Thursday 11th June 2015

Post by **refitman** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 7:02 am

Good morning.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:18 am

Not so good morning, I think.

Osborne's planning to slash tax credits, there are rumours circulating that the Chinese will be building the new Hinkley power station rather than the French and Peston passed up an excellent opportunity this morning to link a point he made about household indebtedness making the UK more vulnerable to the 2008 crash to the fact that Osborne's surplus plans depend on households taking on record amounts of debt. I'm a bit disappointed with Peston as it's the kind of logical point I would expect him to make and it's not speculative, the numbers were in the Autumn statement.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:27 am

Alex Forrest ‏@_alexforrest 3h3 hours ago
BBC claims Osborne considering £5bn cuts to child tax credits. So how will he 'persuade' firms to increase wages? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33089711" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

He won't. Agree with Willow - this is bad news. More punishment of people who have done nothing wrong - are just poor - by the man who is shelving inheritance tax.

Many of these people may well have voted for the Tories - believing scare stories by them about Labour and chaos, or the wicked SNP making Labour dance to their tune. Now they are going to be part of the Tory chaos - which is only visited on the poorest, most vulnerable and those with little or no power.

One nation - my arse.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:29 am

David Maddox ‏@DavidPBMaddox 7h7 hours ago
Finding it hard to keep up but SNP will now put an amendment down for #FFA http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/scotlan ... -1-3798325" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

I'm now utterly confused.

Are they putting this amendment down in the hopes it will get through ... or in the hopes that it won't so they've got something to shout about being terribly unfair and proving the treachery of virtually everyone else at Westminster?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:32 am

Torcuil Crichton retweeted
Francis Elliott ‏@elliotttimes 9h9 hours ago
Francis Elliott retweeted Times News
EVEL to be introduced as early as next week. Cameron's first big showdown with SNP since GE and a new front w right

Oh blimey. My heart sinks for foxes in England and Wales.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:35 am

Guardian news ‏@guardiannews 9h9 hours ago
Steve Bell on George Osborne's Mansion House speech – cartoon http://t.gu.com/O9xIc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's a good un.

tinybgoat · Post by **tinybgoat** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:39 am

Willow904 wrote:Not so good morning, I think.

Osborne's planning to slash tax credits, there are rumours circulating that the Chinese will be building the new Hinkley power station rather than the French and Peston passed up an excellent opportunity this morning to link a point he made about household indebtedness making the UK more vulnerable to the 2008 crash to the fact that Osborne's surplus plans depend on households taking on record amounts of debt. I'm a bit disappointed with Peston as it's the kind of logical point I would expect him to make and it's not speculative, the numbers were in the Autumn statement.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... rance.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A €9 billion (£6.5bn) new-generation French nuclear power plant – the same model
sold to Britain – may have to be scrapped due to a faulty steel reactor vessel at risk of
splitting.
It was supposed to be France's atomic energy showcase abroad, but the European
Pressurised Reactor, or EPR, is threatening to turn into a nuclear nightmare with an
astronomical price tag.

Remember seeing some headlines about this,
but didn't take any notice at the time,
but it questions whether the technology is even going to be ready.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:46 am

tinybgoat wrote:
Willow904 wrote:Not so good morning, I think.

Osborne's planning to slash tax credits, there are rumours circulating that the Chinese will be building the new Hinkley power station rather than the French and Peston passed up an excellent opportunity this morning to link a point he made about household indebtedness making the UK more vulnerable to the 2008 crash to the fact that Osborne's surplus plans depend on households taking on record amounts of debt. I'm a bit disappointed with Peston as it's the kind of logical point I would expect him to make and it's not speculative, the numbers were in the Autumn statement.

[ul] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... rance.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/ul]

A €9 billion (£6.5bn) new-generation French nuclear power plant – the same model
sold to Britain – may have to be scrapped due to a faulty steel reactor vessel at risk of
splitting.
It was supposed to be France's atomic energy showcase abroad, but the European
Pressurised Reactor, or EPR, is threatening to turn into a nuclear nightmare with an
astronomical price tag.

Remember seeing some headlines about this,
but didn't take any notice at the time,
but it questions whether the technology is even going to be ready.

I think the problems found with the French plant were so big ... it was reported that it effectively knocked the Hinkley deal sideways and some were saying it wouldn't go ahead at all.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 8:54 am

It's time for Labour and the Liberal Democrats to talk about a merger
The reconfiguration of Scottish politics means a rethink is needed in England and Wales.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... out-merger" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is from Jamie Reed MP - urging us to think the unthinkable as the state of our nation/s and politics are irrevocably changed. Pointing to how many of the Labour / Lib Dem policies were similar or overlapped at last election ... the monumental tasks for both parties in rebuilding ... even harder tasks of getting back in to power to represent the majorities that the Tories don't represent ... and of working together.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 9:01 am

MichaelWhite retweeted
Red North ‏@RednorthUK 13h13 hours ago
@MichaelWhite BMJ condemns ‘coercive and punitive’ use of psychological tests & training on claimants http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3 ... -claimants" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … …

Eric_WLothian · Post by **Eric_WLothian** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 9:25 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
David Maddox ‏@DavidPBMaddox 7h7 hours ago
Finding it hard to keep up but SNP will now put an amendment down for #FFA http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/scotlan ... -1-3798325" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
I'm now utterly confused.

Are they putting this amendment down in the hopes it will get through ... or in the hopes that it won't so they've got something to shout about being terribly unfair and proving the treachery of virtually everyone else at Westminster?

Looks like the "I must not disagree with the party line" clause, that all the SNP MPs signed up to, is falling apart already. They could be in real trouble if they get FFA, as Bill Jamieson points out:

The belief that Scotland is a nation comfortable with rates of tax higher than in the rest of the UK has yet to be put to the test. But that test is now fast approaching.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/bill-jamie ... -1-3798822

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 9:54 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
tinybgoat wrote:
Willow904 wrote:Not so good morning, I think.

Osborne's planning to slash tax credits, there are rumours circulating that the Chinese will be building the new Hinkley power station rather than the French and Peston passed up an excellent opportunity this morning to link a point he made about household indebtedness making the UK more vulnerable to the 2008 crash to the fact that Osborne's surplus plans depend on households taking on record amounts of debt. I'm a bit disappointed with Peston as it's the kind of logical point I would expect him to make and it's not speculative, the numbers were in the Autumn statement.

[ul] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... rance.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/ul]

A €9 billion (£6.5bn) new-generation French nuclear power plant – the same model
sold to Britain – may have to be scrapped due to a faulty steel reactor vessel at risk of
splitting.
It was supposed to be France's atomic energy showcase abroad, but the European
Pressurised Reactor, or EPR, is threatening to turn into a nuclear nightmare with an
astronomical price tag.

Remember seeing some headlines about this,
but didn't take any notice at the time,
but it questions whether the technology is even going to be ready.
I think the problems found with the French plant were so big ... it was reported that it effectively knocked the Hinkley deal sideways and some were saying it wouldn't go ahead at all.

I had hoped that the collapse on the French side would put an end to the whole deal, as I was very worried about the dodgy Chinese financing. To discover we may still be stuck with the dodgy Chinese financing plus dodgy Chinese nuclear technology as well....it's the worst of all worlds. I accept nuclear power may be necessary given the complete lack of forward planning, energy wise, but if we have to do it I feel very strongly that it should be paid for by the UK government, even if we no longer have the skills to build reactors, because that way we stay in complete control of this vital piece of energy infrastructure. I remain bewildered that the Conservatives of all people are so blase about handing over control of vital UK infrastructure to the communist Chinese government.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 10:38 am

Good morfternoon (and goodnight - but not necessarily in that order).

Fiona Millar @schooltruth

Getting fed up of [?] Labour shadow ministers disowning any responsibility for the election defeat. Can't face voting for any of them.
8:44 AM - 9 Jun 2015 (Politics Blog, Guardian)

I have some sympathy for that viewpoint - although Andy Burnham is not quite as bad on this front as some of the runners in the contest.

Interesting point made by Andrew Sparrow, later in the Blog, that the lovely Liz Kendall might be poised to pull a rabbit out of the hat, later, re the "do you support a break-clause?" question. I wouldn't trust her not to find a way to finagle her way out of it, even if she did come out in support of one. Still, I won't be voting for her, whatever she says.

Edited

"later" for "earlier"

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 10:48 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
It's time for Labour and the Liberal Democrats to talk about a merger
The reconfiguration of Scottish politics means a rethink is needed in England and Wales.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... out-merger" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is from Jamie Reed MP - urging us to think the unthinkable as the state of our nation/s and politics are irrevocably changed. Pointing to how many of the Labour / Lib Dem policies were similar or overlapped at last election ... the monumental tasks for both parties in rebuilding ... even harder tasks of getting back in to power to represent the majorities that the Tories don't represent ... and of working together.

Must admit I had similar heretical thoughts the day after the election - since the "Blue Liberals" decamped to the Tories en masse the remaining LibDem rump vote is mostly centre-left.

TechnicalEphemera · Post by **TechnicalEphemera** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 10:57 am

Eric_WLothian wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
David Maddox ‏@DavidPBMaddox 7h7 hours ago
Finding it hard to keep up but SNP will now put an amendment down for #FFA http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/scotlan ... -1-3798325" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
I'm now utterly confused.

Are they putting this amendment down in the hopes it will get through ... or in the hopes that it won't so they've got something to shout about being terribly unfair and proving the treachery of virtually everyone else at Westminster?
Looks like the "I must not disagree with the party line" clause, that all the SNP MPs signed up to, is falling apart already. They could be in real trouble if they get FFA, as Bill Jamieson points out:

The belief that Scotland is a nation comfortable with rates of tax higher than in the rest of the UK has yet to be put to the test. But that test is now fast approaching.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/bill-jamie ... -1-3798822

Since Labour doesn't need to vote to stop FFA and hasn't got the votes to force it through, it should simply abstain and hope the Tories accept the amendment.

Which they won't as the SNP would implode handing Labour back its Scottish seats.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 10:59 am

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
It's time for Labour and the Liberal Democrats to talk about a merger
The reconfiguration of Scottish politics means a rethink is needed in England and Wales.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... out-merger" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is from Jamie Reed MP - urging us to think the unthinkable as the state of our nation/s and politics are irrevocably changed. Pointing to how many of the Labour / Lib Dem policies were similar or overlapped at last election ... the monumental tasks for both parties in rebuilding ... even harder tasks of getting back in to power to represent the majorities that the Tories don't represent ... and of working together.
Must admit I had similar heretical thoughts the day after the election - since the "Blue Liberals" decamped to the Tories en masse the remaining LibDem rump vote is mostly centre-left.

Unfortunately the Social Democratic and Labour Party is already taken!
Meanwhile Australia has a Democratic Labour Party that opposes neoliberalism - I rather like the sound of that.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 11:02 am

Well that is a change if true - the historic DLP in Australia was a centrist breakaway from the ALP heavily influenced by Catholicism and anti-Communism.

(and by ordering their supporters to preference Labor's opponents, helped keep them out of national power for over two decades)

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 11:03 am

TechnicalEphemera wrote:
Eric_WLothian wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote: I'm now utterly confused.

Are they putting this amendment down in the hopes it will get through ... or in the hopes that it won't so they've got something to shout about being terribly unfair and proving the treachery of virtually everyone else at Westminster?
Looks like the "I must not disagree with the party line" clause, that all the SNP MPs signed up to, is falling apart already. They could be in real trouble if they get FFA, as Bill Jamieson points out:

The belief that Scotland is a nation comfortable with rates of tax higher than in the rest of the UK has yet to be put to the test. But that test is now fast approaching.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/bill-jamie ... -1-3798822
Since Labour doesn't need to vote to stop FFA and hasn't got the votes to force it through, it should simply abstain and hope the Tories accept the amendment.

Which they won't as the SNP would implode handing Labour back its Scottish seats.

Seems fair enough. The Scottish have made it clear they don't want Labour to represent them in Westminster, so why shouldn't Labour abstain and let the SNP and the Tories thrash it out amongst themselves.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 11:06 am

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Well that is a change if true - the historic DLP in Australia was a centrist breakaway from the ALP heavily influenced by Catholicism and anti-Communism.

(and by ordering their supporters to preference Labor's opponents, helped keep them out of national power for over two decades)

Oh I think they're still very conservative and anti-abortion. It's only the anti-neoliberalism bit that I like the sound of!

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 11:56 am

Willow904 wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote: This is from Jamie Reed MP - urging us to think the unthinkable as the state of our nation/s and politics are irrevocably changed. Pointing to how many of the Labour / Lib Dem policies were similar or overlapped at last election ... the monumental tasks for both parties in rebuilding ... even harder tasks of getting back in to power to represent the majorities that the Tories don't represent ... and of working together.
Must admit I had similar heretical thoughts the day after the election - since the "Blue Liberals" decamped to the Tories en masse the remaining LibDem rump vote is mostly centre-left.
Unfortunately the Social Democratic and Labour Party is already taken!
Meanwhile Australia has a Democratic Labour Party that opposes neoliberalism - I rather like the sound of that.

How about The People's Popular Front?

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 11:58 am

Willow904 wrote:
TechnicalEphemera wrote:
Eric_WLothian wrote: Looks like the "I must not disagree with the party line" clause, that all the SNP MPs signed up to, is falling apart already. They could be in real trouble if they get FFA, as Bill Jamieson points out:

Since Labour doesn't need to vote to stop FFA and hasn't got the votes to force it through, it should simply abstain and hope the Tories accept the amendment.

Which they won't as the SNP would implode handing Labour back its Scottish seats.
Seems fair enough. The Scottish have made it clear they don't want Labour to represent them in Westminster, so why shouldn't Labour abstain and let the SNP and the Tories thrash it out amongst themselves.

I keep thinking what would Ed have done?

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 12:10 pm

John Healey has withdrawn from the Labour deputy leadership contest - even though he had 20 MPs backing him already.

Increases the chances that Stella C will get onto the ballot

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 12:12 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
Willow904 wrote:
TechnicalEphemera wrote: Since Labour doesn't need to vote to stop FFA and hasn't got the votes to force it through, it should simply abstain and hope the Tories accept the amendment.

Which they won't as the SNP would implode handing Labour back its Scottish seats.
Seems fair enough. The Scottish have made it clear they don't want Labour to represent them in Westminster, so why shouldn't Labour abstain and let the SNP and the Tories thrash it out amongst themselves.
I keep thinking what would Ed have done?

The right thing, I suspect. In this case I'm guessing that would mean voting against FFA as it wouldn't be in the best interests of the Scottish people. Damn. Integrity may make decision making rather more straightforward, but it isn't exactly the easiest path to electoral victory, is it? My plan to let the Scots stew in their own juice is very tempting, but you're right, Ed would most definitely not approve - nearly 50% of Scottish people didn't vote for the SNP. Labour MPs should vote in their interests, regardless of political ramifications for the party.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 12:24 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:John Healey has withdrawn from the Labour deputy leadership contest - even though he had 20 MPs backing him already.

Increases the chances that Stella C will get onto the ballot

I notice Stella Creasy has an endorsement from Dan Jarvis. I'm actually quite inclined to both his choices as Andy Burnham still seems my most likely choice for leader. I'm not as anti Kendall as some, I think she's being 'interpreted' by the media rather a lot to her disadvantage with Labour members which may not be entirely fair but does reflect her lack of experience, which is what I'm most concerned about with her. For instance, saying she has nothing against 'surpluses' really isn't a right-wing or controversial thing to say, who is against 'surpluses' after all? The problem is in saying it she seems to support Osborne's proposals to achieve that surplus and even if that's not the case, it's the kiss of death, isn't it? She should have said she doesn't support surpluses that are achieved by expanding household debt as Osborne's proposing - at least I hope she doesn't support that.....!
You may notice I haven't mentioned Cooper. That's because she hasn't made an impression on me yet. At all - good or bad. When she does, I'll start to form an opinion, but until then I'm pretty neutral.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 12:45 pm

Wales National Survey: People 'highly satisfied' with public services

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-33093265

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 1:29 pm

Afternoon! Have got loads of reading and posting to do and looking forward to it but this is one thing that caught my eye and I thought could interest some of the heavy readers here! (I haven't finished reading yet).

On the G article for yesterday "George Osborne signals RBS selloff in Mansion House speech"
http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... use-speech
I saw this comment where some commenters were arguing about the bail out:

daveru07 16h ago
A report produced by the Conservative Party in 2007 – endorsed by Cameron – called ‘Freeing Britain to Compete‘ recommended that a vast range of regulations on the financial services industry should either be abolished or watered down, including money-laundering restrictions affecting banks and building societies. The report also saw “no need to continue to regulate mortgage provision“, saying it is the lender, not the client, who takes the risk.

: 2015-06-11_125925.jpg (109.3 KiB) Viewed 15671 times

I must admit that I can't remember hearing of this report before but it's one of those files that is missing from the Tory site now following its "cleansing", although a brief summary file of it can be found on a Google search! Luckily, I found a Guardian image for the whole report which I've saved to my hard drive now!
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/P ... mplete.pdf

(If you follow the link, it may give an error, but continue anyway as it's a big file and it did work for me).

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 1:35 pm

@giselle97

Ah, that's the report which goes with an item from Con Home which I keep in a folder called Inconvenient Truths.

Redwood urges bonfire of regulations

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/toryd ... ges-b.html

The Sunday Telegraph has a preview of the major recommendations of John Redwood's competitiveness report:

The scrapping of working time regulations and, even more controversially, all data protection laws, which the report will say are an "expensive bureaucracy which fails to protect people's data".

Less regulation of the financial services industry - including deregulation of the mortgage industry.

Less Health & Safety burdens on care homes in order to increase the number of places for elderly and disabled people.

Easing of regulations that govern how firms make employees redundant.

The scrapping of Home Information Packs.

Britain should opt out of the EU directive on food supplements.

"Charities offering bingo competitions or raffles should no longer need a gaming licence."
An end of IR35.

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 1:39 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:@giselle97

Ah, that's the report which goes with an item from Con Home which I keep in a folder called Inconvenient Truths.

Redwood urges bonfire of regulations

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/toryd ... ges-b.html

The Sunday Telegraph has a preview of the major recommendations of John Redwood's competitiveness report:

The scrapping of working time regulations and, even more controversially, all data protection laws, which the report will say are an "expensive bureaucracy which fails to protect people's data".

Less regulation of the financial services industry - including deregulation of the mortgage industry.

Less Health & Safety burdens on care homes in order to increase the number of places for elderly and disabled people.

Easing of regulations that govern how firms make employees redundant.

The scrapping of Home Information Packs.

Britain should opt out of the EU directive on food supplements.

"Charities offering bingo competitions or raffles should no longer need a gaming licence."
An end of IR35.

All helps the rich and all hurts the poor. The man's an arse.

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 1:43 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:@giselle97

Ah, that's the report which goes with an item from Con Home which I keep in a folder called Inconvenient Truths.

Redwood urges bonfire of regulations

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/toryd ... ges-b.html

The Sunday Telegraph has a preview of the major recommendations of John Redwood's competitiveness report:

The scrapping of working time regulations and, even more controversially, all data protection laws, which the report will say are an "expensive bureaucracy which fails to protect people's data".

Less regulation of the financial services industry - including deregulation of the mortgage industry.

Less Health & Safety burdens on care homes in order to increase the number of places for elderly and disabled people.

Easing of regulations that govern how firms make employees redundant.

The scrapping of Home Information Packs.

Britain should opt out of the EU directive on food supplements.

"Charities offering bingo competitions or raffles should no longer need a gaming licence."
An end of IR35.

Great! Did you have the report as well? And here's the other Conservative Home blog.
http://www.conservativehome.com/platfor ... -mp-2.html
What a good name for a folder "Inconvenient Truths". I have one like that. It's called "Lies"!

tinybgoat · Post by **tinybgoat** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 1:53 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
David Maddox ‏@DavidPBMaddox 7h7 hours ago
Finding it hard to keep up but SNP will now put an amendment down for #FFA http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/scotlan ... -1-3798325" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
I'm now utterly confused.

Are they putting this amendment down in the hopes it will get through ... or in the hopes that it won't so they've got something to shout about being terribly unfair and proving the treachery of virtually everyone else at Westminster?

Maybe they really do want it?

Murphy accuses the author and other critics of the policy of ignoring a section of the SNP
manifesto which refers to innovative finance mechanisms. “It is my belief that they are
referring to green infrastructure quantitative easing,” he says, indicating the SNP could use
potential post-election bargaining power to push for the printing of new money to pay for
investments.
If the SNP pursued an agenda of green investment quantitative easing, Murphy argues, “the
rest of the UK will be in their debt if they do, but only metaphorically, because the miracle of
quantitative easing is that at the end of the day there is no debt at all.”

https://www.holyrood.com/articles/news/ ... ax-adviser

Seems to rest on idea of "green infrastructure quantitative easing"

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015 ... ould-work/

Sounds fun,
(will read it again & see if it makes sense, my depth economic understanding is based on Richard Scarrys "what people do all day" busytown book)

giselle97 · Post by **giselle97** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 1:56 pm

As I've still got to catch up, apologies if this is a repeat.

Credit to @showmaster

Universal Credit costs will not be revealed until after general election
A DWP spokeswoman said the department would publish its whole-life cost estimate for Universal Credit in the next Cabinet Office Major Projects Authority (MPA) annual report in June 2015. She said the DWP was not prepared to release the number sooner.

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240 ... l-election

It is June 2015 now, isn't it? I can't find anything on https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ma ... blications).

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 1:59 pm

feather ‏@oohincensed 16 hours ago

Monsanto comes to UK>Osborne cut corporation tax to 20%>generous rules on tax of overseas subsidiaries based in UK .

Be afraid. Be very, afraid.

thatchersorphan · Post by **thatchersorphan** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 2:26 pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33092329" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Turn benefits into repayable loan, says Tory group

Will they still be able to force people to do workfare for a 'loan'?

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 2:43 pm

thatchersorphan wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33092329 Turn benefits into repayable loan, says Tory group

Will they still be able to force people to do workfare for a 'loan'?

Mr Kwarteng's book argues for a more radical shrinking of the welfare state to return it to the contributory principle envisioned by its founder Sir William Beveridge - that you only get out what you have paid in.

That's the same Beveridge who worked within the framework of full employment and mass social housing?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 2:43 pm

thatchersorphan wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33092329 Turn benefits into repayable loan, says Tory group

Will they still be able to force people to do workfare for a 'loan'?

They seem to be able to force people to do workfare for less than the equivalent of the minimum wage ... and let's face it, they're dab hands at changing legislation to fit their punishments - oops, policies.

Can't see much to incentivise people getting back into low paid work if they are then going to have to pay back a 'benefits loan' from their meagre earnings.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 2:45 pm

Sebastian Payne ‏@SebastianEPayne 11m11 minutes ago
Andy Burnham tells @standardnews he’ll help others make ballot. Here’s how and why he might assist Jeremy Corbyn http://specc.ie/1F8z9me" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 2:46 pm

thatchersorphan wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33092329 Turn benefits into repayable loan, says Tory group

Will they still be able to force people to do workfare for a 'loan'?

I can't see being able to afford to pay back SS unemployment payments if they are pushing ZH and low pay.

I wonder if a debtors prison is on the drawing board?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 2:56 pm

AndrewSparrow ‏@AndrewSparrow 2h2 hours ago
No 10 suggests gvt will reject Anderson's call for ministers to lose interception warrant power - http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blo ... 52ce137581" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Let battle commence. I hope there are enough decent Tories to make Cameron's majority disappear on this. Anderson sounded eminently sensible talking on the World At One. Apparently there's only one other country that allows ministers to authorise intercepts without the courts - Zimbabwe. Says it all.

Teresa May alone authorised over 2,000 intercepts last year. That's 7 or 8 a day.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:08 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Sebastian Payne ‏@SebastianEPayne 11m11 minutes ago
Andy Burnham tells @standardnews he’ll help others make ballot. Here’s how and why he might assist Jeremy Corbyn http://specc.ie/1F8z9me" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The right thing to do - hopefully he helps ensure you know who appears on the deputy ballot as well

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:10 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
thatchersorphan wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33092329 Turn benefits into repayable loan, says Tory group

Will they still be able to force people to do workfare for a 'loan'?
I can't see being able to afford to pay back SS unemployment payments if they are pushing ZH and low pay.

I wonder if a debtors prison is on the drawing board?

Given the problems with student loans being paid back, no chance of this happening.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:14 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Sebastian Payne ‏@SebastianEPayne 11m11 minutes ago
Andy Burnham tells @standardnews he’ll help others make ballot. Here’s how and why he might assist Jeremy Corbyn http://specc.ie/1F8z9me" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The right thing to do - hopefully he helps ensure you know who appears on the deputy ballot as well

Do you think you know who has a sense of what's different about - and what is needed for - successful rural campaigning and building? I'm worried about the lack of non urban bods and strongholds in the inner circles of Labour. We need more breadth of experience and perspective.

Just read the Alistair Campbell blog that people are tweeting about - and I'm guessing Prezza was responding to. He makes some very valid points. This bit really resonated:

Back to reality. What I loved about Norway was the answer of Labour leader Jonas Lahr Store when I asked him how he intended to win the next election. Often at times like this, a private chat over breakfast, the politician comes back to a question like that with smart tactical ideas, a good slogan and news of the hiring of a hotshot foreign advisor.

He said this. ‘There are five big issues and give big themes for me and we need to build a campaign and an argument around them.’

– population growth. Oslo alone will grow from 600,000 to 800,000 and that will bring new opportunities for new business investment but it will also mean new schools and hospitals and a new way of dealing with and winning a progressive argument on immigration.
– ageing. How do we see this as an opportunity as well as a threat to traditional welfare models? How do we develop the concept of the family amid demographic change?
– urbanisation and the fact that more and more people will live in towns and cities and what are the questions that arise for the future of our rural areas and our agriculture?
– technology. The waves of change of late have been so powerful and we can expect the pace of change to be maintained. How do we use that for better educational and industrial performance?

– finally he said his personal passion was climate change and we had to win the argument that there had to be huge change to the way we live for us to meet that challenge which he also believed to be linked to the other four challenges above.

When he had finished I just put down my knife and fork and said thank you. Thank you for being a political leader who sees election campaigns as being about big themes requiring big ideas and big solutions.

- See more at: http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog/20 ... lQ1YF.dpuf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:16 pm

Agence France-Presse ‏@AFP 4m4 minutes ago
#BREAKING Rupert Murdoch set to step down as Fox CEO: CNBC

Is that big? Or is it not much at all in the grand scheme of all things Murdoch?

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:22 pm

Royal Berkshire Hospital: claim annual leave delayed launch of new patient line

Hospital employee claims staff morale at "all-time low" with the launch of the new Clinical Pathway Co-ordinator roles

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/readin ... al-9429250

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:23 pm

Dixons Kings academy: a school with a troubled history
The Bradford free school, where a teacher has been stabbed, was feted at first but later hit by fraud charges against staff and criticism of its management

http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... ed-history" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:27 pm

Anne McGuire retweeted
Brian Wilson ‏@BrianWilson1967 1h1 hour ago
Brian Wilson: Time SNP called online tormentors to account http://www.whfp.com/2015/06/11/brian-wi ... o-account/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … via @WHFP1 The evil campaign against Charles Kennedy

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:27 pm

In reply to rr2 - my own MP (in the news today as shown by the above posts) is one of the relatively few Labourites whose seat has a significant rural element.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:32 pm

John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 24m24 minutes ago
LibDems Ask Crosby Textor Fullbrook for Help – Guido http://order-order.com/2015/06/11/libde ... -for-help/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Apologies for the Guido Fawkes link - and the Rentoul signpost ... two of my least favourite commentators.

But it's true - the Lib Dems have sent a letter to Crosby Textor Fullbrook asking how they got the Tories to beat them in their Tory / Lib Dem marginals. Extract of said letter is in the blog report.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:33 pm

AngryAsWell wrote:Dixons Kings academy: a school with a troubled history
The Bradford free school, where a teacher has been stabbed, was feted at first but later hit by fraud charges against staff and criticism of its management

http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... ed-history" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Awful news. Interesting comment by the investigating officer.

“We are also working closely with our partners in the local authorities to investigate the full circumstances of this incident, which will be the subject of a thorough investigation.”

Does he not know how academies work, or is that a sign that the LA are the only ones worth talking to?

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:35 pm

thatchersorphan wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33092329 Turn benefits into repayable loan, says Tory group

Will they still be able to force people to do workfare for a 'loan'?

Thanks for the link, which I was just about to search for after spotting this 'suggestion' on the Red Button politics page. According to Wikipedia, Kwasi Kwarteng authored a book, War and Gold: A Five-Hundred-Year History of Empires, Adventures and Debt a history of capital and the enduring ability of money - when combined with speculation - to ruin societies. He's now authored this new book, A Time for Choosing; Free Enterprise in Twenty-First Century Britain - urging Free Enterprise writ large (and, huh? equating a loan-based version of unemployment benefits for the young to a university tuition-fees loan!) and says, in the forward, that, "The capability of individuals, companies and other groups to generate prosperity and well-being, when left to their own devices, is too often overlooked." Well, yes, but without the checks and balances and safety-nets that society has built during the 20th and early 21st centuries, we are open to exactly the problem laid out in his earlier book.

I recommend that everyone at least glances at the BBC link because the suggestions in this book will surely be appalling to those of us of a left-leaning/socialist persuasion – but will probably not greatly surprise us, given the people and organisation from which the book and its suggestions emanate. And in answer to your question, @thatchersorphan: I'm sure this modern breed of so-called 'caring Conservative' will find a way!

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 11 Jun, 2015 3:35 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 24m24 minutes ago
LibDems Ask Crosby Textor Fullbrook for Help – Guido http://order-order.com/2015/06/11/libde ... -for-help/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
Apologies for the Guido Fawkes link - and the Rentoul signpost ... two of my least favourite commentators.

But it's true - the Lib Dems have sent a letter to Crosby Textor Fullbrook asking how they got the Tories to beat them in their Tory / Lib Dem marginals. Extract of said letter is in the blog report.

Is it me but --- they still don't get it do they.