Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th February 2015
Posted: Sat 14 Feb, 2015 8:34 am
Morning all.
PinkVanGate, FinkGate, BaldwinGate – why Labour should take heart from Tory press desperation
http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog/20 ... speration/
Alistair Campbell doing what he does so well - taking it to the Tories. The other paragraphs in this blog are even better.For every day that the media is talking about the colour of a van, or something someone said to someone else that may or not have had the word ‘moment’ in it, then the Tories can avoid debate about the ruinous effect of their policies on families who have been forced into poverty, food banks which have become one of the few growth industries, a Health Service where a winter crisis Labour made a thing of the past is now back as an annual Tory event, suffering from the effects of a disastrous and costly reorganisation for which they had no mandate; then there is the debate they want to avoid on class sizes or tuition fees, or welfare and housing policies which are designed to benefit the wealthy and force the poor to move out.
Between now and the election David Cameron will come up with a nice line for the media every day, sometimes twice. He will be passionate on the news every night, always about something different from the night before. He will be determined to deal with whatever problem popped up on the media brief that morning. Then off to the next thing. It is embarrassing to watch.
But his point was, "if you earn a million and have to pay half in tax and NI, you've still got half a million which is a f***ing lot."The Last Leg @TheLastLeg
· 11h 11 hours ago
"I earned a lot of money and I paid a f*** load of tax!" @wossy
The Last Leg
@TheLastLeg "Do your bit, people! 'Cause if you're not doing your bit, you're being a dick." By Adam Hills for the Don't Be A Dick Party #dontbeadick
Patrick Wintour @patrickwintour 8h8 hours ago
confusing if you on benefits and read front page of The Times One day you are offered a free house. Next day if obese benefits taken away.
Patrick Wintour @patrickwintour 8h8 hours ago
Times on Monday thin people in house not on benefits spurn Mansion Tax
Reading that previous blog reminded me that Sarah Wollaston came downly firmly as against any such compulsion - mainly because of its total incompatibility with the principle of not forcing treatments on people, treating only with consent.Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 9h9 hours ago
Here's the blog from the last "sick people: do this or lose benefits" kite http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehous ... the-stick/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 10h10 hours ago
Interesting. When this was last floated, it included people being forced to attend counselling for mental illness.
Andy Burnham @andyburnhammp 20m20 minutes ago
Labour today exposes the scandal of 250,000 patients in England waiting for treatment being left off official #NHS waiting lists statistics.
Doubt Dave will be thanking Bridgen for this intervention, might be time for Labour to start reminding Dave about his promise to publish his own tax details made ... ooh, three years ago now. BTW, Andrew Bridgen's seat of NW Leicestershire is, on paper, a safe seat but he knows it is anything but; I believe Ashcroft had this as a Labour gain in one of his marginal polls - happy to see more panicky MPs going off piste and landing Dave in it!Andrew Bridgen calls on Labour leader to publish inheritance tax details
Miliband should quip that he'll rush to release his tax details with the same speed that David Cameron and George Osborne have.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Doubt Dave will be thanking Bridgen for this intervention, might be time for Labour to start reminding Dave about his promise to publish his own tax details made ... ooh, three years ago now. BTW, Andrew Bridgen's seat of NW Leicestershire is, on paper, a safe seat but he knows it is anything but; I believe Ashcroft had this as a Labour gain in one of his marginal polls - happy to see more panicky MPs going off piste and landing Dave in it!Andrew Bridgen calls on Labour leader to publish inheritance tax details
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... ve-MP.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Blimey, the Tories are all over the place. If they go down that route Labour can always ask Dave about his involvement with Black Wednesday.Spacedone wrote:The Telegraph has AMAZING DOCUMENTARY PROOF that the two Eds caused the recession all the way back in 1997.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... gland.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Amazing what power Miliband had. He's so weak he caused a global recession as a newly employed special advisor.
Exactly as Alistair Campbell described the Cameron media tactics in his blog.David Aaronovitch @DAaronovitch 2h2 hours ago
The trailed Tory policy of withdrawing benefit from obese people is unbelievably crass and pointless: a little symphony of dog-whistles.
Mind you, the Torygraph has such faith in that "story" that they aren't allowing comments on itSpacedone wrote:The Telegraph has AMAZING DOCUMENTARY PROOF that the two Eds caused the recession all the way back in 1997.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... gland.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Amazing what power Miliband had. He's so weak he caused a global recession as a newly employed special advisor.
Hah !!! Great minds think alike. I had just thought about that when I read your post. Rich and poor suffered the last time the Tories were in.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Blimey, the Tories are all over the place. If they go down that route Labour can always ask Dave about his involvement with Black Wednesday.Spacedone wrote:The Telegraph has AMAZING DOCUMENTARY PROOF that the two Eds caused the recession all the way back in 1997.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... gland.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Amazing what power Miliband had. He's so weak he caused a global recession as a newly employed special advisor.
AnatolyKasparov wrote:Mind you, the Torygraph has such faith in that "story" that they aren't allowing comments on itSpacedone wrote:The Telegraph has AMAZING DOCUMENTARY PROOF that the two Eds caused the recession all the way back in 1997.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... gland.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Amazing what power Miliband had. He's so weak he caused a global recession as a newly employed special advisor.
Like who? Oh, they didn't say...Ed Balls boasted of over-ruling the Bank of England as Gordon Brown stripped it of the power to regulate the City, a newly-uncovered film reveals.
The act that some economic experts argue contributed to the financial crisis was captured by a documentary film crew.
The Mirror ran a piece on right-to-buy a couple of years back; the two keys stats that stuck in my mind were the fact that a third of the properties sold under the scheme are now in the hands of private landlords and that one of those landlords is Charles Gow (son of Ian Gow, who was Thatcher's Housing Minister at the time RTB came in) who owns at least 40 ex-council properties in South London. The drivel spouted at the time was that the policy was intended to make us a nation of home owners, that went well then.ohsocynical wrote:Hah !!! Great minds think alike. I had just thought about that when I read your post. Rich and poor suffered the last time the Tories were in.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Blimey, the Tories are all over the place. If they go down that route Labour can always ask Dave about his involvement with Black Wednesday.Spacedone wrote:The Telegraph has AMAZING DOCUMENTARY PROOF that the two Eds caused the recession all the way back in 1997.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... gland.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Amazing what power Miliband had. He's so weak he caused a global recession as a newly employed special advisor.
There was as you say Black Wednesday, and there was also the Lloyds Names uproar.
Lots of very well off people lost their homes. They'd used them as security and for years had made a lot of money, but then there was a series of world disasters especially in the States, which Lloyds had to pay out on and suddenly all those wealthy people had to pay out. Many of them lost their old family homes and still owed money.
And when Maggie did her sell off of council houses there was a huge response which was fine until we went into recession, and then naturally people on low wages who lost their jobs didn't have a chance in hell of covering the mortgage. They had to be re-homed in - you guessed it - council houses. It did though release a huge chunk of housing onto the private market.
Bankruptcies and suicides shot through the roof. Old long established businesses went under. It was heartbreaking.
I often wonder how those people or their children from those well off families who were suckered in by Tory get rich quick schemes, still vote Conservative? There is still this belief that Tory's are better on the economy.
Good morning.rebeccariots2 wrote:Reading that previous blog reminded me that Sarah Wollaston came downly firmly as against any such compulsion - mainly because of its total incompatibility with the principle of not forcing treatments on people, treating only with consent.Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 9h9 hours ago
Here's the blog from the last "sick people: do this or lose benefits" kite http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehous ... the-stick/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 10h10 hours ago
Interesting. When this was last floated, it included people being forced to attend counselling for mental illness.
But then when have the Conservatives allowed petty matters of principle and legality to bother them?
This is fascinating. I can only imagine what Twitter would have made of it.
On a worldwide basis, between 1972 and 1990, 32,000 new Names joined Lloyd's. During the same period, the majority of the 6,000 aristocratic British Names who were investing in Lloyd's as of 1970 quietly resigned. Internally at Lloyd's, the solicitation of new Names was euphemistically referred to as the "recruit to dilute" program.
Since 1991, thousands of Names have been bankrupted, and more than 30 have committed suicide. Lloyd's has continued to make cash calls, and English courts have continued to issue rulings in Lloyd's favor, making it easier for Lloyd's to collect more and more money from the remaining Names and/or their estates.
http://www.truthaboutlloyds.com/fraud/10minutes.html
I did Twitter Eric Pickles.PorFavor wrote:Good morning.rebeccariots2 wrote:Reading that previous blog reminded me that Sarah Wollaston came downly firmly as against any such compulsion - mainly because of its total incompatibility with the principle of not forcing treatments on people, treating only with consent.Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 9h9 hours ago
Here's the blog from the last "sick people: do this or lose benefits" kite http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehous ... the-stick/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 10h10 hours ago
Interesting. When this was last floated, it included people being forced to attend counselling for mental illness.
But then when have the Conservatives allowed petty matters of principle and legality to bother them?
There must be some obese and/or addicted life-style tax avoiders we can pick on to start this particular ball rolling. Just to show that we're all in it together.
Could start by banning obese MPs from taxpayer-subsidised restaurants and bars. That should reduce the Westminster benefits bill somewhat.PorFavor wrote:Good morning.rebeccariots2 wrote:Reading that previous blog reminded me that Sarah Wollaston came downly firmly as against any such compulsion - mainly because of its total incompatibility with the principle of not forcing treatments on people, treating only with consent.Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 9h9 hours ago
Here's the blog from the last "sick people: do this or lose benefits" kite http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehous ... the-stick/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
Isabel Hardman @IsabelHardman 10h10 hours ago
Interesting. When this was last floated, it included people being forced to attend counselling for mental illness.
But then when have the Conservatives allowed petty matters of principle and legality to bother them?
There must be some obese and/or addicted life-style tax avoiders we can pick on to start this particular ball rolling. Just to show that we're all in it together.
Naked man who escaped burning flat by jumping on bus hails hero bus driver
Mitchell Cook, 47, hails the ingenious actions of heroic First bus driver Andy Waterman who rescued him from his flat in Braintree http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... river.html
A pair of scales by the door of all the restaurants and bars in Westminster would be a good idea. Over the recommended weight? Barred!Eric_WLothian wrote:Could start by banning obese MPs from taxpayer-subsidised restaurants and bars. That should reduce the Westminster benefits bill somewhat.PorFavor wrote:Good morning.rebeccariots2 wrote: Reading that previous blog reminded me that Sarah Wollaston came downly firmly as against any such compulsion - mainly because of its total incompatibility with the principle of not forcing treatments on people, treating only with consent.
But then when have the Conservatives allowed petty matters of principle and legality to bother them?
There must be some obese and/or addicted life-style tax avoiders we can pick on to start this particular ball rolling. Just to show that we're all in it together.
I knew that suit, expression and pose reminded me of someone. Finally got it a moment ago ... it's reminiscent of something Rodney from Only Fools and Horses would have worn. What a shame Cameron hasn't got one iota of Rodney's principles.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Blimey, the Tories are all over the place. If they go down that route Labour can always ask Dave about his involvement with Black Wednesday.Spacedone wrote:The Telegraph has AMAZING DOCUMENTARY PROOF that the two Eds caused the recession all the way back in 1997.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... gland.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Amazing what power Miliband had. He's so weak he caused a global recession as a newly employed special advisor.
Viability here being a word that means 'we could make tons more money concentrating on rich people'.HindleA wrote:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/si ... 46122.html
"Silver Hill housing: Affordable and social homes plan 'unlawfully' scrapped by Winchester council
A plan for 100 affordable and social homes was ditched for 'viability reasons'"
Cameron will sashay out of this one too. No one holds him to account, bought and paid for media.PorFavor wrote:Lord Green has resigned. (BBC News24)
Dacre is having a tantrum again - I doubt this will end for him any better than the last one did.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Well, I've never complained to IPSO before but this vile piece of cyncial shite written by a vile piece of shite has changed that. That fucking rag should be shut down. And I make no apologies for my language, words cannot describe how angry I am.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic ... owler.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
There is a difference this time, hence my anger. Last time he did it the weapon he attempted to wield was Miliband's own father, reprehensible enough, but Ed is a big boy; this time thy are cynically exploiting a family who suffered not just the loss of a loved one, but suffered further at the hands of the Press, very much including the Mail itself. We all know Dacre is doing this stuff because he is terrified Ed will win, implement Leveson in full and shut down his nasty, sleazy little game; well, to my mind that alone is reason enough to vote Labour in on May 7th!!!AnatolyKasparov wrote:Dacre is having a tantrum again - I doubt this will end for him any better than the last one did.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Well, I've never complained to IPSO before but this vile piece of cyncial shite written by a vile piece of shite has changed that. That fucking rag should be shut down. And I make no apologies for my language, words cannot describe how angry I am.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic ... owler.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Fantastic piece from Campbell, the hysteria from some parts on Labour’s use of pink vans was ridiculous. Miliband simply can’t win with some people; if the vans were white Labour would have been accused of not being original, use pink vans and Labour are accused of being patronising.rebeccariots2 wrote:PinkVanGate, FinkGate, BaldwinGate – why Labour should take heart from Tory press desperation
http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog/20 ... speration/Alistair Campbell doing what he does so well - taking it to the Tories. The other paragraphs in this blog are even better.For every day that the media is talking about the colour of a van, or something someone said to someone else that may or not have had the word ‘moment’ in it, then the Tories can avoid debate about the ruinous effect of their policies on families who have been forced into poverty, food banks which have become one of the few growth industries, a Health Service where a winter crisis Labour made a thing of the past is now back as an annual Tory event, suffering from the effects of a disastrous and costly reorganisation for which they had no mandate; then there is the debate they want to avoid on class sizes or tuition fees, or welfare and housing policies which are designed to benefit the wealthy and force the poor to move out.
Between now and the election David Cameron will come up with a nice line for the media every day, sometimes twice. He will be passionate on the news every night, always about something different from the night before. He will be determined to deal with whatever problem popped up on the media brief that morning. Then off to the next thing. It is embarrassing to watch.
Arhhh but look which chairshipPorFavor wrote:Update on the Lord Green resignation - it's only from the chair-ship of some lobby group or another. Rather odd, though.
TheGrimSqueaker wrote:There is a difference this time, hence my anger. Last time he did it the weapon he attempted to wield was Miliband's own father, reprehensible enough, but Ed is a big boy; this time thy are cynically exploiting a family who suffered not just the loss of a loved one, but suffered further at the hands of the Press, very much including the Mail itself. We all know Dacre is doing this stuff because he is terrified Ed will win, implement Leveson in full and shut down his nasty, sleazy little game; well, to my mind that alone is reason enough to vote Labour in on May 7th!!!AnatolyKasparov wrote:Dacre is having a tantrum again - I doubt this will end for him any better than the last one did.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Well, I've never complained to IPSO before but this vile piece of cyncial shite written by a vile piece of shite has changed that. That fucking rag should be shut down. And I make no apologies for my language, words cannot describe how angry I am.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic ... owler.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;![]()
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The Mail pre-mods everything now (although they don't always admit it). The only comments on there so far were made 6-10 hours ago, so one assumes subsequent comments may not have been overly complimentary about Platell and Dacre. "Dacre", it even sounds like something you'd wipe off your shoe.RogerOThornhill wrote:TheGrimSqueaker wrote:There is a difference this time, hence my anger. Last time he did it the weapon he attempted to wield was Miliband's own father, reprehensible enough, but Ed is a big boy; this time thy are cynically exploiting a family who suffered not just the loss of a loved one, but suffered further at the hands of the Press, very much including the Mail itself. We all know Dacre is doing this stuff because he is terrified Ed will win, implement Leveson in full and shut down his nasty, sleazy little game; well, to my mind that alone is reason enough to vote Labour in on May 7th!!!AnatolyKasparov wrote: Dacre is having a tantrum again - I doubt this will end for him any better than the last one did.![]()
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.
Of course they are - can't possibly have people pointing out the truth now can we?
Can't be long now before we get Nick Robinson complaining about this article - I'm sure he'll set the record straight.
Oh absolutely, the broader reaction has also been saddening. Things like Women’s Hour and the BBC should be reporting on substantive issues like legal aid cuts, impact of social security cuts on women etc – but reporting on a pink van is much easier. Question Time has been a farce for a while, but last week really took the biscuit. QT should be about serious issues, not the colour of van from a political party.RobertSnozers wrote:The pink van stuff has been ridiculous. It was all over the BBC R4 for the last few days, Woman's Hour, The Now Show and wall to wall news. I can understand the Tory press whipping this stuff up, but the BBC? Are they congenitally unable to see spin from real news these days?Sticky99 wrote:Fantastic piece from Campbell, the hysteria from some parts on Labour’s use of pink vans was ridiculous. Miliband simply can’t win with some people; if the vans were white Labour would have been accused of not being original, use pink vans and Labour are accused of being patronising.
The outrage displayed from the right over the pink vans was sorry to see. These same people aren’t outraged over the “go home vans”, which were offensive, crass and racist. These same people aren’t outraged at savage cuts to legal aid, affecting the most vulnerable women in society who suffer from domestic violence. They aren’t outraged at the lack of childcare, meaning women can’t find suitable work despite seeking it, they aren’t outraged at social security cuts that often directly went to women in households. These people aren’t outraged at the fact that mothers have to use food banks to feed their children in record numbers.
This is the substance of the struggles that ordinary women have endured under this government, not a van driving around that happens to be pink. Let’s get some perspective over the real issues affecting women, not frivolous nonsense like the colour of a van. The Tories must love it when attention to their record on women is diverted to talk of a pink van from the opposition.
I'm not particularly interested in the media bubble's perception about a "Blairite" helping Miliband. Labour needs to use all of its best resources to fighting this general election, and undoubtedly Alastair Campbell would be a great asset for Miliband about campaign strategies, handling the election debates etc. Unlike other people from Blair's era who are merely interested in sniping from the sidelines, it is great to see Campbell is still hopeful and passionate about Labour - imo one of the few "Blairite's" worth deploying.
As for Campbell, I completely agree. Whatever his ideological viewpoint he is Labour through-and-through, not like these neoliberal parasites who are Blairite cultists first and Labour a very distant second.
It's total fear that Ed is going to get in despite their best efforts.AnatolyKasparov wrote:Dacre is having a tantrum again - I doubt this will end for him any better than the last one did.TheGrimSqueaker wrote:Well, I've never complained to IPSO before but this vile piece of cyncial shite written by a vile piece of shite has changed that. That fucking rag should be shut down. And I make no apologies for my language, words cannot describe how angry I am.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic ... owler.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Peter Jules was having an argument with him last night about this. Looks like he managed to convince him.PaulfromYorkshire wrote:This Tweet is from the lawyer who represents the Dowlers