interesting point here. Accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg say the UK tax authorities could help small businesses hurt by Carillion’s collapse. The UK tax rules allow companies to claim VAT relief on unpaid bills -- but only six months after the money was due. Carillion made some suppliers wait 120 d...

Tubby Isaacs

I note in passing that Stella Creasy has been making some good comments re what to do about PFI contracts now. You see, this is what Labour "moderates" should be doing. Party members will notice, as will the leadership (despite what SH claims to the contrary) Whining and moaning in the ba...

Tubby Isaacs

Jeez. “What they’ve done is underbid, made a lot of money out of it and then moved on,” Corbyn said. “When the East Coast mainline was publicly-owned, it paid in a handsome profit to the Treasury and it was well-run. He's either lying or ignorant. The line is still returning a handsome "profit&...

Tubby Isaacs

I think Roger's point is that outsourcing doesn't usually refer to building work, whether the building people are "in house" or not. You can easily make a distinction between a finite building contract, which would only be undertaken once in a generation, and an ongoing service such as cl...

Tubby Isaacs

I think Roger's point is that outsourcing doesn't usually refer to building work, whether the building people are "in house" or not.

Tubby Isaacs

The FT on outsourcing from 2015. https://www.ft.com/content/244f0bd8-eccb-11e4-a81a-00144feab7de" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The amount of government money spent on outsourced public services has almost doubled from £64bn to £120bn in the five years since the coalition c...

Tubby Isaacs

Sam Freedman‏ @Samfr Follow Follow @Samfr Re: Carillion. Not sure what makes people think a public sector that struggles with procurement would be great at delivery.Sam Freedman added, I think lots of the public sector is OK at procurement, as it happens. I think TfL are good, and the Metro Mayors ...

Tubby Isaacs

Mason is who he is. His observations frequently begin promisingly and then slide off into all sorts of weird tangents and non-sequiturs. He still offers entertainment and variety. Rentoul "very able"? Pshaw. Maybe he was 20 years ago, his biography of Blair was a genuinely good read and (...

Tubby Isaacs

On VTEC, it's clear to me that a nod and a wink at least was given.that stuff would get done. The increase in premiums make no sense otherwise. Osborne wanted biggest number to announce.

Tubby Isaacs

@Sh Let's just stick to what I said about the same people doing the same jobs i.e. services. That's outsourcing. And it has nothing to do with the production of goods which then are used by the public sector. 1. I am not sure what economic reason you have (or could have) for thinking outsourcing go...

Tubby Isaacs

Is it me, or is Rayner strangely cautious on academy chains? I think there's a very straightforward case for ending a bunch of outsourcing, right there. That is a fair point. I was alarmed by her "white boys" stuff the other day. I'm worried she might be turning into a "straight talk...

Tubby Isaacs

I like this. Hadn't seen it before. Good precise promise, "vote Labour and it'll happen". https://www.burnleyexpress.net/news/labour-vows-to-electrify-burnley-and-pendle-rail-links-to-yorkshire-1-8870839" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Labour vows to electrify Burn...

Tubby Isaacs

HSOM, I wasn't very clear. I don't expect Labour to end all outsourcing. What I'm worried about is that, as in rail, renationalizing becomes a way of making unfunded promises. That's basically a Jeremy Hunt style "efficiency savings". As you all know, I've been pretty appalled by Labour ta...

Tubby Isaacs

He was damning about the government’s role in the crisis. They encouraged small firms such as Flora-tec to get involved in public sector contracts, Bradley explains. And they also kept handing Carillion contracts after last summer’s profits warning; if Westminster trusted Carillion, why wouldn’t a ...

Tubby Isaacs

Actually on local government, I see the strong calls for far more spend in "the regions" as basically guaranteeing more unpalatable stuff in London. It'll have to raise more of its own money for stuff, and that means sweating its assets (ie its land) a great deal. That doesn't mean loads m...

Tubby Isaacs

Is it me, or is Rayner strangely cautious on academy chains? I think there's a very straightforward case for ending a bunch of outsourcing, right there.

Tubby Isaacs

Outsourcing's original justification in the private sector was that it allowed a company to concentrate on its core business. My accounting firm 20 years ago had outsourced its cleaning, catering and (most controversially) filing. All the services were very efficient, and I'm sure my firm's managers...

Tubby Isaacs

"Progress types" seem very common in local government. Isn't it possible that many of them are just people like us trying to make their not very large budgets go as far as possible? And yeah, that comes at a cost, and some of eg the redevelopment of estates in London is way over the line, ...

Tubby Isaacs

Yeah, that sort of stuff just says they've never run a whelk stall to me. "End outsourcing" is going to become another "crack down on tax avoidance" as a way of "funding" stuff they don't want to stick taxes up for. If you take competition out of the public sector, you ...

Tubby Isaacs

Miliband has barely fought for it from the backbenches.

He deserves huge credit for opposing a referendum in 2015 but he's been far too worried immigration.

Tubby Isaacs

Cheers, Gilsey. Good stuff.

Tubby Isaacs

The Channel Islands are in the EEA. They have migrant controls

But we won't get that. If we did it would encourage the break up of the EU.

Tubby Isaacs

I think the PM will get forced into Soft Brexit. So why not get there first?

Labour has a problem with being seen as anti business. It might win an elect even so it'll get pressure on the pound. Brexit is a godsend in that it allows them to paint the Tories in that way.

Tubby Isaacs

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Labour are surely hoping here that the government is forced by events into making such an unpalatable announcement first?

Hang on! You saying Tory Soft Brexit is on?

What happens after? Labour agree with the PM?

Tubby Isaacs

I think you're dead right about one thing lots of us aren't taking seriously enough. How unpalatable "pay no say" will be to lots of people, even some who voted Remain.

But I don't see another option. Labour needs to prepare the ground for this. Not easy.

Tubby Isaacs

Not convinced about the SNP, think they are in slow but steady long term decline. Further gains for SLab come the next GE are a lot more likely than losses IMO. The SNP losses to Labour were pretty marginal. A tremendous achievement for Labour to get them, of course. If the SNP parked indyref2 prop...

Tubby Isaacs

Something like Efta might be acceptable to leavers if sold as a short term measure, i.e. a stepping stone to full independence, and to some remainers as keeping close to eu. (For reasons you've already given) Still seems worse option than staying in eu, though. It is worse, but in terms of GDP lost...

Tubby Isaacs

There's also the "public opinion not ready" explanation. I don't at all rule that out. But you're going to have MPs and Shadow Cabinet members who'll want to make more of the running. If I were Labour in Scotland, I'd be very worried about the SNP getting most of those 2017 seats back. The...

Tubby Isaacs

The EU stuck the Irish border in the first stage of talks (even though it doesn't really belong there) to nudge us towards SM/CU. It's politically tough to make the mainland bother about Ireland, but we've got to bite the bullet sooner or later. (edit- that wasn't intentional) I don't know If Smith'...

Tubby Isaacs

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/14/owen-smith-stay-in-customs-union-to-avoid-irish-hard-border" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Owen Smith, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, has waded into the row about Labour’s Brexit stance, warning the return of border p...

Tubby Isaacs

I expect the polling companies have updated methods. Like in 1992, there was an underlying problem with their methodology that underrated one side, plus a likely lately swing to them. Whatever, the underlying trends they show should be realistic. Wherever they are, the polls are stalled. I'm not say...

Tubby Isaacs

He then made sure we were reminded that the Tories are in charge and Labour will respond when they present their proposals, something such a divided party is clearly a long way from doing. Hardly "government in waiting", is it? Then again, I'd be very happy for them to drop that talk, loo...

Search found 9954 matches