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.

Just one TV debate and he ends up as Deputy PM

27 Nov 2013

Ukip emerging as challenger to Labour, says Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, says they are threatening Labour seats as by-elections prove their popularity in the party's strongholds

Ukip is now threatening the Labour party, leader Nigel Farage has claimed as he said that they are “emerging as the challenger” in the North of England.

In some marginal seats Ukip is the only one who can take on Ed Miliband’s party and strength of his party is changing the entire political landscape, he believes.

Mr Farage said that it is a myth that Ukip, whose policies have “huge support” amongst some Conservative members, was only a threat to the Tories.

While he may pose a “psychological threat” to David Cameron it is Labour who risk losing seats to Ukip, he claims.

He is so confident of his influence he claims that Mr Miliband will pledge a referendum on Europe before the next MEP elections.

“At the moment the Labour party are not pledging to hold a referendum on the European question,” he said.

“But mark my words that will change. I have absolutely no doubt that in the run up to the European elections we will hear a speech from Ed Miliband. I mean goodness me, even Nick Clegg has supported this so called toughening on restrictions to benefits for migrants.

The bill calling for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU in 2017 has been approved by the Commons.

The legislation passed its final stage in the Commons on Friday despite efforts by Labour and the Liberal Democrats to delay its passage.

The bill now moves to the Lords for further scrutiny.

By Steve Robson
,100,000 sign War On Welfare petition asking for assessment of cuts to the sick and disabled
30 Nov 2013 20:35

The achievement means the issue must be considered for debate in the House of Commons


Ian Duncan Smith: The petition is addressed to Mr Smith's work and pensions department

A hundred thousand people have signed a petition calling on the Department for Work and Pensions to look again at all cuts affecting sick and disabled people.

Led by comedian and campaigner Francesca Martinez, the War On Welfare or WOW e-petition asks the government to carry out a Cumulative Impact Assessment looking at the overall effect of cuts to sick and disabled people, as well and their families and carers.

It also asks for MPs to be given a free vote on the repeal of the Welfare Reform Act.

Campaigners are demanding an end to the Work Capability Assessment, and an independent inquiry into issues including charges for care homes, ATOS, and the closure of Remploy factories.

They also want to put a stop to "forced work under threat of sanctions for people on disability benefits".

The petition has achieved its target of 100,000 signatures with 12 days to spare before it closed.

Celebrities including Stephen Fry, Russell Brand, Yoko Ono and Bianco Jagger have endorsed the campaign.

This means is now must be considered for a debate in the House of Commons.

The Leader of the House of Commons will now write to the Backbench Business Committeeto notify them that a petition has collected the necessary100,000 signatures.

A backbench MP must then come out in support of a debate at the Committee's weekly meeting.

If the Committee agrees, then a debate will be scheduled in the House of Commons and televised.

A spokesman for the WOW campaign said: "We would like to thank the Mirror for its unwavering support for the petition and highlighting the draconian cuts to the sick and disabled and carers.

"We hope the Labour MP John McDonnell will take this forward to a hearing in the House of Commons calling for a cumulative impact assessment of cuts to support set to be around £28.3 billion as suggested by DEMOS report.

"We are delighted, overjoyed and very tearful, this was a petition for and by the disabled. With less than 1% fraud in welfare claims we see the recent cuts as chasing Tory ideology not cutting costs in the long term."



Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/war-welfare-petition-100000-sign-2870513#ixzz2mBtZSPrf
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.

The bill calling for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU in 2017
that's not only an awful long way away, but in any case, surely any incoming gov't can just repeal it

It's done the trick as far as call me dave is concerned.

He's off the hook, and the next parrot is under no obligation to hold a referendum anyway.

although that is true, any call for a referendum would inevitably have to be AFTER the next election, as there's no time to call it beforehand
however, i have no doubt at all that should the tories get re-elected (never write off anything in the political arena), then for sure they will honour this

They could hold a referendum next month if they wanted to.

They don't want to, that's the long and short of it!

HAYS Hays Hays....the trend is with labour.............

electionista‏@electionista2h
UK - YouGov/Sunday Times poll:

CON 30%
LAB 38%
LDEM 10%
UKIP 15%

This profile suit anyone here, answers on a postcard..........

Dave Camoron‏@EtonOldBoys
Are you an arrogant pompous liar, totally out of touch with everyone? Yes? Then why not join the Tory Party, #votetory

not so MK insofar as there is a lot of (collaborative) renegotiation discussion already in hand with the germans and french etc ....... if a decent or at least acceptable formula can be reached there - and there's a reasonable chance it will be - then the outcome of a referendum may well not turn out as ukip (and you?) might wish

i could write further, but surely not needed

The reason for holding in 2017 instead of now is due to the proposition being offered at the time. Cameron wants an intervening period to renegotiate the terms and offer that as the alternative to leaving the EU. Cameron is not in favour of leaving the EU. He will use the referendum as a lever to get better terms.

He will use the referendum as a lever to get better terms.
neither france nor germany want uk to opt out, so exactly and quite rightly so

only muppety morons would want a referendum at this juncture

UKIP leader Nigel Farage argues in a piece for The Telegraph that David Cameron’s EU strategy is doomed to fail. He is right. As Farage notes, “the Prime Minister thinks he is on an EU ship heading west, but in fact he is strolling westwards on board a ship that is heading east to “ever closer union.” Farage goes on to say, quite accurately: “It is also about time that the pro-European establishment of this country was honest with us. There will be no change in our relationship with the EU before, during or after Mr Cameron’s futile “renegotiations”. The EU knows this, Mr Cameron knows this – and the people of this country need to know this too.”

Mr. Farage’s op-ed coincides with an interview (which he references) given to The Telegraph by the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, who outlines in stark terms the huge opposition to Cameron’s re-negotiation strategy within the Brussels establishment.

In Barroso’s words:

"Britain wants to again consider the option of opting out. Fine, let's discuss it but to put into question the whole acquis of Europe is not very reasonable," he said,

"What is difficult, or even impossible, is if we go for the exercise of repatriation of competences because that means revising the treaties and revision means unanimity. From my experience of 10 years, I don't believe it will work."

… "I am for a stronger EU not a weaker EU, he said. It is important we do this exercise in a pragmatic way avoiding what I call theological discussions about competences. Our approach is not an ideological one. It is not about weakening the EU. It is not about giving up on integration or on ever closer union."


David Cameron talks of taking “powers back from Europe,” but this is delusional grandstanding. The European Project, as Mr. Barroso declares, is heading in only one direction – towards further economic and political integration. (It will eventually fail, but not before the architects of ‘ever closer union’ drive it to breaking point.)


The full article is here: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100239813/nigel-farage-is-right-about-the-eu-david-camerons-renegotiation-plan-is-pure-grandstanding/

It smacks of desperation on Farage's part. If Cameron does not get a better deal from the EU then the country can vote to leave the EU. If we vote to stay in then that is also the will of the people. Farage is not in favour of a referendum, he just wants to leave.

Why do you persist with the fiction that call me dave will honour his pledges?

Because he wants to improve the terms of our EU membership.I am sure that after discussions he will hold a referendum. The party that reneged on a referendum is the Labour party.

It matters little what Farage wants or suggests. He won't get enough seats to have his way. He needs to get more than 20% of the vote to get just 7 seats. That pretty much rules out any power he might have in the future. He may improve from where he is now but the demographics are against him. There have been several polls and each one has found that there are approximately 40% of people who say they would never vote UKIP. With areas that are determinedly Labour, Conservative and Lib it leaves very little left over for UKIP.

Spingtime for €uroland...




Spanish government approves draft law cracking down on demonstrations

Campaigners criticise legislation as attempt to muzzle protests against government's handling of economic crisis


Associated Press in Madrid


The Guardian, Sunday 1 December 2013 13.48 GMT



Demonstrators protest against the new Spanish anti-protest law in Madrid. Photograph: Paul White/AP


Spain has approved draft legislation for fines of up to €30,000 (£25,000) for offences such as burning the national flag, insulting the state or causing serious disturbances outside parliament.

Opposition parties, judicial and social groups have heavily criticised the bill as an attempt by the conservative government to muzzle protests against its handling of the severe economic crisis.

The measures, presented by the interior minister Jorge Fernández Díaz to update a 1992 law, also include fines of up to €1,000 for insulting or threatening police officers during demonstrations. Similar fines are planned for disseminating photographs of police officers that endanger them or police operations.

Spanish cities have experienced weekly protests, the vast majority of them peaceful, since the start of the crisis in 2008.

The conservative Popular party took office with Mariano Rajoy as prime minister in 2011 and issued a series of austerity measures and cutbacks in health and education and labour and financial reforms in an effort to refloat the economy and stave off a bailout.

The measures triggered an increase in street protests, including several attempts to encircle parliament, some of which ended in clashes with police and rubbish containers being set on fire.

"When more than 20% of people are unemployed, I don't think this legislation is what we require," said Alejandro Touriño, partner and information specialist at the law firm Ecija.



more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/01/spanish-government-approves-law-demonstrations