Re: Friday 6th February
Posted: Fri 06 Feb, 2015 3:32 pm
Sorry, but someone's nicked the FT from work so I can't look at what it says.
A public servant said this. It's not just the NHS they've f****d up. Where's our independent civil service gone?“This independent assessment also puts paid to Ed Miliband’s myth that the reforms were about privatisation, and highlights why both the public and the health sector should be wary of Labour’s plans for upheaval and reorganisation”
ohsocynical wrote:A slightly flippant article, but it does finally pinpoint that Gove isn't done with power yet.Is Gove a modern-day Thomas Cromwell?
It would be concerning if a minister no longer in post could manipulate the work of his successor from behind the scenes, like a modern-day Cromwell, says Sue Freestone
Unseen powers have always lurked behind all manner of thrones, but it is deeply concerning, if the reports are true, that a minister no longer in post can undermine and devalue the work of his successor and yet remain aloof and unaccountable for the work of a department he no longer leads.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... mwell.html
Reply from the Speakers office:Dear Sir
I feel compelled to complain to you having watched today's session of questions to the Prime Minister.
The behaviour of the elected members of Parliament in the Chamber is utterly atrocious & the Prime Minister's own behaviour is the worst of all.
I am angry that you do not insist that he answers the questions put to him by Opposition MPs. The abuse he throws towards those whose opinion he does not share is demeaning to the office of PM but also demeans the electorate that voted for that particular Member of Parliament he abuses.
I gave up watching PMQs several weeks ago because of the rowdiness of supposed adults in the Chamber. They behave worse than a group of 2 year olds, high on adrenalin & sugar.
Today I gave it another viewing & wish I hadn't.
I hope you will use the powers invested in you to ensure the behaviour of these men & women improves during these weekly sessions.
Regards
Dear Mrs XXXXX
Mr Speaker has asked me to thank you for your email of 4 February, and to reply on his behalf.
The Speaker notes what you say and agrees that the Chamber does have its noisy and unruly moments, particularly during Questions to the Prime Minister. He always does his utmost to encourage Members to conduct themselves in a more dignified and productive manner in the Chamber, and to remind them of the views of the public on this matter. Of course, Parliament is not a debating society; it is the arena in which political argument finds its expression and it is inevitable that from time to time passions run high. However, this is by no means typical of parliamentary business, most of which is conducted in a much more orderly fashion.
Mr Speaker has also asked me to say that he is not responsible for the content of questions asked nor of answers given, so long as they are “in order” in Parliamentary terms and they do not breach the rules and conventions of the House. However, Mr Speaker would like to point out that, from time to time, he reminds the House of the expected form of questions to and answers from Ministers.
Regards,
Jade
Jade Knight
Secretary to the Speaker’s Secretary
pk1 wrote:Get that man off my profile NOW !!
edit - phew ! That was nasty
Fair play to Mr Bercow (and Ms Knight). A prompt reply, and a pretty decent one as well.pk1 wrote:My complaint to the Speakers office:
Reply from the Speakers office:Dear Sir
I feel compelled to complain to you having watched today's session of questions to the Prime Minister.
The behaviour of the elected members of Parliament in the Chamber is utterly atrocious & the Prime Minister's own behaviour is the worst of all.
I am angry that you do not insist that he answers the questions put to him by Opposition MPs. The abuse he throws towards those whose opinion he does not share is demeaning to the office of PM but also demeans the electorate that voted for that particular Member of Parliament he abuses.
I gave up watching PMQs several weeks ago because of the rowdiness of supposed adults in the Chamber. They behave worse than a group of 2 year olds, high on adrenalin & sugar.
Today I gave it another viewing & wish I hadn't.
I hope you will use the powers invested in you to ensure the behaviour of these men & women improves during these weekly sessions.
Regards
Dear Mrs XXXXX
Mr Speaker has asked me to thank you for your email of 4 February, and to reply on his behalf.
The Speaker notes what you say and agrees that the Chamber does have its noisy and unruly moments, particularly during Questions to the Prime Minister. He always does his utmost to encourage Members to conduct themselves in a more dignified and productive manner in the Chamber, and to remind them of the views of the public on this matter. Of course, Parliament is not a debating society; it is the arena in which political argument finds its expression and it is inevitable that from time to time passions run high. However, this is by no means typical of parliamentary business, most of which is conducted in a much more orderly fashion.
Mr Speaker has also asked me to say that he is not responsible for the content of questions asked nor of answers given, so long as they are “in order” in Parliamentary terms and they do not breach the rules and conventions of the House. However, Mr Speaker would like to point out that, from time to time, he reminds the House of the expected form of questions to and answers from Ministers.
Regards,
Jade
Jade Knight
Secretary to the Speaker’s Secretary
Rednorth wrote:The last thing people with mental health issues need is politicians uttering platitudes and soundbites in an attempt to win votes. We are not a political football.
The Work Capability Assessment, banned in the US as 'disability-denial factories', was the result last time Labour looked at mental health and was explicitly designed to reduce the numbers with mental health problems on benefits. It replaced the PCS which hadn't done this enough. They took the advice of Unum, who wanted rid of state benefits so they could sell their privare insurance, and hired Atos to throw everyone to the dogs.
Now Ed's off again with his fatuous tweets. The best thing politicians can do for mental health people is stay the fuck off our case.
We saw how committed Ed was to mental health when he crawled up to Scotland and told Atos what a great job they were doing.
I'll never forget that cow Virginia Bottomley when she was Health minister going on TV and announcing their 'Care in the Community' policy.ephemerid wrote:Rednorth wrote:The last thing people with mental health issues need is politicians uttering platitudes and soundbites in an attempt to win votes. We are not a political football.
The Work Capability Assessment, banned in the US as 'disability-denial factories', was the result last time Labour looked at mental health and was explicitly designed to reduce the numbers with mental health problems on benefits. It replaced the PCS which hadn't done this enough. They took the advice of Unum, who wanted rid of state benefits so they could sell their privare insurance, and hired Atos to throw everyone to the dogs.
Now Ed's off again with his fatuous tweets. The best thing politicians can do for mental health people is stay the fuck off our case.
We saw how committed Ed was to mental health when he crawled up to Scotland and told Atos what a great job they were doing.
Afternoon, Red.
Whilst I agree with most of what you've said here, I think you are being a bit unfair to Miliband. He gets a very bad press as we know, and he isn't the only politician to make fatuous remarks on this subject.
Like many people who do not have a deep understanding of mental health issues, politicians and journalists (not to mention the Great British Public) generally have very little exposure to mental ill-health.
A lot of people think depression is just a failure to perk oneself up, bi-polar is a trendy thing Zeta-Jones has (and she doesn't look ill, does she?) and suicide attempts are attention-seeking behaviour.
No recent government has much to crow about when it comes to mental health - Care in the Community for acute psychiatric patients went much too far and has left the country with very few places of asylum left for people to heal and recover however long it takes.
Mental health care has always been a "cinderella service" - underfunded and frequently misunderstood by many people.
I am inclined to think that Burnham is moving the right direction - one thing we do know is that since the Tories took over the provision of services for mental health care has been cut by up to 70% in some areas in England. People are waiting for more than a year for their first specialist appointment; as we know it can take a long time after that initial assessment to even get a definitive diagnosis.
On the subject of the WCA, you already know what I think. From Peter Lilley to Rachel Reeves, no politician has ever really been willing to find out what the meaning and impact of the bio/psych/social model is, and as a result they have no idea how warped and twisted the Unum-style model actually is.
All they care about is that it's appealing because it has been sold as the answer to cutting the benefit bill - no government for decades has cared about anything else.
Reeves is particularly irritating because she (and Green) continually conflate illness with disability; I do not have much hope that things will change under Labour as a result.
What I think IS important is that people who have mental illness who are in the public eye (Stephen Fry is a good example) get out there and say it's OK to be unwell, it's OK to be different, it's OK to be crazy or low or whatever.
I don't talk about my black dogs often because I know what the reaction will be. That's what needs to stop - and maybe one day I'll be allowed to be sick, without being judged by people who have absolutely no idea what it's like to live under the cosh of thoughts I can do nothing to stop or the other cosh of chemicals to stop me thinking at all.
Honestly, Red - there's a lot more wrong with mental health in this country than Miliband and few daft comments.
Pax.
There's one card that the Greeks might care to play: ask Russia for the money. Greece and Russia are cloaser than most people think, Russia needs friends (even small ones) and Greece needs cash, of which Russia has oodles.Both Russia and Greece get to stick one on the EU financial system and the only losers are the EU financiers who end up with egg on their faces.ephemerid wrote:I've been looking at the live blog over at the G on Greece.
Apart from some idiotic soundbites ATL from a few stroppy Eurocrats, who seem to think that because Varoufakis doesn't tuck his shirt in and refuses to wear a tie makes him a bully (odd - I think he's seriously attractive...but I digress) there is an astonishing amount of ignorance BTL.
Now correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression of the situation is this - the IMF wants to lend the Greeks 7BN Euros to pay their existing debt of 4BN plus some other bills worth another 2BN or so due soon; ie. the IMF wants to lend the Greeks the cash they need to give it back to the IMF again. If they do that, they are in exactly the same position as before but will have to comply with the IMF's conditions of further austerity.
Surely it would make more sense to simply defer payments on the loans for a while and give Greece a bit of time to sort their country out?
If Tsipiras doesn't stick to his guns, the IMF will walk all over him and he'll have to impose even more austerity on his people and I can't see how he could do that because a) he wants the best for his people and b) there's nothing left for the Greeks to give.
Greece will be fucked. Again. People will die. Even more than have died already.
I'm sick of this. A sovereign nation being held to ransom like this. Being told it must comply and run the government how the creditors dictate.
I don't care about what went on before any more - we know it was down to greed and corruption in politics and banking.
The Euro-techno-whatever-crats are determined to make Tsipiras back down; they are basically refusing to allow him to be reasonable.
He's doing the right thing here, but they're putting obstacles in his way - and that's a surefire recipe for defaults, Grexit, and they will never ever get their money back and they will cause chaos in the banking systems they are claim they're trying to protect.
I don't pray often, but I am praying that these very brave Syriza politicians get their way. That would give strength to other left-wing movements within the EU and we might even get a bit more support fr the left here too.
Good luck to them.
Never let internal problems stop you exploiting a foreign policy opportunity.Tubby Isaacs wrote:Russia is dying on its arse.
Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 2m2 minutes ago
Exclusive: Nick Clegg has complained to Cabinet Sec Sir Jeremy Heywood after he was left out of a govt announcement http://specc.ie/16Nc1km" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Tubby Isaacs wrote:Russia is dying on its arse.
And Putin is flexing his muscles isn't he.ErnstRemarx wrote:Never let internal problems stop you exploiting a foreign policy opportunity.Tubby Isaacs wrote:Russia is dying on its arse.
I don't know what Tristram Hunt said about nuns re unqualified teachers on QT ... but it was obviously something the press think they can inflate to mega proportions.Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound 27m27 minutes ago
A Labour MP on the Hunt Question Time spat. "It's nunsense."
I think it was that nuns as such aren't qualified teachers. Another side remark being blown out of all proportion because it's by Labour . Hardly a word about the cruel words uttered yesterday by a Toryrebeccariots2 wrote:I don't know what Tristram Hunt said about nuns re unqualified teachers on QT ... but it was obviously something the press think they can inflate to mega proportions.Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound 27m27 minutes ago
A Labour MP on the Hunt Question Time spat. "It's nunsense."
But I do know we had nuns teaching at my school and some of them were truly awful at it. Some of them were also seriously lacking in kindness and empathy which is probably more of a central failing for a nun.
But then my sister was expelled for shutting a nuns head in the door ... so I've probably not got the most impartial of perspectives.
A sovereign nation can't unilaterally vote not to honour its debts. The biggest creditors, Germany and France, are sovereign nations too. German wages have been kept low for almost a decade now, despite booming exports. This is pretty much textbook capitalism, setting one group off against another, but the Germans surely have a point.I'm sick of this. A sovereign nation being held to ransom like this. Being told it must comply and run the government how the creditors dictate.
I don't care about what went on before any more - we know it was down to greed and corruption in politics and banking.
Wasn't that said about Cyprus?ErnstRemarx wrote:Never let internal problems stop you exploiting a foreign policy opportunity.Tubby Isaacs wrote:Russia is dying on its arse.
There are some of us thinking about doing just that Ernst. Final straws - end of tethers - having been reached and well and truly gone past with the recent shenanigans at Pembs CC. It would take a natural disaster of epic proportion and complete repopulation of this area for anyone other than our 'independent' incumbent to lose his seat however. Some of the other wards are a bit more promising.ErnstRemarx wrote:WRT local politics and the quality of local politicians, it's fair to say that it can be variable, depending who's in power and the depth of their party membership. Parties with plentyof members in a locality will, perforce, have a larger number of volunteers to stand as councillors and commensurately a higher standard of person in general. Parties with low membership have to scrabble round looking for 'volunteers' to stand locally - checking out the list of candidates in the local area frequently throws up 'husband and wife' scenarios.
When that occurs and they get elected, they'll inevitably be rather worse than committed volunteers who know their stuff and aren't just doing it as a favour to the hubby/missus. That's happened here in Bury whereboth the FibDems and Tories have exactly that scenario, whilst the local UKIP all appear to be from the Southworth family (whoever they might be...).
The simple answer is to get involved yourself, stand for council, get elected and show people how it should be done. As far as I'm aware, FTN has one elected councillor (well, for now, anyway), but some of you lot seem absolutely suited to stand for elected office andput up with the shit I have to suffermark your mark in your area.
Think about it. More than a few of you are members of Labour or the Greens. A chance to influence how life is where you live. I've never regretted standing for and serving in council, even though it's likely that the ungrateful Tory bastards in my ward won't re-elect me in 2016....
Ukip disowns Yorkshire police death tweet
Ukip is investigating after a tweet posted from an official party account branded the death of a South Yorkshire policeman “karma”.
https://www.politicshome.com/party-poli ... eath-tweet
PC Hassan Ali, who was reportedly under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in relation to the Rotherham child abuse scandal, died in hospital after being hit by a car last month.
A Twitter account representing Ukip's Plymouth office posted a message this afternoon which read: “South Yorkshire police says PC Hassan Ali who was under investigation in relation to child abuse in Rotherham has died in a car crash KARMA!”
The party told PoliticsHome the account was “run by a team of volunteers” and that the post been made “without permission”.
A spokesperson added: “Once it was tweeted it was deleted almost immediately.
"The content of the Tweet does not reflect the views of the Branch, its candidates or indeed the wider party. The matter is being investigated."
The controversy comes on the day Nigel Farage accused trade unions of trying to silence Ukip, after he was blockaded in the party’s office in Rotherham because of a protest. ...
http://blog.mpettis.com/2015/02/syriza- ... f-1871-73/This is literally the best analysis of the euro area’s problems we’ve ever read. You should take the time to closely read the whole thing yourself.
Gizza job! I can do that!TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Surely the fact that he won't even be an MP might have some bearing on the matter?ohsocynical wrote:Nick Clegg on stand-by to be Prime Minister
NICK Clegg could serve as a caretaker prime minister after the general election until a new coalition is formed, a senior Lib Dem MP suggested yesterday.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/ ... e-Minister
I'm dreadful at economics am very simplistic. When Ireland is mentioned all I can think is: Poverty. Behind the times. Joined EU. Celtic Tiger. Boom. Bust. More emigrating now than during the potato famine.Tubby Isaacs wrote:A sovereign nation can't unilaterally vote not to honour its debts. The biggest creditors, Germany and France, are sovereign nations too. German wages have been kept low for almost a decade now, despite booming exports. This is pretty much textbook capitalism, setting one group off against another, but the Germans surely have a point.I'm sick of this. A sovereign nation being held to ransom like this. Being told it must comply and run the government how the creditors dictate.
I don't care about what went on before any more - we know it was down to greed and corruption in politics and banking.
And forget all about Eurocrats- they're the servants of the member states.
What you're referring to, a blameless country undone by bankers and politicians, is basically Ireland. The Greece is a whole different kettle of fish, a ludicrously unsustainable pact between tax avoiding private sector and a public sector with incredible pensions.
This is good about the background from Michael Lewis.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/10/ ... nds-201010" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Having said all this, the way the bail outs have had far too strict conditions attached to them, and squeezed the life out of the economy. I only understood recently that Germany probably wasn't doing this just to be nasty- German attitudes to debt, inflation, contract help explain it, along with the design flaws in the single currency. Also, I gather, Keynes isn't particularly influential in Germany. They're not privatizers like Britain has been, but they and the IMF could justifiably point to the Greek state's endemic problems. As I understand it, they've been less like that with Ireland.
There a few obvious retorts to that- like Germany being forgiven debt after WW2. But Germany might equally say that they've handed over a fortune in structural funds to the EU for donkeys years, not least to Greece.
It's not right is it. The country is under attack from a Tory wrecking ball.Tubby Isaacs wrote:From a poster on another board. More academy success- though converted before Gove's time, his lot "oversaw" it for 4 years. In which time it lost £1m in a scam, got about the worst GCSE results in the country (17% A-C inc Maths and English) and was put into special measures. The sponsor stepped aside but no other took it on, and the LA wasn't brought in.
Now it's closed to all but the GCSE year because no-one wants to teach there. And a girl in the GCSE year says teachers aren't turning up for some of her classes. Suspiciously, there's been a uniform blitz too, which has seen her and other sent home.
Is this the worst ever? Not quite the Hackney Downs to Mossbourne narrative we're fed, is it?
And the location of this basket case of low achievement? Moss Side? Dagenham? Scunthorpe?
Poole.
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/1 ... ht_before/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Interesting little article (not something I generally say about Socialist Worker). The Greeks' doomsday weapon is to bail out of the EU, and it looks as though the Troika are hell bent upon forcing that upon them. If that happens, then the collateral damage to the EU economy is likely to be considerable, and might tip the entire EU into deeper recession and crisis.ohsocynical wrote:@Ephemerid
made in Grimethorpe retweeted
Socialist Worker @socialistworker 1 hr1 hour ago
Thousands protest in Athens against bullying bankers
http://goo.gl/fb/AYSQVm
I think the Greek people are dictating what's going to happen. I imagine if he's half the man we think he is, he'll try to do what they want.
Try it - you might be surprised. I was told my ward would never elect a Labour candidate. Well, it did after nearly four decades of nothing but Tories. If I can do it (although I probably won't get to hold my seat) then you might too.rebeccariots2 wrote:There are some of us thinking about doing just that Ernst. Final straws - end of tethers - having been reached and well and truly gone past with the recent shenanigans at Pembs CC. It would take a natural disaster of epic proportion and complete repopulation of this area for anyone other than our 'independent' incumbent to lose his seat however. Some of the other wards are a bit more promising.ErnstRemarx wrote:WRT local politics and the quality of local politicians, it's fair to say that it can be variable, depending who's in power and the depth of their party membership. Parties with plentyof members in a locality will, perforce, have a larger number of volunteers to stand as councillors and commensurately a higher standard of person in general. Parties with low membership have to scrabble round looking for 'volunteers' to stand locally - checking out the list of candidates in the local area frequently throws up 'husband and wife' scenarios.
When that occurs and they get elected, they'll inevitably be rather worse than committed volunteers who know their stuff and aren't just doing it as a favour to the hubby/missus. That's happened here in Bury whereboth the FibDems and Tories have exactly that scenario, whilst the local UKIP all appear to be from the Southworth family (whoever they might be...).
The simple answer is to get involved yourself, stand for council, get elected and show people how it should be done. As far as I'm aware, FTN has one elected councillor (well, for now, anyway), but some of you lot seem absolutely suited to stand for elected office andput up with the shit I have to suffermark your mark in your area.
Think about it. More than a few of you are members of Labour or the Greens. A chance to influence how life is where you live. I've never regretted standing for and serving in council, even though it's likely that the ungrateful Tory bastards in my ward won't re-elect me in 2016....
Stand to reason though, dunnit? Common sense.ohsocynical wrote:Sarah Palin well and truly putting her foot in it...How long before we hear her words being echoed over here by some right wing idiot.
https://twitter.com/PatrickStrud/status ... 04/photo/1
ErnstRemarx wrote:Stand to reason though, dunnit? Common sense.ohsocynical wrote:Sarah Palin well and truly putting her foot in it...How long before we hear her words being echoed over here by some right wing idiot.
https://twitter.com/PatrickStrud/status ... 04/photo/1
'Debt allocation' - Pettis calls it. No virtuous states, no villainous states, just debt & sommat about massive cash inflows into banks of various colours watching it come & go.gilsey wrote:http://blog.mpettis.com/2015/02/syriza- ... f-1871-73/This is literally the best analysis of the euro area’s problems we’ve ever read. You should take the time to closely read the whole thing yourself.
http://ftalphaville.ft.com/2015/02/06/2 ... hings-too/
It's because UKIP are anti politics in some people's eyes. When you tell people who Farago actually is, his links to the hedge funds/the City and the Tory party makeup of most of his party, the only reason that people can then come up with is the EU/anti-immigration stance, which really is the politics of the lowest common denominator, since leaving the one and stopping the other would be like taking aim at each foot in turn and blowing a hole in them.rebeccariots2 wrote:Met my first former Labour voter who has decided to support UKIP on the doorstep today. He hesitated before telling me - and started with 'I'll tell you the honest ..." so I think he was a bit embarrassed. When I asked him why ... he couldn't really tell me. He said it was because all politicians are the same - they say they'll do this and that and then when they get in they do none of it. I did check with him that he knew that UKIP weren't going to be able to win in our seat - so there was no chance of the person he voted for actually doing anything for him (I didn't say that last bit). He did.
I asked him what it was he wanted politicians to do that they hadn't and he didn't have an answer. He told me he had also voted Tory before.
He was perfectly polite and we had a good tempered chat ... but I left very confused about what on earth was really motivating him to vote UKIP.
ohsocynical wrote:
I'll never forget that cow Virginia Bottomley when she was Health minister going on TV and announcing their 'Care in the Community' policy.
I have a deadly clear picture of her blithely brushing aside worries about how the more severely mentally disabled were expected to take control of their medications.
No one like the old fashioned 'Mental Hospitals' but Maggie's reforms - which basically meant shutting down asylums and turning patients out onto the streets - left gaps which were never adequately filled.
I hope I don't offend anyone by this, but mental illness still scares a lot of people. I don't think we've entirely cast off the stigma which was still going strong in my youth.
Some are. Thankfully not all. Not even a majority stupid. For this let us be grateful. But dang, people, make sure you vote. Neglect an election the next thing you know your state is governed by what got voted into office by a few people who did.yahyah wrote:ErnstRemarx wrote:Stand to reason though, dunnit? Common sense.ohsocynical wrote:Sarah Palin well and truly putting her foot in it...How long before we hear her words being echoed over here by some right wing idiot.
https://twitter.com/PatrickStrud/status ... 04/photo/1
There were some posts on here the other day about risk to children in the US because of low vaccination rates. They can't all be as stupid as Palin surely ?
DWP appointment hoaxes ramp up stress for the sick and disabled
http://voxpoliticalonline.com/
Across the world there is so much hate for bankers I think any sort of 'solution' that involves them is likely to be rejected out of hand whether it's sensible or not...It's rapidly coming to that point in a lot of countries.ErnstRemarx wrote:Interesting little article (not something I generally say about Socialist Worker). The Greeks' doomsday weapon is to bail out of the EU, and it looks as though the Troika are hell bent upon forcing that upon them. If that happens, then the collateral damage to the EU economy is likely to be considerable, and might tip the entire EU into deeper recession and crisis.ohsocynical wrote:@Ephemerid
made in Grimethorpe retweeted
Socialist Worker @socialistworker 1 hr1 hour ago
Thousands protest in Athens against bullying bankers
http://goo.gl/fb/AYSQVm
I think the Greek people are dictating what's going to happen. I imagine if he's half the man we think he is, he'll try to do what they want.
As brinksmanship goes, this one's a doozy.