Monday 22nd December 2014

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 7:13 am

Morning all.

I'm certainly not a fan of TM given the multiple disasters under her stewardship and shirking of responsibility (how many times would Charles Clarke have been hounded out for equivalent Home Office disasters?) but this is ridiculous. Where is the ongoing outrage in the MSM for number 10 and 11 expecting spads to break the code?

Theresa May warned Tory leadership chances at risk from advisers’ infighting

http://gu.com/p/44cga" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 7:32 am

Good morning everyone.

You will all be pleased to know that as the Winter Solstice has passed, the days will be longer and spring is on the way.
Not that it feels like it here - blowing a gale outside!

Stephen, re. Theresa May - She has made a pigs' ear of everything, hasn't she? The border/Brodie thing, immigration generally, the deporting or not of Abu Qatada, pissing off the police, the failures to sort out the CSA enquiry (which is now going to be postponed because she is thinking of changing the sort of enquiry it is and has told the panel to go and they can re-apply for a place on the new one when she decides what it'll be) and now this - and the fuss over this is pretty silly when it's the one and only time her SPADs do something right she gets told off.

More evidence (if any more were needed) that all this bloody government cares about is image. Oh, and destroying the country.

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 7:52 am

I hope everyone is sitting down when they read this... the Taxpayers Alliance have produced some research that is about how poor people are taxed more than rich people.

Poorest UK households pay almost half their income in tax, campaigners say
Analysis of ONS figures puts average gross income of poorest 10% at £9,743, but only £5,132 after all taxes deducted
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/d ... ampaigners" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The TaxPayers’ Alliance research found that direct and indirect taxes accounted for an average of 47% of the gross income of the poorest decile, with VAT accounting for the biggest share of the bill.

The wealthiest 10% of households paid an average of 35% of their gross income in taxes, £37,287 a year, with income tax accounting for 19.1%.

Good Lord! The TPA producing figures that shows that the poor pay more in tax than the rich? Does that mean that they've had a conscience fitted and are going to start campaigning for the benefit of the poor rather than rich corporations?

The campaign group’s chief executive, Jonathan Isaby, said: “This analysis shows how pernicious our tax burden has become. Not only does the tax system hit the poorest hardest, but those at the top are already contributing far more than anybody could reasonably describe as their ‘fair share’.

That'd be a no then.

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 7:58 am

Please tell me this is a wind up. I'm going to bleach my brain to try and remove the mental image.

David Cameron TWERKED at Chequers 'Ibiza-rave' to celebrate wife's 40th birthday

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/da ... ve-4851066" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 8:05 am

Also in The Mirror, Kevin Maguire has a good bash at Osborne this morning. More disturbing is the results of the straw poll on the same page asking "Who will YOU vote for in next year's general election?"
The Kippers are running away with it http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ge ... nk-4851644" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

: ScreenShot00147.jpg (110.51 KiB) Viewed 22160 times

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 8:24 am

Toby Latimer wrote:Also in The Mirror, Kevin Maguire has a good bash at Osborne this morning. More disturbing is the results of the straw poll on the same page asking "Who will YOU vote for in next year's general election?"
The Kippers are running away with it http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ge ... nk-4851644" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Meh. Online polls aren't worth the effort of being disturbed.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 9:22 am

Spacedone wrote:
Toby Latimer wrote:Also in The Mirror, Kevin Maguire has a good bash at Osborne this morning. More disturbing is the results of the straw poll on the same page asking "Who will YOU vote for in next year's general election?"
The Kippers are running away with it http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ge ... nk-4851644" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Meh. Online polls aren't worth the effort of being disturbed.

Yes, with this one I think it probably tells us more about the emptiness of a few Kippers' lives than any accross the board representation of voting intention.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 9:29 am

Morning all.

My MS outlook calendar seems to be completely wrecked - won't load at all. Email seems to be fine...apart from a mail from M&S about something I need to pick up. Fortunately I have the order email.

Wonder what I did?

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 9:31 am

Child abuse inquiry: Survivors want new panel and extra powers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30572446

Dozens of child abuse survivors have urged the government to scrap an inquiry into historical abuse and replace it with a more powerful body.

In a letter to Home Secretary Theresa May, they called for a new inquiry with the power to "compel witnesses to give evidence under oath".

This followed a leaked letter from Mrs May in which she told current inquiry members their panel might be disbanded.

Labour MP Simon Danczuk said the home secretary was in "complete disarray".

Mr Danczuk, who exposed child sex abuse allegations against former Liberal MP Cyril Smith, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that survivors would be "dismayed" by the progress of the inquiry - which was set up in July and has started work, but has no chairman.

This has all the appearance of someone who really doesn't want anything coming out on her watch. Bungled from the start.

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 9:33 am

Morning. It looks like ROOOOzanne! Used to belong to the Far right (which scans perfectly with the Police original).

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 9:36 am

DonutHingeParty wrote:Morning. It looks like ROOOOzanne! Used to belong to the Far right (which scans perfectly with the Police original).

Used to? Pah, PC gone mad.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 9:51 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:Child abuse inquiry: Survivors want new panel and extra powers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30572446

Dozens of child abuse survivors have urged the government to scrap an inquiry into historical abuse and replace it with a more powerful body.

In a letter to Home Secretary Theresa May, they called for a new inquiry with the power to "compel witnesses to give evidence under oath".

This followed a leaked letter from Mrs May in which she told current inquiry members their panel might be disbanded.

Labour MP Simon Danczuk said the home secretary was in "complete disarray".

Mr Danczuk, who exposed child sex abuse allegations against former Liberal MP Cyril Smith, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that survivors would be "dismayed" by the progress of the inquiry - which was set up in July and has started work, but has no chairman.
This has all the appearance of someone who really doesn't want anything coming out on her watch. Bungled from the start.

It does. But I'm not so sure. A part of me thinks that May is actually trying to do the right thing with this one, but that Number 10 and other powers are conspiring to thwart her.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 9:53 am

Lord Ashcroft: Eight things we learned from my polling in 2014
http://www.conservativehome.com/platfor ... -2014.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

The last comment BTL has a very simplistic view of how and why Cameron lost the 2010 election ...

the 2010 election was Cameron's to lose and he did lose it by agreeing to televised election debates and saying "I agree with Nick"

I read somewhere else yesterday that it's a fairly widely held view amongst some Conservative advisers, politicians and activists that it was the leaders debates that did for Cameron and the majority (which no doubt they are sure he was entitled to). No wonder he's not keen to participate this time around. Now, the big question ... could they go ahead with such debates without him? If they had invited him and he had refused ... the broadcasters could say they had tried to ensure proper balance - no?

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:06 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Lord Ashcroft: Eight things we learned from my polling in 2014
http://www.conservativehome.com/platfor ... -2014.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
The last comment BTL has a very simplistic view of how and why Cameron lost the 2010 election ...

the 2010 election was Cameron's to lose and he did lose it by agreeing to televised election debates and saying "I agree with Nick"
I read somewhere else yesterday that it's a fairly widely held view amongst some Conservative advisers, politicians and activists that it was the leaders debates that did for Cameron and the majority (which no doubt they are sure he was entitled to). No wonder he's not keen to participate this time around. Now, the big question ... could they go ahead with such debates without him? If they had invited him and he had refused ... the broadcasters could say they had tried to ensure proper balance - no?

' Q80 The Chairman: Can I ask a question that flows from that? Is there more or less an non-rebuttable presumption that a political party that decides to pull out is doing it entirely from self-interest and thinking that it is a way of improving their electoral chances? Professor Purvis: I think that is the reality now as a result of the success last time. If there had not been one last time I think it would not be as clear cut as that, but any party pulling out now when the status quo was on the table, say, would inevitably be seen to have backed out for some tactical reason. Phil Harding: While you were asking Channel 4 the questions, I was just thinking in my own mind: could you possibly mount a debate if you were a broadcaster if one of the parties refused to come to the studio? Most of the law about elections is about candidates. Therefore, the question would then be for the regulators for the BBC Trust and Ofcom as to whether or not the broadcaster had been duly impartial in inviting all the parties to be present, even though one or more of the parties chose not to be present. It is the empty chair debate taken a stage further in a very high-profile way. Professor Purvis: I completely agree. If I remember correctly, when John Ryley of Sky News, slightly acting out of the consortium, issued a challenge I think he said that if somebody did not turn up there would be an empty chair. As that never happened, that has never been tested. Under the Representation of the People Act changes, at a sort of constituency level, if somebody does not turn up that does not prevent the event going ahead. '

From the
Select Committee on Communications INQUIRY INTO BROADCAST GENERAL ELECTION DEBATES.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:20 am

So...an academy that was allegedly tipped off about Ofsted coming to visit now sells this:

Any sign of the report that shows this?

http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection ... ELS/136204

Nope.

As was pointed out:

UK Education Matters
‏@SchoolDuggery
If I were a Trust still under investigation for breach of Ofsted rules (albeit, probably unfairly), I'd be a bit of a stickler on compliance

Well quite...

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:30 am

I don't know how this one passed me by, never heard it before today

Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Heseltine
You're a tosser, you're a tosser
And you're just a Tory Swine

[youtube]6NWB5wdDAyQ[/youtube]

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:40 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Spacedone wrote:
Toby Latimer wrote:Also in The Mirror, Kevin Maguire has a good bash at Osborne this morning. More disturbing is the results of the straw poll on the same page asking "Who will YOU vote for in next year's general election?"
The Kippers are running away with it http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ge ... nk-4851644" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Meh. Online polls aren't worth the effort of being disturbed.
Yes, with this one I think it probably tells us more about the emptiness of a few Kippers' lives than any accross the board representation of voting intention.

They're not allowed to go on Twitter now, after all - so need something to occupy themselves

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:43 am

Oh dear...The Guardian has gone fully Beta. Seemed to go offline for a while so must have been re-doing itself (technical term).

Eric_WLothian · Post by **Eric_WLothian** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:43 am

Don't know if this has been reported elsewhere, but it appears we are now subject to US laws:

ONLINE payments service PayPal has reported hundreds of Scottish customers to the US authorities for allegedly violating US embargoes on trade with Cuba after they bought small amounts of Cuban coffee from a Perth-based bean roaster.
Customers of The Bean Shop in Perth received emails from the payments giant warning their accounts will be suspended if they do not sign an affidavit promising they will not do anything further against US laws. The message also says the customers’ violations of the trade rules have been reported to the American Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The Bean Store has also been told by PayPal that it has to comply with regulations – or risk having the payment method withdrawn from its website

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/t ... -1-3640707

I hope nobody here drinks Cuban coffee, otherwise as the U-boat commander in Dad's Army said 'Your name vil also go on ze list. Vot is it?'

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:43 am

OMG. CiF's gone Beta today. Hideous.

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:44 am

As pointed out on Twitter, this little chart shows why Jeremy Hunt is so desperate to change the ambulance response time target.

The previous big dip in response times coincided with at least 3 foot of snow covering the entire country and widespread flooding. This year we've had the warmest winter since records began.

So how do you explain this collapse in response times?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:46 am

: Rowson on Hunts Christmas Crisis.jpg (76.18 KiB) Viewed 22016 times

Andy Burnham retweeted
Heather Smart ‏@gemini2359 1h1 hour ago
The #Hunt4Hunt is on ! Where is he ? Oh look here he is>> Martin Rowson on Jeremy Hunt's ambulance plan Tory Fail

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:52 am

If anyone still cares (and having seen the Beta disaster they've just turned their entire site into I suspect it's not very many people) the Politics stories are now tucked away out of sight on the UK page.

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:53 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Rowson on Hunts Christmas Crisis.jpg

Andy Burnham retweeted
Heather Smart ‏@gemini2359 1h1 hour ago
The #Hunt4Hunt is on ! Where is he ? Oh look here he is>> Martin Rowson on Jeremy Hunt's ambulance plan Tory Fail

I think Mr Hunt might be wanting to spend some time dissociating himself from his family.

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:53 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:Oh dear...The Guardian has gone fully Beta. Seemed to go offline for a while so must have been re-doing itself (technical term).

It's a blooming mess over there, I couldn't get the site to load at all for about half an hour earlier. Now I can get certain pages but the comments won't load

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:59 am

Toby Latimer wrote:
RogerOThornhill wrote:Oh dear...The Guardian has gone fully Beta. Seemed to go offline for a while so must have been re-doing itself (technical term).
It's a blooming mess over there, I couldn't get the site to load at all for about half an hour earlier. Now I can get certain pages but the comments won't load

Yep, the comments on today's readers edition won't show - perhaps that is one reason, though not the only one, why there are only 6 of them so far

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 10:59 am

The cabinet have the board game ready for the Christmas party

: 10390399_800620409999748_8966475320521933348_n.jpg (88.94 KiB) Viewed 21983 times

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:03 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:OMG. CiF's gone Beta today. Hideous.

Just now...

The Guardian ‏@guardian · 1 min1 minute ago
We're having some internet problems at Guardian HQ. Apologies for any inconvenience.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:07 am

Toby Latimer wrote:
RogerOThornhill wrote:Oh dear...The Guardian has gone fully Beta. Seemed to go offline for a while so must have been re-doing itself (technical term).
It's a blooming mess over there, I couldn't get the site to load at all for about half an hour earlier. Now I can get certain pages but the comments won't load

I've just been over there to have a gander. I think Jeremy Hunt must have been put in charge. Waiting time's definitely gone up. If I could have been bothered to hang about, I suspect I'd be doing my Diana Ross impression (as in "I'm Still Waiting").

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:15 am

*sigh*

: ScreenShot00149.jpg (139.31 KiB) Viewed 21956 times

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:18 am

Instead of ambulances, stroke victims will now be sent the contents of a muddy puddle in a jar. The puddle has been driven through by an ambulance and thereby retains the memory of an ambulance, which is thought to be enough to get the patient to the hospital.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:20 am

Spacedone wrote:If anyone still cares (and having seen the Beta disaster they've just turned their entire site into I suspect it's not very many people) the Politics stories are now tucked away out of sight on the UK page.

Yes I know. Took me ages to find them. Worse than the Independent. Why haven't they got their own section header on the front page? Politics isn't even on the full contents list as a separate entity. Oh well. Just as well I picked up a copy of the Mirror this morning. You can't beat a bit of old-fashioned hard copy.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:20 am

DonutHingeParty wrote:Instead of ambulances, stroke victims will now be sent the contents of a muddy puddle in a jar. The puddle has been driven through by an ambulance and thereby retains the memory of an ambulance, which is thought to be enough to get the patient to the hospital.

Ha! Hilarious! Thanks.

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:34 am

Re. the Guardian and the switch to Beta. Well, you all know my opinion of that paper but .......

If you are trying to access it using Internet Explorer forget it; they've decided their future lies with people accessing news via mobile devices so it is tailored toward that, and tested accordingly - people are overwhelmingly using iOS or Google platforms for that, so Beta will work fine on Chrome and Safari, they just haven't bothered with IE.

Now, frankly, I think that is lazy and sloppy, but that pretty much characterises the GMG's approach to most of their recent tech changes. I've designed a few (fairly basic) business websites in my time and made sure I tested them on all available browsers and, when practicable, different platforms (i.e. PC, Mac, mobile etc); now I was one person, so if I could do that why can't a team of people who earn their living doing it manage the same? I think it is just another illustration of that Guardian "coffee shop" world view, they all use tablets and smartphones and Macs, so surely everybody does ......

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:35 am

tom_watson ‏@tom_watson 4m4 minutes ago
Mr Henke expresses the sadness I also feel about the #CSA inquiry. Civil servants will play this out to the election https://davidhencke.wordpress.com/2014/ ... e-inquiry/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

mbc1955 · Post by **mbc1955** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:36 am

The Guardian web-site in full Beta mode: looks amazing(ly shite)!

I expect a massive deterioration in my eye-prescription next October.

Eric_WLothian · Post by **Eric_WLothian** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:38 am

DonutHingeParty wrote:Instead of ambulances, stroke victims will now be sent the contents of a muddy puddle in a jar. The puddle has been driven through by an ambulance and thereby retains the memory of an ambulance, which is thought to be enough to get the patient to the hospital.

Wow - a homeopathic ambulance. Charles will be over the moon.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:39 am

Eric_WLothian wrote:Don't know if this has been reported elsewhere, but it appears we are now subject to US laws:

ONLINE payments service PayPal has reported hundreds of Scottish customers to the US authorities for allegedly violating US embargoes on trade with Cuba after they bought small amounts of Cuban coffee from a Perth-based bean roaster.
Customers of The Bean Shop in Perth received emails from the payments giant warning their accounts will be suspended if they do not sign an affidavit promising they will not do anything further against US laws. The message also says the customers’ violations of the trade rules have been reported to the American Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The Bean Store has also been told by PayPal that it has to comply with regulations – or risk having the payment method withdrawn from its website
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/t ... -1-3640707

I hope nobody here drinks Cuban coffee, otherwise as the U-boat commander in Dad's Army said 'Your name vil also go on ze list. Vot is it?'

Unbelievable. I'm genuinely concerned.

Damn Guardian format is repellent. I thought I'd get used to it. I haven't. It looks like a Wall of Ads - they aren't though - those are the news stories.

My head hurts a lot. Some Cuban coffee sounds mighty fine.

Thank you, Ephemerid, for the global axis status update for our section of Earth in the UK. Longer days are welcome. The wind is blowing fierce here in Stoke - has been for over 24-hours. It's spooky. It's not very cold at all.

Good-morning, everyone.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:43 am

DonutHingeParty wrote:Instead of ambulances, stroke victims will now be sent the contents of a muddy puddle in a jar. The puddle has been driven through by an ambulance and thereby retains the memory of an ambulance, which is thought to be enough to get the patient to the hospital.

You're brilliant. My favourite smiley is inadequate to pay homage to your brilliance.

DonutHingeParty · Post by **DonutHingeParty** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:48 am

citizenJA wrote:
DonutHingeParty wrote:Instead of ambulances, stroke victims will now be sent the contents of a muddy puddle in a jar. The puddle has been driven through by an ambulance and thereby retains the memory of an ambulance, which is thought to be enough to get the patient to the hospital.
You're brilliant. My favourite smiley is inadequate to pay homage to your brilliance.

Please make a donation to the Michael Sylvain brilliance fund, who is far more deserving than I.

And the Guardian looks like a Taboola-ridden clickbait site:

"You won't BELIEVE what George Osborne has done to the poor this Christmas"

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 11:57 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:OMG. CiF's gone Beta today. Hideous.

What more needs be said - nothing - there it is.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:01 pm

citizenJA wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:OMG. CiF's gone Beta today. Hideous.
What more needs be said - nothing - there it is.

Alan Rusbridger's picked a good time to spend more time with his piano, hasn't he?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:10 pm

Where's the Politics section on the G website, please? All I see are UKIP stories.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:13 pm

Google "guardian politics" and bookmark whatever page comes up. There is still a politics page, albeit well hidden.

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:13 pm

Just dug up a couple of posts from two years ago when the nesting fiasco started, this palarva seems to be going on and on and on ....

: ScreenShot03196.jpg (91.77 KiB) Viewed 21826 times

: ScreenShot03198.jpg (153.46 KiB) Viewed 21826 times

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:19 pm

They never listen anyhow

: ScreenShot03201ppppp.jpg (130.3 KiB) Viewed 21821 times

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:27 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Google "guardian politics" and bookmark whatever page comes up. There is still a politics page, albeit well hidden.

Thank you, AK, I resorted to doing that, typing guardian politics into the search engine.

Lord Ashcroft's latest linked up yonder but I'll type it in again here -

http://www.conservativehome.com/platfor ... -2014.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The man unsuccessfully attempts to take down Labour with his own party sinking into oblivion - is this about right or does someone have better analysis?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:33 pm

Am I alone in looking at this and thinking 'these are absolute must not haves' ... who the hell thinks these things up? Or am I just hopelessly far away from the rest of supposedly normal society?

: Daily Mail Must Haves For This Christmas.jpg (121.31 KiB) Viewed 21812 times

The 'personalised Nutella jar' beggars belief.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:33 pm

GuardianTeach ‏@GuardianTeach · 2 mins2 minutes ago
Spread the word - we're looking for education predictions for 2015. Let us know who you want to hear from

(Reading the G from twitter now as loading on desktop crap)

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Mon 22 Dec, 2014 12:51 pm

Kate Green ‏@KateGreenSU 3m3 minutes ago
Astonishing; #DWP cannot account for missing £millions in #AccesstoWork funding: http://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... bstantive/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … #IDS has a lot of explaining to do!

Editing to add: This is the para from the report that seems to highlight the 'missing £millions'.

28. DWP has not provided a satisfactory explanation of how the money saved from the
closure or sale of Remploy factories has been used to increase funding for effective,
specialist disability employment support. We do not consider it appropriate to classify
spending on the Work Programme as additional funding for specialist disability
employment support. We recommend that, in response to this Report, the Department
provide further information on how the savings from the reorganisation of Remploy have
been used to date, and that it clarifies whether it intends to increase funding for specific
areas of specialist disability employment support, other than the Work Programme, as a
result of the reorganisation of Remploy.

page 14 of the PDF if you want to access it in the report.