Thursday 5th February 2015

[pk1]

For the same reason Ed Balls can't tell Osborne he is a lying bastard, arcane parliamentary procedures. Anne Begg knows her stuff, Glenda Jackson knows her stuff but they are limited in what they can do; I didn't watch yesterday's committee session but I have seen others where you can see, from the look in Glenda's eyes, that she wants to rip out McVile's throat but instead has to ask calm & measured questions. Margaret Hodge, Anne Begg et al do good work on these committees, within the limits available to them, but I'd dearly love to see them being given the powers to really hold Ministers to account.

Those arcane politenesses do not apply in the Synnedd. They say what they think there, and quite right too.

I have sent McVile a series of Tweets which she will completely ignore - or whoever runs her Twitter account.

Some MPs, and she is one of many, have absolutely no idea what they are doing and are complete strangers to truth.
I despise them - they are a disgrace to their office.

I'd copy the Tweets here if I knew how for those who don't do Twittery.....

Here you go but for lots of tweets, it's probably easier just to post the link to your twitter page:

https://twitter.com/ephemerid213/with_replies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AnatolyKasparov]

Morning,

God, that poll is depressing

I do wonder what the polls might say if the widely rumoured truth about the "Westminster paedophile ring" finally goes public before the GE?

There was a startling post in another place (from the son of election pundit Mike Smithson, who works in journalism) the other day claiming that several papers are ready to finally run with it, and are just clearing stuff up with their lawyers first.

This could be expenses all over again, except the fallout could be even bigger - the Dutroux scandal led to Belgium becoming almost ungovernable, remember.

Hold on to your hats, everybody

The right wing press simply won't publish unless the names are Labour... if they are, then this will be the final blow to Ed to stop him getting to No. 10

I disagree, this is potentially bigger than that - far bigger. It will simply not be possible for even the most Pravda-esque pro-Tory media outlet to pretend that just one party is implicated (though yes, the scandal *will* take in at least a few senior Labour people and we must be prepared for said eventuality)

And given that the worst of this went on when a certain party was in power (ie the same party as now) Cameron could be left regretting his dismissal of the whole thing as a "conspiracy theory" more than anything else he has ever uttered.......

I note one more thing - a certain leading Tory politician from the 1980s died recently, as many will no doubt recall. His funeral got virtually *no* media coverage (these things usually do) and was, by reliable accounts, sparsely attended. Why do you think that was?

[pk1]

@mikems

Great news

Now let's hope he finds another job soon in this 'booming economy'.......ahem

[ephemerid]

pk1 - Thank you for doing that....I'll learn how one of these days...

[Toby Latimer]

pk1 - Thank you for doing that....I'll learn how one of these days...

Thanks pk1, and thanks to you too ephie

Bloody good work there. It's times like this I'm proud to have you onside. I don't suppose for an instant that she will even think about replying, but at least you stuck it to her.

[rebeccariots2]

@mikems

Great news

Now let's hope he finds another job soon in this 'booming economy'.......ahem

Same here.

And I'm really glad for you that your load is going to be lightened - that can't have been at all easy supporting him from your ESA. They are .........s (fill in with offensive expletive of choice).

[rebeccariots2]

John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 23m23 minutes ago
Guardian selling online ads on time rather than clicks (from last week) http://www.whatsnewinpublishing.co.uk/c ... based-time" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

[Toby Latimer]

Another DWP debate coming up http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Playe ... ngId=17130" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ScreenShot00181.jpg (42.15 KiB) Viewed 12553 times

[AngryAsWell]

@mikems

Great news

Now let's hope he finds another job soon in this 'booming economy'.......ahem

Same here.

And I'm really glad for you that your load is going to be lightened - that can't have been at all easy supporting him from your ESA. They are .........s (fill in with offensive expletive of choice).

Ditto from me as well, great to hear a bit of good news!

[AngryAsWell]

I do wonder what the polls might say if the widely rumoured truth about the "Westminster paedophile ring" finally goes public before the GE?

There was a startling post in another place (from the son of election pundit Mike Smithson, who works in journalism) the other day claiming that several papers are ready to finally run with it, and are just clearing stuff up with their lawyers first.

This could be expenses all over again, except the fallout could be even bigger - the Dutroux scandal led to Belgium becoming almost ungovernable, remember.

Hold on to your hats, everybody

The right wing press simply won't publish unless the names are Labour... if they are, then this will be the final blow to Ed to stop him getting to No. 10

I disagree, this is potentially bigger than that - far bigger. It will simply not be possible for even the most Pravda-esque pro-Tory media outlet to pretend that just one party is implicated (though yes, the scandal *will* take in at least a few senior Labour people and we must be prepared for said eventuality)

And given that the worst of this went on when a certain party was in power (ie the same party as now) Cameron could be left regretting his dismissal of the whole thing as a "conspiracy theory" more than anything else he has ever uttered.......

I note one more thing - a certain leading Tory politician from the 1980s died recently, as many will no doubt recall. His funeral got virtually *no* media coverage (these things usually do) and was, by reliable accounts, sparsely attended. Why do you think that was?

You're right of course, I'm just particularly depressed and cynical at the moment.
I'll be quiet for a bit and stop getting everyone else down with my down-ness -

[TechnicalEphemera]

John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 23m23 minutes ago
Guardian selling online ads on time rather than clicks (from last week) http://www.whatsnewinpublishing.co.uk/c ... based-time" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

That explains a lot. The Guardian now sees readers as an asset base to drive advertising revenue and nothing else. Stuff journalism, get page views, maximise advertising space at the cost of readability.

The thing is advertisers generally aim for the rich/stupid market segment. The Guardian is catering to the poor/intelligent and a few rich/intelligent readers. Hard to make money out of those segments.

[HindleA]

http://may2015.com/featured/polling-obs ... ths-to-go/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Polling Observatory: Labour are still ahead with three months to go
The past two months in polling: Labour are stable, the Tories aren’t rising, Ukip and the Lib Dems dipped down, and the Greens have ploughed on not surged.

[pk1]

You're right of course, I'm just particularly depressed and cynical at the moment.
I'll be quiet for a bit and stop getting everyone else down with my down-ness -

We all get like that but remember, we are here for all of us & the beauty of this community is the concern we feel for one another when they are struggling & support is given freely & unconditionally.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I'm still utterly disbelieving that Louise Casey was given that Rotherham Report. Couple of people online who I respect think she was basically right, but agree there are some odd bits.

Chris Cook, who sent me a lovely message, said before that the 1400 looked questionable (and didn't stop the whole thing being horrible). Yet anyone questioning the number in Rotherham has had Casey accuse them of denial.

And people are quoted who aren't even denying it!

“I had no idea whatsoever of the scale of CSE abuse that had occurred to young
children in Rotherham over a period of more than a decade. I was deeply shocked
and deeply saddened.” Martin Kimber to the Communities and Local Government
Select Committee

There's apparently sufficient doubt for to go over the figures again, but she blames people who didn't agree with them.

There are other funny bits.

No one
seemed even curious enough to ask for an update, let alone ask why, with all these
police operations, convictions were not being secured.

“Police always said: we’re on it, don’t talk about it because we don’t want the
perpetrators finding out about our operations.” A Councillor

Which would seem to be a councillor asking for updates, right there.

She then thinks it's odd that Kimber should quote Jay saying things have been improved.

Jay:

“There have been many improvements in the last four years by both the Council and
the police. The police are now well resourced for CSE and well trained, though
prosecutions remain low in number. There is a central team in Children's Social Care
which works jointly with the police and deals with child sexual exploitation. This
works well but the team struggles to keep pace with the demands of its workload.
The Council is facing particular challenges in dealing with increased financial
pressures, which inevitably impact on frontline services. The Safeguarding Board
has improved its response to child sexual exploitation and holds agencies to account
with better systems for file audits and performance reporting. There are still matters
for Children’s Social Care to address such as good risk assessment, which is absent
from too many cases, and there is not enough long-term support for the child
victims.”

Kimber would seem justified, surely?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Isn't Casey supposed to inspecting Rotherham post-Jay?

She's got a section on reactions to the Times' investigation, which was pre-Jay. Apparently all relevant as a culture of denial or something.

[ohsocynical]

@Ephemerid.

One word uttered by E.McVey encapsulated the mindset -"sentence"

Indeed, A.

I thought the language used was appalling.

"Sentence" encapsulates the mindset as you say - but even in the short sequence I could bear to watch, I heard "deterrent", "compliance", "rigorous".
All very punitive language; if sanctions are a "deterrent" (a word used often) what are they deterring people from? Daring to claim a benefit?
Despite the mass of evidence presented to the Committee and referenced by its members, McVey continued to deny that targets exist for sanctions.

She also denied that loss of benefits were implicated in any of the "Peer reviews following the death of a customer while on benefits" and insisted that the reviews were aimed at looking at "how best we worked at supporting the individuals" and "we ensured that we followed all our procedures correctly".
She failed to answer any of the questions relating to hardship caused by sanctions, insisted that sanctions involve "personalised support", and said that the longer periods (3 years) were backed up by "international research" which she could not reference and which she refused to expand on.

I find these hearing exasperating. The Committee occasionally asks a good question, but they are not hard enough on the lies and obfuscations. For every "fact" McVey and Hayes trotted out, I could have given them chapter and verse, with sources (mainly from their own figures) proving that they are lying. I simply cannot understand why Committee members don't do this.

Hopeless.

I'm glad it's not just me that thinks these hearings are a waste of time. Nothing gets done. Nothing changes.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Does this say what she says?

There was a view among Members that relations with the Pakistani heritage
community needed to be ‘brokered’ through the Pakistani heritage Councillors.
“I have listened to Mahroof and Shaukat. I’m quite happy to go into an Asian house
and deal with issues.” A Councillor

Couldn't that mean the those councillors offered advice? "Brokered"?

[Tubby Isaacs]

And this.

“I got my knuckles rapped by [manager] on that occasion for mentioning Asian taxi
drivers… she had been told [what I’d said] was controversial and not to mention
ethnicity.” A youth worker
Staff perceived that there was only a small step between mentioning the ethnicity of
perpetrators and being labelled a racist.

Surely this is going over Jay again? Was she supposed to do that?

Looks like "straight talker" Casey wants to write a different report to them one she's been tasked with.

[AngryAsWell]

You're right of course, I'm just particularly depressed and cynical at the moment.
I'll be quiet for a bit and stop getting everyone else down with my down-ness -

We all get like that but remember, we are here for all of us & the beauty of this community is the concern we feel for one another when they are struggling & support is given freely & unconditionally.

Thanks

[ohsocynical]

Just come back from a trip to Reading. Hadn't been on the M4 for a few months. Lots of gravel pits, and workings, but today was gobsmacked to see thousands of solar panels in adjoining fields and a lot more going up.
It's the first time I've seen anything like it, and I have to confess it's horrible. Really ugly. Any green completely covered. Just acres of metal. And that's from someone who finds wind turbines beautiful and graceful.

[Willow904]

Just come back from a trip to Reading. Hadn't been on the M4 for a few months. Lots of gravel pits, and workings, but today was gobsmacked to see thousands of solar panels in adjoining fields and a lot more going up.
It's the first time I've seen anything like it, and I have to confess it's horrible. Really ugly. Any green completely covered. Just acres of metal. And that's from someone who finds wind turbines beautiful and graceful.

It seems to me solar panels are most useful on buildings, supplying the power needed for each building on an individual basis. Subsidies for this has been cut, though, presumably due to the lack of profit opportunities presented by such ad hoc energy solutions. Large solar farms could provide profit for landowners which is probably popular with Tories and their supporters and off-shore windfarms are presumably ok because they need big business investment, as opposed to onshore windfarms that can be exploited by small communities to go off-grid. I know all that might sound a bit bonkers, but it does sort of explain why Tories seem to like some renewables and let them happen, but try to stop others.

[ohsocynical]

Just come back from a trip to Reading. Hadn't been on the M4 for a few months. Lots of gravel pits, and workings, but today was gobsmacked to see thousands of solar panels in adjoining fields and a lot more going up.
It's the first time I've seen anything like it, and I have to confess it's horrible. Really ugly. Any green completely covered. Just acres of metal. And that's from someone who finds wind turbines beautiful and graceful.

It seems to me solar panels are most useful on buildings, supplying the power needed for each building on an individual basis. Subsidies for this has been cut, though, presumably due to the lack of profit opportunities presented by such ad hoc energy solutions. Large solar farms could provide profit for landowners which is probably popular with Tories and their supporters and off-shore windfarms are presumably ok because they need big business investment, as opposed to onshore windfarms that can be exploited by small communities to go off-grid. I know all that might sound a bit bonkers, but it does sort of explain why Tories seem to like some renewables and let them happen, but try to stop others.

I bet they'll make damn sure none are put near their homes. It was appalling. I'm all for green measures, but confess if they wanted to fill open spaces near me with them, I'd be forced to protest.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The Monitoring Officer role:
The Monitoring Officer has a specific duty to ensure that the Council, its officers and
its elected Members maintain the highest standard of conduct in all they do. The
Monitoring Officer has a duty to write a report if he/she considers that any proposal,
decision, or omission made by, or on behalf of the Council, is illegal or would be
illegal. This is not a duty to write a report every time an allegation of illegality is
made, but only if in his/her personal opinion that it did, or will occur. Inspectors were
not made aware of any Monitoring Officer reports.
There is a culture where the opportunities to identify potential problems of
governance or adherence to the code of conduct are missed. Inspectors found a
general lack of professional curiosity or tenacity to grasp issues. For instance, we
found that while there is a gifts and hospitality book for Members, no-one has the
responsibility for taking an overview of the content and checking compliance.
Therefore it is not routinely done.
Inspectors examined the register of Councillors’ interests. In one instance we noted
a potentially serious irregularity which we have raised with the CE so that the matter
can be clarified or otherwise dealt with. Again, there was no systematic routine
checking.
We observed that the Monitoring Officer role could be stronger and better resourced,
especially given concerns about Member standards and behaviour. We are pleased
to note that the Monitoring Officer now sits on the top management team.

This is more what she should be inspecting. But this is all it says on this important point.

[AnatolyKasparov]

I see over at the other place that Hugo has managed two new "identities" in a single day - is this a record?

[pk1]

I ask him how he would feel if his performance was to help Clegg get re-elected, and help facilitate another term of a Conservative-led government. “To me it doesn't matter. It realty is of no significance if it’s a Tory-led government or a Labour-led government, because they’re both wedded to austerity,” he says. “Under both there would be something like TTIP [The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership] coming in and that will more or less kill our democracy. It will ensure fracking, it will ensure there will be no significant action on the climate.”
...
And the best educated people vote Green – I have to say that, without tongue in cheek.” This elicits a correction from his press officer, who has been sitting in on the interview. “We’ll say higher educated people tend to vote Green,” he corrects Garbutt.

Peter Garbutt, the Green candidate in Hallam

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... hallam-may" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sneer at what you consider to be the less-well educated then wonder why they won't vote for you....

[pk1]

I see over at the other place that Hugo has managed two new "identities" in a single day - is this a record?

What on earth is the point when his every effort is quickly 'outed' ? As well as Facebook 'likes' trolling cifers must feature highly on CCHQs budget.

[Rednorth]

I watched some of McVile's performance at the W&P Select Committee yesterday.
I couldn't watch it all, because I was sickened by what went on.
No answers to any of the questions put to her or that idiot Hayes. Waffle, obfuscation, and blatant lies.

A claim that 70% of sanctioned people get a job, when we know it's less than 20% and the rest disappear.
A claim that jobseekers themselves are grateful for the support sanctions give them to find work.
A claim that research - no source given - proves that sanctions are great and other countries agree.

The committee members once again sat there in disbelief but seem unable to get their questions answered.
Apart from their obvious frustration, it seems they can't do anything to stop these constant lies.

I feel sick.

Orwell lives - war is peace, sanctions are help, hunger is flagging the vulnerable to the people who are starving them in the first place..

It's a matter of semantics. Sanctions are encouraged and rewarded. Disciplinary action against those not sanctioning enough. Rewards, punishment. But no targets. Semantics.

If the Select Committee splits along party lines and the DWP gets away with this unadulterated barbarism and lies, then democracy in Britain is an even bigger sham than its fiercest critics claim.

People are dying, and the killers can barely contain their contempt for democratic accountability.

A low point in dark times.

[rebeccariots2]

How's this for sheer brass neck? Esther McVey's weekly column in the Wirral News...

MP column 04/02/15: Esther McVey
http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/news/mp-col ... ar_twitter

‘18 hours is not enough’, say Friends of Upton Library and I agree. But haven’t we all been here before only a few years ago? So why are the council trying to close the libraries when they know local residents want to keep them open.

The council may think they’re being smart announcing community libraries are staying open, but by cutting the opening hours to 18 a week they are closing them by stealth. Cutting the staff and limiting the time the community groups can use the space, so whether it’s baby groups, history groups, reading groups, learning groups (IT or otherwise) there won’t be enough time to house them all. These are all incredibly important groups who give significant support to local residents and by locking them out of the library, the council are closing a lifeline to local residents. A library isn’t just about books, it’s a community hub and social lifeline.

So rather than having functioning community spaces, at a time when people are crying out for them, the council would rather have buildings laying empty. This is another example of a Labour council not listening and not prioritising their spending - losing libraries but finding money for vanity projects like Town Hall staircases and lending money to friends at other councils at preferential rates while its own council taxpayers suffer...

She's something else ...

[RogerOThornhill]

I see over at the other place that Hugo has managed two new "identities" in a single day - is this a record?

What on earth is the point when his every effort is quickly 'outed' ? As well as Facebook 'likes' trolling cifers must feature highly on CCHQs budget.

I suspect that the mods found out a while ago what he was - probably at the time the Spinning Hugo one was blocked - that one was around for quite a while IIRC. If he wasn't being paid for it he'd simply have stopped after the first few. What's the point otherwise?

[rebeccariots2]

John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 4m4 minutes ago
Bad news for Clegg in Sheffield Hallam: @anthonyjwells seems to have spotted an error in previous @LordAshcroft poll http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/9200 …

[Tubby Isaacs]

Richard Johnstone, who writes for Public Finance, points out that Casey's report was commissioned as a "Best Value" report, same as the Tower Hamlets one. But they're very different reports indeed.

Few of us are trying to get our heads around this on Twitter.

[frightful_oik]

I've had enough of the BBC. Why should I pay the inflated salaries of the dishonest people who work there? Half of them dodge their taxes as well. So, I've decided to cancel my TV licence. The very few other things I watch will have to be on iplayer. Sod them!

[citizenJA]

I see over at the other place that Hugo has managed two new "identities" in a single day - is this a record?

It's so obvious.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I've had enough of the BBC. Why should I pay the inflated salaries of the dishonest people who work there? Half of them dodge their taxes as well. So, I've decided to cancel my TV licence. The very few other things I watch will have to be on iplayer. Sod them!

I'd do the same but my dad bought me a lovely TV a couple of years ago.

Well done!

[citizenJA]

John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 4m4 minutes ago
Bad news for Clegg in Sheffield Hallam: @anthonyjwells seems to have spotted an error in previous @LordAshcroft poll http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/9200 …

Ashcroft polling error. Again.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Maybe a few mistakes might turn up in these Scottish polls next?

[rebeccariots2]

General Election preview: Hampstead and Kilburn
http://www.allthatsleft.co.uk/2015/02/g ... d-kilburn/

Interesting read and analysis of previous elections in this seat - examining why Iain Dale predicted this would be a Conservative gain from Labour and whether the author agrees or not.

[ephemerid]

I watched some of McVile's performance at the W&P Select Committee yesterday.
I couldn't watch it all, because I was sickened by what went on.
No answers to any of the questions put to her or that idiot Hayes. Waffle, obfuscation, and blatant lies.

A claim that 70% of sanctioned people get a job, when we know it's less than 20% and the rest disappear.
A claim that jobseekers themselves are grateful for the support sanctions give them to find work.
A claim that research - no source given - proves that sanctions are great and other countries agree.

The committee members once again sat there in disbelief but seem unable to get their questions answered.
Apart from their obvious frustration, it seems they can't do anything to stop these constant lies.

I feel sick.

Orwell lives - war is peace, sanctions are help, hunger is flagging the vulnerable to the people who are starving them in the first place..

It's a matter of semantics. Sanctions are encouraged and rewarded. Disciplinary action against those not sanctioning enough. Rewards, punishment. But no targets. Semantics.

If the Select Committee splits along party lines and the DWP gets away with this unadulterated barbarism and lies, then democracy in Britain is an even bigger sham than its fiercest critics claim.

People are dying, and the killers can barely contain their contempt for democratic accountability.

A low point in dark times.

Afternoon, Red.

The only good thing to have come out of that hearing is the transcript - I've just read the whole thing, and it is on the record that McVey is as thick as she is mendacious. She has no ability with language other than to strangle it, she has the comprehension of a brick, and appears to have a habit of inventing numbers.

I don't think she is actually intelligent enough to understand that she is spouting nonsense. I think she seriously expects people to accept what she says as Holy Writ and is so arrogant she will simply not answer a question even if she knows the answer (which given the performance yesterday strikes me as very unlikely).

The Hansard transcript says that home visits are made to ESA claimants who are likely to be sanctioned at the rate of 30,000 a year. The claim made was that this is to assess their "vulnerability" and whether a sanction would be unreasonable.
I can truthfully say that I have never heard of this - I have never seen any post on any of the usual websites or comment places in which a sanctioned ESA claimant has reported that they had a visit from DWP before being sanctioned.
What would be the point of this? A poorly person gets assessed at home to check if they are so vulnerable that a sanction would be cruel? If they're not (unlikely - the clue is they are ill) surely they will be rendered thus if sanctioned?

It's insane.

I make up little lists from time to time about DWP Newspeak. I once wrote that the definition of death is failure to attend a WCA.
I got 100 recommends for that on the G.

How I hate these fucking people.

[AnatolyKasparov]

General Election preview: Hampstead and Kilburn
http://www.allthatsleft.co.uk/2015/02/g ... d-kilburn/

Interesting read and analysis of previous elections in this seat - examining why Iain Dale predicted this would be a Conservative gain from Labour and whether the author agrees or not.

I don't think it is a state secret that Southampton Itchen is the seat Labour are most worried about losing to the Tories at the coming GE. Though the odds are against it even there.

[Rednorth]

Now they're arresting ppl who represent vulnerable claimants

http://t.co/YQM3atimwZ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[yahyah]

Anatoly @

Have you got a link for that piece by Smithson's son you mentioned above please ?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry) (Con): I very much appreciate the list of anecdotes that the hon. Lady has given about people who have fallen on really hard times. There is a need for Government to act in certain ways, but surely she must understand that some responsibility lies at the door of the previous Government who caused the 7% drop in GDP and the massive deficit that the Government are trying to correct. Unfortunately, because of their mistakes, tough decisions have to be taken, but I am yet to hear anything from her about how more money can be made available from some sort of magic money tree somewhere that would allow her to reverse the decisions that the Government have taken.

Pathetic.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Mark Spencer (Sherwood) (Con): I hope that the hon. Lady appreciates that people who work very hard, and who might be earning very small amounts from working 50 hours a week, have to turn up to work on time. If they are late for their employment, they might be sanctioned by their employer. It is important that these people are able to survive, in order for us to exploit their labour, but gentlemen like the one the Hon Lady describes can serve no useful purpose to our friends in business and therefore their so-called hardships are of no interest to me.

Fucking hell.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Now they're arresting ppl who represent vulnerable claimants

http://t.co/YQM3atimwZ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Heck!

I notice that's "left-wing Scotland" though! The SNP will be angry.

[rebeccariots2]

Vincent Moss ‏@vincentmoss 9m9 minutes ago
Good to see Mail has removed false story Bill Thomas served alongside Paul Flowers at Co-op Bank. Assume more sloppiness than smear.

I think that's over generous use of benefit of the doubt given the Mail's record. Unless it's full on sarcasm.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Anatoly @

Have you got a link for that piece by Smithson's son you mentioned above please ?

Sorry no, it was one of the constituency threads on UK Polling Report - quoting him on his dad's site pb.com, which I don't visit unless I am feeling *extremely* masochistic

Sorry I can't be more helpful, will let you know if I stumble on it again!

[rebeccariots2]

I've just seen Ephemerid and Giselle's tweets to Matt Chorley over his Mail article on Cameron.

Go gals.

[yahyah]

Anatoly @

Have you got a link for that piece by Smithson's son you mentioned above please ?

Sorry no, it was one of the constituency threads on UK Polling Report - quoting him on his dad's site pb.com, which I don't visit unless I am feeling *extremely* masochistic

Sorry I can't be more helpful, will let you know if I stumble on it again!

Thanks.

[Tubby Isaacs]

alan rusbridger ‏@arusbridger 29m29 minutes ago
Under Grayling almost impossible to do serious reporting from prisons. Journalistic access now subject to minister's say-so

Fair enough point.

Though you might notice he's letting someone off there....

[pk1]

Mark Spencer (Sherwood) (Con): I hope that the hon. Lady appreciates that people who work very hard, and who might be earning very small amounts from working 50 hours a week, have to turn up to work on time. If they are late for their employment, they might be sanctioned by their employer. It is important that these people are able to survive, in order for us to exploit their labour, but gentlemen like the one the Hon Lady describes can serve no useful purpose to our friends in business and therefore their so-called hardships are of no interest to me.

Fucking hell.

You know I hate the Cons as much as the rest of you but that quote has been 'doctored' & it's not right to claim he said it - let's not be as bad as they are for spinning yarns.

Here is the proper quote, complete with source:

4 Feb 2015 : Column 103WH

Mr Mark Spencer (Sherwood) (Con): I hope that the hon. Lady appreciates that people who work very hard, and who might be earning very small amounts from working 50 hours a week, have to turn up to work on time. If they are late for their employment, they might be sanctioned by their employer. It is important that those who are seeking employment learn the discipline of timekeeping, which is an important part of securing and keeping a job.

Lisa Nandy: I must say to the hon. Gentleman that taking that sort of patronising tone towards people is exactly why people throughout the country are so angry with the Government.

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