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.

And your crew did nothing about it in three terms.

Three terms!

that's very unreasonable of you max for surely 3 terms = just 1 year :-)

kobani
airdrops are likely to anger key ally Turkey, which has said it would oppose the US helping to arm Kurdish rebels.

can someone explain to me how turkey can be a "key ally" if it strongly opposes these airdrops?

Because it involves arming the Kurds and therefore the PKK. The PKK are an armed Kurdish group that have been committing bombings etc within Turkey to get independence. It is the same reason that Turkey won't support the Kurds on the Turkish/Syrian bordet. It would be like the UK arming the IRA to fight an enemy. We would expect the arms to be turned against us at some point.

Lynda Bellingham - RIP shame didn't make it to Xmas as she wished. Brave lady.

Lynda Bellingham certainly was a very brave lady and wanted to dramatically lower the grief her family would undoubtedly experience at her passing.

To this end and amongst other preparations, she made a special "Loose Women" show talking to her colleagues and friends about her forthcoming death. I think it will smash a few viewing records and airs this Wednesday at 12:30pm.

Another success impending!

She has also written her autobiography, which will no doubt go on sale soon. Clive James, who has terminal cancer was on the Andrew Marr show yesterday talking candidly about his impending death and reading his latest poem.

hays - that as may be, but in that case how can turkey be described as "a key ally"?

We are a key ally to the US and neither partner would be pleased if arms were being supplied to an internal terror group. It is not the Kurds external to Turkey that are the problem. It is the PKK Kurds in the eastern part of Turkey across the bridge at Istanbul. The arms will find there way back into Turkey and that is why they won't supply arms to Kurds fighting across the Syrian border. It will just be a matter of time before the PKK use the arms to attack the Turkish government. I have Turkish friends who are very worried that the PKK will get large numbers of modern weapons.

Labour's NHS shame exposed: Mail investigation reveals meltdown in Labour-run Welsh NHS with police probing allegations of horrifying neglect

Daily Mail has uncovered appalling cases of patients dying on waiting lists
While some have been forced to move to England for life-saving treatment
Miliband wants to place running NHS at heart of Labour's election campaign
Families of victims at Welsh hospitals say situation is worse than Mid-Staffs
Our investigation exposes horrifying neglect and an establishment in denial

Update - Labour lead at 3
by YouGov in Politics
Sun October 19, 2014 6 a.m. BST

Latest YouGov / Sunday Times results 17th Oct - Con 32%, Lab 35%, LD 7%, UKIP 16%

Are you defining "key ally" as those who will put "feet on the ground", or those who are there "to do the dirty work"!

They have seen the results of being sucked in, as well as their own problems with PKK.

But not aiding the Kurds in Kobane.

But apparently they are allowing Turkey Kurds to cross the Syrian border.

Perhaps, they see it as a partial solution to their own problems.

Labour calls Commons vote over Lord Freud comments on disabled workers – The Guardian



Labour will force a Commons vote on Lord Freud’s future after David Cameron refused to dismiss him as welfare minister for his suggestion that some disabled workers are not worth the minimum wage, according to The Guardian.

The Conservative peer has been allowed to remain in his job after apologising for the comment, but Labour will table a motion of no confidence to be voted on later this month.

Separately, the Independent on Sunday reported that a second government minister had made contentious comments over the role of disabled people in the workplace. Andrew Selous, a justice minister, was said to have told a fringe meeting at the Tory party conference that “disabled people work harder because they’re grateful to have a job”.

Read the full story here.

Labour calls Commons vote over Lord Freud comments on disabled workers
Shadow ministers say it is disgraceful that David Cameron has not removed Freud from his post as welfare minister

The Guardian, Sunday 19 October 2014 16.33 BST

Labour will force a Commons vote on Lord Freud’s future after David Cameron refused to dismiss him as welfare minister for his suggestion that some disabled workers are not worth the minimum wage.

The Conservative peer has been allowed to remain in his job after apologising for the comment, but Labour will table a motion of no confidence to be voted on later this month.

Separately, the Independent on Sunday reported that a second government minister had made contentious comments over the role of disabled people in the workplace. Andrew Selous, a justice minister, was said to have told a fringe meeting at the Tory party conference that “disabled people work harder because they’re grateful to have a job”.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow work and pensions secretary said the prime minister’s failure to act to remove Freud was astonishing. She said: “When the disgraceful and offensive views like this go unchallenged within the Conservative party it’s clear that mask has slipped and the nasty party is back. Labour will table a motion of no confidence in Lord Freud because we believe it’s completely unacceptable that David Cameron has failed to sack his minister for welfare reform.”

The shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said it was “absolutely disgraceful” that Freud had not been removed from his post, and rejected the suggestion her party was playing politics with the saga. She told the BBC’s Sunday Politics: “I don’t think suggesting that disabled people, regardless of their disability, should be working for £2 an hour is acceptable.”

Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, said the implication of Freud’s comment was that “some people aren’t worth as much as others”. He disagreed with the suggestion that the peer had been talking about topping up wages with benefits as a way of getting more disabled people into the workplace.

He told Pienaar’s Politics on Radio 5: “This isn’t the first thing he has said … he is completely out of touch, this bloke.” He was referring to a comment last year that an increase in numbers of families using food banks was not necessarily linked to benefits sanctions or delays.

Last month Freud was recorded at a conference fringe meeting responding to a Tory councillor who suggested that people with mental health problems may be unable to work because employers were unwilling to pay them the statutory minimum.

He replied: “You make a really good point about the disabled … There is a group – and I know exactly who you mean – where actually, as you say, they’re not worth the full wage and actually I’m going to go and think about that particular issue, whether there is something we can do nationally, and without distorting the whole thing, which actually if someone wants to work for £2 an hour, and it’s working, can we actually …”

Cameron flatly disowned the peer’s remarks when questioned by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, at prime minister’s questions, and later ordered Freud to apologise. Freud has since offered “a full and unreserved apology”, saying he was foolish to accept the premise of the question.

Freud said: “To be clear, all disabled people should be paid at least the minimum wage, without exception, and I accept that it is offensive to suggest anything else. I care passionately about disabled people. I am proud to have played a full part in a government that is fully committed to helping disabled people overcome the many barriers they face in finding employment.”

The vote on the motion of no confidence is expected to take place on 29 October during an opposition day debate.

fred - it was most certainly not me describing turkey as a "key ally" but the whole article was related to fighting IS and specifically relieving kobani

How can Labour win the GE without Wales and Scotland ?

How can the Tories win the GE with David Cameron?.

Whoever agrees to link up with ukip (with suitable arrangements about seats etc) will win hands down.