Thursday 12th November 2015

Post by **refitman** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 7:09 am

Morning all.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 7:59 am

Morning.

Greenest government ever.

UK becomes only G7 country to increase fossil fuel subsidies
Tory government is giving billions in ever increasing handouts to oil and gas majors at the same time as cutting support for clean energy, report reveals
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... t_b-gdneco" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The UK is alone among G7 nations in dramatically increasing its fossil fuel subsidies, despite an earlier pledge to phase them out, a new report has found.

The revelation will embarrass ministers who want to take a leading role at a crunch UN climate change summit in Paris in December, but who have been sharply cutting support for green energy at home.

The report from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Oil Change International found that as a whole, G20 nations are responsible for $452bn (£297bn) a year in subsidies for fossil fuel production. The G20, which meets on Sunday in Turkey, pledged in 2009 to phase out fossil fuel subsidies...

Somehow I doubt this will 'embarrass ministers'. They appear to be completely without the required component that enables them to feel shame, responsibility or guilt.

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:18 am

Barely reported, the current situation in Calais, for which, one way or another we do bear some kind of responsibility, even though it is a political and moral minefield.

http://www.thecanary.co/2015/11/11/poli ... eo-tweets/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:21 am

Kevin Brennan ‏@KevinBrennanMP 7m7 minutes ago
Kevin Brennan Retweeted Jonathan Ashworth MP
Dear Oxfordshire Council, When I found out what I'd been up to I knew I had to blame you. Yours, David Cameron

Jonathan Ashworth MPVerified account
‏@JonAshworth
Looking forward to joining @BBCOxford in a few mins discussing the Council cuts in David Cameron's backyard

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:36 am

Cameron is being accused of breaching ministerial code by writing to Oxfordshire County Council to complain about his own government's cuts.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/nation ... l_council/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:38 am

Cameron is accused of breaking ministerial code - the Cabinet Secretary has been asked to investigate over whether rules were broken by Cameron's offer to use No 10 staff to benefit his own constituency.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/nation ... l_council/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:38 am

Morning.

Radio 4 headlined the Cameron hypocrisy on the hour, so hopefully they tackled it on Today. I overslept, didn't hear anything before 8am.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:39 am

Argh! Sorry about double post. It was an edit that went wrong somehow.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:42 am

nickyinnorfolk wrote:Cameron is being accused of breaching ministerial code by writing to Oxfordshire County Council to complain about his own government's cuts.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/nation ... l_council/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Worth Labour making the complaint about this as even if (or should that be when?) Jeremy Heywood decides Cameron has done nothing wrong ... it keeps the story in the public eye and allows more information such as the report below to be brought to wider attention.

Chipping Norton at centre of war of words between David Cameron and Oxfordshire county council
The local council is planning to close the town's local children's centre as part of an £8m cost-cutting programme
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 30691.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BBC Radio 4 reporting on the Cameron / Ian Hudspeth exchange and the complaint re breach of ministerial code is lamentable - of course.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:43 am

yahyah wrote:Morning.

Radio 4 headlined the Cameron hypocrisy on the hour, so hopefully they tackled it on Today. I overslept, didn't hear anything before 8am.

Wow - the Beeb feature story which suggests their esteemed Dodgy Dave has feet of clay. Wonders will never cease.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:44 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
nickyinnorfolk wrote:Cameron is being accused of breaching ministerial code by writing to Oxfordshire County Council to complain about his own government's cuts.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/nation ... l_council/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Worth Labour making the complaint about this as even if (or should that be when?) Jeremy Heywood decides Cameron has done nothing wrong ... it keeps the story in the public eye and allows more information such as the report below to be brought to wider attention.

Chipping Norton at centre of war of words between David Cameron and Oxfordshire county council
The local council is planning to close the town's local children's centre as part of an £8m cost-cutting programme
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 30691.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BBC Radio 4 reporting on the Cameron / Ian Hudspeth exchange and the complaint re breach of ministerial code is lamentable - of course.

Oh - I spoke too soon! Might have known ....

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 8:57 am

Rowena Mason ‏@rowenamason 3m3 minutes ago
Lib Dem peers really have just elected Lord Rennard to party's federal executive.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:02 am

''Crickhowell: Jeremy Corbyn's economics guru condemns 'irresponsible' tax rebellion by 'offshore' Welsh town
Exclusive: Traders in the town are turning the tables by copying practices used by companies which pay little or no tax''
http://www.independent.co.uk/home-news/ ... 30596.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Highlighting tax avoidance by big companies is one thing, giving small traders help to do the same thing is another. Let's hope the BBC have helped the former, not kick started tax avoidance on a larger scale.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:09 am

Patrick Wintour ‏@patrickwintour 59s60 seconds ago
Clegg to write book on ‘how the politics of reason, evidence and compromise can survive in an age of unreasoned populism". Autobiography ?

Jim Pickard ‏@PickardJE 1m1 minute ago
Nick Clegg's new book will be called: "Politics: The Art of the Possible in an Age of Unreason."

My irony monitor just started bleeping hysterically.

Still ... at least we have been spared Andrew Sparrow's devoted reporting of Clegg's Call In since the demise of the coalition. Small mercies and all that.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:17 am

Finding the cash to heat the stables need never be a problem for the Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi for as long as his latest gig lasts. He has been signed up as chief strategy officer of Gulf Keystone Petroleum, one of the biggest operators in the oilfields of Kurdistan. His pay, “until further notice”, is £20,125 a month. That is £241,500 a year.

The company expects him to put in between eight and 21 hours a week. In September, he received a single payment of £52,325 to cover the first two-and-a-half months in the job.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 30926.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:19 am

Christopher Hope ‏@christopherhope 5m5 minutes ago
EXLUSIVE HMRC to merge 170 offices into 13 hubs as part of major overhaul | via @Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/econ ... rhaul.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:19 am

So Corbyn didn't kneel before the Queen.
Hope all those calling him a sell out will apologise.

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:24 am

Wow. There may be trouble ahead ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/econ ... rhaul.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:25 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Christopher Hope ‏@christopherhope 5m5 minutes ago
EXLUSIVE HMRC to merge 170 offices into 13 hubs as part of major overhaul | via @Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/econ ... rhaul.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

It's a night mare trying to deal with them now !

They sent my husband a strange letter last week, completely out of kilter with his actual tax affairs, seemed like a standard form letter generated by computer but every time he rings up he gets the 'half an hour wait time' message.

When he decided to retire early, nine years ago, we made a lot of calls to HMRC & the National Insurance people and you got dealt with virtually straight away, and the staff seemed more knowledgeable than often now.

Don't Tories even understand the effect of their own policies on themselves, even if they can't muster concern for those who have lost their jobs or are being overworked and stressed by cuts and 'reforms' ?

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:25 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Christopher Hope ‏@christopherhope 5m5 minutes ago
EXLUSIVE HMRC to merge 170 offices into 13 hubs as part of major overhaul | via @Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/econ ... rhaul.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Snap

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:26 am

Cameron lying again.

Britain's official statistics watchdog has castigated the Government over David Cameron’s citation of questionable figures purporting to show how many European Union migrants claim benefits in the UK.

.... In a strongly-worded letter seen by the Independent, Sir Andrew Dilnot, the authority’s chair, described the Government’s handling of the release of the figures as “disappointing” and “unsatisfactory” and said officials had been “spoken with”.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 30451.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:27 am

Here's a novel idea.
Why not take on more staff, help people get their tax/tax crtedits/pensions/benefits sorted quickly and efficiently and get thousands more people earning, paying tax, and spending their money in local and national businesses ?

Yes, they say I'm a dreamer

, but I'm not the only one, as someone once sang.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:34 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Patrick Wintour ‏@patrickwintour 59s60 seconds ago
Clegg to write book on ‘how the politics of reason, evidence and compromise can survive in an age of unreasoned populism". Autobiography ?

Jim Pickard ‏@PickardJE 1m1 minute ago
Nick Clegg's new book will be called: "Politics: The Art of the Possible in an Age of Unreason."
My irony monitor just started bleeping hysterically.

Still ... at least we have been spared Andrew Sparrow's devoted reporting of Clegg's Call In since the demise of the coalition. Small mercies and all that.

Clegg himself contributed to 'unreason', as he's pleased to pompously term it - coming out with all that lying nonsense about how austerity was necessary after he himself had (pre Coalition) called it 'economic masochism'. And he knew damn well that bankers caused the crash and not Labour, and yet kept on harping on about 'Labour's mess'. Horrible hypocrite of a man.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:36 am

Jim Pickard ‏@PickardJE 5m5 minutes ago
Jim Pickard Retweeted Jonathan Walker
Big story if this goes ahead...

Jonathan WalkerVerified account
‏@jonwalker121
Ex-Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell says he believes government will break up Birmingham into smaller councils http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi ... ar_twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 9:47 am

Won't be long now before we hear about top level questioning on the latest shambolic twattery

: CAMTAX.jpg (117.59 KiB) Viewed 8209 times

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 10:03 am

Interesting - Mela Watts is the Director of the Free Schools group at the DfE.

Are they discovering that maybe slagging off LAs all the time doesn't actually help them getting things done?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 10:29 am

Goodmorning, everyone.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 10:53 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Jim Pickard ‏@PickardJE 5m5 minutes ago
Jim Pickard Retweeted Jonathan Walker
Big story if this goes ahead...

Jonathan WalkerVerified account
‏@jonwalker121
Ex-Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell says he believes government will break up Birmingham into smaller councils http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi ... ar_twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

This has been gossiped about for a while.

It actually makes some sense on psephological grounds, but runs into the problem that - big and unwieldy as it is - Brum sees itself as a single coherent community, and I can't see splitting it up being popular (the exception is, of course, the bit Mitchell represents - Sutton Coldfield - though it is too small to be a viable unitary on its own but is still unwilling to be subsumed by Warwickshire; up north, Southport is in a not dissimilar position)

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 11:04 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Christopher Hope ‏@christopherhope 5m5 minutes ago
EXLUSIVE HMRC to merge 170 offices into 13 hubs as part of major overhaul | via @Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/econ ... rhaul.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Tbh, I'm amazed they have 170 offices, and it's hard to see the point of them when they've already closed the public enquiry desks.
I'd much prefer local offices with enquiry desks, personally.

I gave up trying to contact them by phone years ago, do it all by letter, get there eventually.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 11:08 am

nickyinnorfolk wrote:Cameron lying again.

Britain's official statistics watchdog has castigated the Government over David Cameron’s citation of questionable figures purporting to show how many European Union migrants claim benefits in the UK.

.... In a strongly-worded letter seen by the Independent, Sir Andrew Dilnot, the authority’s chair, described the Government’s handling of the release of the figures as “disappointing” and “unsatisfactory” and said officials had been “spoken with”.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 30451.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good arvomorfters, all - and thank you, Nicky.

This is the umpteenth time that the chief of the UK statistical authority has been sufficiently cross to write to government ministers.

He has written to Shapps, Cameron, Osborne - to IDS on several occasions, and to lesser minions, especially DWP people.

Time and again, Dilnot couches his language with care - as befits a man whose job it is to be accurate - but how I wish he could make more of a fuss and call these fuckwits the liars they are.

Disgraceful.

After all our discussions yesterday on the employment/unemployment figures, it's clear that the ONS is trying to be accurate but has no option other than to clarify where there are discrepancies or bits of information missing - it has got to the point now that their reports come with addenda and notes explaining why the figures should be regarded as "experimental", ie. the figures may not show the whole picture, because as yet no fixed method has been established to collect and analyse them.

This government pulls the wool over the eyes of the electorate (and a largely compliant media), but if it seriously thinks it can perform the same trick with those whose job it is to crunch numbers it's got another think coming.
Good for Dilnot, say I - and I just hope that over the term of this Parliament the Tories don't find a way to keep him quiet.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 11:11 am

yahyah wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Christopher Hope ‏@christopherhope 5m5 minutes ago
EXLUSIVE HMRC to merge 170 offices into 13 hubs as part of major overhaul | via @Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/econ ... rhaul.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
It's a night mare trying to deal with them now !

They sent my husband a strange letter last week, completely out of kilter with his actual tax affairs, seemed like a standard form letter generated by computer but every time he rings up he gets the 'half an hour wait time' message.

When he decided to retire early, nine years ago, we made a lot of calls to HMRC & the National Insurance people and you got dealt with virtually straight away, and the staff seemed more knowledgeable than often now.

Don't Tories even understand the effect of their own policies on themselves, even if they can't muster concern for those who have lost their jobs or are being overworked and stressed by cuts and 'reforms' ?

Tell him to write to them and keep a record ... Forget the phone or computer. It's what I do. Takes ages, but their loss.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 11:30 am

Twitter account @WhitehallEdits spots the Wikipedia changes made from the the government’s computer network on, well, Whitehall.

Most of them are fairly harmless, but occasionally a truly great edit comes along.

Today, one of those popped up, and boy is it a good one.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/03/someone-i ... s-5228949/

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 11:32 am

yahyah wrote:So Corbyn didn't kneel before the Queen.
Hope all those calling him a sell out will apologise.

So all that guff about Jez "snubbing" Brenda was more fibs by the right wing press? Who knew??

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:00 pm

Simon Danczuk, the 'Labour' MP beloved and pilloried by the Sun

http://gu.com/p/4e652" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Does Danczuk not realise what a disloyal fool he is to act as a rent-a-quote for the anti-Labour Sun? "

On the money.

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:15 pm

: CTm8gv8WIAA1c8O.jpg (46.61 KiB) Viewed 8003 times

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:16 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Jim Pickard ‏@PickardJE 5m5 minutes ago
Jim Pickard Retweeted Jonathan Walker
Big story if this goes ahead...

Jonathan WalkerVerified account
‏@jonwalker121
Ex-Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell says he believes government will break up Birmingham into smaller councils http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi ... ar_twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …
This has been gossiped about for a while.

It actually makes some sense on psephological grounds, but runs into the problem that - big and unwieldy as it is - Brum sees itself as a single coherent community, and I can't see splitting it up being popular (the exception is, of course, the bit Mitchell represents - Sutton Coldfield - though it is too small to be a viable unitary on its own but is still unwilling to be subsumed by Warwickshire; up north, Southport is in a not dissimilar position)

In spite of attempts here to divide the city, Trojan horse, and ghastly local rag spring instantly to mind, most people are proud of Birmingham. We had a Tory council here till 2012, since then they've bled us dry. We turned mostly red in May, dividing it would create more problems than it would solve, and pit the very rich against the very poor. This whole idea makes me want to wave a huge flag saying fuck off and leave my city alone.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:16 pm

Danczuk is the very definition of "useful idiot".

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:31 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
yahyah wrote:So Corbyn didn't kneel before the Queen.
Hope all those calling him a sell out will apologise.
So all that guff about Jez "snubbing" Brenda was more fibs by the right wing press? Who knew??

I'm shocked. Shocked!

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:34 pm

StephenDolan wrote:Simon Danczuk, the 'Labour' MP beloved and pilloried by the Sun

http://gu.com/p/4e652" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Does Danczuk not realise what a disloyal fool he is to act as a rent-a-quote for the anti-Labour Sun? "

On the money.

For the money!

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:37 pm

Heh. So much for 'academy freedoms'!

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:41 pm

Yep. Rushed through without any consultation and without even telling the then chair of the Edu Select Committee because the DfE was in danger of losing control of academies. Good to see that people are finally asking questions about their purpose and future.

These are coming from the Westminster Education Forum.

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:51 pm

seeingclearly wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
This has been gossiped about for a while.

It actually makes some sense on psephological grounds, but runs into the problem that - big and unwieldy as it is - Brum sees itself as a single coherent community, and I can't see splitting it up being popular (the exception is, of course, the bit Mitchell represents - Sutton Coldfield - though it is too small to be a viable unitary on its own but is still unwilling to be subsumed by Warwickshire; up north, Southport is in a not dissimilar position)
In spite of attempts here to divide the city, Trojan horse, and ghastly local rag spring instantly to mind, most people are proud of Birmingham. We had a Tory council here till 2012, since then they've bled us dry. We turned mostly red in May, dividing it would create more problems than it would solve, and pit the very rich against the very poor. This whole idea makes me want to wave a huge flag saying fuck off and leave my city alone.

adding this. Just In the case of Ladywood alone, a place I have known since early childhood, and which has suffered from generational poverty, such a plan would leave it in even worse state, it was beginning to look up a bit till the financial crisis. Makes me want to weep because the communities are good, just work and income deprived, and tbh, what has the sucess of the West Mids got to do with that? And I can see another two out of the ten with equal if not mire sifficulties and an unbelievable statement about reducing the new boroughs to just rubbish collecting? I'm on firebnow because how dare someone representing a mostly rich area look down his tory nose and despise the rest of Birmingham, they had their hands on the helm here, and did no good at all, and presided over the distancing of the council from local people and their needs, and outsourcing far too much. I won't start on education and what has been lost, I might not recover from thinking about it too much.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 12:58 pm

The moderators seem a bit jumpy on the Guardian's live blog today. I've just posted a comment attacking David Cameron, the City of London and the exploitation of Indian workers. I wonder how long it will last? I think my previous one was moderated for questioning the quality of the blog (do we really need a picture of the hotel the Indian PM will be staying at <yawn>?) so it will be interesting to see if my rather more critical comment survives or whether they really are being over sensitive today.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 1:16 pm

Willow904 wrote:The moderators seem a bit jumpy on the Guardian's live blog today. I've just posted a comment attacking David Cameron, the City of London and the exploitation of Indian workers. I wonder how long it will last? I think my previous one was moderated for questioning the quality of the blog (do we really need a picture of the hotel the Indian PM will be staying at <yawn>?) so it will be interesting to see if my rather more critical comment survives or whether they really are being over sensitive today.

Hello.

I think Andrew Sparrow is a bit pissed off too, actually. He was never a Labour cheer-leader (and nor do I expect him to be) but he was always even-handed, good at pointing out absurdities and had a sardonic humour. He lost (or had beaten out of him) all that, but, yesterday, I thought he'd returned to form a bit. And today he captioned two consecutive photographs, which appeared on his blog, thus:

3h ago10:24

Here is Narendra Modi’s plane at Heathrow.

followed by -

And here he is getting out of it.

It amused me, anyway. Credit where it's due, an' all.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 1:16 pm

Good morfternoon.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 1:18 pm

@refitman

Just to say - so glad "Wenesday" is over.

(Just joshing - thanks for all you do for us here.)

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 1:24 pm

Peter Jukes ‏@peterjukes 1h1 hour ago
For those interested in how NOTW subverted 4th Daniel Morgan murder investigation led by DCS Cook - I'll soon have a piece about the fifth

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 1:35 pm

There's a live reading of The Odyssey going on right now which can be watched here.

http://www.almeida.co.uk/the-odyssey" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Love the twitter updates:

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 1:38 pm

Phew!

It seems it's still ok to criticise David Cameron on the Guardian's politics live blog. Just be careful not to call their sycophantic coverage of visiting dignitaries "boring". They don't like it.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 12 Nov, 2015 1:40 pm

Reading social worker speaks out on staff exodus and falling standards

The social worker said more than 20 social workers have left over the last two years and been replaced by agency staff

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/readin ... t-10421479