Tuesday 4th November 2014

Post by **refitman** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 7:29 am

Morning all. Labour lead at 1 point on Yougov:

Latest YouGov / The Sun results 3rd November -

Con 33%, (+2)
Lab 34%, (+2)
LD 8%, (+1)
UKIP 15%; (-3)

APP -21 (+5)

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:23 am

Morning all.

Ian Dunt retweeted
David Nutt @ProfDavidNutt · 37m 37 minutes ago
I know how Norman Baker feels. Home Office is blind and dismissive of evidence. Sad even a minister couldn't effect a chink of reason.

Mike Smithson retweeted
James Chapman (Mail) @jameschappers · 8h 8 hours ago
After a difficult period #TM4PM will have been done a power of good on Tory backbenches by Norman Baker's pointless resignation

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:26 am

and the contrasting stories continue:

norman smith @BBCNormanS · 9m 9 minutes ago
Theresa May behaves as if the Tories won the last election says @timfarron @BBCr4today

norman smith @BBCNormanS · 10m 10 minutes ago
Norman Baker departure evidence Coalition working well cos only resignation in 4 and a half years says @timfarron @bbcr4today

norman smith @BBCNormanS · 31m 31 minutes ago
Damien Green puts the boot into Norman Baker - He saw himself as a Lib Dem Home secretary on a par with Mrs May @BBCr4today

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:30 am

Rob Marchant @rob_marchant · 30m 30 minutes ago
So farewell then
Norman Baker.
You once wrote a book.
In the end it seems
They really did
Conspire against you.
#bonkers

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:36 am

Angry Reeves berates IDS over 'boorish' attack
https://www.politicshome.com/uk/story/45193/

Sounds as though he was implying she was shirking and malingering. I hope her anger at such an accusation spurs her to a stronger fight for the millions of others so maligned.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:54 am

Morning all.
http://www.conservativehome.com/thetory ... eader.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looking at the list of runners and riders isn't quite a list of compassionate Conservatives.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:56 am

Online ID 'card' to be launched next month: New system will allow users to store personal data online, file tax returns and apply for driving licences through a single website
Government forced to deny scheme is basically ID cards by the back door
Concerns raised over history of costly official IT projects and data blunders
Coalition government scrapped ID Cards project as 'erosion to civil liberties'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... bsite.html

I don't think that's one I'll be signing up for. I will take an awful lot of convincing that government can do big IT projects well - and trust them with my personal data, given what's going on with selling off NHS data and the like - I don't think so.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:58 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Rob Marchant @rob_marchant · 30m 30 minutes ago
So farewell then
Norman Baker.
You once wrote a book.
In the end it seems
They really did
Conspire against you.
#bonkers

Goodbye, Norman John . . .

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 8:59 am

Good morning, everyone.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:05 am

DWP orders man to work without pay for company that let him go
John McArthur is sanctioned by jobcentre after refusing ‘forced labour’ at firm where he was previously paid minimum wage (Guardian)

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... ent-labour

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:23 am

Scandalously low pay should not be the new normal
A living wage is the kind of policy people expect from Labour, but is Ed Miliband letting it slip away?
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... d-miliband

Good article. Hideous comments BTL - but to be expected.

Fair pay as a way of reducing poverty and the reliance on benefits / tax credits should be something understood as much more positive than the current situation by most people - surely? Or am I ridiculously naive?

Isn't now - with the HMRC propoganda for the government re tax spending about to arrive on doorsteps - the prime time for Labour to be arguing this case strongly?

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:27 am

Good morning.

If you don't already get the free morning email from the Times Red Box, I do recommend doing so.

Today's edition has these two tasty morsels:

The Sun -

The Department of Health plans to crack down on non-English speaking staff

I don't have any more info on that so if any of you have a subscription to the Sun, please will you copy & paste or precis it for me ?

More interestingly is a comment from yougov's Stephan Shakespeare:

Exclusively for Red Box, YouGov asked the public what they think each of the parties stands for, inviting them to come up with an answer in their own words, writes Stephan Shakespeare. We will look at each party separately over the coming weeks; today we're looking at Labour.

What I found surprising in the responses was that the comments on Labour contain almost no call to bring back something resembling Blairism, not even a hint of it. Among current supporters of Labour, 33 per cent used the word “fairness”, 19 per cent “equality”, and 20 per cent suggested the party was about “ordinary people”, “the workers” or “people like me". The party represents “a better deal for working people” was another typical comment although there was also disappointment that it had moved too far towards the Conservatives.

Among supporters of rival parties, a frequent theme was again regret that Labour had lost its true voice for standing up for ordinary people. A comment from someone who supports the Lib Dems: “It has lost sight of its original working-class values. It stands for winning votes by any means necessary."

Reading people’s own words is a different experience from simply counting the clicks for a pollster’s options. It reminds me that the public is more egalitarian and concerned with fairness than is often supposed by commentators. No one in this sample seemed to hanker for the days of the Blairites.

Not news to us but I bet it is to the wider commentariat, including DFH, Rawnsley & Rent-a-tool !

https://times-deck.s3-eu-west-1.amazona ... cac6d.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Finally,

5. Labour’s proposed supermarket tax would mean higher food prices
- Harry Phibbs, ConservativeHome

Umm, what supermarket tax ??

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:31 am

https://twitter.com/DAaronovitch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some good laughs at Norman Baker & his tin foil hat [or should that be tin foil drug wrap] followers' expense.

Tish · Post by **Tish** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:36 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Scandalously low pay should not be the new normal
A living wage is the kind of policy people expect from Labour, but is Ed Miliband letting it slip away?
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... d-miliband
Good article. Hideous comments BTL - but to be expected.

Fair pay as a way of reducing poverty and the reliance on benefits / tax credits should be something understood as much more positive than the current situation by most people - surely? Or am I ridiculously naive?

Isn't now - with the HMRC propoganda for the government re tax spending about to arrive on doorsteps - the prime time for Labour to be arguing this case strongly?

I don't understand why Labour haven't continued to build on the predistribution speech, it's such an obvious popular policy, getting employers to pay proper wages so that working people don't have to be propped up by tax funded benefits. It's one of those win win for everybody policies (except multinational companies paying people poverty wages, who everybody hates anyway). If it is Ed Balls who is stopping the party from making it the centre of their manifesto then he's a bloody idiot and the other Ed should tell him to shut it.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:37 am

I don't have any more info on that so if any of you have a subscription to the Sun, please will you copy & paste or precis it for me ?

I've just had a toast to mouth fail PK.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:40 am

I just tried using Chrome's 'incognito' window to see if that would give access to The Sun but it doesn't.
It works to access The Telegraph if you haven't removed your site cookies and are over your free access quota.

Lonewolfie · Post by **Lonewolfie** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:45 am

Morning all...

Some may remember a couple of weeks ago I decided to test the shiny new press regulator, in light of the Daily Heils' reporting of the NHS in Wales.

I received a 'confirmation of receipt' email on the 22nd of October, saying they would look into it (whether it was something they could deal with or not...outright lies in print? I can see how that might not fall within the remit of a Complaints body

) and get back to me. Late Friday, 31st October, I received a second email from them saying that, as they hadn't received my response, and if they didn't receive my response within 7 days, they would close the complaint.

I've responded now by asking what I'm supposed to be responding to (without too much sarcasm, I hope) - will let you all know what happens

(Still not holding my breath though - Dacre's just retained his position of authority - http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/telegraph ... al-charter)

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:47 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
I don't have any more info on that so if any of you have a subscription to the Sun, please will you copy & paste or precis it for me ?
I've just had a toast to mouth fail PK.

Lol, I was being polite !!

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:51 am

Here's the tweet that IDS used in his spiteful attack on Rachel Reeves:

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

Naushabah Khan
‏@naushabahkhan
The campaign in Rochester and #STROOD continues, thanks to everyone who has helped out today. #TogetherWeKhan

The idiot doesn't understand that nowhere does it say Reeves was present & a RT certainly doesn't say or imply that.

Fuckwit.

What are the chances of getting sufficient number of votes for IDS to be Portillo'd ?

Lonewolfie · Post by **Lonewolfie** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 9:57 am

pk1 wrote:Good morning.

If you don't already get the free morning email from the Times Red Box, I do recommend doing so.

Today's edition has these two tasty morsels:

The Sun -
The Department of Health plans to crack down on non-English speaking staff
I don't have any more info on that so if any of you have a subscription to the Sun, please will you copy & paste or precis it for me ?

More interestingly is a comment from yougov's Stephan Shakespeare:

Exclusively for Red Box, YouGov asked the public what they think each of the parties stands for, inviting them to come up with an answer in their own words, writes Stephan Shakespeare. We will look at each party separately over the coming weeks; today we're looking at Labour.

What I found surprising in the responses was that the comments on Labour contain almost no call to bring back something resembling Blairism, not even a hint of it. Among current supporters of Labour, 33 per cent used the word “fairness”, 19 per cent “equality”, and 20 per cent suggested the party was about “ordinary people”, “the workers” or “people like me". The party represents “a better deal for working people” was another typical comment although there was also disappointment that it had moved too far towards the Conservatives.

Among supporters of rival parties, a frequent theme was again regret that Labour had lost its true voice for standing up for ordinary people. A comment from someone who supports the Lib Dems: “It has lost sight of its original working-class values. It stands for winning votes by any means necessary."

Reading people’s own words is a different experience from simply counting the clicks for a pollster’s options. It reminds me that the public is more egalitarian and concerned with fairness than is often supposed by commentators. No one in this sample seemed to hanker for the days of the Blairites.
Not news to us but I bet it is to the wider commentariat, including DFH, Rawnsley & Rent-a-tool !

https://times-deck.s3-eu-west-1.amazona ... cac6d.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Finally,
5. Labour’s proposed supermarket tax would mean higher food prices
- Harry Phibbs, ConservativeHome
Umm, what supermarket tax ??

'kin' ada...you mean 'Blairism' isn't popular with Labour voters? Really? Honestly? It's almost as though the whole concept and implementation of 'Blairism' was a manufactured Thatcher-lite program, created to appease the real bosses in Newcorpse HQ and the Bankster community. Whilst Newcorpse were 'making' (up) the news http://www.theguardian.com/media/greens ... CMP=twt_gu the real bosses got on with the important work of denying basic human rights to millions, without the tedious requirement of having their actions scrutinized.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 10:01 am

Tish wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Scandalously low pay should not be the new normal
A living wage is the kind of policy people expect from Labour, but is Ed Miliband letting it slip away?
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... d-miliband
Good article. Hideous comments BTL - but to be expected.

Fair pay as a way of reducing poverty and the reliance on benefits / tax credits should be something understood as much more positive than the current situation by most people - surely? Or am I ridiculously naive?

Isn't now - with the HMRC propoganda for the government re tax spending about to arrive on doorsteps - the prime time for Labour to be arguing this case strongly?
I don't understand why Labour haven't continued to build on the predistribution speech, it's such an obvious popular policy, getting employers to pay proper wages so that working people don't have to be propped up by tax funded benefits. It's one of those win win for everybody policies (except multinational companies paying people poverty wages, who everybody hates anyway). If it is Ed Balls who is stopping the party from making it the centre of their manifesto then he's a bloody idiot and the other Ed should tell him to shut it.

Morning Tish

Low pay is definitely there in Ed's six pledges

“Halve the number of people on low pay in our country, changing the lives of more than 2 million people.”

“Help working families share fairly in the wealth of our country so, when the economy grows, the wages of everyday working people grow at the same rate.”

We could rail that these are too timid. But if Labour are elected there is at least a mandate to tackle low pay and pushing the minimum wage up to the living wage would be a logical conclusion.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 10:04 am

AndrewSparrow ‏@AndrewSparrow 2m2 minutes ago
Judging by pic of Theresa May in Downing St this am, she doesn't seem too upset about being shot of Norman Baker - http://www.conservativehome.com/thetory ... eader.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Rebecca · Post by **Rebecca** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 10:38 am

Well,morning all.
This is funny(or maybe it reflects my sense of humour),but a Japanese whisky has been named the best whisky in the world,with no whisky from Scotland making the top 5.A whisky from England(didn't know we even made it)was the european no 1.
Article about it in the Guardian,and,my lord,the Scots are not happy about it at all.Lots of conspiracy theories,Murray must be anti scottish,etc etc.One poster even suggests that a scotsman must have been 'hitting on Murrays wife'!
Worth a read.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 10:41 am

Here's an idea for the Labour press / PR / campaigns team ...

Last night on The Agenda - the highly articulate, intelligent and seemingly open-minded editor of Elle magazine said in response to the inevitable question about what she thought of Ed Miliband's capabilities as leader and potential prime minister that she didn't feel she knew enough about him as a person - other than the reported gaffes etc - and that she wanted to hear more about what makes him tick.

Come on you lot - offer her an interview with him or something else topical that Ed / Labour has a good story on - I guarantee you they'll take good pictures of him.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 10:58 am

I can't watch this where I am

A Person retweeted
Shirley ‏@shirleykay11 2h2 hours ago
PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO WATCH BBC BANNED VIDEO OSBORNE LAUGHING & ADMITS UK HAD THE LOWEST DEBT " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … EVERYONE RT” #bbcnews

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:10 am

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

Thousands-of-Britons-claim-dole-in-Germany

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:14 am

Morning.

The IFS on the "personal tax statements"

http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/7424" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

IDS appearing in front of the DWP Select Committee tomorrow at 09.30.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:15 am

pk1 wrote:Here's the tweet that IDS used in his spiteful attack on Rachel Reeves:

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

Naushabah Khan
‏@naushabahkhan
The campaign in Rochester and #STROOD continues, thanks to everyone who has helped out today. #TogetherWeKhan
The idiot doesn't understand that nowhere does it say Reeves was present & a RT certainly doesn't say or imply that.

Fuckwit.

What are the chances of getting sufficient number of votes for IDS to be Portillo'd ?

None, basically

We will just have to hope his comeuppance arrives in some other way.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:15 am

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I can't watch this where I am

A Person retweeted
Shirley ‏@shirleykay11 2h2 hours ago
PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO WATCH BBC BANNED VIDEO OSBORNE LAUGHING & ADMITS UK HAD THE LOWEST DEBT " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … EVERYONE RT” #bbcnews

Its from November 2010, a treasury(?) select committee about 1st ConDem budget.
Not really relevant today and I really don't think it's "banned" by the BBC, just old news.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:21 am

AngryAsWell wrote:
PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I can't watch this where I am

A Person retweeted
Shirley ‏@shirleykay11 2h2 hours ago
PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO WATCH BBC BANNED VIDEO OSBORNE LAUGHING & ADMITS UK HAD THE LOWEST DEBT " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … EVERYONE RT” #bbcnews

Its from November 2010, a treasury(?) select committee about 1st ConDem budget.
Not really relevant today and I really don't think it's "banned" by the BBC, just old news.

Thanks

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:23 am

Alex Braithwaite ‏@labour52rose 1m1 minute ago
Ed Miliband must realise that next year’s election will be won on emotion http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... on-emotion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:23 am

Declan Gaffney :tax statements overstated "welfare" by 39 %

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:25 am

Joseph Rowntree Fdn. ‏@jrf_uk 53s53 seconds ago
How much money do you need for an adequate standard of living? #livingwage http://bit.ly/1yTWEin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; via @jrf_uk

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:31 am

Quite a good piece on Labour List

http://labourlist.org/2014/11/the-40-st ... a-fantasy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the-40-strategy-doesnt-have-to-be-a-fantasy

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:42 am

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Alex Braithwaite ‏@labour52rose 1m1 minute ago
Ed Miliband must realise that next year’s election will be won on emotion http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... on-emotion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

And the point is, he is - or was? - capable of showing it.

One reason why he "surprisingly" won the leadership in the first place was because he appeared "human" and at times passionate at the hustings meetings - whilst his brother, too scared to put his "front runner" status at risk apart from anything else, all too often came across as some sort of android spewing out hideously constipated wonk speak which left people who attended totally cold.

We need that Ed back - if his "advisers" are telling him otherwise, he should inform them where to get off.

Its not as if they have an impeccable record recently, after all

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:46 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
I don't have any more info on that so if any of you have a subscription to the Sun, please will you copy & paste or precis it for me ?
I've just had a toast to mouth fail PK.

Me too! Thanks PK for the Red box suggestion. Will do.

Tish · Post by **Tish** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 11:56 am

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:
Tish wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote: Good article. Hideous comments BTL - but to be expected.

Fair pay as a way of reducing poverty and the reliance on benefits / tax credits should be something understood as much more positive than the current situation by most people - surely? Or am I ridiculously naive?

Isn't now - with the HMRC propoganda for the government re tax spending about to arrive on doorsteps - the prime time for Labour to be arguing this case strongly?
I don't understand why Labour haven't continued to build on the predistribution speech, it's such an obvious popular policy, getting employers to pay proper wages so that working people don't have to be propped up by tax funded benefits. It's one of those win win for everybody policies (except multinational companies paying people poverty wages, who everybody hates anyway). If it is Ed Balls who is stopping the party from making it the centre of their manifesto then he's a bloody idiot and the other Ed should tell him to shut it.
Morning Tish

Low pay is definitely there in Ed's six pledges
“Halve the number of people on low pay in our country, changing the lives of more than 2 million people.”
“Help working families share fairly in the wealth of our country so, when the economy grows, the wages of everyday working people grow at the same rate.”
We could rail that these are too timid. But if Labour are elected there is at least a mandate to tackle low pay and pushing the minimum wage up to the living wage would be a logical conclusion.

I know they're still committed to it, and I don't doubt that if Labour do get in they'll make fair pay central to their agenda (if only because its one of the few things that won't involve an increase in public spending). I just wish they'd talk it up more, put themselves about and argue the case for it, becouse it seems like good, popular policies like this are getting lost in the mist.

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 12:41 pm

Tish wrote:
PaulfromYorkshire wrote:
Tish wrote: I don't understand why Labour haven't continued to build on the predistribution speech, it's such an obvious popular policy, getting employers to pay proper wages so that working people don't have to be propped up by tax funded benefits. It's one of those win win for everybody policies (except multinational companies paying people poverty wages, who everybody hates anyway). If it is Ed Balls who is stopping the party from making it the centre of their manifesto then he's a bloody idiot and the other Ed should tell him to shut it.
Morning Tish

Low pay is definitely there in Ed's six pledges
“Halve the number of people on low pay in our country, changing the lives of more than 2 million people.”
“Help working families share fairly in the wealth of our country so, when the economy grows, the wages of everyday working people grow at the same rate.”
We could rail that these are too timid. But if Labour are elected there is at least a mandate to tackle low pay and pushing the minimum wage up to the living wage would be a logical conclusion.
I know they're still committed to it, and I don't doubt that if Labour do get in they'll make fair pay central to their agenda (if only because its one of the few things that won't involve an increase in public spending). I just wish they'd talk it up more, put themselves about and argue the case for it, becouse it seems like good, popular policies like this are getting lost in the mist.

I wish that Ed Balls had been removed. This man, in my opinion, is the biggest restraint against progress for the Labour Party (no pun intended!). I suspect it's now too late although Anatoly did say a short time ago that there would be another reshuffle (I seem to recal)..

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 12:55 pm

John Prescott retweeted
Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes · 2h 2 hours ago
In which the IFS - which is on fiery form at the moment - question Osborne's "how your tax money is spent" pie charts http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/7424" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

John Prescott retweeted
Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes · 2h 2 hours ago
IFS (1/2): "Lumping a quarter of total spending into one bucket labelled "welfare" may not strike the most helpful balance...

John Prescott retweeted
Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes · 2h 2 hours ago
IFS 2/2: especially when it includes such diverse items social care, public service pensions, disability benefits (etc...)."

Good to know the Times is reporting the IFS unpick job on Osborne's spin.

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 12:58 pm

I'm watching The Daily Politics show on BBC2.

Is this the Tory Party Political Broadcast programme or can other Parties also publish there?

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 1:05 pm

giselle97 wrote:
Tish wrote:
PaulfromYorkshire wrote: Morning Tish

Low pay is definitely there in Ed's six pledgesWe could rail that these are too timid. But if Labour are elected there is at least a mandate to tackle low pay and pushing the minimum wage up to the living wage would be a logical conclusion.
I know they're still committed to it, and I don't doubt that if Labour do get in they'll make fair pay central to their agenda (if only because its one of the few things that won't involve an increase in public spending). I just wish they'd talk it up more, put themselves about and argue the case for it, becouse it seems like good, popular policies like this are getting lost in the mist.

I wish that Ed Balls had been removed. This man, in my opinion, is the biggest restraint against progress for the Labour Party (no pun intended!). I suspect it's now too late although Anatoly did say a short time ago that there would be another reshuffle (I seem to recal)..

I do wonder if Ed asked Darling if he was interested in taking over as Shadow Chancellor - only to be informed (as we now know) that he was quitting front line politics (that might help explain the rumours that were going around last month, which then abruptly fizzled out)

There will definitely be a reshuffle of some sort soon, as Murphy has quit the front bench to spend more time in Scotland (he will be left looking a bit silly if he doesn't win the leadership there, but I don't think there's a huge chance of that tbh) The question is whether EM will use that as a chance to make a more wide-ranging shake up. The current spin (eg at LabourList) is that he won't, but that has been wrong before.......

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 1:09 pm

Breaking news - Featherstone to replace Baker. I'm not kidding!

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 1:21 pm

Anatoly - re your thoughts on Darling.... what about the scenario that Darling was waiting for a call from EM which didn't come so then thought that he may as well stand down?

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 1:28 pm

Capitalism Explained. This Is So Accurate It Hurts.
http://www.tickld.com/x/capitalism-expl ... e-it-hurts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 1:30 pm

giselle97 wrote:Anatoly - re your thoughts on Darling.... what about the scenario that Darling was waiting for a call from EM which didn't come so then thought that he may as well stand down?

Well, that is also a definite possibility - but my scenario fits the "major reshuffle" chatter flaring up and then abruptly being squashed (it is also reported that Balls feared he might get the chop, and was even prepared to accept it provided some face-savers were thrown in)

Ah, rumours - so often much more exciting than the real thing

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 2:19 pm

Iain Duncan Smith 'Knew Universal Credit Was Going Wrong Well Before Admitting It'
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11 ... 92594.html

Well we all knew that - but what has made the so called 'architect' of Universal Credit decide to tell us that now?

Tish · Post by **Tish** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 2:47 pm

Eric Pickles is to take over direct control of Tower Hamlets after receiving a report by PwC.

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

Pickles says: “a deeply concerning picture of obfuscation, denial, secrecy the breakdown of democratic scrutiny and a culture of cronyism risking the corrupt spending of public funds”.

The Council says: “While the PwC report identifies some process and governance issues that needed to be improved, the council notes that no evidence of criminality or fraud has been identified by the government appointed forensic auditors."

Who to believe?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 3:13 pm

Eric Pickles takes over ‘rotten’ Tower Hamlets
Crackdown on London borough’s ‘partisan approach to politics’ represents one of his biggest interventions in local government

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... on-borough

I haven't read the article yet. I'm hurting in mind, body & soul.

Wait - I read a bit - what's this shit?

...showed the directly elected Labour mayor, Lutfur Rahman, had sown division and should bow his head in shame at the report’s findings. Executive power had been left unchecked and misused, he added.

I thought that council had elected a former Labour party member who ran as an Independent?

****I'm adding here a note that my hackles got raised because "Labour" is used as a pejorative by current government - I think the G made a mistake or I may be not understanding what Pickles has found out in order to take over. It's not electoral fraud, is it? This is something different. That makes me very afraid.*****

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 3:19 pm

Tish wrote:Eric Pickles is to take over direct control of Tower Hamlets after receiving a report by PwC.

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

Pickles says: “a deeply concerning picture of obfuscation, denial, secrecy the breakdown of democratic scrutiny and a culture of cronyism risking the corrupt spending of public funds”.

The Council says: “While the PwC report identifies some process and governance issues that needed to be improved, the council notes that no evidence of criminality or fraud has been identified by the government appointed forensic auditors."

Who to believe?

Oh brilliant. The report seems to raise serious failings, but the bit about grants to pals (overriding process) isn't anything like as bad as Gove's done.

This leads to us being run direct from Whitehall? That is ridiculous.

No mention of eg the excellent schools with all Outstanding or Good- and barely an academy in sight.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Tue 04 Nov, 2014 3:22 pm

Ah, rumours - so often much more exciting than the real thing

I don't want excitement; I like to read about exciting historical events from the safe vantage point of a compassionate, well-run democracy. It's hard to fight for justice on a daily basis & the road seems to go on forever.