Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

LOL, same as davey gravy as Fred says.

David Cameron: #ATOS Decision Making Must Improve

October 16, 2013



by samedifference1

David Cameron has said the company that carries out “fitness-for-work” tests on disabled benefits claimants has to improve its decision-making.

But he rejected an angry call by Labour MP Dennis Skinner, at Prime Minister’s Questions, to “get rid of” Atos.

The Bolsover MP dubbed Atos a “cruel, heartless monster”, referring to a constituent with cancer who had to wait 11 months for an appeal.

The man, a “butcher and farmer in Bolsover”, had now died, he told MPs.

The veteran Labour MP, his face red with anger, told Mr Cameron: “Isn’t it time we put an end to this system, where people that are really suffering should not be allowed an appeal, having to live on £70 a week? Him and his widow.

“Two things the prime minister should do: One, with immediate effect, make an ex-gratia payment to his widow to cover the suffering and pain and lost income

“And secondly abolish this cruel, heartless monster called Atos – get rid of it.”

‘Unacceptable’

Mr Cameron promised to look into the “desperately sad case” raised by Mr Skinner, adding: “Everyone who has constituency surgeries and talks to constituents knows that we have to improve the quality of decision-making about this issue.”

But he added: “I think it is important that we carry out proper assessments of whether people are qualified for benefits or are not qualified for benefits.”

He said Labour had “started to look at work capabilities” when they were in power.

Labour has said it would keep fitness for work tests if it wins the next general election, but has suggested it would sack Atos, saying it gets too many tests wrong and delivers poor value for money.

The French IT firm is paid by the government to carry out “work capability assessments” for people applying for the sickness benefit employment and support allowance, as well as people who were previously on incapacity benefit.

It was told to improve its services by MPs in July after an “unacceptable reduction” in the quality of its written reports.

A government audit, which analysed 400 reports, followed concerns being raised over the firm’s services.

The company responded by saying it provides a “professional and compassionate” service.

Yanks are sorted apparently.

Thank God we don't live in the USA. We still have our monarchy and despite the fact that politicians of all parties behave like silly schoolboys/schoolgirls, particularly at PM's Question Time, they are still not as bad as that lot across the pond.

american politicos are an absolute disgrace to themselves, their constituents and their country

http://news.yahoo.com/french-court-upholds-scientology-fraud-conviction-155920860.html

Good ol Sally.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10383464/Sally-Bercow-photographed-swearing-at-photographers.html

Wouldnt say no though if she offered it.

Always found her quite sexy.

You might well gf, she's a fun lovin gel by all accounts.

Not sure what she see's in the vertically challenged one tho.

MK/

You don't have to fancy him, if he is not to your taste.


8-)

lol :-)

she was very fond of Paddy , and i don't mean Pantsdown

WASHINGTON — The Senate's top two leaders announced a bipartisan deal Wednesday to reopen the federal government after a 16-day partial shutdown as well as avert an unprecedented debt default.

"The compromise we reached will provide our economy with the stability it desperately needs," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who reached the agreement with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"This has been a long, challenging few weeks for Congress and for the country. It is my hope that today we can put some of those most urgent issues behind us," McConnell said.

House and Senate leaders were still negotiating how to maneuver the legislation through both chambers and get it to President Obama's desk before the Oct. 17 deadline to raise the debt ceiling. However, there was an air of certainty on Capitol Hill now that a formal deal is at hand and votes were expected first in the Senate on Wednesday.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said the House would not block a vote on the Senate deal. "The House has fought with everything it has" against the health care law, but he would not allow the risk of default to occur tomorrow. Boehner said Republicans were committed to keeping up the healthcare fight, but would use "smart, targeted strikes" and aggressive oversight in the future. Republicans remain opposed to new taxes, he said.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president "looks forward to Congress acting so that he can sign legislation that will reopen the government and remove this threat from our economy."

Prompt Senate passage appeared all but certain after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he would not filibuster the deal. "There's nothing to be gained from delaying this vote one day or two days, the outcome will be same," said Cruz, who gained national attention for his 21-hour filibuster-style speech during a budget debate on his opposition to President Obama's health care law.

The narrow package includes a stopgap measure that would fund the government through Jan. 15, suspend the debt ceiling until Feb. 7 and establish a framework for formal budget negotiations to begin. Negotiators would be tasked with reporting out by Dec. 13 recommendations for longer-term spending levels and deficit reduction. It does not include any significant provisions affecting the Affordable Care Act.

Senate leaders reasserted control of negotiations after Boehner failed Tuesday to corral GOP lawmakers behind a competing budget proposal. House GOP leaders will probably have to rely on House Democrats to pass the Senate package.

"You're going to see a lot of Democrats vote for it, and you might get a few Republicans to vote for it, but I don't think you'll see a wide swath of our conservative caucus vote for what comes over from the Senate," Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

Conservative outside groups railed against the Senate deal as a "complete surrender" to Democrats, according to FreedomWorks. The group joined a trio that includes Club for Growth and Heritage Action in advising lawmakers to oppose the plan because they will use it to rank Republicans in their annual scorecards.

The shutdown and debt ceiling fight have been politically bruising for the GOP, but Carney declined to say the end result was a victory for Democrats. "There are no winners here," he said. "We said that from the beginning, and we're going to say it right up to the end because it's true. The American people have paid a price for this. And nobody who's sent here to Washington by the American people can call themselves a winner if the American people have paid a price for what's happened. And the economy has suffered because of it, and it was wholly unnecessary."

I ment the Paddy she was living with in a caravan on that tv program

Hello :-))

Gosh she does look very attractive on the photos.

Hope finally this will show doodlebug4 Im of the hetro camp and he stops trolling me all over the place although I have him filtered.

No doubts he will also like the photo but he'l have his eyes fixed on PADDY if his form over the last few days is anything to go by.

Dreamy.

Your seem a little jealous.

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The Republicans are almost as split as the con party and UKIppers.

No he is not my type Fred. :-))