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.

Vox Political Puts IDS Right about the Growth of Food Banks in Germany

Mike has another piece over at Vox Political, correcting IDS’ comments about the rise of food banks. Returned To Unit, or the officer formerly known to his men as ‘T*sser’, does not believe that people use them because they are starving. He, like other members of his wretched party such as Edwina Currie, believe people use them because they are there. On the Sunday Politics this weekend he tried to justify his view that poverty and food banks are not connected by citing Germany’s example. Germany, said RTU, also had food banks, but its benefits system was more generous than ours.

Yes, it does. But a report by the LSE showed that the biggest growth in food banks on that side of the North Sea occurred in 2005, when Gerhard Schroeder introduced a series of cuts to their welfare system. This explains why the editor of the German equivalent of Private Eye, when he appeared as a guest on a chat show a few years ago, made it very clear that he had no respect for Schroeder. I think he called him a ‘Kn*b’, or something similar. Schroeder was the leader of the SDP, the German Socialist party, and has been hailed as ‘the German Tony Blair’. This shows the pernicious and detrimental effect Neo-liberalism has had on countries all over Europe and the wider world, and on the left-wing parties that have adopted it in the wake of Thatcher and Reagan.

And even with the Germany’s comparatively generous welfare system, it can still be extremely difficult making ends meet if you’re poor and unemployed. One of the papers over a decade ago carried a report on poverty in Germany, describing an official meeting of the unemployed and their families. Not surprisingly, they had the same kind of problems the poor and jobless face over here, such as purchasing food and clothes, especially good shoes for their children.

So IDS is categorically wrong about the use of food banks here in the UK and in Germany not being linked to poverty. Mike takes the view that IDS’ view is due to his own stupidity. That’s possible. One columnist in the I newspaper described him as the ‘thickest ex-guardsman I have ever met, and that’s saying something’. I think it’s something far more malicious. Smith is stupid, but even he recognises that people are using food banks from poverty. Hence his department’s extreme reluctance to publish any details regarding the deaths of the 70 people, who died after being declared fit for work, or who in despair took their own lives. He is, however, hoping that the majority of the British public will be too stupid, or stupefied from the constant right-wing propaganda from the press, not to believe him. You can hear the right-wing chorus now: ‘But IDS said that the Germans have food banks too, and their benefits system is much better! It must be true. And the people using them aren’t poor, they’re just scroungers.’

It’s a lie, and the people repeating it – IDS, Currie, and their friends in Sun, Mail, Express, Times, know that. Don’t believe them.

I can't believe that you are that gullible enough to take any notice of the guy that writes that blog.

Food banks here have expanded due to the franchise model employed by the Trussell Trust.

Dont have to, and by the way I have far more respect for him than you but getting back to the facts this says it all..........

this explains why the editor of the German equivalent of Private Eye, when he appeared as a guest on a chat show a few years ago, made it very clear that he had no respect for Schroeder. I think he called him a ‘Kn*b’, or something similar.

A Franchise model grows because of demand.........not supply.

Ohhhhhh dear Hays, caught out again.

The demand was for more areas, not more per bank.

NO the demand was because of RECORD SANCTIONS.

Now come on Hays please get on the ball and up to date.

Anyway Im watching MOTD, you carry on posting misleading posts and conning folk.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2881447/The-Basil-Fawlty-politics-distinguished-voice-Left-devastating-critique-Ed-Miliband-Labour-isn-t-trusted-immigration.html

The Basil Fawlty of politics: From a distinguished voice on the Left, a devastating critique of Ed Miliband and why Labour isn't trusted on immigration

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-30556988

Stephen Crabb says Ed Miliband does not care about Wales

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2882176/Weak-Miliband-blasted-giving-immigration-rebel-plum-job-threatened-walk-Shadow-Cabinet.html

LOL HAYS............................................................

Labour races into seven-point lead as ratings for Nigel Farage show sharp fall
Observer/Opinium poll puts Labour on 36%, with the Tories on 29% and Ukip down three points to 16%21/12/2014


The figures provide a welcome boost for Labour and its leader, Ed Miliband. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty

Labour has opened up a seven-point lead over the Conservatives in the latest Opinium/Observer poll, which also shows a sharp fall in the personal approval ratings for the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage.

The survey will be a boost for Labour and its leader, Ed Miliband, who has endured a torrid time since the autumn conference season as the political parties prepare to enter a general election year.

It is the second poll in a week showing that the Tories have lost ground since chancellor George Osborne’s autumn statement earlier this month, in which he spelled out the need for several more years of deep cuts to public spending.

Labour has opened up a seven-point lead over the Conservatives in the latest Opinium/Observer poll, which also shows a sharp fall in the personal approval ratings for the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage.

The survey will be a boost for Labour and its leader, Ed Miliband, who has endured a torrid time since the autumn conference season as the political parties prepare to enter a general election year.

It is the second poll in a week showing that the Tories have lost ground since chancellor George Osborne’s autumn statement earlier this month, in which he spelled out the need for several more years of deep cuts to public spending.

The Opinium survey will also be worrying for Farage, as it shows his personal ratings diving to a level below those of David Cameron, following a series of controversies, including his public comments about the need for women to be discreet when breastfeeding. Farage’s rating has dropped to -17% (the percentage of voters who approve of his performance minus those who disapprove), a fall of eight points since a fortnight ago and the lowest score recorded for him by Opinium.

Although Cameron still scores best on this measure by some margin, Miliband has narrowed the gap. Cameron’s rating fell by two points to -11%, while Miliband’s improved by three points to -28%. Nick Clegg was on -48%.

Douglas Alexander, chair of Labour’s general election strategy, claimed that the Tories were alienating voters as they were intent on paring back public services. “In the final weeks of this year, the Tories have made a major error by exposing themselves as a party intent on slashing back public services to levels not seen since the 1930s, when we didn’t have the NHS. Theirs is a project motivated by ideology, not necessity,” he said.• Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 1,957 GB adults aged 18+ between 16 and 19 December 2014. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.

Hays Hays Hays Hays .............

resistance is futile now.

The game is up, just accept it.

Your Tory cheats have been found out at last.

Opinium always flatter Labour's figures. Conservatives are same as last week, and Labour is up temporarily at the expense of UKIP. It won't last; a temporary blip.

Don't forget that Ipsos More have the Conservatives 3 points ahead.

The comment punters on this one are in heaven, their cups runneth over






comments: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cartoon/2014/dec/21/christmas-davidcameron

Peter Mandelson and Ken Clarke on the Marr show this morning, that could be interesting.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11305953/Trader-goes-missing-after-130m-of-clients-cash-disappears.html

DB4.

This more interesting.
=====

GF
Labour races into seven-point lead as ratings for Nigel Farage show sharp fall
Observer/Opinium poll puts Labour on 36%, with the Tories on 29% and Ukip down three points to 16%21/12/2014

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/12/ashcrofts-polls-labour-will-not-win-majority-and-could-lose-four-seats-ukip

Ashcroft's polls: Labour will not win a majority – and could lose four seats to Ukip

Lord Ashcroft’s latest constituency polls have been released. He has already published more than 100 but these are his most important yet. (Track them all here.)

To predict who will this election we need to answer a few questions:

– Who will benefit most from the Lib Dem collapse (answer: Labour, slightly);
– How many seats will the SNP take from Labour in Scotland (national polls suggest dozens, but they could struggle);
– How many seats will Ukip win;
– And how many seats will change hands between Labour and the Tories.

Today’s polls help answer the final two questions.

First, Ashcroft’s polls show Ukip seriously challenging Labour in four seats: Great Grimsby, Dudley North, Plymouth Moor View and Rother Valley. Ukip are within 1, 3, 5 and 6 per cent in these four seats, and polling above 30 per cent in each of them.