Friday 12th August 2016

[yahyah]

.

[yahyah]

Sorry PF...I forgot to check the page was turning.

[ephemerid]

I think that there should be some sort of cut-off point - a "freeze date" - but 6 months?

The last time this applied (as mentioned in the judgement) it was in the autumn of 2010 and had something to do with BAME candidates; the period was 6 weeks.

Many people joined in good faith between the GE and this leadership contest. Why would they read the entire rulebook? they assumed that what they were told was correct.

The party is happy to take the cash from these folks - but is now quite prepared to deny a significant cohort a vote. It has all been handled very badly by the NEC.

[RogerOThornhill]

Can't see the full article in the HSJ but this sounds like good news.

Will Hazell ‏@whazell Aug 11

Ex-privately run Hinchingbrooke exits special measures, after returning to NHS control last year https://www.hsj.co.uk/hsj-local/provide ... ntID=15303" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … via @Jamesillman

Former franchise trust to exit special measures

11 August, 2016 By James Illman

PERFORMANCE: The district general hospital run for three years by a private company is to exit special measures after being rated good by the CQC, just over a year after it was handed back to full NHS control.

[yahyah]

Whoever opens tomorrow's thread should just call it 'Day 49 of Labour's Civil War, No End In Sight'.

[pk1]

Evening All

Just an observation coming back to the Board after a couple of weeks off, can we please not comment on whether people should or shouldn't post things? As long as posts meet the Forum guidelines (above) people are free to post what they want aren't they? We can (and do) disagree with their points, but we should respect their right to say it.

Are you talking about my request earlier today ?

Would you prefer I didn't post at all ?

Be brave in your reply - it's the least I'd expect of you.

[pk1]

Whoever opens tomorrow's thread should just call it 'Day 49 of Labour's Civil War, No End In Sight'.

Is it really only Day 49 ? Seems to have been since May 2015

[refitman]

Your post brought us up to 50 on page one. You let me down, however, by not saying at the end of your post "Page 1 Ends Here". You could edit it . . . .

Anyone know if there is a setting I can change that lets me show more than 50 per page? It would make reading pre-loaded content on the Tube much more user-friendly. #LondonWorldProblem

Don't think so,
but I've just changed it to list in reverse order,
it now shows 50 most recent posts on page 1
& PorFavor's post is currently about 20 posts down page 1 & should briefly make it onto it's rightful position in about 30 posts.
Next step, World domination.
mwah! hah! hah! hah!

It's a back-end setting, I'm afraid.

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, everyone.
Please keep posting.
I love you.
cJA

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Evening All

Just an observation coming back to the Board after a couple of weeks off, can we please not comment on whether people should or shouldn't post things? As long as posts meet the Forum guidelines (above) people are free to post what they want aren't they? We can (and do) disagree with their points, but we should respect their right to say it.

Are you talking about my request earlier today ?

Would you prefer I didn't post at all ?

Be brave in your reply - it's the least I'd expect of you.

Hi pk1. Please understand Refitman and I have been getting quite a few comments and observations from members over the last few weeks on all kinds of themes. We try and deal with them discreetly and sensitively. I think you have to trust us to do what we feel is right, though of course we are not above criticism.

Yes I think your comment earlier on falls into the category I was referring to, but it's certainly not a lone, or particularly prominent example. I genuinely want everyone to be able to post here. I'm very glad you're back on the Forum and contributing to the debate.

[JonnyT1234]

Can't see the full article in the HSJ but this sounds like good news.

Will Hazell ‏@whazell Aug 11

Ex-privately run Hinchingbrooke exits special measures, after returning to NHS control last year https://www.hsj.co.uk/hsj-local/provide ... ntID=15303" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … via @Jamesillman

Former franchise trust to exit special measures

11 August, 2016 By James Illman

PERFORMANCE: The district general hospital run for three years by a private company is to exit special measures after being rated good by the CQC, just over a year after it was handed back to full NHS control.

So, countdown to it being privatised (again) a la East Coast Rail starts now...

[ohsocynical]

UPDATE – 12 August 2016
The Court of Appeal handed down their ruling this afternoon, and disappointingly we lost the appeal. We have now been ordered to pay the Labour Party’s legal costs which could be up to £80,000. Any contribution you can make would be greatly appreciated.

We must also consider whether to appeal to the Supreme Court and will let you know what our decision is shortly.

Thank you all for your generous support so far.

https://www.crowdjustice.co.uk/case/lab ... ost_donate" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[pk1]

Evening All

Just an observation coming back to the Board after a couple of weeks off, can we please not comment on whether people should or shouldn't post things? As long as posts meet the Forum guidelines (above) people are free to post what they want aren't they? We can (and do) disagree with their points, but we should respect their right to say it.

Are you talking about my request earlier today ?

Would you prefer I didn't post at all ?

Be brave in your reply - it's the least I'd expect of you.

Hi pk1. Please understand Refitman and I have been getting quite a few comments and observations from members over the last few weeks on all kinds of themes. We try and deal with them discreetly and sensitively. I think you have to trust us to do what we feel is right, though of course we are not above criticism.

Yes I think your comment earlier on falls into the category I was referring to, but it's certainly not a lone, or particularly prominent example. I genuinely want everyone to be able to post here. I'm very glad you're back on the Forum and contributing to the debate.

I won't apologise for asking that MPs don't get smeared on this site - we complain when the right-wing do it so if we are going to do the same then we're no better than them.

I don't recall any kind of warning being given the other day when there was an eruption of bad temper by Robert Snozers and others after a poster expected the Politics thread had been expected not to discuss politics, despite being in the middle of the of one the most turbulent political times as far as the UK is concerned.

Isn't the Pub thread the place for non-specific chit chat any longer ? It certainly used to be & I'd have thought the Olympics was an ideal topic for it, instead of the politics thread.

Thanks for your final sentence. I'm not sure it's shared by some. I may revise my decision to log-in again if my posts are so offensive.

Good night.

[JonnyT1234]

I don't recall any kind of warning being given the other day when there was an eruption of bad temper by Robert Snozers and others after a poster expected the Politics thread had been expected not to discuss politics, despite being in the middle of the of one the most turbulent political times as far as the UK is concerned.

Note, I'm sympathetic to what you are saying but you are misunderstanding what was being asked on that day. It wasn't that politics not be discussed, it was that the Labour leadership contest not be discussed (for just one day). The past few weeks have seen nothing but the one topic dominating the board. A few people requested that there be a day of respite because arguments had already been made, sides already taken, points repeated repeatedly, etc. In other words, people were fed up with the bad blood it was causing and wanted a bit of a rest from it to discuss other things. Any of which could have been political, just not Labour political.

Some here are obviously finding it a bit upsetting that it's causing so much division between them - much like those families who ended up with people not talking to each other because their parents/siblings were voting for the other side in the EU referendum.

Well, that was my perspective of it, at least.

[RogerOThornhill]

It wasn't that politics not be discussed, it was that the Labour leadership contest not be discussed (for just one day). The past few weeks have seen nothing but the one topic dominating the board. A few people requested that there be a day of respite because arguments had already been made, sides already taken, points repeated repeatedly, etc.

Yes, this is exactly it.

I didn't think it was particularly controversial at the time!

[TobyLatimer]

We need more Gorts Roger.

[TobyLatimer]

Thats a kind of mod btw for those not in our secret society.

[ephemerid]

Jonny and Roger - yes.

I started the thread that day and asked if, just once, we could leave the subject of Smith/Corbyn alone for the day.

It was a request, not an order. I'm in no position to tell people what to do. It was just an idea for us to have a bit of a break.

(It didn't last long anyway!)

I think it's OK to be rude about MPs. Not profane, but rude. I took great pleasure in taking the piss out of Fester McVile and others.
We all do it sometimes. I'm not sure it's such a huge deal.

RUDENESS ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tom Watson is a ******* and I wish I hadn't voted for him last year. So there.

[TobyLatimer]

All is not lost.

I just had an email from a nice Nigerian prince, offering to refund my £25, all he wants is my bank details, pin number and password then the money will be transferred by noon the next day.

He who laughs last , er laughs last or something.

[ephemerid]

Thats a kind of mod btw for those not in our secret society.

"Gorts"?

GORTS???????

Sounds like one of them communicable diseases, that does.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Three local council by-elections this week:

Worcestershire CC - Tory hold with an increase of 15 per cent to comfortably over 60%, returning this division to the ultra safe status it had enjoyed in 2005 and 2009. What made the difference in 2013 was UKIP intervening and taking a strong second with a third of the vote - but there was no repeat of that now as they fell by nearly 20 per cent and were, indeed, pipped for the (rather distant) runners up spot by the LibDems who increased by nearly 10 points themselves (helped by there being no Labour or Green candidates this time, not that either have ever achieved much in this rather right leaning territory) Last place taken by an Independent with just under 8%.

Renfrewshire - SNP gain from Labour, though they needed to go to transfers to do it. This division split 2Lab/1Nat in both 2007 and 2012 with Labour leading fairly narrowly in first preference votes on both occasion, however this time the SNP leapfrogged Labour as the latter dropped by 11% - though the SNP increase was more modest and the overall swing of about 8% is some way short of what these vacancies were showing for much of 2015. Tories confirming their recent revival north of the border as they increased by 9%, trebling their share from four years ago. LibDems last with less than 2% - they are still a marginal presence in Scotland outside their few stronger areas.

North Ayrshire - Labour gain from SNP, a surprise result (it went to the fifth and final count) and the first time a vacancy has changed thus since the 2014 referendum - it also makes Labour the biggest party on the council. Given all this, it may seem a bit counter-intuitive that Labour's share dropped by 7 points and they thus came narrowly behind the Nats on first preferences (Labour had been just ahead in 2012 as this division split 2Lab/2SNP) but that is the glories of by-elections in STV elected authorities again - and the swing to the SNP overall, less than 4%, was notably low by recent standards. Tories managed to win a seat here in 2007, and they advanced by 8% to just over 20% this time round. Socialist Labour first amongst the also rans (up on four years ago) beating both the Greens - standing here for the first time - and the LibDems who were last with a new low of just 1.5%.

Busier again next week - nine contests (one a double vacancy, so ten seats overall)

[TobyLatimer]

It's what they nicknamed the team of moderators over at Steve Hoffman music forums , baffles me why though. It was the mame of the large robot thing in 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'

Ironically, po!itics is a banned subject, one word and you are out.

Ever so peaceful it is. Almost like some kind of haven

"Origin of the GORTS:

Most of you have seen the old Sci-Fi movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still", right?

Remember Gort? He's the big metal guy that protects our space man Klaatu from harm. But Gort also has power over Klaatu, to keep him and his fellow space folk living in a peaceful and non-warlike society....

Well, here at my Forum, I want you to feel comfortable in posting about what is important to YOU without fear of being slammed. I have given power to my sixteen moderators whom I have nicknamed the GORTS and they watch over the various Forums day and night. I've given them power here to do what they think should be done. I do this because I cannot of course be here all of the time and I trust their judgment. I'm very grateful for their help and support."

[RogerOThornhill]

[ephemerid]

What we need here is an Argument Clinic, as demonstrated by Monty Python's Flying CirrrrCUSS!!!!!! in 1972.

You can have a full one-off argument, or you can take a course.
It's one pound for a five-minute argument, or eight pounds for a course of ten.

Alternatively, you can have a very very long argument indeed if you pay £3.92 a month plus £25. It goes on for months.

Have fun, gang.
Nighty night.

[tinyclanger2]

A Northern Ireland human rights activist has launched a legal challenge against any British attempt to leave the European Union, saying it would be in breach of the 1998 peace deal that brought peace to the British province.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/N ... -0016.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[thatchersorphan]

We are all roughly on the same side, in that we have a lot of common ground. Let's not forget that.
Disagreements are inevitable. Personal insults/attacks aren't.
Argue the point, not the poster.
The lines of division are fluid. After the leadership election is over, it's likely they'll change again.
Many people value this site because there's a mix of left-wing opinion, that does, mostly, stay respectful.
We need to read what others think, even if we disagree, otherwise we're only seeing an echo chamber instead of reality
Sometimes it's sensible just to agree to disagree, as neither 'side' is likely to change their opinion and to continue trying is about as productive as repeatedly banging your head on a wall.

[Eric_WLothian]

All is not lost.

I just had an email from a nice Nigerian prince, offering to refund my £25, all he wants is my bank details, pin number and password then the money will be transferred by noon the next day.

He who laughs last , er laughs last or something.

Nah - you're being conned. He's dead - I've had an email from his widow offering me a share of his millions (for the same details).