Monday 13th October 2014

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 7:29 pm

Liz Kendall always seems pretty good to me. Feistier than she looks. May have family commitments.

onebuttonmonkey · Post by **onebuttonmonkey** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 7:36 pm

ErnstRemarx wrote:
onebuttonmonkey wrote:
PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Re: the six pledges and passionate leadership

Burnham can clearly lead on health.
I think Hunt possibly has what it takes to be passionate and articulate on the apprenticeships.
I think Ed himself should lead on Green issues.
Then there are the two economy ones - wage growth / regional development and minimum wage / living wage - I guess we currently have Umunna and Balls and that's a problem area.
And finally housing. This is in Emma Reynolds' portfolio, but I don't know much about her apart from she's quite new.
I agree with you on Burnham, Ed M (I think these attacks will finally become counterproductive, to be honest), and that there's an unknown that is Reynolds. I'd hope she's as good as she needs to be - there's plenty of capital to be made here.

Balls wasn't such a problem until the conference, but now he seems to unite left and right in dismay; Umunna particularly weak (although preferable to Reeves, who should be done away with as soon as possible). But Hunt, to me, looks like a disaster. I'm from teaching stock, so perhaps that's just me. But I have to say Hunt has been one of the biggest disappointments - partly for how easy it should be to effectively oppose the Tories, and partly for how wrong he keeps getting it. Swearing an oath, for pity's sake? It's just the comedy icing on a particularly useless cake.
Emoticon for wild applause there.

Balls is combative, but people just don't warm to him much (something he shares with No. 11's current incumbent) regardless of his accuracy of prediction or economic skills/knowledge.

Hunt and Umunna can jump off a fucking cliff as far as I'm concerned. Two characters (and Reeves, now I think on) more lacking in actual blood and charisma are hard to imagine as 'leading lights'. The reason their arguments often look like quibbling over details is because they are quibbles over details. Reeves should be saying categorically WCA will be scrapped on day one and something of use and of help put in it's place. Umunna should be saying that Osborne's fucked it up, and it's low wage jobs and scaring the unemployed in self-employment on shit rates that's screwing the tax take, and Hunt should be stating categorically that academies are a shit idea that should never have been countenanced, and that all such schools will return to LEA (democratic) control.

That they can't even dredge up the bottle to argue for three such easy and sensible hits is beyond me. No wonder so many voters don't trust Labour.

In short: yes, yes and yes. Absolutely. All of this.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 7:49 pm

Goodnight, everyone.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 7:50 pm

PorFavor wrote:Goodnight, everyone.

Night PF

well

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 7:55 pm

Temulkar wrote:
TechnicalEphemera wrote:
Temulkar wrote: I think the idea was to counter accusations that the Greens were a one woman party, a la Norbert Fromage and the Kippers. NB has improved tremendously behind the mic fortunately. In a debate with the other leaders she is going to do well. Not least being the only woman, but also having a genuine alternative to espouse.

As it happens the party is seeking legal advice, CL just happened to announce it.
There is little to recommend about somebody who made a big thing demanding Ed Miliband apologise for Iraq.

His first act as leader (in his acceptance speech) was to apologise for Iraq. An action he took years before NB decided to wave it around as a Green cause.

So is NB a liar or an incompetent?
An admission the Iraq war was wrong is not the same as apologising for it.

Saying we were wrong to undermine the UN, is not the same as saying sorry we started an illegal war that has caused the death of tens of thousands of innocents, the displacement of millions, has caused home grown terrorism, cost billions, and is the catalyst for our current war.

Ed Milliband has never apologised, nor have Labour and it is either intellectual incompetence or deceit to claim they have.

Miliband has been absolutely explicit that it was wrong, and it has been called an apology by a fair chunk of the media. It certainly pissed off David.

He wasn't an MP when the vote was taken so he can't really apologise for a decision he didn't make. We do know from a variety of sources that he tried to get Brown to stop the march to war.

NB is just posing, and it doesn't make her look good.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 7:56 pm

PorFavor wrote:Goodnight, everyone.

Night PF

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:02 pm

Hunt should be stating categorically that academies are a shit idea that should never have been countenanced, and that all such schools will return to LEA (democratic) control.

The trouble is that even competent LAs had sink schools. Democracy was not very good at preventing that. People who probably don't even vote, in a couple of areas of the town, have their kids kept away from people who do.

Academies were responding to a real problem, for all the chancers they involved.

LAs have been smashed up by Pickles. Many openly want schools off their books altogether. They couldn't cope with loads of schools suddenly coming back to them now. The current oversight idea is quite good, and there's the chance of rebuilding them in the longer term.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:12 pm

Mark Ferguson : If you thought Britain’s “Go Home” vans were severe, wait until you see Australia’s new posters…

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

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:16 pm

PorFavor wrote:Goodnight, everyone.

Goodnight PF. Sweet dreams

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:17 pm

Who was the Tory MP on C4 news who told KGM that there was no money for NHS staff ''don't people understand?'' when asked if that was the case why were tax cuts being promised, apparently he had no answer, just a prolonged period of silence, and these clowns deem to govern us?

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:19 pm

Anyone planning to watch the Panorama on Farridge this evening?

I am wondering if they will be in any way honest about what a total prat he is......

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:19 pm

Anyone planning to watch the Panorama on Farridge this evening?

I am wondering if they will be in any way honest about what a total prat he is......

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:19 pm

Whoops......so good, I posted it twice.....

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:22 pm

Ireland to close ‘double Irish’ tax loophole
Finance minister to sound death knell for controversial scheme that allows multinationals to slash their overseas tax rates

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... x-loophole

So if they can do it .... ?

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:23 pm

Night PF.

Watching the Palestine Debate. a remarkably positive and productive debate (with the exception of one Tory numpty). Powerful speeches, from both sides of the House, in support of the motion from such unexpected sources as Gerald Kaufman and Richard Ottaway; and, as much as I loathe the man, Jack Straw has been doing good work tonight.

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:26 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Who was the Tory MP on C4 news who told KGM that there was no money for NHS staff ''don't people understand?'' when asked if that was the case why were tax cuts being promised, apparently he had no answer, just a prolonged period of silence, and these clowns deem to govern us?

The name "David Tredinnick" is all over Twitter, so I'd guess he is the guilty party. It has been pointed out that he has claimed roughly £800 on his parliamentary expenses for books on astrology.

Temulkar · Post by **Temulkar** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:29 pm

TechnicalEphemera wrote:
Temulkar wrote:
TechnicalEphemera wrote: There is little to recommend about somebody who made a big thing demanding Ed Miliband apologise for Iraq.

His first act as leader (in his acceptance speech) was to apologise for Iraq. An action he took years before NB decided to wave it around as a Green cause.

So is NB a liar or an incompetent?
An admission the Iraq war was wrong is not the same as apologising for it.

Saying we were wrong to undermine the UN, is not the same as saying sorry we started an illegal war that has caused the death of tens of thousands of innocents, the displacement of millions, has caused home grown terrorism, cost billions, and is the catalyst for our current war.

Ed Milliband has never apologised, nor have Labour and it is either intellectual incompetence or deceit to claim they have.
Miliband has been absolutely explicit that it was wrong, and it has been called an apology by a fair chunk of the media. It certainly pissed off David.

He wasn't an MP when the vote was taken so he can't really apologise for a decision he didn't make. We do know from a variety of sources that he tried to get Brown to stop the march to war.

NB is just posing, and it doesn't make her look good.

Saying something is wrong is not the same as apologising for it, unless maybe your Lord Rennard. Milliband has not apologised which is the point you so forcefully and randomly made despite it being incorrect. Millibands words are below. At no point does he apologise could you link some of this large chunk of the media that claims he did?

"Iraq was an issue that divided our party and our country. Many sincerely believed that the world faced a real threat.

"I criticise nobody faced with making the toughest of decisions and I honour our troops who fought and died there. But I do believe that we were wrong. Wrong to take Britain to war and we need to be honest about that.

"Wrong because that war was not a last resort, because we did not build sufficient alliances and because we undermined the United Nations.

"America has drawn a line under Iraq and so must we,"

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:34 pm

Temulkar, the Blairites were and are MIGHTILY pissed off with what EM said about Iraq and that is good enough for me, tbh.

Temulkar · Post by **Temulkar** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:39 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Temulkar, the Blairites were and are MIGHTILY pissed off with what EM said about Iraq and that is good enough for me, tbh.

Fine I have no problem with that; I have a problem with people claiming it was something it wasnt to try and make some random point about NB. I'm sure people can find real issues to attack the greens about without making things up. That's the kind of think Grant Shapps does.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:44 pm

Miliband's speech to the PLP earlier this evening, mostly positive contributions from the floor, two negative, Stringer and Field, quelle surprise eh?!

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -slip-away" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:47 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:Who was the Tory MP on C4 news who told KGM that there was no money for NHS staff ''don't people understand?'' when asked if that was the case why were tax cuts being promised, apparently he had no answer, just a prolonged period of silence, and these clowns deem to govern us?
The name "David Tredinnick" is all over Twitter, so I'd guess he is the guilty party. It has been pointed out that he has claimed roughly £800 on his parliamentary expenses for books on astrology.

He also refused to answer if he would take the MP's pay rise - interviewer gave him some stick for that

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:49 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
Ireland to close ‘double Irish’ tax loophole
Finance minister to sound death knell for controversial scheme that allows multinationals to slash their overseas tax rates

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... x-loophole
So if they can do it .... ?

They've been told to by the EU.
Whether Apple and all stay in Ireland at all remains to be seen.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 8:53 pm

AngryAsWell wrote:
TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:Who was the Tory MP on C4 news who told KGM that there was no money for NHS staff ''don't people understand?'' when asked if that was the case why were tax cuts being promised, apparently he had no answer, just a prolonged period of silence, and these clowns deem to govern us?
The name "David Tredinnick" is all over Twitter, so I'd guess he is the guilty party. It has been pointed out that he has claimed roughly £800 on his parliamentary expenses for books on astrology.
He also refused to answer if he would take the MP's pay rise - interviewer gave him some stick for that

There's a youtube video doing the rounds, can't for some reason link it.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:01 pm

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

Back stabbers? People's Army is getting more like the Tories everyday, or is that the other way round?

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:08 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:
AngryAsWell wrote:
TheGrimSqueaker wrote: The name "David Tredinnick" is all over Twitter, so I'd guess he is the guilty party. It has been pointed out that he has claimed roughly £800 on his parliamentary expenses for books on astrology.
He also refused to answer if he would take the MP's pay rise - interviewer gave him some stick for that
There's a youtube video doing the rounds, can't for some reason link it.

Just watched the video.....he is one crazy guy! Who lets him have a vote, never mind a vote as an MP - astrology ffs! That is before the MP salary car crash

[youtube]AqvC54d6V3o[/youtube]

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:09 pm

Nice try at getting out of it with "we're talking about nurses, not MPs".

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:15 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Miliband's speech to the PLP earlier this evening, mostly positive contributions from the floor, two negative, Stringer and Field, quelle surprise eh?!

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -slip-away" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for that. Interesting. I did post there saying how irritating it must be for Ed to be criticised by the media for (in so many words) having too many policies, when the media used to pillory him for having none.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:15 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Miliband's speech to the PLP earlier this evening, mostly positive contributions from the floor, two negative, Stringer and Field, quelle surprise eh?!

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -slip-away" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Surprised he isn't mentioned more as the possible Labour-UKIP defector, tbh. Has been stewing in his own bile and bitterness since about 1998

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:21 pm

Eh? Save 5% of the NHS budget on alternative medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, those involved with such methods don't get paid then?

Christ, what areas elect such cretins, and to think places like where I live get accused of voting in donkeys with red rosettes?

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:24 pm

You can dig around in the HTML for a "data-discussion-key", simply bung that after the discussion/ in the link above. Should work for any beta comments page.
I plan on posting one each day I'm about until Beta is good enough, I get bored, or it stops working.

I haven't a clue what he means or how to do it but maybe the techs amongst us can help with that.[/quote]

I'm guessing that most of you use Internet Explorer as your internet browser but this'll work for Firefox as well. Follow these steps.

1. Go to the Guardian Politics Live Blog page of the day and let that rubbish Beta load up.
2. On your keyboard press Ctrl and U together. This will open up a document containing the HTML code for that page (the language that tell the computer what to display and how)
3. Press Ctrl and F to bring up a small Find search box and type/copy & paste the following:

theguardian.com/discussion

4. Press next and it will take you to the matching bit of text in the code. You'll find a line that looks something like this (the code on the end will change daily):

http://www.theguardian.com/discussion/p/42ckd

5. Copy it and then paste it into your internet browser and replace www with discussion

6. Press the Enter key and beautiful non-Beta comments will magically appear.

And thank you for letting me know this was possible. I'll at least be able to keep track of the Live Blog discussions even if I'm not going to post.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:24 pm

Thanks for the interesting discussion on who should be leading the campaign for Labour.

Farage is getting a slating on Twitter following a Panorama show. Anyone catch it?

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:26 pm

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Thanks for the interesting discussion on who should be leading the campaign for Labour.

Farage is getting a slating on Twitter following a Panorama show. Anyone catch it?

Got it recorded for laters

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:26 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:Miliband's speech to the PLP earlier this evening, mostly positive contributions from the floor, two negative, Stringer and Field, quelle surprise eh?!

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -slip-away" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Surprised he isn't mentioned more as the possible Labour-UKIP defector, tbh. Has been stewing in his own bile and bitterness since about 1998

Few of them about AK, Mitchell, Field, Hoey, who I know isn't a he ruled such a thing out earlier this evening.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:27 pm

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight · 38m38 minutes ago
.@CarolineLucas: "We can't take what's convenient for the broadcasters and use that to dictate how democracy works."

Well said Caroline !

ErnstRemarx · Post by **ErnstRemarx** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:27 pm

onebuttonmonkey wrote:
ErnstRemarx wrote:
onebuttonmonkey wrote: I agree with you on Burnham, Ed M (I think these attacks will finally become counterproductive, to be honest), and that there's an unknown that is Reynolds. I'd hope she's as good as she needs to be - there's plenty of capital to be made here.

Balls wasn't such a problem until the conference, but now he seems to unite left and right in dismay; Umunna particularly weak (although preferable to Reeves, who should be done away with as soon as possible). But Hunt, to me, looks like a disaster. I'm from teaching stock, so perhaps that's just me. But I have to say Hunt has been one of the biggest disappointments - partly for how easy it should be to effectively oppose the Tories, and partly for how wrong he keeps getting it. Swearing an oath, for pity's sake? It's just the comedy icing on a particularly useless cake.
Emoticon for wild applause there.

Balls is combative, but people just don't warm to him much (something he shares with No. 11's current incumbent) regardless of his accuracy of prediction or economic skills/knowledge.

Hunt and Umunna can jump off a fucking cliff as far as I'm concerned. Two characters (and Reeves, now I think on) more lacking in actual blood and charisma are hard to imagine as 'leading lights'. The reason their arguments often look like quibbling over details is because they are quibbles over details. Reeves should be saying categorically WCA will be scrapped on day one and something of use and of help put in it's place. Umunna should be saying that Osborne's fucked it up, and it's low wage jobs and scaring the unemployed in self-employment on shit rates that's screwing the tax take, and Hunt should be stating categorically that academies are a shit idea that should never have been countenanced, and that all such schools will return to LEA (democratic) control.

That they can't even dredge up the bottle to argue for three such easy and sensible hits is beyond me. No wonder so many voters don't trust Labour.
In short: yes, yes and yes. Absolutely. All of this.

Thank you. To put my rage into context, I'm a living, breathing (most days) Labour councillor. And I know quite well that there's plenty in my local group and the two local parties that it derives from feel the same way as me. The Tories are there for the taking, and because the national party's so scared of the meeja and so worried that they might say something vaguely radical that might offend the Blairite undead who infest the shadow cabinet, they end up bickering with the Tories about nuance and detail when they should be able to punt those useless, vapid, morally bankrupt and corrupt bastards over the horizon in very short order.

Miliband needs to fire off some of his "stars" (as identified by the right wing meeja) and flush them down the toilet along with Progress, Dan "fucking" Hodges, the remaining Blairites and anyone else who thinks that apeing the Tories in any way whatsoever is going to please either said meeja or people out there in punterland, 'cos it really, really isn't and never will. They will either simply insist that it's not right wing enough to vote for, or in the case of the latter decide that they either won't vote for lukewarm Thatcherism or that there are two or three other parties that do Thatcherism better than Labour.

I'm either a dangerous marxist or else Britain's lost its fucking marbles. This isn't radical; this is a recognition of what needs to happen.

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:28 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:
Ireland to close ‘double Irish’ tax loophole
Finance minister to sound death knell for controversial scheme that allows multinationals to slash their overseas tax rates

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... x-loophole
So if they can do it .... ?
They've been told to by the EU.
Whether Apple and all stay in Ireland at all remains to be seen.

The EU are also going after Amazon and their Luxembourg tax scam and are talking about making Amazon repay the sum of the tax they've avoided.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:28 pm

Paul Lewis ‏@paullewismoney 31m31 minutes ago
Fascist political friends, money unaccounted for, no cooperation with Panorama journalists. Programme doing interesting exposé of UKIP

One bit of good news then. Worth watching on iPlayer tomorrow.

SNAP

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:30 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... s-carswell

Back stabbers? People's Army is getting more like the Tories everyday, or is that the other way round?

It's political osmosis.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:30 pm

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Thanks for the interesting discussion on who should be leading the campaign for Labour.

Farage is getting a slating on Twitter following a Panorama show. Anyone catch it?

Yes, it was pretty funny. Farage clearly gets nervous about people digging around in his past history.

Superb timing by Bloom - confirms what people like Richard North were saying about Fararge so even if people discount people who left years ago, they can't do the same with Bloom.

Fararge is very like Nick Griffin - totally unsuited to be a party leader as wants to be in total control and eventually people just can't be bothered any longer and leave.

How long before carswell says "I made a terrible mistake..."

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:31 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:Miliband's speech to the PLP earlier this evening, mostly positive contributions from the floor, two negative, Stringer and Field, quelle surprise eh?!

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -slip-away" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Surprised he isn't mentioned more as the possible Labour-UKIP defector, tbh. Has been stewing in his own bile and bitterness since about 1998
Few of them about AK, Mitchell, Field, Hoey, who I know isn't a he ruled such a thing out earlier this evening.

Mitchell is in the Campaign Group. Being anti-EU membership isn't unusual there. Think he's probably OK.

Some maverick rightwinger is more likely.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:32 pm

Spacedone wrote:
Tubby Isaacs wrote:
ohsocynical wrote: So if they can do it .... ?
They've been told to by the EU.
Whether Apple and all stay in Ireland at all remains to be seen.
The EU are also going after Amazon and their Luxembourg tax scam and are talking about making Amazon repay the sum of the tax they've avoided.

I suppose we need to look no further as to why so many MPs want us out of the EU.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:32 pm

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Thanks for the interesting discussion on who should be leading the campaign for Labour.

Farage is getting a slating on Twitter following a Panorama show. Anyone catch it?

Sadly no, watching Wales, almost as painful as watching the anti politician politician.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:41 pm

More on that clown Tredinnick, took a grand from an undercover reporter to ask a question about a drug that didn't exist, years later he sits on the Health select committee.. Only in politics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2055369.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:45 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
I suppose we need to look no further as to why so many MPs want us out of the EU.

You're more logical than the politicians.

Their prejudices- business is wonderful, foreigners are bad- are pointing them in contradictory directions.

Foreigners are bad is winning at the moment.

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:48 pm

In other news, a great result for the Welsh football team and this.

Iceland 2 Holland 0

Perhaps Ed Miliband is Dutch?

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:51 pm

TechnicalEphemera wrote:In other news, a great result for the Welsh football team and this.

Iceland 2 Holland 0

Perhaps Ed Miliband is Dutch?

As long as he doesn't start speaking with a Dutch accent like Steve McClaren.

ErnstRemarx · Post by **ErnstRemarx** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:51 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:
Hunt should be stating categorically that academies are a shit idea that should never have been countenanced, and that all such schools will return to LEA (democratic) control.
The trouble is that even competent LAs had sink schools. Democracy was not very good at preventing that. People who probably don't even vote, in a couple of areas of the town, have their kids kept away from people who do.

Academies were responding to a real problem, for all the chancers they involved.

LAs have been smashed up by Pickles. Many openly want schools off their books altogether. They couldn't cope with loads of schools suddenly coming back to them now. The current oversight idea is quite good, and there's the chance of rebuilding them in the longer term.

The point is, the mechanism was already there. If there were schools with serious problems, address the fucking problems - don't outsource the entire school to MegaEduCorp over whose activities you'll never have a say. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Inspect the schools, inspect the LEA, hold people to account; we know only too well from report over the years - and frequently catalogued here by Roger O'Thornhill - that running away from the problems by inviting the private sector in never works. It's not worked with railways, power generation and distribution, schools, water or anywhere else you'd care to name, because shareholders will always come before customers and parents, and that's where the problems really start.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:52 pm

BBCPanorama ‏@BBCPanorama 1h1 hour ago
We calculated Farage got abt £4m from the EU in salary+allowances but he’s never published fully audited accounts showing how its been spent

That on its own won't stop people voting for UKIP.

Financial shenanigans by the Tories would have rocked the government once. Nowadays it's pretty much who cares. And it's Tory voters in the main that are giving UKIP an extra boost.

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 9:53 pm

Spacedone wrote:
TechnicalEphemera wrote:In other news, a great result for the Welsh football team and this.

Iceland 2 Holland 0

Perhaps Ed Miliband is Dutch?
As long as he doesn't start speaking with a Dutch accent like Steve McClaren.

Right up there with Bartons French one.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 10:01 pm

Charities must record when employees use Twitter to campaign, Electoral Commission says.
The real reason for the gagging bill (which Labour will repeal)

http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/n ... l_election" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;