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Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 7:14 am
by HindleA
Morning.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 7:18 am
by HindleA
Fish and chips and second half of birthday cake all to myself because nobody noticed I was 21 yesterday (or didn't mention).I have a card from mam in law made by better half,which is cool.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 7:22 am
by HindleA
Thinking of A.K.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 7:30 am
by HindleA
Bereavement Payment /Allowance what was Widow's Pension was the one CAB didn't have a scooby on despite easily obtainable information,I only wanted confirmation.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 7:37 am
by HindleA
https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... care-homes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


‘I could be taken from my home': why disabled people once again fear being 'warehoused'
In the 1970s, disabled people were often placed in out-of-town institutions. Then came the independent living revolution. Is the clock turning back


Undoubtedly.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 7:38 am
by HindleA
https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... parrowhawk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NHS trust fined £2m for Connor Sparrowhawk and Teresa Colvin deaths

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 8:01 am
by HindleA
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... itic-mural" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 8:45 am
by PaulfromYorkshire
Morning A and belated Happy Birthday :-)

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 8:51 am
by PaulfromYorkshire
Local election leaflet from Romford

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 8:54 am
by PaulfromYorkshire
Mehdi Hasan@mehdirhasan

You can agree that anti-Semitism is definitely a problem on some parts of the left and needs to be loudly denounced while also agreeing that Jeremy Corbyn’s political opponents are cynically using it as a stick with which to beat him. You can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:22 am
by citizenJA
Good-morning, everyone

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:22 am
by citizenJA
Are you sure it was your birthday yesterday, HindleA?

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:27 am
by citizenJA
'Havering ruled by Mayor Khan!'
hey, cool

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:36 am
by citizenJA
I didn't think my memory was that bad

Happy Birthday, HindleA!

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:06 am
by gilsey
Blair advising the tories to stop brexit to avoid Corbyn govt, wrong on so many levels.

Let's have a Corbyn govt asap, with or without brexit, because this one's out of control.

http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analy ... ration-sta" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Each application for limited leave, successful or not, will from April 6th cost £1,033 per person. This figure does not include the proposed £1,000 NHS charge that migrants will be asked to pay from later this year. Since 2015, when the charge was introduced, it has already doubled. Once immigration fees are introduced, the Home Office tends to ratchet them up pretty regularly.

Next month's fee rise and the proposed doubling of the NHS surcharge mean each person subject to these fees will now have to pay over £10,000 before they can obtain settled status. This figure does not include the cost of paying for legal advice.

At the new proposed rates, the Home Office is asking families to pay the equivalent of a deposit on a house in fees. A family of four would end up paying at least £42,084.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 11:27 am
by citizenJA
@gilsey
The punitive cost increases is government's way of altering immigration law, changing the contract between individual and state. It's effectively retroactive legislation.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 11:41 am
by Willow904
Christopher Wylie currently talking to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee about AggregateIQ. This is the obscure Canadian (possibly shell) company known to have done work for SCL that several Leave campaigns "independently" decided to spend large sums of money with on services of some kind. In particular, BeLeave, set up by Darren Grimes and who the recent whistleblower Shahmir Sanni worked with, spent £625,000 that had been given to them by Vote Leave with AggregateIQ.

Vote Leave is on the record as saying they never worked with Cambridge Analytica. Technically absolutely true, I have no doubt, but it's interesting that Cambridge Analytica are also closely tied to SCL and both CA and AIQ seem, according to new information emerging, to have been using the same computer code:

https://gizmodo.com/aggregateiq-created ... 1824026565" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think I've got all the above right (it's all pretty confusing, deliberately so, one suspects).

Meanwhile Dominic Cummings is now taking potshots at Jolyon Maugham, one of the lawyers at the Good Law Project that got the Electoral Commission to reopen its investigation into Vote Leave spending.

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

Edited to change to £700,000 to £625,000. I think that's the correct figure now.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 11:51 am
by Willow904
Good thread here with visual evidence that explains why some people are a little doubtful of the claim that BeLeave was a completely separate campaign from Vote Leave and therefore there was no legal reason for them to lodge their spending with the Electoral Commission as joint:

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Capture22.jpg
Capture22.jpg (94.93 KiB) Viewed 11437 times
Shahmir Sanni on the left with Darren Grimes on the right.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 12:03 pm
by Willow904
Am really quite frustrated by this. My Twitter feed is just full of Corbyn, Corbyn, Corbyn - either attacking or defending - when it should be full of Dominic Cummings!

#Brexitgate

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 12:08 pm
by adam
The committee hearing story is not anywhere on the front page of the telegraph online.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 12:16 pm
by RogerOThornhill
Morning all. Swimming done for the term and none for next term so I now have Tuesday mornings free again.

So...Brexit and then move on to the ECHR?

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

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 12:22 pm
by Willow904
adam wrote:The committee hearing story is not anywhere on the front page of the telegraph online.
I get the impression the whole Cambridge Analytica and Vote Leave/AggregateIQ stories are getting more coverage in the US press than here. Of course, they've got an actual Special Counsellor investigating and a real prospect of prosecutions. While we have the Electoral Commission and the Information Commissioner....

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 12:54 pm
by RogerOThornhill
Boris eh? What a card he is...
Adam Payne

Verified account

@adampayne26
Follow Follow @adampayne26
More
Boris Johnson calls Emily Thornberry "Baroness, whatever it is, of Nugee"

John Bercow slaps down Johnson in a big way: "The shadow foreign secretary has a name and it's not lady something. We know what her name is. It is inappropriate and frankly sexist to speak in those terms"

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 1:08 pm
by Willow904
From the G liveblog:
Wylie says he gradually became more uncomfortable working for Cambridge Analytica. There was not a single moment when he decided to blow the whistle, he says.

He stressed that Carole Cadwalladr, the Observer reporter who has published his revelations, has around 12 or 15 other sources too. He is not the only person speaking out, he says.
I don't think publicly outing Shahmir Sanni and suggesting he's 'confused' is going to make written and documentary evidence from 12-15 sources go away, is it?

And he's certainly right about this:
Wylie says the ICO [information commissioner’s office] does not have much power. And it does not have many staff either.

Wylie says it would be “a shame” if, by the time it were established that the vote to leave the EU was established by cheating, the UK had already left the EU.
Although I suspect that even if the information commissioner established without a doubt that there was cheating, Parliament wouldn't have the balls to even pause Brexit, let alone stop it.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 1:43 pm
by frog222
Also from the Live thread, 12.28

Sparrow -- Here is one of the stronger quotes reported by PA not picked up earlier. Wylie said:

“”AggregateIQ, in part because it was set up and works within the auspices of Cambridge Analytica, inherited a lot of the company’s culture of total disregard for the law …

This is a company that has worked with hacked material, this is a company that will send out videos of people being murdered to intimidate voters, this is a company that goes out and tries to illicitly acquire live internet browsing data of everyone in an entire country.

I think a lot of questions should be asked about the role of AIQ in this election and whether they were indeed compliant with the law here.””


I hope no-ones holding their breath waiting for the Electoral Commission or the Information Commissioner to do anything decisive ?

Either they don't have the staff/budget, or it's not in their Terms of Reference .

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 2:45 pm
by gilsey
Willow904 wrote:Am really quite frustrated by this. My Twitter feed is just full of Corbyn, Corbyn, Corbyn - either attacking or defending - when it should be full of Dominic Cummings!

#Brexitgate
Not a coincidence imo.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 3:48 pm
by PaulfromYorkshire
gilsey wrote:
Willow904 wrote:Am really quite frustrated by this. My Twitter feed is just full of Corbyn, Corbyn, Corbyn - either attacking or defending - when it should be full of Dominic Cummings!

#Brexitgate
Not a coincidence imo.
Funnily enough it's been followed up by a Johnson "gaffe", calling Emily Thornberry "Lady Something" :roll:

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 3:59 pm
by Willow904
PaulfromYorkshire wrote:
gilsey wrote:
Willow904 wrote:Am really quite frustrated by this. My Twitter feed is just full of Corbyn, Corbyn, Corbyn - either attacking or defending - when it should be full of Dominic Cummings!

#Brexitgate
Not a coincidence imo.
Funnily enough it's been followed up by a Johnson "gaffe", calling Emily Thornberry "Lady Something" :roll:
Yes, that's been in my timeline quite a bit more than it really warrants, as well.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 4:10 pm
by Willow904
This, from the G live blog, on the other hand, is unlikely to get much coverage, but may be of interest to a certain Special Counsellor:
He said there were links between SCL and the Russian oil firm Lukoil, which he said was linked to the Russian FSB security agency. He said he was aware that Lukoil had been told that Aleksandr Kogan - the Cambridge academic who developed the app allegedly used by Cambridge Analytica to gather data about Facebook users - was a regular visitor to Russia.

"I’m not saying that Alexander Nix [the SCL/Cambridge Analytica boss] or Aleksandr Kogan or anybody involved knowingly colluded with Russia to undermine the American election. I am saying there was a very significant risk that was created by notifying this company not only of the existence of this data but telling them that the person in charge of this data was operating in part out of Russia. It would make it incredibly easy for them to get access to this data. For me, that’s concerning and I think it should be looked into."
Yes, I think it should be looked into as well and hopefully it will be.

I mentioned recently an oblique reference in a Seth Abramson tweet to the possibility that data from Cambridge Analytica had been leaked to Russia somehow. I'm now assuming that Wylie is the source of this information, which appears to be speculative for now, but I think it might be worth keeping an eye on. The intersection of this story with the Russian collusion investigation by Robert Mueller makes it much more likely than would have been otherwise that this whole story isn't going to go away any time soon.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 4:48 pm
by HindleA
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ ... -statement" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Oral statement to Parliament

Northamptonshire County Council: statement
Statement by the Communities Secretary on the independent inspection report on Northamptonshire County Council.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 4:49 pm
by citizenJA
Apologies if we've already had this but it's important. It's from the National Audit Office (NAO) report on the DWP published six days ago, 21 March 2018.

Investigation into errors in Employment and Support Allowance
https://www.nao.org.uk/press-release/in ... allowance/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"The error happened because the Department’s process for converting people’s benefits to ESA did not reflect its own legislation, which from 2010 obliged the Department to assess people’s entitlement to both income-related ESA and contribution-based ESA on conversion. In practice it did not always do this.

It took several years for the Department to realise the significance of the error. The Department identified the issue in individual cases at least as early as 2013. However it did not recognise the issue as systemic until early 2014 when staff identified the error as a major cause of ESA underpayments in preparing its 2013-14 financial year fraud and error statistics. In June 2014, the Department issued new advice designed to prevent further errors occurring but did not take steps to assess existing cases."
The facts of this case are that tens of thousands of people, most of whom have severely limiting disabilities and illnesses, have been underpaid by thousands of pounds each, while the Department for several years failed to get a proper grip on the problem. The Department has now committed to fixing this error by April 2019, but not everyone will be repaid all the money they have missed out on.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 21 March 2018

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 5:06 pm
by RogerOThornhill
Shocked etc.

Exclusive: Head of 'knowledge-rich curriculum' campaign replaces Toby Young at New Schools Network

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/br ... toby-young
Mark Lehain denies that simultaneously holding posts at free school charity and campaign group will involve a conflict of interests

The leader of a campaign for a knowledge-rich curriculum has been named the interim replacement for Toby Young at the New Schools Network (NSN).

Mark Lehain will remain as director of the Parents and Teachers for Excellence (PTE) campaign when he takes on the role at the NSN, but dismissed suggestions that holding both roles simultaneously gave him a conflict of interest.
:roll:

I've yet to see any evidence that PTE disagree with the DfE on anything so he'll be just perfect.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 5:14 pm
by gilsey
This starts with the ESA underpayments and goes on to make the wider point.

If welfare was ever a 'contract' the government has completely broken it
https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/ruth-p ... -broken-it" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
While welfare contractualism suffuses contemporary political discussions of welfare, more attention needs to be given to questioning how far the posited contract is a lopsided and unequal one, and one that is underpinned by high levels of tacit coercion. The state can indeed demand the fulfilment of an individual’s responsibilities, with robust and harsh sanctions at its disposal for non-compliance, but there is often little an individual can do where it feels that the state is not keeping its side of the bargain. Compare the three year sanction an individual can receive where they three times fail to comply with demands made of them by the state, with the bureaucratic and slow benefits appeals system.

Processes for challenging benefit decisions with which a claimant does not agree are opaque and limited, while the 2013 removal of Legal Aid support to fund benefit cases further undermines citizens’ capacity to claim their rights under any so-called welfare contract. Government figures show a 99.5% reduction in the number of people receiving help from the state with benefit cases, with just 440 claimants supported in 2016-17, down from 83,000 in 2012-13.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 6:15 pm
by gilsey
Q: But Ukip has no money.

Wylie says Cambridge Analytica does not need to make money. Robert Mercer can afford for it not to. And he says the figure on an invoice does not necessarily reflect the value of the work. He says Mercer puts money into the company, and the firm might then work for a political campaign. He says this allows campaign spending rules to be evaded.

Q: So you would call it a fraud?

Wylie does not use that word.

But he says if Mercer puts $1om into political campaigns, that has to be declared. If he invests in a company, and it provides services for firms at below cost, that does not have to be declared. He is just putting money in as an investor.
Blimey.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 7:36 pm
by AnatolyKasparov
My dad had his send-off today.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 8:15 pm
by Willow904
AnatolyKasparov wrote:My dad had his send-off today.
I hope you're bearing up okay. I struggle with funerals. People you barely know always seem to want to talk to you, when you'd really rather not talk to anyone.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:17 pm
by 55DegreesNorth
AnatolyKasparov wrote:My dad had his send-off today.
Best wishes, AK. My father in law went a few weeks ago, and I was surprised how much little gestures mattered. Whatever else, your contributions here are valued and welcomed. Keep yourself going, but be prepared for the ‘after the Lord Mayors feast’ when all the dust has settled and everyone else returns to normal.
Cheers,
55DN

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:44 pm
by gilsey
Shouldn't you have delved into this before you triggered A50?
May hinted that the government has now realised that setting up new customs arrangements after Brexit could take longer than expected. This is what she said in response to a question from the Conservative Nicky Morgan, who said HM Revenue and Customs told her Treasury committee that a new customs partnership with the EU could take five years to set up.

We are looking at different potential customs arrangements for the future in order to deliver on the commitments that we have made. We are now the point at being able to look in more detail with the European commission at some of those proposals. And I think it is fair to say that, as we get into the detail and as we look at these arrangements, then what becomes clear is that sometimes the timetables that have originally been set are not the timetables that are necessary when you actually start to look at the detail and when you delve into what it really is that you want to be able to achieve.
:wall:

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:46 pm
by citizenJA
Neil Parish:
Thank you, Prime Minister. Finally, on fish...fishermen expect to get our fishing rights back. As you said, they felt those were carved up back in the ’70s. I think they don’t altogether mind waiting, as long as the rights are not going to be negotiated away again when it comes to a final deal with Europe. We must become an independent coastal state and be ready to run our own fish. Can we have those absolute reassurances?

The Prime Minister:
We will be an independent coastal state.

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/comm ... -03-18.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
From the uncorrected transcript of the Liaison Committee meeting today

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:55 pm
by tinyclanger2

We are looking at different potential customs arrangements for the future in order to deliver on the commitments that we have made. We are now the point at being able to look in more detailwith the European commission at some of those proposals. And I think it is fair to say that, as we get into the detail and as we look at these arrangements, then what becomes clear is that sometimes the timetables that haveoriginally been set are not the timetables that are necessary when you actually start to look at the detail and when you delve into what it really is that you want to be able to achieve.
All those wasted syllables.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:07 pm
by citizenJA
gilsey wrote:Shouldn't you have delved into this before you triggered A50?
May hinted that the government has now realised that setting up new customs arrangements after Brexit could take longer than expected. This is what she said in response to a question from the Conservative Nicky Morgan, who said HM Revenue and Customs told her Treasury committee that a new customs partnership with the EU could take five years to set up.

We are looking at different potential customs arrangements for the future in order to deliver on the commitments that we have made. We are now the point at being able to look in more detail with the European commission at some of those proposals. And I think it is fair to say that, as we get into the detail and as we look at these arrangements, then what becomes clear is that sometimes the timetables that have originally been set are not the timetables that are necessary when you actually start to look at the detail and when you delve into what it really is that you want to be able to achieve.
:wall:
I've been having a read of the uncorrected transcript of that meeting today
unintentionally hilarious farcical horrifying
Yvette Cooper persevered questioning May, to no avail

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:12 pm
by citizenJA
I think May genuinely despises the opposition

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:13 pm
by gilsey
I think she despises most of us.

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:14 pm
by citizenJA
Yes

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:22 pm
by citizenJA
Nicky Morgan:
Just to pick up on questions from Damian and Yvette first, in answer to them you talked about overseas states undermining elections through disinformation. I wonder what your views are about Twitter accounts being set up by overseas states, most likely Russia, to intimidate Members of Parliament in their duties in this House by threatening them, intimidating them and potentially even asking for them to be killed.

The Prime Minister:
There is a wider issue for us to consider in relation to the intimidation, harassment and bullying of Members of Parliament—and, indeed, it goes beyond Members of Parliament to candidates who stand in elections. A viciousness and vitriol has come into our public debate around these issues, particularly at election time, that, in my view, has no place in our parliamentary debate or in our democracy. People should be able to put their views forward and have proper arguments—proper debates—about those views. We hear and see from time to time threats of personal attack on individuals, or just constant bullying and harassment of some Members of Parliament. Some Members of Parliament have been able to take people to court successfully for what they have been doing.

Nicky Morgan:
I will move on, but there is a particular concern when it is not just robust debate, which I think we are all used to, or robust debate within our own parties, but deliberate orchestration by an overseas state as an attempt to undermine our democracy. I am assuming that that would be of great concern to you.

The Prime Minister:
Of course it would be of great concern, but also of concern are some of the actions we have seen taken by people in relation to either side of the referendum debate.

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/comm ... -03-18.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It's not Russia May is worried about then, just locals

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:44 pm
by PaulfromYorkshire
I think this works even better because the original Tweet has been taken down

Re: Tuesday 27th March 2018

Posted: Tue 27 Mar, 2018 11:58 pm
by citizenJA
Goodnight, everyone
love,
cJA