FlyTheNest

Morning all.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... sers-voice

Austerity is denying patients and care service users a voice

Worth reading the whole thread

https://twitter.com/hilarybennmp/status ... 6499513344

Good-morning, everyone

I see
it sounds like either both are pensioners or neither is a pensioner

Morning all

An interesting viewpoint from DAG...how to pacify both sides.

https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/sta ... 3550164992

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If I'm not here, then I'll be in the library. Or the other library.

Good morfternoon.



Unlike the "Sun" to mis-report things.

two minutes ago

Thanks. Not the same thing as that described by the "Sun", though, I'd suggest.

Previously pensioners were protected by allowing a household with a pensioner to access pension credit and pensioner housing benefit, which provide greater security and reduced conditionality than working age benefits, even if their spouse was still of working age.

This has been reversed so now the pensioner will be vulnerable to the conditionality and reduced stability and security of the working age social security system which their younger partner will be expected to engage with, especially in terms of housing and housing benefit, something I believe HindleA has previously predicted we are inevitably creeping towards under the current government.

Slipped through on the quiet, it seems.

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“Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.”

I didn't think they were the same
I should've waited a bit before posting it

Ditto. I didn't think that you'd think that I thought that you thought that they were the same!

Anybody else getting site gremlins this morning?

No. It would be infuriating and frustrating for that to happen on today of all days. But there's still time . . .

Voting against May's withdrawal agreement isn't bringing on a 'no-deal Brexit'.

I don't think so

Linux operating system here is consistently twitchy
OS problems may not be what you're referring to

No, but voting it through would guarantee no deal Brexit wouldn't happen, whilst voting against it leaves the possibility open.
I'm sympathetic both to opposition MPs who feel the risks of rejecting a WA are too high to chance it and also those who can't bring themselves to vote in support of May's government. Neither choice is an easy or straightforward one imo.
Remember, of the 100 or so Tory MPs likely to rebel against their government many are doing so because they want a harder Brexit than the WA provides and they will get what they want if Parliament is unable to form a majority for any other option, something it is still unclear whether it is able to do.

I just hope the Labour leadership have talked enough across party lines to establish which route forward has the most potential for a positive outcome.

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“Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.”

No, but I did last week, first time in ages.

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“Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.”

May apparently saying that no matter how bad tonight's defeat might be, she will push on with her deal as it is "the only option".

A classic case of just asserting something not making it true......

"where there is security may there be insecurity"
The non comparable comparative fairness reduction process continues.

Targeted is correct,but not in a good way.

It's not an indication of strength, her talking like that. Someone with influence with her ought to let her know.

I can't listen to Geoffrey Cox. Too irritating.

Al Shabaab terrorism attack in Nairobi, Kenya (Sky TV news).

As mentioned on Twitter, today is the 100th anniversary of Rosa Luxemburg's murder. With the collusion of the SPD, to their eternal shame.

Beth Rigby (Sky TV news) is saying that Theresa May's Plan B is (yes, you've guessed it) Plan A.

I'd rather have the coalition of chaos option, please

Ken Clarke is voting for May's agreement? Is that accurate?

I find that ominous

Brexit Quiz.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/15/quiz-how-well-have-you-been-following-brexit

Got 13/15, questions 7 and 10 got me.

I got the Mel Stride one wrong.

Yes, I remember him saying he would vote for it a while ago. The agreement with the backstop pushes us towards a closer relationship with the EU than May was originally trying to achieve, so this may have persuaded him to backing it.

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“Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.”

It guarantees it won’t happen on 29/3, surely that’s all. Another cliff edge 31 Dec 2020, and then perhaps another in 2022.

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One world, like it or not - John Martyn

Clarke speaks his mind, but has never been much of a rebel I'd say.

I got 10/15

Unimpressed by Jeremy Corbyn's contribution.

Except if we hit the Dec 2020 deadline without a finalised future deal, that's when the backstop kicks in, keeping us in the Customs Union. Or at least that's my understanding. Isn't that what the hard Brexiters don't like? That the WA locks us into some kind of customs agreement as a bare minimum, because they know the EU won't accept a hard border in Ireland and they and the DUP won't accept a major border in the Irish Sea and in reality there is no technological solution to get around this. So the only pure "no deal" moment is the upcoming one in March, because that backstop will be legally binding and can only be superseded by something both we and the EU agree on.

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“Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.”

Ayes: 202

Noes: 432

Looks like this didn't matter overmuch, at the end of the day.

Brutal result.

May very calm in response.

There is perhaps some relief for her in turning the impossible conundrum over to Parliament. She's just a passenger now, like the rest of us.

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“Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.”

I like Tusk's idea a lot

Edited to add -

Words by T May?

Frank Field, Kate Hoey and John Mann voted for.

May has completely ignored every remain voter in her speech
again

Just returned from a school meeting and I seemed to have missed something important...

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If I'm not here, then I'll be in the library. Or the other library.