Friday 12th August 2016

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 7:05 am

Morning.

Just reading the Welsh press, Ukip's civil war is intensifying.
The national media seem to be ignoring the story, filling their boots with Labour instead.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales ... l-11738474" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 7:19 am

For Por Favor, she mentioned having worked in a statistics related job yesterday.

An independent report commisioned by the BBC Trust has concluded the BBC needs to do more to help audiences understand the facts and figures presented:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/pres ... partiality" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 7:48 am

Morning all

Off to Scotland today for a wedding....having to wear full regalia which I tried to get out of being English and all that

Last Scottish ancestor came down in the 1740s with his mate Charlie before deciding to stay in Derbyshire....all I can say is Scotland must have been pretty grim if you choose to stay in the East Midlands!!!! (sorry, West Midlands humour there)

Looking forward to it - haven't been back to Scotland for a while

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 7:55 am

An amusing incident from the Olympics

Poor guy....but he admitted his mistake and hopefully it will soon be forgotten!

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

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 7:55 am

Labour have won a by election council seat from the SNP.
It's in Irvine West, a shock according to the local paper.
http://www.irvinetimes.com/news/1467795 ... ction_win/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

edited to add: The SNP candidate was Nicola Sturgeon's father.

Also, because of the voting system, using preferences, although Labour won their vote was actually down, Tory vote up.
Turnout only 20%.

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 7:59 am

yahyah wrote:Labour have won a by election council seat from the SNP.
It's in Irvine West, a shock according to the local paper.
http://www.irvinetimes.com/news/1467795 ... ction_win/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is near where I am going......wow, must have brought them some luck

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 8:20 am

I'm too much of a lady to ask the age old question. Just hope it isn't too windy up there.
Scotland that is, not up the kilt.

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 8:23 am

yahyah wrote:I'm too much of a lady to ask the age old question. Just hope it isn't too windy up there.
Scotland that is, not up the kilt.

I would just say that not being Scottish, and having agreed to wear the kilt, that I should have the right to ignore certain other of the 'traditions'!

It will of course be windy....going to the West Coast.....and it will be cold

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 8:53 am

A country celebrates

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

JonnyT1234 · Post by **JonnyT1234** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 9:04 am

howsillyofme1 wrote:
yahyah wrote:I'm too much of a lady to ask the age old question. Just hope it isn't too windy up there.
Scotland that is, not up the kilt.

I would just say that not being Scottish, and having agreed to wear the kilt, that I should have the right to ignore certain other of the 'traditions'!

It will of course be windy....going to the West Coast.....and it will be cold

Just make sure your skean dhu doesn't pop out at an awkward moment, eh.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 9:12 am

Morning all.

How to get round the rules on numbers of SpAds. Simple employ a Teacher in Residence...who just happens to be a Tory supporter with not much experience.

Meet Nick Gibb’s new ‘teacher in residence’

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/meet-nick-gibb ... -residence

The scheme, which sees serving teachers employed as civil servants by the Department for Education for periods of between eight and 12 months, has been running for more than two years, but has recently sparked controversy and questions over the recruitment process.

Gibb’s newest resident teacher is Rory Gribbell, a maths teacher who has just finished his two years with the Teach First programme at Cantell School near Southampton.

He is also a former Labour Party member who has been active in the Conservative Education Society since declaring last December that teaching had driven him to the right of politics – due to the left’s “irrational opposition” to academies and free schools.

Gribbell’s short tenure as a teacher, and the similarity between his background and that of his predecessor Robert Peal, is the main source of the criticism levelled at the government over his appointment.

Peal, like Gribbell, trained through Teach First, before completing a year as a history teacher at the West London Free School, where he is due to resume employment next month.

I can't find it now but I wrote a reply to one of his articles enthusing about academies which was so full of holes and avoiding the obvious.

And why would a teacher in residence be writing speeches anyway?

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 9:31 am

" He argues that rules on the use of postal votes, which have previously been identified as ripe for fraud, should be toughened up – with party activists no longer allowed to handle them, for example, and an end to the possibility of applying for a permanent postal vote."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ud-pickles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Am I right in remembering that the encouragement of postal voting was a Blair wheeze** ?

In Old Europe two of the major countries at least vote on a Sunday, and proxy voting is an exception , subject to the obvious (to us ! ) strict controls on identity .

The whole point of actually turning up to a neighbourhood centre is that you have made an effort to get there, and in my experience it is a time of community solidarity , just seeing other people in a different situation than the streets, public transport ... and shopping , which ain't a bad idea in these times...

Pickles does appear from the little I've seen to also believe in PV, whereas I've considered it a thoroughly bad idea from the start .

** Shorthand for a back of the fag packet , ill thought out, 'initiative' .

And being alone in the booth is a guarantee of freedom of choice .

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 9:39 am

frog222 wrote:
" He argues that rules on the use of postal votes, which have previously been identified as ripe for fraud, should be toughened up – with party activists no longer allowed to handle them, for example, and an end to the possibility of applying for a permanent postal vote."
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ud-pickles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Am I right in remembering that the encouragement of postal voting was a Blair wheeze** ?

In Old Europe two of the major countries at least vote on a Sunday, and proxy voting is an exception , subject to the obvious (to us ! ) strict controls on identity .

The whole point of actually turning up to a neighbourhood centre is that you have made an effort to get there, and in my experience it is a time of community solidarity , just seeing other people in a different situation than the streets, public transport ... and shopping , which ain't a bad idea in these times...

Pickles does appear from the little I've seen to also believe in PV, whereas I've considered it a thoroughly bad idea from the start .

** Shorthand for a back of the fag packet , ill thought out, 'initiative' .

And being alone in the booth is a guarantee of freedom of choice .

It is the same here....all votes on a Sunday

I think it is the most common day although I don't think we are alone for midweek voting

I am surprised that the UK Government hasn't done more to deal with the drop-off in participation.......we have seen 15-20% lower turnouts in recent elections, and that doesn't count the registration process itself

It seems our system tends to the over complex and much is based on 'tradition'

danesclose · Post by **danesclose** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 9:41 am

Morning all.
As an ex-student in Leeds I've got great memories of this place (generally of the Friday midnight shows when everyone was hammered).
Glad to see its still going

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/201 ... ge-lottery" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

JonnyT1234 · Post by **JonnyT1234** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 9:42 am

frog222 wrote:
" He argues that rules on the use of postal votes, which have previously been identified as ripe for fraud, should be toughened up – with party activists no longer allowed to handle them, for example, and an end to the possibility of applying for a permanent postal vote."
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ud-pickles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Am I right in remembering that the encouragement of postal voting was a Blair wheeze** ?

In Old Europe two of the major countries at least vote on a Sunday, and proxy voting is an exception , subject to the obvious (to us ! ) strict controls on identity .

The whole point of actually turning up to a neighbourhood centre is that you have made an effort to get there, and in my experience it is a time of community solidarity , just seeing other people in a different situation than the streets, public transport ... and shopping , which ain't a bad idea in these times...

Pickles does appear from the little I've seen to also believe in PV, whereas I've considered it a thoroughly bad idea from the start .

** Shorthand for a back of the fag packet , ill thought out, 'initiative' .

And being alone in the booth is a guarantee of freedom of choice .

I'm afraid I find it difficult to take anything the Tories say about voting as being true. Behind the words you just know that they're looking at whatever means they can sneak through to disenfranchise or discourage voters not from their supporters' typical demographics.

I also see at the end of the article that Pickles has openly threatened the Electoral Commission because they happen to say things he and his party doesn't want to hear.

JonnyT1234 · Post by **JonnyT1234** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 9:44 am

It's newspeak where the word reform is used in place of wreck.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 10:37 am

Another fantastic bit of work by the DfE!

Government u-turn on early years foundation stage profile after baseline scrapped

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-u-t ... -scrapped/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The early years foundation stage profile, due to be scrapped as a mandatory assessment measure, will remain statutory for the next academic year, it has emerged today.

An email from the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) sent to school staff today, weeks after they have broken up for the summer holidays, tells leaders that “having looked carefully” at “particular issues”, teachers must still carry out the assessment for pupils in reception.

It comes after the fiasco with the introduction of the baseline test, a reception on-entry test designed to track pupil progress through to the end of key stage 2, which was due to become statutory from next month.

But the baseline test was scrapped as an accountability measure in April by the Department for Education (DfE) after it was found there was “no comparability” between the three chosen providers.

So they've taken 3-4 months to send an email about something they must have known was the result of the last cock-up...and send it in the middle of the school holidays!

Utterly useless.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 10:48 am

howsillyofme1 wrote:Morning all

Off to Scotland today for a wedding....having to wear full regalia which I tried to get out of being English and all that

Last Scottish ancestor came down in the 1740s with his mate Charlie before deciding to stay in Derbyshire....all I can say is Scotland must have been pretty grim if you choose to stay in the East Midlands!!!! (sorry, West Midlands humour there)

Looking forward to it - haven't been back to Scotland for a while

Have a lovely time! Take every opportunity to enjoy yourself.
xx
cJA

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 10:48 am

Good-morning, everyone.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 10:50 am

Good morfternoon.

I've said it before and will no doubt say it again (sorry) -

Why do Labour people with otherwise cut-glass accents feel the need to drop the "t" from the word "Party"? Really winds me up.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 10:53 am

Given the references I've come across elsewhere to Animal Farm it's ironic that Sheldon was arguing that all members shouldn't be equal, although they're told they are when joining.

With apologies to LC

"I don't know what you mean by 'rules ,' " the justices said.
    The QC smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!' "
    "But 'rules' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," the justices objected.
    "When I use a word," the QC said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
    "The question is," said the justices, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
    "The question is," said the QC , "how to be master—that's all."

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 10:54 am

PorFavor wrote:Good morfternoon.

I've said it before and will no doubt say it again (sorry) -

Why do Labour people with otherwise cut-glass accents feel the need to drop the "t" from the word "Party"? Really winds me up.

Not a problem with my accent.....Black Country and proud!

By the way the pound is tumbling down towards the lows seen just post-Brexit vote.

No-one in the press seems to be mentioning it though - is there a reason for this?

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:00 am

howsillyofme1 wrote:
yahyah wrote:I'm too much of a lady to ask the age old question. Just hope it isn't too windy up there.
Scotland that is, not up the kilt.

I would just say that not being Scottish, and having agreed to wear the kilt, that I should have the right to ignore certain other of the 'traditions'!

It will of course be windy....going to the West Coast.....and it will be cold

Midges.

The ex wore the full tartan for a wedding near Gourock many moons ago. He was covered in bites.......in all sorts of places.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:02 am

Failure to reach bollox standard.

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:03 am

ephemerid wrote:
howsillyofme1 wrote:
yahyah wrote:I'm too much of a lady to ask the age old question. Just hope it isn't too windy up there.
Scotland that is, not up the kilt.

I would just say that not being Scottish, and having agreed to wear the kilt, that I should have the right to ignore certain other of the 'traditions'!

It will of course be windy....going to the West Coast.....and it will be cold

Midges.

The ex wore the full tartan for a wedding near Gourock many moons ago. He was covered in bites.......in all sorts of places.

Thanks for that.......

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:22 am

More concerned about encouraging/facillitating fundamental rights in process of voting eg.having polling stations you can actually get in to and not purposefully casting aspersions to postal voters as to "laziness" and fraud likelihood,but there you go.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:23 am

Decision in the cut-off date case is due at 3pm today, apparently.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:41 am

HindleA wrote:More concerned about encouraging/facillitating fundamental rights in process of voting eg.having polling stations you can actually get in to and not purposefully casting aspersions to postal voters as to "laziness" and fraud likelihood,but there you go.

Not exactly related but within the same topic of discussion.

The total number of UK parliamentary electors in 2015 was 44,722,000, a fall of 1.3% from 2014.

The total number of UK parliamentary electors in December 2012 was 46,353,900, a rise of 0.5 per cent from December 2011.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationa ... ain-points" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationa ... stics-2012" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1,631,900 fewer parliamentary electors are currently on the electoral register in 2016 than were on the electoral register in 2011.

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:43 am

HindleA wrote:More concerned about encouraging/facillitating fundamental rights in process of voting eg.having polling stations you can actually get in to and not purposefully casting aspersions to postal voters as to "laziness" and fraud likelihood,but there you go.

I think that is a good point and follows on from what I was trying to say earlier....the people who want to vote should be able to vote in whatever way is suitable.

I agree with the view as well as physically going to vote is chance for the community to come together over something important and that should be facilitated by the Government....although other means of voting should not be excluded either

I just worry that this Government is not interested in increasing participation as the people who do not exercise the right are unlikely to be their supporters.....we can see from the EU referendum what that means

Far more noise is made about 'voter fraud' rather than 'voter exclusion... a bit similar to the focus on 'benefit fraud' rather than on people with a right to welfare getting what they are entitled to

It seems that the establishment spends a lot of energy and money looking for reasons why someone shouldn't have the right to a one (akin to the US) rather than promoting higher participation that may slightly increase the risk of some types of fraud and spending money on making the systems as robust as they can be

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:47 am

yahyah wrote:Labour have won a by election council seat from the SNP.
It's in Irvine West, a shock according to the local paper.
http://www.irvinetimes.com/news/1467795 ... ction_win/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

edited to add: The SNP candidate was Nicola Sturgeon's father.

Also, because of the voting system, using preferences, although Labour won their vote was actually down, Tory vote up.
Turnout only 20%.

In another Scottish by-election yesterday, Nats gained from Labour.

But in both cases, the pro-SNP swings are much lower than they were a year ago. The local elections there next year might not be as bad for Labour as some predict.

More later, as ever

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:51 am

yahyah - and others interested in politics over the Ditch Of Death that is Offa's Dyke.....

Nathan "two-jobs" Git had a care business with his mum, registered in Ynys Mon but operating in Hull. Despite paying peanuts to his Filipino and Eastern European workforce who were put up in bunkhouses, he somehow contrived to end up in administration owing a six-figure sum.

Maybe he needs the money. After all, as far as we know, he's not in the Hamilton Habit of accepting brown envelopes stuffed with cash.....is he?

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 11:53 am

I am heavilly biased,as soon as I see"fraud" and "make more robust for integrity" line,I knee jerk a bit.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:00 pm

This is good from Natalie Bloomer - and is very much what we expected (and what I predicted in the W&B section here some time ago....)

http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analy ... -claimants" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:26 pm

From 2009.

Mr Watson is set to stand down from the Government when Mr Brown's reshuffle takes place.
His departure is unexpected and is a further blow to the Prime Minister on a day when it became clear that Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, had told Mr Brown that she also wanted to stand down at the reshuffle.
Mr Watson was no stranger to controversy. He resigned as a junior defence minister in September 2006 as part of a concerted effort to force Tony Blair from office.
Mr Blair was furious at Mr Watson’s central role in organising a letter signed by other key allies of Mr Brown demanding Mr Blair indicated when he was going to stand down. Mr Watson achieved that aim and Mr Blair was forced to say he would be gone from Number 10 within a year – opening the way for Mr Brown to take over.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... nment.html

Our Mr Watson has form. Likes his expenses too.

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:30 pm

Could we make this a place where MPs are not smeared by people usually keen on decrying the 'right-wing, mainstream media'

Funny how that same right-wing MSM is used by the same people when they have a grudge against someone !

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:31 pm

If Labour’s NEC doesn’t receive thousands of demands for Tom Watson’s resignation after his Guardian interview, the Labour Party would have to be asleep.
Already there has been uproar over his claim that “Trotskyites” have been “twisting young arms” to support Jeremy Corbyn, which is complete nonsense and an insult demanding mention on those resignation demands.

Remember when Labour members were being terrorised by claims that their social media communications were being monitored and anybody using the words “traitors”, “scabs”, and later “Blairites” would lose their vote in the leadership election?

Some of us responded that this was unlikely, and in any case would be unfair unless use of the words “Trots”, “rabble” and “dogs” were also checked, and their users banned as well.

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2016/08/0 ... is-career/

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:34 pm

He's the same one who ran the "Owen Smith seems like a domestic abuser" canard. Just saying.

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:40 pm

JonnyT1234 wrote:
frog222 wrote:
" He argues that rules on the use of postal votes, which have previously been identified as ripe for fraud, should be toughened up – with party activists no longer allowed to handle them, for example, and an end to the possibility of applying for a permanent postal vote."
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ud-pickles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Am I right in remembering that the encouragement of postal voting was a Blair wheeze** ?

In Old Europe two of the major countries at least vote on a Sunday, and proxy voting is an exception , subject to the obvious (to us ! ) strict controls on identity .

The whole point of actually turning up to a neighbourhood centre is that you have made an effort to get there, and in my experience it is a time of community solidarity , just seeing other people in a different situation than the streets, public transport ... and shopping , which ain't a bad idea in these times...

Pickles does appear from the little I've seen to also believe in PV, whereas I've considered it a thoroughly bad idea from the start .

** Shorthand for a back of the fag packet , ill thought out, 'initiative' .

And being alone in the booth is a guarantee of freedom of choice .
I'm afraid I find it difficult to take anything the Tories say about voting as being true. Behind the words you just know that they're looking at whatever means they can sneak through to disenfranchise or discourage voters not from their supporters' typical demographics.

I also see at the end of the article that Pickles has openly threatened the Electoral Commission because they happen to say things he and his party doesn't want to hear.

The first of the last two paras makes some sense, tho I wonder why it's seen as beyond local police . Perhaps because the notorious examples involve communities supporting Labour ... --

Pickles would like to see the National Crime Agency, which looks at organised crime, be given a remit to examine complex cases of electoral fraud.

The report also condemns the Electoral Commission, the government-backed body that scrutinises polls, for straying beyond its remit. “The Electoral Commission continues to act as a commentator and lobbyist on both policy and law. Yet government should not be lobbying government. It would be clearer for electoral law and electoral policy to be determined by the Cabinet Office, subject to parliamentary scrutiny and approval.”

Agreed that the last para is rubbish .

High tide and sunshining ... !

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:44 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:He's the same one who ran the "Owen Smith seems like a domestic abuser" canard. Just saying.

and who ran the Lisa Van Zyl 'Smith said disabled people must die' bollocks.

Mike Sivier has as much credibilty as Grant Shapps.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:50 pm

#BeYourOwnMedia

And even doubt that

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 12:50 pm

frog222 wrote:
Pickles would like to see the National Crime Agency, which looks at organised crime, be given a remit to examine complex cases of electoral fraud.

The report also condemns the Electoral Commission, the government-backed body that scrutinises polls, for straying beyond its remit. “The Electoral Commission continues to act as a commentator and lobbyist on both policy and law. Yet government should not be lobbying government. It would be clearer for electoral law and electoral policy to be determined by the Cabinet Office, subject to parliamentary scrutiny and approval.”
Agreed that the last para is rubbish .

High tide and sunshining ... !

The Electoral Commission is answerable to Parliament right now - the very last thing we should do is to have the executive meddling in it.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:00 pm

pk1 wrote:Could we make this a place where MPs are not smeared by people usually keen on decrying the 'right-wing, mainstream media'

Funny how that same right-wing MSM is used by the same people when they have a grudge against someone !

I largely agree with pk1 here. Some of the censure Labour MPs receive seems mean-spirited.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:08 pm

Some, but not all. Which is a great shame.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:17 pm

Please excuse me if my post was impertinent, I'm not anyone's monitor.
I receive friendship and interesting conversation at flythenest.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:26 pm

It wasn't impertinent JA, can't imagine you ever being that.
You have every right to have an opinion on how the 'gentler' politics should work.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:31 pm

Six bees a buzzing,five- sugars- in -tea,four fag ends,three butterflies,two collared doves and a c-a-t -taking a pee.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:33 pm

Things going awfully well on the economy front...

Andrew Neil Verified account
‏@afneil
Britain's construction sector back in recession - 1st time since 2012. Output falls 0.7% Q2 after 0.4% down Q1

And that was even before the Brexit vote.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:35 pm

@ephie
Thanks for the info on Gill.

The Western Mail today say he's only voted once in the Assembly since being elected, a fellow Kipper AM has managed 29 times, so his performance is pretty shocking.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/polit ... n-11738474" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:37 pm

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic ... -june-2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 12 Aug, 2016 1:39 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:Things going awfully well on the economy front...

Andrew Neil Verified account
‏@afneil
Britain's construction sector back in recession - 1st time since 2012. Output falls 0.7% Q2 after 0.4% down Q1

And that was even before the Brexit vote.

Shouldn't think the price of materials is helping.
Plastic building supplies, pipes etc, have particularly gone up a lot according to Travis Perkins where we ordered stuff for when our builder starts a job soon.

Not sure if the Brexit effect on the pound a couple of weeks ago will have fed through to retail prices yet.