Thursday 17th December 2015

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 2:32 pm

Wonder if that awful Lucy Allan has employed her staff on a contract without sick pay ?

If the employee wants to go to an Employment Tribunal, it will now cost them a lot of money.
Which of course is just what Tories like Allan intended.
Treat them mean, and stop them seeking recompense is a Conservative way of life.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 2:38 pm

[David Cameron] claimed he would be “battling hard for Britain right through the night” (which is a bit odd because no one is expecting the talks to go on all night - it’s just a dinner). (Politics Live, Guardian)

Lying and self-aggrandisement is second nature, isn't it? Or maybe first-nature . . . .

Edited to add

Or maybe he "mis-spoke" and meant to say, "I'll be stuffing my face for Britain right through the evening." I hope he manages to keep control of his shirt buttons.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 2:43 pm

Hope he manages to keep control of his bladder, presume he keeps up the 'I'm too posh to pee' during the evening too.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 2:47 pm

PorFavor wrote:
[David Cameron] claimed he would be “battling hard for Britain right through the night” (which is a bit odd because no one is expecting the talks to go on all night - it’s just a dinner). (Politics Live, Guardian)
Lying and self-aggrandisement is second nature, isn't it? Or maybe first-nature . . . .

Edited to add

Or maybe he "mis-spoke" and meant to say, "I'll be stuffing my face for Britain right through the evening." I hope he manages to keep control of his shirt buttons.

But there's bound to be a bar - "Pah! That's nothing - in the UK we do everything better than you foreign types! Hic."

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 2:47 pm

yahyah wrote:Hope he manages to keep control of his bladder, presume he keeps up the 'I'm too posh to pee' during the evening too.

Eurgh, porcine watersports.

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:05 pm

Nice little stocking filler for the Hopkin Trump Farage club to enjoy over the festive season

: CWbhdSUWsAA4RLl.jpg (54.79 KiB) Viewed 8522 times

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:07 pm

Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34670192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:09 pm

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... nal-report" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Final evaluation of the non spare room non subsidy policy.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:20 pm

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015 ... -allowance" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Responsibility for managing £5bn benefit for older people to shift to local councils
Attendance allowance for over-65s to become the responsibility of councils in one of the biggest reallocations of public resources in 25 years

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:26 pm

AngryAsWell wrote:Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34670192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My favourite tweet on this so far ....

Arsenal News ‏@__arsenalnews_ · 20m20 minutes ago
Jose Mourinho - Specialist in failure.

Needless to say that Tweeter is being soundly & deservedly ridiculed.

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:36 pm

Wondering what to stick on top of your tree ? Peter has kindly volunteered.

: Peter_Mandelson_2715997k.jpg (35.62 KiB) Viewed 8501 times

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:43 pm

AngryAsWell wrote:Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34670192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Poor sod. Right on Christmas too. I wonder how he'll manage. [Insert tongue in cheek smiley here]

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:47 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
AngryAsWell wrote:Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34670192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Poor sod. Right on Christmas too. I wonder how he'll manage. [Insert tongue in cheek smiley here]

The potential payoff of £40m may help cushion the blow!

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 3:53 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:
AngryAsWell wrote:Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34670192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Poor sod. Right on Christmas too. I wonder how he'll manage. [Insert tongue in cheek smiley here]
The potential payoff of £40m may help cushion the blow!

Paid until the end of the season according to the BBC, so more like £8m of his £12m salary. Bless.

With regards Lucy Allan, what's the gut feeling, blow over or pressure to resign?

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:03 pm

Lucy has all the right credentials to be a future leader. Proven liar, bullying personality, removing f*ck ups from the internet, all brownie points in Dave's rule book. She will go a long way.

danesclose · Post by **danesclose** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:06 pm

StephenDolan wrote:
TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
ohsocynical wrote: Poor sod. Right on Christmas too. I wonder how he'll manage. [Insert tongue in cheek smiley here]
The potential payoff of £40m may help cushion the blow!
Paid until the end of the season according to the BBC, so more like £8m of his £12m salary. Bless.

After the sacking of Jose Mourinho, the next Chelsea manager given a 45 minute rolling contract by the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich.

The contract will come with an option to extend to a full 90 minutes if they are winning at half time.

http://newsthump.com/2015/12/17/new-che ... -contract/

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:21 pm

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has been sent for trial in France for “negligence” when she was French finance minister in her management of an arbitration process that awarded French businessman Bernard Tapie with 404 million euros paid out of public funds, Mediapart can reveal. Earlier this month the Paris appeals court ordered Tapie to pay back the controversial 2008 payout. Michel Deléan and Laurent Mauduit report.

https://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/fra ... arde-trial

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:24 pm

Mr Malky ‏@MrMalky 57 mins57 minutes ago
Mr Malky Retweeted CallEineNow!

hoity toity fuddle me ducks
half a bar of fruesli
What do I think of Shirley Williams
I want to vomit excuse me

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:27 pm

New Chelsea manager spotted in training

: 41100ebb-d34d-42fb-ad76-e4991f33ff5d.jpg (21.63 KiB) Viewed 8460 times

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:33 pm

IntelGroup
‏@AnonIntelGroup
FBI Arrests Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli on Securities Fraud Charges | #IntelGroup

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/busines ... rt-n481671

This is the little shit who wanted to hike up drug prices.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:50 pm

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2015/12/u ... al-voters/

The stupid woman didn't even consider that if she'd apologised nicely, even if she didn't mean it, it would, in all probablity, have died down.

The saddest thing is that she almost certainly feels she's the injured party and there is nothing wrong with her attitude.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:58 pm

TobyLatimer wrote:Lucy has all the right credentials to be a future leader. Proven liar, bullying personality, removing f*ck ups from the internet, all brownie points in Dave's rule book. She will go a long way.

She really should know better than to behave as she did. Take a look at this from her Wiki page:

Professional career[edit]
Allan joined PricewaterhouseCoopers[6] as a trainee in 1987, where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and specialised in business turnaround, and in 1994 she further qualified as a Chartered Secretary in the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.[5] In 1994 she moved into Investment Management, reaching director level.[5] In 2004, after being made redundant,[citation needed] Allan set up Workplace Law Ltd[7] providing advocacy and advice services to workers. In 2009 Allan became a Non Executive Director of Wandsworth NHS.[8] She has served as an employment tribunal panellist.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Allan_(politician" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

I thought she seemed pretty unhinged and out of control in the video I saw. She only has a majority of some 700 odd ... she should be much more careful than this.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 4:59 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
IntelGroup
‏@AnonIntelGroup
FBI Arrests Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli on Securities Fraud Charges | #IntelGroup

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/busines ... rt-n481671
This is the little shit who wanted to hike up drug prices.

He did hike up drug prices and then was forced by the bad PR to reduce them again ... but not before the share prices for his company had dived. Serves him right.

danesclose · Post by **danesclose** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:05 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:
IntelGroup
‏@AnonIntelGroup
FBI Arrests Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli on Securities Fraud Charges | #IntelGroup

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/busines ... rt-n481671
This is the little shit who wanted to hike up drug prices.
He did hike up drug prices and then was forced by the bad PR to reduce them again ... but not before the share prices for his company had dived. Serves him right.

There's just certain people who you wish would end up like Dan Ackroyd's character in Trading Places (without the happy ending)

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:06 pm

"In June there were 1.7m buy-to-let mortgages, worth £201bn. This is 16% of the residential mortgage market, up from 12% in 2008 and 4% in 2002."

No wonder potential first time buyers are struggling to get on the ladder if the stock is hoovered up.

Bank of England to be given powers to rein in buy-to-let market

http://gu.com/p/4f6q4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:09 pm

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:
AngryAsWell wrote:Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34670192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Poor sod. Right on Christmas too. I wonder how he'll manage. [Insert tongue in cheek smiley here]
The potential payoff of £40m may help cushion the blow!

£40million ?????

The ridiculous money paid to sports people & managers doesn't just come from nowhere.
It gets sucked out of us all, even if we don't directly support the sport.
Sponsorship, Sky & BBC broadcasting deals, the money gets leached out of our pockets when we buy products and services even if we don't see it directly going to make people like Mourinho obscenely wealthy.

What do they do with it all ? How much do they need ?

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:09 pm

danesclose wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
ohsocynical wrote: This is the little shit who wanted to hike up drug prices.
He did hike up drug prices and then was forced by the bad PR to reduce them again ... but not before the share prices for his company had dived. Serves him right.
There's just certain people who you wish would end up like Dan Ackroyd's character in Trading Places (without the happy ending)

Yes. Ending up in a gorilla suit with a frisky Silverback springs to mind.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:11 pm

George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 58m58 minutes ago
David Davis told me that "at least a dozen" Tories would rebel over bid to curb Lords' powers. http://bit.ly/1PaUnK7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We need more than that though.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:11 pm

HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015 ... -allowance

Responsibility for managing £5bn benefit for older people to shift to local councils
Attendance allowance for over-65s to become the responsibility of councils in one of the biggest reallocations of public resources in 25 years

The story is complete with this second article.

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

Councils face billions more in budget cuts from April
Minister confirms 6.7% funding cut in England from 2016-20 with local bodies having option of four-year settlement

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:13 pm

HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015 ... -allowance
Responsibility for managing £5bn benefit for older people to shift to local councils
Attendance allowance for over-65s to become the responsibility of councils in one of the biggest reallocations of public resources in 25 years

Thankyou for this post. There has been, for the last week or more, a DWP post about DLA ending for people between the ages of 16 and 64. I have been banging on for a while about what is going to happen to the small number of people born after April 1948 but who are now over 65. Today for the first time I was able to see others who are in this position who, like myself, are very worried about what happens next. Also like me they have asked the right questions and got no answers. Thhe position is this: we are not eligible for PIP because we are over 65, and not eligible for AA because we are in receipt of DLA. I have asked benefit advisors about this and there are no guidelines for it. As far as I can see it only affects women and is a discrepancy that has occurred because of the delayed implementation of PIP. Anyway, here I am banging on about it again, because your post gives me little reassurance, but could at least perhaps show a direction in which things are going.

I have to say I am appalled by this decision, I can only think it will become a way of reducing both responsibility and provision by stealth as it were, as they will allocate chunks of funding rather than be bound by providing according to need. Making getting older much more precarious and possibly a whole load more difficult. I am not using my DLA to fund a motability vehicle, but others in the same position are, AA offers no such possibilities and does not act as a gateway or passporting benefit in the same way. I believe that for the majority it will represent a large drop in income, from figures I can see in my own case it is likely to be approximately £1400 a year if moved to lower AA. And no guarantee of either.

It was interesting to note that along with the above many people posting on these FB notices were previously unaware that changes were coming to DLA. Most didn't understand why they should need reassessment. A few had youngsters on DLA who were coming up to 16 but a large majority were people on indefinite awards who have had no correspondence whatsoever about PIP from the DWP.

I am curious as to why the DWP thinks it is ok to notify people of these changes via FB rather than by letter, can only think it is because a letter would require a lot more detail and some kind of contact info. The timing of this, just before Christmas is in keeping with their current tendency to keep people in a state of anxiety though.

I am not encouraged by the idea that my council might be assessing my level of need, their services are all privatised now, and I have written here before about my OT assessment. Extrapolating a similar experience out to all those who might need support does not inspire any kind of confidence, and it seems like anybody caught in this mess is between the devil and the deep blue sea. Assessment by PIP disability deniers or by zero hours standins for properly trained OTs.

I can feel a chat with my MP coming on, especially if I am unable to find out more by early January.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:22 pm

Just seen the post about Christine Lagarde, as well as Mourinho.

As my mother-in-law used to say 'muck goes to midden'. N'owt changes.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:24 pm

George Osborne 'Booed' At 'Stars Wars: The Force Awakens' Premiere In London
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12 ... 1450355112" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry - any charitable sentiment towards him went out the window with the fracking vote so swiftly followed by the granting of 63 new licences.

This is one of the Tory favourites to be their next leader - he's proving to have a real popular touch - not. Haven't seen any tweets or photos of public insisting on having selfies taken with him ... and somehow I can't imagine a hen party begging him to pose with them.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:29 pm

Rob Merrick ‏@Rob_Merrick 16m16 minutes ago
So just 8.7% of families hit by the #bedroomtax have 'downsized'....the vast majority have had their benefits cut

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:32 pm

Owen Smith ‏@OwenSmith_MP 24m24 minutes ago
What an utter disgrace that the DWP and Duncan Smith can own up to the fact that the Bedroom Tax is starving people http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 76996.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

I know I keep saying it but I'm so glad we've got Owen Smith as shadow re DWP - he says it like it is.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:36 pm

Welfare Weekly ‏@Welfare_Weekly 2h2 hours ago
Nine In Ten Universal Credit Claimants In Rent Arrears http://www.welfareweekly.com/nine-ten-u ... t-arrears/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … via @Welfare_Weekly RT

And these are, presumably, still the simpler cases that were the first (only) ones that UC systems could cope with.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:37 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 58m58 minutes ago
David Davis told me that "at least a dozen" Tories would rebel over bid to curb Lords' powers. http://bit.ly/1PaUnK7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We need more than that though.

Not many more tbh, if all the non-Tory MPs unite. Surely even the Ulster Unionists won't be a soft touch for this one?

TobyLatimer · Post by **TobyLatimer** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:38 pm

Me too rr2, I'm glad Owen Smith is at least highlighting these things. Bedroom tax, PIP, poverty caused by ESA problems etc don't even warrant a mention anywhere in the media nowadays.

Russian billionaire sacks Portuguese millionaire though gets wall to wall analysis.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:40 pm

I would rather the media ran with football stories (and it *is* a story, like it or not) than the latest drivellings of over-entitled dinosaur Labour "grandees" tbf.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:40 pm

A bit about the file of SpAds that was released today.

U.K.'s Osborne Has More Aides Than Next Three Ministers Combined

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... s-combined

A key figure in Osborne’s campaign to replace Cameron is former BBC journalist Thea Rogers, who steered him to a new “Caesar” haircut, put him on the 5:2 diet, and guided the hardhat offensive that has seen him photographed on building sites all over the country. She has been promoted to chief of staff and her salary increased to 98,000 pounds ($146,000) a year, a raise of 28,750 pounds.

That damned lefty BBC again!

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:41 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 58m58 minutes ago
David Davis told me that "at least a dozen" Tories would rebel over bid to curb Lords' powers. http://bit.ly/1PaUnK7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We need more than that though.
Not many more tbh, if all the non-Tory MPs unite. Surely even the Ulster Unionists won't be a soft touch for this one?

Depends what they might be able to lever out of Osborne and co on the basis of their support - I imagine.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:41 pm

Don't know what other people are finding, but here shopkeepers and staff seem gloomy about their sales figures. We went to two local towns today and the feedback from the shops was worrying.

Obviously rural economies are not like urban ones and many factors are involved.
The weather has been atrocious, and there is not much choice or variety available particularly if you want something a bit special. But even the shops that do try and cater for gifts were empty, just over a week before Christmas when they need to take their money.
We Cardis [residents of Ceredigion] have a reputation for keeping purses and wallets shut, so that doesn't help !

What was interesting is that all those I spoke to attacked the Tories and their cuts, and understood Labour in Wales are forced to pass on austerity.
So hopefully they will remember that next May and vote to keep Labour in Wales.

Just can't remember so many people being so overtly political.
One woman said she and all her co-workers were on reduced hours, not overlapping, and it made continuity of stock control etc a nightmare. Then she spent five minutes, encouraged by me, to moan about the Tory/Libs having forced the extra quick extension to her retirement age.

Let's hope political consciousness is being raised in other areas too.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:43 pm

'Option of four-year settlement', of course...an election cycle budget plan, obviously...

The communities secretary, Greg Clark, said council funding would be reduced by 6.7%
between 2016 and 2020, with the bulk of the cuts “frontloaded” in the first two years
before easing off in the last two.

Clark said that although councils would continue to have to make savings, their
overall spending power in this settlement would remain relatively stable at £44.5bn
in 2015-16 and £44.3bn in 2019-20.

Local authorities will be given the option of a four-year funding settlement to give them
“financial certainty” as the proportion of money they receive from central government
shrinks and they become solely reliant on funds raised locally through council tax and
business rates.

Councils are limited by law and by having no feasible revenue generation stream - where are
some local authorities going to raise money? There's a 'financial uncertainty' option for local
authorities to choose from Westminster? 'Choices'? Central government have all the choices,
not local authorities. More lies from Tory government again, trying to make it someone else's
fault.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:43 pm

The HIV drug price hiker being arrested for fraud.
The US cops know how to do the perp walk.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:49 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:A bit about the file of SpAds that was released today.

U.K.'s Osborne Has More Aides Than Next Three Ministers Combined

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... s-combined

A key figure in Osborne’s campaign to replace Cameron is former BBC journalist Thea Rogers, who steered him to a new “Caesar” haircut, put him on the 5:2 diet, and guided the hardhat offensive that has seen him photographed on building sites all over the country. She has been promoted to chief of staff and her salary increased to 98,000 pounds ($146,000) a year, a raise of 28,750 pounds.
That damned lefty BBC again!

She seems to have confused Caesar with Caligula.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:50 pm

yahyah wrote:Don't know what other people are finding, but here shopkeepers and staff seem gloomy about their sales figures. We went to two local towns today and the feedback from the shops was worrying.

Obviously rural economies are not like urban ones and many factors are involved.
The weather has been atrocious, and there is not much choice or variety available particularly if you want something a bit special. But even the shops that do try and cater for gifts were empty, just over a week before Christmas when they need to take their money.
We Cardis [residents of Ceredigion] have a reputation for keeping purses and wallets shut, so that doesn't help !

What was interesting is that all those I spoke to attacked the Tories and their cuts, and understood Labour in Wales are forced to pass on austerity.
So hopefully they will remember that next May and vote to keep Labour in Wales.

Just can't remember so many people being so overtly political.
One woman said she and all her co-workers were on reduced hours, not overlapping, and it made continuity of stock control etc a nightmare. Then she spent five minutes, encouraged by me, to moan about the Tory/Libs having forced the extra quick extension to her retirement age.

Let's hope political consciousness is being raised in other areas too.

We went to Carmarthen to shop today because it was pissing down so we couldn't work outside - again. We could barely get a parking space - had to wait 15 minutes in the car park - so we thought it would be very busy. It wasn't though. No crowded shops - no queues at tills. The only place that was relatively busy was Aldi - maybe that should tell us something. Cardigan is about to lose B&Q so we will have even fewer largish employers and shops in the town from the new year. People around here tend to be fiercely loyal to local smaller shops. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see W H Smiths going soon (they're just too expensive in comparison to the discounters) - and possibly the Greggs bakers which hasn't been here long but never looks particularly busy.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:54 pm

Huw Thomas ‏@huwthomas 27m27 minutes ago Cardiff, Wales
Tonight on @BBCWalesToday - why the notorious unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan will be the focus of a new podcast

Good to see BBC Wales taking this up, presumably because of the Morgan family being of Welsh origin.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 5:57 pm

Glad to see the Huffington Post running this story:

EU Migration Statistics: Ministers Refuse To Publish In 'Astonishing' Excuse On Referendum Run-up
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12 ... _hp_ref=uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We posted the tweets from Jonathan Portes here yesterday in which he outlined the govt response to his FOIs asking for the figures. It is an outrageous reason - overtly political.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 6:06 pm

Tens of thousands of couples who have settled their divorces in the last 20 months may have to re-open negotiations because a critical fault has been found in software used to calculate financial terms.

The Ministry of Justice was urgently investigating the extent of the errors of “Form E” on its website which have the potential to inflate the financial worth of a wife or husband. It has published an email address – formE@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk – asking anyone who believes they have been affected to contact the department.

The fact the software had been miscalculating assets since April 2014 was only spotted earlier this month by a family law specialist, Nicola Matheson-Durrant of the Family Law Clinic in Ascot, Berkshire. The MoJ only publicly admitted the problem on Thursday...

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/dec ... ettlements" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yet another monumental cock up on Grayling's watch ...

And if this govt think I am going to start submitting quarterly tax returns online ... they've got another think coming. There hasn't been a government computer system developed in the last however many years that's proven fit for purpose.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 6:15 pm

yahyah wrote:Don't know what other people are finding, but here shopkeepers and staff seem gloomy about their sales figures. We went to two local towns today and the feedback from the shops was worrying.

Obviously rural economies are not like urban ones and many factors are involved.
The weather has been atrocious, and there is not much choice or variety available particularly if you want something a bit special. But even the shops that do try and cater for gifts were empty, just over a week before Christmas when they need to take their money.
We Cardis [residents of Ceredigion] have a reputation for keeping purses and wallets shut, so that doesn't help !

What was interesting is that all those I spoke to attacked the Tories and their cuts, and understood Labour in Wales are forced to pass on austerity.
So hopefully they will remember that next May and vote to keep Labour in Wales.

Just can't remember so many people being so overtly political.
One woman said she and all her co-workers were on reduced hours, not overlapping, and it made continuity of stock control etc a nightmare. Then she spent five minutes, encouraged by me, to moan about the Tory/Libs having forced the extra quick extension to her retirement age.

Let's hope political consciousness is being raised in other areas too.

Eventually as more and more people are hit between the eyes with cuts to their income from whatever source, they are going to look for someone to blame.

Lets hope they look in the right direction.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Thu 17 Dec, 2015 6:23 pm

yahyah wrote:

The HIV drug price hiker being arrested for fraud.
The US cops know how to do the perp walk.

I wonder if he's going to be locked up with some of the poor sods who are struggling with HIV because of the cost of drugs in the US.