Monday 23rd March 2015

[adam]

From the graun daily blog

In my earlier post about Danczuk’s New Statesman interview (see 11.38am), I failed to mention that Danzcuk also implicitly described Harriet Harman as a “fucking knob”.

From the NS Article

“Harriet Harman came out and said he [Miliband] was right to pose with the Sun newspaper and he was right to apologise for posing with the Sun newspaper,” says Danczuk. “And it’s that sort of double speak from politicians: how could he be right on both counts? That turns people off politics. So when somebody hears a politician say that, you know what they think, if you pardon the language: ‘what a fucking knob’. That’s the reality of it.”

Danczuk should jump so that he doesn't have to be pushed. He's a gift to the other side that keeps on giving.

[PorFavor]

@ citizenJA

I think what SpinningHugo is saying is that anonymity grants him the freedom to say what he wants to say without the risk of his posts being trackable to him in real life - either in a professional or a private capacity - in case his posts have a detrimental effect on him in either, or both. Seems reasonable to me.


Edited

Bolding

[citizenJA]

I guess Labour MP Simon Danczuk is special

What do you mean ?

Highlighting the word 'special' as you have done carries unpleasant connotations since this is how people with Downs syndrome have been referred to in recent years.

I apologise for doing so; people with Downs syndrome have been & I guess still are called, 'special'.
I don't call people with Downs syndrome 'special'.
When or if I have the pleasure of being introduced to someone with Downs, I call them by their name.
I called Labour MP Simon Danczuk 'special' as in peculiar or odd.

[Willow904]

I guess Labour MP Simon Danczuk is special

What do you mean ?

Highlighting the word 'special' as you have done carries unpleasant connotations since this is how people with Downs syndrome have been referred to in recent years.

I apologise for doing so; people with Downs syndrome have been & I guess still are called, 'special'.
I don't call people with Downs syndrome 'special'.
When or if I have the pleasure of being introduced to someone with Downs, I call them by their name.
I called Labour MP Simon Danczuk 'special' as in peculiar or odd.

If you mean "special" in the way Jose Mourinho is "special" I know exactly what you mean!

[pk1]

From the graun daily blog

In my earlier post about Danczuk’s New Statesman interview (see 11.38am), I failed to mention that Danzcuk also implicitly described Harriet Harman as a “fucking knob”.

From the NS Article

“Harriet Harman came out and said he [Miliband] was right to pose with the Sun newspaper and he was right to apologise for posing with the Sun newspaper,” says Danczuk. “And it’s that sort of double speak from politicians: how could he be right on both counts? That turns people off politics. So when somebody hears a politician say that, you know what they think, if you pardon the language: ‘what a fucking knob’. That’s the reality of it.”

Danczuk should jump so that he doesn't have to be pushed. He's a gift to the other side that keeps on giving.

Just read that & the Shapps response:

Grant Shapps, the Conservative party chairman, has said that the Labour MP Simon Danczuk has confirmed that Tories are saying about Ed Miliband.

Simon Danczuk has joined the growing number of Labour MPs who know that Ed Miliband just isn’t up to the job.

He is a weak leader who it utterly out of touch with the lives and concerns of hard-working taxpayers.

Not only is Ed Miliband ‘aloof’, his short-term gimmicks would cause chaos and damage the economic security upon which British families depend.

Shapps & Danczuk are a pair of knobs who are both so similar, they could be in the same party.

[citizenJA]

@ citizenJA

I think what SpinningHugo is saying is that anonymity grants him the freedom to say what he wants to say without the risk of his posts being trackable to him in real life - either in a professional or a private capacity - in case his posts have a detrimental effect on him in either, or both. Seems reasonable to me.


Edited

Bolding

The commentator known as SpinningHugo has personally denigrated me & the content of my post without apologising for having done so. SpinningHugo accused me of knowingly posting untrue information & wrote I was too embarrassed & ignorant to correct my error. I returned to thread to find that accusation & personal abuse from the commentator, posted links to support what I'd written & expressed incredulity at the personal nastiness of SpinningHugo's post to me.

Check out yesterday's thread for a more recent example of SpinningHugo's game playing. It's no misunderstanding. SpinningHugo doesn't admit error. There's nothing more for me to write about regarding his/her posts.

[utopiandreams]

...

Highlighting the word 'special' as you have done carries unpleasant connotations since this is how people with Downs syndrome have been referred to in recent years.

I share your feelings to some extent, pk1, but am a little ambivalent to be honest. My daughter, in case anybody doesn't know, has Downs Syndrome and used to tell us with pride that she was special, during school days anyway. As I say I didn't particularly like it but it did seem to please her.

[StephenDolan]

From the graun daily blog

In my earlier post about Danczuk’s New Statesman interview (see 11.38am), I failed to mention that Danzcuk also implicitly described Harriet Harman as a “fucking knob”.

From the NS Article

“Harriet Harman came out and said he [Miliband] was right to pose with the Sun newspaper and he was right to apologise for posing with the Sun newspaper,” says Danczuk. “And it’s that sort of double speak from politicians: how could he be right on both counts? That turns people off politics. So when somebody hears a politician say that, you know what they think, if you pardon the language: ‘what a fucking knob’. That’s the reality of it.”

Danczuk should jump so that he doesn't have to be pushed. He's a gift to the other side that keeps on giving.

Just read that & the Shapps response:

Grant Shapps, the Conservative party chairman, has said that the Labour MP Simon Danczuk has confirmed that Tories are saying about Ed Miliband.

Simon Danczuk has joined the growing number of Labour MPs who know that Ed Miliband just isn’t up to the job.

He is a weak leader who it utterly out of touch with the lives and concerns of hard-working taxpayers.

Not only is Ed Miliband ‘aloof’, his short-term gimmicks would cause chaos and damage the economic security upon which British families depend.

Shapps & Danczuk are a pair of knobs who are both so similar, they could be in the same party.

They remind me of an iguana.

[adam]

From the graun daily blog
From the NS Article
Danczuk should jump so that he doesn't have to be pushed. He's a gift to the other side that keeps on giving.

Just read that & the Shapps response:

Grant Shapps, the Conservative party chairman, has said that the Labour MP Simon Danczuk has confirmed that Tories are saying about Ed Miliband.

Shapps & Danczuk are a pair of knobs who are both so similar, they could be in the same party.

They remind me of an two iguanas.

Fixed it for you

[adam]

I've avoided talking to scots nats online pretty well but after the smallest bit of dialogue today I feel like telling the next person who suggests that supporting labour or the conservatives is just the same to come and say that to my face.

[StephenDolan]

I've avoided talking to scots nats online pretty well but after the smallest bit of dialogue today I feel like telling the next person who suggests that supporting labour or the conservatives is just the same to come and say that to my face.

One of the reasons I've yet to delve into Twitter.

[pk1]

Oh FFS !!

Iain Dale ‏@IainDale 2h2 hours ago
Each day this week at 6.45pm @SimonDanczuk interviews a leading political figure on @LBC Drive. Today it's Lord Glasman.

Somebody really needs to get hold of that attention-seeking fuckwit & nail his lips to the floor !!

[Willow904]

I've avoided talking to scots nats online pretty well but after the smallest bit of dialogue today I feel like telling the next person who suggests that supporting labour or the conservatives is just the same to come and say that to my face.

I just remind them that Alex Salmond is a neoliberal Murdoch man, whilst Ed Miliband stood up to Murdoch even though the resulting bad press could cost him the election, which shows integrity.

But they don't care about that, because they support a centrist nationalist party and are therefore nowhere near as left wing as they describe themselves. I'm really starting to wonder if "left-wing" has been hijacked by some groups to mean anti-establishment, because when you scrape below the surface that seems to be the basis on which the SNP are "left-wing" to their supporters and Labour isn't. And there really isn't much Labour can do to counter that. If the very establishment behaviour of the favourite anti-establishment party of 2010, the Libdems, hasn't opened peoples eyes to the fact that there really is no such thing as "outsiders" in politics, I don't know what will.

[Swarthlander]

I have a wooden box with some old bones in it.
Would you like to queue outside for four hours to see it?

Life is just a circus!

[pk1]

I've avoided talking to scots nats online pretty well but after the smallest bit of dialogue today I feel like telling the next person who suggests that supporting labour or the conservatives is just the same to come and say that to my face.

I just remind them that Alex Salmond is a neoliberal Murdoch man, whilst Ed Miliband stood up to Murdoch even though the resulting bad press could cost him the election, which shows integrity.

But they don't care about that, because they support a centrist nationalist party and are therefore nowhere near as left wing as they describe themselves. I'm really starting to wonder if "left-wing" has been hijacked by some groups to mean anti-establishment, because when you scrape below the surface that seems to be the basis on which the SNP are "left-wing" to their supporters and Labour isn't. And there really isn't much Labour can do to counter that. If the very establishment behaviour of the favourite anti-establishment party of 2010, the Libdems, hasn't opened peoples eyes to the fact that there really is no such thing as "outsiders" in politics, I don't know what will.

The BBC has posted this:

Earlier on the Daily Politics, deputy leader of the SNP Stewart Hosie accused Ed Miliband of losing the plot. He said Ed Miliband would be "very foolish" to rule out a deal that could block a future Tory government. Mr Hosie said the SNP wanted to see "a real end to austerity", more powers for Scotland, and no renewal of Trident weapons.

I'm wondering if the SNP are hinting their strategy will be to blame Labour for not wanting a deal with the SNP for their failure to support a minority Labour government.

Some call me cynical.....

[citizenJA]

SpinningHugo & Benefits Street analysis
Jan 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blo ... t-31102198

[ephemerid]

I'm a bit sick of the Nats, to be honest.

I was keen for the Scots to vote with their heads and hearts at the referendum, and would have liked to see an independent Scotland in many ways, not least because some good friends of mine up there have persuaded me to their point of view.
One of them (who was then and is now campaigning for Labour) says that many of her friends are fed up to the back teeth with some of the stuff the Nats are up to now. She likes Sturgeon, but is despairing of some of the supporters.

The facts are that Sturgeon has ruled out a pact/coalition with Labour at Westminster. She will consider a confidence and supply arrangement.
The leader of the SNP at Westminster is not Alex Salmond, who is not an MP. Until he is, and assuming the others agree to a change, the current incumbent is Angus Robertson who is very popular and may well remain the leader.
Malcolm Bruce is the LibDem MP for Gordon, where Salmond is standing - he has been the incumbent since 1983 - and although he is standing down, the LibDems have had a 5,000-plus majority there for a long time. His replacement is well-known locally, and she stands a good chance of winning. Salmond is by no means a shoo-in for that seat.

All of this is sheer speculation - Salmond is a very canny politician, but he can't manipulate this. He may not even get in to Parliament, and until he does, he should just be quiet.
I think Ed is right to insist that he is going for a Labour majority no matter what. If he needs to engage in a bit of horse-trading later, fair enough.
Salmond's making mischief - at the invitation of the media, who are determined to glean as much bad publicity for Labour as they can even if it isn't actually true.

[SpinningHugo]

SpinningHugo & Benefits Street analysis
Jan 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blo ... t-31102198

if anyone else is interested in citizenJA's characterisation of me, I too would urge them to read that thread in full, and the data I linked to there.

[ephemerid]

SpinningHugo & Benefits Street analysis
Jan 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blo ... t-31102198

I remember that one - I made a few comments on that thread that weren't just moderated they were obliterated from history!

Spent a bit of time on the naughty step as a result. I'm not sorry.

Anything can be claimed from statistics. Anything can be deduced about people from heavily-edited faux documentaries.
Anything can be claimed in a speech when it's made by a known liar (IDS) who fiddles figures he doesn't understand.

It's a pity when people whose intelligence I admire (however grudgingly) choose to play games and engage is the sort of passive-aggressive crapola that is not only beneath them but sometimes not much more than concern trolling.

I'm with you, JA.

[ephemerid]

SpinningHugo & Benefits Street analysis
Jan 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blo ... t-31102198

if anyone else is interested in citizenJA's characterisation of me, I too would urge them to read that thread in full, and the data I linked to there.

I just have, thanks.

Having crossed swords with you over there in a similar vein, I think she's right.

Have a nice day.

[citizenJA]

SpinningHugo & Benefits Street analysis
Jan 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blo ... t-31102198

I remember that one - I made a few comments on that thread that weren't just moderated they were obliterated from history!

Spent a bit of time on the naughty step as a result. I'm not sorry.

Anything can be claimed from statistics. Anything can be deduced about people from heavily-edited faux documentaries.
Anything can be claimed in a speech when it's made by a known liar (IDS) who fiddles figures he doesn't understand.

It's a pity when people whose intelligence I admire (however grudgingly) choose to play games and engage is the sort of passive-aggressive crapola that is not only beneath them but sometimes not much more than concern trolling.

I'm with you, JA.

Thank you very much.

[mikems]

From Tom Watson via Change.org

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[pk1]

Can we take the personal attacks (on all sides) elsewhere, please ?

[Rebecca]

So are you saying that you were at university with him?p

It's a fairly simple question and I have doubts as to whether anyone could possibly identify you from that.

Professional reasons - what does that mean?

Can I request we don't play this game. We should respect anonymity even from Spinning Hugo. Let the great mystery continue.

I think he is a Ninja Tory SPAD in deep cover myself.

Yeah, okay.
No one need post anything or out with anything they don't want known.
Why do it then?
Don't expect me to believe a word when the story changes & cryptic, passive/aggressive, game-playing communications are posted.
It's not okay to claim things that aren't true, change stories when it's convenient all the better to play games with or make arrogant assumptions in posts about what I do or don't think.

First off,I reported this in error,actually it was my cats fault as she insists on sitting on my lap when I'm using my tablet.Sorry mods!Ignore me!
Secondly Citizen,I really feel uncomfortable with anyone pushing at posters here to reveal their identity.No need to be a bully about it.I don't agree with most of SHs posts,but his quite honest about his dislike for Ed,and hasn't fallen for the tired tribalist title for those of us who disagree with him.
I was surprised at how snippy you were yesterday tbh,not your usual kiss/huggy style.

[ephemerid]

Can we take the personal attacks (on all sides) elsewhere, please ?

Certainly.

Not quite sure where this one started, but I joined in to agree with JA. Which I do.

I'll stop now. Promise.

[RogerOThornhill]

Secondly Citizen,I really feel uncomfortable with anyone pushing at posters here to reveal their identity.

Well so do I for that matter - I have fairly trenchant views about education policy as everyone knows but I am a serving chair of governors and keep my political opinions very much out of any meetings.

But I fail to see how answering a simple question about how SH knew or saw Miliband 25 years ago while Ed was at university could possibly reveal his identity given the hundreds of people who similarly went to Oxford at the same time. Bear in mind that it was SH himself who volunteered this information yesterday in a "I know more than you people" way.

[frightful_oik]

I just wish all this talk of pacts and C&S etc would go away so we can get back to the issues. The peripheral stuff suits the Tories too much because we're not looking at their record, which is as we all know, shite.

[AngryAsWell]

Michael Deacon ‏@MichaelPDeacon · 15m15 minutes ago
Burst of excitement as Sky News breaks away for the weather #AskTheChancellors

#AskTheChancellors is on - missed Osborne but looks like not missed much
Ed Ball next

[AngryAsWell]

I just wish all this talk of pacts and C&S etc would go away so we can get back to the issues. The peripheral stuff suits the Tories too much because we're not looking at their record, which is as we all know, shite.

Manifestos will be out in a week or so (after 30th) so hopefully the real issues will start to be discussed then

[RogerOThornhill]

I just wish all this talk of pacts and C&S etc would go away so we can get back to the issues. The peripheral stuff suits the Tories too much because we're not looking at their record, which is as we all know, shite.

Manifestos will be out in a week or so (after 30th) so hopefully the real issues will start to be discussed then

Hopefully all online so that we can dissect* without paying anything!

*And comparing the UKIP one to what they said before...

[ephemerid]

Theresa May and her prevention speech.....

She likes the Prevent thing.

She likes it so much that, when she became Home Secretary, she reduced the number of council Prevent Co-ordinators from 93 to 23.

She then decided that maybe they weren't non-jobs after all, and let 30 councils have their Prevent Co-ordinators back.

Next year, she wants another 50. By 2017, she wants a nice round total of 90.

So in 7 years, she'll have got rid of 70 then put 'em back again at a time when the UK is on a "severe" JTAC security alert.

This woman's incompetence knows no bounds - she has pissed off the police (unheard of in a Tory Home Sec); she has increased immigration; she has cocked up to an unprecedented degree and forced good people like Brodie Clark to resign.
She presided over the passports crisis, the borders staffing crisis, the attempted cover-up (allegedly) of an escaped terrorist, getting her dates wrong in the Abu Qatada debacle, and failing twice to get a chair for the CSA enquiry.

And some people seriously think she is PM material.

[ephemerid]

I just wish all this talk of pacts and C&S etc would go away so we can get back to the issues. The peripheral stuff suits the Tories too much because we're not looking at their record, which is as we all know, shite.

Manifestos will be out in a week or so (after 30th) so hopefully the real issues will start to be discussed then

Hopefully all online so that we can dissect* without paying anything!

*And comparing the UKIP one to what they said before...

The UKIP manifesto will be fun.

It was supposed to be unveiled at their little shindig in Margate, but wasn't finished, apparently.

Of course, we have no idea how many UKIPPERS will be left by next week, do we?

Lest we forget - 40-plus of them (plus the manifesto) have gone. 18 councillors, 2 council leaders, 15 PPCs, and sundry others.

Maybe if we run about looking gay/muslim/disabled/black or breastfeed ostentatiously they might all run away a la Farridge.

[RogerOThornhill]

Theresa May and her prevention speech.....

She likes the Prevent thing.

She likes it so much that, when she became Home Secretary, she reduced the number of council Prevent Co-ordinators from 93 to 23.

She then decided that maybe they weren't non-jobs after all, and let 30 councils have their Prevent Co-ordinators back.

Next year, she wants another 50. By 2017, she wants a nice round total of 90.

So in 7 years, she'll have got rid of 70 then put 'em back again at a time when the UK is on a "severe" JTAC security alert.

This woman's incompetence knows no bounds - she has pissed off the police (unheard of in a Tory Home Sec); she has increased immigration; she has cocked up to an unprecedented degree and forced good people like Brodie Clark to resign.
She presided over the passports crisis, the borders staffing crisis, the attempted cover-up (allegedly) of an escaped terrorist, getting her dates wrong in the Abu Qatada debacle, and failing twice to get a chair for the CSA enquiry.

And some people seriously think she is PM material.

Apparently to prevent another Trojan Horse (OK, but let it go for now) she wants a central database of school governors.

20,000+ schools each with more than 10 governors on each...I make that upwards of 200k names.

And who is going to update that every time something changes in any school? Unless they're relying on an annual return which just gets uploaded which means it won't be real time.

And she wants to implement the Peter Clarke recommendation of no-one being on more than two GBs - the DfE rejected this!

[citizenJA]

Can I request we don't play this game. We should respect anonymity even from Spinning Hugo. Let the great mystery continue.

I think he is a Ninja Tory SPAD in deep cover myself.

Yeah, okay.
No one need post anything or out with anything they don't want known.
Why do it then?
Don't expect me to believe a word when the story changes & cryptic, passive/aggressive, game-playing communications are posted.
It's not okay to claim things that aren't true, change stories when it's convenient all the better to play games with or make arrogant assumptions in posts about what I do or don't think.

First off,I reported this in error,actually it was my cats fault as she insists on sitting on my lap when I'm using my tablet.Sorry mods!Ignore me!
Secondly Citizen,I really feel uncomfortable with anyone pushing at posters here to reveal their identity.No need to be a bully about it.I don't agree with most of SHs posts,but his quite honest about his dislike for Ed,and hasn't fallen for the tired tribalist title for those of us who disagree with him.
I was surprised at how snippy you were yesterday tbh,not your usual kiss/huggy style.

I've stood up for myself. Nothing more.

[citizenJA]

Can we take the personal attacks (on all sides) elsewhere, please ?

Certainly.

Not quite sure where this one started, but I joined in to agree with JA. Which I do.

I'll stop now. Promise.

I've posted nothing I'm ashamed of. If I've offended my friends here, please let me know & we can work it out.

[AngryAsWell]

EdB did fairly well against a hostile audience, needs to brush up on help for farmers, think Rural Labour will be disappointed with his farming reply (so was I actually).

[PorFavor]

Breaking news on BBC News24 -

Afzal Amin has thrown in the towel.

[Rebecca]

Yeah, okay.
No one need post anything or out with anything they don't want known.
Why do it then?
Don't expect me to believe a word when the story changes & cryptic, passive/aggressive, game-playing communications are posted.
It's not okay to claim things that aren't true, change stories when it's convenient all the better to play games with or make arrogant assumptions in posts about what I do or don't think.

First off,I reported this in error,actually it was my cats fault as she insists on sitting on my lap when I'm using my tablet.Sorry mods!Ignore me!
Secondly Citizen,I really feel uncomfortable with anyone pushing at posters here to reveal their identity.No need to be a bully about it.I don't agree with most of SHs posts,but his quite honest about his dislike for Ed,and hasn't fallen for the tired tribalist title for those of us who disagree with him.
I was surprised at how snippy you were yesterday tbh,not your usual kiss/huggy style.

I've stood up for myself. Nothing more.

Maybe agree to differ here.

[Rebecca]

Breaking news on BBC News24 -

Afzal Amin has thrown in the towel.

Will the chancellor refold it?

[SpinningHugo]

What a borefest Ask the Chancellors was. I can't see the debates that are not face to face being anything different now.

[AngryAsWell]

Can we take the personal attacks (on all sides) elsewhere, please ?

Certainly.

Not quite sure where this one started, but I joined in to agree with JA. Which I do.

I'll stop now. Promise.

I've posted nothing I'm ashamed of. If I've offended my friends here, please let me know & we can work it out.

There is nothing for anyone to be ashamed of. But I for one would be happier for the disagreement to end, I'm uncomfortable with arguments, both on line and in real life. They make me uneasy, and that's not what I come here for.
By all means disagree, but please, lets not be personal about it.

all round

[PorFavor]

Breaking news on BBC News24 -

Afzal Amin has thrown in the towel.

Will the chancellor refold it?

Boo-boom!

[AngryAsWell]

What a borefest Ask the Chancellors was. I can't see the debates that are not face to face being anything different now.

Agree, and far to much input from Faisal (Forgot-his-name) his position should have been neutral, not asking questions.

[ErnstRemarx]

Secondly Citizen,I really feel uncomfortable with anyone pushing at posters here to reveal their identity.

Well so do I for that matter - I have fairly trenchant views about education policy as everyone knows but I am a serving chair of governors and keep my political opinions very much out of any meetings.

But I fail to see how answering a simple question about how SH knew or saw Miliband 25 years ago while Ed was at university could possibly reveal his identity given the hundreds of people who similarly went to Oxford at the same time. Bear in mind that it was SH himself who volunteered this information yesterday in a "I know more than you people" way.

In that, I concur. If SH went to Oxford (taught, lived or studied there, university or Brookes) there's nothing that can link his stating so to his real identity, I would suggest.

Now. Having said that, I'm really not a great fan of anyone suggesting that they have insider knowledge and refusing to source their alleged knowledge, and even less a fan of name dropping (in effect). I could do it - as I discussed with Tom Watson MP when we were out door knocking in Ramsbottom the other week - but I generally don't unless they are my source for a particular piece of information or germane to the point I'm seeking to make. I've actually met a fair few MPs by now (because of the circles I move in), and I imagine others have too, but it's pointless to try and big oneself up by mentioning it for no reason, because it makes you look like a wannabee and why anyone would seek to do that with FTNers is beyond me, as it would undoubtedly backfire. Hubris isn't a good look and namedropping is hubris writ large, as I told Franklyn Roosevelt before I was born.

On a rather happier note, I was out with the local candidate for our ward delivering leaflets on Saturday, and I was a little relieved to find out that he's sick to the back teeth of the 'organisation' he's been getting within the CLP. My perception has been for a while that this is possibly the worst organised campaign I've ever taken part in, both for the locals and the general election. I'm not quite sure who's sorted out the leaflet deliveries and the door knocking schedules, but it's either Curly, Larry or Mo, whilst the separation of the local and general campaigns is a palpably stupid decision which will not end well, IMHO. Any road up, I've told said local candidate to fuck 'em off, and we'll do it our way, which attentive readers will know I did in 2012 when I got elected. I wrote all my own leaflets and delivered a mass of them to boot, unencumbered by the demands of the CLP. I'll let you know how we get on.

[ephemerid]

Theresa May and her prevention speech.....

She likes the Prevent thing.

She likes it so much that, when she became Home Secretary, she reduced the number of council Prevent Co-ordinators from 93 to 23.

She then decided that maybe they weren't non-jobs after all, and let 30 councils have their Prevent Co-ordinators back.

Next year, she wants another 50. By 2017, she wants a nice round total of 90.

So in 7 years, she'll have got rid of 70 then put 'em back again at a time when the UK is on a "severe" JTAC security alert.

This woman's incompetence knows no bounds - she has pissed off the police (unheard of in a Tory Home Sec); she has increased immigration; she has cocked up to an unprecedented degree and forced good people like Brodie Clark to resign.
She presided over the passports crisis, the borders staffing crisis, the attempted cover-up (allegedly) of an escaped terrorist, getting her dates wrong in the Abu Qatada debacle, and failing twice to get a chair for the CSA enquiry.

And some people seriously think she is PM material.

Apparently to prevent another Trojan Horse (OK, but let it go for now) she wants a central database of school governors.

20,000+ schools each with more than 10 governors on each...I make that upwards of 200k names.

And who is going to update that every time something changes in any school? Unless they're relying on an annual return which just gets uploaded which means it won't be real time.

And she wants to implement the Peter Clarke recommendation of no-one being on more than two GBs - the DfE rejected this!

Way to go Theresa!

How to put people off being school governors 101.

I was a school parent-governor for a while. It's not always easy to get a full complement of people willing to give up their time - and this does take time if you do it properly and commit yourself to the work involved. Parents are busy people and those who do their bit are pretty thin on the ground in my experience. It's not that onerous, but it is a commitment.

I don't know how happy I'd have been to do what I saw as a community service if I'd been put on a government list and subject to snooping into my religious affairs (not that I have any) or checked me against other databases.

This is daft, Roger.

[ErnstRemarx]

Theresa May and her prevention speech.....

She likes the Prevent thing.

She likes it so much that, when she became Home Secretary, she reduced the number of council Prevent Co-ordinators from 93 to 23.

She then decided that maybe they weren't non-jobs after all, and let 30 councils have their Prevent Co-ordinators back.

Next year, she wants another 50. By 2017, she wants a nice round total of 90.

So in 7 years, she'll have got rid of 70 then put 'em back again at a time when the UK is on a "severe" JTAC security alert.

This woman's incompetence knows no bounds - she has pissed off the police (unheard of in a Tory Home Sec); she has increased immigration; she has cocked up to an unprecedented degree and forced good people like Brodie Clark to resign.
She presided over the passports crisis, the borders staffing crisis, the attempted cover-up (allegedly) of an escaped terrorist, getting her dates wrong in the Abu Qatada debacle, and failing twice to get a chair for the CSA enquiry.

And some people seriously think she is PM material.

Apparently to prevent another Trojan Horse (OK, but let it go for now) she wants a central database of school governors.

20,000+ schools each with more than 10 governors on each...I make that upwards of 200k names.

And who is going to update that every time something changes in any school? Unless they're relying on an annual return which just gets uploaded which means it won't be real time.

And she wants to implement the Peter Clarke recommendation of no-one being on more than two GBs - the DfE rejected this!

Way to go Theresa!

How to put people off being school governors 101.

I was a school parent-governor for a while. It's not always easy to get a full complement of people willing to give up their time - and this does take time if you do it properly and commit yourself to the work involved. Parents are busy people and those who do their bit are pretty thin on the ground in my experience. It's not that onerous, but it is a commitment.

I don't know how happy I'd have been to do what I saw as a community service if I'd been put on a government list and subject to snooping into my religious affairs (not that I have any) or checked me against other databases.

This is daft, Roger.

The only thing that should be mandatory, in my less than humble, is a CRB check. End of. Anything else starts to look like state snooping, and christ knows we don't need to get Henry Porter any more excuses to start writing more more shit civil liberties articles for Rubbisher do we?

[utopiandreams]

Theresa May .....

This woman's incompetence knows no bounds - she has pissed off the police (unheard of in a Tory Home Sec); she has increased immigration; she has cocked up to an unprecedented degree and forced good people like Brodie Clark to resign.
She presided over the passports crisis, the borders staffing crisis, the attempted cover-up (allegedly) of an escaped terrorist, getting her dates wrong in the Abu Qatada debacle, and failing twice to get a chair for the CSA enquiry.

And some people seriously think she is PM material.

I'm bewildered too that people should think that, ephemerid, but then some think Boris would and others are happy with Dave. There really is no reasoning with some people. Anyway just opinion since I don't back it up, but there are also the problems at asylum centres, the manner in which she's curtailed foreign students (and the revenue they bring), deportation of professional people after five year visas plus the manner in which she has treated the families of some Britons. There were also the 'Go Home' vans, but then Tory supporters may probably have approved of those.

Edit: corrected there's and there was to the plural. Didn't bother me at first but really grated the next time I looked. Still, not really typos.

[pk1]

Ashcroft poll:

CON 33 (+2)
LAB 33 (+4)
LIB 8 (=)
UKIP 12 (-3)
GRN 5 (-3)

Populus poll:

Lab 33 (-1)
Con 31 (-)
LD 9 (-)
UKIP 16 (-1)
Greens 5 (-)

[StephenDolan]

LAP. 33% for Conservatives and Labour.

AK to (pretty please) explain how that tallies with the VI numbers of 214 v 240 respectively?

[AnatolyKasparov]

His usual "certainty to vote" weightings, presumably?

(haven't seen the details yet, tbh)

It confirms that the Tory "budget bounce" is still in full swing, anyway