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.

Ed Miliband was accused of watering down attempts to weaken the stranglehold of Labour’s union paymasters on his party last night amid claims that his Spring showdown with the unions will last just two hours.

The Labour leader has billed the meeting with the union barons in March as an historic event that will redraw the relationship between union and party members.

But his aides have already had to admit that plans to make union members ‘opt in’ if they want hand over part of their union subscriptions to the party will take five years to implement.

At the moment the money is seized automatically unless union members opt out.

According to Labour’s own website, the conference will begin at 11am on March 1 and a separate Labour local government conference will be under way by 1pm, suggesting that the union element will only last for two hours.

The timings suggest that Mr Miliband wants to minimise the degree to which the union issue is aired in public.

Union bosses, who are resisting the plans, will meet this week to form a united front amid signs that opposition to the plans is hardening. Several unions are contemplating cutting their donations to Labour if Mr Miliband enforces changes they don’t like.

Its Sunday , let's have a laff for a change.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUdaPNXC_68

Ukip tops Independent on Sunday poll as the nation’s favourite party


In a shock result for David Cameron and Ed Miliband, Nigel Farage’s ‘fruitcakes’ are in pole position


Jane Merrick Author Biography , John Rentoul


Sunday 19 January 2014


The UK Independence Party is the nation’s favourite political party, a poll for The Independent on Sunday reveals today.


Voters regard Nigel Farage’s party more favourably than Labour, the Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats. The surprising finding will underline concerns inside the mainstream Westminster parties that Ukip is on course to come first in May’s European elections and could deny Labour or the Tories an outright victory in next year’s general election.

What is more, Mr Farage is favoured over Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg as a party leader, beaten only by David Cameron, the ComRes survey reveals. Ukip is the favourite choice of 27 per cent of voters, while Labour is favoured by 26 per cent. The Conservatives are next, on 25 per cent, and the Lib Dems last, on 14 per cent. Although the differences in the first three parties are within the margin of error, the findings will fuel unease inside Downing Street that the Prime Minister has failed to close down the question of Europe and that Ukip’s support remains strong. A YouGov poll last week suggested that Ukip could come second behind Labour in the European elections.

Questioned about the individual party leaders, Mr Cameron wins most support, with 27 per cent; Mr Farage is favourite for 22 per cent; Mr Miliband is backed by 18 per cent of voters and Mr Clegg 13 per cent. Men are more likely than women to favour Ukip – 31 per cent compared with 23 per cent.





more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukip-tops-independent-on-sunday-poll-as-the-nations-favourite-party-9069625.html

I hope you are not mixed up!

Duck and dive Dave Cameron is more PR than PM
Jan 20, 2014 00:001

OPINION BY KEVINMAGUIRE

Kevin Maguire says the Prime Minister suffers from chronic accountability phobia and even his hero Maggie would not approve


Today is the 216th day since David Cameron deigned to subject the great office of Prime Minister to public ­scrutiny at an answer-any- questions press ­conference in Britain.

The Conservative leader suffers a chronic public accountability phobia, a former spin doctor who survives by ducking and diving. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown endured ordeal by monthly interrogation, fixing a date in Downing Street and responding to whatever issues were thrown at them.

Cameron’s different. Perhaps it’s his thin skin, bridling at the merest hint of criticism. Maybe the PM realises he has a record of incompetence, failure, weakness, prejudice, cruelty and broken promises which is impossible to defend. The likelihood is that it’s both.

The Cameron way is to grant the occasional one-to-one interview with a single TV or radio journalist, Downing Street controlling the agenda with a spin doctor discussing questions with a producer in advance.

When audiences are granted to newspapers and magazines, Cameron again authorises them only on his terms. I’m not alone in finding distasteful the PM’s use of a visit to troops in Afghanistan as the backdrop for a pally chat with a fellow Old Etonian, his talks over twerking and marital fights over the TV remote ­interrupted by meetings with young men and women risking their lives. His control freakery is ­thankfully beginning to backfire.

Senior TV correspondents are fed up with being summoned to No10 to record a prepared soundbite from the Premier to a supposedly grateful nation.

Instead of one hack listening to a rehearsed line then sharing it with other broadcasters, the big news networks, BBC, ITV, Sky, C4, C5, ­increasingly grumble that they should each be able to ask what they like.

The Daily Telegraph, a Tory-supporting paper with its own mind, counts in ­frustration the mounting days since that last open press conference in 2013.

Ironically for a ­Eurosceptic, the PM’s forced by convention to take ­questions during his trips to Brussels – doing his damnedest to avoid calling the Daily Mirror because he’s petty. Blair and Brown answered Right-wing ­journalists (and some on the Left) who they detested. Cameron thinks he can behave as he pleases.

Osborne shares his aloofness, hiding in the Treasury. Nick Clegg, either to his credit or out of desperation, is accessible. Ed Miliband could do better.

Cameron’s evasiveness is why I’m convinced he won’t agree to three TV election debates in the 2015 campaign. No10 mutters there’ll be just one debate in the campaign proper. A Tory leader who didn’t shine in 2010 fears he’d wilt under scrutiny in 2015. His heroine, Maggie Thatcher, had a word for his type: frit. Behind the bluster, Dave’s scared. Tomorrow is Day 217.

Attack is the best form of defence Ed

Ed Miliband made a reasonable fist yesterday of outlining how a Labour Government would harness consumer groups to win better deals for customers.

It’s a smart idea but no substitute for the tough legal regulation of corporate cowboys or, in areas such as rail where fares are a runaway express train, public ownership.

But until Labour’s two Eds, Miliband and Balls, puncture a few myths, the party will suffer credibility problems. I hear the frustration of Labour MPs at the leadership’s failure to nail lies that spending on services triggered the financial crisis when it was created by greedy banksters. The long apology for mistakes without shouting about Labour’s achievements is another own goal. And MPs tell me repeatedly that they want Labour to be more aggressive in countering George Osborne’s propaganda.

Which? magazine is handy if you’re buying a fridge, but bigger battles will determine who wins the election.



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Exclusive: Labour will make jobless take maths and English tests




Shadow minister tells ‘The Independent’ those who refuse training will lose benefits


Andrew Grice

Political Editor


Monday 20 January 2014

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exclusive-labour-will-make-jobless-take-maths-and-english-tests-9070660.html


The jobless would lose their unemployment benefit under a Labour Government if they failed a “basic skills test” and refused training.

In an interview with The Independent, Rachel Reeves, the shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, revealed a “tough love” strategy to stop the unemployed staying on the dole for up to three years before their English, maths and computer skills are assessed. Labour’s test would take place within six weeks of someone claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).

The move would tackle the problem of “Neets” – the one million 16 to 24 year-olds not in education, employment or training. Many would no longer go straight from school on to benefits. The test would also apply to new jobless adults.

Ms Reeves said: “It has to be right that people who are not trying hard enough and don’t want to make the effort required to get into work, or get the skills they need, forfeit their benefit.”

She said: “If you don’t have these basic skills, you are going to struggle to get a job. If people have been out of work for six months, employers are not interested in them. Short term unemployment can quickly become long term unemployment and then becomes a lifetime of unemployment.”

Ms Reeves revealed plans to pay a higher JSA rate for an initial period to people with a record of work. “People who have worked for longer should get a bit of extra support if they lose their job,” she said.

She attacked the “cost of failure” in “part-time Britain” under the current Government. She revealed that taxpayers are footing a £4.7bn a year bill for the record 1.472m people working part-time who want to work full-time. Analysis commissioned by Labour found that £3bn is lost in tax and national insurance payments, £1.8bn paid out in tax credits and £1.8bn paid in housing benefit.

Labour will make jobless take maths and English tests ....... presupposes the guys (a) can speak intelligible english in the first place and (b) that they are even basically numerate :-)

Max,

Post 35581

A fair description of Flashman and his henchmen.

Ducking and weaving and frightened to open debate with Salmond and Fauxpage, but getting his henchmen to try to do his work for him,



=========

But consider the tory alternative:

and what do you have in stock to depict EM + EB? :-)

This might cheer up a few on here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25805474

Jobless migrants from within the European Union will be denied access to housing benefit from April this year, senior government ministers have said.

Home Secretary Theresa May and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith told the Daily Mail it would prevent exploitation of the UK welfare system.

They will also only be able to claim jobseeker's cash for six months, unless they have a "genuine" chance of work.

Labour want bring in English and Maths tests for immigrants

in that case, correct english should also be taught to whoever writes the the questionnaire! ..... try "how much would you like?" :-)

Scary! It's the grammar police.

http://news.sky.com/story/1197837/imf-upgrades-uk-growth-forecast-above-rivals

The International Monetary Fund is on the brink of upgrading its growth forecast for the UK more than any other major economy, Sky News has learnt.

The Fund is poised to increase its projection for UK growth in 2014 from 1.9% to 2.4%. Although the Fund will also lift its forecasts for world economic growth, the UK upgrade is significantly stronger.

It is the latest boost to the fortunes of the Chancellor, coming barely 24 hours after the Ernst & Young ITEM Club also increased its projection for UK economic growth this year.

but how long until a reflection in general living standards and income levels?

That all depends on your place at the table, notice how designer brands never feel a recession..

Farage: 'Working Mothers Worth Less Than Men'
that'll win ukip a lot of votes ...... as a wannabe serious politician, how stupidly naive can you be, even if there is an underlying truth in it (read the article)?

And Camoron lies through his teeth each week at PMqs when he says we have more people in work. What we want is a return to the old claimant count.

Ms Reeves revealed plans to pay a higher JSA rate for an initial period to people with a record of work. “People who have worked for longer should get a bit of extra support if they lose their job,” she said.

She attacked the “cost of failure” in “part-time Britain” under the current Government. She revealed that taxpayers are footing a £4.7bn a year bill for the record 1.472m people working part-time who want to work full-time. Analysis commissioned by Labour found that £3bn is lost in tax and national insurance payments, £1.8bn paid out in tax credits and £1.8bn paid in housing benefit.

U TURN TORIES

sticky - i've said it lots of times, but i'll say it again ..... it doesn't matter (too) much what methodology or formula is used, so long as it is not forever being tinkered with ..... however, once a formula has been in place for at least a year, a fair trend is apparent, even if you don't like the result shown

if the system you are now suggestingwas to be used, i'm perfectly sure that it would have just as many shortcomings as the current one ..... which i think has been in place now for a good number of years -ie certainly during the previous regime