Friday 27th March 2015

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 2:05 pm

Willow904 wrote:
mikems wrote:Yes, conditioned is better.
In that case the conditioning isn't working that well on young people as they asked really good questions on Ask the Leaders and Free Speech which elicited really informative answers. In fact Ed answered the brother question before on the Free Speech show, so had already formed a strong response. Meanwhile Cameron has been hiding from challenging interviews for the last 5 years and is therefore very rusty and it showed.

I always try to follow a Tweeter if they're young but it's probably understandable I don't have many on my timeline. It would have been good to have seen some Tweets with their viewpoints

What a lovely morning we've had. Clouding over a bit now though. All the verge side daffodils are in full flower and my young lilac tree is bursting with buds. My tiny lawn is a mess. There are bare muddy patches and pathways where the fox comes for her food and huge clumps of grass where she doesn't, so I'm not expecting miracles.

Been out for a little walk and mooched in some charity shops, but Mr Ohso isn't very mobile these days, so it has to be short but sweet.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 2:09 pm

Extracts from Ed Miliband's speech launching Labour’s General Election Campaign

...this election is not simply a choice between two different parties and two different leaders. But two different visions of our country. That Tory vision that says Britain succeeds when only a few at the top do well, with tax cuts for the very wealthiest and insecurity for everyone else. A Labour vision based on the idea that Britain only succeeds when working people succeed.

That’s why this election matters so much...we will always protect key departments like education and health...we will never, ever adopt extreme Tory spending plans that would lead to the disintegration of our public services. Because in a fair society there should never be one rule for the rich and powerful and another for everyone else. There should be one rule for all.

...Britain can’t succeed when working people are struggling, week after week, month after month. That’s something the Tories just don’t understand. By law under a Labour government, if you work regular hours you will get a regular contract.

David Cameron has broken his solemn vow to the British people when it comes to our National Health Service. And that is before their plan for the next few years. Cuts even deeper than any we have seen in this last five. And that’s not the future this Labour Party will ever allow.

We will repeal their terrible Health and Social Care Act. And let me tell you why. Their Act effectively forces the competitive tendering of services. A third of all contracts have gone to private providers since it was passed. ...it doesn’t serve the future of our NHS either. Privatisation of the NHS is no longer simply out of step with our principles, it is out of step with the needs of the time.

If the task of health care in the future is integrating services, bringing them together, the last thing we need is to fragment and privatise. Because it sets hospital against hospital, service against service. Privatisation cannot meet the needs of 21st century healthcare. With the next Labour government: We’ll scrap David Cameron’s market framework for the NHS and stop the tide of privatisation.

The NHS will be the preferred provider. No company working with the NHS will be able to profit by cherry picking: rejecting patients with the more complex and expensive needs for their own advantage. And, for the first time, we will cap the profits that private health companies can make from our National Health Service. Because the money we pay for our health care should be invested for patient care not for excess profits for private firms...here is where Labour stands on the NHS...

The Tories say: this as good as it gets.
We say: Britain can do better than this.
So as we go out to fight this election, just remember:
They’re the pessimists.
We’re the optimists.
Because we know Britain can do better than this.

And what did we see last night? We saw a rattled Prime Minister, running from his record.
And we heard a Prime Minister living in a different world.

Asked about the soaring use of food banks?
He says it’s not because of the bedroom tax or falling living standards or payday lenders.
It’s because of more effective advertising by the government.

Asked about the explosion of zero hours contracts?
He says it’s not because of the growth of low-paid insecure work on his watch.
It’s really because people want zero hours contracts.
But then he says, oh no, he couldn’t live on a zero hours contract.
I say, if it’s not good enough for you, Prime Minister, it’s not good enough for the people of Britain.

- Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, in a speech launching Labour’s General Election Campaign in Stratford - 27 March 2015

http://press.labour.org.uk/post/1147477 ... rs-general" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 2:16 pm

I mentioned this last night but take a look at the back end of the interview with Stuart Rose about his report on the NHS.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... k-26032015

At 18:22 onwards if the link doesn't go right.

i.e. it's been buried

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 2:18 pm

Glad to see the Scum weren't invited along to see Miliband today. Good.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 2:20 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
DaveHill ‏@DaveHill · 16m16 minutes ago
Why Boris Johnson could be bailing out as London mayor on Bonfire Night http://gu.com/p/47326" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I've asked Dave if this means Boris is volunteering to be the effigy at the Lewes Bonfire Night event. For some odd reason he hasn't responded ......

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 2:33 pm

A hospital trust has been branded inadequate by government inspectors.

A report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) today has given East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust the lowest rating available.

Inspectors visited the trust last September and made a return visit this week before releasing the report this morning.

The trust runs Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards and also provides community services across East Sussex.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11884518 ... nspectors/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Doubtless Stephen Lloyd (EDGH) & Amber Rudd (CH) will be all over the airwaves saying this has nothing to do with them since the HSCIC absolves them of any responsibility......

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 3:06 pm

Chris Bryant ‏@ChrisBryantMP 14m14 minutes ago
If you wanted to watch my speech yesterday to check whether someone shouted ‘shut up you queer’ - here at 12.58 http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Inde ... f981fcfbe8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Homophobia is alive and well in the Palace of Westminster.

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 3:15 pm

pk1 wrote:
Chris Bryant ‏@ChrisBryantMP 14m14 minutes ago
If you wanted to watch my speech yesterday to check whether someone shouted ‘shut up you queer’ - here at 12.58 http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Inde ... f981fcfbe8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
Homophobia is alive and well in the Palace of Westminster.

And how! 161 MPs voted against the equal marriage bill; for some it was undoubtedly a matter of conscience, but I suspect for many it was bigotry, pure and simple. And it isn't that long, relatively speaking, since Cameron fought and voted for the retention of Section 28.

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 3:15 pm

He can't help himself:

Cameron spends most of his time in London but confesses that he is deep down “a country boy”. He is happiest in his Witney constituency, as is his family. “We bought [our house] in 2001, it is falling apart because of Fathers for Justice clambering over my roof. The tiles are falling off, the window frames are rotten but I am happy there, we all are. I am a country boy at heart.”

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lon ... rnalSearch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Whoops, there he is telling big fat lies - again !

Prime Minister David Cameron today apologised to Fathers4Justice in the Evening Standard for wrongly accusing them of climbing on the roof of his Oxfordshire home. The Prime Minister had levelled the charge against the pressure group in an interview with the paper last week.

In a statement tonight, David Cameron said, “I’m sorry for any offence to them that may have been caused by what was a light-hearted remark.”

Fathers4Justice had sent a letter before action to Mr Cameron on 18th March asking him to publicly retract his comments. The group also say a member of the House of Lords raised the matter of the allegations in a meeting with them on Tuesday 24th March, and the group emailed MPs and Members of the House of Lords to address the allegations today.

Founder of Fathers4Justice, Matt O’Connor, tonight said, “We are taking legal advice on Mr Cameron’s response to see if it fully mitigates the harm done by these allegations. Fathers4Justice has been subject to a number of false allegations by Conservative MPs which we are also addressing.”

http://www.fathers-4-justice.org/prime- ... GI.twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ErnstRemarx · Post by **ErnstRemarx** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 4:00 pm

PorFavor wrote:As an aside -

Does anyone here remember "Do Not Adjust Your Set"? I was an avid watcher and thought it hilarious although, as I recall, it had a rather sinister tinge to it which probably added to my childhood fascination.

Yes. And yes, so was I. And yes, it was bloody sinister - a sort of League of Gentlemen for preteens.

tinybgoat · Post by **tinybgoat** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 4:55 pm

pk1 wrote:The only time Clegg will debate his opponents for the Sheffield Hallam seat can be viewed here:

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/vid ... -1-7178877" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yuck, now I'll have to add making me visit the SS website to
list of reasons to vote him out.

ErnstRemarx · Post by **ErnstRemarx** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:02 pm

As for the debates: well, we all knew that Miliband wasn't on a level playing field, and he's probably handled the 'brother' question a thousand times. He's battle hardened, and it showed. He's pretty quick on his feet and that showed too. Burley was a disgrace (as others have said) but he certainly held his own with Paxo who was back to something like his inquisitorial best.

I thought by contrast that Cameron was pretty wretched against Paxman, who gave him a right shoeing overall. Cameron had a better time with the vox pop, but some of teh questions were pathetic, and to invoke Ivan's memory again had me with a bit of sick in my mouth.

Overall, Cameron wasn't prepared for anything harsher than James Naughtie or Sarah Montague (or, in fact, dozens of other not so closet Tory hacks) gently soothing his brow, and that showed horribly. Miliband's used to having his interviewers behave appallingly towards him and ask the most derisive and irrelevant crap - he's had it constantly since 2010, and it's not going to stop any time soon.

I'd judge it a 3-1 away win to Miliband, and if the poll of undecideds is correct, he just did himself a heap of good.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:03 pm

Afternoon.
Am picking brains as usual.

My husband's flicked through next week's Radio Times and seen the preamble to the seven way debate.
He's asked me what did I know/think about Julie Etchingham and whether I thought she'd be a fair presenter.

Have to say I don't know her, just wonder what others think.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:19 pm

Ian ‏@Mancman10 20 mins20 minutes ago Manchester, England
New Guardian/ICM London poll:
LAB 42% (+5)
CON 32% (~3)
LDEM 9% (~13)
UKIP 9% (+7)
GRN 8% (+6)
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... are_btn_tw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … … Lab to gain 12+ MPs

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:19 pm

Harriet Yeo, ex-Labour NEC and sacked as a councillor for failing to do any work and neglecting her caseload, is the replacement for Janice Atkinson - and yes, we all know that already.

News today is that Harriet, who has nothing else to do on account of being sacked etc., failed to turn up for her very first hustings as a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.

With that sort of dedication, she'd be ideal as a UKIP MEP.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:26 pm

yahyah wrote:Afternoon.
Am picking brains as usual.

My husband's flicked through next week's Radio Times and seen the preamble to the seven way debate.
He's asked me what did I know/think about Julie Etchingham and whether I thought she'd be a fair presenter.

Have to say I don't know her, just wonder what others think.

I don't know her either, but she was once very rude to Cameron.

I can't remember who she was working for at the time, but apparently she asked him what his policy was on immigration, and when he'd done she forgot to turn her mike off and said "Extermination"!

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:35 pm

I recall her having to grovel about that

She used to present Newsround when she was younger, and ISTR her starting the show on 2 May 1997 with a big grin on her face - so maybe she is sound

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:40 pm

Thanks, will have fingers crossed. Not that I want her to favour Ed, just to be consistent and fair.

Natalie Bennett's been caught talking a little loudly...

''Advice from the unknown male adviser to ignore the ‘magnetic pull’ of barbed exchanges and to concentrate on delivering core Green messages by ‘imagining she was in a bubble’.''
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2015/03/g ... estaurant/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:41 pm

BTW where's Toby? Hope he's okay. Haven't seen him on Twitter lately.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 5:45 pm

ohsocynical wrote:BTW where's Toby? Hope he's okay. Haven't seen him on Twitter lately.

He seemed a little down a while back, after that ridiculous Mike Sivier business misrepresenting Rachel Reeves.
He seemed to feel he'd got caught up with the negative anti-Labour social media stuff, used an embarrassed face icon if I remember.
Hope he doesn't feel shame over it, it is easily done and it was most honest to admit he'd been suckered.

I was just thinking about him when I read the Political Scrapbook piece about Natalie Bennett, thinking what a great photoshop he could do of her in a green bubble.
He's brilliant with that stuff, quick as a flash and so funny.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:12 pm

I was going to PM him, but can't find him on the members list...

Ernst - Paul - Dan? Can you help?

diGriz · Post by **diGriz** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:18 pm

Conservative benefit cut options leaked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32084722

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:29 pm

ohsocynical wrote:BTW where's Toby? Hope he's okay. Haven't seen him on Twitter lately.

Just tried to look him up and discovered he has blocked me. Apparently I am the enemy. Go figure. #whatever

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:32 pm

Sheer class!! Karl Turner is a lucky man to have such support.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:36 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
minch wrote:
gilsey wrote:Observations.

1. Dave trotted out the same line that Sam Gyimah used on Tuesday, that they'd banned exclusive zerohours contracts. Have they? Did I blink and miss it?
The best I can find is http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/zero-h ... ep-closer/
The last line is telling.
He didn't say they'd banned ZH, but that they'd stopped exclusivity so now we're free to have as many ZH jobs at one time as we want.

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act received Royal Assent, yesterday; but the part about zero-hours/exclusivity (or any of the parts, really) wo'n't come into effect until the Regulations are fully written, and then only when the Guidance has been issued. 'Ping-pong' finished on Tuesday so Sam Gyimah was half-correct, in that it had cleared the Commons' part in proceedings, but also slightly premature. And Cameron could claim to have been technically correct, last night, in that Royal Assent had been granted. But I remember that it took around three years between the 'ASBO' becoming law and the Guidance finally being completed and issued to Local Authorities – the chief legal guy at ours said that a great part of his and his officers' time, then, was spent trying to explain to irate and distressed tenants why ASBOs couldn't be given out to those causing them trouble, even though there was 'A Law.'

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:39 pm

diGriz wrote:Conservative benefit cut options leaked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32084722

You can see how damaging this is by how quickly IDS was rushed out to pretend that it had nothing to do with the Conservatives.

Taxing disability benefit?!

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:39 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:BTW where's Toby? Hope he's okay. Haven't seen him on Twitter lately.
Just tried to look him up and discovered he has blocked me. Apparently I am the enemy. Go figure. #whatever

Oh dear.

I hope that after May 7th, if the Tories are allowed in, a lot of people will not ruefully realise that they've been fed a lot of militant bollocks.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:46 pm

Spacedone wrote:
diGriz wrote:Conservative benefit cut options leaked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32084722
You can see how damaging this is by how quickly IDS was rushed out to pretend that it had nothing to do with the Conservatives.

Taxing disability benefit?!

The idea of taxing disability benefit was floated not so long ago (by Iain Smith himself, if memory serves) so I fail to see how he or his party can come over all innocent.

utopiandreams · Post by **utopiandreams** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:46 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:Just looking at the valedictory stuff in the Commons...and look what Lansley says:

I was determined to do more—to achieve the reforms in the NHS that virtually all recent Secretaries of State knew were needed but had not been secured. Many say that I implemented a reorganisation of the NHS that I promised not to do. That is not true. The Conservative manifesto had no reference to “no top-down reorganisation”. I was elected on the Conservative manifesto and I delivered it,
Leaving aside the rather pathetic "well, the manifesto didn't say I couldn't" crap, let's see what the Coalition Agreement says.

We will stop the top-down reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care.
That's what Lansley was bound by not his party manifesto.

Which makes it all the more surprising that Cameron and Clegg allowed him to do so, Roger. Whatever Lansley's intentions Cameron must be held especially to blame... and Clegg for enabling them.

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 6:53 pm

PorFavor wrote:
Spacedone wrote:
diGriz wrote:Conservative benefit cut options leaked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32084722
You can see how damaging this is by how quickly IDS was rushed out to pretend that it had nothing to do with the Conservatives.

Taxing disability benefit?!

The idea of taxing disability benefit was floated not so long ago (by Iain Smith himself, if memory serves) so I fail to see how he or his party can come over all innocent.

It does appear that the only taxes the Tories like are the ones that hit those least able to afford them.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 7:26 pm

Toby's about in his other places, just not here right now.

Without breaking any confidences, I just want to say that perhaps he doesn't always make it clear just how difficult his life can be. He has a lot on his plate, and the fact he deals with it all with such humour most of the time is an inspiration to me.

I think quite a few of us are getting frazzled at the moment. I certainly am - and as you know, I've had my tantrums here too. Personally, I am actually very scared about the possibility that the Tories could win. God only knows how people like Toby are feeling.

This thing about benefits that was on the News this evening - none of this is particularly new.

The Tories will pretend these are just ideas and we all know they are ideas which someone has worked hard on - in other words, if IDS gets the chance, he'll be bargaining with Osborne about which ones he has to implement and which ones he doesn't.
As Maximus is already involved in UC, ESA, workfare, etc. I would expect more outsourcing and more of it going their way.
Getting rid of conts-based benefits is what UC is intended for. The only people who do not get means-tested are Support Group ESA; or people claiming conts-based JSA or ESA - and they are both time-limited already.

It seems to me that this is all aimed at getting people to take out private insurance - the state insurance won't pay out, will it?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - we have to get these bastards out.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 7:30 pm

PorFavor wrote:Ed Miliband, launching the manifesto at the Olympic Park East London, is announcing a cap on the profits that private providers will be allowed to make from the NHS. I think that's a shrewd way of encouraging them to piss off - after all, no cash mountain = no interest.

He looks fine, hale, hearty and vigorous (for those who may be concerned about his well-being).

I notice that there are still no takers for my Grant Shapps question which I posed earlier.

GS was doing the rounds of radio studios in London this morning. Does that constitute a regional tour? Probably does in his mind

Spacedone · Post by **Spacedone** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 7:35 pm

Another great CassetteBoy takedown of the Tories and UKIP. Catchy too.

[youtube]vbLGG5UGEKw[/youtube]

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 7:41 pm

ephemerid wrote:Toby's about in his other places, just not here right now.

Without breaking any confidences, I just want to say that perhaps he doesn't always make it clear just how difficult his life can be. He has a lot on his plate, and the fact he deals with it all with such humour most of the time is an inspiration to me.

I think quite a few of us are getting frazzled at the moment. I certainly am - and as you know, I've had my tantrums here too. Personally, I am actually very scared about the possibility that the Tories could win. God only knows how people like Toby are feeling.

This thing about benefits that was on the News this evening - none of this is particularly new.

The Tories will pretend these are just ideas and we all know they are ideas which someone has worked hard on - in other words, if IDS gets the chance, he'll be bargaining with Osborne about which ones he has to implement and which ones he doesn't.
As Maximus is already involved in UC, ESA, workfare, etc. I would expect more outsourcing and more of it going their way.
Getting rid of conts-based benefits is what UC is intended for. The only people who do not get means-tested are Support Group ESA; or people claiming conts-based JSA or ESA - and they are both time-limited already.

It seems to me that this is all aimed at getting people to take out private insurance - the state insurance won't pay out, will it?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - we have to get these bastards out.

I like and respect Toby. I liked and valued his posts when I still used the Other Place, I valued them here and I always appreciated his input & support on Twitter. So I'm a touch confused as to why he has seen fit to block me on Twitter.

And I'm sorry if I come across as prickly, or dismissive, or flippant but I'm beginning to get just a little tired of being painted as the enemy when there are real bastards to be ejected from office.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 7:45 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote: And I'm sorry if I come across as prickly, or dismissive, or flippant but I'm beginning to get just a little tired of being painted as the enemy when there are real bastards to be ejected from office.

I'm not a violent person, but it's getting to the point where I'd happily eject them from a 20th storey window.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 7:52 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
ephemerid wrote:Toby's about in his other places, just not here right now.

Without breaking any confidences, I just want to say that perhaps he doesn't always make it clear just how difficult his life can be. He has a lot on his plate, and the fact he deals with it all with such humour most of the time is an inspiration to me.

I think quite a few of us are getting frazzled at the moment. I certainly am - and as you know, I've had my tantrums here too. Personally, I am actually very scared about the possibility that the Tories could win. God only knows how people like Toby are feeling.

This thing about benefits that was on the News this evening - none of this is particularly new.

The Tories will pretend these are just ideas and we all know they are ideas which someone has worked hard on - in other words, if IDS gets the chance, he'll be bargaining with Osborne about which ones he has to implement and which ones he doesn't.
As Maximus is already involved in UC, ESA, workfare, etc. I would expect more outsourcing and more of it going their way.
Getting rid of conts-based benefits is what UC is intended for. The only people who do not get means-tested are Support Group ESA; or people claiming conts-based JSA or ESA - and they are both time-limited already.

It seems to me that this is all aimed at getting people to take out private insurance - the state insurance won't pay out, will it?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - we have to get these bastards out.
I like and respect Toby. I liked and valued his posts when I still used the Other Place, I valued them here and I always appreciated his input & support on Twitter. So I'm a touch confused as to why he has seen fit to block me on Twitter.

And I'm sorry if I come across as prickly, or dismissive, or flippant but I'm beginning to get just a little tired of being painted as the enemy when there are real bastards to be ejected from office.

I don't think you do come across like that.

But then I've reacted to various people who have actually not been like that either and upset 'em.

for you.

And another for Toby, if you're watching

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 7:54 pm

ephemerid wrote:Toby's about in his other places, just not here right now.

Without breaking any confidences, I just want to say that perhaps he doesn't always make it clear just how difficult his life can be. He has a lot on his plate, and the fact he deals with it all with such humour most of the time is an inspiration to me.

I think quite a few of us are getting frazzled at the moment. I certainly am - and as you know, I've had my tantrums here too. Personally, I am actually very scared about the possibility that the Tories could win. God only knows how people like Toby are feeling.

This thing about benefits that was on the News this evening - none of this is particularly new.

The Tories will pretend these are just ideas and we all know they are ideas which someone has worked hard on - in other words, if IDS gets the chance, he'll be bargaining with Osborne about which ones he has to implement and which ones he doesn't.
As Maximus is already involved in UC, ESA, workfare, etc. I would expect more outsourcing and more of it going their way.
Getting rid of conts-based benefits is what UC is intended for. The only people who do not get means-tested are Support Group ESA; or people claiming conts-based JSA or ESA - and they are both time-limited already.

It seems to me that this is all aimed at getting people to take out private insurance - the state insurance won't pay out, will it?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - we have to get these bastards out.

I noticed the bit about cutting carers allowance and only making it payable if a family is on UC?

That is awful...I remember when my dad became really ill. I had my own business at the time but only opened my shop three days a week because of being a carer, but I had to give up the premises when his condition worsened and just trade at Sunday markets which meant a big drop in my income. Although Mr Ohso was working he wasn't well paid and we needed my earnings too.

The allowance although it nowhere near compensated, was, as I understood it at the time, to top up a loss in earnings. In the end I gave up my business completely because I simply didn't have the time or [by then] health, but the allowance on its own wasn't enough so in between heart attacks I took a cleaning job in a nearby school which was after Mr Ohso got home from work. That way we were covered for watching dad.

There must be hundreds of thousands of families in the same sort of position...How on earth is cutting their allowance going to help keep the old in their own homes?

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 8:15 pm

Cllr Ann Sinnott ‏@AnnMSinnott 19 mins19 minutes ago
Latest Populus poll:
Lab 33
Con 31
UKIP 16
LD 9
Greens 5
Others 6

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 8:35 pm

pk1 wrote:He can't help himself:

Cameron spends most of his time in London but confesses that he is deep down “a country boy”. He is happiest in his Witney constituency, as is his family. “We bought [our house] in 2001, it is falling apart because of Fathers for Justice clambering over my roof. The tiles are falling off, the window frames are rotten but I am happy there, we all are. I am a country boy at heart.”
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lon ... rnalSearch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Whoops, there he is telling big fat lies - again !

Prime Minister David Cameron today apologised to Fathers4Justice in the Evening Standard for wrongly accusing them of climbing on the roof of his Oxfordshire home. The Prime Minister had levelled the charge against the pressure group in an interview with the paper last week.

In a statement tonight, David Cameron said, “I’m sorry for any offence to them that may have been caused by what was a light-hearted remark.”

Fathers4Justice had sent a letter before action to Mr Cameron on 18th March asking him to publicly retract his comments. The group also say a member of the House of Lords raised the matter of the allegations in a meeting with them on Tuesday 24th March, and the group emailed MPs and Members of the House of Lords to address the allegations today.

Founder of Fathers4Justice, Matt O’Connor, tonight said, “We are taking legal advice on Mr Cameron’s response to see if it fully mitigates the harm done by these allegations. Fathers4Justice has been subject to a number of false allegations by Conservative MPs which we are also addressing.”
http://www.fathers-4-justice.org/prime- ... GI.twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

D'you know, even if Fathers4Justice had clambered all over his roof, knocking a few tiles off it, they certainly couldn't have been responsible for his bloody window-frames rotting! The man is independently wealthy, his wife has a pretty enormous income; can they not afford to maintain the place properly?

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 8:38 pm

LadyCentauria wrote:
pk1 wrote:He can't help himself:

Cameron spends most of his time in London but confesses that he is deep down “a country boy”. He is happiest in his Witney constituency, as is his family. “We bought [our house] in 2001, it is falling apart because of Fathers for Justice clambering over my roof. The tiles are falling off, the window frames are rotten but I am happy there, we all are. I am a country boy at heart.”
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lon ... rnalSearch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Whoops, there he is telling big fat lies - again !

Prime Minister David Cameron today apologised to Fathers4Justice in the Evening Standard for wrongly accusing them of climbing on the roof of his Oxfordshire home. The Prime Minister had levelled the charge against the pressure group in an interview with the paper last week.

In a statement tonight, David Cameron said, “I’m sorry for any offence to them that may have been caused by what was a light-hearted remark.”

Fathers4Justice had sent a letter before action to Mr Cameron on 18th March asking him to publicly retract his comments. The group also say a member of the House of Lords raised the matter of the allegations in a meeting with them on Tuesday 24th March, and the group emailed MPs and Members of the House of Lords to address the allegations today.

Founder of Fathers4Justice, Matt O’Connor, tonight said, “We are taking legal advice on Mr Cameron’s response to see if it fully mitigates the harm done by these allegations. Fathers4Justice has been subject to a number of false allegations by Conservative MPs which we are also addressing.”
http://www.fathers-4-justice.org/prime- ... GI.twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
D'you know, even if Fathers4Justice had clambered all over his roof, knocking a few tiles off it, they certainly couldn't have been responsible for his bloody window-frames rotting! The man is independently wealthy, his wife has a pretty enormous income; can they not afford to maintain the place properly?

The reason they have so much money is because they are incredibly mean.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 8:46 pm

Our son rang today. Bracknell Forest Council's landscape team was put out to tender. A French company won the contract and today the men who've been in the job for years and the only ones on a proper contract, were made redundant.

A couple are only a few years off retirement. Another lost his wife less than a year ago.
I wonder how they'll cope with the Job Centre.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 8:48 pm

Interesting story about a contract for a new titan prison.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015 ... reen-light" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What I found interesting is the bit right at the bottom.

The new prison is to have a phased opening from February 2017 and will be run by the public prison service.

Either no private sector company would touch it or they've actually taken note of the appalling mess the ones already in private hands have been.

Good news whatever the reason.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 8:55 pm

OhSo - CA has always been one of the 6 benefits included in UC.

What would be new here would be if the existing CA claimants had their payment stopped because they're not on UC. I doubt even IDS would do that, but you never know....
Under UC the household is means-tested - first all the entitlements under UC and any other income are added up; the final figure will be cut if it is over the benefit cap (which is likely to fall to £23K) and that includes HB, plus pensions if there's an OAP in a household claiming UC.

Carers may well lose out under UC anyway - what I suspect will happen is that as new claims are made, carers will be expected to claim UC much as new JSA claimants are now. I don't think people realise what's about to hit them - it's going to be dreadful for some people.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 9:32 pm

Goodnight, everyone.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 9:38 pm

Spacedone wrote:
diGriz wrote:Conservative benefit cut options leaked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32084722
You can see how damaging this is by how quickly IDS was rushed out to pretend that it had nothing to do with the Conservatives.

Taxing disability benefit?!

Exactly. DLA and PIP are both tax-free allowances and not taken into account when calculating (most?) income-based/means-tested benefits including Housing Benefit.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 9:38 pm

Goodnight, PF
love
cJA

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 9:57 pm

ohsocynical wrote:Our son rang today. Bracknell Forest Council's landscape team was put out to tender. A French company won the contract and today the men who've been in the job for years and the only ones on a proper contract, were made redundant.

A couple are only a few years off retirement. Another lost his wife less than a year ago.
I wonder how they'll cope with the Job Centre.

That's awful news, Ohso

Are jobs no longer TUPEd over or does it just not count in some circumstances?

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 10:02 pm

Sarah Champion MP ‏@SarahChampionMP 5 mins5 minutes ago
@Angel_Devil982:

Ed Miliband will take part in UK campaign tour. How can supporters find out locations? X”>I'll find out & let you know

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 10:11 pm

Wow, Tory MPs are complaining because the BBC didn't declare Cameron a clear winner from last night

How pathetic can you get.

And I see everyone's (C4 News 'investigation') getting all excited about an MPs expenses story that was first run over two years ago!

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 27 Mar, 2015 10:20 pm

LadyCentauria wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:Our son rang today. Bracknell Forest Council's landscape team was put out to tender. A French company won the contract and today the men who've been in the job for years and the only ones on a proper contract, were made redundant.

A couple are only a few years off retirement. Another lost his wife less than a year ago.
I wonder how they'll cope with the Job Centre.
That's awful news, Ohso Are jobs no longer TUPEd over or does it just not count in some circumstances?

It seems not. They have a union rep but these days their hands are tied. Lots of employment rights have been watered down.
My husband used to be part of the team and I'm so glad he's retired and we haven't had to go through it. It's shattering for men when they lose their jobs like that.

The company probably thinks it's easier to begin with fresh staff. Probably want to make all sorts of changes. I guess they think it's easier to train new guys in. And of course the council were already using WorkFare and 'apprentices' rather than properly replace staff that left. It tends to reduce efficiency because of training and health and safety when you're working with untrained staff.

The most hurtful thing for Mr Ohso was he recently met a youngster who had been taken on landscape as an apprentice. He was desperate to learn and stay in that sort of work. Most of his money was going on travel but he said it would be worth it if they kept him on. Mr Ohso was really impressed with him. We're wondering what's going to happen to the poor little devil.

It's not right that our young are being used so badly.