Wednesday 15th February 2017

[HindleA]

Morning

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ce-contact" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Damning reports emerge of Trump campaign's frequent talks with Russian intelligence

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... verty-line" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Inflation could push 4m more Britons below poverty line, study finds

[yahyah]

Morning HA.

Radio 4 just saying that some Republicans have joined Democrats in calling for further investigations.

[PorFavor]

Good morfternoon.

[yahyah]

''What did the President know and when did he know it ?''.
Sounds familiar.

[RogerOThornhill]

Morning all.

I'm just about to stick a few points down below a Speccie article that Toby Young has written about his NSN "research" into GCSEs which Nick Gibb gratefully gobbled up last week. If you don't mind I'll stick it here just in case...

http://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/02/proo ... se-reform/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's an interesting choice of phrase there - " I decided to ask one of my team (Ed Fellows)" - because up until last September he wasn't part of your "team was he Toby?

So where was he before?

Campaigns Manager (seconded)
Ed joined NSN from the UK Government in September 2016 where he had held various roles focused on anti-corruption and security policy.

OK, so given that you're a charity whose role as defined in your return to the Charity Commission is "to improve the quality of education, particularly for the most deprived, by increasing the number of independent, innovative schools within the state sector", there are two questions:


1. Whose idea was it to go beyond your stated aims and look at GCSEs?

2. Whose idea was it to second Mr Fellows to you last September and for what purpose?.

Your research may or may not be valid but that's not the point - this looks like you and the DfE wanted to put something out there that looked independent from the Department.

So, a few answers please.

By the way, if that report really was independent of the Department, there is no way that the foreward to it should be written by two ministers!

[StephenDolan]

''What did the President know and when did he know it ?''.
Sounds familiar.

Exactly what the On The Media special pointed out. Listening to it was the first time I'd heard Trump himself deny on Friday aboard airforce1 that he'd known anything earlier than Feb.

[StephenDolan]

Morning all.

Something we've discussed many a time recently features in a new RB piece.


Who will the Brexiteers blame when the milk and honey fails to flow?

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

Loving Johnson coming under pressure in Ghana btw, it's about time he had to start kopping for his pikaninies comments whilst in Africa.

[StephenDolan]

I get the feeling Brian Reade will be busy on twitter today.

[HindleA]

https://www.leighday.co.uk/News/News-20 ... ge-launche" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Judicial review and human rights challenge launched against HM Coroner's refusal to open an inquest into the death of David Clapson

[NonOxCol]

Hey everyone.

Well, this is a real tweet from an alt-right moron with nearly half a million followers:

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

But why *not* double down on it?

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

The first response to the second tweet is really, ABSURDLY contemptible bollocks (and I've just watched 5 of the 6 episodes of "The Nazis: A Warning From History" as well as studying under the series' historical and script consultant in the 1990s)... but unfortunately I suspect it's a simple idea that gains more traction by the day in this age of worrying ignorance.

[AnatolyKasparov]

"Hitler and the NSDAP were socialists" was a meme amongst young Tory "libertarian" types in the 1980s if not earlier. I don't think it is any more widely accepted now than it was then.

[NonOxCol]

"Hitler and the NSDAP were socialists" was a meme amongst young Tory "libertarian" types in the 1980s if not earlier. I don't think it is any more widely accepted now than it was then.

Anatoly.

I assume you know about the issue with Google auto-completion regarding Holocaust denial?

Try entering the words "were the n" into Google next time you use it. To be fair the top answers when you click aren't from f***ing Stormfront and the like this time, but it's still somewhat alarming.

I am at an all-time low for optimism regarding human awareness and knowledge of History. I admire you for retaining yours.

[RogerOThornhill]

"Hitler and the NSDAP were socialists" was a meme amongst young Tory "libertarian" types in the 1980s if not earlier. I don't think it is any more widely accepted now than it was then.

They tend to forget that Hitler wasn't exactly truthful on occasions. Easiest thing in the world to claim that your party is x to gain support while it is really y.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Just like he claimed to be a Christian or indeed Catholic when it suited him. He did so a lot less once he had absolute power, for some strange reason.

[adam]

There is some hope left, even on google autocomplete

Screen Shot 2017-02-15 at 11.45.39.png (29.18 KiB) Viewed 14193 times

[citizenJA]

Good-afternoon, everyone.

[Bonnylad]

SnowFlake ‏@SnoozeActive · 15h15 hours ago


 More











At this rate, Paul Nuttall might end up stripped of his Olympic gold medals.

[nickyinnorfolk]

"Hitler and the NSDAP were socialists" was a meme amongst young Tory "libertarian" types in the 1980s if not earlier. I don't think it is any more widely accepted now than it was then.

I remember Rhodes Boyson (who was regarded as some kind of authority on education by the Thatcher governent) coming out with the 'Hitler was a socialist' line on Question Time way back in the 80s. It annoyed me enough to get stuck in my memory like that. Boyson (born 1925) was old enough to know better. Nobody contradicted him either, which was doubly annoying.

Hitler was employed after WW1 to spy on left wing groups, one of which he decided to take over whilst retaining the 'socialist' bit of their name.

German industrialists actively helped Hitler's rise to power, making the assumption he was controllable and he *wasn't* a socialist, which was all that mattered to them.

[Bonnylad]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... mo-reveals" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[citizenJA]

I lost a crown off my tooth this morning from all my gnashing and a mediocre US dentist. Never trust someone telling you they're 'good at it'.

[citizenJA]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... mo-reveals

I think some are in for profound disillusionment, I am indeed. We're going to need a lot of baked goods on hand to help everyone through.

[citizenJA]

Air quality only moderately unwholesome today, not unhealthy. I genuinely appreciate a little better.

[AnatolyKasparov]

I am at an all-time low for optimism regarding human awareness and knowledge of History. I admire you for retaining yours.

I'm not that optimistic in the short term, tbh - we are clearly in for a rough few years. But nothing lasts forever, and this too will pass.

(as long as the bad guys don't take us all down with them, of course)

[gilsey]

Air pollution 'final warning' from European Commission to UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38980510" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We demand the right to kill ourselves without the EU interfering.

[Bonnylad]

WTO terms anyone? http://chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.co. ... l?spref=tw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tinyclanger2]

I am at an all-time low for optimism regarding human awareness and knowledge of History. I admire you for retaining yours.

I'm not that optimistic in the short term, tbh - we are clearly in for a rough few years. But nothing lasts forever, and this too will pass.

(as long as it the bad guys don't take us all down with them, of course)

Well this is my worry, certainly.

[nickyinnorfolk]

Anyone else seen this? American musician Moby has posted on Facebook what he says is insider information on Trump. It all seems pretty feasible.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mob ... a129edf17c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

after spending the weekend talking to friends who work in dc i can safely(well, 'accurately'...) post the following things:

1-the russian dossier on trump is real. 100% real. he's being blackmailed by the russian government, not just for being peed on by russian hookers, but for much more nefarious things.

2-the trump administration is in collusion with the russian government, and has been since day one.

3-the trump administration needs a war, most likely with iran. at present they are putting u.s warships off the coast of iran in the hope that iran will attack one of the ships and give the u.s a pretense for invasion.

4-there are right wing plans to get rid of trump. he's a drain on their fundraising and their approval ratings, and the gop and koch brothers and other u.s right wing groups are planning to get rid of trump.

5-intelligence agencies around the world, and here in the u.s, are horrified by the incompetence of the trump administration, and are working to present information that will lead to high level firings and, ultimately, impeachment.

i'm writing these things so that when/if these things happen there will be a public record beforehand.

these are truly baffling and horrifying times, as we have an incompetent president who is essentially owned by a foreign power.

-moby

[AnatolyKasparov]

Well reading that you can certainly see where the phrase "dumpster fire" came from

[SpinningHugo]

"Hitler and the NSDAP were socialists" was a meme amongst young Tory "libertarian" types in the 1980s if not earlier. I don't think it is any more widely accepted now than it was then.

I remember Rhodes Boyson (who was regarded as some kind of authority on education by the Thatcher governent) coming out with the 'Hitler was a socialist' line on Question Time way back in the 80s. It annoyed me enough to get stuck in my memory like that. Boyson (born 1925) was old enough to know better. Nobody contradicted him either, which was doubly annoying.

Hitler was employed after WW1 to spy on left wing groups, one of which he decided to take over whilst retaining the 'socialist' bit of their name.

German industrialists actively helped Hitler's rise to power, making the assumption he was controllable and he *wasn't* a socialist, which was all that mattered to them.

Here is everyone's favourite writer on that very question

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -socialist" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hitler certainly wasn't a rightwing libertarian either. Such a person could claim that the Nazis shared with the socialists the belief in using state power to pursue the common good (although what they considered the common good, and how they thought state power should be used was completely different). Rather different from the libertarian view of seeing state power as the problem.

Though much out of fashion, Hayek was not an idiot, and The Road to Serfdom is an interesting read, regardless of whether you agree with a word of it.

[NonOxCol]

"Hitler and the NSDAP were socialists" was a meme amongst young Tory "libertarian" types in the 1980s if not earlier. I don't think it is any more widely accepted now than it was then.

I remember Rhodes Boyson (who was regarded as some kind of authority on education by the Thatcher governent) coming out with the 'Hitler was a socialist' line on Question Time way back in the 80s. It annoyed me enough to get stuck in my memory like that. Boyson (born 1925) was old enough to know better. Nobody contradicted him either, which was doubly annoying.

Hitler was employed after WW1 to spy on left wing groups, one of which he decided to take over whilst retaining the 'socialist' bit of their name.

German industrialists actively helped Hitler's rise to power, making the assumption he was controllable and he *wasn't* a socialist, which was all that mattered to them.

Here is everyone's favourite writer on that very question

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -socialist" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hitler certainly wasn't a rightwing libertarian either. Such a person could claim that the Nazis shared with the socialists the belief in using state power to pursue the common good (although what they considered the common good, and how they thought state power should be used was completely different). Rather different from the libertarian view of seeing state power as the problem.

Though much out of fashion, Hayek was not an idiot, and The Road to Serfdom is an interesting read, regardless of whether you agree with a word of it.

My point was simpler: that there are people out there un-nuanced enough to take his cynical and calculating use of the word "socialist", and use it to justify a quite ludicrous theory. No need to even *bother* investigating trifling matters like the SPD, support from the traditional right, ideological hatred of Bolshevism, the Spanish Civil War....

I'm still haunted by Martin Rowson's 'Lone Wolves...' cartoon after the murder of Jo Cox. This kind of ignorance is spreading through lazy and twisted minds, and there are more superficially normal people with much broader platforms (Farage, JHB, Mensch, Tim Montgomerie on the Cox/far right issue alone) who pander to it.

[HindleA]

https://spartacusnetwork.files.wordpres ... n-2017.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;




https://spartacusnetwork.wordpress.com/ ... r/#respond" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


"Smokescreen"
Spartacus Report in response to "Improving Lives-Health,Work and Disability Green Paper."

[HindleA]

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



Work Makes You Free
Are we all asleep ? I ask. What do the words ‘ Work Makes You free’ mean ? Did you know that these same words are written above the Concentration Camp Gates in Auschwitz.. “Arbeit Macht Frei !”.
Similar words “Work As A Health Outcome” (which also relate to the words on the Auschwitz Camp gates) are now being used by The U.K. ‘s Department for Work and Pensions and by The Department for Health.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Five local council byelections last week:

Corby DC - Labour hold, with an increase in their share by some 10% to roughly two thirds of the vote. The second placed Tories also had a double figure increase, which points to the absence of UKIP this time round - they took second place on their first showing here in a previous 2013 byelection and retained that spot on GE day. This has always been a ward which has safely returned three Labour councillors in every election since 2003, though the Tories were vaguely competitive both then and in 2007 - that has not been the case since though this result shows a modest swing to them since 2011 and subsequent contests. Greens the also rans with nearly 9%, little changed since 2015.

Tendring DC - a slightly different picture here as UKIP celebrated a by election gain (a rare thing for them since the GE) in this single member ward that elected an Independent two years ago who had been first elected under the localist Tendring First banner four years earlier (though that group has now almost imploded following scandals) Previous to that, the Tories had won in 2003 and 2007 and they were reasonably close on GE day managing to push UKIP into third (even though the latter took the Essex CC division covering this area in 2013) This time round, though, a relatively modest 37% was still a winning score for the Kippers (and an increase of 14 points on two years ago) whilst the Tories barely advanced at all. Decent score for Labour (who were close here back in 2003) with almost exactly 20%, over 5 points up - whilst the LibDems came last but with an also respectable 14% - an increase on their last showing in 2007.

Cotswold DC - LibDem gain from Tory and in some style, a 40 point jump to nearly 70 per cent and a swing to them of fully 30% since 2015. That was the first election here since boundary changes, the predecessor ward normally returned two Tories but a seat was dropped to an Independent in the previous election in 2011 - and that tells part of the tale, whilst they cleaned up in much of their "heartland" in those elections they actually lost ground here due to some quite major (and widely covered, even by the national press) scandals. The last elections being on the same day as a successful GE helped keep a lid on things in a few councils where the Tories were locally unpopular, but there was nowhere to hide now. Still a highly impressive result for the LibDems, of course - and they may have been helped here by the lack of competition, only a token Green candidate - with a derisory 2% - otherwise (barely) troubling the scorers.

Fylde DC - Rateplayer hold, and one in unusual circumstances as the vacancy was caused by the winner being disqualified for non-attendance; they claimed that their agoraphobia left them unable to attend council meetings. It seems that they won local sympathy, as he romped home with 60 per cent and a 20 point increase on the GE which beat the Tories by over 2 to 1. This ward split 2Rate/1Con in 2015 and last returned 3 Tories back in 2003 - 2007 saw a Ratepayer first elected and in 2011 an Independent took the non-Tory seat (which the Ratepayers easily won back in a previous 2014 byelection after their death) Tories actually increased slightly on GE day, for all the good it did them - Labour clearly down on then but still narrowly beat the Greens, who came last on 4%.

North Norfolk DC - LibDem gain from Tory, though they had to make do with an 18 per cent swing and 28 point increase to 55 per cent this time around. This marks a return to form by the LibDems locally, they won both seats in this ward in 2003 and 2007 but the Tories snatched one in 2011 and - after fairly narrowly losing to the LibDems in a previous 2014 byelection for the other seat - made a clean sweep in 2015 even as this constituency was one of the handful of places to return a Liberal Democrat to the HoC. UKIP weren't that far behind the LibDems then but saw nearly three quarters of their share evaporate as they crashed to barely 6%, Labour also more than halved and last on 4%.

Seven contests this week, including an unusual double vacancy tomorrow and an even rarer Friday election to follow.

[HindleA]

Thanks

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... CMP=twt_gu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Refugees seeking urgent medical care imperiled by immigration crackdown
Court decision blocking order’s enforcement may have saved lives as dozens of patients waited to receive treatment: ‘These are not cases to be postponed’

[StephenDolan]

Thanks again AK.

The lead story at 6pm
http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/uk_58a44 ... a129f0a953" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AnatolyKasparov]

Here is everyone's favourite writer on that very question

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -socialist" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hitler certainly wasn't a rightwing libertarian either. Such a person could claim that the Nazis shared with the socialists the belief in using state power to pursue the common good (although what they considered the common good, and how they thought state power should be used was completely different). Rather different from the libertarian view of seeing state power as the problem.

Though much out of fashion, Hayek was not an idiot, and The Road to Serfdom is an interesting read, regardless of whether you agree with a word of it.

I have never had much time for "libertarians" so meh.

State power is not something that anybody who claims to be even nominally on the left should shy away from.

(whilst being ever mindful of its potential for abuse, reminding us of that is arguably Orwell's greatest legacy)

[HindleA]

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



What are people in Stoke really thinking about? It’s not Brexit
Geoff Eze

[HindleA]

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



Why Stoke is make or break time for Ukip
Alexandra Phillips

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017 ... e-are-they" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


10 ways to beat air pollution: how effective are they?

[RogerOThornhill]

I would imagine this, about a Professor of Economics at Kings College London, says more about Perkins than it does about J.Portes...

Adam Perkins
‏@AdamPerkinsPhD

Adam Perkins Retweeted Jonathan Portes

Touched a raw nerve: reality is that the days of PC propagandists having a free ride in the media are ending. And some of them don't like it

They're both now at KCL - I'd love to see them passing in a corridor...

[HindleA]

http://press.labour.org.uk/post/1572786 ... onfirm-the" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Labour Press
Today’s productivity figures again confirm the Tories’ failure on productivity growth - Peter Dowd

[RogerOThornhill]

I see that Monbiot's article which I haven't read has been getting some strong reaction.

Parents and teachers for Education stuck out a response on facebook from their campaign manager Mike Burke.

Imagine my surprise when I looked up his previous employment history and found this:

Research Fellow
Company Name Policy Exchange
Dates Employed Jul 2015 – Dec 2015 Employment Duration 6 mos Location Westminster

Policy Exchange
Business Forum Manager
Company Name Policy Exchange
Dates Employed Apr 2015 – Jul 2015 Employment Duration 4 mos Location Westminster

Policy Exchange
Research Intern
Company Name Policy Exchange
Dates Employed Dec 2014 – Mar 2015 Employment Duration 4 mos Location Westminster

Shocked I was, really shocked...

[citizenJA]

I would imagine this, about a Professor of Economics at Kings College London, says more about Perkins than it does about J.Portes...

Adam Perkins
‏@AdamPerkinsPhD

Adam Perkins Retweeted Jonathan Portes

Touched a raw nerve: reality is that the days of PC propagandists having a free ride in the media are ending. And some of them don't like it

They're both now at KCL - I'd love to see them passing in a corridor...

(cJA bold)

It's such an immature thing to write, that bold bit. The acronym meaning what exactly? Nothing, exactly, it's vague connotations thrown in like it's a thing. Paste it next to 'propagandists' which is nothing but a personal insult against a professional person. The only 'free riders in media' are those working for media owners, overwhelmingly owned by wealthy people who's interests are keeping people misinformed and confused as possible. The author of that tweet has no reputable research to post countering Portes' substantiated work so trolling Portes is all he has.

[citizenJA]

Have a good evening, everyone.
I'm reading Tuchman's, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century.
love,
cJA

[RogerOThornhill]

Have a good evening, everyone.
I'm reading Tuchman's, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century.
love,
cJA

Given this - and more besides - I'd guess that someone 600 years time will be writing about the Calamitous 21st century...

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

[HindleA]

"Spartacus Network this week has produced a response, aptly named Smokescreen, to the Government Green Paper on health and work. Smokescreen attempts to dig below the soundbites and policy based evidence, and analyse the proposals.

What we found was truly shocking. In a Green Paper, touted as being mitigation for the cuts to the sickness benefit ESA, there was very little evidence that the cuts would be mitigated at all. Instead the Green Paper outlines yet another series of Work Programmes, using many of the familiar Prime Work Programme providers, supported by many of the same community and charity organisations as sub-primes.

What is truly startling though are the numerous hypotheses put forward as facts, supported in part by evidence based on reports written by the DWP or for the DWP, or extremely weak evidence – one survey used only 5 people. There is a deliberate conflation of sickness and disability – and there is no plan to provide specialist support to those who are healthy and disabled. Instead the DWP has targeted the largest group of ESA claimants by WHO ICD code – Mental and behavioural disorders – regardless of the huge spectrum of conditions this group contains. It also has in its sights the second largest group – musculoskeletal.

Throughout the Green Paper these conditions are suggested to be minor, needed only low level medical interventions to achieve recovery. However these medical interventions are not going to be instigated by the claimant’s GP, but by a Job Centre Employment Advisor rebranded as a Work Coach, one of whose roles is to triage claimants and decide what would be appropriate treatment for them, where treatment consists of a Work Programme. This triaging will take place at a Health and Work interview whilst the claimant is still in the early stages of ESA, prior to the actual Work Capability Assessment.

What is concerning is that claimants are to be offered treatment as part of their work programme, with provision being via charities, community groups and computers. The emphasis throughout the Green Paper is the coalescing of work and health, as it’s suggested continually that work is not just a health outcome, but also a route to recovery. Obviously if this were true then people wouldn’t leave work due to illness.

No-one is ignored in this Green Paper; the elderly, the unemployed, the sick and carers are all potential units of productivity. The only group exempted are those with disabilities who have good health – for them there is little or no support offered or planned, which is ironic given the Government target of halving the disability employment gap.

This Green Paper should be read with caution; it works excessively hard at not justifying the cut it refuses to mention, and to distract the reader by painting sick people as a hairs-breadth away from recovery – which of course the Government is prepared to supply in the most ‘cost effective’ and consequently ineffective way possible."

[tinyclanger2]

By-election round up - thanks AK

[RogerOThornhill]

Oops.

https://skwawkbox.org/2017/02/15/exclus ... hey-didnt/

Paul Nuttall’s latest attempt to squirm out of responsibility for his Hillsborough guilt is, apparently, to claim that the article – ‘accidentally’ created by UKIP press officer Lynda Roughley – was posted before the BBC article that quotes him making his ‘close pals’ claim.

In other words, Roughley put up an incorrect article on his website and the BBC copied it – creating a false impression that he had personally made the claim, therefore he wasn’t lying when he denied making the claim to Radio City yesterday.

but...

As you can see, the creation date/time of the BBC article is 17 August2011 at 14.44pm and 48 seconds.

The creation date/time of Nuttall’s entry is 17 August 2011 at 15.39 and 56 seconds – almost a full hour later.

In other words, Nuttall gave his quote to the BBC, who then put it on their website. And and 55 minutes later, Nuttall or his ‘staffers’ (cough) copied it to his blog.

Mr Nuttall’s latest, feeble excuse is exposed as yet another lie – in spite of his attempts to be clever by removing the evidence. Don’t you just love the internet?