Thursday 26th February 2015

[AngryAsWell]

@giselle97
Have you been on the phone today ?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/wa ... io-5230183" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(This sounds like it was you.... lol)

[giselle97]

I love solar eclipses – always get the telescope set up and a stack of paper and pencils so the local kids (including the grown-up ones) can trace the projection and enjoy the eclipse safely. Got really excited about this one 'til I checked and it's only visible as a total eclipse in Faroe and Iceland Still, Scotland, the island of Ireland, and parts of Northern England will see a >90% eclipse (possible a sliver of North Wales, too – and not forgetting Isle of Man.) The rest of Wales and England will get between 40% and 90%. Don't think I'll be able to get up to Faroe for it, much as I'd love to! Never mind, it'll still be fun

The other site seems to indicate it will be visible in London. Sorry, I'm not a teccy on this - I just follow NASA and ISS photos!

When is it?

It will be visible on the morning of March 20, with the eclipse visible from across Europe for approximately 90 minutes.

In London it will begin at 8.45am, hitting its peak at 9.31am.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ne ... ou-5225109

Sorry to say that a lot of the articles are a bit misleading. London will see 88% of the sun covered, Shetland sees 98% as does Aird Uig on Lewis. If you want to see the skies go dark you'll need to be somewhere that sees over 95% coverage, so that'll be up in North-Western Scotland, the Hebrides, Orkneys or Shetlands.

Thanks LadyC. There's a strong possibility I'll see something as I'll be on a long-planned trip to Barra with my cousin to search for our Grannie's origins there. Fingers crossed anyway!

[LadyCentauria]

Cameron was talking there, I think, about politicians elected to different legislatures. Northern Irish politicians are particularly keen on that.

So Boris wo'n't get through the door, should the current bloody shower get back in? He doesn't see any reason why he can't be Mayor of London and an MP at the same time.

[giselle97]

Fingers crossed for you tomorrow PK1.

[citizenJA]

Parliamentary Electors

The total number of parliamentary electors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the percentage changes between 2013 and 2014 are:

England – 37,831,600, a fall of 2.0%

Wales – 2,225,700, a fall of 3.1%

Northern Ireland – 1,232,400, a rise of 1.2%

From 2009 to 2012 the number of electors increased in all 3 areas, although growth was highest in Northern Ireland.

Small decreases (of less than 1%) were recorded in all 3 areas between 2012 and 2013.

However, between 2013 and 2014 the parliamentary electorate of England fell by approximately 766,000 people (or 2.0%) and the parliamentary electorate of Wales fell by approximately 72,000 (or 3.1%); Northern Ireland saw similar growth to that which occurred between 2011 and 2012.

The fall recorded in the parliamentary electorate between 2013 and 2014 in England and Wales is likely to be due, at least in part, to the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER).

Northern Ireland uses a continuous registration system that was introduced in 2006.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estim ... y-Electors

(my bold)

[RogerOThornhill]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... am-8725198

Pat Glass MP clearly thinks the DfE are trying to bury some bodies regarding the funding of Durham Free School.

She got totally slagged off by some right wing nutjob in the Spectator who, surprise surprise, runs a free school somewhere in the South of England. But of course he didn't tell anyone that...

Given that she's been a deputy director of education in two different LAs I'd warrant she knows more about education than he ever will...and they let him run a school. Utter madness.

[citizenJA]

Individual Electoral Registration 2015

Inquiry status: one-off session on Monday 2 March

The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee takes evidence from the Electoral Commission on the recently published electoral registers for England and Wales, and the ongoing transition to Individual Electoral Registration.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... tion-2015/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RogerOThornhill]

Ah, here it is...

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/dennis-sew ... ee-school/

Edit - will someone now do an article "Will Dennis Sewell have the courage to admit that he may have been wrong about Durham Free School"? - I doubt it...

What really amazed me about their Ofsted report was this bit...OK, one of them.

Governors place too much emphasis on religious credentials when they are recruiting key staff and not enough on seeking candidates with excellent leadership and teaching skills.

[ohsocynical]

I like the idea of Giselle being the next election's Jim Davidson. "If the wrong lot win, I'm off".

Ha! Ha! Ha! I rarely do rational Tubby ........ but the last time I was really stroppy but "well contained" was with David Laws and I so enjoyed making him feel smaller than the little short arse fart that he is. I was in the mood for it as we were handing the 38 degrees hospital closure clause petition in to No 10 and then meeting with Lord Phil Hunt and Andy B in the HoC, knowing I suppose we were on a road to failure, so I told him what I thought of him and his sh1tty enblers. He didn't know people like me come in little packages with wrinkles and grey hair so he was right off his guard when I started talking.

Anyway, I think that when you get to a certain stage in life, on the seriously steep downward slope, it provides a bit of freedom of attitude - and I take full advantage of it as it usually makes me feel better. (MissStroppy)

YAY. Me too.

[citizenJA]

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... 07/807.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

House of Commons
Committee of Public Accounts
Planning for the Better Care Fund

Wonderful recommendations in the report linked above.

In future spending discussions, departments and the Treasury should unambiguously define service and savings requirements
and ensure they are clearly, consistently and transparently presented to all parties.

When overseeing local implementation of complex and important reforms, the Departments should ensure that they clearly communicate their objectives to those responsible for delivery.

What's going on in the greater Manchester area, now?

[AngryAsWell]

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... 07/807.pdf

House of Commons
Committee of Public Accounts
Planning for the Better Care Fund

Wonderful recommendations in the report linked above.

In future spending discussions, departments and the Treasury should unambiguously define service and savings requirements
and ensure they are clearly, consistently and transparently presented to all parties.

When overseeing local implementation of complex and important reforms, the Departments should ensure that they clearly communicate their objectives to those responsible for delivery.

What's going on in the greater Manchester area, now?

Heaven only knows CJA. I just hope a stop can be put to it before it goes to far. Not sure how this vast transfer of power an finances can be done without parliamentary discussion, never mind without consultation with the people of Manchester.

[AngryAsWell]

They really do take the p$ss don't they ?
Devon councillor living in France urged to quit
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-31636846" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Last financial year she claimed her attendance allowance of £10,000 along with £476 travelling and subsistence expenses and a carer's allowance of £195.
Her attendance record has not yet been disclosed by the authority

[Tubby Isaacs]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... am-8725198

Pat Glass MP clearly thinks the DfE are trying to bury some bodies regarding the funding of Durham Free School.

She got totally slagged off by some right wing nutjob in the Spectator who, surprise surprise, runs a free school somewhere in the South of England. But of course he didn't tell anyone that...

Given that she's been a deputy director of education in two different LAs I'd warrant she knows more about education than he ever will...and they let him run a school. Utter madness.

Pat Glass is a target on Twitter too, though not as much as Nicky Morgan.

[Tubby Isaacs]

New Scottish poll out in a minute...

[Tubby Isaacs]

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 24 secs24 seconds ago
SNP extend lead over LAB in Scotland to 16% according to new TNS poll.
SNP 46+5
LAB 30-1
CON 14-2
LD 3-1
GRN 3-3
UKIP 3+1

Oh dear.

[Eric_WLothian]

They really do take the p$ss don't they ?
Devon councillor living in France urged to quit
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-31636846" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Last financial year she claimed her attendance allowance of £10,000 along with £476 travelling and subsistence expenses and a carer's allowance of £195.
Her attendance record has not yet been disclosed by the authority

Not the first one!

AN SNP councillor elected in Fife has been accused of “disenfranchising” voters after he admitted spending most of his time in Austria.

Arthur Morrison is paid £16,234 by taxpayers but last year attended just seven out of 47 meetings of the committees on which he serves.

Yesterday, he acknowledged spending only one out of five weeks in Scotland and the facts that he does not hold surgeries and said he needs the salary to cover air fares to Austria, where he runs his own IT business.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/t ... -1-3517069

[ephemerid]

Who is doing the Tweeting for FTN?

Whoever it is, thank you for Tweeting bits of my posts - saves me the trouble!

x

[Tubby Isaacs]

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 3 mins3 minutes ago
So Survation have UKIP with 11% lead in Thanet South with LAB in 2nd place

[ohsocynical]

Who is doing the Tweeting for FTN?

Whoever it is, thank you for Tweeting bits of my posts - saves me the trouble!

x

I've been doing a bit extra after Paul asked if anyone could help him out. I'm supposed to add my signature - dr - so the other FTN Tweeters know who's doing what, but I often go right to the wire with the word count and sometimes I forget.

Your posts are fantastic. I can always find something to Tweet and as it's the boards account I like to post quotes or facts that are posted on here when possible.

[ohsocynical]

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 2 mins2 minutes ago

The Survation Thanet South poll looks good for Farage and bad for the Tories. LAB will be encouraged by 2nd place

[Tubby Isaacs]

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 2 mins2 minutes ago

The Survation Thanet South poll looks good for Farage and bad for the Tories. LAB will be encouraged by 2nd place

Think Fargle might be a one off. Even the PM doesn't overshadow his party like he does.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is good by Adam Bienkov.

http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analy ... tion-hopes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Let's take a look at the Tories' performance in London since Boris first became mayor. In 2006, when Johnson was still the MP for Henley, the Tories held twice as many boroughs in the capital as Labour.

In 2010, after two years of the Boris effect, Labour had won an extra ten boroughs giving them a clear majority. The Tories also did much worse than expected in the general election that year, losing a series of key target seats to Labour.

By 2014, Labour had won an additional three boroughs, putting them on 20 London councils, with the Tories holding just nine.

This decline is set to continue. According to a new YouGov poll out today, the party is on course to lose another four key London marginal seats to Labour in May. Far from galvanising people behind the party, the "Boris effect" has overseen a remarkable exodus of voters. If the route to a majority goes through London, then the Conservatives are set to be held up in traffic for another five years.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 31s31 seconds ago
After yesterday's YouGov level pegging poll tonight's survey from firm has
CON 33
LAB 34
LD 8
UKIP 13
GRN 6

[RogerOThornhill]

How do QT think they achieve balance by having Labour...and Tory, Lib Dem, UKIP and a Sunday Times film critic?

[Tubby Isaacs]

How do QT think they achieve balance by having Labour...and Tory, Lib Dem, UKIP and a Sunday Times film critic?

They've stopped even pretending to care.

[RogerOThornhill]

Spot the obvious Tory in the audience coming out with the Longtermeconomicplan...

[RogerOThornhill]

What on earth is Reckless on about with the 2nd jobs question?

Why would a ban on 2nd jobs lead to a Commons where they have no experience of anything other than politics?

[Tubby Isaacs]

What on earth is Reckless on about with the 2nd jobs question?

Why would a ban on 2nd jobs lead to a Commons where they have no experience of anything other than politics?

He's a poor man's Hannan, so god knows.

[RogerOThornhill]

What on earth is Reckless on about with the 2nd jobs question?

Why would a ban on 2nd jobs lead to a Commons where they have no experience of anything other than politics?

He's a poor man's Hannan, so god knows.

talking of which Hannan is on This Week.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Christ almighty.

I'm off to bed.

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, friends
love
JA

[RogerOThornhill]

Hmm...Tessa Munt thinks certain pensioner benefits ought to be means-tested as they can clearly afford them.

So talk us through universal free school meals for infants.

[RogerOThornhill]

FFS! Toby Young on next week's QT?

Definitely one to miss unless there's a juicy education story that he might make him squirm.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Hmm...Tessa Munt thinks certain pensioner benefits ought to be means-tested as they can clearly afford them.

So talk us through universal free school meals for infants.

Did we ever see the research showing that amazing effect they have?

I concluded they were thrown in so Clegg could announce something to balance the marriage tax break, but what do I know?

[Tubby Isaacs]

FFS! Toby Young on next week's QT?

Definitely one to miss unless there's a juicy education story that he might make him squirm.

Dimbleby loves him because he set up this incredible school.

[HindleA]

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

The Universal Credit (Surpluses and Self-employed Losses) (Digital Service) Amendment Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015 No.345): SSAC report

[Tubby Isaacs]

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... sac-report

The Universal Credit (Surpluses and Self-employed Losses) (Digital Service) Amendment Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015 No.345): SSAC report

increase the level of de minimis earnings from £100 a month to £300 a month (the amount a claimant has to be over their threshold before DWP considers surplus earnings)

That sounds quite a change!