Wednesday 2nd March 2016

Post by **refitman** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 7:09 am

Morning all.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 7:46 am

Morning.
See below.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 7:50 am

Morning, refitman, and all.

Islington CCG has begun a pilot project to have DWP "work coaches" (people working for Remploy as "experts" ie. working for Maximus) in 6 GP surgeries. http://www.guardian.com/politics/2016/m ... -surgeries" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is just beyond....

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 7:53 am

See above

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

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:01 am

I think the W+Work Bill vote will be before the adjournment debate,I don't know what time or how long there will be for debate/time allocated.Which doesn't tell you much.I perhaps should have just said sometime tonight,maybe.The supreme court Gov v carers,sick/domestic violence/ victims and anybody with a deemed welfare trait continues,I praise myself for my computer screen surviving thus far.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:19 am

http://www.nytimes.com/elections/results" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Super Tuesday Results

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016 ... sults.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:31 am

http://www.theguardian.com/public-leade ... are_btn_tw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Iain Duncan Smith: the latest MP to pretend council cuts are not his fault
Mary O'Hara

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:34 am

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

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:37 am

No comments allowed, I see. Well words fail anyway.

Another article tells that GPs will be asked to throw people off their lists if they haven't seen their doctor in five years.

Will you get appointments on condition that you attend a work focused interview and sign up to jobseeking commitments for seven hours a day?

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:46 am

See above
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016 ... m-practice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:46 am

Morning all.

I see Osborne is trying to pull a fast one with his "cutting the top rate brought in £8bn"

Well not quite...

http://waitingfortax.com/2016/03/01/did ... raise-8bn/

seeingclearly · Post by **seeingclearly** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 8:47 am

Massachusetts was close. If it had gone the other way it wouldn't have looked so clearcut for Hillary.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 9:03 am

Shaun KingVerified account
‏@ShaunKing
I'm fucking furious.

This is what happens when a campaign is fueled by bigotry. Police looked on as she's shoved.

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

Trump supporters repeatedly assault Black woman at his KY rally
Over and over again, as police look on, white men pushed & shoved and yelled at a young Black woman in every direction at a Donald Trump rally as white women looked on and yelled at her.

The link goes to a short vine of the incident. What a nasty campaign - nasty candidate with some pretty nasty supporters.

Morning - belatedly - not a good one so far.

55DegreesNorth · Post by **55DegreesNorth** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 9:08 am

ephemerid wrote:Morning, refitman, and all.

Islington CCG has begun a pilot project to have DWP "work coaches" (people working for Remploy as "experts" ie. working for Maximus) in 6 GP surgeries. http://www.guardian.com/politics/2016/m ... -surgeries" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is just beyond....

The level of expertise is best demonstrated by the man overseeing the project, a PhD student at Birkbeck (subject: Skills in 17th century England).

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 9:16 am

http://press.labour.org.uk/post/1403233 ... g-stock-is" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Labour Press
Osborne’s failure to deliver new housing stock is blowing out the Housing Benefit Bill - Seema Malhotra

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 9:18 am

With the amount of time he spends in hard hat and hi-viz jackets at construction sites,you would have thought he would have built at least one house.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 9:25 am

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/co ... screaming/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chris Christie’s wordless screaming

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:02 am

Culture secretary expected to warn of threat to newspapers from adblocking
John Whittingdale will also back Clementi report’s recommendations that BBC Trust should be scrapped and regulation of the corporation handed to Ofcom
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/m ... -bbc-trust" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So the newspapers / news media need to get their collective act together and come up with a joint scheme which allows online readers to subscribe to one organisation which then distributes the revenue to each outlet based on the number of views. If they all introduce individual registration / subscription it's going to cut down their readership massively ... who can or wants to afford several subscriptions?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:05 am

HindleA wrote:With the amount of time he spends in hard hat and hi-viz jackets at construction sites,you would have thought he would have built at least one house.

There's a delicious tweet going around about Osborne and how he's being likened to 'Maris' from Frasier of who someone said they liked her but from a distance - like the sun but without the warmth. His odds for being elected leader of the Tories have plummeted apparently.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:06 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Culture secretary expected to warn of threat to newspapers from adblocking
John Whittingdale will also back Clementi report’s recommendations that BBC Trust should be scrapped and regulation of the corporation handed to Ofcom
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/m ... -bbc-trust" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So the newspapers / news media need to get their collective act together and come up with a joint scheme which allows online readers to subscribe to one organisation which then distributes the revenue to each outlet based on the number of views. If they all introduce individual registration / subscription it's going to cut down their readership massively ... who can or wants to afford several subscriptions?

Well exactly.

Cheaper to have the Ministry For Information pamphlet the weekly Conservatives press releases.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:31 am

RobertSnozers wrote:My God, Toby Young is an idiot

Glad there was a comma there, wouldn't want you questioning your faith!

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:33 am

RobertSnozers wrote:My God, Toby Young is an idiot

Not exactly news though Robert.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:45 am

Ouch.

This is a reference to what the national Schools Commissioner said about Ofsted the other day. Didn't think that Wilshaw would be too happy.

DfE seriously need to sort out who is responsible for what between LAs, RSCs and Ofsted. This is a turf war right now.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:48 am

RobertSnozers wrote:My God, Toby Young is an idiot

He openly admitted to turning into a Tory cheerleader a while ago - his opinion isn't worth worrying about on any subject.

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:51 am

Good article from the Graun about the difficult (and badly paid), but rewarding job of home care assistant.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ron-fridge" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lots of interesting comments as well, and this one from 'Sellypaws' I thought was particularly good:

I have been a carer for 14 years. I do it at the same time as running my own business from home.

Initially I cared for both my father, who is a quadriplegic, and my mother, who had dementia. My mother died in 2008.

In many ways, it is very rewarding. But there are aspects, common to many carers, that can leave them feeling very isolated. I, for example, have three siblings, all of whom have refused to take any part, either physically or financially, in my parents care. I thought this must just be my family; but talking to other carers I find that it is very common indeed. To this you can add abusive neighbours, those who call Social Services at the drop of a hat, HCAs who are physically and verbally abusive (luckily, this last one is reasonably rare).

Recently, I put as many things as I could think of down in a free website, called caringschmaring. Do please have a look.

And before you think that there is such a thing as a typical carer. I am highly educated (I went to school with Jeremy Hunt!), I work at a high level in my industry (opera management), and I have a wide range of friends and experiences. So I'm hardly the little mouse letting life knock me over.

I do, however, have to fight for every little thing. Even more so, since the Government seems to have labelled compassion as a weakness.

I did offer to talk Jeremy Hunt through the challenges a carer faces. He ignored my email. But, as we all know, he knows far more about healthcare than the people who actually, you know, do it...

Not all surprising that Jeremy rhyming slang ignored the email.

I've had a look at the website and it is definitely worth a read.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 10:59 am

Snowing a storm outside
Good morning, everyone

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 11:04 am

Heh.

Nick Linford ‏@NickLinford 48s49 seconds ago
"Everyone agrees you can't be having 45 year-old @Apprenticeships" says @HarfordSean. - Does everyone agree? Ask Nick Boles and @AELPUK

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 11:06 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:
RobertSnozers wrote:My God, Toby Young is an idiot
He openly admitted to turning into a Tory cheerleader a while ago - his opinion isn't worth worrying about on any subject.

"turning into"?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 11:14 am

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Shaun KingVerified account
‏@ShaunKing
I'm fucking furious.

This is what happens when a campaign is fueled by bigotry. Police looked on as she's shoved.

Trump supporters repeatedly assault Black woman at his KY rally
Over and over again, as police look on, white men pushed & shoved and yelled at a young Black woman in every direction at a Donald Trump rally as white women looked on and yelled at her.
The link goes to a short vine of the incident. What a nasty campaign - nasty candidate with some pretty nasty supporters.

Morning - belatedly - not a good one so far.

Kentucky has some good people living there.
I guess none of them turned up at that rally.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 11:27 am

seeingclearly wrote:Massachusetts was close. If it had gone the other way it wouldn't have looked so clearcut for Hillary.

Yep.

Though the writing has been on the wall arguably since her initial squeak in Iowa - Sanders really needed to win that one.

Still, he has far from disgraced himself - and his supporters will have to be listened to

ScarletGas · Post by **ScarletGas** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 11:27 am

Good Morning

Unusually interesting article today in the Daily "Fascist" (I will not link) from Lady Smug (Isabel Oakeshott) on the Lord Feldman/David Cameron attempt to neuter grassroots conservative associations.

I use the word unusual because as opposed to her usual obsequious observations on her Chipping Norton neighbour it gives a pretty critical account of his poor attitude towards the rank and file members and the machinations behind these manoeuvres. Maybe in her new incarnation at the "Fascist" she has to initially ingratiate herself with the frothing faithful.

As has been observed here (I think) previously this is a naked attempt to stop Boris (who has a strong following amongst the grassroots) getting the leadership of the party dressed up as usual as modernisation. This move would place control of succession firmly in the hands of a relatively small clique of Osborne's friends at the top of the party and is not going down well across the country.

Given that the Osborne allies are all connected in some way to the CBI and/or the City of London why don't they come clean for once and change the name from Conservative to the Corporatist party!

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 11:38 am

And as supposed admirers of Blair and the NL "project" the Cameroonies should really have grasped this sort of thing produces (arguably) short term gain followed by long term pain.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 12:00 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:Heh.

Nick Linford ‏@NickLinford 48s49 seconds ago
"Everyone agrees you can't be having 45 year-old @Apprenticeships" says @HarfordSean. - Does everyone agree? Ask Nick Boles and @AELPUK

They'll get paid £3.30 an hour during the first year of that 'apprenticeship', just like everyone else.

I'd be willing to do an apprenticeship at any age in order to learn something new. Responsibly trained
and reasonably paid, it may be better than going into debt acquiring an accreditation from an institute
of some kind. I'm not having a go at further education providers, sometimes formal qualifications are
necessary.

I see advertisements everywhere advertising what the Mirror rightly calls,
'...George Osborne's so-called National Living Wage...'

"The Tories have splashed almost £5m of public money on 'propaganda' for George Osborne's so-called National Living Wage.

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) campaign included £1.7m worth of TV ads and more than £750,000 worth of posters."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/to ... ic-7388723" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

nickyinnorfolk · Post by **nickyinnorfolk** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 12:30 pm

ScarletGas wrote:Good Morning

Unusually interesting article today in the Daily "Fascist" (I will not link) from Lady Smug (Isabel Oakeshott) on the Lord Feldman/David Cameron attempt to neuter grassroots conservative associations.

I use the word unusual because as opposed to her usual obsequious observations on her Chipping Norton neighbour it gives a pretty critical account of his poor attitude towards the rank and file members and the machinations behind these manoeuvres. Maybe in her new incarnation at the "Fascist" she has to initially ingratiate herself with the frothing faithful.

As has been observed here (I think) previously this is a naked attempt to stop Boris (who has a strong following amongst the grassroots) getting the leadership of the party dressed up as usual as modernisation. This move would place control of succession firmly in the hands of a relatively small clique of Osborne's friends at the top of the party and is not going down well across the country.

Given that the Osborne allies are all connected in some way to the CBI and/or the City of London why don't they come clean for once and change the name from Conservative to the Corporatist party!

Agree with that point about the Tories becoming the Corporatist party - that's a point Labour should be banging on about.

The comments are all very negative about Cameron, like this one:

Cameron is killing the Tory Party he is the worse leader they have ever elected and if they don't get rid of him preferably before the Referendum then the people will get rid of the Tory Party, myself a Tory Voter for 43 years until they elected Cameron. The party as lost half of it's members and millions of voters since Clown Cameron became leader, they scraped in 2010 with the help of the Lib-Dems and just scraped over the line in 2015 on the back of the Referendum Promise come 2020 they will have nothing to bribe the public with and they will hate Cameron and Osborne even more. you are fast becoming like the Lib-Dems and will end up like them.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 12:39 pm

Breezy sunshine, loveliness

edited to add - snow storm a couple hours ago, now sunshine

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 12:40 pm

About an hours debate on W and Work Bill vote about 8pm

utopiandreams · Post by **utopiandreams** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:19 pm

HindleA wrote:... I praise myself for my computer screen surviving thus far.

I'm guessing you have a spill resistant keyboard with all the froth and fury too, A. Which reminds me...

utopiandreams · Post by **utopiandreams** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:27 pm

seeingclearly wrote:No comments allowed, I see. Well words fail anyway.

Another article tells that GPs will be asked to throw people off their lists if they haven't seen their doctor in five years.

Will you get appointments on condition that you attend a work focused interview and sign up to jobseeking commitments for seven hours a day?

I'm a little ambivalent about this tbh, seeingclearly, given they supposedly write at least twice beforehand. Having said that I once found myself unregistered with the doctors' practice I'd been with for twenty something years at the time but then I had moved twice in the meantime and so had the surgery once. I did feel put out mind as when I rang for an appointment I was advised that I'd been allocated elsewhere, which of course I hadn't. I just reapplied at the original practice.

I'm not saying that I'm totally without concern given the direction of travel. It may become as difficult to register with an NHS doctor as it currently is with dentists should the Tories remain in power.

utopiandreams · Post by **utopiandreams** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:36 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:... This is a turf war right now.

A totally unnecessary one manufactured entirely by Gove... and Cameron as with much else from this government, Roger.

Btw thanks for your moral support in the other place. I almost burst into song when I saw my challenger but decided against any mention of midnight toking.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:36 pm

it's hailing now

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:39 pm

Apparently there was a PMQs today.

It is claimed that Cameron responded to Corbyn by making an oh so witty "joke" about Varoufakis - as if Jez is personally responsible for him or something.

Nothing new there, then

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:40 pm

Caught PMQs. Cameron's joke attempt was pitiful. Surprised to hear a snappy phrase from Corbyn.

Agency Britain works on multiple fronts, work insecurity and spiraling costs for public sector organisations. Could this be, a... theme?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:42 pm

HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/public-leade ... are_btn_tw

Iain Duncan Smith: the latest MP to pretend council cuts are not his fault
Mary O'Hara

Outstanding article. Don't let Tory government off the hook for their actions, policies and words. I detest despotic leadership shirking responsibility. Nothing makes me angrier.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:46 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Apparently there was a PMQs today.

It is claimed that Cameron responded to Corbyn by making an oh so witty "joke" about Varoufakis - as if Jez is personally responsible for him or something.

Nothing new there, then

Didn't you appreciate the "Acropolis Now" quip? That was a good 'un and totally relevant. Oh (as you know) the comment about Varoufakis having ruined the Greek economy showed such a breadth of knowledge of Greek politics. David Cameron is a wit and a genius.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:47 pm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... fraud.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Left needs to face up to the sickness of benefit fraud

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:54 pm

StephenDolan wrote:Caught PMQs. Cameron's joke attempt was pitiful. Surprised to hear a snappy phrase from Corbyn.

Agency Britain works on multiple fronts, work insecurity and spiraling costs for public sector organisations. Could this be, a... theme?

I thought exactly the same re 'Agency Britain'. He should keep on using that - people will get what it means immediately. Natalie Bennett has already tweeted her support for Corbyn re that line of questioning and that phrase.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 1:58 pm

citizenJA wrote:
HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/public-leade ... are_btn_tw

Iain Duncan Smith: the latest MP to pretend council cuts are not his fault
Mary O'Hara
Outstanding article. Don't let Tory government off the hook for their actions, policies and words. I detest despotic leadership shirking responsibility. Nothing makes me angrier.

I linked her namesake and harp playing for sporadic and hopefully beneficial use.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 2:07 pm

Sky News ‏@SkyNews 19m19 minutes ago
Indonesia issues tsunami warning after magnitude 7.9 quake hits off the coast of #Sumatra http://trib.al/tAXCCNa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hope that's all it turns out to be - a warning.

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 2:10 pm

HindleA wrote:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... fraud.html
The Left needs to face up to the sickness of benefit fraud

Or why Labour created mythology and becomes a collusive narrative of a tit for tat narrative which still persists was a bad idea.It is stone,no matter zero actual evidence.Still no mention in screeds of released papers of supposed policy,for the simple reason it didn't exist.

Tom Harris is a disgruntled Blairite ex-MP who is now a lobbyist and sometime hack for the Torygraph.

He has written some pretty shitty stuff about Corbyn and McDonnell.

Now he's having a pop at people he reckons are claiming fraudulently, offering as evidence nothing more than anecdote. So tedious.

The Left - and everyone else - certainly should face up to "the sickness of benefit fraud".
They should do the research, find the facts, and understand that there is infintesimal actual fraud perpetrated by claimants, but a massive fraud being played out by people like him who want to pretend that there is widespread malingering going on.

Silly little man.

After the stroppy Jess Phillips droning on about how inhuman everyone in politics is except her - clearly believing that telling senior colleagues to fuck off or saying she'd happily stab her leader makes her the only human in the Commons - all we need now is bloody sodding Danzcuk trolling along with some perceived slight to make the triple whammy for the day.

Just to make things even more irritating, AS has a separate article on PMQs as well as the "verdict" on his usual blog.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Wed 02 Mar, 2016 2:12 pm

KING: Not long before someone gets killed at Trump rally
SHAUN KING
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Today, 8:48 AM ET
http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/ ... ?cid=bitly" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very disturbing. Links back to earlier post about the young black woman being pushed and shoved at the Trump rally ... talks about the groups and individuals supposedly involved.