Tuesday 3rd November 2015

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 6:09 am

Morning all.

Syria vote or lack thereof is down to those pesky Labour MPs apparently.
"BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said it was widely acknowledged that Russia's bombing campaign in Syria and deep splits within Labour made any swift attempt to seek the consent of MPs for air strikes unlikely. "

But Ross, doesn’t Cameron have a good majority of 12? I'm sure I keep hearing the mandate word from Osborne when it comes to Tory plans.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 7:37 am

Morning.

Liam Byrne on Radio 4 now.
Humphreys called it an economic fightback by Labour moderates against Corbyn. But Byrne is framing it more positively.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 7:59 am

Laura Kerr ‏@daisyofgalaxy 6m6 minutes ago
@LiamByrneMP @BBCr4today @UKLabour Why no challenge to the myth that Labour spending caused the financial crash?? You practically agreed..

Garrie Coleman ‏@garrie_coleman 7m7 minutes ago
Did they have Liam Byrne on #r4today cos BBC radio doesn't do ad breaks? Great opportunity for robust defence of Lab econ credibility wasted

AndyCavster ‏@AndyCavster 12m12 minutes ago
@LiamByrneMP @BBCr4today @UKLabour
You let Humphries pedal the Lab debt myth...stand up for yourself man!!!

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:15 am

This explains why Danczuk is behaving against Labour's interests.

''the Sun article is believed to be the one for which he was paid £2,000 an hour, just for his “contribution” - or his regular Mail On Sunday gig which nets an estimated £1,000 an hour''.

http://zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hodges must be green, probably can't get that many pieces of Tory silver for his scribblings.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:17 am

Outgoing director of CBI predicts job losses as result of national "living" wage.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... s-cbi-boss" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The head of Britain’s leading employers’ organisation on Tuesday described the government’s “national living wage” as a gamble and warned it would speed up the replacement of workers by machines if business found it too expensive.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:21 am

Humphries is having another go at stirring the anti-Corbyn pot.
You can hear the creepy cunning in his voice.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:22 am

It was Lord Adonis, who thankfully didn't play Humphries' game.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:49 am

Morning all.

I am now very confused as to whether at age 7 we have

(i) no change as Nicky Morgan said last night on newsnight
(ii) the return of national tests where the discussion between De Souza and one other HT before the 8am news
(iii) a consultation as to whether they should return to national tests

Wouldn't it be great if she was honest and said this:

"Look, we screwed up. When we dropped assessment levels we forgot that KS1 data was based on teacher assessment. Now that academies can follow their own curriculum and teacher assessment of where pupils are at the end of KS1 could be different across England, we can longer consistently measure progress between KS1 and KS2. So we have to have a national test"

But she can't...someone else's fault.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:51 am

Good morning.

I am gutted, me.

As your resident fashionista, I am v.v.disappointed to learnt that the clothes worn by Thatch have been "politely declined" by the V&A for their fashion exhibits.
I mean, who wouldn't want to see fake pearls and polyester blouses with pussycat bow ties next to Balmain and Givenchy ball gowns and Dior New Look frocks?

I know I do. Oh yes.

Luckily, Christies has stepped into the breach and will be flogging off her twinsets and handbag/weapons at their little auction house. I'm sure the boy Mark will be relieved. If they can find him, those nice people at Christies can send him the dosh.

I wonder what Osborne will bid for? My money's on the Beau Geste outfit she wore when she hitched a ride in a tank......Cameron has probably got first dibs on the European flags jumper......

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:59 am

Yes, agree with that.

De Souza is the female equivalent of Toby Young - sent out to cheerlead for the government.

I did love her "oh, the kids won't even know it's a test" - right...being told that you can't talk, have an official-looking booklet in front of you, being told how long you have to complete it, door shut, teacher not saying anything....nope, they won't know it's any different to normal.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 9:45 am

yahyah wrote:Laura Kerr ‏@daisyofgalaxy 6m6 minutes ago
@LiamByrneMP @BBCr4today @UKLabour Why no challenge to the myth that Labour spending caused the financial crash?? You practically agreed..

Garrie Coleman ‏@garrie_coleman 7m7 minutes ago
Did they have Liam Byrne on #r4today cos BBC radio doesn't do ad breaks? Great opportunity for robust defence of Lab econ credibility wasted

AndyCavster ‏@AndyCavster 12m12 minutes ago
@LiamByrneMP @BBCr4today @UKLabour
You let Humphries pedal the Lab debt myth...stand up for yourself man!!!

Didn't hear that, but that's very disappointing. Byrne wrote a piece for the Guardian explaining why he wrote the note. However, instead of penning and publishing it BEFORE the election, when it might have made at least a small impact, it appeared on 8th May. Whether that was Byrne or the Guardian's decision isn't known.

Some speculated that I’d written “the note” for my Tory opponent Philip Hammond who I’d often debated and saw as an honourable man.

In reality, it wasn’t like that. The final years of Gordon Brown’s government were tough.

His leadership of Britain and the G20 at the London summit stopped the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggering a global depression – an incredible achievement we should never have stopped shouting about. But the recession slashed Treasury tax receipts by over £40bn, forcing us to borrow to keep public services on the go and get Britain back on its feet. And because the deficit was big, the responsible thing to do was draw up a long-term plan to cut spending.

In government, it was my job to craft a plan. As chief secretary, I spent bruising months negotiating £32bn of annual savings to help halve the deficit in just four years and set out in huge detail in our 2010 budget. Of course, the Conservatives attacked us – though it was the timetable they eventually delivered.

Those negotiations were tough and bruising. And so in my final hours of office, I was writing thank-you notes to my incredible team of civil servants. And then I thought I’d write one letter more to my successor. Into my head came the phrase I’d used to negotiate all those massive savings with my colleagues: “I’m afraid there is no money.” I knew my successor’s job was tough. I guess I wanted to offer them a friendly word on their first day in one of government’s hardest jobs by honouring an old tradition that stretched back to Churchill in the 1930s and the Tory chancellor Reginald Maudling, who bounced down the steps of the Treasury in 1964 to tell Jim Callaghan: “Sorry to leave it in such a mess, old cock.”

Yet “the note” was not just stupid. It was offensive. That’s why it has made so many people so angry. And that why it was so wrong to write.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... l-election" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 10:01 am

Interesting interim Ofsted report out on a primary school that was graded Inadequate in 2014 and is now said to be improving with an effective LA action plan which dovetails in with the school's own one.

This is what caught my eye.

The members of the interim executive board are rightly pleased with the recent improvements in the school. They are, however, now facing a painful dilemma. They are required shortly to make a decision about the future management and legal arrangements for the school without, in their view, being free to ask necessary questions. They also feel they have not been given the information they need about the full range of options, in order to make this decision in the best interests of pupils and community. This uncertainty is unhelpful in terms of providing a secure basis for building further the school’s own capacity to improve itself and for recruiting a permanent headteacher.

What does that say?

To me it says: You're going to convert to an academy. We have a sponsor lined up. And no, you can't have an opinion whether it's the right one for the school or not. Do what you're told and shut up.

Most. Open. And. transparent. Government. Ever.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 10:02 am

Here's an account of the scales falling from the eyes of a former Tory student activist.

Why I Have Left the Tory Party
'Party of working people'

That's what was rammed down my ears during the General Election campaign. The chimes of 'One Nation' Conservatism were alluring to me and many others as we canvassed on the doorsteps of millions of households and relentlessly spammed social media sites asking for our friends and family for them to put faith in five years of Tory governance. My confidence in Cameron and his colleagues, coupled with a burning hatred of the Labour Welsh Assembly Government, meant the Conservatives were the natural option. Values such as individual and family responsibility, fiscal responsibility with a slight dose of British patriotism are all conservative values I adhere to. I even attempted to stand for the party in the Welsh Assembly election, losing out in my constituency's hustings.

But then came something that seemed so contrary to this main Tory message:

Why then, I started to ask myself, is George Osborne so hell-bent on cutting tax credits for working people? Every report has concluded that even with the increase in minimum wage and tax-free allowance, families will still be worse off. And yes, consumerist attitudes do not help these matters, but I hear and see nobody in government trying to tackle these worrying social norms, with personal debt holdings soaring out of control, one of the signs of a looming economic crisis. Ah, but the Lords; they blocked it. Problem averted. Then why did Cameron refuse to answer Corbyn six times in Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, as to where tax credits will be cut next April. Why did Cameron tell the public last April in Leaders Question Time that his government were not going to cut tax credits full stop? We saw how deceitful this was as that woman broke down on Question Time two Thursdays ago. At the same time, they are slashing inheritance tax, which I am against in principle, but in times of 'fiscal conservatism' where public services are strained, is this really the most appropriate course of action?

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/charlie ... 17678.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He doesn't explain why he 'hated' the Labour Welsh AG. He could be thinking of the well worn theme of decrying the Welsh NHS without knowing or admitting that it is dependent on meagre funds from Westminster. Somebody commented on the article that he'd fallen for the idea that because he found much to criticise about Welsh Labour, that somehow elevated the Tories as the good guys (far, far from the truth).

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 10:14 am

Patrick Wintour ‏@patrickwintour 2h2 hours ago
Nick Timothy a former adviser to Theresa May on how Osborne's dividing lines undid his tax credit changes. http://www.conservativehome.com/thecolu ... wrong.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Some interesting stuff in this. Some comments BTL are off the delusional scale.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 10:18 am

Re NickyinNorfolk's post above:

Be interesting to see what Evans does now ... if he joins another party or stops being an activist / member but stays a Tory voter?

A tweet from Huw Irranca-Davies yesterday says he tried to get elected as an AM last time around. Wonder if he'll be looking for another party to throw his hat in the ring with this time ... he's probably left it rather late if so.

Huw Irranca-Davies ‏@IrrancaDaviesMP 11h11 hours ago
Tory activist and former wannabee AM explains why he has left the Tory Party http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/8417678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 10:29 am

I'm enjoying McDonnell at the moment.
"Rather than sticking up for bankers in Berlin, he should be sticking up for steel workers in the UK and those people in our country who are not paid a living wage, and who are about to be hit by 1,300 a year on average by his tax credits cuts"

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 10:37 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:Re NickyinNorfolk's post above:

Be interesting to see what Evans does now ... if he joins another party or stops being an activist / member but stays a Tory voter?

A tweet from Huw Irranca-Davies yesterday says he tried to get elected as an AM last time around. Wonder if he'll be looking for another party to throw his hat in the ring with this time ... he's probably left it rather late if so.

Huw Irranca-Davies ‏@IrrancaDaviesMP 11h11 hours ago
Tory activist and former wannabee AM explains why he has left the Tory Party http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/8417678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

I wouldn't be surprised if he veered towards Plaid - conveniently anti Labour, yet claiming the moral high ground. Yeuuuch.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 10:52 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Patrick Wintour ‏@patrickwintour 2h2 hours ago
Nick Timothy a former adviser to Theresa May on how Osborne's dividing lines undid his tax credit changes. http://www.conservativehome.com/thecolu ... wrong.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
Some interesting stuff in this. Some comments BTL are off the delusional scale.

Had a quick dip in there - the discussion, if you can call it that, immediately veers into rants about women who supposedly have children to claim benefits.

I know at least two women who became pregnant because they "wanted a council house" . These women had their children back in the 80's and both went on to have more, whilst not having a stable partner. If i know of two, then chances are there are many hundreds if not thousands of single mothers who deliberately chose the state as their partner.

Note that he says it was in the 80s - hang on, who was in power then? What annoys me about these twerps is that they bang on about Labour being the party of 'welfare' and don't understand that mass unemployment in the time of the Blessed Margaret and Major Disaster caused the problem of mass dependence on benefits in the first place. Doctors were encouraged to sign people off sick in order to massage the unemployment figures.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 11:04 am

StephenDolan wrote:Morning all.

Syria vote or lack thereof is down to those pesky Labour MPs apparently.
"BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said it was widely acknowledged that Russia's bombing campaign in Syria and deep splits within Labour made any swift attempt to seek the consent of MPs for air strikes unlikely. "

But Ross, doesn’t Cameron have a good majority of 12? I'm sure I keep hearing the mandate word from Osborne when it comes to Tory plans.

Its all Corbyn's fault, then? Thought so.

Why is the supposedly objective BBC reporting this blatant spin as fact?? Why would Labour splits matter if the Tories were mostly united behind intervention?

Dreadful stuff, but no longer surprising

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 11:34 am

Good-morning, everyone.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 11:41 am

Incidentally, Morgan's other policy announcement besides parachuting in 1,500 teachers to struggling schools which was Wilshaw's idea from 2 years ago anyway, is this.

What do we know about the 5 academy chains set for £5m windfall to improve northern schools?

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/what-do-we-kno ... n-schools/

Five academy sponsors will be handed grants totalling nearly £5m to “drive up standards” in schools across the north of England, education secretary Nicky Morgan will announce tomorrow.

Ms Morgan said the five “top performing” academy sponsors will be tasked with “improving performance for pupils in some of the most challenging and disadvantaged areas of the country”.

So whereas the initial academy sponsors had to pay £2m to take over struggling school (up until 2009 when the charge was abolished) the DfE is now paying existing sponsors £1m to take over schools?

The rhetoric that the academy programme is going swimmingly and new sponsors pop up all the time doesn't seem to match the actions of having to set up a task force of teachers and fork out money to encourage them to take over schools.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 12:17 pm

From Morgan's speech to PX.

Maybe you should have thought about this before you ditched levels and left schools floundering about what they should do instead and not afterwards.

Post by **refitman** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 12:31 pm

From Osborne's speech:

Let’s face it — some of Europe’s self-imposed regulations and rules have actually made this continent a less competitive place to run a financial services business.

That’s not in Britain’s interests, as home to the world’s largest financial centre, but it is not in the interests of Germany either to see the centres of European finance move outside of Europe.

We both have huge service economies — services make up 70% of Germany’s output, and 80% of Britain’s.

Yet trade in services in Europe is far too low. We’ve allowed the opponents of economic reform and the liberalisation of services to win the day. We should complete the single market for services and create millions of jobs.

I welcome the Internal Market Strategy the commission published last week. It reflects much of what Britain said it should. But now let’s turn a strategy document into reality.

It's like nothing at all happened in 2008!!

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 12:34 pm

Afternoon.

We got our Welsh Labour ballot papers in the post this morning.

If anyone has any insights into the candidates and their suitability, would be interested to hear - via private message if you'd prefer.

For the Mid & West Wales Regional list for the Assembly there are three candidates:
Antonia Antoniazzi, John Bayliss and Labour peer Eluned Morgan.

Candidates for seats on the Welsh Executive Committee:
Matthew Dorance - Brecon & Radnorshire CLP - he was Ephie's Westminster candidate.
Calum Higgins - Llanelli CLP
Mollie Roach - Preseli Pembs. CLP
Catherine Thomas - Llanelli CLP
Alan York - Preseli & Pembs. CLP

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 12:38 pm

Thomas was the AM for Llanelli in 2003-07, I believe (or at least somebody of that name was)?

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 12:42 pm

It is she.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 12:53 pm

Syria, to bomb or not to bomb? http://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... hed-15-16/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 1:14 pm

"Figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) found that 146,000 people cashed-in pension pots in the six months since April,withdrawing a total of £2.7bn.

Separate data, recorded slightly differently, from the Association of British Insurers suggested that £2.5bn was withdrawn over the same period in 166,700 cash lump sum payments, with an average withdrawal of justunder £15,000."

Pension reforms: 'Shortfall risk' from cashing in funds - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34709263" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice little windfall for Osborne in his push to balance the books. Shame that long-term this is going to be a big problem, as other countries have shown.

Temulkar · Post by **Temulkar** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 1:54 pm

Calum Higgins is my councillor and one reason I gave up on the Labour Party. He replaced a highly effective and respected councillor - the late Dewi Enoch. He is a vacuous twenty something lacking in both wit and wisdom and the contrast with his predecessor could not be more profound. He has such a slender grip on the truth that he thought
claiming to help the junior rugby teams at our local club was a good idea. Unfortunately the club pointed out they didnt know him, he wasnt a member and had certainly not been helping out the kids. Not that bright; not that effective.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 2:35 pm

yahyah -

Matthew Dorrance is quite young, but very socially and politically aware. He's a councillor now, has been the Mayor, and has a CV on the Labour website under Brecon&Radnor.
He gave up his nursing training just before his finals to car for his sick mother until her death. He is gay and lives with his partner Robin, and they have a mad terrier called Phyllis.
He signs his letters "...yours in socialism....." and is a Labour-CoOp member. He performed very well at local hustings, and coped very well with hostile "anti-Ed" questions.

I like him a lot. He's bright, savvy, committed, and not cowed by older/more experienced people. He also likes my cake and espresso.

He would have made a good MP. Unlike the fat plonker we've got now.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 3:56 pm

Patrick Wintour ‏@patrickwintour 2h2 hours ago
This is complicated, but cuts to tax credits only half the story. Labour also trying to block universal credit cuts http://gu.com/p/4dpef/stw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As well they should because from the explanation in this article the changes Osborne is bringing in for the earnings allowance for UC will have a more immediate and costly impact on those affected than even the tax credit cuts ....

In a cost-saving measure, the summer budget cut both tax credits and, separately, work allowances within universal credit – the amount someone can earn before their entitlement to UC is affected.

But Labour is now pointing out that the cuts to the work allowances are “so severe it will mean single people and couples with no dependent children will lose out the moment they start working”...

... Unlike the statutory instrument on tax credits, which was rejected by peers, the UC regulations are subject to the negative procedure, which means that there will be no vote – and not even any debate – unless the regulations are successfully “prayed against”.

Thornberry is trying to build support across parliament to force a vote since otherwise the cuts equivalent to the tax credit reforms will go ahead for hundreds of thousands on universal credit.

She claims in her letter that the scale of the cuts “is sending a message that the government has abandoned its original intention of ensuring a system that recognises and rewards hard work”.

She points out that the work allowance for some single parent households is currently set at £9,000. This means that a single mother, who is paid the national minimum wage, can work for up to 22 hours a week before her entitlement to universal credit starts to reduce. By reducing her work allowance to just £5,000 a year from next spring, she says the new regulations would mean that “she will start to lose out after working 12 hours a week”.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:05 pm

And for your delectation........

Winston McKenzie, the dapper UKIP candidate for Croydon North at the GE, UKIP's erstwhile Commonwealth spokesman, has left the party in very high dudgeon because the high command failed to select him for the candidacy of London Mayor. It's racist, he says.

He has been a member of - in order - Labour, Liberal Democrats, Independent, Veritas, Independent (again), Veritas (again), Conservatives, the Unity Party (which he founded and was the only member who stood for office), UKIP (where he stood for leader but was barred as he was still the chairman of the Unity Party), and finally UKIP for whom he has attempted to be leader (again), London Mayor (twice), a Member of the London Assembly, and a Member of Parliament (twice).

Bless. And now it's ALL the fault of Farage and his racist UKIP chums.

UKIP? Racist? Who knew?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:13 pm

ephemerid wrote:And for your delectation........

Winston McKenzie, the dapper UKIP candidate for Croydon North at the GE, UKIP's erstwhile Commonwealth spokesman, has left the party in very high dudgeon because the high command failed to select him for the candidacy of London Mayor. It's racist, he says.

He has been a member of - in order - Labour, Liberal Democrats, Independent, Veritas, Independent (again), Veritas (again), Conservatives, the Unity Party (which he founded and was the only member who stood for office), UKIP (where he stood for leader but was barred as he was still the chairman of the Unity Party), and finally UKIP for whom he has attempted to be leader (again), London Mayor (twice), a Member of the London Assembly, and a Member of Parliament (twice).

Bless. And now it's ALL the fault of Farage and his racist UKIP chums.

UKIP? Racist? Who knew?

There ought to be a dating agency for serial party switchers. I can think of a few interesting profiles to go on it.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:13 pm

The Daily Mash identify a distinctive element of Thatcher worship:

Thatcher's clothes to be sold off to millionaire men who will wear them
03-11-15

BARONESS Thatcher’s iconic outfits are to be auctioned off to old, rich men who will put them on in front of full-length mirrors.

More than 300 power suits will be sold to men who claim to be buying them for their historical relevance but will be parading up and down the bedroom in them before nightfall.

Julian Cook, CEO of a privatised water company, said: “Lady Thatcher is the saviour of Britain, and if I win her flattering, figure-hugging Aquascutum skirt and jacket I shall simply put them on a plinth.

“I definitely won’t put them on to feel her dark sexual energy coursing through my veins.

“As for the handbag I’m bidding on, I strongly deny that I will be repeatedly slamming it shut on my genitalia while hissing ‘Thank you, prime minister.'”

The prize item is a twin-set and pearls made from the hides and teeth of striking miners, only previously worn at private functions.

Auctioneer Stephen Malley said: “We’ve taken so many calls asking if they’d fit a 36R suit size we’ve had to put the information on our website.

“Though all the underwear already comes with a tuck-pocket for the penis. We’re not entirely sure why.”

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:15 pm

Thanks Temulkar & Ephie - very helpful.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:23 pm

@yahyah

Both Mollie Roach and Alan York are great IMO. I am, however, a bit biased towards Mollie having been lucky to get her very good, informative and consultative reports / feedback from the WEC - which she has been a member of for a few years - at our meetings. She's written a good summary of what she is about in the candidates booklet. She really does want to make sure the outer regions / regional voices are heard and paid attention to much more by those in Cardiff. She is always the one at our meetings who says - how do we go about getting this message across to Cardiff etc - and will take on whatever is necessary to do so. She also tries very hard to get the views of others before speaking up at WEC. She's a seasoned Labour bod and community activist - no flies on her at all. She is also very supportive of the newbies in our branch and encouraging of and helpful to anyone who puts themselves forward for an activity or role.

I haven't seen Alan in action quite as much but am sure he would be good. He makes some very good points at meetings and isn't afraid of saying the supposedly unsayable if he thinks it needs saying - in the right way, at the right time, and with the right people, of course.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:26 pm

A good news story for a change, well done my local council.

''Up to a dozen Syrian refugees to be resettled in Aberystwyth before Christmas
Ceredigion has accepted the Home Office’s invitation to become a ‘Trailblazer Authority’ - and the first refugees are expected in the coming weeks''.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales ... d-10379885" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:30 pm

Patrick O'Flynn Retweeted
John Bickley ‏@JohnBickleyUKIP 4h4 hours ago
It's time somebody took a stand and protected our national identity. I’m unashamedly patriotic & proud to be British #BickleyBacksBritain

Ukip's Oldham West candidate advances his tank several metres ... staking out his attack lines. If McMahon is selected for Labour I'm not sure how much mileage there is in the 'protecting our national identity', 'proud to be British' guff.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:31 pm

Re. Universal Credit cuts to the Work Allowance - this has been known for some time.

Thornberry is right to highlight this - but she has not made any protest about self-employed people whose UC claims will be subject to the income floor, sanctions for working people on UC, how benefits-in-kind (eg.school meals) will be dealt with, and much more - and Labour generally has failed to impress me with their grasp of what the UC legislation and guidance actually means.

Reeves and Green as Labour DWP spokespeople said many times that they/Labour approved of UC in principle - as nobody from Labour has actually said otherwise I am assuming that this is still the case. It really shouldn't be - if the cuts are a "perverse incentive" to work, so are the new rules and sanctions applicable to UC (and all other benefits) which it seems they approve of.

It is a source of continual astonishment to me why Frank Field is regarded as some sort of expert on benefits - he gets it very wrong sometimes, and is nowhere near as knowledgeable as he's made out to be.

UC, as it has been transformed from its' original idea, is a bad thing. It is complex, more so than the benefits it is designed to replace; it is gong to cause immense hardship and distress to many people who are in for a very big shock as it gets rolled out.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:38 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
ephemerid wrote:And for your delectation........

Winston McKenzie, the dapper UKIP candidate for Croydon North at the GE, UKIP's erstwhile Commonwealth spokesman, has left the party in very high dudgeon because the high command failed to select him for the candidacy of London Mayor. It's racist, he says.

He has been a member of - in order - Labour, Liberal Democrats, Independent, Veritas, Independent (again), Veritas (again), Conservatives, the Unity Party (which he founded and was the only member who stood for office), UKIP (where he stood for leader but was barred as he was still the chairman of the Unity Party), and finally UKIP for whom he has attempted to be leader (again), London Mayor (twice), a Member of the London Assembly, and a Member of Parliament (twice).

Bless. And now it's ALL the fault of Farage and his racist UKIP chums.

UKIP? Racist? Who knew?
There ought to be a dating agency for serial party switchers. I can think of a few interesting profiles to go on it.

Dear Winston is in a class - and was, indeed, in a party - all of his very own.

He has some splendid hats. And plaid suits. I think he is very stylish.

But quite, quite bonkers.

So - whither Winston now? He's done all the main parties, some odd ones, and his own.
SNP?
No.
Plaid.
'Cos of the suits.
He'd lead Little Woody Two-Shoes a merry fandango, shouldn't wonder.....

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:44 pm

Man wrestled out of local council meeting 'after asking question'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 19641.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's a short - actually very upsetting - video. It seems to be somewhere in Cornwall.

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:46 pm

Twitter has gone all Facebook, replacing the favourite button with a red heart 'like' button. Me no like.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:47 pm

Was going to watch 'Cardigan Bay Coastal Lives' on BBC 2 Wales as it is about my area.

Just looked at who the people they are following around for the series are.
One is Gethin James, a UKIPer councillor and their candidate last May for Westminster.

Why are the BBC so keen on giving Kippers airtime ?

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:48 pm

Btw who gets Hilda's nutcrackers.

: ScreenShot00918.jpg (31.52 KiB) Viewed 7586 times

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:49 pm

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

"Conclusions
The Committee's main conclusions are:

As evidence suggests that a majority of those currently entering the EU as irregular migrants are at least prima facie refugees as defined by the UNHCR, the EU Action Plan should be amended to acknowledge that those smuggled may be refugees.
Insufficient weight is attached to the measures within the Action Plan to assist vulnerable migrants. Such assistance should be regarded as being at least equally important as increasing law enforcement measures. More should be done to create safe and legal routes for refugees to enter the EU, for example by making use of humanitarian visas.
Urgent work needs to be done at EU level to ensure that the information collected and shared on migrant smuggling is of high quality."

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:58 pm

ephemerid wrote:Re. Universal Credit cuts to the Work Allowance - this has been known for some time.

Thornberry is right to highlight this - but she has not made any protest about self-employed people whose UC claims will be subject to the income floor, sanctions for working people on UC, how benefits-in-kind (eg.school meals) will be dealt with, and much more - and Labour generally has failed to impress me with their grasp of what the UC legislation and guidance actually means.

Reeves and Green as Labour DWP spokespeople said many times that they/Labour approved of UC in principle - as nobody from Labour has actually said otherwise I am assuming that this is still the case. It really shouldn't be - if the cuts are a "perverse incentive" to work, so are the new rules and sanctions applicable to UC (and all other benefits) which it seems they approve of.

It is a source of continual astonishment to me why Frank Field is regarded as some sort of expert on benefits - he gets it very wrong sometimes, and is nowhere near as knowledgeable as he's made out to be.

UC, as it has been transformed from its' original idea, is a bad thing. It is complex, more so than the benefits it is designed to replace; it is gong to cause immense hardship and distress to many people who are in for a very big shock as it gets rolled out.

As you say UC was identified quite early on as having some very major problems. I wish Labour had got the message out on this and have always failed to understand their 'agreement in principle' to it, can only think with all the money spent they felt it was not scrappable. It's failure in development to have had the rough corners knocked off says everything about how much thought has been given to those who will lose not just money but stability is a great concern. I'd scrap the whole darn lot, I know you've argued for this in the past. It's a travesty of what real reform should look like, and the terms that people will be subjected to are as bad as the rest of it. It's one of those disastrous bits of state machinery that keeps on attracting more bad thinking, a monster in the making. Most people haven't a clue, and when it rolls out in its full awfulness they simply won't know what has hit them. Tax credits by comparison a minor offensive. UC will be a full on assault. Heaven help all those with two or three small jobs and variable hours......

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:58 pm

Bit more on the Penzance council meeting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-co ... sh_regions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The mayor who ordered the man to be manhandled said security guards were there because they expected controversy over funding of the Golowan arts festival. The man who was ejected had questions about the NHS.

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 5:11 pm

Martin Rowson meanwhile is more succinct about the likey like button

: ScreenShot00921.jpg (39.34 KiB) Viewed 7557 times

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 5:13 pm

[youtube]pF05S9yX_tI[/youtube]

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Tue 03 Nov, 2015 5:16 pm

yahyah wrote:Bit more on the Penzance council meeting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-co ... sh_regions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The mayor who ordered the man to be manhandled said security guards were there because they expected controversy over funding of the Golowan arts festival. The man who was ejected had questions about the NHS.

I hope someone is going to put in a complaint about that ... it looked way OTT.