Easter Weekend - 25th-28th March 2016

mbc1955 · Post by **mbc1955** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 4:34 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
mbc1955 wrote:I'd be more impressed by Ted Cruz's righteous and rightful anger at Donald Drumpf attacking Cruz's wife if Cruz's side hadn't started it by attacking Melania Drumpf.

Is there anything lower than trying to get at someone by attacking their spouse?
Some rather lurid claims about Cruz have appeared in the National Enquirer.

If there is any truth to them, and the MSM runs with it, he has to be sunk surely?

I've never actually read the National Enquirer but my understanding of it is that it's reputation for reliability and accuracy runs somewhere beneath that of the Sunday Sport.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 4:49 pm

Temulkar wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:I've just remembered it wasn't Christchurch that had owned the land our house was on. It was Christ's Hospital...Knew it was something like that.

The museum was another regular stop if we were in town shopping. I can't remember seeing anything about the civil war, but there were lots of artifacts from the Roman remains at Silchester. A whole roomful of cases if my memory serves me correctly.

Funnily enough we never learnt about Reading's history at school.
I vaguely knew there had been action there, but not the extent until I was into my thirties, and dad brought home a small book on the History of Reading which was when I discovered that where we lived had been in the thick of it.
I think St Giles Church in Southampton St was utilised during the battle and think the original steeple was destroyed during it. My grandparents and our son were married there.
I have both sides of my family buried in St Mary's Churchyard in the Butts, although not many graves have survived.
The Roundhead cannoneers targetted St Giles steeple in the siege of 43, as it was one of the tallest buildings in the town. There was a prize for who could knock it down.

I've always lamented the lack of plaques informing the public of events that took place in Reading over the centuries, but it's always been a town that wasn't particularly interested in the past. Not if they could knock it down and rebuild...
Some lovely old buildings were knocked down during the sixties...

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 4:51 pm

One of their front pages.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 4:52 pm

mbc1955 wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:
mbc1955 wrote:I'd be more impressed by Ted Cruz's righteous and rightful anger at Donald Drumpf attacking Cruz's wife if Cruz's side hadn't started it by attacking Melania Drumpf.

Is there anything lower than trying to get at someone by attacking their spouse?
Some rather lurid claims about Cruz have appeared in the National Enquirer.

If there is any truth to them, and the MSM runs with it, he has to be sunk surely?
I've never actually read the National Enquirer but my understanding of it is that it's reputation for reliability and accuracy runs somewhere beneath that of the Sunday Sport.

Apparently they have quite a good track record in exposing embarrassing affairs, though, most memorably outing Tiger Woods who entertainingly drove into a tree in consequence, or some such. It was all very "shocking" and sensational, anyway, and rather dented his reputation when proved to be true.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:12 pm

yahyah wrote:

One of their front pages.

Cripes on a charger or some such.

And I thought our press was bad ...

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:13 pm

My daughter's supporting Trump

Going to have to keep my mouth shut - tight.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:13 pm

Carl Sargeant ‏@carlsargeant1 6h6 hours ago
Moratorium extended to underground coal gasification in Wales @welshlabour http://gov.wales/newsroom/environmentan ... m/?lang=en" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:19 pm

Sam Coates Times ‏@SamCoatesTimes 1h1 hour ago
Two MPs have called on Jeremy Corbyn to quit. Angela Smith and John Woodcock. First time people have gone public with demands he should go.

So helpful just as the real campaigning for May's elections gets underway. They must really have the best interests of the wider party and those out canvassing at heart eh.

Our CLP has written to the powers that be in the PLP requesting them to pull themselves together and get behind the leadership (without knives) - said in much politer terms though. The suggestion came from one of the longer term members who is pretty emollient and middle of the road in her approach - she's just had enough of their behaviour.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:21 pm

Mike Gingell added,
XXXXXXX @EricBurrows
@cothamboy54 @artyartist4

All public owned land can now be privatised without any opposition from the public.
The public is now deceased.

Mike Gingell ‏@cothamboy54 24 mins24 minutes ago
Mike Gingell Retweeted XXXXXXX

Guess who is exempt from the Bill? The Queen, and the aristocracy. It really is class war!

Is this right?

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:21 pm

Still miss him.

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

Had to delete the lovely pic of Ed M, came out way too big.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:28 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Sam Coates Times ‏@SamCoatesTimes 1h1 hour ago
Two MPs have called on Jeremy Corbyn to quit. Angela Smith and John Woodcock. First time people have gone public with demands he should go.
So helpful just as the real campaigning for May's elections gets underway. They must really have the best interests of the wider party and those out canvassing at heart eh.

Our CLP has written to the powers that be in the PLP requesting them to pull themselves together and get behind the leadership (without knives) - said in much politer terms though. The suggestion came from one of the longer term members who is pretty emollient and middle of the road in her approach - she's just had enough of their behaviour.

Sadie Robinson ‏@sadier01 39 mins39 minutes ago

Massive cheers and standing ovation at #nut16 for @jeremycorbyn

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 5:57 pm

Petition to ban David Cameron re-entering the UK reaches 1 million signatures in under an hour

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/03/25/peti ... r-an-hour/

Warning !!! Satirical, but the petition is genuine. I've signed it

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 6:01 pm

Chris Cox
‏@ChrisCox6

Funny how the most outspoken Blairite critics of Corbyn turn out to be a bit dodgy when it comes to honesty isn't it

Nice person altogether.

Hauled before the Parliamentary Commissioner for misuse of public funds...Found guilty. Had to pay it back.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 6:16 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
Petition to ban David Cameron re-entering the UK reaches 1 million signatures in under an hour

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/03/25/peti ... r-an-hour/
Warning !!! Satirical, but the petition is genuine. I've signed it

The real one is at change.org

2,000-plus already!

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 6:24 pm

RebeccaRiots - have you seen this in the Cambrian News ?

Ceredigion councillors are due to propose a motion this week calling for a badger cull.
http://www.cardigan-today.co.uk/article ... hyear=2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 6:28 pm

yahyah wrote:Still miss him.

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

Had to delete the lovely pic of Ed M, came out way too big.

Is this the one?

: Miliband.jpg (52.33 KiB) Viewed 4682 times

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 6:30 pm

Yes, thanks.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 6:40 pm

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... fare-codes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Government planning to repeal animal welfare codes

Poultry industry to oversee chicken-farming standards as ministers move to create industry-led deregulation

No point paying extra for "quality" British meat in future, then. This could easily lose the British farming industry the small edge it had. And that's before you get into the things that could go really badly wrong.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:00 pm

yahyah wrote:RebeccaRiots - have you seen this in the Cambrian News ?

Ceredigion councillors are due to propose a motion this week calling for a badger cull.
http://www.cardigan-today.co.uk/article ... hyear=2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's not just Ceredigion - Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire too. Concerted effort pre election by FUW, NFU, Countryside Alliance and related interests. The pressure on a diminished Labour is going to be to do a deal with Plaid (my bet) to allow badger culling to get their support. Time for you to write to your Plaid candidate and ask for their and their party's position on badger culling. Time also for me to write to Labour and tell them they should on no account do that deal - they will be giving up their achievement in reducing bovine TB incidence way ahead of England and Ireland who are both culling. And they would lose an active member overnight. I'm hoping Huw Irranca-Davies will stop Welsh Labour falling for that awful Plaid deal again.

If we get a Tory, Ukip coalition - Plaid and Lib Dem will support them on badger culling.

mbc1955 · Post by **mbc1955** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:12 pm

ephemerid wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:
Petition to ban David Cameron re-entering the UK reaches 1 million signatures in under an hour

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/03/25/peti ... r-an-hour/
Warning !!! Satirical, but the petition is genuine. I've signed it

The real one is at change.org

2,000-plus already!

Now over 4,000

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:23 pm

Angela Rayner MP ‏@AngelaRayner 21m21 minutes ago
Education Secretary "the public were unlikely to have strong feelings about changes to school governance" just how out of touch are Tories?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:31 pm

Chris Ship ‏@chrisshipitv 24m24 minutes ago
'Where's the evidence' asks Hampshire Tory Leader Roy Perry that forcing schools to become academies works? It isn't there, he criticises

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:33 pm

PoliticsHome ‏@politicshome 2m2 minutes ago
Recap: Natalie McGarry faces legal action over 'holocaust denier' tweet http://bit.ly/1Mpo6iU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:38 pm

I have a wild dream that this woeful and willful misrepresentation of just about every stat and argument by Nick Gibb, Nicky Morgan etc re the merits of forced academisation is waking up some influential Tories in a good way ... the kind of good way that makes them far more likely to examine other proposals and claims coming from Tory ministers far more critically. They are going to be shafted on education, shafted on housing - and, if they've got any sense, they will look hard at welfare issues from now on. They are the ones primarily going to be picking up the pieces from most of the central govt punishments now in force and those yet to come.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:56 pm

Mirror Politics ‏@MirrorPolitics 20m20 minutes ago
Tory shire councils revolt over plans to turn every school into an academy http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/an ... ls-7630921" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Mr Corbyn was given a standing ovation by delegates as he arrived at the conference and became the first Labour leader to address the NUT.

Ms Morgan is expected to hit back with a stinging attack on the NUT when she addresses the conference on Saturday.

Her plan to launch an outspoken attack on the union is already being seen in Tory circles as part of a leadership bid to succeed Mr Cameron.

Morgan's tactics to woo support for her plans and leadership chances seem almost Kendallesque. She hasn't twigged that it will be Tory members that vote for a leader ... and a lot of those members are peed off about these proposals? She seems to be playing to another audience (no idea which audience it is though) to prove her toughy credentials.

The Tories really are heaving with quality in their choices for the next leader eh. Osborne, Johnson, Morgan ... and I see others are now touting Gove. My what a pleasant prospect that leadership contest is.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 7:57 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:I have a wild dream that this woeful and willful misrepresentation of just about every stat and argument by Nick Gibb, Nicky Morgan etc re the merits of forced academisation is waking up some influential Tories in a good way ... the kind of good way that makes them far more likely to examine other proposals and claims coming from Tory ministers far more critically. They are going to be shafted on education, shafted on housing - and, if they've got any sense, they will look hard at welfare issues from now on. They are the ones primarily going to be picking up the pieces from most of the central govt punishments now in force and those yet to come.

They'll probably be bought off, subsidised, treated differently than non-Tory local authorities.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 8:09 pm

citizenJA wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:I have a wild dream that this woeful and willful misrepresentation of just about every stat and argument by Nick Gibb, Nicky Morgan etc re the merits of forced academisation is waking up some influential Tories in a good way ... the kind of good way that makes them far more likely to examine other proposals and claims coming from Tory ministers far more critically. They are going to be shafted on education, shafted on housing - and, if they've got any sense, they will look hard at welfare issues from now on. They are the ones primarily going to be picking up the pieces from most of the central govt punishments now in force and those yet to come.
They'll probably be bought off, subsidised, treated differently than non-Tory local authorities.

I hope you're not right on that - but I understand why it's a prospect. I think this is rather like Universal Credit - almost impossible to implement. But it is going to give the Tories very bad press ... remains to be seen how long Cameron will allow that to happen before he backtracks in part or full. After all, he can't allow his popularity to fall much further behind Corbyns!

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 8:21 pm

WalesOnline ‏@WalesOnline 22h22 hours ago
Ukip's troubles in the run up to the Assembly elections continue http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/polit ... e-11094732" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Wales does not deserve this ... The people that vote for them will though. Wake up ... please.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 8:22 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:I have a wild dream that this woeful and willful misrepresentation of just about every stat and argument by Nick Gibb, Nicky Morgan etc re the merits of forced academisation is waking up some influential Tories in a good way ... the kind of good way that makes them far more likely to examine other proposals and claims coming from Tory ministers far more critically. They are going to be shafted on education, shafted on housing - and, if they've got any sense, they will look hard at welfare issues from now on. They are the ones primarily going to be picking up the pieces from most of the central govt punishments now in force and those yet to come.
They'll probably be bought off, subsidised, treated differently than non-Tory local authorities.
I hope you're not right on that - but I understand why it's a prospect. I think this is rather like Universal Credit - almost impossible to implement. But it is going to give the Tories very bad press ... remains to be seen how long Cameron will allow that to happen before he backtracks in part or full. After all, he can't allow his popularity to fall much further behind Corbyns!

I hope I'm wrong too.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 8:24 pm

Tory government will hopefully face a crisis of legitimacy in response to their cavalier, self-indulgent manner.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 8:39 pm

Three local council byelections this week:

Kettering DC - Tory hold, with a healthy increase since last year to over half the vote (though the fact that the Tories were only opposed by single candidates from other parties for this two member ward clouds things somewhat) in a traditionally safe area. Labour second down by about 6%, not far ahead of UKIP who fell by a smaller amount. Greens also down about 6%, and LibDems getting just 3% in their first showing here since 2007 (when boundary changes came into effect) Notably, there was little swing here compared to the 2011 elections - which backs up the idea the apparent good showing of the Tories compared with GE day may be slightly deceptive.

Allerdale DC - two vacancies here; the first was a Labour hold of a normally safe ward with close to two thirds of the vote - indeed, so safe that last May saw three Labour councillors returned unopposed. Previous elections had seen Independents offer the only real opposition - indeed in both 2007 and 2011 the sole opposition was provided by a single Indy candidate, who was just a handful of votes from beating the last Labour candidate nine years ago before falling back four years later. This time round that mantle was seemingly taken up by UKIP who fell just short of 30%, though that still meant they lost by more than 2 to 1 - with a highly token Tory candidate coming a distant last. The other contest saw an Independent gain from the Tories, thus reverting to the situation in 2011 when an (ex-Tory) Independent won this single member ward easily (it had actually been an unopposed Tory return in both 2003 and 2007) This was a fragmented field, with the winner scoring less than a third of the vote - not far ahead of Labour who did not stand on GE day but clearly improved on their previous showing in 2011 (a slightly better Labour performance would have seen them take effective control of the council, so this result was far from insignificant) Tories were pushed into third with their share over halved since last year, from nearly half to under a quarter, followed by UKIP who were slightly down - but they still leapfrogged the Greens who saw their share drop by two thirds to just 5%.

Five contests next week to finish March.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 8:53 pm

Lucy Powell MP ‏@LucyMPowell 2h2 hours ago
In Nicky Morgan's latest interview she says education has never come up on doorstep. She needs to get out more. Places esp comes up a lot

Nicky MorganVerified account
‏@NickyMorgan01
@LucyMPowell If education was a local election issue then we'd have no Labour councils left given their failure to tackle underperformance

Lucy Powell MP ‏@LucyMPowell 10m10 minutes ago
Lucy Powell MP Retweeted Nicky Morgan
Seriously Nicky, is this your first and only response to me, given the very important questions raised?

Good on you Lucy Powell.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 10:36 pm

Read the G article on John Woodcock calling for Corbyn to go ... and felt the familiar depression at the unrelenting damage exercise. Then saw a comment BTL saying there wasn't a single supportive message for Woodcock on his Facebook page ... had a look and they seem to be right (I'm not at the end yet). That cheered me up. And, so far, these are not abusive comments posted - they are people / Labour members and voters who are really fed up with his behaviour.

https://www.facebook.com/John-Woodcock- ... fref=photo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 10:39 pm

For your utter delight:

How a government can beat the BMA.
http://www.conservativehome.com/thetory ... e-bma.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 10:50 pm

Watch Corbyn condemns academisation and wins sanding ovation.

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/br ... ng-ovation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 25 Mar, 2016 11:25 pm

seeingclearly wrote:For your utter delight:

How a government can beat the BMA.
http://www.conservativehome.com/thetory ... e-bma.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is disturbing.
School, land give-aways to private companies, denigrating the working conditions of medical personnel, driving junior doctors to strike - it's all terrifying.

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 12:43 am

People with professional jobs are starting to support Corbyn, he must have something they have been missing, something they think we need. That is good.

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 3:26 am

Man suffering from severe brain disorder is told to get a job.

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2016/03/2 ... get-a-job/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 3:39 am

For hope! Enjoy.

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

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 3:44 am

Unison chief says more than 200,000 care workers are paid less than the minimum wage.

http://money.aol.co.uk/2016/03/22/uniso ... e_facebook" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 7:16 am

Good morning.

The Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard are conducting a readers' poll on who they think is the best person to be PM - Corbyn or Cameron.

In Wiltshire there are 7 constituencies, all with Tory MPs; in Gloucestershire there are 6, also all with Tory MPs.

The poll currently has 95% of voters preferring Corbyn as PM, with just 5% for Cameron.

I know Gloucestershire very well; I lived there for 20 years. It's a "conservative" sort of place.
In both Glos and Wilts, the main opposition is split fairly evenly between Labour and the LibDems.

I appreciate that a little poll in a local paper with not a lot of circulation doesn't count for much - but I think it's interesting that in an area that's quite rural, lots of farming, and in some places a very well-heeled population, the vote against Cameron as PM is so high.
Mark Harper (Forest of Dean) and Justin Tomlinson (Swindon North), both henchmen for IDS and his appalling reforms, both increased their majorities slightly in the last GE; I wonder whether the tide is beginning to turn, and if they'd so as well if we had a vote now?

John Woodcock is an arse.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 7:20 am

Morning all. This is what we're undergoing at the moment.

Via Michael Rosen. Thanks to Gove and Morgan, this is what 10/11 year olds can typically expect to find in their upcoming tests.

'Tick the sentence where the highlighted word is used as a subordinating conjunction

He was at school BEFORE you.

She did her homework UNTIL dinnertime.

Do not undo your seatbelt, UNTIL the car has stopped.

WHEN the sun is out, we will go outside.'

Anyone care to confidently choose? Anyone care to explain how they'd outline this to a young child?

http://michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/ ... l.html?m=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

danesclose · Post by **danesclose** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 8:15 am

ephemerid wrote:Good morning.

The Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard are conducting a readers' poll on who they think is the best person to be PM - Corbyn or Cameron.

In Wiltshire there are 7 constituencies, all with Tory MPs; in Gloucestershire there are 6, also all with Tory MPs.

The poll currently has 95% of voters preferring Corbyn as PM, with just 5% for Cameron.

I know Gloucestershire very well; I lived there for 20 years. It's a "conservative" sort of place.
In both Glos and Wilts, the main opposition is split fairly evenly between Labour and the LibDems.

I appreciate that a little poll in a local paper with not a lot of circulation doesn't count for much - but I think it's interesting that in an area that's quite rural, lots of farming, and in some places a very well-heeled population, the vote against Cameron as PM is so high.
Mark Harper (Forest of Dean) and Justin Tomlinson (Swindon North), both henchmen for IDS and his appalling reforms, both increased their majorities slightly in the last GE; I wonder whether the tide is beginning to turn, and if they'd so as well if we had a vote now?

John Woodcock is an arse.

Morning.
Do you have a link to the poll? I live in Wiltshire, and any non-Tory opposition outside of Swindon tends to be Lib-Dem or even worse UKIP (the fragrant Christine Hamilton was rumoured to be standing in North Wilts last year. The incumbent MP is the charming James Gray, the man who left his wife when she was diagnosed with breast cancer)

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 8:24 am

Two interesting articles I've been reading - simonduffy.blogspot.uk on social security reforms, and a new article in the Indy on the neglect (and n some cases deaths) of children in families cleansed out of London, http://www.indepndent.co.uk/news/uk/hom ... dren-dying" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dr.Duffy says that 60% of council spending goes on children and adults with disabilities; council budgets have been cut by between 30% and 60%.
Half a million adults who used to get social care don't any more; those who do are often getting less care; and there are more cuts to come.

Between 2011 and 2015, nearly 65,000 homeless families were moved around the capital with 4,000 moved out of London altogether; the Indy article is scathing of the "Notify" system, which is not being used properly (if at all) so vulnerable people are being moved about; the services which kept an eye on them are not being informed, and neither are the authorities in the new places they're being sent to.
As a result, the Indy has identified 4 deaths of children due to neglect or abuse that could have been avoided; I am inclined to think there are more, as this whole system is not joined up in any way; and councils, once they've shifted people, no longer accept any responsibility for them.

It's all very well the government having showy faux-initiatives like the Troubled Families Programme (which does not work and is a sinful waste of time, money, and resources) but how do they know where these families are? If this social cleansing carries on, they'll all disappear.
Most of this is largely confined to London - but it will happen elsewhere if it is allowed to continue.

Since the coalition took office, 8,000 homes for rent in the social sector in London have been lost via regeneration schemes that do not replace like-for-like. What has been built for "affordable" rents is much more expensive, some places costing 80% of market rates.

This is a real mess. Councils in some places do their best under very difficult circumstances; but some are not, and it's very worrying.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 8:28 am

http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news ... efer_as_PM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 9:04 am

"Making Jeremy Hunt the health secretary is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house"

Paul O'Grady on his sister's recent heart attack and the crisis in the NHS.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... B-Liv-main" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

martinson · Post by **martinson** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 9:09 am

ephemerid wrote:http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news ... efer_as_PM

Good morning. An amazing if small poll, of course we don't know how many readers have bothered to vote so I did! Wouldn't it be wonderful if different creeds of voter were now attracted by the obvious decency and sincerity of JC maybe understated but certainly principled when set against the complete opposite with the awful Tory leadership - even if not yet agreeing with his policies. In this scenario could the strident and factless criticism of the likes of Woodcock work in his favour?
Wishful Easter musings!
I hope that you all have a peaceful weekend.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 9:59 am

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opi ... -1-7818129" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tom Richmond: Unfit for high office, the unapologetic George Osborne fails his test of a civilised society

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 10:19 am

StephenDolan wrote:Morning all. This is what we're undergoing at the moment.

Via Michael Rosen. Thanks to Gove and Morgan, this is what 10/11 year olds can typically expect to find in their upcoming tests.

'Tick the sentence where the highlighted word is used as a subordinating conjunction

He was at school BEFORE you.

She did her homework UNTIL dinnertime.

Do not undo your seatbelt, UNTIL the car has stopped.

WHEN the sun is out, we will go outside.'

Anyone care to confidently choose? Anyone care to explain how they'd outline this to a young child?

http://michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/ ... l.html?m=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not a clue...

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Sat 26 Mar, 2016 10:38 am

ohsocynical wrote:
StephenDolan wrote:Morning all. This is what we're undergoing at the moment.

Via Michael Rosen. Thanks to Gove and Morgan, this is what 10/11 year olds can typically expect to find in their upcoming tests.

'Tick the sentence where the highlighted word is used as a subordinating conjunction

He was at school BEFORE you.

She did her homework UNTIL dinnertime.

Do not undo your seatbelt, UNTIL the car has stopped.

WHEN the sun is out, we will go outside.'

Anyone care to confidently choose? Anyone care to explain how they'd outline this to a young child?

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Not a clue...

Well the first two are prepositions aren't they? Although the first sentence is highly ambiguous in any case. I'm fairly sure it's the last one and probably the third one too. Why do kids need this?

edited to undo clusterf* posting.