Tuesday 5th July 2016

[citizenJA]

Good-afternoon, everyone.

[yahyah]

If they had been responsible for getting rid of Caesar there'd have been nothing for Shakespeare to write about.

[danesclose]

World at One say Owen Smith & Eagle are slugging it out for who delivers the coup de grace.

Do either of them have the necessary number of supporters?

[JonnyT1234]

They were saying that nearly a week ago - GET ON WITH IT FFS!!

I think they should delay as long as possible. Because doing so is making them all look so incredibly competent. They could even play a little game of 'Will they? Won't they?' every day until 2020. Just to make themselves look really, really with it.

More seriously, they're probably putting it off until tomorrow in the vain hope that announcing who is challenging will help knock Chillcott off the headlines. Which would also be another demonstration of just how much better these idiots are at politics than Corbyn.

[JonnyT1234]

If they had been responsible for getting rid of Caesar there'd have been nothing for Shakespeare to write about.

Caesar: Et tu Brutus?

Brutus: Eh, me? No. Not today. Maybe Friday. Not saying which one mind... But definitely a Friday. Unless it's a Tuesday. Or a Wednesday...

[Repeat ad nauseum]

[ScarletGas]

Listened to 5Live this morning where they were giving the teachers' strike extra coverage. Can't remember the name of the reporter, (Clive Barnett perhaps?), but he was dreadful. If I say he said 'These commie traitors should be hung', I'd only be slightly exaggerating.
Then they had a debate with a striker and some woman from the Campaign for Real Education. What a thicko! (CfRE woman obvs). Why do these people who oppose all strikes always insist they support the right to strike? They don't.

Speak to someone from either side equals balanced coverage ©BBC

Watched the report on Victoria Derbyshire show by their "Education Correspondent" named Gillian Hargreaves.

Quite the most one sided piece of reporting I seen or heard for some time.

Opened with a Nicky Morgan diatribe on how "wonderful" teachers are and referring to the claimed increase in funding since 2012.(Can those in the know explain why she referred to that year rather than,say,2010?) Then went on to say how awful all those "wonderful" people were for inconveniencing everyone without a peep from the interviewer as to why these "wonderful" teachers were going on strike.

There followed a report from a school affected which started, you guessed it, by having Mr Angry complaining. We then had the "balance" of a supportive parent and a representative of the union. This lasted all of 30 seconds (in an estimated 2 minute report) and was followed by (if I remember correctly) Nicky Morgan on her high horse again and then the reporter finishing by telling us how many times the teachers have been on strike in the past few years.

The "balance" was 70/30 in favour of the government position with not a question of the background to the strike to Morgan.

I am afraid the BBC can (as has been the case since 2010) no longer claim impartiality and seems not to be learning the lessons of the reporting idiocy of the referendum.

[yahyah]

I'm wrong [again] aren't I ? Other than the Ides of March, Caesar had other warnings.
My husband's got Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars off the shelf and found the relevant pages.

[citizenJA]

Dr. Strangelove: or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb EU referendum

President Merkin Muffley:
“Hello? Hello, Dimitri? Listen, I can't hear too well, do you suppose you could turn the music down just a little?
Oh, that's much better. Yes. Fine, I can hear you now, Dimitri. Clear and plain and coming through fine. I'm coming
through fine too, eh? Good, then. Well then as you say we're both coming through fine. Good. Well it's good that you're
fine and I'm fine. I agree with you. It's great to be fine. <laughs>

Now then Dimitri. You know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the bomb EU Referendum.
The bomb EU Referendum, Dimitri. The hydrogen bomb EU Referendum. Well now what happened is, one of our base commanders
Prime Ministers, he had a sort of, well he went a little funny in the head. You know. Just a little... funny. And uh, he went and
did a silly thing.

Well, I'll tell you what he did, he ordered his planes EU Referendum ... to attack your our country.”

http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0055.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RogerOThornhill]

Afternoon all. Lengthy teaching Alliance meeting this morning. All HTs dismayed by the SATs results - especially the Reading paper which was pitched at about 3-4 years above where pupils could be expected to be.



To be fair, this could be said about practically all government policies...

[AnatolyKasparov]

The point is, the electoral system used for leadership elections means they could perfectly well both stand anyway. So why don't they?

[NonOxCol]

Great Britain, 2016. Re-calibrate your irony/facepalm meters before clicking, otherwise they will surely explode:

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

[yahyah]

Don't.
I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. She will not be happy my blood pressure is still so high.
Having reached sixty this year, and as we started to recede from the worst of the financial crash, I did not expect to be looking forward to my declining years under Brexit/Lexit anarchy.

[danesclose]

The point is, the electoral system used for leadership elections means they could perfectly well both stand anyway. So why don't they?

Neither can get 51 nominations?

[citizenJA]

Bank of England releases £150bn of lending and warns on financial stability

The Bank of England warned on Tuesday of “challenging” risks to financial stability following the vote for Brexit as it
released £150bn of lending to households and businesses by relaxing regulatory requirements on the banking sector.

As it published its twice-yearly report, the Bank said the risks it had feared ahead of the Brexit poll had started to
materialise, with sterling plunging to 31-year lows and the shares of banks falling by 20%.

As a result, the FPC, chaired by the Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, is monitoring a number of sectors closely.
It is on alert for threats to financial stability from rapid growth in buy-to-let mortgage lending and also for the impact
of downturn in the commercial property sector.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -stability" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't want anyone to go belly-up financially, I understand the interconnectedness of our economic systems
but I'll be goddamned before I'll pay for bail-outs aimed to salvage an economic system no longer fit for purpose.

[gilsey]

Great Britain, 2016. Re-calibrate your irony/facepalm meters before clicking, otherwise they will surely explode:

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

Great replies, eg

If only you'd had a platform to warn voters. Oh.

[Willow904]

I follow this guy on Twitter, he writes a political blog and has appeared in the Independent and he doesn't seem keen on Andrea Leadsom. Not sure if the following is accurate (he's remembering a meeting from some years back) but it seems curiously consistent from this lot of Tories:

There was, as it happens, some parting chat on Europe. She told me leaving would be madness and that proper Brexit would be insane.

http://nicktyrone.com/need-experience-g ... e-leadsom/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I still think they're up to something. What does she mean by proper Brexit? Is there some other kind?

[RogerOThornhill]

I follow this guy on Twitter, he writes a political blog and has appeared in the Independent and he doesn't seem keen on Andrea Leadsom. Not sure if the following is accurate (he's remembering a meeting from some years back) but it seems curiously consistent from this lot of Tories:

There was, as it happens, some parting chat on Europe. She told me leaving would be madness and that proper Brexit would be insane.

http://nicktyrone.com/need-experience-g ... e-leadsom/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I still think they're up to something. What does she mean by proper Brexit? Is there some other kind?

I expect it means "Proper Brexit for everyone else but protecting the City firms so they won't notice any difference."

[Willow904]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... ter-brexit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Aviva Joins Standard Life in Freezing Property Fund After Brexit

[AnatolyKasparov]

I'm assuming that if they lose, they're going to take their ball back and form SDP2 anyway

Interesting you should say that - this was trailed by Rachel Sylvester in a predictably giddy piece in the Times (thus paywalled, of course) the other day. Stripped of all the alienating obfuscatory SPAD-speak, however, what was basically being advocated by the of course anonymous "sources" was the LibDems with added racism and bigotry (all in a totally "progressive" manner, obviously) That will get them queueing outside the polling stations - not.

Though I have seen elsewhere that it is only 20-30 MPs who are remotely interested in splitting off anyway. Even more doomed to failure, then.

[PorFavor]

I follow this guy on Twitter, he writes a political blog and has appeared in the Independent and he doesn't seem keen on Andrea Leadsom. Not sure if the following is accurate (he's remembering a meeting from some years back) but it seems curiously consistent from this lot of Tories:

There was, as it happens, some parting chat on Europe. She told me leaving would be madness and that proper Brexit would be insane.

http://nicktyrone.com/need-experience-g ... e-leadsom/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I still think they're up to something. What does she mean by proper Brexit? Is there some other kind?

It's that liquid Weetabix stuff, isn't it?

[StephenDolan]

Lord Lawson says in the House of Lords that Brexit is a chance to finish what Thatcher started. Maaaaaaarvelous.

[Willow904]

I follow this guy on Twitter, he writes a political blog and has appeared in the Independent and he doesn't seem keen on Andrea Leadsom. Not sure if the following is accurate (he's remembering a meeting from some years back) but it seems curiously consistent from this lot of Tories:

There was, as it happens, some parting chat on Europe. She told me leaving would be madness and that proper Brexit would be insane.

http://nicktyrone.com/need-experience-g ... e-leadsom/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I still think they're up to something. What does she mean by proper Brexit? Is there some other kind?

I expect it means "Proper Brexit for everyone else but protecting the City firms so they won't notice any difference."

Ah, thanks Roger. I'm not very good at Tory speak. Does this London/Frankfurt thing achieve that, I wonder? Starting to wonder if Brexit was the goal all along. As my husband pointed out, choosing the week everyone's cheering on the home nations in the Euro's and all the bunting's out for the Queen's 90th is a bit of an odd choice if you're relying on people feeling more European than all patriotic and British to win your vote.

[citizenJA]

Lord Lawson says in the House of Lords that Brexit is a chance to finish what Thatcher started. Maaaaaaarvelous.

We're being played

[tinyclanger2]

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/bre ... 20216.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
When prominent political figures dehumanise immigrants, it gives the green light for ordinary people to do the same. What has been uncorked will be very difficult to contain. This could be the initial eruption of a much bigger political volcano.

grim

[citizenJA]

I follow this guy on Twitter, he writes a political blog and has appeared in the Independent and he doesn't seem keen on Andrea Leadsom. Not sure if the following is accurate (he's remembering a meeting from some years back) but it seems curiously consistent from this lot of Tories:
http://nicktyrone.com/need-experience-g ... e-leadsom/

I still think they're up to something. What does she mean by proper Brexit? Is there some other kind?

I expect it means "Proper Brexit for everyone else but protecting the City firms so they won't notice any difference."

Ah, thanks Roger. I'm not very good at Tory speak. Does this London/Frankfurt thing achieve that, I wonder? Starting to wonder if Brexit was the goal all along. As my husband pointed out, choosing the week everyone's cheering on the home nations in the Euro's and all the bunting's out for the Queen's 90th is a bit of an odd choice if you're relying on people feeling more European than all patriotic and British to win your vote.

I don't like the current responses from the powers that be formulating economic policy. Is the Chancellor acting to protect most
people and country? I doubt it. My support for action preventing our economy coming to a screeching halt is sincere but I don't
like who's in government now, I don't trust them at all.

[Willow904]

I've found some confirmation of the Andrea Leadsom thing from Martin Kettle at the G:

As things stand, that candidate looks like Andrea Leadsom, the business minister, who has never sat at the cabinet table. Leadsom is not in fact an out-and-out anti-European. As she said in 2013, in words that have suddenly become famous: “I don’t think the UK should leave the EU. I think it would be a disaster for our economy and it would lead to a decade of economic and political uncertainty at a time when the tectonic plates of global success are moving.” I can personally confirm from listening to her at about the same time that Leadsom was not in favour of leaving.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... -their-own" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bunch of spivvy crooks the lot of them. The global financial crisis proved pretty handy to blame for the negative consequences of their Thatcherite "trickle up" policies and now they've engineered another economic collapse so they can do it all again.

[NonOxCol]

Divided Britain - A Quick Guide:

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

[NonOxCol]

Quoting extensively from this will spoil the full effect of reading it:

https://martinrowson.wordpress.com/2016 ... july-2016/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ohsocynical]

ITV News Verified account 
‏@itvnews

Tom Watson to talk to trade unions today in bid to end Labour leadership deadlock
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2016-07- ... -deadlock/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Pauline Lane ‏@Antonineone1 · 9h9 hours ago
Pauline Lane Retweeted ITV News
Turns out no meeting was arranged. Watson scrabbling around today trying to organise something.


Pauline Lane added,

[StephenDolan]

http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/201 ... eeds-crime" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I wonder what the Home Secretary thinks of this?

[StephenDolan]

Labour spent nearly £5 million, wow.

Labour's donor exodus 'will leave it struggling to fund general election'

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... ion-corbyn" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[frog222]

Speaking in 2012, Andrea Leadsom told the House of Commons that she would like businesses with three employees or fewer to no longer have to comply with any employment regulations.

"I envisage there being absolutely no regulation whatsoever," she said.

"No minimum wage, no maternity or paternity rights, no unfair dismissal rights, no pension rights—for the smallest companies that are trying to get off the ground, in order to give them a chance."

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2016/07/ ... ea-leadsom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thatcher 2.0

Yesterday I listened to IDS explaining that she would only publish her tax returns if she was a finalist, because er ...

I enjoyed Toady this morning, where Crabb explained he'd borrow £100 Bn to invest .

Well interviewed, as pointed out already .

[minch]

If Labour are unelectable why don't the Conservatives want a GE?

[ohsocynical]

In 2014, under pressure from the Conservative party, then Labour leader Ed Miliband changed the rules on party elections. In a decision that some said “could alter the course of history” Miliband revised the rules to ensure that all union members would have to explicitly ‘opt-in‘ to support the party, and be given an individual vote in elections as affiliated supporters. He also introduced the option for people to become ‘registered supporters’ by paying a £3 fee. These supporters were also promised a vote in any leadership contest. At the time, Miliband explained his decision to encourage more supporters through these avenues:

"If we can be a party of 400,000 people genuinely engaged, this will make us more reflective of the country we seek to govern. In turn that means Labour is less likely to lose touch in government, and instead represent the beating heart of Britain"

On 4 July The Guardian published an article quoting several anonymous Labour sources. The focus of these nameless commentators was whether registered supporters will have any say in the upcoming leadership challenge, and the answer was a resounding ‘Not if we can help it!’.
Any registered supporters who signed up prior to the leadership election – just nine months ago – will not be able to automatically vote again in the next one, as they have no “ongoing” relationship with the party, sources said. And for those thinking, ‘I’ll just sign up again then’, the shadowy sources have a very stark message: there’s no guarantee it’ll be £3 next time. In fact, one commentator threatened:

"It could be free, it could be £50,000 – there’s nothing to say it has to be £3"

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/07/05/labo ... -election/

[Willow904]

If Labour are unelectable why don't the Conservatives want a GE?

The Libdems might get some of their seats back?

Besides, they want to reduce parliament and draw up new boundaries before the next election.

[minch]

If Labour are unelectable why don't the Conservatives want a GE?

The Libdems might get some of their seats back?

Besides, they want to reduce parliament and draw up new boundaries before the next election.

Possibly but we are told that Labour will do very badly under Corbyn and that with Cons winning they would have longer to bring in new boundaries (as they might be a bit busy on other things).

[ohsocynical]

The Canary
‏@TheCanarySays

READERS: We will be releasing an exclusive investigative report on #PortlandCommunications & the #LabourCoup at 5.30pm today. Don't miss it.

[minch]

In 2014, under pressure from the Conservative party, then Labour leader Ed Miliband changed the rules on party elections. In a decision that some said “could alter the course of history” Miliband revised the rules to ensure that all union members would have to explicitly ‘opt-in‘ to support the party, and be given an individual vote in elections as affiliated supporters. He also introduced the option for people to become ‘registered supporters’ by paying a £3 fee. These supporters were also promised a vote in any leadership contest. At the time, Miliband explained his decision to encourage more supporters through these avenues:

"If we can be a party of 400,000 people genuinely engaged, this will make us more reflective of the country we seek to govern. In turn that means Labour is less likely to lose touch in government, and instead represent the beating heart of Britain"

On 4 July The Guardian published an article quoting several anonymous Labour sources. The focus of these nameless commentators was whether registered supporters will have any say in the upcoming leadership challenge, and the answer was a resounding ‘Not if we can help it!’.
Any registered supporters who signed up prior to the leadership election – just nine months ago – will not be able to automatically vote again in the next one, as they have no “ongoing” relationship with the party, sources said. And for those thinking, ‘I’ll just sign up again then’, the shadowy sources have a very stark message: there’s no guarantee it’ll be £3 next time. In fact, one commentator threatened:

"It could be free, it could be £50,000 – there’s nothing to say it has to be £3"

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/07/05/labo ... -election/

There is talk of a lot of new members in the last week or so (these will be full members). How many of these back Corbyn?

[Willow904]

If Labour are unelectable why don't the Conservatives want a GE?

The Libdems might get some of their seats back?

Besides, they want to reduce parliament and draw up new boundaries before the next election.

Possibly but we are told that Labour will do very badly under Corbyn and that with Cons winning they would have longer to bring in new boundaries (as they might be a bit busy on other things).

They'd gain barely over a year and it wouldn't be straightforward to call an election with the 5 year parliaments. I think a snap election unlikely.

Edited to remove back to front comment that made no sense!

[StephenDolan]

If Labour are unelectable why don't the Conservatives want a GE?

The Libdems might get some of their seats back?

Besides, they want to reduce parliament and draw up new boundaries before the next election.

Many Tory backbenchers don't.

LibDems getting seats back? Not in my lifetime.

Labour need Farron's Lib Dems to return to challenging the Tories in the south west.

[ohsocynical]

Anti-Corbyn plots & the myth of the un-electable left
By Daniel Margrain

https://cultureandpolitics.org/2016/07/ ... able-left/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[minch]

The Libdems might get some of their seats back?

Besides, they want to reduce parliament and draw up new boundaries before the next election.

Possibly but we are told that Labour will do very badly under Corbyn and that with Cons winning they would have longer to bring in new boundaries (as they might be a bit busy on other things).

They'd gain barely over a year and it wouldn't be straightforward to call an election with the 5 year parliaments. I think a snap election unlikely.

Edited to remove back to front comment that made no sense!

You could be right.
I thought they might hint at one just to force Labours hand.
Also the majority they have is not much of a buffer if something goes badly wrong and members leave.

[PorFavor]

Hillary Clinton e-mail account - FBI to bring no charges. But overall, I got the impression that they're not impressed by her behaviour.

[StephenDolan]

A metro mayor candidate's manifesto. I'd be impressed if half of this was achieved.

" As your Metro Mayor I will:

Develop a skills and talent pipeline that brings together employers, educators and training providers to deliver more high quality apprenticeships and graduate jobs so that our young people can aspire to a successful future here in our region.

Campaign to have the tunnel and bridge tolls removed and create the opportunity for our buses to be run by not-for profit companies, underpinned by a smart ticketing and a part time season ticket for the 200,000 people across our region who work part time.

Establish a City Region Energy Co-operative, run by our communities for our communities to bring down the cost of bills and make our homes more energy efficient.

Ensure every child has access to a breakfast and school holiday club.

Champion the real living wage and ensure that everyone working for the Metro Mayor is paid it as a minimum.

Lead a Land Commission that quickly releases unused public sector brownfield sites and assets for building homes and regenerating our town centres.

Tackle the falling levels of modern, high-quality office space we need to attract new businesses to our region and deliver ultrafast broadband so our businesses can thrive.

Establish and chair a City Region Wellbeing Board to integrate our physical health, mental health, and social care services to ensure that people get the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

Appoint a trade envoy and work to achieve my target of doubling foreign investment coming into our region within my first term.

Establish a mayoral senate and commit to four public scrutiny events in all six of the areas that make up our region "

[mbc1955]

Hillary Clinton e-mail account - FBI to bring no charges. But overall, I got the impression that they're not impressed by her behaviour.

So let me get this straight. She's NOT going to be arrested for treason, leaving Donald Trump a free run at the Presidency after all.

But so many Republicans swore blind it was only a matter of time. Surely they can't all have been wrong.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Trump predicted she wouldn't be charged in a tweet the other day. Of course, this was described as a "conspiracy"......

[mbc1955]

Trump predicted she wouldn't be charged in a tweet the other day. Of course, this was described as a "conspiracy"......

As opposed to 'I've been lying to you all along'.

[ScarletGas]

Priceless lack of self awareness from the empty vessel that is Ian Austin. Recent contribution from his Twitter account.

"Tory MPs just started voting. For their new leader. Could all be done and dusted by next week.That's how a serious political party acts"

This from someone that is part of a, totally inefficient, engineered coup against his own democratically elected leader. Is that how he thinks a "serious Labour party politician should act?

Some of our, so called, left wing MPs are getting beyond parody.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Hopefully people are helpfully informing him of all these things.

[ohsocynical]

iain watson Verified account 
‏@iainjwatson

Jeremy Corbyn's office: 'there will be no resignation' after talks with Len McCluskey