Tuesday 27th September 2016

[RogerOThornhill]

That "waiting list for a telephone" has been doing the rounds for years with the pro "public sector reform" cheerleaders.

Oh, and where was he?

People in Britain have more control over their lives than they've ever had before," he told an event hosted by the think tank Policy Exchange.

Shocked etc.

[AnatolyKasparov]

But he will still shout "I AM NOT A TORY!!!" at the top of his lungs. Truly horrible man, and a complete failure with it.

[HindleA]

http://z2k.org/2016/09/the-benefit-cap- ... ncentives/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



The benefit cap and the myth of work incentives


"After a number of requests DWP have finally released their estimates of those who will be affected by the lower benefit cap by benefit type. These figures show that only 21 per cent are JSA claimants, with majority in receipt of income support or ESA. "

[HindleA]

http://explore.tandfonline.com/page/ed/cdso-vsi-ageing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Disability and Ageing: A Virtual Special Issue
Disability & Society

[StephenDolan]

Afternoon from conference. Mobile coverage in the hall is pants. I blame Corbyn.

[yahyah]

Wave at us if you see a camera !

[Willow904]

Further to my previous comments about McDonnell's panel of economists, I came across this, which more or less reflects what I suggested, that the panel idea is pretty much dead, but expert economic advice is still available to those in Labour willing to listen:

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016 ... th-labour/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Quite a lot of people have been asking me, directly and via social media, whether now Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected I will bury the hatchet and work with him again.

[ScarletGas]

Hope the weather improves for you ScarletGas and you have a good holiday.

The World Service now is not a patch on how it used to be when it was under the Foreign Office.
Another thing to blame the Tories for, offloading it onto the BBC with no extra funding I believe.

The whole ethos has changed, a lot of the informative, sad or heartmwarming stories they reported from around the world seem to have been ditched. There's now more emphasis on business.
For a lot of the night there's a couple of low talent presenters trying to sound cheerful and well informed. To cap it all there's the awful computer generated loud music that wakes you up if you did manage to nod off. All the worst of the BBC and little of the best.

Thanks for your kind thoughts YahYah.Perhaps I exagerate the weather situation somewhat as,for the end of September its been OK.Back home tomorrow.

On the BBC however I certainly did not were times l thought I was listening to a Nigel Farage vintage recording in the 1950s so much I did not recognise from the news output.

At one point I actually convinced myself that Arsenal had actually won the first division championship Now that does take us back (apologies to any gunners fans!)

[SpinningHugo]

Further to my previous comments about McDonnell's panel of economists, I came across this, which more or less reflects what I suggested, that the panel idea is pretty much dead, but expert economic advice is still available to those in Labour willing to listen:

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016 ... th-labour/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Quite a lot of people have been asking me, directly and via social media, whether now Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected I will bury the hatchet and work with him again.

Richard Murphy really is not credible.

Simon Wren-Lewis is A list. Murphy isn't an economist.

[gilsey]

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/our- ... -1-7597920


‘Accept that your government is responsible’ - Council leader fires back at Peterborough MP over £1m hotel bill for homeless families

The Government has already hit back at the council for having to house people at a Travelodge. A spokesman said: ”There are many reasons for homelessness and to suggest that it is due to welfare reforms is wholly misleading".

'Wholly misleading'?
'Many reasons' but none of them is welfare reform?

[SpinningHugo]

Three contrasting pieces this morning

Toynbee

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... rence-2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hague

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09 ... should-fo/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ganesh

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bf4bd252-83cd ... z4LR4gRt8a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All three are probably right in a way. Toynbee right on electabilty, Hague on the strategy to oust Corbyn, Ganesh on why that won't work.

But, but, but. Commentators spend too long on all this. The problem with Corbyn is not that he is right but unelectable. The latter is unprovable. The problem is he is wrong. Engage on the substance, on housing, or the £500bn investment pledge, or the random living wage figure, or University funding, or NHS provision, or rail nationalisation, or Syria, or having 'access to' the sengle market (Toynbee in particular misunderstands that) etc etc etc. He is wrong about all of these. Engage with the substance, don't say "I agree with him, but he won't win.".

How can Hague be right, if there was no organised coup attempt?

If it had been organised they would have waited a year.

Just daft to think there was an organised coup, IMO, unless everyone is a liar.

[Willow904]

Further to my previous comments about McDonnell's panel of economists, I came across this, which more or less reflects what I suggested, that the panel idea is pretty much dead, but expert economic advice is still available to those in Labour willing to listen:

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016 ... th-labour/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Quite a lot of people have been asking me, directly and via social media, whether now Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected I will bury the hatchet and work with him again.

Richard Murphy really is not credible.

Simon Wren-Lewis is A list. Murphy isn't an economist.

Whether credible or not, his advice is available, as is that of Joseph Stiglitz and Ann Pettifor. Not the grand committee originally envisaged and I'm disappointed by that, but there is still some reasonable breadth of expert economic opinion on offer that is well worth having and I hope Corbyn makes use of all the advice he can get.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Again, those who take this line have to explain the articles in the media months in advance which set out pretty much exactly what actually happened.

Not to mention why many of the resignation letters were so similar? (or, indeed, why Heidi Alexander's was dated 201*5*)

[PorFavor]

'You're not in the real country!' Angry Labour members heckle top Blair chief - Mirror Online
https://apple.news/AXcVxBtafTjGhqUhQbeqrYA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"A waiting list to get a telephone? Most people don't remember a waiting list to get a telephone. It was a real thing."

I have been waiting for over 3 years for super fast [sic] broadband to be installed in our exchange. In zone 3 of London. The capital city. There is still no indication of when if ever this will happen from BT Openreach. This too is a REAL thing.

Members of my family have been waiting for years to get broadband faster than the paltry sub-1 MB/s they get now. They live in the countryside. This too is a REAL thing.

So don't give me that bullshit about waiting lists for telephones prior to privatisation, you egregious ignorant fucking prick.

You should repost that every day (or until he goes away)!

[PorFavor]

I'm enjoying Angela Rayner's speech.

I'm loving the fact, also, that she says "children" and not "kids" (one of my bugbears).

Equal pay for "bints" anyone?

[HindleA]

PF you share the dislike of "kids" with mum in law(actually is she still my mother in law?/the person formerly known as mum in law).

[tinybgoat]

Further to my previous comments about McDonnell's panel of economists, I came across this, which more or less reflects what I suggested, that the panel idea is pretty much dead, but expert economic advice is still available to those in Labour willing to listen:

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016 ... th-labour/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Quite a lot of people have been asking me, directly and via social media, whether now Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected I will bury the hatchet and work with him again.

Thanks, I like his view of Chris Leslie:

....Fourth, in that case Jeremy will lead the Opposition and, presumably, Labour into the next election. Whether he can win or not is not worth speculating upon, not least because it is usually for governments to lose elections and this government has ample opportunity to do that over the next four years. The reality is, whatever happens, that this is the Opposition we have.
Fifth, when the alternative might be Chris Leslie MP – whose economic illiteracy seems to have almost no limits – then there are some reasons for thanking the Labour electorate for what we got.

[TR'sGhost]

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/our- ... -1-7597920


‘Accept that your government is responsible’ - Council leader fires back at Peterborough MP over £1m hotel bill for homeless families

The Government has already hit back at the council for having to house people at a Travelodge. A spokesman said: ”There are many reasons for homelessness and to suggest that it is due to welfare reforms is wholly misleading".

'Wholly misleading'?
'Many reasons' but none of them is welfare reform?

Well, that's what he believes, in that special way Tory DWP ministers do.

[TR'sGhost]

That "waiting list for a telephone" has been doing the rounds for years with the pro "public sector reform" cheerleaders.

Oh, and where was he?

People in Britain have more control over their lives than they've ever had before," he told an event hosted by the think tank Policy Exchange.

Shocked etc.

It's utter bollocks isn't it.

One of my criticisms of the Blair era was that they spread the concept that people should be "empowered", so Labour councils took to doing all kinds of things that were objectively damaging to the area and its population because that's what the focus groups said people "wanted". That the focis groups didn't understand the issues was irrelevant so long as people were "empowered".

Pointing out that "empowerment" to decide when rubbish is collected, which central heating was put into flats or what housing policy for a borough or the country should be was window dressing and didn't amount to much unless people were also empowered to prevent themselves being made redundant or ill health or old age resulting in a slide into poverty as the result of government policy did not go down well.

Nor did pointing out that tendering everything out to contractors who were concerned solely with the bottom line, then making the contracts confidential and allowing the residents no say in what contractors did acted in a way directly opposed to empowerment. Neither, for that matter, did pointing out that automatically condemning all industrial action, whatever the reasons for it, is hardly assisting people to improve their own lives by their own actions.

[TR'sGhost]

'You're not in the real country!' Angry Labour members heckle top Blair chief - Mirror Online
https://apple.news/AXcVxBtafTjGhqUhQbeqrYA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"A waiting list to get a telephone? Most people don't remember a waiting list to get a telephone. It was a real thing."

I have been waiting for over 3 years for super fast [sic] broadband to be installed in our exchange. In zone 3 of London. The capital city. There is still no indication of when if ever this will happen from BT Openreach. This too is a REAL thing.

Members of my family have been waiting for years to get broadband faster than the paltry sub-1 MB/s they get now. They live in the countryside. This too is a REAL thing.

So don't give me that bullshit about waiting lists for telephones prior to privatisation, you egregious ignorant fucking prick.

It'll be that old favourite about how nationalised BT were so useless they failed to supply cheap mobile phones two decades before the technology even existed next.

[TR'sGhost]

Hope the weather improves for you ScarletGas and you have a good holiday.

The World Service now is not a patch on how it used to be when it was under the Foreign Office.
Another thing to blame the Tories for, offloading it onto the BBC with no extra funding I believe.

The whole ethos has changed, a lot of the informative, sad or heartmwarming stories they reported from around the world seem to have been ditched. There's now more emphasis on business.
For a lot of the night there's a couple of low talent presenters trying to sound cheerful and well informed. To cap it all there's the awful computer generated loud music that wakes you up if you did manage to nod off. All the worst of the BBC and little of the best.

The World Service used to fascinate me in the 1980s. The line it would take on events round the world was often quite different to that of the domestic news service amd much more honest.

I guess that, for example, while it be possible for the UK's media to convince the UK's population that the Smith regime in Rhodesia wasn't that bad at all really and the simple child-like natives mostly appreciated being sensibly governed by a benevolent, peaceful white regime they knew it would be pointless and ridiculous to try and convince Zimbabweans of the same thing. So while the home service told us one thing, the world service would be saying something quite different, which very often tied into and agreed with what the local news services were saying.

Nowadays the world service is rubbish.

[RogerOThornhill]

Oh dear...

Chair of Education Funding Agency doubts all-academy and grammar plans


http://schoolsweek.co.uk/chair-of-educa ... mmar-plans

The chair of the Education Funding Agency’s advisory board has cast doubt on plans to convert all schools into academies and questioned proposals for more grammar schools.

Les Walton, who also chairs the Northern Education Trust, told a fringe event organised by teaching unions at the Labour Party Conference that the government had to be “sensible” about what could be achieved in the next five years.

Walton’s comments, which he insisted were based on his personal views and not those of the EFA, follow several other indications the government could be attempting to row back on previous pledges to achieve full academisation in the near future.

Oops.

Now who was it that asked me whether I'd resign when our school was forced into becoming an academy...ah yes...

[StephenDolan]

I'm enjoying Angela Rayner's speech.

I'm loving the fact, also, that she says "children" and not "kids" (one of my bugbears).

Equal pay for "bints" anyone?

Missed that and Watson unfortunately, discussion group clashed. Was impressed by Flynn.

[55DegreesNorth]

At least the private sector delivers on time, without the secrecy of those local authorities.

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/financial-inve ... secretary/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oops.

The education secretary has been accused of “hiding” a financial investigation into a controversial academy trust run by the government’s former free schools director.
The Bright Tribe trust was the subject of an Education Funding Agency (EFA) review last month over payments it made to companies connected to its founder, venture capitalist Michael Dwan.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... r3z-addoor" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

george-osborne-says-the-bank-of-englands-quantitative-easing-makes-the-rich-richer

What to say?

[Eric_WLothian]

Meanwhile, while all eyes are on the Labour Party:

The former SNP MP Natalie McGarry has been charged in connection with alleged fraud offences involving a five figure sum. Ms McGarry, who has resigned the SNP whip but remains MP for Glasgow East, was also a leading figure in the Yes campaign for Scottish independence. The Scotsman understands that the charges are connected to the finances of the Women for Independence organisation and the Glasgow regional association of the SNP.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/n ... -1-4241721

Why am I thinking of Father (just resting in my account) Ted?

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Jonathan Portes ‏@jdportes 3h3 hours ago
Quite a cheek. Impact of QE complex/disputed. No dispute Osborne tax/benefit changes took from poor to give to rich.

[HindleA]

http://m.insidehousing.co.uk/7016962.bl ... te=enabled" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Cuts in housing benefit are being blamed for a slump in the UK’s position in a European index of housing exclusion.

The UK was the biggest faller (down eight places) in the 2016 index and now ranks 20th out of 28 members of the European Union. The only countries doing worse than us are three in Southern Europe that were worst hit by the Eurozone crisis (Greece, Italy and Portugal) and five in Eastern Europe (Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia).

http://www.feantsa.org/spip.php?page=sommaire&lang=en" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Eric_WLothian]

And on a lighter note:

A group of independence campaigners, who are fighting to save their Scottish Parliament camp, have told a court that their phones and computers are being hacked...

Campaigners... claim that they have the permission of the Judeo-Christian God to hold a vigil outside the Parliament.
The independence campaigners also claim to have the support of ace military commander, the Archangel Michael, who currently lives in Sheffield ahead of his boss’s predicted return to Earth..
The independence campaigners also believe that the establishment of an independent Scotland is of strategic importance to Jesus Christ. The saviour of humanity has apparently indicated to the campers that an independent Scotland would give a massive boost to his plan to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/indycamp- ... urn false;

I wonder if they're getting Legal Aid to prolong this farce.

[SpinningHugo]

Again, those who take this line have to explain the articles in the media months in advance which set out pretty much exactly what actually happened.

Not to mention why many of the resignation letters were so similar? (or, indeed, why Heidi Alexander's was dated 201*5*)

Which articles?

They copied them. How long do you think that takes?

[tinyclanger2]

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

Emails dating back to 2014 show Lib Dem advisers, who were then in government as part of the coalition, complaining repeatedly about May’s interventions.

They claimed internally that the then home secretary was determined to paint a negative picture of Britain’s relationship with European countries when it came to immigration.The exchanges suggested that May wanted to claim that “benefits tourism” was a serious problem, attracting immigrants into Britain.

[SpinningHugo]

Further to my previous comments about McDonnell's panel of economists, I came across this, which more or less reflects what I suggested, that the panel idea is pretty much dead, but expert economic advice is still available to those in Labour willing to listen:

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016 ... th-labour/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Richard Murphy really is not credible.

Simon Wren-Lewis is A list. Murphy isn't an economist.

Whether credible or not, his advice is available, as is that of Joseph Stiglitz and Ann Pettifor. Not the grand committee originally envisaged and I'm disappointed by that, but there is still some reasonable breadth of expert economic opinion on offer that is well worth having and I hope Corbyn makes use of all the advice he can get.

Stiglitz didn't attend one meeting.

Where have Pettifor or Stiglitz expressed a willingness to return?

As for the hope, I think that is a triumph over experience.

"£500bn of investment spending."

McDonnell's living wage stuff (basically a nice round number) was similarly shooting from the hip.

[HindleA]

https://drillordrop.com/2016/09/27/brea ... son-notts/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Planners recommend go-ahead for IGas shale gas plans for Springs Road, Misson, Notts

[yahyah]

There's a video of Paul Flynn's speech here, the one that Stephen appreciated.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/polit ... y-11944847

Sounds good.

[citizenJA]

https://drillordrop.com/2016/09/27/brea ... son-notts/


Planners recommend go-ahead for IGas shale gas plans for Springs Road, Misson, Notts

I feel as though someone just kicked me in the stomach. Don't do it, people.

[SpinningHugo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37486391" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We find out at 10 who is going back.

Cue some of the fruitier no confidence letters/articles being resurrected.

[SpinningHugo]

I feel let down by Rachel Reeves whom I had thought better than this

http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/uk_57ea7 ... 5804ef5ae0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nobody to vote for.

[AnatolyKasparov]

I do too, and I have defended her in the past (she was very likely stitched up over that supposed "tougher than Tories" comment, for instance)

But she totally seems to have taken leave of her senses here, there have been horrific hate attacks IN HER OWN CONSTITUENCY......and she says *that*?

Just days after paying a seemingly sincere tribute to the late Jo Cox, as well.

Utterly indefensible.

[ChrisDean]

It seems improbable that there can be unity within Labour whilst the odious Tom Watson continues with his gerrymandering.

I have until May next year to consider my party membership (I paid upfront) but if he and his ilk are still calling the shots I won't be renewing.

Wish he'd been up for re-election!

[AngryAsWell]

Fox slip up at WTO shows he has no Brexit plan

http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2016/09 ... rexit-plan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Temulkar]

I do too, and I have defended her in the past (she was very likely stitched up over that supposed "tougher than Tories" comment, for instance)

But she totally seems to have taken leave of her senses here, there have been horrific hate attacks IN HER OWN CONSTITUENCY......and she says *that*?

Just days after paying a seemingly sincere tribute to the late Jo Cox, as well.

Utterly indefensible.

She was not stitched up over hher tougher than the tories remark. She said it multiple times and reaffirmed it when questioned - all on record - all in the national press, as I pointed out on here ad nauseum at the time.

[HindleA]

High Court Decision on JDContract at noon tomorrow.

[AnatolyKasparov]

And one person I don't want anybody to leave the party over is Watson. He is a bungler and has messed up much of his "cunning plans".

Tbh there is a case for the Welsh Assembly and Holyrood being represented on the NEC, even if the whole thing has got far too factionalised.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Thankfully Reeves is not in the Shadow Cabinet, won't be and doesn't really merit much attention these days

That's the thing, we just need to get over these people. Disappointments, gone, good riddance.

[AngryAsWell]

Alasdair Ross
‏@AlasdairRoss
Funny in a way but also sad that some Corbyn supporters calling for @labourlewis to be de-selected after his speech yesterday!

Clive Lewis MP ‏@labourlewis 8h
Oh dear... A case of..."A l'exemple de Saturne, la révolution dévore ses enfants"
(Oh dear... A box of... "The example of Saturn, the revolution devours its children")

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

[RogerOThornhill]

Dear oh dear, I go off to a Chairs Meeting with the LA edu director and what do I find when I come back?

Orient having had a player sent off in the first minute. Then another in the 14th minute. And 1-0 down. Finished 2-0.

And we have no manager having sacked him yesterday.

So bad it's not worth getting angry...

[HindleA]

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


Howard Dean stands by cocaine tweet

[HindleA]

https://www.fbu.org.uk/news/2016/09/27/ ... withdrawal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Firefighters' union welcomes Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's withdrawal of proposals to sack its workforce

[HindleA]

Penurious football managers forced to supplement their meagre incomes.

[ChrisDean]

I appreciate what you've said upthread AK but the likes of Tom Watson do not represent me so, if they're still in charge I will be gone.

Of course there is a need for Welsh and Scottish representation on the NEC but the members of those respective parties should decide who those representatives should be not Carwyn Jones or Kezia Dugdale. After all, in Wales, for example, there are now 7 UKIP AM's and the Gower has been lost by Labour after more than 100 years....so how "popular" actually, is the current brand of Labour there?