Friday 24th October 2014

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 6:41 am

Morning all.

A good article on what we should be thinking about instead of GDP measurements.
http://www.pieria.co.uk/articles/how_to ... beyond_gdp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **refitman** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 7:29 am

Morning. Labour and Tories tied in latest Yougov:

Latest YouGov / The Sun results 23nd Oct -

Con 34%, (+3)
Lab 34%, (+1)
LD 6%, (-1)
UKIP 15%; (-2)

APP -21 (+4)

Lonewolfie · Post by **Lonewolfie** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:16 am

Morning all...another 'alternative reality' day I assume.

I could have sworn that the NHS had a massive re-organisation not long ago...or perhaps not?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29726934

Really, I'm not sure how to think about this...angry doesn't really cover it but I find the impotence of festering rage detrimental to my well-being - perhaps they could have a little 'well-being' index to go alongside Fat Daves' 'happiness' index (I'm going to have to think of something far more cutting to call it - f*****g fat useless f***-faced f*****g f****r feels a bit 'South Park - and too inclusive of other fat useless f*****s who would be tainted by association - for surely OGRFG is THE most useless 'fat useless f*****g f*****' we've ever had inflicted upon us). Norman Lamb, interviewed by the BBC - '...NHS needs massive restructure to prepare it for the future challenges...' - no hint of irony, he sounded very concerned - did you vote for the Health & Social Care Bill in 2011/12? Where the f*** are all the advantages that (non) re-organisation was supposed to bring? Where the f*** is Lansley to defend his Bill? Where the f*** are the rest of the f*****g f******s who forced it through?

I'm going to find something to help me calm down (it's also too early in the morning for this kind of anger) and I apologise profusely for my overuse of the '*' symbol.

(...and I no longer feel like Boycott Tavare - this ton was much quicker

...and now, apparently, I have chair

)

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:23 am

Morning all. Well this has probably cooked the Tories' Rochester goose good and proper ....

UK told to pay £1.7bn extra to EU
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29751124

PfY was on to this story very quick late last night - so nods to him.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:34 am

Pleased to see the good people of Liverpool tell it like it is to Mark Harper on QT last night.

Special thanks to the young hospital doctor who asked the NHS question - lousy answers from Louise de Bours (get rid of CQC - is she mad? no need to answer) and Mark Harper - who insists there are fewer managers since the coalition's wonderful reforms of the NHS ... oh yeah. Caroline Flint and Len McCluskey both on them like a rash ... various figures cited as being lost by the work involved in running the CCGs model - 2, 3 or 4 billion depending who you believe.

And the wonderful woman who works in a food bank who told Harper he must be living in la la land if he thinks there has been any economic recovery outside of London. Her description of what she sees and experiences on a daily basis was searing. She got a big round of applause. Audience clearly recognising a reality.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:35 am

Morning.

Tonight's Radio 4 Any Questions has Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, energy expert Dr Carol Bell, Tory Bernard Jenkin MP and Plaid Cymru's [ex BBC] Rhun Ap Iorwerth.

Wot, no UKIP ?

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:48 am

refitman wrote:Morning. Labour and Tories tied in latest Yougov:

Latest YouGov / The Sun results 23nd Oct -

Con 34%, (+3)
Lab 34%, (+1)
LD 6%, (-1)
UKIP 15%; (-2)

APP -21 (+4)

Rather depressing to see that...
UKIP down 2 would be good to see repeated, mind. Greens are now tied with LD on 6%.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:56 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:Pleased to see the good people of Liverpool tell it like it is to Mark Harper on QT last night.

Special thanks to the young hospital doctor who asked the NHS question - lousy answers from Louise de Bours (get rid of CQC - is she mad? no need to answer) and Mark Harper - who insists there are fewer managers since the coalition's wonderful reforms of the NHS ... oh yeah. Caroline Flint and Len McCluskey both on them like a rash ... various figures cited as being lost by the work involved in running the CCGs model - 2, 3 or 4 billion depending who you believe.

And the wonderful woman who works in a food bank who told Harper he must be living in la la land if he thinks there has been any economic recovery outside of London. Her description of what she sees and experiences on a daily basis was searing. She got a big round of applause. Audience clearly recognising a reality.

And Alex Salmond, on being pressed by Dimbleby, said he hasn't made up his mind yet about standing for a seat at Westminster but that, as soon as he did, he'd be happy to accept an invitation back to explain his decision. Would that be on QT? He turned to the audience and said, it should be in Liverpool – which raised applause. (Not verbatim.)

I agree with everything you said, RR2. It was a good QT.

Lonewolfie · Post by **Lonewolfie** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:05 am

RobertSnozers wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:Pleased to see the good people of Liverpool tell it like it is to Mark Harper on QT last night.

Special thanks to the young hospital doctor who asked the NHS question - lousy answers from Louise de Bours (get rid of CQC - is she mad? no need to answer) and Mark Harper - who insists there are fewer managers since the coalition's wonderful reforms of the NHS ... oh yeah. Caroline Flint and Len McCluskey both on them like a rash ... various figures cited as being lost by the work involved in running the CCGs model - 2, 3 or 4 billion depending who you believe.

And the wonderful woman who works in a food bank who told Harper he must be living in la la land if he thinks there has been any economic recovery outside of London. Her description of what she sees and experiences on a daily basis was searing. She got a big round of applause. Audience clearly recognising a reality.
It's only fair to acknowledge it when Ukip come up with a decent policy, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Hate to say it, (actually I don't) but getting rid of the CQC is A Very Good Idea. Anyone who has read Roy Lilley knows it's a waste of space and money, and I have personal experience of the unfitness for purpose of the so-called inspectorate.

The job of monitoring services and intervening when they fall below the standards expected is done perfectly well by the process known as assurance, currently done by NHS England's area teams (strategic health authorities in all but name). They don't need the CQC to tell them when something isn't working because they have the local relationships and probably know when a service needs help long before the CQC does. Moreover, they are authorised and have the skills to actually go in and help improve the service, which the CQC does not. Nine times out of ten, the CQC makes things worse because they make a lot of noise about how something's wrong, make absolutely no suggestions or recommendations on how to improve matters, then sod off to trash the next organisation after having busted morale and made recruitment ten times harder.

Moreover, they don't have the skills to do even that job properly, as a service might find itself inspected by someone with no direct experience of that part of the health service, which means their impressions are sometimes wrong (e.g. Complaining that a young person's mental health service is a bit raucous - actually you want to worry when things are quiet because it means everyone's just doped up to the eyeballs and not actually receiving proper help).

It might need a few changes - i.e. Publishing assurance reports, if they aren't already, but the CQC really is a case of an empty vessel making the most noise.

No need to worry - there'll be another re-structure along in a short while

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:08 am

RobertSnozers wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:Pleased to see the good people of Liverpool tell it like it is to Mark Harper on QT last night.

Special thanks to the young hospital doctor who asked the NHS question - lousy answers from Louise de Bours (get rid of CQC - is she mad? no need to answer) and Mark Harper - who insists there are fewer managers since the coalition's wonderful reforms of the NHS ... oh yeah. Caroline Flint and Len McCluskey both on them like a rash ... various figures cited as being lost by the work involved in running the CCGs model - 2, 3 or 4 billion depending who you believe.

And the wonderful woman who works in a food bank who told Harper he must be living in la la land if he thinks there has been any economic recovery outside of London. Her description of what she sees and experiences on a daily basis was searing. She got a big round of applause. Audience clearly recognising a reality.
It's only fair to acknowledge it when Ukip come up with a decent policy, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Hate to say it, (actually I don't) but getting rid of the CQC is A Very Good Idea. Anyone who has read Roy Lilley knows it's a waste of space and money, and I have personal experience of the unfitness for purpose of the so-called inspectorate.

The job of monitoring services and intervening when they fall below the standards expected is done perfectly well by the process known as assurance, currently done by NHS England's area teams (strategic health authorities in all but name). They don't need the CQC to tell them when something isn't working because they have the local relationships and probably know when a service needs help long before the CQC does. Moreover, they are authorised and have the skills to actually go in and help improve the service, which the CQC does not. Nine times out of ten, the CQC makes things worse because they make a lot of noise about how something's wrong, make absolutely no suggestions or recommendations on how to improve matters, then sod off to trash the next organisation after having busted morale and made recruitment ten times harder.

Moreover, they don't have the skills to do even that job properly, as a service might find itself inspected by someone with no direct experience of that part of the health service, which means their impressions are sometimes wrong (e.g. Complaining that a young person's mental health service is a bit raucous - actually you want to worry when things are quiet because it means everyone's just doped up to the eyeballs and not actually receiving proper help).

It might need a few changes - i.e. Publishing assurance reports, if they aren't already, but the CQC really is a case of an empty vessel making the most noise.

Thanks for that very interesting and knowledgeable response. Why isn't someone sensible - in a party other than UKIP - talking about this and proposing similar? Are they all heavily invested in the CQC - even the NHA? Or do you think it's because they think the public won't believe any group that's internal to the NHS can be trusted to properly inspect and improve - after all the Tories and the media have done a mercilessly effective job of scaring the pants off the public about the NHS?

Lonewolfie · Post by **Lonewolfie** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:12 am

I'm not necessarily a supporter of the religious, but in this case, it's nice to see that something that happened nearly 20 years ago can still end in ignominy for my favourite Australian-American-Scotsman...shame it's not more widely reported, but I guess it's not news like EBOLA BE SCARED EBOLA WORRY WORRY EBOLA/NHS DEATH FACTORIES etc...

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/two-vicar ... llegations

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:16 am

Given that the money due to the EU is based on the economy since 1995 I'm surprised they haven't spun this as being Labour's fault.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:32 am

Phew! Lucky this large new oil find off the Scottish coast was made after the referendum
http://tompride.wordpress.com/

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:32 am

Growth slowing.

Breaking: The UK economy grew by 0.7% in the third quarter of 2014, according to figures just released by the Office for National Statistics.

That follows growth of 0.9% in the second quarter of the year.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:35 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Phew! Lucky this large new oil find off the Scottish coast was made after the referendum
http://tompride.wordpress.com/

Have to admit, I cynically thought those rumours before the referendum were created by the Yes black ops department.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:36 am

yahyah wrote:Growth slowing.

Breaking: The UK economy grew by 0.7% in the third quarter of 2014, according to figures just released by the Office for National Statistics.

That follows growth of 0.9% in the second quarter of the year.

Looking at the graph on here, since 2011 construction and production have hardly moved - both are on 100 while the overwhelming contributor to the economy is...services.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/gva/gross ... -2014.html

Rebalancing going well then?

JackPranker · Post by **JackPranker** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:54 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Phew! Lucky this large new oil find off the Scottish coast was made after the referendum
http://tompride.wordpress.com/

Well I never. Fancy that? How strange.

Odd, even.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:56 am

YouGov @YouGov · 18h 18 hours ago
Slump in consumer confidence as employees start to fear for the future - http://y-g.co/1sTwN7W" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Consumer confidence down 2.9 points on last month
Largest month-on-month fall in consumer confidence since October 2010
Employees increasingly worried about work as they anticipate declines in workplace activity and job security
Increased number of employees fear the sack in next 12 months
Cebr projects 0.7% increase in Q3 GDP and growth to slow further in 2015 ...

Stephen Harmston, Head of YouGov Reports: “Although GDP is expected to have increased at a decent pace in Q3, the consumer confidence figures show that a lot of people are unconvinced by the recovery. While employment levels are up many jobs are low paid and unsecure, and it is these workers that are looking ahead to the coming year with some trepidation. Once again consumers are worried about work and this will create a sense of uncertainty that will have a real impact on the economy over the coming year.”,...

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:59 am

"Westminster should not be surprised by the growing sense of regional alienation this has brought about, and the anti-politics mood it feeds. The resentment many feel at the diktats of Brussels finds its mirror image in a London-centric agenda that seems ever more foreign to regional interests, needs and grievances. Keeping the rest of the country quiet on a drip-feed of London-financed hand-outs and public spending is not a viable long-term solution, as the stubbornly persistent black hole in the public finances demonstrates."

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

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 9:59 am

RobertSnozers wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote: Thanks for that very interesting and knowledgeable response. Why isn't someone sensible - in a party other than UKIP - talking about this and proposing similar? Are they all heavily invested in the CQC - even the NHA? Or do you think it's because they think the public won't believe any group that's internal to the NHS can be trusted to properly inspect and improve - after all the Tories and the media have done a mercilessly effective job of scaring the pants off the public about the NHS?
You're welcome. I don't know what the NHAP's position on it is, but from their angle on things like commissioning, I doubt they are especially keen on it. Labour obviously set up the CQC, though the politicisation of it stepped up under the Tories. I suspect there's little appetite in Labour to scrap it, added to the fact that if they proposed it, the Tories/Mail etc would have another line of attack - Labour wants to cover up next Mid Staffs etc etc. There is the perceived lack of independence too, I suppose, but in most respects the NHS does perfectly well in marking its own homework.

Monitor/TDA are a waste of space too.

Captain's log, supplemental: I doubt Ukip wants to scrap the CQC for any sensible reason, I imagine it's "bureaucrats! Pen pushers! Burn them!"

Yes that was Bours' angle - get rid of managers, they're all rubbish and unnecessary, yada yada and so on. When asked if this was actual UKIP policy - she didn't have an answer - said it was an individual opinion - to sounds of derision from the audience.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:02 am

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

Headline says it all, the cheeky c@*t.

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:03 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
YouGov @YouGov · 18h 18 hours ago
Slump in consumer confidence as employees start to fear for the future - http://y-g.co/1sTwN7W" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Consumer confidence down 2.9 points on last month
Largest month-on-month fall in consumer confidence since October 2010
Employees increasingly worried about work as they anticipate declines in workplace activity and job security
Increased number of employees fear the sack in next 12 months
Cebr projects 0.7% increase in Q3 GDP and growth to slow further in 2015 ...

Stephen Harmston, Head of YouGov Reports: “Although GDP is expected to have increased at a decent pace in Q3, the consumer confidence figures show that a lot of people are unconvinced by the recovery. While employment levels are up many jobs are low paid and unsecure, and it is these workers that are looking ahead to the coming year with some trepidation. Once again consumers are worried about work and this will create a sense of uncertainty that will have a real impact on the economy over the coming year.”,...

But... but the long term economic plan is working thanks to the tough decisions taken by the government to help hard-working families. Isn't it?

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:06 am

JackPranker wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Phew! Lucky this large new oil find off the Scottish coast was made after the referendum
http://tompride.wordpress.com/
Well I never. Fancy that? How strange.

Odd, even.

I don't think this is a particularly significant find. Reading between the lines it feels more like finding a couple of quid behind the sofa.

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:12 am

Why the ILF is so important. A brilliant little film.

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

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:13 am

StephenDolan wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... scale.html

Headline says it all, the cheeky c@*t.

Proof if we needed it, that this week was cooked up by the Mail and Tory Party working hand-in-hand.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:19 am

Jonathan Portes @jdportes · 12h 12 hours ago
Inside welfare reform: my @BBC_Analysis programme feat. @colinrtalbot @suey2y @FraserNelson Monday 8.30pm Radio 4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mc1hv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Well that should be one to listen to. If nothing else - he'll report the statistics correctly. But I suspect he'll have quite a bit more to say ...

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:42 am

Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 29m 29 minutes ago
GREEN drops to 3% in latest Populus online poll
Lab 35 (-1), Con 33 (-1), LD 9 (=), UKIP 15 (+2), GRN 3(-2)

Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 26m 26 minutes ago
CON moves to 3 seat GE15 lead in latest from Oxford's @StephenDFisher

It's all getting a bit tite* today. I want it to go away.

(*To be heard in very very clipped Margot tones).

Smithsons next tweet is a bit reassuring as he reminds someone that ICM is considered the gold standard (in response to a query about the slip back for the Greens).

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 10:50 am

Oh, something I spotted last night which might interest one or two. When the history curriculum came out it was widely ridiculed as being (i) far too prescriptive (ii) too much loaded onto primary schools and (ii) like a list of chapter headings in a textbook.

So, anyway there was a team of people given the task of rewriting it - the list of who they were has finally come out through FOI.

Scott Baker, Lord Bew,Professor Jeremy Black, Professor Arthur Burns, Jamie Byrom, Daisy Christoudolou, Christine Counsell, Jackie Eales, Rebecca Fraser, Dr. David Green, Elizabeth Hutchinson, Matthew Inniss, Dr Seán Lang, Jennifer Livesey, Chris McGovern, Dr Michael Maddison, Andrew Payne, Robert Peal, Katherine Rowley Conwy, Rebecca Sullivan, Professor Robert Tombs, Jonny Walker,Dr Nick Winterbotham

There's a few names I recognise - Jackie Eales is (or was) President of the Historical Association, Jeremy Black Professor of History at Exeter, Robert Tombs is a trenchant right winger who wrote for the Mail about terrible history teaching but then the other...

Daisy Christodolou? Taught English for 2-3 years before deciding she didn't like being in the classroom and is now at ARK. A firm favourite of Gove.

Dr David Green - head of Civitas. Not a history teacher or academic even in his past career.

Chris McGovern - profession whinger about history teaching since the 80s. A bit odd seeing his name since he was complaining in January that Gove had lost the argument over the history curriculum!

Robert Peal? Another Gove favourite.Taught history for 2 years before getting fed up with teaching and went off to write a book published by...Civitas! Now works at West London Free School...

Christodolou got a thorough pasting about her misrepresentation of the old history curriculum by a history teacher called Michael Fordham. Peal also made the same "Oh the old curriculum was terrible" at the last Battle of Ideas.

The point I want to hammer home, however, is that those people who believe that the 2007 history curriculum is ‘knowledge-lite’ and who believe that the proposed 2014 curriculum is ‘knowledge-rich’ have misunderstood the former and exaggerated the changes the latter brings. There is not more knowledge in the proposed 2014 curriculum; it is simply more specific about what knowledge should be taught. I should reiterate that Daisy’s generic views on education support what many of us in the history community have been arguing for years, and it is for this reason that I reviewed her book favourably. I am assuming that the masses who have since done likewise are primarily supporting her general assertions. Assertions, however, are all her points will ever be, unless they are underpinned by a sufficiently rigorous evidence base and, from my reading of her handling of the history curriculum, this is currently not the case.

So...a few decent academics, the usual right wing suspects and a couple of chancers who get shoutouts from Gove. Same they didn't have Sir David Cannadine on it...but then he thought the old curriculum only needed more time to teach it.

End of rant.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:06 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 29m 29 minutes ago
GREEN drops to 3% in latest Populus online poll
Lab 35 (-1), Con 33 (-1), LD 9 (=), UKIP 15 (+2), GRN 3(-2)

Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 26m 26 minutes ago
CON moves to 3 seat GE15 lead in latest from Oxford's @StephenDFisher
It's all getting a bit tite* today. I want it to go away.

(*To be heard in very very clipped Margot tones).

Smithsons next tweet is a bit reassuring as he reminds someone that ICM is considered the gold standard (in response to a query about the slip back for the Greens).

Populus seems to be generally giving lower Green figures than most pollsters recently.

As for today's YouGov, the jump in both the Tory figure and approval suggests a skewed sample - though yes, it would be nice to see Labour clearly leading in their surveys again

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:07 am

seeingclearly wrote:Why the ILF is so important. A brilliant little film.

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

Yes - brilliant. Very powerful. Think I should have waited until later in the day to watch as I'm feeling a bit wobbly this morning and that really really got to me.

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:08 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 29m 29 minutes ago
GREEN drops to 3% in latest Populus online poll
Lab 35 (-1), Con 33 (-1), LD 9 (=), UKIP 15 (+2), GRN 3(-2)

Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 26m 26 minutes ago
CON moves to 3 seat GE15 lead in latest from Oxford's @StephenDFisher
It's all getting a bit tite* today. I want it to go away.

(*To be heard in very very clipped Margot tones).

Smithsons next tweet is a bit reassuring as he reminds someone that ICM is considered the gold standard (in response to a query about the slip back for the Greens).

The Oxford stuff is seriously broken as it simply models behaviour based on what has gone before. I think we can be fairly clear this GE will be very different. Go back a year and it was predicting Tory majorities.

I refuse to see the decline in the Green vote as a problem from a stop the Tories perspective, and I also see no reason for it (so I call sampling error).

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:14 am

Lonewolfie wrote:I'm not necessarily a supporter of the religious, but in this case, it's nice to see that something that happened nearly 20 years ago can still end in ignominy for my favourite Australian-American-Scotsman

Yeah, Mel Gibson took the referendum result pretty badly, didn't he?

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:18 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:Given that the money due to the EU is based on the economy since 1995 I'm surprised they haven't spun this as being Labour's fault.

I love the way that the EU is being touted as the "enemies of promise" because they have the not unreasonable proposition that when one country does well and others do poorly, then the 'good' countries should pay to help the 'poor' ones less.

Presumably, in the current narrative, they imagine that all of France is sitting at home watching Cash in the Attic, and IDS would have all of France working in Poundland to earn their extra EU funds.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:22 am

Good morning.

For any of you who saw Question Time last night:

What was the Len McCluskey input like, please?

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:24 am

As this fixed term parliament draws to a close its worthwhile seeing how it has tallied with the coalition agreement.

Coalition agreement - the full deal at a glance

http://gu.com/p/2h5q9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:26 am

BBC Politics retweeted
Ross Hawkins ‏@rosschawkins 9m9 minutes ago
Osborne: EU budget demand unacceptable

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:27 am

PorFavor wrote:Good morning.

For any of you who saw Question Time last night:

What was the Len McCluskey input like, please?

I only listened as opposed to watched but I thought it was pretty good, very passionate. DD was as usual cutting off the left-leaning speakers whilst allowing the rest to waffle on endlessly. I thought Salmond was pretty good as well, especially on the NHS.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 11:29 am

One for the dog lovers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picture ... -2014.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The-Westminster-Dog-of-the-Year-show-2014.html

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 12:12 pm

RobertSnozers wrote:This image tells you all you need to know about the three main parties' conference announcements and where the burden of deficit reduction/tax rises/cuts will fall

The Lib Dems are still running fantasy budgets then?

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 12:15 pm

In an AnyQuestionTime kind of vein, I've secured tickets to our local broadcast of Any Questions in December. Unusually, it's not going to be coming from a private school, but a state one (gasp!)

I'm expecting either Penrose or Fox to be present, and will boo accordingly.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 12:30 pm

I was just pondering elsewhere about primaries...if they are open to all, what's to stop a cunning opposition party voting for the candidate least likely to do well and thus aid their own candidate?

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 12:55 pm

George Eaton is back on form recently

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

falling-wages-are-still-spoiling-osbornes-boasts-growth

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 12:58 pm

George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 1m1 minute ago
Osborne a year ago: "If Britain is growing then the finances of Britain’s families will start to grow." Not so: http://bit.ly/1tqFckL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:00 pm

Not looking good for the Tories in Rochester

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:14 pm

Correct me if I'm wrong, but after the Rochester and Strood By election, won't the whole shooting match have to be rerun again in 6 months, for much of which parliament won't be sitting; in which case isn't this all a huge waste of money?

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:28 pm

RobertSnozers wrote:Funny how the government was happy enough to take the political benefits of revisions to the way the economy was measured but don't want to pay the financial price.

As in GDP deflator?

Post by **refitman** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:32 pm

Picked up the keys to my new (first) house. 'Spose I'd better start packing.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:39 pm

DonutHingeParty wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but after the Rochester and Strood By election, won't the whole shooting match have to be rerun again in 6 months, for much of which parliament won't be sitting; in which case isn't this all a huge waste of money?

Correct!

Rebecca · Post by **Rebecca** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:46 pm

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:One for the dog lovers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picture ... -2014.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The-Westminster-Dog-of-the-Year-show-2014.html

I love the winning dog,and it's a Labour hound as well(she says tribally).My kind of dog.
The rotty pup is georgeous too.
Took my puppy to the vets today,she weighs 20 kg already!

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:47 pm

Dave Jones ‏@WelshGasDoc 1h1 hour ago
The Daily Mail have retracted their malicious and scurrilous article about the Welsh NHS from Monday (cc. @AMCarwyn)