FlyTheNest

Morning all.

Until Governments view investment in people and situations to engender independence via social security,rather than the "safety net"piffle arse about faceness will continue.It should and can be and was for us (though pernicious changes since) a vast cost saving and independent enhancing not least to and from the State(during and after)sensible accounting for circumstance.

@Anatoly from last night

I agree a second referendum on No Deal vs Remain would at least have clarity, though would be a real indictment of the politicians who have led us there.

I don't the relish the idea though. It would get very nasty.

It's an absolute disgrace that any politician is advocating "no deal" as an active choice. "No deal" is what happens if there is a complete and utter collapse in governance in this country, it's what happens if our democratic system fails. A referendum should only ever be between two viable options which have genuine potential benefits for the country, we've already seen what happens when that's not the case. A further referendum can only be between an agreed deal and remain. Only May can realistically make a referendum happen, though, so it's mostly a distraction.

https://m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/amp/entr ... ssion=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Government Launches Recruitment Campaign To Fill 110,000 Wrinkly Hand jobs


Titter ye not(genuinely didn't realise until "after")

Now I have lowered the tone,the only way is up.I hope this is appreciated.

Willow904 wrote:It's an absolute disgrace that any politician is advocating "no deal" as an active choice. "No deal" is what happens if there is a complete and utter collapse in governance in this country, it's what happens if our democratic system fails. A referendum should only ever be between two viable options which have genuine potential benefits for the country, we've already seen what happens when that's not the case. A further referendum can only be between an agreed deal and remain. Only May can realistically make a referendum happen, though, so it's mostly a distraction.

Government choosing all this is scary as hell. Tory leadership can't not know how damaging the EU referendum and resulting interpretation of that result is for nation and people. They're doing it with their eyes wide open. These are their choices; this is the will of Tory government.

Good-morning, everyone

Or sideways

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/ ... pe-convent" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.tuc.org.uk/blogs/zero-hours ... p-them-out" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Morning all.

RIP Gordon Banks

London Historians
‏@LondonHistorian
2m2 minutes ago
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As kids when we had a kick-about or three-and-in or whatever, when put in goal we didn't mind, because 'I'm Gordon Banks'. Couldn't imagine that of any goalie before or since. #banks #gordonbanks #RIP

Re a second referendum, I agreed with most of Freedland's column on Saturday. Don't often say that.

So far, pro-Europeans have emphasised the means – a second referendum – over the ends: staying in the EU. That’s the wrong way around. The first task is to persuade the public that Brexit has to be stopped

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... referendum" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Too late now, surely.

Well yes, it should have been said by the likes of him two years ago.

https://socialcarefuture.blog/2019/02/1 ... ssion=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Life changing, not life ending: reframing the narrative on dementia and social care

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ssion=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA wrote:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ssion=true

The concept of "owning your own home" becomes "Actually someone else owns the freehold..."

I'm currently writing an article which uses a document from an auction in 1895 that sold the freeholds of houses built in the 1880s.

How have we got back to a position where leaseholds became acceptable?

https://www.parliament.uk/business/comm ... ion-17-19/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


No respite for “victims” of counter-productive sanctions regime

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

Minor tweaks can’t address the deep, inhuman flaws of universal credit
Patrick Butler

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -by-humans" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA wrote:https://amp.theguardian.com/society/201 ... ssion=true

Minor tweaks can’t address the deep, inhuman flaws of universal credit
Patrick Butler

Seems to be an increasing consensus that it is not fit for purpose.

Once it past the cherry picked six people and a dog called Bert simple cases (constantly cited as evidence of moving into work a nanosecond earlier than the old/present system)stage always going to be problems.

Not sure if Bert was an actor,the DWP tend to use them.

Corbyn got some good laughs in the House when he thanked the PM for the copy of her statement, but pointed out that it had only arrived at his office seconds before he was due. Had she asked Chris Grayling to deliver it?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002grh" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.rmt.org.uk/campaigns/rail/d ... on-policy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


"Please take a couple of minutes to help in the fight for an accessible railway. Staff our Stations. A Guard on every train. Please act by 15 February, 2019."

Did anyone else see the C4 programme on HS2 last night? I knew in theory the conditions for rail passengers around Manchester were bad but it was still an eyeopener for me. Some of you may have first-hand experience.

gilsey wrote:Did anyone else see the C4 programme on HS2 last night? I knew in theory the conditions for rail passengers around Manchester were bad but it was still an eyeopener for me. Some of you may have first-hand experience.

There was a piece in the FT this morning (I think) saying that there won't be enough government funds to do Crossrail 2 AND Northern Powerhouse.

The trouble, as someone pointed out, is that Crossrail2 will be able to raise part of the funding itself from corporate taxes and investment, whereas that will be much harder in the North. The whole point is that the North needs this investment to close the gap with London.

I believe it's even worse in Manchester, but go to Leeds Station any teatime and watch people squeezing themselves into tiny, clapped out Sprinter units that weren't really fit for purpose even when they were new 30 years ago.

And that's without me ranting about the Transpennine route and the bus services!

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/b ... ossibility" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

united-ireland-now-looks-increasing-possibility

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-47211509" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Full transcript of Orla Guerin's interview with Nicolas Maduro. No big surprises, but an interesting read.

The very last questions are about his relationship with Jeremy Corbyn.

My previous byelection round-up got it slightly wrong, it was six contests to kick the month off last week. Not seven

Anyway, here they are:

Bradford - LibDem gain from Labour with over half the vote and a swing of nearly 10%. On the face of it an obviously good result for them, but a closer investigation reveals this result was not perhaps that much of a surprise - prior to Labour winning this ward last year (with their former council leader, whose sudden death caused this poll) the LibDems had won it without exception won it every time since it returned three councillors for them in the 2004 all outs, then as with most occasions since with big margins (though it being fairly close on GE day in 2015 did indicate some Labour potential here) Tories came second back in 2004 but have never managed that since, remaining also rans now though their 12% was a slight increase on last time. Greens last with 2%, a small drop.

Wokingham - LibDem hold with 63% of the vote, a 17 point increase (and over 12% swing) on last year when they gained this ward from the Tories - the first time it had not voted for the blue team since they had duly returned three councillors in the 2004 all outs. LibDems were quite close behind then, but the Tories subsequently made things safe (at times, very safe) before the LibDems had another close finish in 2016 from almost nowhere in a portent of what was to come. Labour have never polled well here - at times finishing behind UKIP when they stood - and were squeezed to 5% this time.

Lambeth - Labour hold, though with under half the vote in a swing of over 20% to the second placed LibDems who advanced from 4th place last time (and 5th in 2014) to nearly a third of the vote. LibDems do have some past history here - they won 2 of the three seats in 2002 before Labour made it a full slate four years later, but the LibDems remained competitive then and in 2010 before the coalition cratered their vote - but this might be seen as something of a protest vote against a council that can return a big Labour majority overall but has still followed some controversial policies. Greens third with a little under 10%, a small drop but thus leapfrogging the Tories who fell by over 6 points from a year ago. Women's Equality party got less than 2%, but still beat UKIP who polled well short of when they had taken third place in their previous showing here in 2014.

Buckinghamshire CC - a Labour gain (unofficially speaking anyway, the candidate has been suspended by the party following allegations of electoral fraud - which they deny) from the localist East Wycombe Independents - the previous incumbent had first been elected as a Labour councillor in 2005 and as a LibDem in 2009 and 2013 before switching their allegiance again prior to the most recent election in 2017. Labour increased their voted by 15 points to over 40% (plus a double figure swing) whilst the LibDems recovered some ground lost last time with 21%, up 6 points. Tory share almost exactly halved to 10%.

Tower Hamlets - two vacancies here in one of the most fascinatingly arcane - and controversial - political micro-climates in the country, and these did not disappoint in that respect - the first was a gain for Aspire (the surviving successor group to Tower Hamlets First - the electoral vehicle of former elected mayor Lutfur Rahman) over Labour in one of the few wards where that party did not score a clean sweep last year as it split between them and the leader of Tower Hamlets People Alliance - the other post-THF group - whose leader actually topped the polls here, only to then defect to the LibDems (thus restoring a presence in their one time "flagship borough") and declare their previous party extinct. Got all that? LibDems were thus hopeful here, but shortly before the poll they had to suspend their candidate after they were embroiled in an anti-Semitism controversy and in the event they came third (though that was compared with 7th and last a year ago, with a double figure increase to almost 17%) Together the combined "Lutfurite" vote last time easily beat Labour, so despite the defeat they may be moderately pleased to have held their vote and finished just 3 points behind Aspire's winning 34% score. Tories best of the also rans with a modest increase to 6, followed by the Greens (little changed) just ahead of an Independent who dropped a few points from a year ago and finally Womens Equality with a customarily modest 2% score. The other vacancy saw a Labour hold in a ward which voted 3 Labour councillors in a year ago following a 2Lab/1THF split in 2014 - but here as well the combined "Lutfurite" vote in 2018 ran Labour roughly neck and neck, so they will be pleased with holding relatively comfortably with a little changed 40% whilst Aspire advanced to a bit over 30%. LibDems the best of the rest with 9%, little changed - then UKIP on over 5%, pipping the Tories by a single vote. Greens not far behind, and finally the "House Party" on nearly 3%.

Just a single (Welsh) contest this week.

Lying MP in "I'm not going to say I got it wrong but I am going to make it worse..." non-shocker.

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And what's with the "I was promised you wouldn't raise that" - he must have asked them that presumably - they wouldn't have volunteered it.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:And that's without me ranting about the Transpennine route and the bus services!

My neighbour is a season ticket holder for Man City. There have been no trains between where we live (Wombwell) and Sheffield for the past ~6 months, so I've been giving him a lift to Sheffield every other week-ish.

The other week/month it was United at Everton and Liverpool at City (I think) and there were no trains at all between Liverpool and Manchester. It's been an absolute mess for ages.

Well at least the strike action with Northern is over now - should be a pretty "normal" Saturday rail timetable this weekend for the first time in months.

Just looking at the figures for Northern in North Manchester for 11 Nov-8 Dec last year.

1/4 of trains were short formation (= massively overcrowded)
1/10 trains were cancelled
only 1/3 of trains arrived on time

That's not a service.

As I said things were marginally better in Yorkshire. Small mercies!

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Well at least the strike action with Northern is over now - should be a pretty "normal" Saturday rail timetable this weekend for the first time in months.

My mate mentioned that at the weekend. I won't miss having to drive to Sheffield. I will miss being paid in curry though.

I reckon those who arrived late by Northern at Old Trafford tonight aren't too unhappy.

Will the 2nd half be better?

Theresa May's Brexit tactic: my way or a long delay

Theresa May’s high-stakes Brexit strategy may have been accidentally revealed on Tuesday, after her chief negotiator Olly Robbins was overheard in a Brussels bar saying MPs will be given a last-minute choice between her deal and a lengthy delay.

A long delay is a start, thank you.

If there's any truth in this, then her cowardice in refusing to make it very clear that leaving without a withdrawal agreement is out of the question is raised up another few notches.

This, from a former Dem congressman who was buried today

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