Monday 29th September 2014

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:40 pm

ErnstRemarx wrote:
LadyCentauria wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:LadyCentauria wrote:

From AS
Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, is addressing the conference now.
He has just announced that the Department for Work and Pensions will pilot paying benefits for certain troubled families with pre-paid cards, not cash, to stop families wasting money on drink or drugs.
I’ll post more details shortly.

And who will decide just who these certain troubled families are ???
First they came for.....

I have discovered one way to put a Tory or any sort of bigot off his stride when they're on about the wrong sort of people getting benefits.

Ask them who judges the judges. Who would they like to judge whether they were worthy. They splutter ever such a lot but so far I haven't found one who can answer it.
I can't take credit for the quote up there, so could you delete my name please? I love the tip on how to put Tories and sundry bigots off their stride and will use it, come canvassing season here!
Kay Burley, on Sky News, stopped IDS in his tracks and into stunned silence when she asked him, after his speech, whether he was the Tory who is rumoured to be about to defect to UKIP. Was hilarious. He can't think on his feet. Or on any other part of his anatomy. Of course he denied it once he regained his composure. Said no-one had ever asked him anything like that before! She also pressed him on putting the greatest burden on the poorest people in order to balance the books, and many other awkward (for him) questions. Sorry I can't remember what they all were but she was v good and he was :pwned:
Good Lord - Sky sticking one up Duncan Cough? Shurely shome mishtake? Still, most amusing.

Not just Sky, but Kay "entire eastern seaboard" Burley! Now, that is remarkable

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:41 pm

ohsocynical wrote:Reading a Tweet about IDS decrying drinking I assume he was only on about the working classes.

I do wonder if for all their expensive educations he and his fellow Tories ever read a social history book or even one written by the most famous Conservative of all Winston Churchill.

(1) Drinking usually increases when times get hard. It's the poor mans way of relaxing and forgetting his miseries for a few hours a week.
(2) The two items Churchill didn't put on rationing was alcohol, and cigarettes, because he knew that when times are hard people need something to turn to for relaxation. He'd get more out of them in the long run.

Nowadays we'd include drugs. But the drift is the same, and the need will always be there for many.

He also seems to conveniently forget that we subsidise MP's bloody discounted bar bills in the HoC .... jeez the hypocrisy and moralising is disgusting.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:44 pm

IDS: Well, I'm sure you all enjoyed my speech here at the Centre for Social Justice, which I founded. In fact, I'd like to take a moment that thank myself for my brilliant hospitality. Any questions?

Nick Robinson: Secretary of State, there's a saying in politics that it's easier to talk a tough game than walk a tough game. Will pre-payment cards be tough?

IDS (scowling): I bet you wouldn't ask a question like that to the Labour Party. (smiling now) Of course, they'll be tough. But I'm not being tough because I'm tough. I'm being tough because I'm right.

Nick Robinson: Thanks for your time, very kind, Secretary of State.

Proper journo who's sneaked in unnoticed: I'm very interested in this, because I used to be a heroin addict and-

IDS: A heroin addict- excellent. So you know my prepayment cards would have got you back on the old straight and narrow.

Proper journo: No, they'd have been disastrous, because I wouldn't have sought help in case I got put on one. Would more than likely be dead by now.

(Exit IDS, stage right)

Nick Robinson (shouting after him): Don't worry, that won't be in my report.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:45 pm

Old Brillo Head laid into Matthew Handjob in fairness to him too, Naughtie this morning gave Osborne a more thorough going over than Humphrys would have, of course that isn't saying a lot.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:46 pm

: WhateverHappenedToAllInThisTogether.jpg (43.96 KiB) Viewed 15589 times

Tim Montgomerie ‏@TimMontgomerie 5m
A good question from @EdConwaySky: Whatever happened to we're all in this together? https://medium.com/sky-news/george-osbo ... b2fe0526f7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … pic.twitter.com/1AntdQndJM

Quite.

When even their own party members can smell the rat ... they should know that most decent people will too.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:50 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:Sounds like another utter numpty in the DfE...

AWonlocation @AWonlocation · 4h
Gyimah: in 2010, 1/3rd of pupils left school unable to read, write or do maths "and this breaks my heart". #cpc14

AWonlocation @AWonlocation · 4h
Bousted: "It doesn't help when politicians misuse statistics" and berates Gyimah's 1/3rd argument. #cpc14

and then...

Laura McInerney @miss_mcinerney · 2h
Sam Gyimah says on fringe panel that TeachFirsters don't do QTS. Don't worry, have had a word.

Oh dear...

Buffoon.

He was Cameron's PPS.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:50 pm

There is now the option to switch to the old comments format on the Graun liveblog - they're not promising it will be available permanently, though.....

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:51 pm

Jim Pickard ‏@PickardJE 1m
Liam Fox on Reckless: "He has looked his colleagues in the eye and lied on a daily basis. His behaviour is loathsome” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/47a8abb8-47ce ... edition=uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Takes one to ......

Beyond parody really.

diGriz · Post by **diGriz** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:53 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Full write up of the twitter post Spacedone wrote earlier, all jokes aside, and pardon the language but this is fucking outrageous.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... dwood.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Odd point of view from a mere public servant.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 5:59 pm

Found a list of Labour MP's who voted for the in/out EU referendum

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/10/24 ... y-eu-whip/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:05 pm

Am probably being cynical but wonder just who will provide the pre-paid cards and where will benefit claimants be able to use them ?

Unlikely that a cheap market stall will take them, or have the technology to do so, so it will limit where people can buy food.

As always with the Tories, who benefits ?

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:07 pm

yahyah wrote:Am probably being cynical but wonder just who will provide the pre-paid cards and where benefit claimants will be able to use them ?

Unlikely that a cheap market stall will take them, or have the technology to do so, so it will limit where people can buy food.

As always with the Tories, who benefits ?

Tesco - every little help an all that. Esp when profits are down

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:10 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:I don't think those social security cuts are serious, are they?

Political trap again. Osborne and Alexander haven't tried anything like that ambitious so far.

Yes they are absolutely serious and have been talking about it for some time.

They will implement this if they get in next time - £3,000 PA reduction in the total benefit cap; no uprating of JSA, ESA, Income Support, Housing Benefit, and tax credits for two years; draconian new conditions for all claimants plus increased sanctions; and (if they can) full roll out of Universal Credit which will bring working people into sanctions too.

70,000 families will be affected by the reduced cap, losing on average £40 a week at least.
10 Million people will be affected by the freeze on out-of-work benefits, HB, and tax credits.

The pre-paid cards have been in the pipeline for a few years, and some LAs are already using supermarket vouchers rather than use their emergency funds to give cash to people who need to pay rent or utilities. Financial companies are already working with Freud to offer new "financial products" to claimants of UC to help them manage monthly payments.

Of course, any homelessness, hunger, destitution, increased child poverty, or deaths, will not be reported; at some point someone will announce that people are coping and there is no need to increase benefits in future.....until they stop them altogether.

They're serious, all right.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:10 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:There is now the option to switch to the old comments format on the Graun liveblog - they're not promising it will be available permanently, though.....

Where is the facility to switch to that? I haven't spotted it yet.

Shame it won't do anything about the blog itself - totally awful. I won't be looking in at all if this is the future format.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:15 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
WhateverHappenedToAllInThisTogether.jpg

Tim Montgomerie ‏@TimMontgomerie 5m
A good question from @EdConwaySky: Whatever happened to we're all in this together? https://medium.com/sky-news/george-osbo ... b2fe0526f7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … pic.twitter.com/1AntdQndJM
Quite.

When even their own party members can smell the rat ... they should know that most decent people will too.

But what I want to know is, did Mr Riots get his meal of courgettes eventually?

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:17 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
WhateverHappenedToAllInThisTogether.jpg

Tim Montgomerie ‏@TimMontgomerie 5m
A good question from @EdConwaySky: Whatever happened to we're all in this together? https://medium.com/sky-news/george-osbo ... b2fe0526f7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … pic.twitter.com/1AntdQndJM
Quite.

When even their own party members can smell the rat ... they should know that most decent people will too.

And they'll be giving the "increased" tax revenues straight back, anyway (eg increased mobile 'phone coverage financial assistance to companies who should be funding it out of their own bank balances).

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:18 pm

Today, Britain is the fastest growing, most job-creating, most deficit-reducing of any major advanced economy.

Even avoiding the painful English, is this really true?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:18 pm

Andrew Hawkins ‏@Andrew_ComRes 2m
ComRes/ITV News: 29% of UKIP voters in marginal seats wd prefer Labour to a Conservative govt http://ht.ly/C3QAC" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting post.

Liked this bit in particular.

A new ComRes / ITV News poll of the 40 most marginal Labour-Conservative constituencies, shows Labour holding an 11 point lead over the Conservatives. At the 2010 General Election the two parties were tied on 37% across these 40 seats.

Labour currently has 41% of the vote in these battleground constituencies, an increase of five points since June, with the Conservatives on 30%, the Liberal Democrats on 6% and UKIP on 17% (up from 3% in 2010).

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:19 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:I don't think those social security cuts are serious, are they?

Political trap again. Osborne and Alexander haven't tried anything like that ambitious so far.

Do you not? They said, when they introduced the cap and restricted Working-Age benefits increases to 1% or CPI per annum, that further cuts would have to be found in the Social Security budget. Not that they call it that. Now, from 2016 (if elected) they plan to freeze those benefits for two years until 2018, and to reduce the cap by a further £3,000. Social Security benefits have already lost value over the past few years – 1% of £71.40 really isnt much, is it, nor is CPI – when set against cost-of-living increases (RPI) over the the same period. Meanwhile, food and fuel (gas. electricity, oil, coal, petrol, diesel) costs have increased at higher rates – and account for the most of what benefit recipients spend their money on.

Their sound-bite says they are protecting disability benefits, maternity and paternity benefits and leave, and Pensioners from the freeze but once you look at what elements of Employment and Support Allowance are counted as disability benefits, you find it is only a fraction of it. The rest is Basic Allowance, usually equal to the JSA amount, thus subject to first the 1% increase restriction and, in 2016, subject to the freeze. DLA/PIP should be exempted but those are quite successfully being cut by other methods.

And they havent yet declared how they intend to proceed with the Under-Occupancy Penalty or the Local Housing Allowance.

And Pensioner Households can be affected by these cuts, particularly if one member of a couple is below (the fast-rising) retirement age. Or, if they are caring for an adult child with severe disabilities or other long-term condition.

Around half of the cuts they intend making, in the next four years, come from Social Security benefits. Broadest shoulder, my arse! As for 'serious'. Further squeezes on the already crushed is serious. And the Conservatives are serious in their intent.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:22 pm

ephemerid wrote:
Tubby Isaacs wrote:I don't think those social security cuts are serious, are they?

Political trap again. Osborne and Alexander haven't tried anything like that ambitious so far.

Yes they are absolutely serious and have been talking about it for some time.

They will implement this if they get in next time - £3,000 PA reduction in the total benefit cap; no uprating of JSA, ESA, Income Support, Housing Benefit, and tax credits for two years; draconian new conditions for all claimants plus increased sanctions; and (if they can) full roll out of Universal Credit which will bring working people into sanctions too.

70,000 families will be affected by the reduced cap, losing on average £40 a week at least.
10 Million people will be affected by the freeze on out-of-work benefits, HB, and tax credits.

The pre-paid cards have been in the pipeline for a few years, and some LAs are already using supermarket vouchers rather than use their emergency funds to give cash to people who need to pay rent or utilities. Financial companies are already working with Freud to offer new "financial products" to claimants of UC to help them manage monthly payments.

Of course, any homelessness, hunger, destitution, increased child poverty, or deaths, will not be reported; at some point someone will announce that people are coping and there is no need to increase benefits in future.....until they stop them altogether.

They're serious, all right.

Do you think they reckon they're going to win?

If you're not going to win, you put down a load of markers for the next government to fail. The next government either have to take the shit for doing them, or doing something more sensible and just face ludicrous questions about "The deficit is still X. George Osborne (perhaps now leader of the Opposition) was right, wasn't he? You should have knocked £25bn off welfare". Proper scrutiny of the Osborne plan is avoided. If there's a Coalition with the LDs again (who probably will have 30 MPs or so, this is something you can "reluctantly" give up, and get all manner of other crap through- English Votes, boundaries, whatever.

Of course they're already working on this stuff- the pre-payment card is government money for their mates. When it's abandoned, they'll blame Labour or Coalition partners for it.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:23 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
WhateverHappenedToAllInThisTogether.jpg

Tim Montgomerie ‏@TimMontgomerie 5m
A good question from @EdConwaySky: Whatever happened to we're all in this together? https://medium.com/sky-news/george-osbo ... b2fe0526f7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … pic.twitter.com/1AntdQndJM
Quite.

When even their own party members can smell the rat ... they should know that most decent people will too.
But what I want to know is, did Mr Riots get his meal of courgettes eventually?

Mr Riots was served the quickest vegetable stir fry in history - in which courgettes were the central feature - heavily spiced up with ginger, garlic and all the rest. Gobbled down.

I will be trying out the FTN recipe suggestions in the very near future - courgettes are still romping away in the greenhouse.

(We've got the same glut problem with cucumbers. I've held back from trying a very dubious recipe for cucumber 'ragou' which I spotted in an online newspaper the other day. Need to be feeling super adventurous and brave for that one.)

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:25 pm

My last post - the bit in rebeccariots' post to which I was alluding didn't appear. Oh, well , , ,

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:28 pm

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:
Today, Britain is the fastest growing, most job-creating, most deficit-reducing of any major advanced economy.
Even avoiding the painful English, is this really true?

I suspect it depends on what you define as

a) a job
b) growth
c) deficit reduction

Truth doesn't matter anymore. Belief and assertion is everything.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:30 pm

I am sleeping so badly lately that I haven't dared tune in to the radio or TV for the last couple of days, in case it disrupts the little rest I am getting

Thank God for FTN! Informative but without quite so much stress.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:31 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
PaulfromYorkshire wrote:
Today, Britain is the fastest growing, most job-creating, most deficit-reducing of any major advanced economy.
Even avoiding the painful English, is this really true?
I suspect it depends on what you define as

a) a job
b) growth
c) deficit reduction

Truth doesn't matter anymore. Belief and assertion is everything.

Well, according to Iain Smith's twisted logic, people signing on have "got a job". They've even got a contract to prove it.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:33 pm

[youtube]EDv0S2RdzZk[/youtube]

Paul wondered about the mare Javid had, haven't watched it myself though.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:39 pm

ITV news interviewing that well known commentator ''White Dee'' ''George Osborne has claimed the votes of hard working tax payers who resent people on benefits but not those on welfare''

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:45 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:

ITV news interviewing that well known commentator ''White Dee'' ''George Osborne has claimed the votes of hard working tax payers who resent people on benefits but not those on welfare''

Oh dear

Mind if I join you?

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:51 pm

Evening

"Drawing the vilest Government of my lifetime" Martin Rowson

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

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:52 pm

Good write up.

Mark Easton ‏@BBCMarkEaston 1h
Welfare Freeze: Who Would Be Hit? (low-income 'hard-working families' mostly) My blog. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29416370" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

BTL is pretty damning too.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:52 pm

In the Guardian...I know, I know, but it's Martin Rowson. I couldn't resist

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

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:54 pm

Goodnight, everyone.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:56 pm

LadyCentauria wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:

ITV news interviewing that well known commentator ''White Dee'' ''George Osborne has claimed the votes of hard working tax payers who resent people on benefits but not those on welfare''
Oh dear
Mind if I join you?

Something awfully smelly there.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:57 pm

HindleA wrote:Evening

"Drawing the vilest Government of my lifetime" Martin Rowson

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

Sorry. Snap. Funny though. Might treat myself to the book for Christmas...

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 6:59 pm

PorFavor wrote:Goodnight, everyone.

Night PF

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:03 pm

LadyCentauria wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:

ITV news interviewing that well known commentator ''White Dee'' ''George Osborne has claimed the votes of hard working tax payers who resent people on benefits but not those on welfare''
Oh dear
Mind if I join you?

Please do, I don't feel as though my head is going at the inane level of what passes for journalism.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:08 pm

Isabel Hardman ‏@IsabelHardman 1m
Sarah Wollaston disagrees with account of discussion with PM Reckless cited when he defected. Tells me what she saw http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehous ... k-of-ukip/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

which includes:

The Tories are bracing themselves for another defection to Ukip which may or may not come today or in the next few days. MPs and whips have been chasing after Adam Holloway and Chris Kelly as the figures who seem the most at risk, and have been extracting the sort of point blank denials that Mark Reckless claims to have never been asked for. Daniel Hannan has been denying again that he is leaving his party, while another rumour is doing the rounds that the next defection could be from a London Conservative working with Boris, rather than the Commons or the European Parliament...

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:13 pm

Sajid Javid "going to prison for not paying your licence fee".

Right. I thought they went to prison for getting something for nothing and then not paying fines.

The Tories would cross the road to avoid lots of licence fee non-payers.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:18 pm

How to avoid accidentally taking pictures of your willy: a handy guide for MPs
http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/09/2 ... e-for-mps/

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:22 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
How to avoid accidentally taking pictures of your willy: a handy guide for MPs
http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/09/2 ... e-for-mps/

Why are you laughing Rebecca, surely you have sympathy for men who accidentally take photos of their cocks, it's so easy, apparently, any tool can do it?!

Talking of which, avoid Hodges, the headline is enough.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:23 pm

Christ, Sajid Javid is useless.

That bit about Spain and Greece reducing their deficit faster than us.
"That's because they've got currency issues".

We've cut taxes.
Er, the figures I just gave you were net. They take your tax cut into account.

Useless.

And the bit on Brooks Newmark. I can't comment, I'm in charge.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:27 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote: Mr Riots was served the quickest vegetable stir fry in history - in which courgettes were the central feature - heavily spiced up with ginger, garlic and all the rest. Gobbled down.

I will be trying out the FTN recipe suggestions in the very near future - courgettes are still romping away in the greenhouse.

(We've got the same glut problem with cucumbers. I've held back from trying a very dubious recipe for cucumber 'ragou' which I spotted in an online newspaper the other day. Need to be feeling super adventurous and brave for that one.)

Courgettes -
1. Courgette "pasta": best with young ones that aren't too watery - make long slices of courgette using a mandolin or peeler; cook in boiling water for about 2 minutes, drain. Serve with a thick cheesy sauce, and pretend it's papardelli.
2. Courgette Imam Bayildi - big fat nearly marrow ones for this, usually made with aubergines. Recipes everywhere on the web; the name means "The Imam swooned" (probably because of the amount of olive oil needed)
3. Not-quite-lime pickle - 2 limes, chopped - salt them overnight (or for a few days if you can wait) with 2 tablespoons of salt.
Cut 2 firm courgettes into small pieces, salt them and drain overnight; rinse them when you assemble the pickle.
Cook 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds, 4 chopped cloves of garlic, an inch-square piece of fresh ginger chopped, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, half a teaspoon of turmeric, and half a teaspoon (more if you like it hot) in oil for about 5 minutes. Add the courgettes, and bung in 150ml water, 120g dark brown sugar, 50ML spirit vinegar, and the lime mixture (don't rinse it, you need the salt. Let the whole thing simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes till it thickens a bit. Season to taste (shouldn't need it)
Put in sterilised jars, and try not to eat any for 2 weeks. Nice with rice and dhal.

Cucumber -
Soup and/or raita/tzatziki: peel and grate as many cukes as you've got. Bung in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt per cuke. Leave for an hour, then scoop the lot into a colander lined with muslin (or a J-cloth) and leave to drain overnight. This gets rid of a lot of the water.
What's left can be frozen - it won't go as sloppy as "untreated" cucumber.
Soup - 2-3 cukes, 6 scallions (spring onions), 2 medium potatoes; chop it all up (don't peel the cukes) and sweat in olive oil for about 5 minutes; add 2 pints vegetable stock and simmer for about 30 minutes. You can mash it or liquidise it, and season to taste.
You can serve this hot or cold, with a bit of sour cream and some herbs.
For raita, mix the cuke with plain thin yogurt, add some fresh chopped mint and a pinch of sugar; for tzatziki, crush a clove of garlic, and add the cuke and some very thick Greek yogurt, and a bit of salt

You can also make your own skin cleansers from cucumber - lots of recipes online.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:28 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Christ, Sajid Javid is useless.

That bit about Spain and Greece reducing their deficit faster than us.
"That's because they've got currency issues".

We've cut taxes.
Er, the figures I just gave you were net. They take your tax cut into account.

Useless.

And the bit on Brooks Newmark. I can't comment, I'm in charge.

Prime Minister in waiting.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ories.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:30 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
How to avoid accidentally taking pictures of your willy: a handy guide for MPs
http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/09/2 ... e-for-mps/

Why are you laughing Rebecca, surely you have sympathy for men who accidentally take photos of their cocks, it's so easy, apparently, any tool can do it?!

Talking of which, avoid Hodges, the headline is enough.

Accidental cocks - it's quite a good description of rather a lot of the Tories.

I'm laughing because they bloody deserve it. I'm laughing because there are bastards in that party who think we should pay for their underpants and breakfast ... whilst pontificating about the poorest being allowed to even decide what to buy with their paltry 'benefit'.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:34 pm

ephemerid wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote: Mr Riots was served the quickest vegetable stir fry in history - in which courgettes were the central feature - heavily spiced up with ginger, garlic and all the rest. Gobbled down.

I will be trying out the FTN recipe suggestions in the very near future - courgettes are still romping away in the greenhouse.

(We've got the same glut problem with cucumbers. I've held back from trying a very dubious recipe for cucumber 'ragou' which I spotted in an online newspaper the other day. Need to be feeling super adventurous and brave for that one.)

Courgettes -
1. Courgette "pasta": best with young ones that aren't too watery - make long slices of courgette using a mandolin or peeler; cook in boiling water for about 2 minutes, drain. Serve with a thick cheesy sauce, and pretend it's papardelli.
2. Courgette Imam Bayildi - big fat nearly marrow ones for this, usually made with aubergines. Recipes everywhere on the web; the name means "The Imam swooned" (probably because of the amount of olive oil needed)
3. Not-quite-lime pickle - 2 limes, chopped - salt them overnight (or for a few days if you can wait) with 2 tablespoons of salt.
Cut 2 firm courgettes into small pieces, salt them and drain overnight; rinse them when you assemble the pickle.
Cook 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds, 4 chopped cloves of garlic, an inch-square piece of fresh ginger chopped, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, half a teaspoon of turmeric, and half a teaspoon (more if you like it hot) in oil for about 5 minutes. Add the courgettes, and bung in 150ml water, 120g dark brown sugar, 50ML spirit vinegar, and the lime mixture (don't rinse it, you need the salt. Let the whole thing simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes till it thickens a bit. Season to taste (shouldn't need it)
Put in sterilised jars, and try not to eat any for 2 weeks. Nice with rice and dhal.

Cucumber -
Soup and/or raita/tzatziki: peel and grate as many cukes as you've got. Bung in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt per cuke. Leave for an hour, then scoop the lot into a colander lined with muslin (or a J-cloth) and leave to drain overnight. This gets rid of a lot of the water.
What's left can be frozen - it won't go as sloppy as "untreated" cucumber.
Soup - 2-3 cukes, 6 scallions (spring onions), 2 medium potatoes; chop it all up (don't peel the cukes) and sweat in olive oil for about 5 minutes; add 2 pints vegetable stock and simmer for about 30 minutes. You can mash it or liquidise it, and season to taste.
You can serve this hot or cold, with a bit of sour cream and some herbs.
For raita, mix the cuke with plain thin yogurt, add some fresh chopped mint and a pinch of sugar; for tzatziki, crush a clove of garlic, and add the cuke and some very thick Greek yogurt, and a bit of salt

You can also make your own skin cleansers from cucumber - lots of recipes online.

Well thank you very much Ephemerid. Yet more great ideas. Perhaps FTN is missing a recipe thread - we'd have to have some political elements in them though (might be fun). Like the sound of the cucumber soup in particular.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:34 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Why are you laughing Rebecca, surely you have sympathy for men who accidentally take photos of their cocks, it's so easy, apparently, any tool can do it?!

Talking of which, avoid Hodges, the headline is enough.
Accidental cocks - it's quite a good description of rather a lot of the Tories.

I'm laughing because they bloody deserve it. I'm laughing because there are bastards in that party who think we should pay for their underpants and breakfast ... whilst pontificating about the poorest being allowed to even decide what to buy with their paltry 'benefit'.

Agree.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:41 pm

George Osborne: Burying the good news of the green economy
As the government scraps its green economy statistics, the chancellor lauds hi-tech industries of the future but then puts fracking first
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... en-economy

It is no surprise that politicians bury bad news from time to time. On Thursday evening, while media attention was gripped by parliament’s vote on going back to war in Iraq, the energy department slipped out the news that it was going to scrap people’s right to block fracking under their homes, despite overwhelming opposition.

You might think that burying good news, on the other hand, was bonkers. Yet that is exactly what the George Osborne has done with the UK’s booming green economy, exemplified once again in his speech to the Conservative Party conference on Monday. But not content with just putting the green economy in the shade, I can reveal that the coalition has even decided to stop collecting its statistics on the fast-growing sector.

What is Osborne afraid of? That renewables and energy efficiency will be shown to be better better for the economy than the shale gas he once again lavished with hyperbole?...

All I can say is - should be read.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:44 pm

Well thank you very much Ephemerid. Yet more great ideas. Perhaps FTN is missing a recipe thread - we'd have to have some political elements in them though (might be fun). Like the sound of the cucumber soup in particular.[/quote]

Also - if you make muffins with fruit or carrot cake/buns, you can replace the fruit.carrot with courgette.
Honest - I've tried it and it's really not bad.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 7:50 pm

Small business forced to the wall after Tesco take five months to pay £6,000 bill

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/busine ... er-7848520

Tesco really do stick to their motto, don't they.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 8:05 pm

Found this link on Twitter.
I normally don't go near The Mail, but this piqued my interest. More Willy scandals I thought, but alas not quite.
It did though leave me with an mental image of a colonel type old style Tory thinking of voting UKIP, brandishing a vacuum cleaner hose and frothing at the very idea of it.

UKIP defectors are the sort of people who have sex with vacuum cleaners': Boris comes to Cameron's rescue with extraordinary attack on the 'quitters, the splitters, the kippers' undermining Tories

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... tters.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;