Wednesday 19th November 2014

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 12:42 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Did Cameron really say?

This government has been a careful steward of the nations finances.

count the silver

Post by **refitman** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 12:47 pm

I think Hugo just admitted to being a liberal, who would vote Tory in Rochester.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 12:51 pm

Things must have been bad?

Nick Robinson ''David Cameron only plays the man these days'' a hint of pretence at answering a question blown away.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 12:53 pm

David Wooding @DavidWooding · 4h 4 hours ago
Nick Clegg tells a caller from Stroud on his @LBC phone-in: "You've got a by-election there tomorrow." No, Deputy PM, That's in STROOD.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:00 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
David Wooding @DavidWooding · 4h 4 hours ago
Nick Clegg tells a caller from Stroud on his @LBC phone-in: "You've got a by-election there tomorrow." No, Deputy PM, That's in STROOD.

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:02 pm

StephenDolan wrote:
TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
AndrewSparrow ‏@AndrewSparrow · 2m2 minutes ago
My snap PMQs verdict - Miliband ahead on substance, Cameron too reliant on newspaper 'reality'
If even Sparrow is calling it for Miliband then OGRFPG must have been appalling.
It highlights how ridiculous the 'Osborne beat Balls' meme was. God help Cameron in the TV debates when he will have to ditch the personal attacks and answer questions. You know, when he has to act prime ministerial.

Dave realizes he is toast if that happens, which is why he is running scared; mind you, his performance today suggests that he realizes he may well be toast by the end of the week.

Appalled to see him trying to conflate the bedroom tax with the situation in the private sector; that is the old "Labour invented the bedroom tax" lie, total bollocks and he knows it.

If you live in social housing then you are (theoretically at least) allocated a property according to your needs, on a points based system; so if you are a couple with two young children it would be a two bedroom property, if the children are older and of different sexes then it would be a three bedroom property ..... That is the basics anyway, a (largely) fair and equitable arrangement.

Now, obviously, if you are renting in the private sector you can have as many rooms as you can afford if you are paying for it yourself; and that latter part is what Dave is referring to, Labour's changes to HB for private renters (the Local Housing Allowance) which basically said that if your situation changed and you needed HB to pay your rent then, if you are that couple with two young children, you can only expect the LHA to cover a two bedroom property - and, unlike the way the bedroom tax was administered, there are transitional arrangements to avoid people being thrown into destitution/forced to move overnight.

Okay, I've simplified both positions, but that is the essence of it; the LHA leveled the playing field, the bedroom tax digs up one end of it in an attempt to bury the bodies. The fact that Cameron is prepared to lie so openly (and is allowed to do so) and Smith can sit there laughing while matters of such seriousness are discussed tells you everything you need to know about these people; I know I'm not alone in hoping that, one day, some of them will be brought up before a court of law to answer for their actions and the suffering it has caused.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:04 pm

http://www.nao.org.uk/report/financial- ... ties-2014/

According to the NAO,...the Department does not monitor in a coordinated way the impact of funding reductions on services, and relies on other departments and inspectorates to alert it to individual service failures. In consequence, the Department risks becoming aware of serious problems with the financial sustainability of local authorities only after they have occurred.

The Department’s processes for assessing the capacity of authorities to absorb further funding reductions are also not sufficiently robust.

In a complementary report, Impacts of funding reductions on local authorities, the NAO found that there is significant variation in the way that authorities have responded to the funding reductions. Authorities that have had larger cuts in government funding have not been able to protect funding of adults’ and children’s social care to the same extent as those with lower cuts. The report also shows that certain sub-services have experienced very substantial cuts in spending. Spending on the Supporting People programme, housing support and advice for vulnerable people fell by 45%. Between 2010-11 and 2013-14, budgeted real terms spending on services for young people fell by 34%.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 19 November 2014

19 November 2014
Auditors' warning over council cuts

"The government only has a "limited understanding" of the impact of budget cuts on local authorities in England, a public spending watchdog says."

'Slight rise' in council tax planned
Councils' spending cuts revealed
Pickles gives councils savings tips

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30108142" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:04 pm

Did our statesmanlike, born to rule PM actually use the term "mongs" today??

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:11 pm

What's Gordon Birtwistle like? He threw Cameron a line ''Burnley is no longer an economic black spot and the governments economic plan is working''

Out on his arse next May? After that bit of brown nosing hopefully?

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:16 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:What's Gordon Birtwistle like? He threw Cameron a line ''Burnley is no longer an economic black spot and the governments economic plan is working''

Out on his arse next May? After that bit of brown nosing hopefully?

Ooh, yes!

http://electoralcalculus.co.uk/conlist_a_b.html#Burnley" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Picked up a tweet earlier, from Mark Ferguson, going by polling from Scotland, Labour could lose all its Edinburgh seats, in a city which categorically rejected independence? Nah, that's why some polling doesn't quite add up.

rearofthestore · Post by **rearofthestore** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:17 pm

Loved this twitter reply by John Prescott.

AndrewSparrow ‏@AndrewSparrow 13m13 minutes ago
My PMQs verdict - http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blo ... c858736caa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … - (I agree with @johnprescott)
View summary 0 replies 4 retweets 0 favorites
Reply Retweet4 Favorite

John Prescott ‏@johnprescott 4m4 minutes ago
@AndrewSparrow There's always a first time

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:22 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:What's Gordon Birtwistle like? He threw Cameron a line ''Burnley is no longer an economic black spot and the governments economic plan is working''

Out on his arse next May? After that bit of brown nosing hopefully?
Ooh, yes!

http://electoralcalculus.co.uk/conlist_a_b.html#Burnley" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Picked up a tweet earlier, from Mark Ferguson, going by polling from Scotland, going by polling Labour could lose all its Edinburgh seats, in a city which categorically rejected independence? Nah, that's why some polling doesn't quite add up.

Labour chances of winning at 75.1%

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:32 pm

Mark Ferguson @Markfergusonuk · now
Miliband hit the PM over a domestic violence victim hit by the Bedroom Tax because of a Panic Room. And IDS *laughed* http://labli.st/1F32NMz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

mikems · Post by **mikems** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:33 pm

I think the LHA was very bad policy that targetted the poorest. Capping LHA and insisting that tenants are only allowed access to rentals that are less than the average for the area, without capping rents, is a way of effecting social cleansing of the poor. If poor people are not forced to move out of their home areas entirely, they are forced to live in the worst accommodation in properties owned by the worst landlords. A big setback for social mobility and equality.

Labour should have capped rents and then imposed a tax on landlords in receipt of housing benefit and that should have been used to build more council houses for rent i.e. a virtuous circle.

It is not private tenants fault that they cannot afford the rents, nor that there is a terrible shortage of social housing. It is not the poorest people's fault that housing policy has been so disastrous for so long.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:34 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Mark Ferguson @Markfergusonuk · now
Miliband hit the PM over a domestic violence victim hit by the Bedroom Tax because of a Panic Room. And IDS *laughed* http://labli.st/1F32NMz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Great piece.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:34 pm

Gordon Birtwistle (Liberal Democrat) - Burnley 2010
Challenged by Julie Cooper (Labour) - Burnley 2015

Julie Cooper is the Labour Candidate in Burnley for the General Election which will be held on May 7th 2015. Julie has served as a Councillor for the Bank Hall Ward since 2005. During this time she has held several positions of responsibility including being Councillor Leader from 2012-2014.

Under her Leadership Burnley was recognised as being The Most Enterprising Town in the UK. She is also very proud to have introduced the Living Wage to Burnley Council. She has played an active part in the work of the Health and Well Being Board and is passionate about safeguarding the NHS. Other key roles have involved service on the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Panel and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership. She has also served as Armed Forces Champion for Burnley and is proud to have played a leading role in supporting former service people and their families.

http://www.juliecooperforburnley.co.uk/about" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like both of them are long time Councillors in the area. I wonder how they'll get along post May 2015? I wonder about that - it's in the best interests of the people to have cooperative leadership.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:42 pm

Hugh Pym ‏@BBCHughPym 1h1 hour ago
Government's target for 85% patients (Eng) urgently referred by GP to begin treatment in 62 days missed for third successive quarter

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:44 pm

mikems wrote:I think the LHA was very bad policy that targetted the poorest. Capping LHA and insisting that tenants are only allowed access to rentals that are less than the average for the area, without capping rents, is a way of effecting social cleansing of the poor. If poor people are not forced to move out of their home areas entirely, they are forced to live in the worst accommodation in properties owned by the worst landlords. A big setback for social mobility and equality.

Labour should have capped rents and then imposed a tax on landlords in receipt of housing benefit and that should have been used to build more council houses for rent i.e. a virtuous circle.

It is not private tenants fault that they cannot afford the rents, nor that there is a terrible shortage of social housing. It is not the poorest people's fault that housing policy has been so disastrous for so long.

As I said, my answer was a bit simplistic but, yes, largely I agree with you. While the principle was more or less sound it was, to an extent, a typical New Labour Daily Mail-driven policy (why should the taxpayer have to pay more to support these scroungers) and should have been accompanied by rent capping/proper regulation of the private sector; but that was never going to happen under Blair, was it? The transitional arrangement part could have been better too; I can't remember the time periods, but they weren't overly generous .... but at least they were there - if IDS wasn't such a sociopathic little shit and had built them into his policy he might actually have got away with it.

EDIT - But, however poor the LHA was, Cameron is wrong to try to conflate the two. And Bercow is wrong to allow him to do so.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:45 pm

Zoe Williams retweeted
Joan Smith @polblonde · 5h 5 hours ago
The thought of living in a country without foreigners but full of UKIP supporters is too horrible to contemplate.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:45 pm

Farage in an interview with The Spectator compares Thatcher's devastation on the North and Scotland to chemotherapy.

One of the biggest frustrations with the media is that this charlatan hasn't been outed as a Thatcherite on speed.

A mate last week said there is something sinister going on in this country, media not doing their job, we all here know that , but I thought he was a bit tin hattish, thinking about it, he has a point

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:50 pm

on WatO they stated that EM had been 'duffed up' by Myleen Klass. When did BBC decide that the facts are unimportant? Twats!

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:51 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Farage in an interview with The Spectator compares Thatcher's devastation on the North and Scotland to chemotherapy.

One of the biggest frustrations with the media is that this charlatan hasn't been outed as a Thatcherite on speed.

A mate last week said there is something sinister going on in this country, media not doing their job, we all here know that , but I thought he was a bit tin hattish, thinking about it, he has a point

Yes.

It's fallen on us all to fill the gaps media may miss.

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:56 pm

Serious question; would appreciate a tweet to Labour HQ.
Can Ed assure us that when the Mansion Tax is brought in, IPSA allowances are not raised to a higher level which means that UK taxpayers are essentially paying it for all of our Non-London MPs?

Ta

DHP

mikems · Post by **mikems** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 1:58 pm

letskip,

A mate last week said there is something sinister going on in this country, media not doing their job, we all here know that , but I thought he was a bit tin hattish, thinking about it, he has a point

There were plans for a coup d'etat against Harold Wilson's goverment.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:02 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Did Cameron really say?

This government has been a careful steward of the nations finances.

Whereas, in truth, they have made an awful stew of the nation and its finances

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:03 pm

frightful_oik wrote:on WatO they stated that EM had been 'duffed up' by Myleen Klass. When did BBC decide that the facts are unimportant? Twats!

Klass the one who didn't want her glass of water taxed along with a pricey property.

“...have you seen what that amount of money [£2million] can get you? It’s like a garage."

- Klass

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peopl ... 69750.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd have trouble responding nicely after something like that.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:11 pm

mikems wrote:letskip,
A mate last week said there is something sinister going on in this country, media not doing their job, we all here know that , but I thought he was a bit tin hattish, thinking about it, he has a point
There were plans for a coup d'etat against Harold Wilson's goverment.

Don't leave me in suspense, name names - describe the nature of the plans - did the coup take place? Is this it? Are we, in fact, living in a post-coup d'etat UK? That clarifies some things.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:12 pm

frightful_oik wrote:on WatO they stated that EM had been 'duffed up' by Myleen Klass. When did BBC decide that the facts are unimportant? Twats!

The World at One has always been an anti-Labour mouthpiece, even in the Blair glory days. Campbell complains about it more than once in his diaries.

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:15 pm

citizenJA wrote:
mikems wrote:letskip,
A mate last week said there is something sinister going on in this country, media not doing their job, we all here know that , but I thought he was a bit tin hattish, thinking about it, he has a point
There were plans for a coup d'etat against Harold Wilson's goverment.
Don't leave me in suspense, name names - describe the nature of the plans - did the coup take place? Is this it? Are we, in fact, living in a post-coup d'etat UK? That clarifies some things.

Enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Wil ... _coup_plot" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:19 pm

Comes to something when a style magazine like GQ has better political analysis than the MSM!!

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/ar ... eene-klass" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:19 pm

And the "commercial" broadcasters - ie ITV and Sky - are actually *less* biased these days.

The fall of the Beeb - just in the last five years or so - has been genuinely astonishing and shocking.

There is some book waiting to be written about what has *really* happened there, when the time comes

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:20 pm

“...have you seen what that amount of money [£2million] can get you? It’s like a garage."

5 beautiful London homes that definitely aren’t garages that Myleene Klass could buy

http://labourlist.org/2014/11/5-beautif ... could-buy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:20 pm

citizenJA wrote:
mikems wrote:letskip,
A mate last week said there is something sinister going on in this country, media not doing their job, we all here know that , but I thought he was a bit tin hattish, thinking about it, he has a point
There were plans for a coup d'etat against Harold Wilson's goverment.
Don't leave me in suspense, name names - describe the nature of the plans - did the coup take place? Is this it? Are we, in fact, living in a post-coup d'etat UK? That clarifies some things.

If you read the excellent history of the Falklands war by Hugh Bicheno (Razors Edge) he describes one that nearly happened in the late 70s. It was scuppered when somebody threatened to start reporting people for treason.

Mountbatten is frequently mentioned. The plan was to stage a takeover by the army under cover of an "incident" at Heathrow.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:26 pm

"Harold Wilson, the son of a chemist and teacher, was born in Yorkshire during the First World War. In 1924, aged 8, he visited 10 Downing Street, which would eventually become his home."

https://www.gov.uk/government/history/p ... old-wilson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

To this day, I've never been able to get my head around the Periodic Table - I've attempted learning the subject several times since my teens - I've been defeated by Chemistry. My elder sister handled it with ease but she & I were never rivals. It was understood we were completely different people, if not wholly different species though our parentage was never in doubt. She's a Certified Public Accountant with a couple of homes in Texas. I'm not.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:27 pm

I post this purely for the post script from McBride, good read as always, even though I could give him a slap at times, but the bit about Laws is spot on.

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

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:28 pm

It was scuppered when somebody threatened to start reporting people for treason.

I'm the life of the party until I pull out my notebook & start taking names.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:30 pm

AngryAsWell wrote:
“...have you seen what that amount of money [£2million] can get you? It’s like a garage."
5 beautiful London homes that definitely aren’t garages that Myleene Klass could buy

http://labourlist.org/2014/11/5-beautif ... could-buy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brilliant.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:33 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Comes to something when a style magazine like GQ has better political analysis than the MSM!!

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/ar ... eene-klass" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Certainly far more informative than just about anything else I've read about Miliband ...

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:40 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:I post this purely for the post script from McBride, good read as always, even though I could give him a slap at times, but the bit about Laws is spot on.

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

We found out why in 2007 when Liam Byrne left the fateful note on that meeting table telling his successor that “there is no money left”.*

For a start it was 2010 and secondly it was "Dear Chief Secretary, I'm afraid that there is no money. Kind regards and good luck."

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:42 pm

Mary Creagh MP retweeted
Damian Carrington ‏@dpcarrington 1h1 hour ago
By me: Local authority #flood funding cut by a third next year, as risk rises http://gu.com/p/43djc/stw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "dire" says @NatFloodForum

Aaaaarrrrrggggh. I just clicked through - because I want to read it - and the whole of the Environment section of the G has gone Beta. It's hideous. Hideous I tell you.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:44 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Mary Creagh MP retweeted
Damian Carrington ‏@dpcarrington 1h1 hour ago
By me: Local authority #flood funding cut by a third next year, as risk rises http://gu.com/p/43djc/stw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "dire" says @NatFloodForum
Aaaaarrrrrggggh. I just clicked through - because I want to read it - and the whole of the Environment section of the G has gone Beta. It's hideous. Hideous I tell you.

It's like a disease, Beta.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 2:53 pm

I only went to Cif to look at today's cartoon, the headlines of this article Only 3 days in Commons? At least part-time Tories might do less damage caught my eye

And the first BTL comment was from someone who evidently shares an MP with me.

RichardLittleJohnson
19 November 2014 12:38pm

Recommend
39
My local Tory MP Phillip Lee works part time as a GP, and then complains about his workload as an MP.
Apparently he finds the volume of letters he receives from constituents too hard to cope with.
Well boo-hoo. If he can't cope with the MP workload, he shouldn't have stood for election in the first place.

Glad I'm not the only one that thinks he's a drain on the taxpayer.

Post by **refitman** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 3:08 pm

DonutHingeParty wrote:Serious question; would appreciate a tweet to Labour HQ.
Can Ed assure us that when the Mansion Tax is brought in, IPSA allowances are not raised to a higher level which means that UK taxpayers are essentially paying it for all of our Non-London MPs?

Ta

DHP

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 3:21 pm

refitman wrote:
DonutHingeParty wrote:Serious question; would appreciate a tweet to Labour HQ.
Can Ed assure us that when the Mansion Tax is brought in, IPSA allowances are not raised to a higher level which means that UK taxpayers are essentially paying it for all of our Non-London MPs?

Ta

DHP

Good one Dan.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 3:28 pm

ohsocynical wrote:I only went to Cif to look at today's cartoon, the headlines of this article Only 3 days in Commons? At least part-time Tories might do less damage caught my eye

And the first BTL comment was from someone who evidently shares an MP with me.

RichardLittleJohnson
19 November 2014 12:38pm

Recommend
39
My local Tory MP Phillip Lee works part time as a GP, and then complains about his workload as an MP.
Apparently he finds the volume of letters he receives from constituents too hard to cope with.
Well boo-hoo. If he can't cope with the MP workload, he shouldn't have stood for election in the first place.
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks he's a drain on the taxpayer.

An MP AND a GP? No. We need rules against that kind of thing. Neither job is getting the attention it deserves. I don't actually know that for a fact - I don't know this person. However, I've seen the job description for GPs & MPs. I would have thought it impossible for someone in either profession able to fit them both into a functional routine.

Post by **adam** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 3:30 pm

citizenJA wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:I only went to Cif to look at today's cartoon, the headlines of this article Only 3 days in Commons? At least part-time Tories might do less damage caught my eye

And the first BTL comment was from someone who evidently shares an MP with me.

RichardLittleJohnson
19 November 2014 12:38pm

Recommend
39
My local Tory MP Phillip Lee works part time as a GP, and then complains about his workload as an MP.
Apparently he finds the volume of letters he receives from constituents too hard to cope with.
Well boo-hoo. If he can't cope with the MP workload, he shouldn't have stood for election in the first place.
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks he's a drain on the taxpayer.
An MP AND a GP? No. We need rules against that kind of thing. Neither job is getting the attention it deserves. I don't actually know that for a fact - I don't know this person. However, I've seen the job description for GPs & MPs. I would have thought it impossible for someone in either profession able to fit them both into a functional routine.

There is a very serious point about things taking up a lot of an MPs time, but another thing we could do about additional income is to means test MPs income. there are only 650 of them, it would be a very simple task. Maybe we could pay a baseline salary - living wage maybe? - and then means test anything and everything above that.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 3:48 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:What's Gordon Birtwistle like? He threw Cameron a line ''Burnley is no longer an economic black spot and the governments economic plan is working''

Out on his arse next May? After that bit of brown nosing hopefully?

Birtwistle fought a strongly anti-Labour campaign to win in 2010 - he was helped by the fact Labour had one of its worst "parachuted careerists" (Kitty Ussher) as MP from 2005-10, during which the local party (already reeling from the BNP insurgency which started in 2001) was almost destroyed.

Never mind, he has helped rebuild it again

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 3:54 pm

adam wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:I only went to Cif to look at today's cartoon, the headlines of this article Only 3 days in Commons? At least part-time Tories might do less damage caught my eye

And the first BTL comment was from someone who evidently shares an MP with me.
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks he's a drain on the taxpayer.
An MP AND a GP? No. We need rules against that kind of thing. Neither job is getting the attention it deserves. I don't actually know that for a fact - I don't know this person. However, I've seen the job description for GPs & MPs. I would have thought it impossible for someone in either profession able to fit them both into a functional routine.
There is a very serious point about things taking up a lot of an MPs time, but another thing we could do about additional income is to means test MPs income. there are only 650 of them, it would be a very simple task. Maybe we could pay a baseline salary - living wage maybe? - and then means test anything and everything above that.

The problem with MPs is that no-one seems to know what they are. There are three options.

1. They are employees of the state. As employees, they should have set hours, working conditions, role profiles, rights and targets. They have none of these. There are no essential or desirable qualifications required for the role other than being able to convince a constituency that you'd be good for them. That's a salesman, not a service deliverer. Conversely, there is also no correlation between qualification / experience and financial reimbursement.

2. They are self-employed by the state on a five year contract. Again, there should be a contract detailing what service is expected of them, and a break clause for when they fail to deliver. MPs should be allowed to tender and the lowest bid which meets the technical requirements should be accepted.

3. They are noble volunteers who seek only to ensure that they're not left out of pocket by their service working for the constituency they represent. Then they should be able to be summarily dismissed by the constituency, and funds should be provided locally in agreement with what the constituency determines is appropriate. It may be that an MP in Newcastle is paid less than one in Westminster - the argument has always been that more people will stand in Westminster than Newcastle, but haven't we always been told that increased competition will drive salaries down? Travel expenses, of course, will be dealt with separately.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 4:17 pm

citizenJA wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:I only went to Cif to look at today's cartoon, the headlines of this article Only 3 days in Commons? At least part-time Tories might do less damage caught my eye

And the first BTL comment was from someone who evidently shares an MP with me.

RichardLittleJohnson
19 November 2014 12:38pm

Recommend
39
My local Tory MP Phillip Lee works part time as a GP, and then complains about his workload as an MP.
Apparently he finds the volume of letters he receives from constituents too hard to cope with.
Well boo-hoo. If he can't cope with the MP workload, he shouldn't have stood for election in the first place.
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks he's a drain on the taxpayer.
An MP AND a GP? No. We need rules against that kind of thing. Neither job is getting the attention it deserves. I don't actually know that for a fact - I don't know this person. However, I've seen the job description for GPs & MPs. I would have thought it impossible for someone in either profession able to fit them both into a functional routine.

I'm pretty sure he only does one day a week, but it's not for the NHS. It's a private practice.
Probably keeping his hand in, because although he has a large majority due to boundary changes, he's not popular. Claims for a second home although we're not far from London and he actually lives just over the border in Bucks. Holds his' surgeries' occasionally in a pub but has been known to lecture his constituents on the dangers of drinking.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Wed 19 Nov, 2014 4:23 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:I only went to Cif to look at today's cartoon, the headlines of this article Only 3 days in Commons? At least part-time Tories might do less damage caught my eye

And the first BTL comment was from someone who evidently shares an MP with me.
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks he's a drain on the taxpayer.
An MP AND a GP? No. We need rules against that kind of thing. Neither job is getting the attention it deserves. I don't actually know that for a fact - I don't know this person. However, I've seen the job description for GPs & MPs. I would have thought it impossible for someone in either profession able to fit them both into a functional routine.
I'm pretty sure he only does one day a week, but it's not for the NHS. It's a private practice.
Probably keeping his hand in, because although he has a large majority due to boundary changes, he's not popular. Claims for a second home although we're not far from London and he actually lives just over the border in Bucks. Holds his' surgeries' occasionally in a pub but has been known to lecture his constituents on the dangers of drinking.

You might like to read this:

Tory MP complains about having to take £50,000 pay cut to enter parliament
A Conservative MP has complained about having to take a £50,000 cut in his pay to enter parliament after giving up his job as a family doctor.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... ament.html

Honest Guv. We didn't twist his arm.

Edited to add this:

Daily Mirror
View this content on DailyMirror's website
Dr Phillip Lee 'Eat doughnuts for breakfast? Pay for your own health...
By Daily Mirror @DailyMirror
He said sufferers of type 2 diabetes and similar illnesses should lose their right to free prescriptions to save the NHS from collapse

Nice heh?