Friday 30th January 2015

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 4:12 am

Morning.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... 13-to-2014" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Social Fund Annual Report 2013/14 for those interested.

I note the added criteria for cold weather payments under UC (excepting families with a disabled child) of zero earnings( a repeated refrain).FWIW there was only one payment in one area last year triggered by Braemar weather station(to save you going bong eyed during the 25 pages devoted to telling you that)

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 6:58 am

Morning all.
Glad I skipped Newsnight judging by the verdicts here. Can we expect the media to comment on itself today?

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 7:03 am

No sign of any mention on BBC Radio this morning of the news that 75% of CCG rejected the 4% budget cut the Government, via their flying monkeys, are trying to impose for 2015/16. I thought that would be an important newsworthy story but clearly I'm wrong.

Nothing to see here (Alan Milburn), move along (NHS Wales).

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 8:32 am

Spacedone wrote:No sign of any mention on BBC Radio this morning of the news that 75% of CCG rejected the 4% budget cut the Government, via their flying monkeys, are trying to impose for 2015/16. I thought that would be an important newsworthy story but clearly I'm wrong.

Nothing to see here (Alan Milburn), move along (NHS Wales).

Morning Spacedone.

No no mention. It's think it's 75% of the hospitals BTW that have rejected their 'tariff'. I haven't heard what the CCGs are saying, if anything, about their funding. They are each allocated funds / tariffs according to the different services they provide and / or commission. NHS England are effectively saying that if the hospitals get more it would have to come from the CCGs and Ambulance Services share - there's no additional funding in the pot. We haven't been here before.

Post by **refitman** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 8:46 am

Morning all. Tories & Labour tied on Yougov:

Latest YouGov / The Sun results 29th January -

Con 34%, (+1)
Lab 34%, (+1)
LD 6%, (nc)
UKIP 14%, (-2)
GRN 7%, (nc)

No approval rating in the poll.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 8:58 am

Charlotte Leslie MP @CLeslieMP
· 13h 13 hours ago
To whoever vandalised my office:we have diff.opinions but it's good you care.But spray paint won't change much.Why not get elected+try?

Morning all

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 9:23 am

Praise be for Peter Hain .... yes, really .... tackling the NHS media barrage on Today and other key issues re Labour ... and doing it well. He must have been doing that from a BBC base in Wales cos he said he's out canvassing in Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire.

Maybe the bods at Labour HQ saw him on QT last night and thought he would make a decent job of it ...

Aaaah - wonderful bit of Stabat Mater playing on R4 now ... that's me done for. See you later.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 9:34 am

Private frim wins contract to provide services within the NHS, that's despite the NHS being 7 million quid cheaper, it is of course pure coincidence that Malcolm Rifkind sits on the board of the private firm.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/solomonhughes/n ... ract-stoke" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 9:48 am

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Private frim wins contract to provide services within the NHS, that's despite the NHS being 7 million quid cheaper, it is of course pure coincidence that Malcolm Rifkind sits on the board of the private firm.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/solomonhughes/n ... ract-stoke" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The individual who led the Strategic Projects Team, Ernie Buckley, was named as the contact on procurement documents for the Stoke scanning contract. He was previously a project manager for privatisation specialist Serco.

I'm shocked, shocked etc...

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 9:53 am

Lord Darzi: Labour wrong to rule out private NHS care - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31052010" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Allegra Stratton.

All you ex New Labour Blairites. Just fuck off.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 10:00 am

George Eaton‏@georgeeaton·5 mins5 minutes ago
New Populus poll: Lab 35% (N/C), Con 34% (N/C), Ukip 14% (+1), Lib Dems 10% (+1), Greens 4% (-2).

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 10:19 am

StephenDolan wrote:Lord Darzi: Labour wrong to rule out private NHS care - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31052010" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Allegra Stratton.

All you ex New Labour Blairites. Just fuck off.

Wasn't that guy always a grade A1 tosser?

I assume an investigation of his business interests will reveal the usual suspects.

As for Newsnight the issue is the Tory who is the editor. Labour should probably put in a formal complaint just to fire a warning shot.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 10:27 am

The surest sign that Burnham and Miliband have got it right on the NHS is these tossers (indeed) lining up to criticise their proposals.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:02 am

On a similar note, I suppose some noted the letter from that long-standing prat Lord Desai in yesterday's Graun calling for a Tory/Labour grand coalition??

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:06 am

In response to this - "Milburn & Hutton must go." - in a post below the line on the G article regarding the NHS.
I attempted to clarify who & what have gone already.
In case lurkers present here don't know these former has-beens lost any Labour party leadership years ago, I give you this information below.

27 June 2009

"Alan Milburn MP said;
“This morning I told the monthly meeting of Darlington Labour Party that I would be standing down as Member of Parliament at the next general election.”'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8122280.stm

5 June 2009

"[John] Hutton said he was standing down not just as defence secretary but also as an MP [BARROW & FURNESS] at the next election for "family reasons", and sources said he had approached the prime minister some time ago."

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/200 ... -reshuffle

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:06 am

I get his morning emails but I'm never quite sure what to make of Roy Lilley. Today he has published an almighty whopper !

He claims:

The survey tells us people who used the NHS were more satisfied than any time going back to the 1990s.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com ... ae52733d3a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

then links to the BSA study that shows:

The facts

Two thirds of the public (65%) said they were quite or very satisfied with the NHS. This is the second-highest NHS satisfaction level recorded on the BSA, five points lower than a record level of satisfaction in 2010 and higher than all other readings since the coalition government took power.

http://theconversation.com/public-satis ... pier-36859" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I tweeted this out & he's just replied saying :

kathy ‏@kb32904 8m8 minutes ago
Surprised @RoyLilley email claims BSA study says satisfaction with NHS highest ever when in fact it's 2nd highest. pic.twitter.com/1AHyYQR3Ha

Roy Lilley ‏@RoyLilley 3m3 minutes ago
@kb32904 thank u

Thank me for what exactly ? For being able to read & see that you've published a lie ??

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:07 am

Third report this week gives the message that the academies programme was conceived on the back of a fag packet with no thought as to the consequences.

DfE needs plan to stop repeat of ‘Trojan Horse’, say MPs

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-needs-plan ... e-say-mps/

A damning report on ‘Schools Oversight and Intervention’ by the Public Accounts Committee released today says the DfE’s “light-touch” approach means problems can go undetected in schools until serious damage is done.

It has made seven recommendations which the committee hopes the DfE will implement in order to reduce the likelihood of events such as those in Birmingham last year after concerns were raised about the management of a number of Muslim-majority schools.

The report said that, as in the case of those schools, the DFE relied too heavily on whistleblowers to identify risks.

Concerns that the Department does not know enough about the effectiveness of the sponsors when they are brought in to improve schools as part of the academies programme.

It was noted the DfE had “paused the growth of 18 sponsors because of concerns about performance and they were responsible for the education of almost 100,000 children.”

The committee recommends the DfE obtain independent judgments of sponsor effectiveness and use these to determine which sponsors can grow or intervene in troubled schools.

But Gove did such a good job...everyone says so...

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:09 am

What's with all the Churchill worship on the BBC? Can't get away from it. Yet nobody seems to be asking the obvious question: if he was so loved by the British people, how come he lost so heavily in the general election of 1945?

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:15 am

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 44 mins44 minutes ago
LAB maintains 1% lead with Populus online - GRN down 2

Lab 35 (nc)
Con 34 (nc)
UKIP 14 (+1)
LD 10 (+1)
Greens 4 (-2)

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:15 am

frightful_oik wrote:What's with all the Churchill worship on the BBC? Can't get away from it. Yet nobody seems to be asking the obvious question: if he was so loved by the British people, how come he lost so heavily in the general election of 1945?

Old Tory leaders rise from the dead through media on a regular basis, particularly when living Tories need diversion from the fact current Tory leadership are in the shit for their abysmal record for almost five years.

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:28 am

Labour has promised to abandon the government’s plans for criminal legal aid contracts immediately if it is elected in May.

The party said it will also ’review’ the second proposed 8.75% fee cut, which is due this summer. And it will undertake an immediate review of how criminal legal aid is procured, ‘working closely with the profession, the judiciary and those who work in the justice system to find a more sustainable method for the future’.

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/well-sc ... 22.article" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:30 am

An interesting take on Miliband.
http://www.conservativehome.com/thetory ... iband.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WelshIan · Post by **WelshIan** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:36 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:Third report this week gives the message that the academies programme was conceived on the back of a fag packet with no thought as to the consequences.

DfE needs plan to stop repeat of ‘Trojan Horse’, say MPs

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-needs-plan ... e-say-mps/

Concerns that the Department does not know enough about the effectiveness of the sponsors when they are brought in to improve schools as part of the academies programme.

But we heard earlier in the week that Academy Trusts are not school improvement services. How are schools expected to improve by becoming an academy when they have no access to a school improvement service?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:47 am

StephenDolan wrote:An interesting take on Miliband.
http://www.conservativehome.com/thetory ... iband.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Peter Hoskins writes

"The impression of conviction comes from consistency. And when it comes to living standards, it’s Miliband who has been more consistent.

This is why it’s wrong to say that we don’t know anything about the Labour leader: in fact, we probably know more about him than about Cameron. His politics and – yes – his convictions are clear. He wants to redistribute; he wants the state to be an arbitrator in the markets; he wants to sign a hundred-thousand climate change agreements."

He's the finer person, Hoskins, your Tory clowns have messed up lives. That's what anyone with their eyes open long enough to look beyond a headline find out.

"What’s lacking, as we frequently found in our Pinning Down Miliband series, are the actual policies for achieving these ends. Not enough has emerged from Labour’s convoluted policy review. It’s mostly TBC.

Yet even that isn’t necessarily bad.

But then I remember the policies that Labour have announced, such as the dearly departed notion of freezing energy prices, and I think – nah. Resume normal service. There’s an election coming. Miliband can’t end up in No.10."

You're a smack talker, Peter Hoskins, I'll use that kind of language with you because I can't afford your Tory failure in No.10.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:53 am

Ed Miliband calls for press to report ‘issues not cynicism’ in general election

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... ers-issues

Apologies for not finding a clearer article reporting something about Miliband's well-received talk at the Westminster dinner for political journalists last night. I'm literally unable to find one better at this time.

A note - the final paragraph, a quote, from the article linked above made me laugh out loud. Oh sure.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 11:54 am

WelshIan wrote:
RogerOThornhill wrote:Third report this week gives the message that the academies programme was conceived on the back of a fag packet with no thought as to the consequences.

DfE needs plan to stop repeat of ‘Trojan Horse’, say MPs

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-needs-plan ... e-say-mps/

Concerns that the Department does not know enough about the effectiveness of the sponsors when they are brought in to improve schools as part of the academies programme.

But we heard earlier in the week that Academy Trusts are not school improvement services. How are schools expected to improve by becoming an academy when they have no access to a school improvement service?

Slave labour?

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:05 pm

Peter Hain ‏@PeterHain 5 mins5 minutes ago
Excellent response campaigning for @delyth_evans @welshlabour in Carmarthen town voters desperate to get rid of Tories in this key marginal

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:09 pm

Gaby Hinsliff ‏@gabyhinsliff 2 mins2 minutes ago
Once again testing poor comment moderators to limits of endurance, today's column is on rape & consent

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... thusiasm …

I don't think I want to check this out

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:23 pm

WelshIan wrote:
RogerOThornhill wrote:Third report this week gives the message that the academies programme was conceived on the back of a fag packet with no thought as to the consequences.

DfE needs plan to stop repeat of ‘Trojan Horse’, say MPs

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-needs-plan ... e-say-mps/

Concerns that the Department does not know enough about the effectiveness of the sponsors when they are brought in to improve schools as part of the academies programme.

But we heard earlier in the week that Academy Trusts are not school improvement services. How are schools expected to improve by becoming an academy when they have no access to a school improvement service?

Well quite - there never was any reason for the academies programme apart from trying to destroy local government influence in education so they had to make up reasons for it as most people would have said "Hang on - you mean you're trying to centralise on a scale never seen before?"

So...converter academies were done because they wanted to reward them, free schools are now fulfilling basic need, and the academy trusts aren't in the business of school improvement.

It's beginning to unravel...and about time too.

Post by **adam** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:26 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:
WelshIan wrote:
RogerOThornhill wrote:Third report this week gives the message that the academies programme was conceived on the back of a fag packet with no thought as to the consequences.

DfE needs plan to stop repeat of ‘Trojan Horse’, say MPs

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-needs-plan ... e-say-mps/

But we heard earlier in the week that Academy Trusts are not school improvement services. How are schools expected to improve by becoming an academy when they have no access to a school improvement service?

Well quite - there never was any reason for the academies programme apart from trying to destroy local government influence in education so they had to make up reasons for it as most people would have said "Hang on - you mean you're trying to centralise on a scale never seen before?"

So...converter academies were done because they wanted to reward them, free schools are now fulfilling basic need, and the academy trusts aren't in the business of school improvement.

It's beginning to unravel...and about time too.

You could argue that they've very deliberately deceitfully ridden on the coat-tails of Labour's academy programme, when they entire raison d'être was to improve struggling schools - and because that's what they did before, maybe people will just assume that this is what they're going to do now...

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:26 pm

pk1 wrote:Labour has promised to abandon the government’s plans for criminal legal aid contracts immediately if it is elected in May.

The party said it will also ’review’ the second proposed 8.75% fee cut, which is due this summer. And it will undertake an immediate review of how criminal legal aid is procured, ‘working closely with the profession, the judiciary and those who work in the justice system to find a more sustainable method for the future’.

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/well-sc ... 22.article" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yeah - thank goodness. Another good pledge by Labour. Trouble is - they could actually fill a manifesto and a lot of government time just repealing and trying to reverse the appalling damage done through this coalition's legislation. I know we all want Labour to do more than that and give us promise and hope of some really new initiatives and ways of doing things in this country ... but I'm very mindful of how much of a repair job they will have to do on a lot of essentials - which is bound to impact on the time and resource to do different things. But they are trying - I can see they are trying. Still waiting for the new wildlife protection initiative hinted at.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:30 pm

Old Holborn ‏@Holbornlolz · 48m48 minutes ago
A man is in court for calling David Cameron a conceited prick on Twitter.

Think about that for a moment

http://courtnewsuk.co.uk/newsgallery/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Direct link to story http://courtnewsuk.co.uk/newsgallery/?news_id=39713" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WelshIan · Post by **WelshIan** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:32 pm

AAW posted this a couple of days ago.

Thanks Plaid Wales
BBC Wales Politics ‏@WalesPolitics · 2m2 minutes ago
Plaid's Green call http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-31018236" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … Lord Wigley says Welsh people in England should consider voting Green

Lord Wigley is running Plaid's General Election campaign. One of their main target seats is Ceredigion, where they hope to turn over a Lib Dem majority of about 9000, and the Greens are also standing there.
A big part of the constituency are the students, Plaid need a decent amount of the student vote to win the seat. Young people are more likely to vote Green, and he has called on people to vote Green (in England)...
He hasn't thought it through, has he? - There must be a chance that Plaid will fail to win the seat because of too many Green votes.

I would be pretty annoyed right now if I was their Ceredigion candidate.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:33 pm

On an otherwise extra specially naff This Week last night (Yes, TE, I am that sad person who watches these things - never drink Blue Nun though) - Alan Johnson's moment of the week sparked an interesting observation or two. He chose Andrew Neil's interview with Natalie Bennett and said that in a similarly really difficult situation with A Neil quizzing him on policies Farage had simply chosen to disown them, saying they weren't actually the UKIP manifesto which was still being written - whereas Bennett had chosen to try and defend the policies which was pretty much a non starter because they are so vast and encompass so many issues and have been compiled over many years - not a honed set of prioritised policies. Andrew Neil then said he thought he'd actually done the Green party a favour with the interview because he was sure they would now be making absolutely sure they had a tight manifesto written up and were ready to talk in detail about costs etc when the time came.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:35 pm

AngryAsWell wrote:Old Holborn ‏@Holbornlolz · 48m48 minutes ago
A man is in court for calling David Cameron a conceited prick on Twitter.

Think about that for a moment

http://courtnewsuk.co.uk/newsgallery/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Direct link to story http://courtnewsuk.co.uk/newsgallery/?news_id=39713" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have - and I'm both outraged - and would like to find out how to remotely buy this man a pint or two, or help towards any costs he might incur.

Editing to take the totally daft e off the end of incur.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:36 pm

THE merits of free schools have been called into question as the debate over how to meet the borough’s need for school places continues.

Members had a heated exchange after a report into the impact of free schools in the town was requested by Cllr Rob White at Tuesday’s full council meeting to determine their success.

http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/ ... n-reading/

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:37 pm

adam wrote: You could argue that they've very deliberately deceitfully ridden on the coat-tails of Labour's academy programme, when they entire raison d'être was to improve struggling schools - and because that's what they did before, maybe people will just assume that this is what they're going to do now...

Yes, and they did it on the back of the "local council bureaucrats run schools" lie.

I know there are plenty of reasons to despise Toby Young but him acting as Gove's cheerleader on this is for me #1.

Post by **adam** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:56 pm

From the New Statesman

Alternative debate excuses for Cameron'

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:57 pm

Just been back to catch up with the comments on the Groan new website thread, i couldn't be arsed to wade through the 65 pages that were there earlier - got to page 40 and gave it a rest.

Anyhow, we are now being presented with this ;

I smell a rat, the comments on other places around the site seem to be still there so it isn't the system

: ScreenShot00124.jpg (67.09 KiB) Viewed 13886 times

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:57 pm

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new- ... er#history" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"The government has found new funds to encourage more joint working between councils and the NHS"

Rednorth · Post by **Rednorth** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 12:58 pm

Hi all, newbie in dark times.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:00 pm

Welcome Rednorth.

Post by **adam** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:00 pm

More from the NS - a very good column by Robert Webb, him off Peep Show and 'Comic Relief Does Fame Academy'

I don’t mind if politicians went to posh schools. I do mind if they don’t listen to anyone who didn’t

Edited to add - I've been reading through his columns this afternoon and they're consistently really good stuff - you can find his NS page here.

Rednorth · Post by **Rednorth** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:01 pm

Some more benefit news, but disappointing the way the Mirror has set it with a 'scrounger story' about a man with a lot of kids getting a bigger house.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8lvMEtIgAARtMh.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:02 pm

Rednorth wrote:Hi all, newbie in dark times.

Hi there

Re your latter comment, always remember it is darkest just before the dawn........

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:03 pm

Rednorth wrote:Hi all, newbie in dark times.

Nice to see you here

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:07 pm

Toby Latimer wrote:Just been back to catch up with the comments on the Groan new website thread, i couldn't be arsed to wade through the 65 pages that were there earlier - got to page 40 and gave it a rest.

Anyhow, we are now being presented with this ;

I smell a rat, the comments on other places around the site seem to be still there so it isn't the system

ScreenShot00124.jpg

Priceless. Of course discussion is unavailable.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:12 pm

George Eaton @georgeeaton · 1h 1 hour ago
Ivan Lewis on Milburn and Hutton: "They would have been the very people lecturing others about ill-discipline". http://bit.ly/1zlDHpX" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

George Eaton @georgeeaton · 1h 1 hour ago
"Self-indulgent" Milburn and Hutton must remember need for Labour unity, shadow cabinet minister Ivan Lewis tells me http://bit.ly/1zlDHpX" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:17 pm

Rednorth wrote:Hi all, newbie in dark times.

Hi and welcome

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 30 Jan, 2015 1:18 pm

As for the Guardians new layout, I have seen more appealing piles of dog sick.

Hurts my eyes.