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.

knickers, the pic wont come out.


Lesser spotted Millibandus caption contest:


http://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2013/dec/13/lily-allen-ed-miliband-selfie-caption-competition

I should have guessed!

How dare anybody ask them what they were doing in the broom cupboard?

Broom cupboards, as made famous by Boris Becker?

Did ontheturn get a red card then? For what?


"Are you sure you dont know the blacklisted poster ontheturn?."

The 50p tax band was only put onto the rich when Brown knew he was going out, and he the great man set a trap for the Tories. Shame really because the rich one 1% made more out of new labour and to be honest most labour parties that have been in power then they have made out of the Tories.

The rich 1% became richer by 21% under the labour government while the poorest got poorer by 12% that's from the labour parties own statistics.

Does anybody remember Sue Helen poster on MoneyAM ? Wonder what name he/she is posting under now

I do miss my Friend The French Connection very well informed and well connected on the working's of the market. A very interesting fellow to chat to.

There is a new Ipsos MORI poll reported today for the London Evening Standard showing the Conservatives closing the gap with Labour:

Conservative 33% (up 1%)

Labour 37% (down 1%)

Lib Dem 9% (up 1%)

UKIP 10% (up 2%)


More stats here: http://richardwillisuk.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/new-ipsos-mori-poll-conservatives-close-the-gap-to-4/

Did ontheturn get a red card then? For what?


"Missing The Point - Trolls rarely answer a direct question – they cannot, if asked to justify their twaddle – so they develop a fine line in missing the point."( Post 34021 )

LOL

I think people take the internet too seriously. I can't say I am bothered if there were a few trolls posting here. You could just ignore them or they would get banned if they were a problem.

Does troll = someone with a different opinion?

Tory rebels to defy David Cameron over Romanian migrants

Tory rebels will defy David Cameron by demanding tougher restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants





Prime Minister David Cameron

Prime Minister David Cameron Photo: Alan Davidson







By Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent

9:45PM GMT 13 Dec 2013







More than 70 Tory rebels will next week defy the Prime Minister by confronting ministers and demanding tougher restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants.


The MPs will accuse ministers of trying to block a new law which would ban migrants from coming to Britain until at least 2019.


It comes amid growing public concern that hundreds of thousands could come to Britain when temporary restrictions are lifted on January 1.


Earlier this month four Tory MPs tabled an amendment to the immigration bill extending the ban, but were left furious when the government delayed a Commons vote until after the New Year.


On Thursday they will confront Mark Harper, the immigration minister, about the delay and warn that the government is “running and hiding” in a Commons debate.






The rebels have been given public support by Kris Hopkins, the local government minister, who has said it is the "democratic right" of MPs to demand that the government defies the European Union.

The amendment has been backed by John Whittingdale, chairman of the culture select committee, Bernard Jenkin, the chairman of the Public Administration select committee, and former Tory ministers Bill Wiggin, James Duddridge and Sir Gerald Howarth.

Nigel Mills, one of the four MPs who tabled the amendment, said: "There is a great deal of concern in Britain on this issue and the government's manoeuvrings [in delaying the vote] look bad for democracy.

"At a time when we're trying to make Parliament look better it would have been good to have had that debate instead of running and hiding into the New Year. We will be making our points pretty strongly".

Mr Cameron is facing growing demands from his own party to force a legal battle with Brussels over control of Britain’s borders amid concerns of a fresh wave of mass migration from Eastern Europe.

Under “transitional" rules introduced when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, migrants from these two countries can only work in the UK in seasonal jobs such as fruit picking, or if they are self-employed.

These restrictions end on January 1, 2014, and all Romanians and Bulgarians will then have the same rights to work in the UK as British citizens.

Ministers have claimed it is not legally possible to extend the restrictions, but a growing number of Tory MPs believe it is the only realistic way to stop mass migration.

The Prime Minister has announced a raft of plans for new curbs on the entitlement of EU migrants to claim benefits in Britain, and called for a review of EU freedom of movement laws.

Ministers have also introduced tougher benefit tests, under which migrants whose English is judged so poor that they would struggle to find work in Britain could be denied benefits.

However, Mr Mills said the moves were "not enough". He said: "I think fundamentally it won't be enough to tackle the problem. It doesn't tackle housing shortages or the additional burden on the NHS, and people will still be entitled to claim benefits.

"I take the view that we should keep the restrictnios we have ni place until we have got the legislation properly sorted."

By yesterday evening, 72 MPs had signed the amendment and Kris Hopkins, the housing minister, had also given it his support.




more; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10517112/Tory-rebels-to-defy-David-Cameron-over-Romanian-migrants.html

Ed Balls has fallen behind George Osborne as the man most trusted to run the economy, an exclusive poll reveals today.

In a new blow to the shadow chancellor — who has faced a whispering campaign in recent days — fewer than one in three think he would make a more capable Chancellor than Tory Osborne, Ipsos MORI found.

The pair were level-pegging in August when the same question was asked. But now Mr Osborne has a clear lead: he is preferred by 40 per cent, and Mr Balls by 29 per cent. When those polled were asked if they liked Balls and Osborne, they scored 27 per cent each.

Mr Balls was disliked by slightly fewer people — 51 per cent to the Chancellor’s 54 per cent. But when asked about their policies, Mr Osborne was markedly ahead. His policies were liked by 36 per cent and disliked by 45 per cent.

Mr Balls’s policies were liked by 26 and disliked by 52 — a two to one rejection. Mr Balls said he “couldn’t give a toss” about criticism following his disastrous Commons speech on the Autumn Statement last week. But Labour MP Diane Abbott has admitted that there is speculation about his future.

"Ed Balls has fallen behind George Osborne"..............ends i hadnt realised he was in front of osbourne.

The tories reckon that Balls is their best asset going up to the election.....................what they dont realise is that Camoron and Osbourne are labours biggest assets going up to the election.

if HS2 goes ahead as seems likely, with the work starting in the north as suggested, will it be of any political benefit, or is nothing at all scheduled to start until the next decade?

No talk of it here in Kirklees cyners cant say what the rest of the north is like.

BORISCONI THE BARBARIAN: Slave labour in City Hall

By John Ward
December 13, 2013

http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/borisconi-the-barbarian-slave-labour-in-city-hall/




Workers in London’s City Hall, including catering and security staff, are on zero-hours contracts. They get no holiday or sick pay, but can be fired for not turning up at short notice.

40 people working at London’s City Hall headquarters are employed on zero-hours contracts. The workers employed on the controversial contracts do not offer them guaranteed hours, but despite that they are required to ask permission before working elsewhere. And who knows – to be allowed to get married, have children, or commit suicide as a result of depression.

Mayor Johnson did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday. But a spokesperson said: “A small number of people employed by sub-contractors at City Hall are on zero-hours contracts, however we have no control over their contracts and their use is a matter of national policy rather than for City Hall.” He added that the GLA “does not generally use zero-hours contracts”. Except in this case if course, they did…but only revealed doing so because an FOI question was asked.

When asked about zero-hours contracts at the London assembly in January this year, he said, “If you can keep some labour market flexibility you will help to keep people in employment.” He said he believed most strongly in promoting the London Living Wage, which encourages businesses to pay a higher basic wage than the national legal minimum in order to cover ordinary people’s basic costs.

But then, having said that, he proceeded to do something much more pernicious and exploitative.

Quantitative Easing = free money for shareholders. Zirp = no money for pensioners. Labour market flexibility = slave labour.

A thought: let’s put BoJo’s salary onto a zero-hours daily judgement basis, and then vote online to say if we think he’s worth it. Surely what we need here is Mayor-market flexibility. After all, beyond Zirp there is negative interest; so we could have a situation one day not too far from now when the Mayor of London is paying us for the privilege of staying in office.

I mean, the markets must decide…surely? Isn’t that the mantra?

http://money.aol.co.uk/2013/12/14/eu-scraps-visa-rules-for-caribbean/