Friday 28th November 2014

[AngryAsWell]

Populus has the Labour figure at its highest in any poll since the Tory conference.

Whereas today's YouGov has its lowest Labour score since summer 2010 (and lowest combined Labour/Tory total *ever*)

Hmmm......

I know there are strict rules on polling companies, but I'm beginning to wonder if those rule are quite strict enough.

[TechnicalEphemera]

That's been one of my bugbears for many years. Christmas is a 12-day festival that starts on the 25th. It doesn't start to gather momentum in October and cut off after tea on Boxing Day. Little depresses me more than having to go back to work well before 12th Night already thoroughly sick of everything festive. I'm not a practising Christian - just 'culturally CofE'. In my house, Christmas doesn't start until the first playing of Fairytale of New York on 7" vinyl. I'm old fashioned like that.

Try working in retail. We start thinking about Christmas in March!

Absolutely!
Boxing Day is when the Easter Eggs go on sale

Hah, I can usually source a couple of cream eggs to go on the Christmas tree.

[mikems]

citizenJA :

mikems wrote:
Britain is attractive to loose capital and migrant workers because, among other things, workers' rights are so weak.

And if you really want to reduce internal EU migration, one of the best ways of doing it would be to tighten employment law, give workers proper rights to tenure etc covered by sectoral agreements to prevent abuses.

If you did that at the same time as insisting on investment funds and full employment for each member state as an EU aim, and if we had the power to tax unused capital and direct it to specific infrastructure, food and energy self-sufficiency projects etc, then migration would almost disappear, because most people do not want to shift from one end of the continent to the other for work. They would rather build their own country.
Well said!

Do you suppose the thought has ever crossed the man's mind? I'm in earnest. Do any in government know the primary responsibility is from leadership? Who are behind the necessity, or more pleasantly, the promise of better things in other places, instigating the movement of regular people all over? That is, with leaders, employers & powerful people.

Cameron and his class have an utterly different perspective - it's all about their wealth and opportunities to increase it. They don't care about building nations or the common good. They create crises with their self-interested policies and then use the results to divide and conquer.

[refitman]

That's been one of my bugbears for many years. Christmas is a 12-day festival that starts on the 25th. It doesn't start to gather momentum in October and cut off after tea on Boxing Day. Little depresses me more than having to go back to work well before 12th Night already thoroughly sick of everything festive. I'm not a practising Christian - just 'culturally CofE'. In my house, Christmas doesn't start until the first playing of Fairytale of New York on 7" vinyl. I'm old fashioned like that.

Try working in retail. We start thinking about Christmas in March!

Ooh, I remember those days, and not with affection either. You have my sympathy.

I'm glad I'm not customer-facing anymore, although it does mean I am one of the ones thinking of Xmas early.

[citizenJA]

Try working in retail. We start thinking about Christmas in March!

Absolutely!
Boxing Day is when the Easter Eggs go on sale

Hah, I can usually source a couple of cream eggs to go on the Christmas tree.

Cadbury cream eggs are my favourite food. I've never had a bad one. My spouse says I should do a testimonial in order to fund my habit.

It's a good thing I hike a lot.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Populus has the Labour figure at its highest in any poll since the Tory conference.

Whereas today's YouGov has its lowest Labour score since summer 2010 (and lowest combined Labour/Tory total *ever*)

Hmmm......

I know there are strict rules on polling companies, but I'm beginning to wonder if those rule are quite strict enough.

Polls are probably less erratic now than they used to be, tbf.

They may produce obvious duds on occasion (that Doncaster poll yesterday very likely being a case in point) but I would beware of shooting the messenger.

[LadyCentauria]

Just listening to/watching the current debate in the HoC on Sarah Teather's Tenancies (Reform) Bill, intended to protect tenants who ask for repairs or maintenance from retaliatory evictions. During one intervention an MP (whose name I cant remember) apologised for her late arrival but had come from dealing with the case of a nurse whose landlord has put the rent up to a level she cannot afford, the local council has located a potential tenancy for her but two hours train journey away from the hospital where she currently works – so if she accepts that place she wo'n't be able to continue working there.

It reminded me, again, of what we really lost when all the nurses'/teachers'/police/firefighters'/etc., housing was emptied and sold off – much, if not most, of it is now in the hands of private landlords. And then there is all the formerly council-owned housing. Around here, that means people have to find (private) rents of between £1,000 and £2,000 per calendar month, just for a for a one-bedroom flat – and even more (up to £2,500) for what are termed short-lets. The vast majority of the places currently on offer are ex-council/ex-GLC, some are in a block which was nurses' accommodation, and only a few are conversions in private houses or in purpose-built blocks. One of the properties is even described as being ideal for a small family! A one-bedroom bungalow! And that is ex-council, too, at two-and-a-half times what the council charge for its equivalent elsewhere on the same small estate...

However, to return to Ms. Teather's Bill. It enjoys cross-party support so, unless the antis (who are just starting to take part in the debate) force it to a vote, and defeat it, it will go through to Committee Stage.

I note that there has still been no Money Bill to allow Andrew George's Bill to protect at least some tenants from paying the Under-Occupancy Penalty...

[TheGrimSqueaker]

I'm glad I'm not customer-facing anymore, although it does mean I am one of the ones thinking of Xmas early.

And that is why you have my sympathy. Trying to second guess what will be popular umpteen months down the line is no picnic; we were the launch customer for The Snowman spinoff merchandise (china, stationery, toys etc) and I was given responsibility for the buying - a budget of just under a million (and this was in 1986) is very scary & focusses the mind beautifully! Got it right, thankfully, but could have done without the stress.

[citizenJA]

citizenJA :

mikems wrote:
Britain is attractive to loose capital and migrant workers because, among other things, workers' rights are so weak.

And if you really want to reduce internal EU migration, one of the best ways of doing it would be to tighten employment law, give workers proper rights to tenure etc covered by sectoral agreements to prevent abuses.

If you did that at the same time as insisting on investment funds and full employment for each member state as an EU aim, and if we had the power to tax unused capital and direct it to specific infrastructure, food and energy self-sufficiency projects etc, then migration would almost disappear, because most people do not want to shift from one end of the continent to the other for work. They would rather build their own country.
Well said!

Do you suppose the thought has ever crossed the man's mind? I'm in earnest. Do any in government know the primary responsibility is from leadership? Who are behind the necessity, or more pleasantly, the promise of better things in other places, instigating the movement of regular people all over? That is, with leaders, employers & powerful people.

Cameron and his class have an utterly different perspective - it's all about their wealth and opportunities to increase it. They don't care about building nations or the common good. They create crises with their self-interested policies and then use the results to divide and conquer.

Agreed.

Their narcissism & lack of compassionate wisdom creates needless suffering, doesn't make good use of the environment, the land or the people. It doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't require saintliness in leadership to wholesomely maintain prosperity for the people & land. It's good for rich people, too! A win-win!

I want to be part of a cooperative endeavour making people secure in homes properly made, affordable, energy efficient & work to make local areas more self-sufficient to reduce expensive transit costs, make public transportation integrated, comprehensive, affordable (I'd hand everyone person a free public transportation pass - if you don't agree, great, let's discuss), frequent, reliable & safe. Open up the walk-in clinics again.

I could go on & on. You all know that about me already. Thanks for reading.

edited to clarify

[Willow904]

Populus has the Labour figure at its highest in any poll since the Tory conference.

Whereas today's YouGov has its lowest Labour score since summer 2010 (and lowest combined Labour/Tory total *ever*)

Hmmm......

I know there are strict rules on polling companies, but I'm beginning to wonder if those rule are quite strict enough.

I thought the tradition was that the polls tend to converge as election day approaches. I suspect all this means is that many people genuinely haven't made up their minds. On a positive note it does suggest there is at least potential for Labour to gain in support. The Tories, on the other hand, are still showing little indication of moving significantly at all, as far as I can tell. Do you think right-wingers are still as confident as they were that the Ukip voters will return in sufficient numbers by May? To me it seems that Ukip has achieved escape velocity, with many supporters beyond caring who actually wins the election in their enthusiasm for the latest 'protest vote' party. It all seems very similar to me to the Libdem protest vote last time, only on the opposite end of the political spectrum, which held up come voting day very well indeed!

[AnatolyKasparov]

In fact Tory poll ratings have been remarkably steady since their post-budget crash in the spring of 2012.

Labour has however lost support since then to UKIP, Nats and Greens. That's where they need to be looking to get back up in the polls a bit.

(and the traditional Blairite "playbook" - all that matters is Lab/Tory swing voters - is not much use here)

[TechnicalEphemera]

In fact Tory poll ratings have been remarkably steady since their post-budget crash in the spring of 2012.

Labour has however lost support since then to UKIP, Nats and Greens. That's where they need to be looking to get back up in the polls a bit.

(and the traditional Blairite "playbook" - all that matters is Lab/Tory swing voters - is not much use here)

It is an interesting dilemma for a strategist. In theory the correct thing to do is to move to the left to squeeze the Greens. However Labour has gained Lib Dems and lost centrist voters post 2010. The danger in moving left is you lose as many voters from the middle as you gain at the margins.

Probably the correct thing to do is move rapidly left in Scotland, whilst adopting populist left wing policies in rUK. This sadly leaves a relatively boring economic policy in place, but throwing away the play book as per 83 is probably too much of a risk.

Why YouGov diverges so much from Populus is an interesting question. I seem to recall they changed their methodology to be less Labour leaning post European elections.

[WelshIan]

Amazon have been pushing their Black Friday deals for a number of years, now, but I didn't realise it had spread to the high street.

I'm not sure I understand why stores are discounting so heavily in the run up to Christmas, people are buying presents, food, etc so why make less profit? Unless the economy is not doing so well, people are not spending and shops are trying to get people in to spend with them. Which would also help explain the hype over Black Friday.
Haven't most of the big retailers reported poor Christmas trading for the past year or two?

I came across a Jeffrey Archer boxed set in Amazon's Black Friday deals. 3% have sold after an hour!
For context, most things are 50-100% sold in minutes.

[HindleA]

http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2014 ... um=twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Government to name and shame local authorities that fail to help disabled people from the effects of their own policies

Meanwhile,it is Carers Right Day and Cameron states "you are the backbone of the Country",on the very day he announces his intentions to remove support from some.

Beam me up Scotty.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

In fact Tory poll ratings have been remarkably steady since their post-budget crash in the spring of 2012.

Labour has however lost support since then to UKIP, Nats and Greens. That's where they need to be looking to get back up in the polls a bit.

(and the traditional Blairite "playbook" - all that matters is Lab/Tory swing voters - is not much use here)

It is an interesting dilemma for a strategist. In theory the correct thing to do is to move to the left to squeeze the Greens. However Labour has gained Lib Dems and lost centrist voters post 2010. The danger in moving left is you lose as many voters from the middle as you gain at the margins.

Probably the correct thing to do is move rapidly left in Scotland, whilst adopting populist left wing policies in rUK. This sadly leaves a relatively boring economic policy in place, but throwing away the play book as per 83 is probably too much of a risk.

Why YouGov diverges so much from Populus is an interesting question. I seem to recall they changed their methodology to be less Labour leaning post European elections.

I've said before that one might expect a significant divergence currently between those who use and are polled through more traditional media and the on-line community.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

JP Janson De Couet retweeted
Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB Nov 26
Latest ComRes/itv poll of marginals suggests that LAB still strong
Con 31% (+1)
Lab 39% (-2)
LD 7% (+1)
UKIP 18% (+1)

[frightful_oik]

Shocking.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/cr ... 64608.html

[TechnicalEphemera]

In fact Tory poll ratings have been remarkably steady since their post-budget crash in the spring of 2012.

Labour has however lost support since then to UKIP, Nats and Greens. That's where they need to be looking to get back up in the polls a bit.

(and the traditional Blairite "playbook" - all that matters is Lab/Tory swing voters - is not much use here)

It is an interesting dilemma for a strategist. In theory the correct thing to do is to move to the left to squeeze the Greens. However Labour has gained Lib Dems and lost centrist voters post 2010. The danger in moving left is you lose as many voters from the middle as you gain at the margins.

Probably the correct thing to do is move rapidly left in Scotland, whilst adopting populist left wing policies in rUK. This sadly leaves a relatively boring economic policy in place, but throwing away the play book as per 83 is probably too much of a risk.

Why YouGov diverges so much from Populus is an interesting question. I seem to recall they changed their methodology to be less Labour leaning post European elections.

I've said before that one might expect a significant divergence currently between those who use and are polled through more traditional media and the on-line community.

Yes, but which one is more accurate...

And another question, looking at #CameronMustGo what if any impact would a twitter campaign have on encouraging turnout.

If the turnout in younger voters can be moved up a whole set of polling assumptions fall over.

[citizenJA]

http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2014 ... um=twitter


Government to name and shame local authorities that fail to help disabled people from the effects of their own policies

Meanwhile,it is Carers Right Day and Cameron states "you are the backbone of the Country",on the very day he announces his intentions to remove support from some.

Beam me up Scotty.

The government is to 'name and shame' local authorities that are failing to use discretionary housing payments to help disabled people affected by the bedroom tax.

You god damn have to be god damn kidding me.

The bastard Tories stiff social housing sector tenants deemed to be using too much space & then have the gall to blame local government for evictions, rent arrears, hardships galore due to their Tory-LibDem Bedroom Tax abomination!

[TheGrimSqueaker]

I came across a Jeffrey Archer boxed set in Amazon's Black Friday deals. 3% have sold after an hour!
For context, most things are 50-100% sold in minutes.

I'm astonished that they have even sold that many. Vile little man.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

It is an interesting dilemma for a strategist. In theory the correct thing to do is to move to the left to squeeze the Greens. However Labour has gained Lib Dems and lost centrist voters post 2010. The danger in moving left is you lose as many voters from the middle as you gain at the margins.

Probably the correct thing to do is move rapidly left in Scotland, whilst adopting populist left wing policies in rUK. This sadly leaves a relatively boring economic policy in place, but throwing away the play book as per 83 is probably too much of a risk.

Why YouGov diverges so much from Populus is an interesting question. I seem to recall they changed their methodology to be less Labour leaning post European elections.

I've said before that one might expect a significant divergence currently between those who use and are polled through more traditional media and the on-line community.

Yes, but which one is more accurate...

And another question, looking at #CameronMustGo what if any impact would a twitter campaign have on encouraging turnout.

If the turnout in younger voters can be moved up a whole set of polling assumptions fall over.

Yes good point on turnout.

I wasn't really suggesting trad vs on-line would be more or less accurate, just that they might be measuring different things. So, a telephone poll might tend to probe voting intentions among those who use traditional media (note Yougov's weightings around newspaper readership) and may be more influenced by those messages, whereas on-line might pick up those who are for example engaging with #CameronMustGo.

The whole picture would be the sum of these of course and of course also there is a lot of overlap.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Mehdi Hasan ‏@mehdirhasan 24m24 minutes ago
Apparently, David Cameron "muscled" his way, uninvited, into that selfie with Barack Obama and Helle Thorning-Schmidt
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11 ... 1417183008" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

[PaulfromYorkshire]

If I am elected as Prime Minister in May, I will negotiate to reform the European Union, and Britain's relationship with it. This issue of free movement will be a key part of that negotiation.

From an email I just got from Dave.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Germany regards the principle of free movement of labour within the European Union as "not negotiable", a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

[danesclose]

Try working in retail. We start thinking about Christmas in March!

Absolutely!
Boxing Day is when the Easter Eggs go on sale

Hah, I can usually source a couple of cream eggs to go on the Christmas tree.

My local Tesco currently has Hot Cross Buns on display

[LadyCentauria]

I forgot to mention in my post above that David Cameron is contradicting himself as he swivels on the Ukip skewer. On the one hand he's saying there's no big problem (in that the majority of EU migrants to the UK are hard-working contributors) whilst on the other, they're an enormous drain on resources. Which is it?

They're Schrödinger's immigrants!

Is it me or is "Black Friday" on this scale something completely new (and rubbish) to us this year? If the stores insist on trying this on, can they also do the American thing of being banned from starting Christmas until today (or ideally until when Christmas actually starts, on Christmas Eve. After it's got dark.)

On this scale, yes, it is new. In the US it has been, traditionally, a one-day-sale so having amazon etc., running it for a week is unusual. UK shoppers clocked onto this even mostly by way of the internet after the US bricks-and-mortar store increased their online presence and the bargains were still worth it, even if you had to pay overseas delivery rates and even import and sales taxes. Online retailers in the US, some years ago, had started their own seasonal sale – online only – called Cyber Monday, which will happen, naturally, on Monday as their own answer to Black Friday. Black Friday seems to have spread though, from one day to four or more, to encompassing online sales and overshadowing the already much-smaller (in the US) Cyber Monday, to spreading widely outside the USofA. And BF used to be an opportunity for retailers to clear their shelves of autumn-season stock before they brought in the Christmas- and winter-season stock. Ho hum. All life is change.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Absolutely!
Boxing Day is when the Easter Eggs go on sale

Hah, I can usually source a couple of cream eggs to go on the Christmas tree.

My local Tesco currently has Hot Cross Buns on display

M & S sell them year round. Mind you, they are not just hot cross buns .......

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Reading on Twitter that Philip Davis is essentially filibustering the tenancies bill.

[rebeccariots2]

Tim Montgomerie ن​​ @montie · 4h 4 hours ago
Autumn Statement needs to be good because the PM's immigration speech isn't going to move any votes. Not towards the Conservatives anyway.

Tim Montgomerie ن​​ retweeted
Rafael Behr @rafaelbehr · 4h 4 hours ago
My Twitter is broken. Not picking up that flood of exuberant Tory MPs cheering PM's new line on Europe and immigration.

So those he was trying to impress are ... underwhelmed? To put it nicely.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Reading on Twitter that the Shelter sponsored 'revenge evictions' bill, which had substantial cross party support so was assumed to be a shoo in to go to committee stage, has been 'talked out' by two filibustering Tory lowlifes; one was Mr McVey himself, Philip Davies, the other was Christopher Chope. I'm fairly sure that Chope has a sizeable property portfolio, anybody have anything on Davies?

[LadyCentauria]

That's been one of my bugbears for many years. Christmas is a 12-day festival that starts on the 25th. It doesn't start to gather momentum in October and cut off after tea on Boxing Day. Little depresses me more than having to go back to work well before 12th Night already thoroughly sick of everything festive. I'm not a practising Christian - just 'culturally CofE'. In my house, Christmas doesn't start until the first playing of Fairytale of New York on 7" vinyl. I'm old fashioned like that.

Try working in retail. We start thinking about Christmas in March!

Ooh, I remember those days, and not with affection either. You have my sympathy.

Me too, but from the print-works and then the photo-repro house (with attached art-studio) which I worked in. I could never remember which month we were really in. Which reminds me: just about now, models will be stripping-off around the coasts of the UK to model next years swim-wear. Amazing what you can do with good cameras, lighting, filters, photoshop, and some beautiful shivering people

[AnatolyKasparov]

Bumper crop of council by-elections yesterday - mostly very decent for Labour save for an (expected) loss in Melton DC.

In particular, a very interesting result in Scotland - Labour hold a marginal ward in Midlothian with a swing against the Nats.

Review will be up in the usual place later today

[PorFavor]

Thought I'd cheer you all up with this -

Fracking risk compared to thalidomide and asbestos in Walport report

Historic innovations that have been adopted too hastily with grave unforeseen impacts provide cautionary examples for potential side effects of fracking, says report by government’s chief scientist Mark Walport (Guardian)

I'm fairly sure this comes as no surprise to anyone here.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... ort-report

[PaulfromYorkshire]

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

ed-miliband-david-cameron-immigration-video

[PorFavor]

Bumper crop of council by-elections yesterday - mostly very decent for Labour save for an (expected) loss in Melton DC.

In particular, a very interesting result in Scotland - Labour hold a marginal ward in Midlothian with a swing against the Nats.

Review will be up in the usual place later today

Thanks - but it would be handy if you would copy it across to here for us all, please. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to pin down anything below the line over there.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Bumper crop of council by-elections yesterday - mostly very decent for Labour save for an (expected) loss in Melton DC.

In particular, a very interesting result in Scotland - Labour hold a marginal ward in Midlothian with a swing against the Nats.

Review will be up in the usual place later today

Thanks - but it would be handy if you would copy it across to here for us all, please. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to pin down anything below the line over there.

[mikems]

I had an interesting email exchange with Philip Davies, or the Shipley Shite as I like to think of him. About nine or ten years ago in a Sun article that claimed 'muslims' had attacked and vandalised an army house in Slough he was quoted as saying 'these Muslims should fuck off'. When it turned out that the whole story had been fabricated I emailed him to say that he he had been tricked into a regrettable public statement and perhaps he would like to publicly withdraw it since there were no muslims to 'fuck off'. His reply was what you would expect.

Following this had a brief correspondence with him over a month or so. One episode followed him claiming that he was upset seeing a black fireman because he wanted firemen picked by ability not skin colour. I asked him how he knew that had happened. He threatened to sue me for libel. I pointed out it was a private exchange that I was not going to make public, but if he wanted to then I couldn't see how I could be accused of libel, notwithstanding that I had said nothing remotely libellous.

I.e. typical tory shitehawk, hence the Shipley Shite.

He has a thing about Muslims, black men, firemen and thinks it is big and clever to talk out private members bills. Chope has been doing that for years and years. He has been around a long time - a junior minister in the early thatcher regime who, I remember, overstepped the marks with racially motivated comments. Working with others these two have talked out almost every private members bill presented.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Davies and McVey sound like the ideal Tory couple mikems, truly a match foretold by the stars!

Just to confirm, both of these filibustering scum are private landlords, so have a vested interest in seeing this one killed; apparently Davies saw off another bill a few years back that was looking to force the installation of smoke alarms in all privately rented property!

http://usvsth3m.com/post/two-mps-who-ar ... -evictions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ErnstRemarx]

Damning:

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

[ErnstRemarx]

Reading on Twitter that the Shelter sponsored 'revenge evictions' bill, which had substantial cross party support so was assumed to be a shoo in to go to committee stage, has been 'talked out' by two filibustering Tory lowlifes; one was Mr McVey himself, Philip Davies, the other was Christopher Chope. I'm fairly sure that Chope has a sizeable property portfolio, anybody have anything on Davies?

http://usvsth3m.com/post/two-mps-who-ar ... -evictions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this guy I've not heard of before lays out Davies' personality and utterances in all their rancidness:

http://keithtopping.blogspot.co.uk/2012 ... their.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ErnstRemarx]

Utterly shameful:

http://www.24dash.com/news/central_gove ... -evictions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit: for some odd reason the BBC and Guardian aren't carrying the story - this is obviously a temporary oversight, and both will feature such an evil act by those maggots who dishonour the name and standing of members of parliament.

[DonutHingeParty]

Reading on Twitter that the Shelter sponsored 'revenge evictions' bill, which had substantial cross party support so was assumed to be a shoo in to go to committee stage, has been 'talked out' by two filibustering Tory lowlifes; one was Mr McVey himself, Philip Davies, the other was Christopher Chope. I'm fairly sure that Chope has a sizeable property portfolio, anybody have anything on Davies?

Ah, Chope. He of the Vulture Huddle.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 20708.html

A landmark move to protect the world's poorest countries from debt sharks was blocked yesterday by a single Conservative MP during extraordinary scenes in the House of Commons.

"Vulture fund" investment companies buy up defaulted third world debt and sue for immediate repayment. The Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill was designed to curb their activities, ensuring that creditors cannot pursue debt repayment beyond the level assessed as fair and sustainable by the World Bank. Liberia lost a £20m lawsuit against two vulture funds in a London court late last year.

Because of the lack of time before the general election, the Bill's only chance of making it on to the statute book was if there were no protests in the Commons. But to the fury of Labour MPs, one lone voice piped up: "Object!" Three Conservatives were in the chamber – Christopher Chope, Andrew Robathan and Simon Burns – but it was not clear at the time who had intervened.

The Labour MP Sally Keeble, who was steering the Bill through the Commons, demanded to know who had objected. But Sylvia Heal, the Deputy Speaker, told her: "That is not for me to identify." A furious Ms Keeble said afterwards: "They are abject cowards who sat and hung their heads as one of them objected to a measure to help combat world poverty."

Last night it emerged that Mr Chope had been the backbencher to raise his objection. He believes that the proposed legislation has not been properly debated in the Commons. The Tory leadership is known to have been angry and embarrassed.

[ErnstRemarx]

Reading on Twitter that the Shelter sponsored 'revenge evictions' bill, which had substantial cross party support so was assumed to be a shoo in to go to committee stage, has been 'talked out' by two filibustering Tory lowlifes; one was Mr McVey himself, Philip Davies, the other was Christopher Chope. I'm fairly sure that Chope has a sizeable property portfolio, anybody have anything on Davies?

Ah, Chope. He of the Vulture Huddle.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 20708.html

A landmark move to protect the world's poorest countries from debt sharks was blocked yesterday by a single Conservative MP during extraordinary scenes in the House of Commons.

"Vulture fund" investment companies buy up defaulted third world debt and sue for immediate repayment. The Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill was designed to curb their activities, ensuring that creditors cannot pursue debt repayment beyond the level assessed as fair and sustainable by the World Bank. Liberia lost a £20m lawsuit against two vulture funds in a London court late last year.

Because of the lack of time before the general election, the Bill's only chance of making it on to the statute book was if there were no protests in the Commons. But to the fury of Labour MPs, one lone voice piped up: "Object!" Three Conservatives were in the chamber – Christopher Chope, Andrew Robathan and Simon Burns – but it was not clear at the time who had intervened.

The Labour MP Sally Keeble, who was steering the Bill through the Commons, demanded to know who had objected. But Sylvia Heal, the Deputy Speaker, told her: "That is not for me to identify." A furious Ms Keeble said afterwards: "They are abject cowards who sat and hung their heads as one of them objected to a measure to help combat world poverty."

Last night it emerged that Mr Chope had been the backbencher to raise his objection. He believes that the proposed legislation has not been properly debated in the Commons. The Tory leadership is known to have been angry and embarrassed.

Clearly both have form and both are in the pockets of landlords and big business of the worst kinds. #ChopeOutNow #DaviesOutNow

[LadyCentauria]

Davies and McVey sound like the ideal Tory couple mikems, truly a match foretold by the stars!

Just to confirm, both of these filibustering scum are private landlords, so have a vested interest in seeing this one killed; apparently Davies saw off another bill a few years back that was looking to force the installation of smoke alarms in all privately rented property!

http://usvsth3m.com/post/two-mps-who-ar ... -evictions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Davies was eventually ordered to sit down by Deputy-Speaker Dawn Primarolo. He had been warned and warned for repeating himself and for bringing in irrelevancies but, his fifty-odd minute waffle (with questions from sidekick Chope) ended in the following manner:

Madam Deputy Speaker:
Order. Okay, Mr Davies, under Standing Order No. 42, a Member may be called to order for

“tedious repetition either of his own arguments or of the arguments used by other Members”.

That is now what is happening with regard to the reference to evictions in the Bill. The Member has been speaking for nearly an hour. I am directing the Member to make his closing remarks now. Otherwise, I will require him to take his seat so that we can hear from the other Members who wish to participate in the debate. Is that clear?

Philip Davies:
Well, your position is clear, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was not sure that the Chair had positions, but your position is clear.

Madam Deputy Speaker:
Order! Sit down, Mr Davies. That is an outrageous challenge to the Chair. Your speech is now finished. I call Mr Christopher Chope.

Hansard House of Commons Friday 27th November 2014

Mr Chope then spoke (with interventions, mostly from Davies but including a failed Closure Motion) from 1.29 until 2.30pm when the debate was adjourned. Sarah Teather, when asked the next date for debate, looked exhausted, tearful, and very flustered and said "I don't know, whenever, as soon as possible – um, next Friday?" (or words very much to that effect.) Madam Deputy Speaker helpfully offered Friday 5th December which was gratefully grasped at like a piece of lumber amongst the waves by a survivor of a sinking. Which, of course, it more of less what it was. All of the other bills (but one) which had been scheduled for later today (given time) were also rescheduled for the same day. Still, it will be debated further, given time...

[ErnstRemarx]

Davies and McVey sound like the ideal Tory couple mikems, truly a match foretold by the stars!

Just to confirm, both of these filibustering scum are private landlords, so have a vested interest in seeing this one killed; apparently Davies saw off another bill a few years back that was looking to force the installation of smoke alarms in all privately rented property!

http://usvsth3m.com/post/two-mps-who-ar ... -evictions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Davies was eventually ordered to sit down by Deputy-Speaker Dawn Primarolo. He had been warned and warned for repeating himself and for bringing in irrelevancies but, his fifty-odd minute waffle (with questions from sidekick Chope) ended in the following manner:

Madam Deputy Speaker:
Order. Okay, Mr Davies, under Standing Order No. 42, a Member may be called to order for

“tedious repetition either of his own arguments or of the arguments used by other Members”.

That is now what is happening with regard to the reference to evictions in the Bill. The Member has been speaking for nearly an hour. I am directing the Member to make his closing remarks now. Otherwise, I will require him to take his seat so that we can hear from the other Members who wish to participate in the debate. Is that clear?

Philip Davies:
Well, your position is clear, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was not sure that the Chair had positions, but your position is clear.

Madam Deputy Speaker:
Order! Sit down, Mr Davies. That is an outrageous challenge to the Chair. Your speech is now finished. I call Mr Christopher Chope.

Hansard House of Commons Friday 27th November 2014

Mr Chope then spoke (with interventions, mostly from Davies but including a failed Closure Motion) from 1.29 until 2.30pm when the debate was adjourned. Sarah Teather, when asked the next date for debate, looked exhausted, tearful, and very flustered and said "I don't know, whenever, as soon as possible – um, next Friday?" (or words very much to that effect.) Madam Deputy Speaker helpfully offered Friday 5th December which was gratefully grasped at like a piece of lumber amongst the waves by a survivor of a sinking. Which, of course, it more of less what it was. All of the other bills (but one) which had been scheduled for later today (given time) were also rescheduled for the same day. Still, it will be debated further, given time...

Smart work from Primarolo, shame she didn't bin Chope too. Given that this had extensive cross party support, it's outrageous that those two Tory scum would filibuster it out of the house. I trust that words will be had and both told to fuck off out of town for next Friday.

[rebeccariots2]

Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman · 3h 3 hours ago
Oh dear. Just done a ring-around of the really hardcore eurosceptics. They’re not happy and threatening trouble http://specc.ie/1xZyWCs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They were never going to be happy were they ... surely everyone knew that.

Dave might just be realising that chasing the Ukip boat is futile - utterly futile - and he needs to keep some kind of safe, and not wince making embarrassing, avenue open re Europe.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman · 3h 3 hours ago
Oh dear. Just done a ring-around of the really hardcore eurosceptics. They’re not happy and threatening trouble http://specc.ie/1xZyWCs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They were never going to be happy were they ... surely everyone knew that.

Dave might just be realising that chasing the Ukip boat is futile - utterly futile - and he needs to keep some kind of safe, and not wince making embarrassing, avenue open re Europe.

You could see his speech as being reasonably realistic. A fair bit of his reforms are probably in the pipeline anyway- the richer countries don't like paying benefits to migrants.

He's just stuck with a stupid party, who he's failed to control.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/11/2 ... or-mosque/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

things-that-are-not-mosques-after-ukip-mistakes-cathedral-for-mosque

[AnatolyKasparov]

Weekly review now up - so catch it before it disappears

Also over there - a real bit of English-baiting rubbish from Deborah Orr. I thought she at least had more sense than to indulge the "Scottish exceptionalism" meme

[refitman]

Weekly review now up - so catch it before it disappears

Also over there - a real bit of English-baiting rubbish from Deborah Orr. I thought she at least had more sense than to indulge the "Scottish exceptionalism" meme

This week was the busiest for local council by-elections since May - twelve contests in all plus an unopposed Plaid Cymru in Gwynedd (Labour unopposed in 2004, the localist group Llais Gwynedd won in 2008, Plaid won it from them in a 2010 by-election and were then unopposed in 2012) plus one of the contests, in the Orkneys, was an all independent affair (as in 2007, there was just a token SNP intervention to break the monotony in 2012) with the winner out of four taking over half the vote. Of the rest, then:

Melton DC - Tory gain from Labour in a rural ward (which split Tory/Lab in 2011 and Tory/Ind in 2007 after Labour won both seats in 2003) where the deceased incumbent clearly had a personal vote; Tories will be pleased to take over half this time whilst UKIP scored 19% in their first foray here.

East Yorkshire - three vacancies here; the first saw a safe Tory hold with their share increasing on 2011 along with third placed Labour as UKIP intervened 25% to get second - it also saw no LibDem candidate in a ward where they had won all three seats in 2003 and a by-election as late as the last GE. The second saw the Tories hold on against UKIP in a seat where they had been pressed hard by them in a previous by-election last year, Labour in third slightly down on then and 2011 - again no LibDem even though they had polled well here in 2003 and 2007. The last saw a UKIP gain, not from the Tories but one of the last SDP councillors in the whole country - in a fragmented field 30% was enough for them, Tories not far behind and then three Indies (the top placed was a Labour candidate in 2011 when they managed to win a seat here along with the Tories; 2007 was 2SDP/1Tory and 2003 2SDP/1Lab)

Hillingdon - Labour hold in a highly marginal ward which has not returned a full slate for any one party since 2002 (Labour - it split 2Tory/1Lab in 2006 and 2010 and 2Lab/1Tory this May) as a small swing to the Tories was not quite enough for them; both "main" parties upped their share as 3rd placed UKIP fell back a bit since earlier this year. TUSC (with a former hard left councillor as candidate) just beating the LibDems, last with 1.5%.

Oxfordshire CC/Oxford DC - three vacancies here, all covering the same area and all seeing Labour holds with 70-75% of the vote; in the county seat that was actually a drop on 2013 as UKIP intervened and got a very distant second with over 2013 - followed by Tories Greens and LibDems (all down on last year) and TUSC in last with 2%. The first district seat saw almost no Labour/Tory swing since May, Greens down since then and TUSC overtaking the LibDems for last; the other saw a UKIP to Labour swing of about 10%, then Tories Greens TUSC and LibDems (the last named getting only 11 votes here) This area hasn't always been such a Labour stronghold - it was once a base for the populist Independent Working Class Association (IWCA) who got people elected here, but they have vanished now.

Huntingdonshire DC - Tory hold, though there was a swing to second placed UKIP making this semi-marginal whilst third placed Labour also improved their score to over 20%. Again, this is an area as notable for an absence - LibDems won here in 2006 and 2007 but last stood in 2011 and were missing this May as well as now. Becoming a pattern?

Aberdeenshire - SNP gain from Tory in a ward which split Nat/Tory/Ind in both 2012 and 2007, as with Argyll last month they advanced their share mostly at the share of Independents who declined to third now as opposed to second in 2012; their place was taken by Tories who improved their vote despite the seat loss. LibDems took 4th place by a single first preference vote from Labour who declined slightly; then the Greens and another (decidely eccentric) Independent in last.

Midlothian - narrow Labour hold (on both first preferences and transfers) in a marginal ward that split SNP (topping the poll) Lab and Independent in 2012; they thus achieved a swing in their favour as the Nats dropped by almost 10% on last time as the Indies improved their share here to almost 20% - an SNP gain here would have given them effective council control. Tories in 4th - little changed - Greens standing here for the first time gained 5%, well ahead of the LibDems (who managed to win one of the 3 seats here back in 2007)

Four contests next week - one of them, unusually, on Friday.