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.

Nigel, where have all the immigrants gone?


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/02/immigration-invasion-bulgarians-romanians-uk

The immigration invasion that never was


No extra flights, empty seats – the lack of stampeding Bulgarians and Romanians shows the rightwing hysteria for what it was/

electionista ‏@electionista
UK - @LordAshcroft poll:

CON 30%
LAB 39%
LDEM 8%
UKIP 16%

"More than a third of 2010 Conservative voters say they would not vote for the party in an election tomorrow. These Defectors tend to have a low to middling view of Cameron, and doubt the Tories stand for fairness or are on the side of ordinary people. Less than one in five have gone to Labour or the Lib Dems; about half say they support UKIP (compared to just over a quarter in my poll of specifically Tory-held marginal seats last year) and a third say they do not know how they will vote or will not vote at all."

Dave Camoron ‏@EtonOldBoys 25m
Cameron going for the Dorset Vote, will increase Pensions, average age in Dorset is 87 #votetory

it has something of a feel of desperation for the tories to start trying to buy votes already with a promise of tax cuts and similar.

if we are going to have them, then i'ld certainly like to see a bit more than the usual (lack of) imagination in dishing them out.
for example, cutting the top rate of tax from 45% to 40% on incomes over £150k will actually benefit remarkably few, and is scarcely a way to win back middle england
on the other hand, raising the various band levels, especially in the lower and middle brackets - e.g. up to say £100k - would benefit a significant swathe.

The biggest winner, though the chance of it happening is close to zero, would be to make the application of stamp duty on houses operate as it does on income tax
that would make a massive difference to many people and also stimulate the building industry

Yes I like that post.

Cant see middle England liking a cut in the top rate of tax when they have already had one.

Nigel Farage: 'the basic principle' of Enoch Powell’s River of Blood speech is right

The Ukip leader says that some passages from the 1968 River of Blood speech describing the problems of immigration are now true for much of England




By Georgia Graham, Political Correspondent

5:43PM GMT 05 Jan 2014

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10552055/Nigel-Farage-the-basic-principle-of-Enoch-Powells-River-of-Blood-speech-is-right.html



Nigel Farage has said that the “basic principle” of Enoch Powell’s River of Blood speech is “right.”


The Ukip leader said that while he agreed with parts of Mr Powell’s infamous speech on how large scale immigration can change an area “beyond recognition” the 1968 speech was based on “different reasons” than the current immigration concerns.


Appearing on Sky’s Murnaghan show the Ukip leader was read excerpts from the speech without being told the origin of the comments and nodded along.


When it was revealed the words had been from Powell Mr Farage said: “Well what he was warning about was the large influx of people into an area, that change an area beyond recognition, there is tension – the basic principle is right.”


In the speech Mr Powell said that the “indigenous” population of Britain in the 1960s had found their “homes and neighbourhoods changed beyond recognition.” A situation that Mr Farage said was now true for much of England.

Mr Farage added: “For different reasons, and on a completely different scale. When immigration was being discussed in the sixties, seventies and eighties we were talking about an annual net inflow to the country of between 30 and 50,000 people a year.

"What we have had in the last thirteen years is net 4 million extra migrants coming to Britain."

In December Vince Cable compared David Cameron’s rhetoric on immigration to Powell’s “rivers of blood” speech and said the Prime Minister had made British voters “schizophrenic” about the issue.

The Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister suggested that Conservative rhetoric over immigration was similar to anti-Semitic “panics over Jewish immigrants” in the early 20th century.

Mr Farage also claimed that there is currently “massive oversupply” of unskilled labour from across the EU in the UK which is handing big corporations “big profits” and pushing the wages of British people down.

The Ukip leader said any would-be migrant to the UK should now be forced to prove that they will earn at least £27,500 – more than the average UK salary – to make sure they will “be net contributors to the UK economy.”

Mr Farage said that his party was not “scapegoating” Romanians and Bulgarians who may want to come to the UK to work but that open borders had “transformed the labour market” in Britain.

He said: “There is no question that it’s pushed wage inflation down; it’s helped big companies and big corporations and big landowners to make bigger profits - no argument about that.”

Mr Farage, who warned last year of a “Romanian crime wave”, said the Government should ensure those coming to Britain did not have criminal records and would “bring a benefit” to the UK.

I don't think middle England will mind a top rate tax cut. The only ones who care are the left crazies. The top rate was only brought in by Brown in the final days of his demise as a desperation measure to appeal to the public. Sensible people see it for what it is. Tax cuts and being nice to pensioners usually works quite well as an election bribe.

"The robots are coming and will terminate your jobs"

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0ca021c0-680b-11e3-a905-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2pY99Isn3


----------

A bit wordy, but leaves me wondering again about the "necessity" of "driving" GDP up and what is being rich and enriching a society "means".

---------

Far to long for the sinners of this world!

Coalition imploding???

Nick Clegg is called a liar after he tells Michael Gove he is out of control

Close allies of the cabinet colleagues hit out after the deputy Prime Minister claims he had to deal with 'problems' from the Department for Education on a daily basis

By Georgia Graham, Political Correspondent5:32PM GMT 05 Jan 2014

Nick Clegg has been accused of lying by senior allies of Michael Gove as increasing tensions between the Cabinet colleagues boiled over into a public spat.
The accusation came after claims by the deputy Prime Minister at a Whitehall function that he has been forced to deal with the education secretary’s policy “problems” after they are “bumped up” to his office from the Department for Education.
According to the Mail on Sunday Mr Clegg complained he has to deal with such issues on an “almost daily basis.”
His comments prompted Mr Gove’s aides to suggest the Liberal Democrat leader is trying to sabotage current education reforms which he has criticised publicly.
One said: “We spend our time sorting out Clegg’s screw-ups, not the other way round.”
The war of words is the latest in a battle between the pair over their differing views on education policy.
In the past months Mr Clegg has been particularly critical of Mr Gove’s flagship free school policy which allows head teachers to run schools outside of local authority control.
The deputy Prime Minister, however, described the policy, which is at the centre of Conservative education reforms, as “ideological.” He has also expressed his fury that free schools are able to employ unqualified teachers and has vetoed plans to allow free schools to make a profit. He has also blocked Mr Gove’s plan to bring back O-levels in the place of GCSEs.
The education secretary meanwhile is thought to regard Mr Clegg’s high profile promise of free school meals for all five and six-year olds as an “ambush” and an unnecessary waste of money that could be better spent on other projects.
A source close to Mr Clegg told the Mail on Sunday: “This latest quarrel reflects Nick’s frustration with Gove and his feeling that he is out of control.”
A Department for Education source said: “Clegg is lying again, just as he did on tuition fees. We have been able to transform schools by keeping him out of it.
"He’s annoyed because he doesn’t like the fact we are improving kids chances in life and its got nothing to do with him and his party. Clegg’s only interest sees to be diverting money away from important areas such as creating new school places and instead lavishing tens of million on back-of-a-fag-packet.”
At the same Whitehall function it is understood Mr Clegg also criticised Theresa May claiming her Home Office department also caused difficulties for No.10.
Conservative sources dismissed Mr Clegg’s criticism and claimed that his irritation represented a “badge of honour” which proved that the government was pursuing true Tory policies.

Stuff and nonsense. The coalition has been doing pretty well. It will show signs of cracks as the election approaches. It is the same with all coalitions. The parties involved need to make efforts to distinguish themselves from the other members. It isn't too bad here compared to the coalitions in Italy, Israel etc, where the coalitions are made up of multiple parties.

Hays,

Do you mean the cabinet is full of crack pots?

(Friends of yours?)

8-)

'Prancing on ice' back on TV. There is is only one thing worse than watching people dancing on ice and that is watching people who cannot dance on ice.

Hays,

How is that you always follow the wrong stories.

Try this one on your icon Ashcroft:

Lord Ashcroft's big bucket of cold water to douse Tory optimism
The Conservative peer's latest poll illustrates the profound strategic conundrum facing the prime minister


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/05/lord-ashcroft-poll-dowses-tories-optimism


But for Manuel there is another interesting summary of the the UK political scene.

General election: there are vital issues beyond the economy


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/05/2015-election-issues-beyond-the-economy

Cameron's help-to-buy poster girl bought flat through her own firm

Critics hit out at Cameron's help-to-buy publicity stunt after it emerges buyer is BMW-driving estate agent


Prime Minister David Cameron walks with Sharon Ray and her daughter Maisie, 2, during a visit to her home in Southampton



By Martin Evans

6:34PM GMT 05 Jan 2014

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10552225/Camerons-help-to-buy-poster-girl-bought-flat-through-her-own-firm.html




As a single mother struggling to get onto the property ladder, Sharon Ray appeared to be the ideal poster girl for the Government’s new Help-to-Buy scheme.


Keen to exploit the public relations opportunity, Prime Minister David Cameron, visited Mrs Ray and her two-year-old daughter Maisie in their Southampton home last week to share a cup of tea and congratulate her on her recent purchase.


After the widely publicised meeting Mr Cameron tweeted: “Sharon & Maisie show me their lovely new home – just one of the families helped onto the housing ladder by #helptobuy”


Mrs Ray, 30, also took to Twitter to express her excitement at having welcomed the Prime Minister into her flat, writing: “@david_Cameron so lovely to meet you today!!! Maisie and I had a great time!!!!! #helptobuy”


But the Tory spin machine has been left with one or two embarrassing questions after it emerged that Mrs Ray is an award winning and well paid estate agent who purchased the flat through her own property firm.

The £145,000 two-bedroom flat was sold through the Enfields estate agency in Southampton where Mrs Ray has worked for almost eight years and is currently the director of sales.

It was not clear whether she or the company benefited from any sales commission.

Questions over her suitability for the scheme have also been raised after it emerged that the mother-of-one, who split from her estate agent husband six months ago, drives a £33,000 convertible BMW.

The Help-to-Buy scheme was set up by the Government to provide assistance to those who were struggling to get on the property ladder because they could not raise the necessary deposit.

Buyers who only have a five per cent deposit can now benefit from a Government loan for a further 20 per cent, with a mortgage making up the remaining 75 per cent.

Up to 6,000 buyers have already taken advantage of the scheme allowing them to get a foot on the housing ladder.

Trumpeting the benefits of the scheme after meeting Mrs Ray last week, Mr Cameron said: “This is about helping people to achieve the security and stability they want of owning a flat or a home of their own.

“We are not helping people to buy flats or homes they cannot afford. We are helping people who do not have wealthy parents, who cannot get a big deposit together and helping them to realise their dreams.”

There is no suggestion Mrs Ray has acted wrongly or was not eligible for the scheme.

But critics have questioned whether the system was really intended to help the likes of her, given that the value of her company car suggests she enjoys a healthy salary.

Writing anonymously on a blog, one critic wrote: “Whether on finance or outright cash it's a good indicator of a healthy income. The kind of income which doesn't seem compatible with people unable to raise a deposit and desperate to buy their first home.”

Business Secretary, Vince Cable, is among those who have attacked the scheme in general recently expressing concern that providing taxpayer backed loans, could result in another housing bubble.

The Labour Party has also accused the Coalition of failing to address the underlying problem of housing supply, with not enough new houses being built to keep up with demand.

A spokesman for Number 10 insisted that as a hard working person, who could afford mortgage repayments but not the initial deposit, Mrs Ray was exactly the sort of person the scheme was aimed at.

And Mrs Ray also took to Twitter to defend her position, insisting that the BMW car was a company vehicle and pointing out that she had split from her husband six months ago.

Mrs Ray was not at home last night and had protected her Twitter account meaning it was only accessible to those she approved.

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.

I know, you couldn't make it up if you tried :-)


Has no one at Conservative central office any brains, surely they would check the creds of anyone they are going to use for a puff piece?

Wheres Linton Crosby when hes needed LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Great find Max.

Less than one in five defectors have switched to Labour or the Liberal Democrats , UKIP poll 40% in lastest poll by Lord Ashcroft

LibDem's so low nearly off the chart .