Saturday 12th December & Sunday 13th December 2015 -

[ohsocynical]

This is an empathy post with fellow west Walian yahyah. Bloody rain every day, everywhere. We've got mud flats outside - 3 muddy dogs with 12 muddy legs and paws to deal with every time we take them out and back in again. So wet and windy today Mr Riots has resorted to sitting at the kitchen table and replacing batteries in our collection of torches (we've got torches for everywhere and every occasion - even hanging out of our a....s, no, not really that last one). And I've resorted to cleaning the kitchen around him - that's how naff it is. Rest assured I've not lifted a finger to clean behind the fridge. Bah .... humbug and all that.

That Bah reminds me that I went to buy a birthday card for my sister this morning. I found what I thought was a lovely little card with a fluffy hand painted sheep branded with a heart on its side. Luvvly jubbly I thought. Until I took it out of the cellophane packaging and saw that the reverse (which had been obscured by the envelope) read:

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43v1

I found it very funny - no idea if that was the intention or I just have a very warped sense of humour. If it wasn't intended I think they could have put an alert on the card to say it was seriously religious (I mean a sheep with a pink heart on it ... who would have guessed?).

I'm now saving this card for the right person.

That reminded me of my late brother in law. He sent my sister a lovely card with a flower on the front for her birthday.
The snag was in said In Memoriam inside.

[howsillyofme1]

RedTyneside ‏@RedTyneside 16 hrs16 hours ago

Where's the outrage about right-wing #scab and #Tory toff @TristramHuntMP attending Henry Jackson Society functions?

Curiosity caused me to post this...Here's the link to their webpage.

http://henryjacksonsociety.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think that tweet is more revealing of the narrow vision of the tweeter & their inability to see beyond an accent than it is of any aspect of 'Hunty'. But I guess it is easier to throw around facile labels than it is to actually engage your brain.

But can you not also say that what the point being made is that left-wing organisations are jumped on but the right-wing ones are deemed acceptable - neither side is right but I am a bit concerned by Labour MPs being involved with neoconservative organisations such as this

Why is this not jumped on in the same way that the 'Corbynites' are for everything they do?

The last sentence you said is right but surely Hunt and many of his colleagues have been guilty of the same thing in the way they shout their mouth off to the press at any rumour or misquote?

[tinybgoat]

This is an empathy post with fellow west Walian yahyah. Bloody rain every day, everywhere. We've got mud flats outside - 3 muddy dogs with 12 muddy legs and paws to deal with every time we take them out and back in again. So wet and windy today Mr Riots has resorted to sitting at the kitchen table and replacing batteries in our collection of torches (we've got torches for everywhere and every occasion - even hanging out of our a....s, no, not really that last one). And I've resorted to cleaning the kitchen around him - that's how naff it is. Rest assured I've not lifted a finger to clean behind the fridge. Bah .... humbug and all that.

That Bah reminds me that I went to buy a birthday card for my sister this morning. I found what I thought was a lovely little card with a fluffy hand painted sheep branded with a heart on its side. Luvvly jubbly I thought. Until I took it out of the cellophane packaging and saw that the reverse (which had been obscured by the envelope) read:

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43v1

I found it very funny - no idea if that was the intention or I just have a very warped sense of humour. If it wasn't intended I think they could have put an alert on the card to say it was seriously religious (I mean a sheep with a pink heart on it ... who would have guessed?).

I'm now saving this card for the right person.

For some reason, reminds me of going into a Catholic bookshop in Sheffield years ago.
They had a statue of Virgin Mary up on wall
with a reduced price sticker on it saying "imperfect".

edited to add, realise this didnt't have anything to do with empathy message. My parents lived in Cefn Mawr for 20 years, so as an ex frequent visitor, sympathies for the weather.

[rebeccariots2]

This is an empathy post with fellow west Walian yahyah. Bloody rain every day, everywhere. We've got mud flats outside - 3 muddy dogs with 12 muddy legs and paws to deal with every time we take them out and back in again. So wet and windy today Mr Riots has resorted to sitting at the kitchen table and replacing batteries in our collection of torches (we've got torches for everywhere and every occasion - even hanging out of our a....s, no, not really that last one). And I've resorted to cleaning the kitchen around him - that's how naff it is. Rest assured I've not lifted a finger to clean behind the fridge. Bah .... humbug and all that.

That Bah reminds me that I went to buy a birthday card for my sister this morning. I found what I thought was a lovely little card with a fluffy hand painted sheep branded with a heart on its side. Luvvly jubbly I thought. Until I took it out of the cellophane packaging and saw that the reverse (which had been obscured by the envelope) read:

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43v1

I found it very funny - no idea if that was the intention or I just have a very warped sense of humour. If it wasn't intended I think they could have put an alert on the card to say it was seriously religious (I mean a sheep with a pink heart on it ... who would have guessed?).

I'm now saving this card for the right person.

For some reason, reminds me of going into a Catholic bookshop in Sheffield years ago.
They had a statue of Virgin Mary up on wall
with a reduced price sticker on it saying "imperfect".

[citizenJA]

Culturally inferior to the West Midlands,pah.I have never called anything other than a duck,duck.(Joke)

Chuffing'ell

Having lived in Wolverhampton for 30 years, I can confirm I've hardly ever heard "duck" used here either.

I grew up on the Stoke-on-Trent side of the Staffordshire moorlands. "Duck" used to be very commonly used in Stoke and immediately around it, but go a few miles down the road and you'd never hear it. Until you got to the other end of the county where some of the older people round Wednesbury still used it in the 80s, though like lots of dialect expressions it seems to have died out. A pity really, once upon a time I'm told, you could place someone within a square mile of the Black Country just by how they spoke.

Stoke-on-Trent, it has to be said, has a different culture, dialect and even accent to the areas around it.

I can confirm I'm called, 'duck', as many as a dozen times prior reaching my
destination a mile away in any direction in Stoke. I walk a lot.

Where does 'duck' come from?

Firstly the word “duck” as a term of greeting has nothing at all to do
with the winged bird of the same name. It is said to find its origin in
the Saxon word ‘ducas’ which was meant as a term of respect; similar
to the Middle English ‘duc’, ‘duk’ which denotes a leader, commander;
from which comes the title ‘Duke’ and the Old French word ‘ducheé’ -
the territory ruled by a Duke.

From these origins it became a greeting and then a term of endearment.
This use of ‘duck’ as a greeting is not restricted to the Potteries; although
the use here is very common. It is still used an many parts of what was
Mercia.

Even though they have very different dialects from the Potteries the
greeting is used in the Black Country, in Derbyshire, as far east as
Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire. In Yorkshire the main term of
greeting is ‘luv’ but in Sheffield, which is close to the Yorkshire –
Derbyshire boarder the greeting ‘Ey up mi duck’ can be heard.

http://www.thepotteries.org/dialect_qa.html#Where_

[TobyLatimer]

Remember when the Conservatives were being hammered in the polls over the economy, and something as simple as a Cornish Pasty ? 11 point lead and Ed Balls level pegging with Osborne.

The Conservatives have been dogged by bad headlines about 'pasty taxes' and 'granny taxes' since the budget last month.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... ries-polls" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ScreenShot01263.jpg (71 KiB) Viewed 6633 times

ScreenShot01261.jpg (79.18 KiB) Viewed 6633 times

[tinybgoat]

At last something they won't blame on Corbyn!
edit.
please ignore, thought that was a new poll,
going to go & lie down now, been a long week

[rebeccariots2]

I do remember those days Toby. But ... my trust in polls is so shot to bits I'm not sure I can even believe they were right back then ...

Having said that. I reckon Osborne - if he gets to be leader of the Conservatives - and, even more terrifying, prime minister - will be pretty awful at it and be seen to be so. His record so far of misjudging what he can get away with is dreadful ... he's far too cocky (there's that word again) so makes cock ups of the tax credits, caravan and pasty type. He's also got no inherent warmth or sense of timing as his performance last week when answering to Angela Eagle showed. I don't think the public are going to give Osborne much benefit of the doubt or room for error ... he's not got the supposed likeability of Boris.

[Rebecca]

Afternoon all.
And what a foul day it is.Dark,cold,pouring with rain.My coat doesn't have time to dry out before I go out again,and as for the dogs!!!!
Mud everywhere,so ,rebecca r,I feel your pain.
So,I lit the woodburner,put marzipan on the cake,made chestnut,apple and cranberry stuffing,and am waiting for the maple syrup and walnut biscuits to come out of the oven.
Would anybody care for one?

[PorFavor]

This is an empathy post with fellow west Walian yahyah. Bloody rain every day, everywhere. We've got mud flats outside - 3 muddy dogs with 12 muddy legs and paws to deal with every time we take them out and back in again. So wet and windy today Mr Riots has resorted to sitting at the kitchen table and replacing batteries in our collection of torches (we've got torches for everywhere and every occasion - even hanging out of our a....s, no, not really that last one). And I've resorted to cleaning the kitchen around him - that's how naff it is. Rest assured I've not lifted a finger to clean behind the fridge. Bah .... humbug and all that.

That Bah reminds me that I went to buy a birthday card for my sister this morning. I found what I thought was a lovely little card with a fluffy hand painted sheep branded with a heart on its side. Luvvly jubbly I thought. Until I took it out of the cellophane packaging and saw that the reverse (which had been obscured by the envelope) read:

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43v1

I found it very funny - no idea if that was the intention or I just have a very warped sense of humour. If it wasn't intended I think they could have put an alert on the card to say it was seriously religious (I mean a sheep with a pink heart on it ... who would have guessed?).

I'm now saving this card for the right person.

That reminded me of my late brother in law. He sent my sister a lovely card with a flower on the front for her birthday.
The snag was in said In Memoriam inside.

Reminds me of a corny old joke (which I can't fully remember, you'll be delighted to learn). But the punchline was "one eye's 'igher than the other".

[tinybgoat]

Culturally inferior to the West Midlands,pah.I have never called anything other than a duck,duck.(Joke)

Chuffing'ell

Having lived in Wolverhampton for 30 years, I can confirm I've hardly ever heard "duck" used here either.

I grew up on the Stoke-on-Trent side of the Staffordshire moorlands. "Duck" used to be very commonly used in Stoke and immediately around it, but go a few miles down the road and you'd never hear it. Until you got to the other end of the county where some of the older people round Wednesbury still used it in the 80s, though like lots of dialect expressions it seems to have died out. A pity really, once upon a time I'm told, you could place someone within a square mile of the Black Country just by how they spoke.

Stoke-on-Trent, it has to be said, has a different culture, dialect and even accent to the areas around it.

I can confirm I'm called, 'duck', as many as a dozen times prior reaching my
destination a mile away in any direction in Stoke. I walk a lot.

Where does 'duck' come from?

Firstly the word “duck” as a term of greeting has nothing at all to do
with the winged bird of the same name. It is said to find its origin in
the Saxon word ‘ducas’ which was meant as a term of respect; similar
to the Middle English ‘duc’, ‘duk’ which denotes a leader, commander;
from which comes the title ‘Duke’ and the Old French word ‘ducheé’ -
the territory ruled by a Duke.

From these origins it became a greeting and then a term of endearment.
This use of ‘duck’ as a greeting is not restricted to the Potteries; although
the use here is very common. It is still used an many parts of what was
Mercia.

Even though they have very different dialects from the Potteries the
greeting is used in the Black Country, in Derbyshire, as far east as
Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire. In Yorkshire the main term of
greeting is ‘luv’ but in Sheffield, which is close to the Yorkshire –
Derbyshire boarder the greeting ‘Ey up mi duck’ can be heard.

http://www.thepotteries.org/dialect_qa.html#Where_

So if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck
it's probably an inbred member of the Aristocracy?

[ohsocynical]

Afternoon all.
And what a foul day it is.Dark,cold,pouring with rain.My coat doesn't have time to dry out before I go out again,and as for the dogs!!!!
Mud everywhere,so ,rebecca r,I feel your pain.
So,I lit the woodburner,put marzipan on the cake,made chestnut,apple and cranberry stuffing,and am waiting for the maple syrup and walnut biscuits to come out of the oven.
Would anybody care for one?

I'm too scared to eat or bake anything with Maple syrup. I would become addicted to it ... especially when its married with pecan nuts.

Oh go on then...

[TobyLatimer]

Just had a nice chat with Guardian writer Maev Kennedy, having decided to donate Duncan Smith's £10.00 Christmas bonus to their refugee appeal. I thought I'd take a punt on getting to speak with Patrick Butler or Owen Jones maybe but she was very pleasant.

[TobyLatimer]

I do remember those days Toby. But ... my trust in polls is so shot to bits I'm not sure I can even believe they were right back then ...

Having said that. I reckon Osborne - if he gets to be leader of the Conservatives - and, even more terrifying, prime minister - will be pretty awful at it and be seen to be so. His record so far of misjudging what he can get away with is dreadful ... he's far too cocky (there's that word again) so makes cock ups of the tax credits, caravan and pasty type. He's also got no inherent warmth or sense of timing as his performance last week when answering to Angela Eagle showed. I don't think the public are going to give Osborne much benefit of the doubt or room for error ... he's not got the supposed likeability of Boris.

A lot of people don't realize or can't remember how unpopular the Tories were, the billionaire press barons must have had a hand in May's result.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

But can you not also say that what the point being made is that left-wing organisations are jumped on but the right-wing ones are deemed acceptable - neither side is right but I am a bit concerned by Labour MPs being involved with neoconservative organisations such as this

Why is this not jumped on in the same way that the 'Corbynites' are for everything they do?

The last sentence you said is right but surely Hunt and many of his colleagues have been guilty of the same thing in the way they shout their mouth off to the press at any rumour or misquote?

Why is this not jumped on in the same way? It is, of course; oh sure, it is ignored by the Fourth Estate, but social media (as this tweet illustrates) is all over it like a rash.

AK said it yesterday, when discussing the various Labour 'groups' (Prospect, Momentum et al), the whole thing is a nonsense & we should just concentrate on dealing with the real enemy rather than this constant factionalism; that tweeter has resorted to the usual "Red Tory" accusations (well, a variety, anyway) to make a very narrow & limited partisan point. Hunt's politics, like that of most Labour politicians, is far more nuanced than that; some of his views are undoubtedly right leaning, some of them (especially with regard to urban renewal and regionalisation) are far more progressive - the voters of Stoke-on-Trent Central thought enough of him to return him in May, with a slightly higher vote share than in 2010. Frankly I'm prepared to trust their view of the man.

I've been saying for much of this year that this infighting is doing the Tories job for them. The infighting handed Cameron a majority when, if people had bothered to engage their brains & stop bickering, we should have been celebrating Prime Minister Miliband. We keep doing it to ourselves!

[howsillyofme1]

I don't disagree with what you said but we know, from the election, that social media has only limited coverage

How many people will have seen tweets about this compared to the likes of Hunt, Watson, Benn and others frothing in the MSM?

You are right that the in-fighting was a contribution to the 2015 defeat at the GE - I again ask people to remind themselves who were the main culprits....yes, the same people who are undermining Corbyn and Hunt, himself, has a few unfortunate moments

I feel little sympathy for the right wing of the Labour Party at the moment due to their recent behaviour. I would like it all to stop but we know it won't until they have got rid of Corbyn...and that is what is at the heart of it all

[PorFavor]

As you all probably know, I didn't vote for Jeremy Corbyn or Tom Watson in the leadership\deputy leadership elections respectively, and consider that he (JC) has too many weaknesses to be a successful leader - but I intensely dislike the way in which elements within the party (and the media) attempt to undermine both him, the democratic process which elected him (and which elected Tom Watson who should be ashamed of himself) and the Labour Party as a whole.

Stream of consciousness stuff . . . .

[ohsocynical]

Posted: 09/12/2015 09:48 GMT
Graham Bendel
Writer & Filmmaker,living in London

Perhaps Tristram Hunt Should Step Back from The Labour Party

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/graham- ... 54712.html

Ooof....

[Tubby Isaacs]

Farce at Ofsted.

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-ignores ... ion-forms/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Schoolsweek a while ago noted that Ofsted were releasing inspectors' working papers to some schools, ie stuff never intended for publication. Hard then to argue that every school shouldn't see them, and if there were anything disappointing about your inspection at all, you'd be daft not to ask for them.

School that got Requires Improvement asks for them. Ofsted refuses. Maybe the head is fishing for an unguarded word he can challenge, but equally, as he says, anybody serious about improvement will want to see as much information as possible.

http://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-ignores ... ion-forms/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Again, looks like Mikey Sheriff has been spending too much time sounding off and not enough thinking about Ofsted policies. Decide what you're going to release in advance, tell inspectors to get it in a decent format, and easy does it.

[citizenJA]

"...we need bolder and braver redistribution...our tax system is horribly skewed.
We tax some noble pursuits like work and enterprise too much. And we tax some
things like unearned wealth very little indeed.

Let me start with an easy choice: inheritance tax....reversing the Tory’s
inheritance tax cut for the wealthiest estates. A tax cut for just 6% of
households....would be better spent on affordable housing, young
apprenticeships or Sure Start centres. We must reverse it.

...a property value tax. Property wealth is one of the biggest sources of
inequality in this country, but for too long we have been content to put
up with the regressive, out of date, and inefficient council tax system.
This has to change. We have to replace council tax with a system that
ensures more valuable properties shoulder the biggest share of the tax
burden.

...raise it on owners, not occupiers...take ‘generation rent’ completely out
of local taxes altogether. ...include properties owned by trusts and foreign
individuals too...release money for social investment.

...reforms to corporate governance legislation...boosting collective bargaining
rights for trade unions...The OECD points out that in the last decade labour’s
share of national income fell by 4% in rich countries.

Doesn’t sound like much until you work out it’s around £96bn...the next Labour
Government should certainly commit to repealing the Trade Union Bill within its
first 100 days."

- from, Labour’s Moral Mission: Inequality and Social Mobility in Modern Britain
Posted by Tristram Hunt on December 07, 2015

http://www.tristramhunt.com/labours_moral_mission

[yahyah]

Crikey, there are some miserable ******s in the world.
Just been reading the bile BTL the Guardian's charity appeal for refugees thread.

[yahyah]

More from Ed.

Ed Miliband pushes for zero carbon emissions target following COP21
Former Labour leader will lead cross-party campaign on issue in 2016 for Britain to put its own commitment on statute books
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... ons-target" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[citizenJA]

More from Ed.

Ed Miliband pushes for zero carbon emissions target following COP21
Former Labour leader will lead cross-party campaign on issue in 2016 for Britain to put its own commitment on statute books
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... ons-target" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I miss his government daily.

[yahyah]

Lovely video from Channel 4 News about the welcome being prepared for some families from Syria coming to Aberystwyth this week.

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Aberystwyth took in Belgian refugees during the First World War, and they were cheered in off the train, sung to and a concert held to welcome them.

Sad to hear an official point out, a hundred years later, that a warm welcome may be countered by demonstrations by those who do not want to see refugees given homes here.

The look of the sky in the first clip, dark, low and rain filled, will be something the Syrian families may find hard to get used to. But when the sun shines there's nowhere better to be than around Cardigan Bay. Croeso/welcome to them.

[rebeccariots2]

... A wannabe MP and Afghanistan war veteran has defected from UKIP to Labour.

Andrew Tomkinson came third when he stood for Nigel Farage ’s party in Pontypridd, South Wales, in May.

After challenging Shadow Work and Pensions ­Secretary Owen S­mith for the seat he announced he was backing him.

And Mr Tomkinson, who served as a trooper with the airborne reserve in Afghanistan , said fighting for UKIP was a mistake.

He added: “I just sort of fell into UKIP. It seemed new and exciting.

But I want to see a fairer society, not more tax cuts for the rich.”

He will now campaign for Labour ’s Mick Antoniw in next May’s Welsh Assembly elections.

Mr Antoniw said: “Only Labour will stand up against Tory austerity.”

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

Hmmm ... how's that attacking Corbyn's Labour as unpatriotic going for you Nigel?

[rebeccariots2]

Lisa Nandy ‏@lisanandy 3m3 minutes ago
For the first time the nations of the world have come together to agree that every single one will act to cut carbon pollution. Historic.

[ohsocynical]

Damien Willey ‏@DamienWilley 27 mins27 minutes ago

The petition to ban Donald Trump from the UK has passed half a million signatures in only a few days.

http://fb.me/7ALvwn5bX" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rebeccariots2]

Labour Press Team ‏@labourpress 5h5 hours ago
Small business owners & self-employed worry of quarterly tax return burden @Bill_Esterson http://press.labour.org.uk/post/1350467 ... s-of-small" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Have I missed something? When did Osborne announce we'd have to do tax returns every 3 months? That would be a nonsense for the kind of work I do which is very seasonal / weather based - and I don't see what benefit it is for HMRC. Anyone?

[rebeccariots2]

Daily Mirror ‏@DailyMirror 15m15 minutes ago
Politicians slam end of right to lifetime tenancy - now join the fightback http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sa ... ar_twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

[seeingclearly]

Harry Leslie Smith on refugees and the Jungle. Very humane and moving.

Our brothers keepers

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk ... gle-calais" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[HindleA]

RR2 A bit old but I found this


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

[HindleA]

Making tax digital
The government will invest £1.3 billion to transform HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world. Most businesses, self-employed people and landlords will be required to keep track of their tax affairs digitally and update HMRC at least quarterly via their digital tax account, reducing errors through record keeping.

HMRC will ensure the availability of free apps and software that link securely to HMRC systems and provide support to those who need help using digital technology. This will not apply to individuals in employment, or pensioners, unless they have secondary incomes of more than £10,000 per year.

The government will publish its plans to transform the tax system shortly and will consult on the details in 2016.

[citizenJA]

Labour Press Team ‏@labourpress 5h5 hours ago
Small business owners & self-employed worry of quarterly tax return burden @Bill_Esterson http://press.labour.org.uk/post/1350467 ... s-of-small" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Have I missed something? When did Osborne announce we'd have to do tax returns every 3 months? That would be a nonsense for the kind of work I do which is very seasonal / weather based - and I don't see what benefit it is for HMRC. Anyone?

I must have missed it too.
I've found a few news stories released within the last twenty-four hours.

Millions of self-employed workers, landlords and small business owners will be forced to file tax
returns four times a year. Concerns are being raised the new system will put pressure on small firms.

The plans were included in George Osborne's autumn statement and will affect around four
million self-employed people who earn more than £10,000 a year in profit.

It's part of government plans to get most self-employed workers to fill out their tax returns quarterly
and online by 2020.

http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/Mill ... story.html

[ohsocynical]

Guardian
12 December 1923:

Our scheme of national insurance is helping us through a very bad time. It deserves a better acknowledgement than the sneers it so often receives

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015 ... are_btn_tw

Note the damn date ... 92 years later how far have we come?

[citizenJA]

Making tax digital
The government will invest £1.3 billion to transform HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world. Most businesses, self-employed people and landlords will be required to keep track of their tax affairs digitally and update HMRC at least quarterly via their digital tax account, reducing errors through record keeping.

HMRC will ensure the availability of free apps and software that link securely to HMRC systems and provide support to those who need help using digital technology. This will not apply to individuals in employment, or pensioners, unless they have secondary incomes of more than £10,000 per year.

The government will publish its plans to transform the tax system shortly and will consult on the details in 2016.

In 2015, 86% of households in Great Britain (22.5 million) had an internet connection.

Internet access varies depending on household composition. Nearly all (97%) of households
with children have an internet connection. Access to the internet by single adult households
varies considerably depending on age. For households with one adult aged 65 or over, only
49% had internet access. In contrast 80% of households with only one adult aged 16 to 64
years, had internet access.

In 2015, of the 14% of households in Great Britain with no internet access, 31% reported
that this was due to a lack of skills. Further barriers reported included equipment costs
being too high (14%) and access costs being too high (12%), while 53% of households
without internet access reported that this was because they didn’t need it.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/int ... net-Access" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

About 15% of the UK households don't have Internet access in their home. Another ONS
report I've read recently but don't have at hand contained the information that about the
same percentage of people, the same demographic, people over the age of 65 years and
living alone, lacked a computer or other device with Internet capability in their home.

It's important to note there are significant barriers to getting the entire UK population
access to the Internet.

[seeingclearly]

Isn't this the HMRC end of the changes that were put forward at the same time as UC, ie the integration of welfare and tax? I first read about the quarterly tax return thing two or three years ago, and having once been freelance thought blimey thats going to make life hard for some. But also had severe doubts whether it was all possible, given the complexity of things. For it to work - the IT - it has to function in real time, otherwise things will start to create endless backlogs. I've seen no indication that this isn't happening in other areas, why would it be any better with tax? With UC they are still having to input a lot mannually, and aren't they radically shrinking the tax service. Which means they expect the IT to be fully functional in two years time. I predict giant furcups. And refer you to the late corporate topic yesterday.

[rebeccariots2]

RR2 A bit old but I found this


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

Didn't Osborne say in his last budget that the government was going to abolish the tax return??

He must have meant the 'paper' tax return!

[HindleA]

FWIW,I briefly claimed JSA initially online,it stated thankyou for your application,to cut a long story short whether intentionally or not the process failed completely.

[rebeccariots2]

Thank you everyone for the flurry of research into Osborne's latest double speak nonsense - I'm going to reduce regulation for small business and self employed and at the same time quadruple your workload and hassle factor.

Sheesh. I just want to get away from this government ... I don't understand how this helps anyone - least of all HMRC - anyone? Plus - the benefit of the annual return is that you combine all your income information on it ... including any paltry amounts of interest etc which are often awarded annually. So I don't see the point of providing partial information throughout the year ... it just feels like it could make for more complication and potential error.

[PorFavor]

The government will invest £1.3 billion to transform HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world.

I'd typed a long and despairing screed - but I've now deleted it (before posting). Onward and upward!

[citizenJA]

@ Rebecca, may I please have that maple syrup biscuit now, please?
Don't get up; I'll get it myself - does anyone need tea or a coffee?

[rebeccariots2]

Ed Miliband ‏@Ed_Miliband 24m24 minutes ago
This is a moment of optimism about the world's ability to come together for our common humanity and future generations #ParisAgreeemnt

[HindleA]

Any consideration of this on the impact on receivers of direct payments/personal budgets that employ people,surely they will be exempt?

[PorFavor]

@ Rebecca, may I please have that maple syrup biscuit now, please?
Don't get up; I'll get it myself - does anyone need tea or a coffee?

You'll be lucky - if rebecca's standard of service is anything like ohsocynical's. I'm still waiting for my peeled, black, seedless grapes. You just can't get the staff.


(@ohsocynical How did it go?)

[rebeccariots2]

Andrew Hawkins ‏@Andrew_ComRes 37m37 minutes ago
New ComRes poll for IoS/S Mirror: Con 40(-2) Lab 29(+2) LD 7(-) UKIP 16(+1)

[AnatolyKasparov]

That's a single figure margin with any other pollster but ComedyResults......

[rebeccariots2]

Any consideration of this on the impact on receivers of direct payments/personal budgets that employ people,surely they will be exempt?

I don't think he / they have got a clue about the lives of most of us ... and how his unthought through ideas affect us. What exactly is meant to be the benefit of this - for anyone or the government?

[rebeccariots2]

@ Rebecca, may I please have that maple syrup biscuit now, please?
Don't get up; I'll get it myself - does anyone need tea or a coffee?

You'll be lucky - if rebecca's standard of service is anything like ohsocynical's. I'm still waiting for my peeled, black, seedless grapes. You just can't get the staff.


(@ohsocynical How did it go?)

I've now got you down as having a Mae West slice to your voice PF. The online image (mirage?) is ever building.

[HindleA]

A bit of useless information (or maybe not).The remaining monies from direct payments(kept in a bank account only for that purpose)was paid into my account(given that account had to be closed)until it cleared and I paid it back to the Council.Being of nervous disposition and any hint of impropriety,I did not like the process,but it is the accepted way.

[seeingclearly]

Thank you everyone for the flurry of research into Osborne's latest double speak nonsense - I'm going to reduce regulation for small business and self employed and at the same time quadruple your workload and hassle factor.

Sheesh. I just want to get away from this government ... I don't understand how this helps anyone - least of all HMRC - anyone? Plus - the benefit of the annual return is that you combine all your income information on it ... including any paltry amounts of interest etc which are often awarded annually. So I don't see the point of providing partial information throughout the year ... it just feels like it could make for more complication and potential error.

It isn't designed to help us, it is designed to siphon public funds into private pockets.

I thought this was quite a good article today, though not sure the author is coming from the same place. Still at least he would be able to recognise the way language has been usurped.

What Orwell can teach us about the language of terror and war. (Or extreme politics?)

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/d ... ll-lecture" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;