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.

Hays,

A reasonable assessment of policy differences between Lib/Dem and Cons.

But I am not sure that if it comes to the next election that the "question of immigration" will influence the result that much.

The little Englanders will split between Tories, and UKIP, but maybe the more "moderate" will stick with Labour and L/ds.

Still think the probable outcome will be either Labour or Labour/ L/D coalition government. Especially, if as many expect that the Con party will be savage by UKIP in the EU election.

Interesting to watch.

so fawlty, you have no ideas at all and are just hot air, but you'll still just whinge, and gripe and grizzle incessantly at whatever is cobbled together ..... why would one expect otherwise?

personally, and as I have written several times in the past, i'ld like to see a (strict) points system introduced as they have had in australia for a great many years ...... I guess that means that one's wife and dependant children would also be allowed in, but assuredly not the extended family.

that is a certainly a very simplified and simplistic version as one would also have to attach rights(or restrictions) to welfare benefits etc

Judge for yourselves, consider whether the loony right are just chasing the UKIP vote rather an misleading the voters.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/22/vince-cable-tory-anti-immigration-panic

"The business secretary, Vince Cable, has accused the Conservatives of creating an anti-immigration panic in a doomed and damaging attempt to ward off the UK Independence party. He said the Tories were stoking an atmosphere similar to that created by Enoch Powell with his "rivers of blood" speech in the 1960s.

Cable confirmed the Liberal Democrats would not be supporting a cap on EU migrants coming to Britain, saying the policy was "not only illegal but impossible to implement".

He was echoing Nick Clegg, who has pledged to block any fresh attempts to curb immigration from the EU, insisting "this is where we draw the line".

Clegg dismissed as "pointless" Home Office proposals for a 75,000 cap on EU migrants and claimed without freedom of movement the NHS would "fall over".

The issue is certain to be one of the dividing lines between the parties at the next general election, and David Cameron will need to work hard to show he would be able to construct a viable coalition in the EU for a policy of national caps on immigration from within it.

Anna Soubry, Conservative public health minister, said she was not opposed to the Cameron plan but warned newspapers against creating fear of "stranger danger" in difficult economic times. She said some newspaper headlines on immigration made her stomach churn, adding that the majority of migrants came to Britain to work and often do work that UK nationals reject.


Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Cable said: "The Conservatives are in a bit of a panic here because of Ukip. Reacting in the way they are, it is not going to help them politically but it is doing a great deal of damage. The responsibility of politicians in this situation is to look at the facts and the simple point is that there is very little evidence of benefit tourism of people coming from eastern Europe. All the evidence is that they put far more into the economy in tax than they take out in benefits.

"It was right to stop abuse of the benefit systems. Freedom of movement, albeit constrained as it is in the European treaty, is an absolutely basic principle a lot of British people take advantage of.

Referring to the proposed immigration cap of 75,000 a year from the EU, floated last weekend by Theresa May, the home secretary, Cable said: "It is not going to happen and Nick Clegg has made it very clear it is not going to happen. There is a bigger picture here. We periodically get these immigration panics in the UK. I remember going back to Enoch Powell and the 'rivers of blood' and going back a century there was panic over Jewish immigrants coming from eastern Europe. The responsibility of politicians in this situation when people are getting anxious is to try to reassure them and give them facts and not panic or resort to populist measures that do harm."

In an article for the Sunday Times, Clegg wrote: "Sticking a big no-entry sign on the cliffs of Dover may be politically popular, but at a huge economic cost. What would happen if tonight every European living in the UK boarded a ship or plane and went home?



"Are we really that keen to see the back of German lawyers, Dutch accountants or Finnish engineers? Do we want the NHS to fall over and the City of London to grind to a halt?"

He said the issue was "the biggest dividing line in politics today" and that plans for a cap are arbitrary, pointless and distracting.

Cable admitted there was "quite a lot of tension" around the issue in the coalition, saying "there are big differences over fairness, tax and immigration and we will argue our corner.

"It's not just illegal, but I do not see how you implement a cap when you want people's skills and investment coming to this country. There are an awful lot of British people that benefit from the right to circulate in Europe's single market."

He added he was still fighting a battle over the rights of skilled migrants from outside the EU to come to the UK: "What we have got to stop is damaging policies that do harm." He said the measures discouraging overseas students and visa restrictions were so tight they were stopping people from China and India from doing business.

Soubry said: "The overwhelming majority that come here come to work, but clearly there are some that don't. They are a small number and they are going quite rightly going to be discouraged. The majority come to work and they benefit the country. In certain parts of the country they do the jobs that others unfortunately are not doing. Some of the headlines of some newspapers make my stomach churn. There is a fear of immigration, but we are not getting all the facts. When times are tough there is a danger we blame the stranger and history tells us that is very dangerous."

I care not what you're griping and sniping about now, but by the looks of it, you have no opinion of your own - and I really can't be bothered to read the above

my opinion is one I have held for at least the last couple of years, and if this gov't is belatedly doing something about what probably the majority of this country's populace feel, then about time too .... unfortunately, legalities will almost certainly prevent anything very effective being proposed, let alone effectively acted upon

and yes, it will certainly be an important issue come election time

You shouldn't take Vince Cable too seriously. He is Labour to all intents and purposes. He was a member of the Labour party and tried to get selected to run as MP for Hampstead. He failed so shifted to the Libs. It is never a shock that he is opposed to Conservative policies.

Cable is a good economist, but rubbisgh at policy. Some of the best Chancellors were not economic lists but could imagine good policies. Cable likes to spout by no one will give him a post where he can do any harm.

Nigel Farage 'expects' apology from Tory MP Anna Soubry after she says he ‘looks like somebody put their finger up his bottom’


The comment was made on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show this morning – and the pair previously clashed on Question Time last month

Adam Withnall

Sunday 22 December 2013



The Conservative MP Anna Soubry has rekindled her war of words with Ukip leader Nigel Farage by suggesting that his often animated facial expressions come from the fact that someone has “put their finger up his bottom”.



The comments were made on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show this morning, and while some viewers expressed their amusement on Twitter, others suggested “politics shouldn’t sink so low”.


More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-expects-apology-from-tory-mp-anna-soubry-after-she-says-he-looks-like-somebody-put-their-finger-up-his-bottom-9020769.html

immigration
very interesting comment in today's ST by the founder of Big Issue who says that 1/3 of their "employees" are from eastern europe and primarily from the roma communities

he is scathing about labour's open-door policy, saying more should be (have been) done to help them out of poverty in their own countries

Minister apologises for 'crude' Nigel Farage comment

Anna Soubry apologises for comments made on breakfast television described by Nigel Farage as a "foul-mouthed attack"




Anna Soubry, MP for Broxtowe, left, and UKIP leader Nigel Farage Photo: REX




By Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent

1:16PM GMT 22 Dec 2013



A defence minister has apologised after making a crude personal remark about the leader of United Kingdom Independence Party on breakfast television.


Anna Soubry, the minister responsible for veterans and soldiers' welfare, made the unprompted comments about Nigel Farage on the BBC Andrew Marr show shortly before 10am.


After Rory Bremner, the impressionist, impersonated David Cameron and Nigel Farage, she quipped: "I always think he looks like somebody has put their finger up his bottom and he really rather likes it’."


Mr Farage was unamused, and said the Conservative Party should be "deeply embarrassed" about the "foul-mouthed attack".


"Soubry has stooped to the levels of crudity that any politician would spend a life time apologising for. This is supposed to be a professional woman representing her political party on a national television programme on a Sunday morning," he said.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/10533408/Minister-apologises-for-crude-Nigel-Farage-comment.html

tons of prudery on immigration subject as usual short sighted.true is the system do not be abused should be upgraded with no hard feelings in mind.there shouldn't be any excuse for keeping on board lazy/fraud masses.. thus let them swim off..:)
I can imagine they got no idea how to override equality issue between inbound lazy/fraud masses and born bread lazy/fraud masses..

The comments about Garage were quite funny. He did say that he wouldn't hold his breath waiting for an apology.

At least on this occasion Soubry she seems to have formed a reasonable opinion of Farage.

While, Manuel seems to pay scant attention to information provided by others, dismisses opinions out of hand, basing his decisions more often than not, on personal bias rather than actual knowledge.

One thing which appears to me, is that his postings are becoming woollier and woollier.

I wonder sometimes whether his father was a goat or an old ram.

--------------

Hazyone,

You seem to be a man of the Polls.

Do a poll on who the voters would prefer and think would make the public would prefer as PM or Chancellor at the moment,

Cable for PM against Cameroon?

Cable for Chancellor against Porky?

Might be an interesting result.

Cable would be a terrible Chancellor and luckily he stands no chance of getting the job.

Should charity bosses be paid six-figure salaries?

New research reveals that the number of chief executives receiving six-figure salaries at the 14 leading foreign aid charities has risen by 60% in three years. Do they deserve it?


theguardian.com, Sunday 22 December 2013 12.15 GMT


Theres no story with this article, it looks to be an excuse for DEBATE.

READ THE COMMENTS:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/poll/2013/dec/22/charity-bosses-six-figure-salaries

fawlty - we have no idea who or what your parents were, but it is abundantly clear to all that you're closer to the bull than the tail I sometimes cook ..... i'll re-phrase that so you'll understand it ..... i think you're an absolute arsehole (and it takes one to know one) and i'm amazed how many here concur with that view

that is why I rarely bother to read any of the hopelessly partisan nonsense you post here, for we all know exactly from where it's angled, and if anyone disagrees with you - which most seem to - then they are classed by you as being total buffoons or worse

oh dear; we're so upset we'll all go into the garden and eat worms - hahaha!

"The Conservative MP Anna Soubry has rekindled her war of words with Ukip leader Nigel Farage by suggesting that his often animated facial expressions come from the fact that someone has “put their finger up his bottom”.

Unbelievable that coming from Soubry, as anyone watched her in the house of commons, she pulls the most ridiculous faces and is such a silly women.

Always sits on the top right hand side on the back row, you cant miss her. What an ass licker of an MP she is.

Cant stand her.

Cynic.

Returning to form.

Doesn't read the post but forms an instant opinion about the contents.

But I admit to thinking of you as a buffoon and would suppose you know more about the orifice you often seem speak through than I do.

By the way I knew both my parents. Did you?

======

GF.

Similar opinion of the lady concerned.

Would add McEvey to list of torrid lovelies.

surprisingly, it doesn't take long to recognise an arsehole and what it produces, so further intimate inspection is not required, unless you are of the type who really cannot believe its own eyes after the first several investigations

strangely some arseholes cannot recognise themselves even when viewed daily in the mirror

Is your opinion based on, or reflection, or formulated by experiences at your old school and past.


Just asking?

mine is a carefully considered opinion of you having watched you here for the last 1/2/3 years

i may not write very eloquently, but then i lack your suave, pontificating pomposity that you have honed over the years .... on the other hand, my meaning is clear and set out with brevity