Monday 1st February 2016

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 6:52 pm

seeingclearly wrote:
HindleA wrote:But if you live in Aviemore,it is freezing for a week during November to March,and eligible,a possibility of £25 will be yours.You have got to look at the overall context,apparently.
You could have lived off that in '63, no less hypothetical than now.

I feel rich if I have £25 quid spare in my purse. In fact even a tenner puts a smile on my face.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 6:55 pm

Paul Waugh ‏@paulwaugh 4m4 minutes ago
At PLP, John McDonnell won applause for his attacks on the Govt on Googletax. He was not asked about border controls, one MP tells me

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 6:57 pm

It depends on which weather station you come under,there are 92.

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:00 pm

HindleA wrote:I sometimes feel quilty of the support we received,and then remind myself I shouldn't and direct anger because other's didn't/don't.I simply do not understand why what I see as obvious others see as an intracteable problem.It really isn't,shorn of boxed ideological warped thinking.Twelve years of investment -amalgamation that includes crucially benefits/allowances that saved money,dignified a far too short a life to the maximum.If for one,we are quite capable for all.

You are right, you shouldn't. Ever.

The intractable problem is a new generation of administrators, workers and so on who are instructed to think and act differently. The big difference being once such thing were regarded as rights, today they are regarded as some kind of privilege, i.e. count youself lucky you get anything at all. Most certainly not anything you need to feel guilty about, though in hindsight there were some warnings, virtually nobody had any idea of exactly what was on the way. Not in any area of our interaction with the state. See the womens pensions issue, and so much more. Legal aid? Education? Who could have predicted the bizarre and warped genius of such thinkers as IDS, Gove, Osbourn, Grayling, May, and the great liar in chief?

It wasn't ever a perfect system it had to be fought for, one way or another. Like adaptations only arriving in the last weeks of life, a world made accessible too late to be of benefit, but accepted because it represented hope for the carer concerned. When we thought of welfare reform we hoped for better not worse, there are still many who disbelieve the underlying motivation and say but we had the reforms so everything HAS TO BE better. Making liars of those of us who know better.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:01 pm

Anyway how could he reel off all those benefits,I thought IDS was simplifying things,he used to bemoan their existence,now he is (in lieu) heralding them,interesting.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:01 pm

Labour challenges Cameron over release of Thatcher archive papers

David Cameron is fuelling suspicions that he wants to prevent proper scrutiny of the “danger years” of
Margaret Thatcher’s government after the number of Downing Street papers from the mid-1980s released
under an official scheme fell by 90%, Andy Burnham has said.

Burnham spoke out after the House of Commons library confirmed a fall in the number of Downing Street
papers released last December under the official 20-30 year rule system. The library confirmed that 58
papers from Thatcher’s office from 1986-88 were released in December 2015 compared with around 500
papers from Downing Street and the Cabinet Office released in every previous December since 2010.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016 ... ive-papers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:01 pm

Meanwhile in Spain ...

Staff aged over 53 can stay home on 68% salary, says Telefónica
Spanish telecoms group aims to cut debt by asking employees with 15 years’ service not to come to work, with chance to return
http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... -68-salary" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This sounds like a pretty enlightened response to me.

Contrast with the you must work till you are almost ready to die - even though we know there aren't really any jobs for you attitude from our government.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:03 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
seeingclearly wrote:
HindleA wrote:But if you live in Aviemore,it is freezing for a week during November to March,and eligible,a possibility of £25 will be yours.You have got to look at the overall context,apparently.
You could have lived off that in '63, no less hypothetical than now.
I feel rich if I have £25 quid spare in my purse. In fact even a tenner puts a smile on my face.

Know how you feel Ohso. Finding an unexpected fiver can be a real delight.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:10 pm

: McDonnell To Osborne.jpg (27.91 KiB) Viewed 5027 times

Paul Waugh ‏@paulwaugh 7m7 minutes ago
Letter from @johnmcdonnellMP tonight to Osborne. Note the "live broadcast" bit

Not surprised McDonnell got applause in the PLP meeting.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:11 pm

Oh he did answer some questions

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ia ... op-7287579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Iain Duncan Smith refuses to stop "despicable" Bedroom Tax as he keeps spiralling legal costs secret

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:15 pm

Lovely little slogan BTL on the Telegraph's Tory MP tells WASPI women to claim benefits story:

BobMex • 23 minutes ago
What was it Cameron called his government.
"The meanest ever"

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:23 pm

http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/9336/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CPAG is urgently looking for case studies following the Court of Appeal’s decision in R(Rutherford) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2016] EWCA Civ 29, which is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court. We are keen to hear about any families with disabled children who have been affected by the housing benefit size criteria (or “the bedroom tax”) because they need an extra room for a carer or carers to stay overnight. The families may be renting in the private or the social rented sector.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:25 pm

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

Departmental questions send IDS into Downfall overdrive
John Crace

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:27 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
HindleA wrote:Cold weather payments -£25 if minus for a week,a couple of years this happened once in Aviemore.
Don't think we've ever had it like that down here ...The winter of 62/3 maybe? but not since. Not constantly for a whole week. We get minus with the windchill factor but that goes up and down and rarely lasts more than a few days. It's still damn cold though. It's been like that for the last couple of weeks or so...

Winter of, if I am right, 2001 we got home from the US in freezing weather to a stone cold house, but the weather there had been much worse. I was disabled freelancer, can't remember why I was eligible. The 25 quid was more than welcome, we were skint. The holiday was an unrefusable gift, everything paid for, having nothing to spend at all in America was a less than comfortable experience, breakfast cost more than that. The things that make up gratitude and guilt.

There was a winter maybe it was 1990/1 the last real blizzards and substantial snow on the ground, Worcestershire under a blanket. This year though it really is the wind, today has been full of howling and whistling, very chilly but the ambient temperature apparently very mild.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:29 pm

Roy Lilley ‏@RoyLilley 36m36 minutes ago
@rogerkline Have a look at this http://www.nhsemployers.org/~/media/Emp ... 0final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … I don't see where we go from here. Just more strikes and for longer.

Letter from the chief negotatiators for NHS England to the junior doctors. Not sure I would be reassured by the concessions so far. The payments an employer Trust would have to make should they exceed the maximum working hours regulations don't seem very much and will stay within the Trust itself ... so can't really see that they will have much of a deterrent effect.

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:32 pm

Did we have the news of GOOGLE involvement with HMRC? Article yesterday in the Mirror.

Is there no end to the way government is hollowing out?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 7:52 pm

#WASPI Campaign ‏@WASPI_Campaign 2m2 minutes ago
Dear Minister Vara. At the risk of repeating ourselves AGAIN #WASPI is not campaigning for a SPA of 60yo...

utopiandreams · Post by **utopiandreams** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:05 pm

@citizenJA

David Cameron is fuelling suspicions that he wants to prevent proper scrutiny of the “danger years” of
Margaret Thatcher’s government...

Fuelling suspicion? His desire for no scrutiny has been foremost in my mind just lately. Regarding Maggie her phrase of the enemy within was about the only truth she uttered... and true to form, as with her children, the Cabinet Office was otherwise known as the Projection Room.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:06 pm

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... P=soc_3156" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lego’s plastic wheelchair guy is a seismic shift in a toy box
Rebecca Atkinson

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:07 pm

Economists to Cameron: refugee crisis response 'morally unacceptable'
In open letter to PM, more than 120 leading economists including former UN and World Bank officials say UK can do far more

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/f ... e#comments" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A good article. I like cooperation and responsible action. Reactionary counter measures intentionally stoking fear among human beings who mostly like to get along with others isn't nice. What the hell point is there surviving in some bunker gated community thing? Crisis creation is done on purpose because it's one way to hang onto to power. Me, I don't like power for its own sake. My best work was done with a team of people. We helped each other do a job. It was good work. We had a good time. No one got hurt. No enemies.

There's twenty comments below the line. The comments are closed at this time. JBowers posted a couple contributions before the thread closed; I like JBowers, myself. It's interesting reading though most of the posts aren't kind.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:13 pm

Worth reading - particularly with 'we need to understand what the Tories are thinking to prepare ourselves accordingly' in mind.

Tim Montgomerie ن ‏@montie 11h11 hours ago
Coming up: The nine things I think I learnt about British political scene from my month back in London http://capx.co/george-osborne-probably- ... ry-leader/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … (On @CapX)

One of his conclusions is that the Tories will go for a snap election in 2019 - about 6 months after voting in a new leader.

Post by **refitman** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:17 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:Worth reading - particularly with 'we need to understand what the Tories are thinking to prepare ourselves accordingly' in mind.

Tim Montgomerie ن ‏@montie 11h11 hours ago
Coming up: The nine things I think I learnt about British political scene from my month back in London http://capx.co/george-osborne-probably- ... ry-leader/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … (On @CapX)
One of his conclusions is that the Tories will go for a snap election in 2019 - about 6 months after voting in a new leader.

I thought the fixed term Parliament act didn't allow for that, without an overwhelming majority of the House voting for it?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:20 pm

Alex Cunningham ‏@ACunninghamMP 17m17 minutes ago
1/2million 50s born women know the Tories/libdems have stuffed them on pensions and every one has a vote #WASPI. They need to use it

I wonder if there will be a piece on LibDemVoice about the WASPI debate?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:25 pm

refitman wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:Worth reading - particularly with 'we need to understand what the Tories are thinking to prepare ourselves accordingly' in mind.

Tim Montgomerie ن ‏@montie 11h11 hours ago
Coming up: The nine things I think I learnt about British political scene from my month back in London http://capx.co/george-osborne-probably- ... ry-leader/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … (On @CapX)
One of his conclusions is that the Tories will go for a snap election in 2019 - about 6 months after voting in a new leader.
I thought the fixed term Parliament act didn't allow for that, without an overwhelming majority of the House voting for it?

I don't understand the fixed term Parliament act ins and outs so you may well be right. But that's what he's citing as coming from a current government bod.

Editing to add:

One Cabinet minister told me to view this parliament as an Australian-style three year term that will begin after Brexit has been rejected and end in a snap election in 2019 – shortly after the new Tory leader has been chosen.

55DegreesNorth · Post by **55DegreesNorth** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:28 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
HindleA wrote:Cold weather payments -£25 if minus for a week,a couple of years this happened once in Aviemore.
Don't think we've ever had it like that down here ...The winter of 62/3 maybe? but not since. Not constantly for a whole week. We get minus with the windchill factor but that goes up and down and rarely lasts more than a few days. It's still damn cold though. It's been like that for the last couple of weeks or so...

I used to cycle to work every day, so had a keen awareness of the weather. In the winter that never ended, 2011, there was frost/ice/snow on the ground every day from the end of November till the end of March. Not sure what the average daily air temperatures were, but that must have triggered cold weather payments. I recorded -12C in my backyard.
Falling off my bike was probably a contributory factor to the subsequent 4 years of back surgery.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:33 pm

Briefcase Michael ‏@BriefcaseMike 1h1 hour ago
If one thing could turn me against the EU it would be EU leaders agreeing to Cameron's idiotic, self-serving demands. #c4news

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:36 pm

Bonnie Greer ‏@Bonn1eGreer 60m60 minutes ago Brent, London
@lallys #Trump's not going to #POTUS. He won't even be nominated by #GOP. That'll tear that Party apart. He'll go 3rd party & create chaos

That's the hopeful scenario.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:40 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Briefcase Michael ‏@BriefcaseMike 1h1 hour ago
If one thing could turn me against the EU it would be EU leaders agreeing to Cameron's idiotic, self-serving demands. #c4news

I'm ever more certain Cameron secretly wants us out of the EU. Or at least doesn't really care one way or the other.

Hobiejoe · Post by **Hobiejoe** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:42 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
refitman wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:Worth reading - particularly with 'we need to understand what the Tories are thinking to prepare ourselves accordingly' in mind.
One of his conclusions is that the Tories will go for a snap election in 2019 - about 6 months after voting in a new leader.
I thought the fixed term Parliament act didn't allow for that, without an overwhelming majority of the House voting for it?
I don't understand the fixed term Parliament act ins and outs so you may well be right. But that's what he's citing as coming from a current government bod.

Editing to add:
One Cabinet minister told me to view this parliament as an Australian-style three year term that will begin after Brexit has been rejected and end in a snap election in 2019 – shortly after the new Tory leader has been chosen.

Obviously not under the No Confidence clause, because coalition or straight majority the government will win, but presumably under the 2/3rds support of the house. Call for an election and hurl "Anti-democratic" at anybody who opposes it.

Win-win for the bastard party. Again.

Bastards.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 8:45 pm

Hobiejoe wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
refitman wrote: I thought the fixed term Parliament act didn't allow for that, without an overwhelming majority of the House voting for it?
I don't understand the fixed term Parliament act ins and outs so you may well be right. But that's what he's citing as coming from a current government bod.

Editing to add:
One Cabinet minister told me to view this parliament as an Australian-style three year term that will begin after Brexit has been rejected and end in a snap election in 2019 – shortly after the new Tory leader has been chosen.
Obviously not under the No Confidence clause, because coalition or straight majority the government will win, but presumably under the 2/3rds support of the house. Call for an election and hurl "Anti-democratic" at anybody who opposes it.

Win-win for the bastard party. Again.

Bastards.

And probably done before those of us in seats where boundary reviews are likely to have forced change arounds have been able to get our heads around the new arrangements and got our campaigning acts together. The Tories will, of course, have had plenty of advance notice of any necessary preparations - and the specific electoral bribes will have been put in place.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 9:24 pm

Hobiejoe wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
refitman wrote: I thought the fixed term Parliament act didn't allow for that, without an overwhelming majority of the House voting for it?
I don't understand the fixed term Parliament act ins and outs so you may well be right. But that's what he's citing as coming from a current government bod.

Editing to add:
One Cabinet minister told me to view this parliament as an Australian-style three year term that will begin after Brexit has been rejected and end in a snap election in 2019 – shortly after the new Tory leader has been chosen.
Obviously not under the No Confidence clause, because coalition or straight majority the government will win, but presumably under the 2/3rds support of the house. Call for an election and hurl "Anti-democratic" at anybody who opposes it.

Win-win for the bastard party. Again.

Bastards.

I'll match your bastard, and raise you three.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 9:29 pm

John Harris article

Long hours, endless admin and angry parents – why schools just can’t get the teachers

British schools are reporting a classroom crisis, with thousands of disaffected teachers leaving the profession, and new graduates discouraged from training because of the daily stress and grind. And with the number of state school pupils set to rise by a million by 2022, the problem is only getting worse

http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... ress-grind" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 9:48 pm

What the heck does Labour 'normalisation' mean? Compliant to tory values and ideology?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 10:12 pm

seeingclearly wrote:What the heck does Labour 'normalisation' mean? Compliant to tory values and ideology?

'normalisation'?

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 10:14 pm

Tim Montgomerie article.

Or is it an s/z issue?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 10:45 pm

seeingclearly wrote:Tim Montgomerie article.

Or is it an s/z issue?

I don't like Tim Montgomerie's work.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 11:21 pm

Isabel Oakeshott Retweeted
Vote Leave ‏@vote_leave 3h3 hours ago
BREAKING - Dan Korski and Number 10 spads are ringing round FTSE CEOs to tell them to sign up to a letter backing the PM's EU deal

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 11:34 pm

Albert Owen MP ‏@AlbertOwenMP 2h2 hours ago
Leanne Wood in hypocrisy row for using American firm to build campaign website http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales ... ar_twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … No Welsh firm good enough 4 PC leader

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 11:36 pm

Fiona Mactaggart Retweeted
TheInvisibleWoman ‏@TheVintageYear 5h5 hours ago
Only 22% of 1950s women will qualify for the full flat rate (£155?) SP provision. Appalling. #WASPI

That really is disgraceful. The lies about a 'flat rate' pension become ever more apparent.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 01 Feb, 2016 11:42 pm

Ian Mearns MP ‏@IanMearnsMP 3h3 hours ago
Keep hearing rumours that the Government are considering legislating for a fully Academised school system by end of this Parliament

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 02 Feb, 2016 12:12 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Ian Mearns MP ‏@IanMearnsMP 3h3 hours ago
Keep hearing rumours that the Government are considering legislating for a fully Academised school system by end of this Parliament

Hardly a secret that (i) Cameron wants all schools as academies by 2020 and (ii) there's a White Paper in the offing.

But...and it's a big but...the DfE accounts are in a horrific mess right now. 2013/4 were qualified. 2014/15 are likely to be too according to the outgoing PermSec.

And they used a Statutory Instrument to delay putting their accounts before Parliament by the end of January and out it back to the end of April! Neil Carmichael was not pleased at all and will almost certainly demand that DfE officials appear before the Select Committee to explain themselves.

OK...5100 academies now. Over 16,000 left as LA maintained. Do the sums...

Plus, the backbenchers want fairer funding i.e. evening up between local authorities.

What's the impact of introducing fairer funding over the same period as converting over 16,000 schools...with them all having to change their year end date from March to August?

Full academization isn't a certainty by any means.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 02 Feb, 2016 1:11 am

RobertSnozers wrote: It certainly wasn't sensible to create CCGs and transfer responsibilities from PCTs in the time the last government did, and a lot of people said so, but they did it anyway. The idea was to put the new system beyond reversal by the time of the election. IMO it makes little sense to stop LAs creating new schools or expanding existing ones if you're not going to take them out of the picture altogether at some stage. They'll rush it through, it will create an almighty mess, probably with standards falling left right and centre and some high profile place shortages, but they won't care as long as LAs are erased from education.

Yes to all of this. People might wake up and realise afterwards that all they've done is recreate the old LA model...but with their own people in charge and all reporting directly to the Sec of State.

Imagine if Labour had suggested centralization on that scale? Stalinists!!

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Tue 02 Feb, 2016 5:37 am

citizenJA wrote:
seeingclearly wrote:Tim Montgomerie article.

Or is it an s/z issue?
I don't like Tim Montgomerie's work.

Nor me.