Monday 27th October 2014
Posted: Mon 27 Oct, 2014 7:27 am
Morning all.
Lamont is clearly talking rubbish on the bedroom tax. Her claims do not stack up to even basic inspection.JackPranker wrote:Morning all.
Is Labour in trouble as a result of the apparent dysfunctionality of the party machine north of the border? I'm no fan of the constant criticisms of EMs leadership but, if Lamont is telling the truth about the bedroom tax and the sacking of Ian Price, then criticism seems to be warranted here.
How will he fix this?
Deputy chief creative and head of factual all in one bod, eh? It's straight out of 2012. Bet he's got the poverty porn equivalent of 'amazeballs' written all the way through him ...Channel 4 to stick with Benefits Street and Skint despite backlash
The broadcaster admits controversy has made producing similar shows harder but says such programming is essential
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/o ... t-defended
A senior Channel 4 executive has defended the documentaries Benefits Street and Skint, saying the broadcaster has no “malign intent” and is trying to tell stories about “some of the distressed parts of our society”.
Ralph Lee, Channel 4 deputy chief creative officer and head of factual, admitted the negative publicity surrounding the shows, dubbed “poverty porn” by critics, had made it harder to go out and make follow-up series. However, Lee said Channel 4 would not be cowed by the backlash, which he argues is “a form of censorship”
Not sure the bedroom tax gagging stacks up - and don't know how the sacking of Ian Price came about. But yes, right now, that rift looks pretty bad and is going to need careful and brave handling to fix. A lot will rest on who emerges as the next leader of Scottish Labour and how the relationship is built back between them and Miliband and co. They should take this opportunity with a change of leader and the need to determine the shape of greater devolution to do a conscious rebuilding and reframing of the relationship between the two parties. I just don't know enough about Lamont's, or Miliband's, management style to understand what has gone on and how this has arisen.JackPranker wrote:Morning all.
Is Labour in trouble as a result of the apparent dysfunctionality of the party machine north of the border? I'm no fan of the constant criticisms of EMs leadership but, if Lamont is telling the truth about the bedroom tax and the sacking of Ian Price, then criticism seems to be warranted here.
How will he fix this?
Shudder at the thought. And from this flag up piece ...Tim Montgomerie @montie · 2h 2 hours ago
Vote Tory because of Gove’s school reforms; May’s Home Office; IDS's vision; Grayling’s rehab agenda; Maude’s savings http://www.conservativehome.com/thetory ... nment.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
One thing that can't be argued with is the really radical, radical right wing that is, nature of this government's 'reforms'. That is part of our dissatisfaction with Labour's response so far ... which hasn't been radical enough - it's not matching the scale of horrors that has been visited on us .... and it really needs to in several areas....This week, ConservativeHome will be putting five Cabinet Ministers and their work under the microscope. Today, John Bald examines Michael Gove’s reforming legacy at Education. Tomorrow, I will write about Theresa May’s record at the Home Office. Later in the week will come pieces on Iain Duncan Smith’s push to get people back to work who Labour had given up on, Chris Grayling’s plans for more effective rehabilitation for prisoners, and Francis Maude’s Whitehall reforms.
Some of these plans may fail. Others, arguably, are mistaken (though this site is usually a supporter of them). But all are unmistakably a serious attempt by serious people to deliver serious change...
The John Bald who posts as Quaestor on CiF and who is a Gove fanboy and hates local authorities?rebeccariots2 wrote:Today, John Bald examines Michael Gove’s reforming legacy at Education.
His last paragraph is really quite seriously worrying, don't you think AH?HindleA wrote:J.Portes in the Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Chris Bryant @ChrisBryantMP · 7m 7 minutes ago
A story that opens a whole new can of worms
http://wp.me/p3kXx7-3m" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "
edit to add apology for skewing the page. Hopefully one of you technical people will re-size it....Voters back modest tax rises to fund NHS
Yesterday we discovered that the public overwhelmingly believes the NHS needs more money spent on it, with only Conservative supporters thinking it could make do by cutting waste (YouGov's Stephan Shakespeare writes). But how much are they willing to pay?
Exclusively for Red Box, we asked a series of questions to see where resistance comes.
"If spending more money on the NHS was the only way to keep the current standard of services, would you be willing to see the basic rate of income tax rise from 20 per cent to 21 per cent to fund the NHS?" By 67 per cent to 19 per cent, the public says 'yes' (15 per cent 'don't know').
As we rise to 22 per cent tax, willingness drops to a still strong 51 to 29. At a 25 per cent level of basic income tax, the public resoundingly flips and says 'no' by 50 to 26. At a 30 per cent rate, those willing to support the extra tax dwindles to just 15 per cent.
YOUGOV
Labour needs to take them, though. Many on the "minimalist" wing still cling to the Blairite "no enemies on our right" mantra.PaulfromYorkshire wrote:http://labourlist.org/2014/10/fortune-i ... advantage/
I quite enjoyed this piece from Stefan Stern on the opportunities for Labour as Dave tacks rightwards.
Leaked universal credit memo shows jobcentre staff struggling with rollout
Jobcentre whistleblower tells Dispatches that computerised benefits scheme is ‘unworkable, poorly designed and out of date’
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... me-rollout
Pah... does she not understand that it is a success no matter what ... no arbitrary targets apply here .... believe those nasty backlogs away .... as IDS would say.The internal email, sent in late September and uncovered by Channel 4’s Dispatches as part of an investigation into UC to air on Monday evening, appears to show that one of the 60 centres where the scheme has been rolled out is generating such a substantial backlog of claims, centre staff will have to work three times more than their limit to clear it.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... me-rolloutLeaked universal credit memo shows jobcentre staff struggling with rollout
Jobcentre whistleblower tells Dispatches that computerised benefits scheme is ‘unworkable, poorly designed and out of date’
The memo, seen by the Guardian and titled: “Ideas please: Sinking”, appears to be a plea from a jobcentre manager to her staff for solutions to tackle an ever-growing workload brought about by the new system for delivering social security to more than 7 million people.
The internal email, sent in late September and uncovered by Channel 4’s Dispatches as part of an investigation into UC to air on Monday evening, appears to show that one of the 60 centres where the scheme has been rolled out is generating such a substantial backlog of claims, centre staff will have to work three times more than their limit to clear it.(Guardian)
Snap, whoops etc, etc!rebeccariots2 wrote:Leaked universal credit memo shows jobcentre staff struggling with rollout
Jobcentre whistleblower tells Dispatches that computerised benefits scheme is ‘unworkable, poorly designed and out of date’
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... me-rolloutPah... does she not understand that it is a success no matter what ... no arbitrary targets apply here .... believe those nasty backlogs away .... as IDS would say.The internal email, sent in late September and uncovered by Channel 4’s Dispatches as part of an investigation into UC to air on Monday evening, appears to show that one of the 60 centres where the scheme has been rolled out is generating such a substantial backlog of claims, centre staff will have to work three times more than their limit to clear it.
(This programme and the Jonathan Portes analysis of 'welfare reform' this week - we are really being treated.)
I agree with the analysis, charismatic and left wing is the answer in Scotland. The nationalPaulfromYorkshire wrote:Owen Jones
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ish-labour" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
grim-reaper-knocking-scottish-labour
HindleA wrote:J.Portes in the Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Still, it does predicate that UC could possibly work.Disabled people are going hungry and losing their homes, and nobody much cares. There is still, just about, the residue of a social care system that stops them littering the streets in very large numbers, even though the popular belief that there were many scroungers has turned out to be false. But the consequences of Universal Credit, when it dawns on people that they have been lied to, don't bear thinking
Ed is the only possibility. His brother isn't right for the job at all. I worry about the people around him though, there is something untoward about the party itself right now, where are his inside supporters? Worrying.giselle97 wrote:If the tories in the Labour Party did decide to proceed with stabbing Ed Miliband in the back in the next few months,, ensuring a Tory Government in 2015, rather than having "the wrong Brother" in charge, who do they honestly see as their new NuLabour Leader? Did they really send "the really wrong brother" to the States to keep a low profile until the "right brother" could be got rid of?
I'd really be interested to hear who else, other than "the wrong brother" (IMHO), NuLabour would put up. Please don't suggest Andy Burnham who fails to charm me even when I've been feet away from him on three occasions!
I can't think of anyone on the Labour front bench who has as much character as Ed Miliband and would be as capable as him of pulling off a win for the Labour Party from the dead hole it was in at the last election.
I'm hoping Anatoly will also come back with a response to letsskiptotheleft's query about the Scottish man above. I dread the thought of Jim Murphy getting anywhere near "power" in Scotland, particularly if I decide to make my home in Inverness where I was born and still have a few relatives!!!!
(Apologies about wrong and right brother but I've been reading through Jamie what's his name comment profile - you know, the chap with a really determined hatred of EdM but an extreme adoration of DavidM!).
Agreed. And they'd have to stagger along without my paltry (but frequent) donations if they ditched Ed Miliband. Oh - and my membership subscription. Ed Miliband has been a breath of fresh air and was the reason I rejoined the Labour Party having previously resigned after getting on for 25 years' membership, canvassing, leafletting etc, etc.giselle97 wrote:If the tories in the Labour Party did decide to proceed with stabbing Ed Miliband in the back in the next few months,, ensuring a Tory Government in 2015, rather than having "the wrong Brother" in charge, who do they honestly see as their new NuLabour Leader? Did they really send "the really wrong brother" to the States to keep a low profile until the "right brother" could be got rid of?
I'd really be interested to hear who else, other than "the wrong brother" (IMHO), NuLabour would put up. Please don't suggest Andy Burnham who fails to charm me . . . .
I can't think of anyone on the Labour front bench who has as much character as Ed Miliband and would be as capable as him of pulling off a win for the Labour Party from the dead hole it was in at the last election.
This is the concern. You look at who is in the shadow cabinet, there's very few (any?) that you feel would go to bat for Miliband. Combine that with the perception of fear running through them in case they say something that the media might not like and it's increasingly grim.seeingclearly wrote:Ed is the only possibility. His brother isn't right for the job at all. I worry about the people around him though, there is something untoward about the party itself right now, where are his inside supporters? Worrying.giselle97 wrote:If the tories in the Labour Party did decide to proceed with stabbing Ed Miliband in the back in the next few months,, ensuring a Tory Government in 2015, rather than having "the wrong Brother" in charge, who do they honestly see as their new NuLabour Leader? Did they really send "the really wrong brother" to the States to keep a low profile until the "right brother" could be got rid of?
I'd really be interested to hear who else, other than "the wrong brother" (IMHO), NuLabour would put up. Please don't suggest Andy Burnham who fails to charm me even when I've been feet away from him on three occasions!
I can't think of anyone on the Labour front bench who has as much character as Ed Miliband and would be as capable as him of pulling off a win for the Labour Party from the dead hole it was in at the last election.
I'm hoping Anatoly will also come back with a response to letsskiptotheleft's query about the Scottish man above. I dread the thought of Jim Murphy getting anywhere near "power" in Scotland, particularly if I decide to make my home in Inverness where I was born and still have a few relatives!!!!
(Apologies about wrong and right brother but I've been reading through Jamie what's his name comment profile - you know, the chap with a really determined hatred of EdM but an extreme adoration of DavidM!).
Not sure he'd help the situation. Parachuting in a Westminster Labour MP to take over the SLab leadership could (and probably would) be seen as an installation rather than a election. I know some are saying that Salmond was a Westminster MP when he took over the SNP leadership but it doesn't take long to see that the comparison may be factually correct but totally devoid of nuance.AnatolyKasparov wrote:I don't like Jim Murphy.
He may be Scottish Labour's least worst option right now, however - and it means he would never lead the GB-wide party. Silver lining there, surely?
The two names that keep coming up and have done for months are Balls and Reeves. Both very visible. There also seems to be a problem where people have very little faith in their existing Labour MPs. I can't grumble about mine, he's old school but backs his constituents. I do hear what is happening to others though and the failure to assist in some cases is desperately negligent. There's a real feeling that people want a good clear out. Ed needs more people around him who don't look like careerists or hangers-on. And those people need more visibility, so people out there, voters, can identify with them.StephenDolan wrote:This is the concern. You look at who is in the shadow cabinet, there's very few (any?) that you feel would go to bat for Miliband. Combine that with the perception of fear running through them in case they say something that the media might not like and it's increasingly grim.seeingclearly wrote:Ed is the only possibility. His brother isn't right for the job at all. I worry about the people around him though, there is something untoward about the party itself right now, where are his inside supporters? Worrying.giselle97 wrote:If the tories in the Labour Party did decide to proceed with stabbing Ed Miliband in the back in the next few months,, ensuring a Tory Government in 2015, rather than having "the wrong Brother" in charge, who do they honestly see as their new NuLabour Leader? Did they really send "the really wrong brother" to the States to keep a low profile until the "right brother" could be got rid of?
I'd really be interested to hear who else, other than "the wrong brother" (IMHO), NuLabour would put up. Please don't suggest Andy Burnham who fails to charm me even when I've been feet away from him on three occasions!
I can't think of anyone on the Labour front bench who has as much character as Ed Miliband and would be as capable as him of pulling off a win for the Labour Party from the dead hole it was in at the last election.
I'm hoping Anatoly will also come back with a response to letsskiptotheleft's query about the Scottish man above. I dread the thought of Jim Murphy getting anywhere near "power" in Scotland, particularly if I decide to make my home in Inverness where I was born and still have a few relatives!!!!
(Apologies about wrong and right brother but I've been reading through Jamie what's his name comment profile - you know, the chap with a really determined hatred of EdM but an extreme adoration of DavidM!).
Look Labour isn't going to say they will scrap UC. There are 7 billion fantasy benefits they would have to fund by taxes or cuts.seeingclearly wrote:HindleA wrote:J.Portes in the Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This from LizzieD just about sums UC and the rest of IDS' vile work up.
Still, it does predicate that UC could possibly work.Disabled people are going hungry and losing their homes, and nobody much cares. There is still, just about, the residue of a social care system that stops them littering the streets in very large numbers, even though the popular belief that there were many scroungers has turned out to be false. But the consequences of Universal Credit, when it dawns on people that they have been lied to, don't bear thinking
With the most recent report on the pathfinder phase being based on so few claims despite a cohort of 14,000 it seems unlikely. More credible is that a) UC will be left as a timebomb for any potential successor, b) if the Tories do manage to stay in office it will be used to dismantle what's left of social provision. In fact I have wondered for a while whether this is its real purpose.
If b) happens I'm not sure whether UC or the unknown is worse.
I'm getting impatient for Labour to come out all guns blazing, do they have a plan, or is this it?
(This strategy of relying on social media just ain't workin'.)
Balls and Reeves have zero chance.seeingclearly wrote:The two names that keep coming up and have done for months are Balls and Reeves. Both very visible. There also seems to be a problem where people have very little faith in their existing Labour MPs. I can't grumble about mine, he's old school but backs his constituents. I do hear what is happening to others though and the failure to assist in some cases is desperately negligent. There's a real feeling that people want a good clear out. Ed needs more people around him who don't look like careerists or hangers-on. And those people need more visibility, so people out there, voters, can identify with them.StephenDolan wrote:This is the concern. You look at who is in the shadow cabinet, there's very few (any?) that you feel would go to bat for Miliband. Combine that with the perception of fear running through them in case they say something that the media might not like and it's increasingly grim.seeingclearly wrote: Ed is the only possibility. His brother isn't right for the job at all. I worry about the people around him though, there is something untoward about the party itself right now, where are his inside supporters? Worrying.
So who are they?
The people who get a lot of respect are Glenda, Harry, Ann Begg, and the Beast! But where are the young people who really impress? I like Kate Green".......
I like the Eagle sisters. But we're back in "the wrong . . . " territory, so perhaps not!TechnicalEphemera wrote:Balls and Reeves have zero chance.seeingclearly wrote:The two names that keep coming up and have done for months are Balls and Reeves. Both very visible. There also seems to be a problem where people have very little faith in their existing Labour MPs. I can't grumble about mine, he's old school but backs his constituents. I do hear what is happening to others though and the failure to assist in some cases is desperately negligent. There's a real feeling that people want a good clear out. Ed needs more people around him who don't look like careerists or hangers-on. And those people need more visibility, so people out there, voters, can identify with them.StephenDolan wrote: This is the concern. You look at who is in the shadow cabinet, there's very few (any?) that you feel would go to bat for Miliband. Combine that with the perception of fear running through them in case they say something that the media might not like and it's increasingly grim.
So who are they?
The people who get a lot of respect are Glenda, Harry, Ann Begg, and the Beast! But where are the young people who really impress? I like Kate Green".......
Andy Burnham is the obvious front runner.
Lamont "resigns" citing Westminster interference in the Scottish Labour Party and then Murphy takes over? A bit like saying there's no one else, you've just grown apart, then moving in with another partner the following week?AnatolyKasparov wrote:Murphy (or any other MP who is elected) would transfer to Holyrood next May, if not before.
Maybe its my not being based in Scotland, but I genuinely don't see it as a serious issue.
Gray and Lamont were MSPs - they were also (the former especially) manifestly not up to the job. That did Scottish Labour more harm, surely?
A long conversation with a very pro-Labour friend led to a conclusion that someone isn't doing their job. It's not just the media hostility.giselle97 wrote:I've just looked up the Shadow Cabinet Sorry, can't seem to do links. Is this part of EdM trying to be in the spotlight and keeping others in the background, thus giving the appearance of being glued together?
There isn't one name on that list which provides the next leader of a left of centre party.
Isn't the invisible Douglas Alexander supposed to be in charge of getting the Labour Party re-elected because I hardly recall seeing him?
Umunna, imo. Burnham's tainted as Brown's Treasury Secretary and Mid-Staffs (both wrongly) and has apologised to so many people over the years he's mooted to star in a BBC remake as Timothy Lumsden in an up-to-dating of "Sorry" called "Non-Apology Apology".PorFavor wrote:I like the Eagle sisters. But we're back in "the wrong . . . " territory, so perhaps not!TechnicalEphemera wrote:Andy Burnham is the obvious front runner.
PorFavor wrote:Off-topic but this might cheer up a few of us . . .
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... s?index=10" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
although I don't approve of breeding hairless cats, one of which is featured in the gallery.