Wednesday 8th March 2017

Post by **refitman** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 7:12 am

Morning all.

SpinningHugo · Post by **SpinningHugo** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 7:34 am

The fightback

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jer ... 13466.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not a parody.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 7:46 am

SpinningHugo wrote:The fightback

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jer ... 13466.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not a parody.

The harsh reality is that the only way this will be possible is by replacing the right wingers in the Labour Party. It is a prerequisite for the success of the Corbyn project. Ironically, he would be taking a leaf out of the Blairite playbook

Except Blair didn't deselect Jeremy Corbyn and replace him with a right-winger so not out of the Blairite playbook at all. Mandatory reselection may be tempting, but in reality will simply pile a loss of the incumbent effect on top of all the other woes which are currently putting Labour on target to lose a lot of seats.

NonOxCol · Post by **NonOxCol** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 8:15 am

Bonjour.

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Pendant ce temps...

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Grande-Bretagne est un trou de merde.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 8:42 am

Good morfternoon.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 8:49 am

Morning all. Hezza finds out that you're either with or against Supreme Leader May.

NonOxCol · Post by **NonOxCol** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 9:16 am

Anyone fancy a picture even more vomit-inducing than yesterday's shot of the Tory youth wing?

Here you go:

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RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 9:28 am

Morning all.

Donaeld The Unready‏ @donaeldunready 2m2 minutes ago
More
Why no International Day of the Donaeld? No one more respectful of women than me! And I think I should be honoured for that. With a Day.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 9:39 am

Michael Heseltine says that he has never met Theresa May (Sky TV News).

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 9:51 am

PorFavor wrote:Michael Heseltine says that he has never met Theresa May (Sky TV News).

He said that on Today too - find it hard to believe unless he's talking about the period since she became PM.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 10:03 am

If anyone is wondering why I'm so dead against Regional Schools Commissioners, being that they are in fact civil servants and do what ministers tell them, then here's a good example.

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

Tim Coulson‏
@TimCoulsonRSC

Following
More
Myth 2: Academies don’t lead to high standards
Evidence shows that giving autonomy to front-line teaching professionals improves performance

Asked for where this evidence can be found...zero response. Of course he could be busy but if you're in a position like his and you tweet contentious statements then you should be prepared to answer.

tinybgoat · Post by **tinybgoat** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 10:26 am

Some time ago, I had a weird dream that Teresa May's health was deteriorating because of her job & her husband was suffering through being kept awake.
This isn't really relevant to the following, except, maybe the last line.

"The Strides of May"

If Teresa May steps out one day, in boots of fine black leather,
trench coat to match, Siegrunes on her hat indicate more than stormy weather.
Poker faced, little Trump hand in hand, proudly sporting matching armbands.
The nasty party's back to stay.
-Beware the Strides of May.

With Boris, she'd sail a narrowed world,
a clueless pair of privateers
Gambling future freedom, wealth and peace
peoples disunited by her Brexiteers.
She plays trump cards with questionable skill,
everything is justified by the people's will
but that's not poker and there's lives at play
-Beware the Tides of May

Now the safety net's been cast aside
They build a bridge from hell with the broken lives
Her Zombie party's heart lies in the USA
Theresa May helps pave the way

If the Vicar's daughter plays her part
like a character from Dennis Wheatley.
A sustainable solution, for health and social care,
fast tracking the sick and needy
Hammond's budget horror features
bring a feeding frenzy for nightmare creatures
Projecting it's just Labour who are in Decay.
-Beware the Bride of May

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 10:28 am

https://mainlymacro.blogspot.co.uk/2017 ... sense.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Budget Day Nonsense

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:04 am

https://thesmallplaces.wordpress.com/20 ... austerity/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Davey v Oxfordshire CC: The tactics of austerity

"independence was about exercising control over his life, not about not being supported. This is a pretty central idea within the disabled people’s movement and the concept of independence"

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:10 am

Willow904 wrote:
SpinningHugo wrote:The fightback

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jer ... 13466.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not a parody.

The harsh reality is that the only way this will be possible is by replacing the right wingers in the Labour Party. It is a prerequisite for the success of the Corbyn project. Ironically, he would be taking a leaf out of the Blairite playbook
Except Blair didn't deselect Jeremy Corbyn and replace him with a right-winger so not out of the Blairite playbook at all. Mandatory reselection may be tempting, but in reality will simply pile a loss of the incumbent effect on top of all the other woes which are currently putting Labour on target to lose a lot of seats.

Blair did not do that*, but he attempted just about everything else to ensure prospective Labour MPs were of the type that he wanted.

(*there was definite chatter about "purging" hard left MPs, Corbyn amongst them, at times)

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:18 am

Don't forget your Budget Buzzword Bingo Bets

https://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/bett ... 223409042/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I played it safe this year

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:20 am

https://www.bce2018.org.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2018 Boundary Review
The Boundary Commission for England is conducting a review of parliamentary constituencies and needs your help. On this site you can view our proposals, make comments, see what other people have said and learn about us and the review.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:22 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:
PorFavor wrote:Michael Heseltine says that he has never met Theresa May (Sky TV News).
He said that on Today too - find it hard to believe unless he's talking about the period since she became PM.

Though they were only MPs simultaneously for a 4 year period - 1997-2001 - and Hezza probably wasn't an assidious attender of the HoC by then.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:22 am

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

UK social care sector in crisis due to staff shortages

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:22 am

pk1 wrote:Don't forget your Budget Buzzword Bingo Bets

https://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/bett ... 223409042/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I played it safe this year

You didn't fancy the Ken Clarke special? :lol!:

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:28 am

https://www.theguardian.com/social-care ... um=twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Children in care are not just numbers: we must challenge the stigma

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:31 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:If anyone is wondering why I'm so dead against Regional Schools Commissioners, being that they are in fact civil servants and do what ministers tell them, then here's a good example.

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

Tim Coulson‏
@TimCoulsonRSC

Following
More
Myth 2: Academies don’t lead to high standards
Evidence shows that giving autonomy to front-line teaching professionals improves performance
Asked for where this evidence can be found...zero response. Of course he could be busy but if you're in a position like his and you tweet contentious statements then you should be prepared to answer.

A hack. Looking for another patronage job.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:32 am

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about ... disrepair/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A state of disrepair

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:44 am

And anyway, you could give all schools this autonomy instead of all the academization rigmarole.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:50 am

Tubby Isaacs wrote:And anyway, you could give all schools this autonomy instead of all the academization rigmarole.

Well quite.

That "dispelling myths" is straight out of the DfE playbook.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:50 am

pk1 wrote:Don't forget your Budget Buzzword Bingo Bets

https://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/bett ... 223409042/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I played it safe this year

I think that, these days, Philip Hammond refers to "gas" in the tank - or at least he did the other day.

I wonder why that should be.

Edited to add -

I've just noticed that the "gas" quote is referenced over at Politics Live, Guardian. Spooky.

Edited (again) - mysterious (spooky, even) typo

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:55 am

PorFavor wrote:
pk1 wrote:Don't forget your Budget Buzzword Bingo Bets

https://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/bett ... 223409042/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I played it safe this year
I think that, these days, Philip Hammond refers to "gas" in the tank - or at least he did the other day.

I wonder why that should be.

Because Letwin's got the other stuff in his garage?

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 11:58 am

http://www.politico.eu/article/uk-faces ... aud-trade/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Britain faces a potential €2 billion bill from Brussels after EU investigators found that U.K. authorities turned a blind eye to a massive fraud network that allowed ultra-cheap Chinese goods to flood into Europe.

The EU’s anti-fraud office OLAF, uncovering allegedly one of the biggest fraud rings in its history, concluded that British customs played a central role by repeatedly ignoring warnings to take action over Chinese textiles and footwear pouring into the EU at a tiny fraction of their cost of production.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 12:12 pm

StephenDolan wrote:
PorFavor wrote:
pk1 wrote:Don't forget your Budget Buzzword Bingo Bets

https://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/bett ... 223409042/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I played it safe this year
I think that, these days, Philip Hammond refers to "gas" in the tank - or at least he did the other day.

I wonder why that should be.
Because Letwin's got the other stuff in his garage?

In Francis Maude's jerry can?

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 12:13 pm

PorFavor wrote:
pk1 wrote:Don't forget your Budget Buzzword Bingo Bets

https://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/bett ... 223409042/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I played it safe this year
I think that, these days, Philip Hammond refers to "gas" in the tank - or at least he did the other day.

I wonder why that should be.

Edited to add -

I've just noticed that the "gas" quote is referenced over at Politics Live, Guardian. Spooky.

Edited (again) - mysterious (spooky, even) typo

Oh bugger ! Yes, I remember that phrase from his weekend interviews now you've said that. Ah well, never was much good at this gambling lark

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 12:14 pm

SpinningHugo wrote:The fightback

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jer ... 13466.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not a parody.

Yeah, that's hilarious. Shall we put up Dr Eoin or Kerry Ann Mendoza in Nuneaton?

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 12:26 pm

£60bn gas in the tank is basically an extended overdraft. How does it exist? He'd borrow £60bn more now than he will?

Great graph from the Resolution Foundation the other day, showing the cost of fairly populist tax measures. Obviously, we'd probably want to reduce VAT instead, so it wouldn't all be additional revenue. But food for thought.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 12:37 pm

From Corbyn's minister for memes. I've never understood why claiming these tiny amounts on things is considered so bad.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 1:45 pm

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

Spring Budget 2017: documents

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 1:49 pm

NIC up for self-employed.

That's a manifesto promise broken.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 1:51 pm

Delay in presentation officers recruitment (22 million) in PIP/ESA tribunals,savings from denial pushed ahead.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 1:54 pm

Or maybe it isn't.

ResolutionFoundation‏ @resfoundation 16m16 minutes ago
More
By abolishing Class 2 NICs & staggering the increase in Class 4 NICs, most self-employed workers will actually better off, says @TorstenBell

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 1:56 pm

ResolutionFoundation‏ @resfoundation 3m3 minutes ago
More
Successive OBR forecasts for the National Living Wage - now on course to be £8.75 in 2020

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 1:57 pm

Worthwhile looking at OBR in policy costings as to what the Treasury "chooses not to include in its scorecard)

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:00 pm

Resolution Foundation praising the NIC changes.

Sorry to keep bringing it back to Labour, but I've not seen any decent attempt to set the agenda on this stuff.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:04 pm

OBR

http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/efo/ ... arch-2017/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:08 pm

It's amazing how you can pretend that something isn't in your manifesto when you like, with minimal fuss.

Single market, NIC, what'll be next?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:24 pm

Good-afternoon, everyone

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:47 pm

StephenDolan wrote:It's amazing how you can pretend that something isn't in your manifesto when you like, with minimal fuss.

Single market, NIC, what'll be next?

You can if you're the Tories. This would be "Gordo shits on you" if it was Labour.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:49 pm

As Stephen was saying. These look to have slipped a bit from the early days.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:50 pm

Amazing what you can get away with when you have virtually the entire media in your pocket, in other words.

This isn't going to change, either. The left needs a strategy to at least neutralise it ASAP, and it is now clear that social media is not enough.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:51 pm

Douglas Carswell just pointing out on BBC that the government spent £3m on a school in his constituency that shut after just 3 years.

Corbyn was good on this in PMQs today. It's a shame it will be lost in the general budget hoo-ha, as I think the government is vulnerable on the whole free schools thing.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:58 pm

It can be brought up again, and doubtless will be.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 2:58 pm

Good to hear.

Agree about free schools. They weren't popular before.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Wed 08 Mar, 2017 3:01 pm

They could do with getting Lucy Powell back at Education.