Politics

[Guest alex]

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

zing

[Christmas Tree 4679]

Nice confident start by Milliband at PMQs today. Shaping up to be the best opposition leader of my lifetime

 

 

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE69C4TF20101013

[Christmas Tree 4679]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE69C4TF20101013

 

 

If Ive read that right id does fuck all for business's with a turnover of less than 10 million?

 

Surely its the smaller firms that are crying out for the cash.

 

TBH sick of hearing poloticians go on about this for the last 3 years. Surely there is something they can do to to get the cash flowing to the smaller business's.

 

I suppose any step is good news ish, but suspicious all the same.

[Christmas Tree 4679]

Nice confident start by Milliband at PMQs today. Shaping up to be the best opposition leader of my lifetime

 

 

Now had a chance to see it and while he did okay, his weird lispy voice and spock resemblance overide anything he might say. He is to Labour what William Hague was to the Tories. Even worse he looks like John Redwood.

 

Add to this that Cameron will keep hitting back with "your lot left us with this mess" and its hard to see how he will get anywhere, at least until they come up with some sensible alternative policies other than wishing the financial mess away.

 

Finally while he looked ok watching it live, watching the edited snippets that the news show and most people watch, he didnt come across half as well and even seemed a bit timid.

 

Still, all his negatives put to one side, not a bad start, especially being your first go and even more especially bearing in mind that you wernt the first choice of all the poloticians standing behind you.

[manc-mag 1]

Nice confident start by Milliband at PMQs today. Shaping up to be the best opposition leader of my lifetime

 

 

Now had a chance to see it and while he did okay, his weird lispy voice and spock resemblance overide anything he might say. He is to Labour what William Hague was to the Tories. Even worse he looks like John Redwood.

 

 

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

Ed's a lot funnier than William Hague; despite his awkward manner Ed actually seems very comfortable in his skin whereas chronic cock botherer Hague appears like he's hiding something: namely his unquenchable thirst to share rooms with verile young Tory boys. I was actually chuckling at a few of Ed's lines, Dave knew he'd misjudged his responses (he is actually quite flappable under pressure), however there is the likelihood that any humour will soon dissapate and he will become an unrelentingly dull bastard.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Kevin S. Assilleekunt

[Renton 21228]

Nice confident start by Milliband at PMQs today. Shaping up to be the best opposition leader of my lifetime

 

 

Now had a chance to see it and while he did okay, his weird lispy voice and spock resemblance overide anything he might say. He is to Labour what William Hague was to the Tories. Even worse he looks like John Redwood.

 

Add to this that Cameron will keep hitting back with "your lot left us with this mess" and its hard to see how he will get anywhere, at least until they come up with some sensible alternative policies other than wishing the financial mess away.

 

Finally while he looked ok watching it live, watching the edited snippets that the news show and most people watch, he didnt come across half as well and even seemed a bit timid.

 

Still, all his negatives put to one side, not a bad start, especially being your first go and even more especially bearing in mind that you wernt the first choice of all the poloticians standing behind you.

 

Aye, but that line is becoming really tedious and it's easy to point out that the tories pledged to match Labour on public spending all the while they were in opposition. Even accused Labour of skimping on the health service in fact, so they've actually got some brass neck really. Whatever, they can't use it (successfully) for 5 years.

 

Missed PMQs but heard the reports on 5 live, which were singing Milliband's praises. Early days etc.

[Happy Face 29]

The government today delivered its promised "bonfire of the quangos", abolishing 192 government agencies, merging another 118 and substantially reforming a further 171.

 

Thousands of jobs will go and as many will be transferred into new departments. It amounts to the biggest shakeup of government the coalition has made to date.

 

Health bodies are dealt a particularly heavy blow with the Health Protection Agency being scrapped and its functions brought into the Department of Health. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Human Genetics Commission and the Human Tissue Authority will all be scrapped.

 

The BBC World Service and the British Council have both won reprieves and the Equality and Human Rights Commission will be retained, though its regulatory functions will be substantially changed and its budget is expected to be dramatically reduced.

 

The government is now emphasising that the reforms are to drive accountability of the organisations, rowing back from previous claims that they it would save money. Many of the closures are not expected to save money for many years after their liabilities in pensions, redundancies and contracts are paid. Labour accused the coalition of "chasing headlines" by making the closures.

 

Overall, 901 bodies will be reduced to 648. However, 40 are still under review. Among the most prominent organisations affected are:

 

• British Nuclear Fuels Limited will be abolished.

 

• The Competition Commission will merge with the competition functions of the Office of Fair Trading.

 

• Consumer Focus, the consumer rights group, will transfer to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

 

• Design Council and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta), will become charities.

 

• British Waterways will be abolished as a public corporation in England and Wales and a new waterways charitable trust will be created – similar to a National Trust.

 

• The Environment Agency will be substantially reformed with further announcements in the spending review.

 

• The Student Loans Company, responsible for delayed loan payments to thousands of students last year, is still under review and could be axed.

 

• The Youth Justice Board, set up by Jack Straw to oversee crime prevention and custody of under 18s, is to be abolished. The National Women's Commission is to be abolished and its functions transferred to the Government Equalities Office. The Security Industry

 

Authority, which regulates the private security industry, will be abolished.

 

In a statement to the Commons the Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, said that every body had been vetted to assess whether it provided a crucial technical function or requires political accountability or independence to carry out its work.

 

Maude said: "We know that for a long time there has been a huge hunger for change. People have been fed up with the old way of doing business, where the ministers they voted for could often avoid taking responsibility for difficult and tough decisions by creating or hiding behind one of these quangos.

 

"Today's announcement means that many important and essential functions will be brought back into departments meaning the line of accountability will run right up to the very top where it always should have been.

 

"There are of course organisations that will remain, although it is unlikely that any will be completely unchanged. This is because we recognise that some of these bodies do hugely important and essential work that has to be done at arm's length from government, especially when political impartiality, independence or technical expertise is required.

 

"But those that remain will not be allowed to go back to the old way of working. As part of the reforms, we will also be introducing new transparency requirements, a new governance framework and a new review process to ensure that there is a robust and regular challenge of the continuing need for all the public bodies that remain."

 

He went on: "While today's changes will help us move quickly to a new era of accountability in government, we recognise that there will be significant changes for many staff, who have done an enormous amount of excellent work for their organisations. We also want to recognise the public service given by members of boards and committees. We will continue to do all we can to work with their chief executives, chairs and management teams to ensure any change is conducted as fairly and as smoothly as possible."

 

Liam Byrne MP, Labour's shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said: "Labour had a plan for steadily saving £0.5bn by carefully closing 25% of quangos over the next few years.

 

"The Tories now need to tell us whether their desperation for headlines and faster cuts means the cost of closing quangos is actually bigger than the savings. And while they're at it, they should tell us whether their manifesto commitment for 20 new quangos is now on ice."

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oc...ill-be-scrapped

[manc-mag 1]

"Ed the Cred" is the word on the street.

[Christmas Tree 4679]

"Ed the Cred" is the word on the street.

 

Not my street

[Billy Castell 0]

Few days old, but the picture is enough to scare you.

[peasepud 59]

Few days old, but the picture is enough to scare you.

I wouldnt know which to punch first tbh

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

Osbourne, just throw a piece of paper at Kyle and he'd shit himself.

[Billy Castell 0]

Few days old, but the picture is enough to scare you.

I wouldnt know which to punch first tbh

 

I'd go for Osbourne. I can't stand his pasty, posh boy face. You just know he'd visit a warehouse and be disgusted at the sight of the working classes. He's the sort of limp-wristed person who'd never drink a pint, and be scared of touching a power tool.

[Happy Face 29]

The Royal Navy's flagship, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, is to be scrapped early as part of the government's defence review, the BBC has learned.

 

The move is part of the price paid by the Royal Navy for the decision to go ahead with two new aircraft carriers.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11570593

 

The social housing budget in England is to be cut by more than 50% in the Spending Review, the BBC understands.

 

Council housing "for life" will also be phased out, with the needs of new council tenants assessed over time.

 

Despite the cuts, ministers are likely to set a target of building 150,000 affordable homes, changing the way councils charge rent to finance them.

 

Tenants will be charged nearer the going market rate, to release cash for the building programme.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11570923

[ewerk 30221]

Social housing is a problem, there's no doubt about it. However, how we can discriminate between those who genuinely need it and those who don't is a very difficult question.

[Christmas Tree 4679]

Social housing is a problem, there's no doubt about it. However, how we can discriminate between those who genuinely need it and those who don't is a very difficult question.

 

 

I suppose it would work and be seen as a "benefit" so in the same way as someones benefits stop when they find work, they would be xpected to move into private rental etc when finances allowed.

 

The plus side is that it would free council property up for those who need it, however what council estates would then become....Ghettos etc..... would be a worry.

 

The good thing about everything that is going on is that there seems to be real brain power being put to this task rather than simply the usual tug of war on public spending between Labour and Conservative.

 

We hopefully will end up with a government that is leaner because that is the best way rather than just a money saving exercise.

 

Also think its good that all three parties have people working on these changes.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

Property is far too expensive in this country imo.

[AgentAxeman 169]

The plus side is that it would free council property up for those who need it, however what council estates would then become....Ghettos etc.....

 

 

well at least they would know where to target police resources......................

 

 

 

 

 

[Monkeys Fist 42001]

Cut benefits, slash social housing funding, raise council housing rent, raise unemployment.

 

Really getting stuck in these fuckers, aren't they?

 

True colours etc etc

[Monkeys Fist 42001]

The good thing about everything that is going on is that there seems to be real brain power being put to this task

Now I know you're a WUM.

[Christmas Tree 4679]

Cut benefits, slash social housing funding, raise council housing rent, raise unemployment.

 

Really getting stuck in these fuckers, aren't they?

 

True colours etc etc

 

Didnt know about that but it seems a decent step to me. Cant see why rent needs to be subsidised for people on good money. Let them pay the going rate like most people have too.

 

Which true colours btw? The tory blue working on welfare, supported on the whole by Labour. Or the Labour redworking on pensions reforms supported by the tory blue?

 

And yes these fuckers are really getting stuck in clearing up the usual Labour mess.

[Christmas Tree 4679]

The good thing about everything that is going on is that there seems to be real brain power being put to this task

Now I know you're a WUM.

 

ofcourse it is daft lad. They could have easy taken the easy path, done a few cuts and left us with the same ol same old. However they are actually, not often in polotics, trying to do things differently and get our country back on its feet again.

 

Everyone and his dog knows that welfare and pensions have needed tackling for years. This lot is having the balls to try and do something about it. Something Labour should have done over the last 13 years.

 

Long may they continue.