Wednesday 11th February 2015

[citizenJA]

Miliband said:
“An hour ago we learned that linked to the HSBC tax avoidance scandal are seven Tory donors, including a former treasurer of the Tory party, who between them have given nearly £5m to the Conservative party. How can the prime minister explain the revolving door between Tory party HQ and the Swiss branch of HSBC?”

...challenged Cameron to explain why these allegations about the bank run by Green were in the public domain in September 2010; well before he was appointed trade minister and given a peerage... [he] ...claimed Cameron was pleading ignorance...challenged the prime minister to say whether he ever had a conversation with Green about the allegations around his bank.

Cameron declined to answer Miliband’s question directly, but said:
“My responsibility is the tax laws of this country.”

[Cameron] later said
...it would be wrong – and corrupt – for ministers to intervene in the work of the tax authorities when he was asked by the Labour MP for Glasgow North Ann McKechin about why none of the dozen planned prosecutions related to HSBC identified by HMRC in 2012 had come to court.

[Cameron]
“In our country the tax collection agency, HMRC, is independent of government, independent of ministers … It is very important in a free country that ministers are not given the details of who is being investigated and what the prosecutions are. This doesn’t happen in other countries. We have a word for it. It is called corruption...”

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... oor-tories" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is insane. I'm reminded of people suffering from dementia - literally - when I read Cameron's words - I've worked with people with this disease.

[citizenJA]

Not a woman,just to avoid doubt but as a man I find the obsession with bus colour appropriateness bloody patronising.

Me too.

I've read Labour's rationale for choosing the colour & being familiar with Labour's yourbritain website, I recognise the colour that's been used for years now on that website.

[citizenJA]

Goodnight.

G'night, HindleA

love,
JA

[citizenJA]

oops...G'night, RR2
love,
JA

[HindleA]

Just seen Times headline -Home giveaway to people coming off benefits work a year and get a house.FFS.

[citizenJA]

You're so god damn above it all, aren't you, Martin.

[ErnstRemarx]

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... plus-areas



Labour to cap infant class sizes by ending free schools in surplus areas

Excellent.

The Free School policy was, for the Tories, the right policy in the wrong era.

When you have plenty of money to play with, trying out innovative approaches might seem like a good idea...but when we're supposed to be short of cash, the public quite rightly thinks that they're an expensive luxury - never mind the "what happens to the pupils when it all goes tits up".

This is why the rhetoric has changed to "look, most are in areas of need" and I think they're playing around with the definition of what is a Free School and what an Academy (even thought they're actually the same beast).

I pointed out the other week that the DfE's annual report mysteriously "forgot" to mention the new academies that had been opened during the year - probably because they don't want inquisitive questions about what makes a school a free school and what an academy.

I'm in the library tomorrow but I'll keep an eye open for the speech itself.

I was at Overview and Scrutiny committee tonight, and the £0.501m cut to council finances for next year specifically to give that money to academies loomed large, so I queried it. Te money has been cut from the council budget to give it straight to academies, ie, private busness. No questions asked by the Tories. In effect, it's twice the amount we'd otherwise have to play with to support LA schools, but the finance is deemed to be so important to these fabulous innovations that not only does the government chuck central funds at them, but they also cut that amount out of our schools budget. And then try to blame the council when we have to make another £15,000,000 worth of cuts to the services in one of the smallest borough councils in the country. Massive bunch of c***s that they are. Cut funds. Blame us if it causes us problems.

Lower than vermin.

[citizenJA]

G'night all
love
JA

P.S. Peace, Martin.

[HindleA]

Goodnight CJA.

@ErnstRemarx

and proud of it.

[HindleA]

David Gauke signed a deal in March 2012 promising not to seek to acquire customer details stolen from Swiss banks .

[HindleA]

"HMRC independent from Government"- but you used them to get our personal information didn't you Davey boy.

[HindleA]

I for one have no objection in giving a urine sample to be tested for drugs ,as long as I reserve the right how to deliver it.

[refitman]

I for one have no objection in giving a urine sample to be tested for drugs ,as long as I reserve the right how to deliver it.

[youtube]K-GGEJRz6So[/youtube]
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(jump to 3m44s)

[HindleA]

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik ... tml#page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"GOP shows it doesn't understand Social Security disability--and doesn't care"