Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th June 2015

[citizenJA]

I love a rhubarb crumble.

If there was a way of beaming one up to you citizen - I'd do it. It's one of Mr Riots favourite essential yummy puds.

I love you, RR2, I love my friends here.
I'm going to rest now.
I'll read you all again soon.
xx
cJA

[AngryAsWell]

Labour leadership candidates face off over education, Europe and Scotland

http://labourlist.org/2015/06/labour-le ... -scotland/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AngryAsWell]

It’s not only what Britain can get but what it can give to Europe that matters

http://www.britishinfluence.org/it_s_no ... at_matters" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is an article on here that answered the JCB question that someone put yesterday, about what was in leaving the EU for the company - I'll see if I can find it.

[AngryAsWell]

What precisely is this EU “red tape” that JCB speaks of?

http://www.britishinfluence.org/what_pr ... _speaks_of" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ohsocynical]

With a bit of ice-cream on the side.

Or custard. I particularly like custard with it...

Which reminds me. I bought a jar of Rhubarb & Custard jam from Aldi the other day.

Horrible!!!!

What on earth possessed you to do that Ohso?! It sounds horrid right from the off - let alone actually tasting it.

It was ever so cheap

[PorFavor]

Rhubarb and custard jam? Bloody EU . . . .

[frightful_oik]

Planted some rhubarb yesterday. Can't eat any until next year though . It is wrong, very wrong, to eat rhubarb crumble with anything other than custard.

[ohsocynical]

Well - looks as if rhubarb's a thread no-no.

[AnatolyKasparov]

I thought the utter thrills 'n' spills of the England v RoI football match had left everybody speechless

[RogerOThornhill]

I thought the utter thrills 'n' spills of the England v RoI football match had left everybody speechless

Not for me - I turned over to the athletics. Not only Greg Rutherford and Adam Gemili in great form but Dina Asher-Smith...our fastest woman ever over 100m and now 2nd fastest over 200m. And still only 19 and in the middle of a history degree at KCL. Wonderful talent.

[PorFavor]

Well - looks as if rhubarb's a thread no-no.

Ha!

[RogerOThornhill]

Well, this was my thought precisely the other day...

Fiona Millar
‏@schooltruth
Genuinely puzzled by why it is suddenly OK to want every public service EXCEPT education to be devolved to a local level.

https://twitter.com/schooltruth/status/ ... 6026380288

I'd love it if Manchester start kicking up a fuss because they get told they can't have schools under their control. What possible reason could the government give which doesn't then sound like they're being hypocritical?

[ohsocynical]

I thought the utter thrills 'n' spills of the England v RoI football match had left everybody speechless

Not for me - I turned over to the athletics. Not only Greg Rutherford and Adam Gemili in great form but Dina Asher-Smith...our fastest woman ever over 100m and now 2nd fastest over 200m. And still only 19 and in the middle of a history degree at KCL. Wonderful talent.

I've always enjoyed watching Athletics...
I hope Adam Gemili hasn't done too much damage to himself.

And now Farah is in the middle of some sort of drug scandal.

I'd really like to see a life time ban for anyone that's caught...It might clean the sport up.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Elections in Turkey have seen the main pro-Kurdish party win its highest support ever, and the first handful of Armenian MPs since the genocide (a term you can't use there) a century ago.

[ohsocynical]

It was described as a 'mopping up exercise’ when new charges for day centres in the borough were voted through.
The executive of Wokingham Borough Council unanimously voted to remove subsidising of day care centres.
Julian McGhee-Sumner, executive member for health and well being, introduced the motion at the meeting on Thursday last week.
He said: “This is a mopping up exercise. At our meeting on January 29 we made the decision to take away some of the subsidies [for social] care but we missed out the day centres’ charges.”
Anyone with more than £14,500 in savings will be expected to contribute towards their social care. A sliding scale will then apply up to those with savings of £23,250, who will have to pay the whole cost of their care.

The new charges began to take hold on June 1 but users will not face a weekly increase of more than £50 until March 2017.
Jane Porter, manager at the Wokingham Area Day Centre said said the charges could have a large impact on people who are already struggling but only time will tell.
“It will impact on people. I don’t think there’s enough being done for the elderly. The elderly always get hit.
“For a number of years, we have had what is called referral from the council. If people are below that limit they get help from the council.
“It’s hard to say what the impact will be because Wokingham is meant to be an affluent borough.”
By stopping the subsidies, the council expects to save £12,500 in the current financial year and a total of £57,500 in the next three years.
The council’s report says an administrative error in the Medium Term Financial Plan 2015/18 accidentally included the subsidy. Last week’s decision corrected this mistake.

Cllr McGhee-Sumner, speaking after the meeting, said savings were calculated from money in the bank rather than assets including people’s homes.
He said, in line with national guidance, some people with more than £23,250 in savings would still receive money for their care if they had a serious disability.
“We judge each case based on its merits to the government-tailored plans. We are trying to make it fairer for everyone.” - See more at:

http://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/new ... qIid5.dpuf

[ohsocynical]

I posted how private tenants voted yesterday.

Britain Elects
‏@britainelects
How those in social housing voted in #GE2015 (YouGov megapoll):
LAB - 45%
CON - 20%
UKIP - 18%
LDEM - 5%
GRN - 3%

[PorFavor]

Goodnight, everyone.

[refitman]

Goodnight, everyone.

Night PF.

[AngryAsWell]

The Guardian view on universal credit: needs more work

Editorial

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

[rebeccariots2]

The Guardian view on universal credit: needs more work

Editorial

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

I thought it was quite a good summary and preview of the report on UC that is coming out tomorrow - until I got to the last para where they seem to let IDS off the hook despite all that went before.

No surprise that it's women that get the short straw again. The Tories really don't seem to give a damn about assessing the impact of their policies on certain groups before they are put into practice.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

The Guardian view on universal credit: needs more work

Editorial

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

I thought it was quite a good summary and preview of the report on UC that is coming out tomorrow - until I got to the last para where they seem to let IDS off the hook despite all that went before.

No surprise that it's women that get the short straw again. The Tories really don't seem to give a damn about assessing the impact of their policies on certain groups before they are put into practice.

They assess them very carefully. If policies benefit rich, white, able bodied, straight men they are approved.

[rebeccariots2]

The Guardian view on universal credit: needs more work

Editorial

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

I thought it was quite a good summary and preview of the report on UC that is coming out tomorrow - until I got to the last para where they seem to let IDS off the hook despite all that went before.

No surprise that it's women that get the short straw again. The Tories really don't seem to give a damn about assessing the impact of their policies on certain groups before they are put into practice.

They assess them very carefully. If policies benefit rich, white, able bodied, straight men they are approved.

I don't know why I'm thanking you for that observation really. It's horribly true though.

Mr Riots had one of his 'ping' moments this evening. He was watching some classic car show which had ad breaks in it. There was an ad for something like 'Love Your Grey Away' hair colourant for men which had men sailing, men climbing mountains, men running, men ... well you get the picture. He gave a big sigh and said - 'I'm just waiting for an ad for men which shows us doing non stereotypical activities like ... you know knitting, or the washing up, or picking up dog poo'.

Mr Riots' hair - what's left of it - is completely grey mind. And he's very happy with it.

[rebeccariots2]

Patrick Wintour ‏@patrickwintour 2m2 minutes ago
If Harriet Harman really said Labour supporters were relieved Labour lost election she should start with a fact check and then apologise.

Surely she didn't? What on earth would make her say something like that?

[rebeccariots2]

Oh nora, it looks like she did say it. Independent story tomorrow apparently.

Sam Macrory ‏@sammacrory 2m2 minutes ago
Sam Macrory retweeted Neil Henderson
Labour voters 'relieved' Labour didn't win.. Harriet Harman may or may not enjoy explaining that one tomorrow

[seeingclearly]

That's a few things from Harman now that are really not great, and wish she wouldn't, at least Ed had a proper understanding of exactly how things can be misused. Wasn't he better btw, just speaking for himself, I always did think that he had too many people telling him what to say. It was always apparent when he was uncomfortable. Anyway, I'm still wishing he was in the leadership contest, and I guess there are others wishing he still was. I knew he'd fallen into a trap in the one debate, and he'd have to resign, but don't remember now who made it, was it Sturgeon. Well too late now.

[LadyCentauria]

That's a few things from Harman now that are really not great, and wish she wouldn't, at least Ed had a proper understanding of exactly how things can be misused. Wasn't he better btw, just speaking for himself, I always did think that he had too many people telling him what to say. It was always apparent when he was uncomfortable. Anyway, I'm still wishing he was in the leadership contest, and I guess there are others wishing he still was. I knew he'd fallen into a trap in the one debate, and he'd have to resign, but don't remember now who made it, was it Sturgeon. Well too late now.

I agree about Harman. I don't know, personally, anyone who had any feelings of 'relief' that Labour didn't win the election apart from one, for whom it was a 'looking for any bright-side' thought on the grounds that, as he is convinced, the next financial+/-property crash is coming hard and fast and it might be a blessing-in-disguise not to be 'in charge' when it hits. An 'at least they wo'n't be able to blame us for this one' attitude, which is not the same as 'feeling relief' – because he'd much much rather we'd just had the Labour Queen's Speech and were in the first 100 days of a Labour (or possibly Labour-led) government; and he's devastated that Ed M is not now showing his mettle as PM. Anyway, here's the Independent article – in which Harman is quoted extensively:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 03562.html

P.S.

@cJA: Sorry to hear you're unwell – I'd started to wonder where you were but I'm glad you felt up to popping in for a while. Rest up properly and get well soon xxx

@RR2: Please could I have some rhubarb crumble with clotted cream and grated plain chocolate? Sorry to be late to table. Hope the car comes through its MoT with flying colours!