Wednesday 15th October 2014

[letsskiptotheleft]

An example of the shit facing councils now, though this particular one, Merthyr, it seems could have handled it better?!

Too many councils in Wales, almost farcical, I drove through 5/6 in just over an hour the other week to the English border, it would though, of course cost millions to merge, money that neither the councils or the Assembly have.

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/story/201 ... proposals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lonewolfie]

ESA numbers continue to rise,at current trends will be higher than when present Government came in.




http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/2 ... er-running" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's odd - as you posted I was just revisiting this...

http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspo ... so-do.html

...and watching the bit on the parliamentlive link (from 17.43) where Fraud refers to ESA claimants as 'stock'. I had to stop watching - not because I was falling asleep (as some of the noble lords seemed to be doing) but because the cold dry tone used to state 'a life on benefits is no longer an option' stirred rather uncharitable feelings towards him....and is that trends mentioned above? There might be someone on the dark side interested in a 'trend'.

[pk1]

When all is said and done it could be that Osborne and his economic bollocks miracle could be running out of time, not very encouraging data coming from the Chinese, Germany and the US, commentators have been hinting at things taking a downturn for months, it seems to be creeping in, this country thanks to incompetence by those at the Treasury is starting from a low base anyway, if things do go tits up how would the electorate judge it, how would Osborne, probably the opposite to the charges he levelled at Brown "global downturn, caught in the cross hairs" blah blah blah, ably abetted by the media of course.

I said the other day that an economic downturn in Europe which affects us may well be Osborne's worst nightmare.

People might be able to forgive the lack of real wage increases if they thought the economy was getting stronger and we had signs of growth but a slowdown of growth in the early part of next year will leave people thinking "hang on - we've made sacrifices but for what?"

Blaming the last recession on Labour may have worked for him before but I doubt if they'll buy the "But it's all the fault of the EU".

I'm not particularly financially astute when it comes to shares & world economies but my jaw dropped when I saw that

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29625959" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The FTSE 100 index closed down 181 points, or 2.8%, at 6,211.64, the biggest one day fall since June 2013.

There's something really nasty afoot & if it's as bad as 2008, let's be glad that this time it's the Cons in the hot seat !

[letsskiptotheleft]

When all is said and done it could be that Osborne and his economic bollocks miracle could be running out of time, not very encouraging data coming from the Chinese, Germany and the US, commentators have been hinting at things taking a downturn for months, it seems to be creeping in, this country thanks to incompetence by those at the Treasury is starting from a low base anyway, if things do go tits up how would the electorate judge it, how would Osborne, probably the opposite to the charges he levelled at Brown "global downturn, caught in the cross hairs" blah blah blah, ably abetted by the media of course.

I said the other day that an economic downturn in Europe which affects us may well be Osborne's worst nightmare.

People might be able to forgive the lack of real wage increases if they thought the economy was getting stronger and we had signs of growth but a slowdown of growth in the early part of next year will leave people thinking "hang on - we've made sacrifices but for what?"

Blaming the last recession on Labour may have worked for him before but I doubt if they'll buy the "But it's all the fault of the EU".

I'm not particularly financially astute when it comes to shares & world economies but my jaw dropped when I saw that

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29625959" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The FTSE 100 index closed down 181 points, or 2.8%, at 6,211.64, the biggest one day fall since June 2013.

There's something really nasty afoot & if it's as bad as 2008, let's be glad that this time it's the Cons in the hot seat !

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And now things are sliding everywhere. Actually, Europe already had in 1937, with it's slide into double dip recession; but now it's looking like another. And the world economy as a whole is weakening fast.

[Tubby Isaacs]

ESA numbers continue to rise,at current trends will be higher than when present Government came in.




http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/2 ... er-running" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Think Jonathan Portes saw this coming a while ago.

What a success. All that extra anxiety, waiting yonks to get paid, and it turns out that pretty much all those ESA people were correctly on ESA.

[Rebecca]

pk1,I can't imagine what sort of balls up this govt would make of another financial crisis.At least in 2008 the crisis was handled by economically literate grown ups.

[pk1]

pk1,I can't imagine what sort of balls up this govt would make of another financial crisis.At least in 2008 the crisis was handled by economically literate grown ups.

Well there is that, although I confess to thinking of the politics when I said be glad the Cons will get the blame this time

[Tubby Isaacs]

An example of the shit facing councils now, though this particular one, Merthyr, it seems could have handled it better?!

Too many councils in Wales, almost farcical, I drove through 5/6 in just over an hour the other week to the English border, it would though, of course cost millions to merge, money that neither the councils or the Assembly have.

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/story/201 ... proposals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd hope that money to merge councils could be found from central government. It's investment, and will save money.

But it probably won't. Blah, blah, Labour waste, blah, that's why we do them over in comparison to Scotland.

[LadyCentauria]

The thing about the Lord Freud comment that has struck me is it allegedly was an answer to a question from an individual who had made his disabled gardener a company director so that he could pay him less than the minimum wage. Surely that is against the law, its a deliberate attempt to circumvent minimum wage legislation so shouldnt Freud have actually reported this guy to the min wage commission?

That just made me think: did he give him shares in the company of which he made him a director? Did that (quite awful) shares-for-lower-pay thing, proposed by the coalition, actually go through – and is that what the questioner had taken advantage of? That's almost an aside but I'm curious.

Regardless, I agree that it looks like, as you say, "...a deliberate attempt to circumvent wage legislation..." and should be reported as such. And whether or not Freud understood what he was being asked, his reply to the guy's question was an expression of a despicable view on the 'worth' of disabled-people's labour. I think he's a wazzock and has no place in any government – not just based on this episode but on historic evidence...

[letsskiptotheleft]

A lesson in stating the bleedin obvious.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/10 ... 1413388294" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[letsskiptotheleft]

There is nothing more cheerful than a bit of blue-on-blue fighting, gladdens the heart.

http://zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk/2014/ ... dster.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LadyCentauria]

Oops.

Exposed: fake doctorate of Ukip ‘professor’

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/poli ... 236914.ece

A senior Ukip spokesman has been exposed as claiming to hold a “fake” degree and a professorship at an unaccredited academic institution.

Andrew Charalambous, the party’s housing and environment spokesman, is listed on a Facebook page as holding a “PhD in the parallels between Plato’s Utopia and Spartan Society”. He was listed on his official website as being a “professor of environmental sciences”.

You'd have to be pretty dim to think that this was even a possibility.

Take a look at the picture...as someone on AS said he looks like a bouncer.

From that Times article:

Last night he removed mention of the professorship from his website and also removed claims that he "is a qualified Barrister-at-Law" and a "Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts".

Although, it is possible to 'look like a bouncer' – even to be one – and be extremely bright, highly educated, and highly qualified.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The thing about the Lord Freud comment that has struck me is it allegedly was an answer to a question from an individual who had made his disabled gardener a company director so that he could pay him less than the minimum wage. Surely that is against the law, its a deliberate attempt to circumvent minimum wage legislation so shouldnt Freud have actually reported this guy to the min wage commission?

That just made me think: did he give him shares in the company of which he made him a director? Did that (quite awful) shares-for-lower-pay thing, proposed by the coalition, actually go through – and is that what the questioner had taken advantage of? That's almost an aside but I'm curious.

Regardless, I agree that it looks like, as you say, "...a deliberate attempt to circumvent wage legislation..." and should be reported as such. And whether or not Freud understood what he was being asked, his reply to the guy's question was an expression of a despicable view on the 'worth' of disabled-people's labour. I think he's a wazzock and has no place in any government – not just based on this episode but on historic evidence...

It was shares for rights. Don't know how many took it up.

The FT report it being used to reduce executive's tax bills in private equity companies.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cb93fa00-1c8b ... z3GEikVvF1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[51A]

An example of the shit facing councils now, though this particular one, Merthyr, it seems could have handled it better?!

Too many councils in Wales, almost farcical, I drove through 5/6 in just over an hour the other week to the English border, it would though, of course cost millions to merge, money that neither the councils or the Assembly have.

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/story/201 ... proposals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd hope that money to merge councils could be found from central government. It's investment, and will save money.
But it probably won't. Blah, blah, Labour waste, blah, that's why we do them over in comparison to Scotland.

I think it's due to geography and politics, the plethora of councils here in Wales. For instance, Blaenau Gwent says it will explore merging with Torfaen, both are poor, semi-rural, post-industrial and could merge well. Similarly a lot of Caerphilly would fit with those 2. But no-one wants to merge with Newport because Newport is too aspirational, seen as wanting to be Cardiff, similarly no-one wants to merge with Monmouthshire because that's too tory. People in Wales are concerned that social inclusion measures will cease if Councils get too large. I tend to agree with them. I do get the feeling that I am an individual in my tiny CBC, not someone lost in a great swathe no-one truly cares about.

[letsskiptotheleft]

An example of the shit facing councils now, though this particular one, Merthyr, it seems could have handled it better?!

Too many councils in Wales, almost farcical, I drove through 5/6 in just over an hour the other week to the English border, it would though, of course cost millions to merge, money that neither the councils or the Assembly have.

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/story/201 ... proposals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd hope that money to merge councils could be found from central government. It's investment, and will save money.
But it probably won't. Blah, blah, Labour waste, blah, that's why we do them over in comparison to Scotland.

I think it's due to geography and politics, the plethora of councils here in Wales. For instance, Blaenau Gwent says it will explore merging with Torfaen, both are poor, semi-rural, post-industrial and could merge well. Similarly a lot of Caerphilly would fit with those 2. But no-one wants to merge with Newport because Newport is too aspirational, seen as wanting to be Cardiff, similarly no-one wants to merge with Monmouthshire because that's too tory. People in Wales are concerned that social inclusion measures will cease if Councils get too large. I tend to agree with them. I do get the feeling that I am an individual in my tiny CBC, not someone lost in a great swathe no-one truly cares about.

Good points made there, but there are councils who can merge without too much difficulty, as it is on the cards to be, I certainly couldn't see the problem with reducing them to 12/14, no one is advocating going back to the old West/South/Mid Glam, Powys, Gwynedd days, the councils I grew up with. But as it is now there are 22 heads of education, environment, social services, housing and so on, resources could also be pooled, NPT has a shortfall of 2 million quid next year, the year after that more again, something has to give?

[TechnicalEphemera]

pk1,I can't imagine what sort of balls up this govt would make of another financial crisis.At least in 2008 the crisis was handled by economically literate grown ups.

Well there is that, although I confess to thinking of the politics when I said be glad the Cons will get the blame this time

The problem is, broadly speaking, the global economy is screwed.

- Germany is still blocking reform of the Euro Zone and fiscal transfers from the core to the periphery.
- China is still a huge trade distortion machine.
- Austerity muppets are still in power.
- Growth is dire.
- Productivity is falling.
- Deflation beckons.
- Private debt is huge.
- Wages are declining.

Against this background stocks have been soaring, why because interest rates are so low there is nowhere else to get a return on investment. The stock prices stopped reflecting reality ages ago. I have been having a debate with a work colleague for a while about this on the basis we both thought it couldn't carry on.

Today reality finally hit home.

[letsskiptotheleft]

Another UKIP candidate who proved rather less than exemplary, not the crime of calling women ''sluts'' or using racist language, this time animal cruelty, they do go through the whole list of social no noes don't they?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-29626429" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tubby Isaacs]

Newport didn't look in a good way when I was there recently.

We had the same problem with unpopular mergers in England in the seventies. In the nineties, they had to reinvent Herefordshire and Rutland.

I'm a strong supporter of decent sized unitaries, but Pickles has basically vetoed them, so that his lot can keep winning semi-rural district councils. In a unitary, if there's a decent sized town, it makes it much harder for the Tories to win, but there are quite a few unitary counties.

Cornwall is one. A bit of imagination, and it could be made into something like an assembly, and give the area a boost.

[ErnstRemarx]

pk1,I can't imagine what sort of balls up this govt would make of another financial crisis.At least in 2008 the crisis was handled by economically literate grown ups.

Well there is that, although I confess to thinking of the politics when I said be glad the Cons will get the blame this time

The problem is, broadly speaking, the global economy is screwed.

- Germany is still blocking reform of the Euro Zone and fiscal transfers from the core to the periphery.
- China is still a huge trade distortion machine.
- Austerity muppets are still in power.
- Growth is dire.
- Productivity is falling.
- Deflation beckons.
- Private debt is huge.
- Wages are declining.

Against this background stocks have been soaring, why because interest rates are so low there is nowhere else to get a return on investment. The stock prices stopped reflecting reality ages ago. I have been having a debate with a work colleague for a while about this on the basis we both thought it couldn't carry on.

Today reality finally hit home.

It'll lose the Tories the election far more effectively than anything else. Makes it a shrewd move to keep on about living standards and wages. If the economy 'booms' and nobody in the street notices (anything other than a few new Porsches for the boomees), then it has resonance. If the economy tanks - as is looking increasingly likely - then people will really start to wonder if all that there austerity was worth it, given that it would then continue almost endlessly.

Unemployment fell today. Which is to say that there are fewer people officially classed by the government as unemployed. However, as the Tories found in the 80s and 90s, you can only wish and classify away people from the unemployment figures by sleight of hand for so long. Sooner or later, little things like the screwed income tax take intrudes on the cosy fantasy of everyone back in work. And that's where we are now.

If you include back in all those without jobs on government "training" and add back in all those who've been sanctioned out of existence, then I suspect you'd get a rather different figure to the official totals. Tories have form on this, and have for decades. Their figures tell me one thing; their borrowing requirements due to falling tax take and GDP figures tell me something very, very different.

[Tubby Isaacs]

If you include back in all those without jobs on government "training" and add back in all those who've been sanctioned out of existence, then I suspect you'd get a rather different figure to the official totals. Tories have form on this, and have for decades. Their figures tell me one thing; their borrowing requirements due to falling tax take and GDP figures tell me something very, very different.

Absolutely.

The borrrowing requirements have also gone by the by because they had to slow the austerity down from 2012.

Can't recommend this link enough.

http://mainlymacro.blogspot.co.uk/2013/ ... lan-b.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ed Balls was spot on. Sadly he got hung up "double dip", which disappeared by figures being revised up to zero for one quarter. And he didn't pick up on Osborne slowing down.

The debt reduction post 2015 was basically a political trap. Balls tumbled in, though I can understand why.

[diGriz]

Separated at birth:


Douglas Carswell


Jonathan King

Are they related; we should be told

Fixed.

[HindleA]

New Statesman article about Lord Freud

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

[letsskiptotheleft]

New Statesman article about Lord Freud

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

Kevin Maguire reckons Labour have tapes of other Tories being less than discreet, could be bollocks though, releasing tapes bit by bit may go against them, so I am a bit dubious?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Vince Cable's former advisor, Giles Wilkes:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aedb0264-522c ... z3GEikVvF1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Giving hundreds of pounds to millions of people is rather popular. Since this is what raising the income tax threshold implies, it is no shock that both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties want it in their manifestos. Sadly it is an idea that gets worse with each passing year.

As he rightly points out, it's not done anything for Lib Dem popularity either.

[ErnstRemarx]

Vince Cable's former advisor, Giles Wilkes:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aedb0264-522c ... z3GEikVvF1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Giving hundreds of pounds to millions of people is rather popular. Since this is what raising the income tax threshold implies, it is no shock that both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties want it in their manifestos. Sadly it is an idea that gets worse with each passing year.

As he rightly points out, it's not done anything for Lib Dem popularity either.

I very much doubt whether anything could, short of a public suicide pact on TV and a sworn oath. Even then, being the FibDems, you wouldn't expect them to honour it*.

* I was going to write 'follow through'; sorry, even thinking about them tends to coarsen my tone.

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's worth following the guy online- Giles Wilkes, that is. He's very pleasant and non-partisan and articulate.

Don't know if he's still involved with them. Probably not very much because he'd fail the test of "fiscal credibility" as decided by Sarah Montague and the like.

What a masterstroke it was sidelining people like Wilkes for the sake of Jeremy Browne, who then clears off anyway.

[PorFavor]

Goodnight, everyone.

[letsskiptotheleft]

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... air-london" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You know who:

I don't want to expel any oligarchs, their cranes are sprouting all over the city, and it is marvellous.

No, far easier to expel single mothers, you twat.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Well I'd have failed him on the grounds that Utopia isn't a Platonic concept, it was coined by Sir Thomas More in the 16th Century ......

And a jolly fine book it is as well. I first read it on a beach in Greece; everybody around me was reading Jilly Cooper or Jeffrey Archer *spit* , I was reading Thomas More - pretentious, moi?

Evening all.

Edit - Night PF. Was it something I said (and I hadn't even mentionioned the tr- word)?

[Tubby Isaacs]

The Republic is a good book as well.

[refitman]

Goodnight, everyone.

Night PF

[TechnicalEphemera]

Private healthcare in the NHS covering up.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... mentpage=1

Anybody fancy tweeting Burnham asking him to demand publication.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

The Republic is a good book as well.

Have to confess I have never read it, may have to rectify that. It was on the reading list for an OU Humanities degree I started studying for a few years back, but my finances took a nose dive (it was my stint of single parenthood, with heat or eat worries, the whole nine yards) so I had to stop. One day ......

[ErnstRemarx]

Well I'd have failed him on the grounds that Utopia isn't a Platonic concept, it was coined by Sir Thomas More in the 16th Century ......

And a jolly fine book it is as well. I first read it on a beach in Greece; everybody around me was reading Jilly Cooper or Jeffrey Archer *spit* , I was reading Thomas More - pretentious, moi?

Evening all.

Edit - Night PF. Was it something I said (and I hadn't even mentionioned the tr- word)?

Good lord - I had a very similar experience. In my case, everyone around me was reading potboilers, bar MsRemarx who I recall was doing some Val MacDairmid (always happy holiday reading) whilst I tucked into a translation of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian Wars.

Quite a read when you know the action took place more or less locally.

[AngryAsWell]

Phew - a step back in time, and a timely reminder of where we could be heading unless someone gets to grips with the current anti-immigrants rhetoric

Britain’s most racist election: the story of Smethwick, 50 years on
In 1964, the West Midlands constituency of Smethwick was the most colour-conscious place in the country, and the scene of a Tory campaign that successfully exploited anti-immigrant sentiment. How has the town changed in the years since Malcolm X was inspired to visit in solidarity with its minorities?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/o ... 0-years-on" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tubby Isaacs]

Old Empty is cutting Inheritance Tax, I see.

Lucky he's so far ahead of schedule on the deficit.

[AngryAsWell]

Goodnight, everyone.

'night PF

[AngryAsWell]

Cameron will try to ‘mess up’ TV debates by including Greens
Lord Ashdown also suggests head-to-head debate between prime minister and Ed Miliband would be unfair to Nick Clegg

Hummm "Mess Up" - so that's what democratic process is called now ?
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... rd-ashdown" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ohsocynical]

pk1,I can't imagine what sort of balls up this govt would make of another financial crisis.At least in 2008 the crisis was handled by economically literate grown ups.

And what's going to happen go all those voters that think the Tories are better on the economy?

[ohsocynical]

Goodnight, everyone.

Night PF

[AngryAsWell]

Referring to mine above on Britain’s most racist election: the story of Smethwick, 50 years on
Leads us to today

Tighter immigration laws catching out long-term legal migrants – report
Legal Action Group calls for creation of specialist unit to deal with applications by those whose passports lack required stamps

Which is about cases like this
.........."One case highlighted in Chasing Status (pdf), the report from Legal Action Group, is that of Aubrey (not his real name), 53, who came to England from Jamaica in 1973 at the age of 12.
His Jamaican passport was stamped with indefinite leave to remain. But when it was replaced after he lost it four years ago he did not apply to the Home Office for the ILR stamp. As a single father on a tight budget, he had not wanted to pay £600 for something he assumed was not that necessary."

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... tion-group" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AngryAsWell]

From AS Blog
Number 10 has made it clear that Lord Freud will not be sacked for his comments about some disabled people not being worth the full minimum wage. Following Freud’s apology, the prime minister’s spokesman said David Cameron had full confidence in Freud. (See 4.13pm.) But Labour has said Freud should be sacked (see 4.02pm) and Jo Swinson, a Lib Dem business minister, has condemned him in the Commons. Swinson said:
Members on all sides of the House have been understandably shocked by the remarks by Lord Freud which I would stress absolutely do not reflect the government’s position and are clearly offensive and unacceptable. And I am glad he has issued a full apology.

So .... will he go tomorrow or last the weekend?

[diGriz]

From AS Blog
Number 10 has made it clear that Lord Freud will not be sacked for his comments about some disabled people not being worth the full minimum wage. Following Freud’s apology, the prime minister’s spokesman said David Cameron had full confidence in Freud. (See 4.13pm.) But Labour has said Freud should be sacked (see 4.02pm) and Jo Swinson, a Lib Dem business minister, has condemned him in the Commons. Swinson said:
Members on all sides of the House have been understandably shocked by the remarks by Lord Freud which I would stress absolutely do not reflect the government’s position and are clearly offensive and unacceptable. And I am glad he has issued a full apology.

So .... will he go tomorrow or last the weekend?

I'm on a hot streak today - I'll take Monday.

[TechnicalEphemera]

From AS Blog
Number 10 has made it clear that Lord Freud will not be sacked for his comments about some disabled people not being worth the full minimum wage. Following Freud’s apology, the prime minister’s spokesman said David Cameron had full confidence in Freud. (See 4.13pm.) But Labour has said Freud should be sacked (see 4.02pm) and Jo Swinson, a Lib Dem business minister, has condemned him in the Commons. Swinson said:
Members on all sides of the House have been understandably shocked by the remarks by Lord Freud which I would stress absolutely do not reflect the government’s position and are clearly offensive and unacceptable. And I am glad he has issued a full apology.

So .... will he go tomorrow or last the weekend?

I'm on a hot streak today - I'll take Monday.

I think he will hang on thanks to his specially trained troupe of deficit juggling squirrels.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Just picking up on comments about Osborne and the Eurozone.

I think I posted the other day a link to an ONS report that showed that the recent dip in exports in mainly due to non Euro zone countries.

This isn't a surprise, since the condescending acronym (BRICS etc.) world economic miracles are slowing down a bit. But Osborne must not be allowed to get away with blaming the Eurozone, to which for the time being our exports are doing relatively OK.

[ErnstRemarx]

From AS Blog
Number 10 has made it clear that Lord Freud will not be sacked for his comments about some disabled people not being worth the full minimum wage. Following Freud’s apology, the prime minister’s spokesman said David Cameron had full confidence in Freud. (See 4.13pm.) But Labour has said Freud should be sacked (see 4.02pm) and Jo Swinson, a Lib Dem business minister, has condemned him in the Commons. Swinson said:
Members on all sides of the House have been understandably shocked by the remarks by Lord Freud which I would stress absolutely do not reflect the government’s position and are clearly offensive and unacceptable. And I am glad he has issued a full apology.

So .... will he go tomorrow or last the weekend?

Spot on: he's doomed.

[ErnstRemarx]

Apropos of nothing, isn't car hunting bloody frustrating? We need another car due to child care commitments and the location of my new job (Bloody Oldham, well, Royton, which is slightly less ghastly than Oldham proper) so I've been scanning Ebay, Autotrader, etc, etc. Jeez there are lots of crocks out there, although if you'd like a Rover or Daewoo, you could probably find someone who'd pay you to take it away.

I've looked at lots of overpriced crap, and the evidence of the bookmarks in my 'cars' bookmarks folder tells me that I'm going to be hacking round in a Fiat Punto by the end of the week. And we need car no.2 as a matter of some urgency, so if I'm in and out of here like a fiddler's elbow, you'll know why.

I'd love another SAAB convertible or a 24v Probe, but that ain't going to happen sadly. Time to start saving for a toy. No point in having two dull utilitarian cars is there? (well apart from the tax, the insurance, CO2 emissions, tyres, parts, MOTs, practicality....oh bother)

[onebuttonmonkey]

The thing about the Lord Freud comment that has struck me is it allegedly was an answer to a question from an individual who had made his disabled gardener a company director so that he could pay him less than the minimum wage. Surely that is against the law, its a deliberate attempt to circumvent minimum wage legislation so shouldnt Freud have actually reported this guy to the min wage commission?

That just made me think: did he give him shares in the company of which he made him a director? Did that (quite awful) shares-for-lower-pay thing, proposed by the coalition, actually go through – and is that what the questioner had taken advantage of? That's almost an aside but I'm curious.

Regardless, I agree that it looks like, as you say, "...a deliberate attempt to circumvent wage legislation..." and should be reported as such. And whether or not Freud understood what he was being asked, his reply to the guy's question was an expression of a despicable view on the 'worth' of disabled-people's labour. I think he's a wazzock and has no place in any government – not just based on this episode but on historic evidence...

It was shares for rights. Don't know how many took it up.

The FT report it being used to reduce executive's tax bills in private equity companies.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cb93fa00-1c8b ... z3GEikVvF1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can only repeat the (scurrilous but I suspect accurate) gossip I heard from a friend (who I've no reason to doubt and who would know trustworthy people who would hear it) - the number of companies that took up shares for rights was so embarrassingly tiny that the civil servants dealing with it were under strict instructions not even to write down the number anywhere, so that it couldn't then be required to be included in an FoI. I heard barely double figures. And by barely, I really mean barely.

Obviously, lots of gossip goes round in these circles - for example, that two non-cabinet Treasury ministers were apparently going to defect to UKIP if the GE looked unwinnable. This one sounds more like it's a case of mouth > trousers, in that I can imagine a number of Tories saying this at the moment, but that the number who actually would jump ship would be far smaller than those letting it slip that they would.

Evening all, by the way.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Not really worth hanging on to, I'd have thought.

[onebuttonmonkey]

On the other hand, of course, once I've got a head of steam up, I do post the most appalling shite...

I'd just like the record to state that I'm a big fan of appalling shite.