So the Tory line in 2015, aside from anything else, has to be.
"How can a government propped up by Scottish MPs possibly get the best deal for rUK?"
That might work I suppose, although couldn't also spur on Labour supporters in England to ensure they get a majority there too, not that need that much motivating I would hope.
What's your plan? Deny Marriage/Partnership VISAs to certain countries and not others?
That is what it would take, given your figures.
And religions.
The British polity is not there yet. But it might yet get there.
Okay, here's a question. How do you test someone's religion? Do you get them to sign a form saying (I am muslim, Jewish, Christian etc)? What is to stop them lying? Will you have police checking people who go into mosques, synagogues, churches etc?
It is fairly straightforward if the applicant claims they have got a job: it can be checked. It is fairly straightforward if the applicant claims they are married: it can be checked.
But how do you check an applicant for religion?
After much thought on this trying to work out all the angles (seriously) I have come to the same answer I suspect you have come to.
Why would you want to?
Or maybe a better question should be
Why should you be able to?
I honestly can't see any legitimate reason why ... unless of course the job they were applying for was Vicar/Priest/Imam/Rabbi/Chief Cullender in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
TSE, you missed two good ones today, a neatly matched pair of stories of betrayal and bitterness:
She [Valerie Trierweiler] also takes a swipe at Mr Hollande's Socialist credentials, claiming that while he has created an image of disliking the rich, "in reality the president doesn't like the poor".
"He, the man of the left, talks about "the toothless ones" in private, very proud of his humorous streak."
The hashtag "SansDents" fast became a top-trending French-language topic on Twitter on Wednesday just behind "Trierweiler".
What's your plan? Deny Marriage/Partnership VISAs to certain countries and not others?
That is what it would take, given your figures.
And religions.
The British polity is not there yet. But it might yet get there.
Okay, here's a question. How do you test someone's religion? Do you get them to sign a form saying (I am muslim, Jewish, Christian etc)? What is to stop them lying? Will you have police checking people who go into mosques, synagogues, churches etc?
It is fairly straightforward if the applicant claims they have got a job: it can be checked. It is fairly straightforward if the applicant claims they are married: it can be checked.
But how do you check an applicant for religion?
After much thought on this trying to work out all the angles (seriously) I have come to the same answer I suspect you have come to.
Why would you want to?
Or maybe a better question should be
Why should you be able to?
I honestly can't see any legitimate reason why ... unless of course the job they were applying for was Vicar/Priest/Imam/Rabbi/Chief Cullender in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
It might be useful to check that an applicant believes in science instead.
[Roger Lord] claimed UKIP leader Mr Farage had "crushed me, made me look an idiot, turned my career to dust".
I think his hysterical outbursts are what turned his political career to dust. Will anyone want a candidate who publicly on national television threatens defection in a fit of pique and threatens a new colleague with physical violence even if he is a rival.
Clearly Farage was not going to tell anyone what was going on beforehand for fear of leaks and from the sounds of it there wasn't any real opportunity to work through an outcome that would have satisfied all parties because Lord had already gone public
I suspect if Lord had kept his counsel , taken it on the chin and just quietly worked with the UKIP HO as you would expect from someone who aspired to represent his constituency at national level he would probably have earned himself a decent candidacy as compensation. As it is who would want such a reactionary and volatile candidate? The Tories perhaps.....
What's your plan? Deny Marriage/Partnership VISAs to certain countries and not others?
That is what it would take, given your figures.
And religions.
The British polity is not there yet. But it might yet get there.
Okay, here's a question. How do you test someone's religion? Do you get them to sign a form saying (I am muslim, Jewish, Christian etc)? What is to stop them lying? Will you have police checking people who go into mosques, synagogues, churches etc?
It is fairly straightforward if the applicant claims they have got a job: it can be checked. It is fairly straightforward if the applicant claims they are married: it can be checked.
But how do you check an applicant for religion?
After much thought on this trying to work out all the angles (seriously) I have come to the same answer I suspect you have come to.
Why would you want to?
Or maybe a better question should be
Why should you be able to?
I honestly can't see any legitimate reason why ... unless of course the job they were applying for was Vicar/Priest/Imam/Rabbi/Chief Cullender in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
It might be useful to check that an applicant believes in science instead.
Not sure that would be a requirement if it was an application for Vicar/Priest/Imam/Rabbi/Chief Cullender in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.... although maybe the last one might be relevant.
TSE, you missed two good ones today, a neatly matched pair of stories of betrayal and bitterness:
She [Valerie Trierweiler] also takes a swipe at Mr Hollande's Socialist credentials, claiming that while he has created an image of disliking the rich, "in reality the president doesn't like the poor".
"He, the man of the left, talks about "the toothless ones" in private, very proud of his humorous streak."
The hashtag "SansDents" fast became a top-trending French-language topic on Twitter on Wednesday just behind "Trierweiler".
A pretty good idea that Farage can lie whilst staring you in the face. Self interst trumps honesty. And morality too. Self interest on Farage's part promotes his peddling of immigration. Its just too easy a way to drum up votes to miss out on. Farage is like the man in the story of the Taj Mahal. He finishes it and finds the coffin spoils the decor. Farage has lost interst in the EU. He just wants to promote himself.
TSE, you missed two good ones today, a neatly matched pair of stories of betrayal and bitterness:
She [Valerie Trierweiler] also takes a swipe at Mr Hollande's Socialist credentials, claiming that while he has created an image of disliking the rich, "in reality the president doesn't like the poor".
"He, the man of the left, talks about "the toothless ones" in private, very proud of his humorous streak."
The hashtag "SansDents" fast became a top-trending French-language topic on Twitter on Wednesday just behind "Trierweiler".
A pretty good idea that Farage can lie whilst staring you in the face. Self interst trumps honesty. And morality too. Self interest on Farage's part promotes his peddling of immigration. Its just too easy a way to drum up votes to miss out on. Farage is like the man in the story of the Taj Mahal. He finishes it and finds the coffin spoils the decor. Farage has lost interst in the EU. He just wants to promote himself.
If we want to talk about lying we could start with the politician who in 2010 said:
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
[Roger Lord] claimed UKIP leader Mr Farage had "crushed me, made me look an idiot, turned my career to dust".
I think his hysterical outbursts are what turned his political career to dust. Will anyone want a candidate who publicly on national television threatens defection in a fit of pique and threatens a new colleague with physical violence even if he is a rival.
Clearly Farage was not going to tell anyone what was going on beforehand for fear of leaks and from the sounds of it there wasn't any real opportunity to work through an outcome that would have satisfied all parties because Lord had already gone public
I suspect if Lord had kept his counsel , taken it on the chin and just quietly worked with the UKIP HO as you would expect from someone who aspired to represent his constituency at national level he would probably have earned himself a decent candidacy as compensation. As it is who would want such a reactionary and volatile candidate? The Tories perhaps.....
If Roger Lord was given a peerage, would he then be Lord Lord?
Are the Tories now so toxic that they cannot govern the UK ? Or is it just a problem related to Scotland, which won't accept being ruled by Tories in London ? Cameron has indicated that if Scotland votes NO, he would support the Scottish parliament being given many more powers, so that they are much more independent of Westminster. Miliband has also indicated that Labour would support further devolution.
As for the Guardian article that Cameron could delay the general election because of a YES vote, I believe that this would not be possible. The rules as far as I understand it, only allow the PM to extend parliamentary time in the event of war or some catastrophic event affecting the UK. I don't think the Scots voting for independence would be considerd an event, where the PM could postpone an election. I remember this being raised with a constituitional expert and they said that legally a PM could not postpone the election. The Tories don't have a majority anyway and I think all other parties would vote against. There is no chance of the HOL voting to postpone the election either.
So hucks, the break up of the UK is not a catastrophic event for the UK. Really?
Andf Scotland is just as much a part of the UK as anywhere else. There are pockets of labour voters all over the place when there is a tory govt and there are swathes of the country that vote tory when there is a labour govt. This is no argument at all.
There actually seems to be a fair bit of Westminster cross-party consensus on what the main points of negotiation should be after Scotland votes Yes. It does not seem beyond the bounds of possibility to me that this will develop into a cross-party approach to the divorce. I imagine something similar will happen on the Scottish side. If the negotiations are party-specific it is going to be much harder to get a binding. long-term settlement - something that the markets will need, as well as the country in general. Ditto with the development of a new constitutional arrangement for the rUK.
From a betting perspective, it must be the case that both Alastair Carmichael and Danny Alexander will resign from the government on the day after the referendum.
Carswell on Newsnight, didn't seem comfortable with the whole racism, anti-immigrant UKIP thing.
UKIP are anti open door immigration, not anti-immigrant.
Haa haaa haaa! Tell that to the 'ting tongs' !!! And Atkinson was not some gumball she was a senior party member former communications director and an MEP.
If we want to talk about lying we could start with the politician who in 2010 said:
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
Citation needed
"We have absolutely no plans to raise VAT. Our first Budget is all about recognising we need to get spending under control rather than putting up tax."
If we want to talk about lying we could start with the politician who in 2010 said:
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
Citation needed
"We have absolutely no plans to raise VAT. Our first Budget is all about recognising we need to get spending under control rather than putting up tax."
If we want to talk about lying we could start with the politician who in 2010 said:
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
Citation needed
Are you sure? Oh alright then:
The pre-election pledges that the Tories are trying to wipe from the internet
In an interview with Jeremy Paxman on 23 April 2010, Cameron said: "We have absolutely no plans to raise VAT. Our first Budget is all about recognising we need to get spending under control rather than putting up tax."
VAT was subsequently raised from 17.5 per cent to a record high of 20 per cent in George Osborne's emergency Budget.
Note whenever Carswell praises immigration he cites a professional, qualified immigrant doing a job that we are lacking suitably qualified British people for
Carswell on Newsnight, didn't seem comfortable with the whole racism, anti-immigrant UKIP thing.
UKIP are anti open door immigration, not anti-immigrant.
Haa haaa haaa! Tell that to the 'ting tongs' !!! And Atkinson was not some gumball she was a senior party member former communications director and an MEP.
Ho ho ho. See you next week Live at the Apollo.
Someone watched Little Britain. So what? Attack the BBC for showing the programme.
From a betting perspective, it must be the case that both Alastair Carmichael and Danny Alexander will resign from the government on the day after the referendum.
And they even tried to hide them after the fact. Tut Tut Tut........
Well, that's a good example of a critical article which wrecks its attack by overplaying it. The idea that there was an attempt to hide the record is completely ludicrous.
If we want to talk about lying we could start with the politician who in 2010 said:
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
Citation needed
No more top down reorganisations of the NHS.
The LD policy was to raise taxation as opposed to all cuts. We have a coalition not a tory govt. You need to grow up. And of course the LDs need to think hard before they try to claim credit for the increase in tax allowances but forget about the VAT and the freezing of higher allowances.
The NHS has been organised to be driven from the bottom up by GPs and the system specifically excludes the SoS to interfere. And again the initial tory ideas were diluted by the LDs.
Thats right Cameron finally did make up his mind whether he rode Rebekkah's horse or not?
Dunno, don't care - it strikes me as just about the most trivial piece of ridiculous nonsense I've ever heard, except inasmuch as it demonstrates Labour's cynical hypocrisy over their own much closer links with the Murdoch press.
Carswell on Newsnight, didn't seem comfortable with the whole racism, anti-immigrant UKIP thing.
UKIP are anti open door immigration, not anti-immigrant.
Haa haaa haaa! Tell that to the 'ting tongs' !!! And Atkinson was not some gumball she was a senior party member former communications director and an MEP.
Ho ho ho. See you next week Live at the Apollo.
Someone watched Little Britain. So what? Attack the BBC for showing the programme.
If we want to talk about lying we could start with the politician who in 2010 said:
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
Citation needed
"We have absolutely no plans to raise VAT. Our first Budget is all about recognising we need to get spending under control rather than putting up tax."
If we want to talk about lying we could start with the politician who in 2010 said:
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
Citation needed
No more top down reorganisations of the NHS.
The LD policy was to raise taxation as opposed to all cuts. We have a coalition not a tory govt. You need to grow up.
Nope you need to get your facts straight.
Nick Clegg during the 2010 GE campaign:
""We see absolutely no reason to raise VAT because we have done our homework, we have identified where money can be generated and where money can be saved."
There are plenty of luxury hotels in Birmingham. For some reason TripAdvisor reviewers don't seem to like them.
Luxury does not mean good. Many so-called luxury hotels are soulless chains where you can't open the windows.
Travel Inns sorry Premier Inns are OK, fine. But they are not 'hotels'. They are motels. Rooms in a building with a car park. A few in city centres have a an integral bar/resaurant.
Both the Tories and Lib Dems said they would not raise VAT. You can't blame the fact they had to form a coalition for them both lying to the public.
You're very fond of accusing people of lying. It's a very ugly trait, common in UKIP supporters, but not one which really makes much sense in this context, given that the UKIP leader has said the manifesto he promoted was 'drivel'. Was he 'lying' when he launched it?
Perhaps as part of the coalition negotiations both parties insisted on other policies (such as the LibDem pledge to increase personal allowances) which meant that to meet the first-year deficit targets VAT had to be increased instead of what each party had individually planned. Just a thought, you know. Not everything is a conspiracy.
"The poorest 20% of UK households spend a higher proportion of their disposable income on VAT than the richest 20%, the Office for National Statistics said." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15519727
Both the Tories and Lib Dems said they would not raise VAT. You can't blame the fact they had to form a coalition for them both lying to the public.
You're very fond of accusing people of lying. It's a very ugly trait, common in UKIP supporters, but not one which really makes much sense in this context, given that the UKIP leader has said the manifesto he promoted was 'drivel'. Was he 'lying' when he launched it?
Perhaps as part of the coalition negotiations both parties insisted on other policies (such as the LibDem pledge to increase personal allowances) which meant that to meet the first-year deficit targets VAT had to be increased instead of what each party had individually planned. Just a thought, you know. Not everything is a conspiracy.
Yeah, that top-down reorganization of the NHS had to be paid for somehow!
Both the Tories and Lib Dems said they would not raise VAT. You can't blame the fact they had to form a coalition for them both lying to the public.
You're very fond of accusing people of lying. It's a very ugly trait, common in UKIP supporters, but not one which really makes much sense in this context, given that the UKIP leader has said the manifesto he promoted was 'drivel'. Was he 'lying' when he launched it?
Perhaps as part of the coalition negotiations both parties insisted on other policies (such as the LibDem pledge to increase personal allowances) which meant that to meet the first-year deficit targets VAT had to be increased instead of what each party had individually planned. Just a thought, you know. Not everything is a conspiracy.
Yep I know the truth hurts Richard. But as far as I am concerned if someone says something that is untrue and they know it to be untrue then that is lying. There is nothing ugly about pointing that nasty little trait out to people.
Besides, compared to what you and the other Tory hypocrites on here say about your political opponents it is an extremely mild comment.
Fact is that both Cameron and Clegg said they had no plans to raise VAT and within a few days of getting into office they did exactly that.
. But as far as I am concerned if someone says something that is untrue and they know it to be untrue then that is lying.
So Farage was lying when he claimed to support the 2010 UKIP manifesto, according to you. Fair enough. I wouldn't accuse him of lying myself because of that, but I can see your point.
Besides, compared to what you and the other Tory hypocrites on here say about your political opponents it is an extremely mild comment.
Another of your very unpleasant traits is to accuse honest people of hypocrisy, simply because they support David Cameron, against whom you seem to have developed an irrational hatred. It's very striking.
Fact is that both Cameron and Clegg said they had no plans to raise VAT and within a few days of getting into office they did exactly that.
This is true. That doesn't mean they were necessarily lying, does it? It might mean things were worse than expected. It might mean that the outcome of the coalition negotiations left a gap in the funding. It might mean they were honest but over-optimistic in their projections. It might mean that the Treasury officials very strongly advised them to raise VAT. It might mean that they changed their minds. Honest people do change their minds, you know.
BBC ticker Victims are being encouraged by hard-pressed police to investigate offences themselves, inspectorate reports (page wasn't linked when I tried it)
Note whenever Carswell praises immigration he cites a professional, qualified immigrant doing a job that we are lacking suitably qualified British people for
Ie a GP
Try harder In his resignation letter he said, 'On the subject of immigration, let me make it absolutely clear; I’m not against immigration. The one thing more ugly than nativism is angry nativism' That just about wipes the floor with UKIP. Cerainly you.
He is a libertarian. UKIP praise Putin (UKIP stands for United Kingdom In-favour of Putin) Carswell does not mind a united Europe or a united world. He just argues how it should be governed.
Carswell was born and brought up in Africa. His mate Hannan was born and brought up in Peru and Bolivia. Their first experience with the UK was public schools and Oxbridge. I do not think Carswells links with the UK are particularly typical or sympathetic to UKIP.
'Stick to their knitting', not 'Stick to knitting'. To stick to ones knitting is to stay with your speciality, to keep within the confines of what you're good at. It's a well worn business phrase -nothing whatsoever to do with accusing people of doing knitting.
Note whenever Carswell praises immigration he cites a professional, qualified immigrant doing a job that we are lacking suitably qualified British people for
Ie a GP
Try harder In his resignation letter he said, 'On the subject of immigration, let me make it absolutely clear; I’m not against immigration. The one thing more ugly than nativism is angry nativism' That just about wipes the floor with UKIP. Cerainly you.
He is a libertarian. UKIP praise Putin (UKIP stands for United Kingdom In-favour of Putin) Carswell does not mind a united Europe or a united world. He just argues how it should be governed.
Carswell was born and brought up in Africa. His mate Hannan was born and brought up in Peru and Bolivia. Their first experience with the UK was public schools and Oxbridge. I do not think Carswells links with the UK are particularly typical or sympathetic to UKIP.
Blimey you've taken his defection hard
I suppose he'd barely heard of ukip when he joined last week...
I'm not against immigration, just mass immigration
"Conservative MP Douglas Carswell accused Mr Blair of 'mind-boggling arrogance' claiming life looks very different from a 'gilded square' in central London compared with a small cottage in Essex Douglas Carswell, the Tory MP for Clacton, said the former PM’s ‘mind-boggling arrogance’ beggared belief. He added: ‘If you look at the world from an expensive property in a gilded square in Central London, then immigration looks very different to if you are in a small bungalow in my part of Essex. ‘Immigration might have been a good thing for overpaid over-opinionated former PMs because it means we have got more Russian plutocrats and Arab sheiks to rub shoulders with. But in my constituency immigration can mean being priced out of work.’
'Stick to their knitting', not 'Stick to knitting'. To stick to ones knitting is to stay with your speciality, to keep within the confines of what you're good at. It's a well worn business phrase -nothing whatsoever to do with accusing people of doing knitting.
Douglas Carswell, a back-bench Conservative MP reputed for his strong libertarian leanings, explained in December that "migrants who contribute should be welcomed. But opening the doors to Bulgarians and Romanians could create real issues."
Sham marriages to gain British citizenship are happening at an “industrial” rate of one every hour, it was revealed yesterday.
Registrars and members of the public reported more than 9,100 bogus weddings last year but only 90 people were removed, the Home Affairs Committee was told.
Many more go unreported because register office staff fail to tell immigration officials, said borders inspector John Vine.
He explained to MPs the route to UK citizenship was a massive worry and along with proxy weddings, where neither bride nor groom has to be present, was the “biggest threat” to immigration control.
Last night Tory MP Douglas Carswell said: “It sounds like it’s happening on an industrial scale, but there is nothing we can do because we are part of the EU.”
Tony Blair changes his tune over immigration saying it produced a 'challenge'
Tony Blair yesterday admitted for the first time that mass immigration has produced a ‘challenge’ which causes alarm to millions. The former prime minister acknowledged there was a ‘debate’ over the impact of immigration and whether British generosity in allowing it had been abused.
Mr Blair said immigration had produced both a cultural and economic ‘challenge’. He made his admission in an article in which he accepted that ‘there is a perception of failure’ over the issue. The view contrasted strongly with his stance as prime minister. In the 2005 election campaign he insisted immigrants had made a ‘huge contribution’ to Britain and condemned opponents for ‘exploiting people’s fears’.
In his 690-page autobiography published last year he devoted only one page to the controversial subject. Yesterday, however, in Roman Catholic journal The Tablet, Mr Blair declared that immigration – 3.2million came to live in Britain during Labour’s years in power – was a matter of major importance.
He said: ‘A new type of debate is taking shape. While it can centre on immigration or protectionism, it is above all about issues to do with culture and integration – issues that are altogether more vigorous and potentially more explosive. ‘In Europe, the debate is about whether our attempt to integrate cultures has succeeded or failed and, insofar as there is a perception of failure, it is about whether our “generosity” in allowing inward migration and encouraging multiculturalism has been abused.’
Last night Douglas Carswell, MP for Clacton, said: ‘What a pity that Tony Blair waited until he left office to address an issue of concern to millions of people in this country.’
. But as far as I am concerned if someone says something that is untrue and they know it to be untrue then that is lying.
So Farage was lying when he claimed to support the 2010 UKIP manifesto, according to you. Fair enough. I wouldn't accuse him of lying myself because of that, but I can see your point.
Besides, compared to what you and the other Tory hypocrites on here say about your political opponents it is an extremely mild comment.
Another of your very unpleasant traits is to accuse honest people of hypocrisy, simply because they support David Cameron, against whom you seem to have developed an irrational hatred. It's very striking.
Fact is that both Cameron and Clegg said they had no plans to raise VAT and within a few days of getting into office they did exactly that.
This is true. That doesn't mean they were necessarily lying, does it? It might mean things were worse than expected. It might mean that the outcome of the coalition negotiations left a gap in the funding. It might mean they were honest but over-optimistic in their projections. It might mean that the Treasury officials very strongly advised them to raise VAT. It might mean that they changed their minds. Honest people do change their minds, you know.
For reality you can look at the IFSs 2010 election briefing note 'Labour favours a 2:1 ratio of spending cuts to tax rises (£47 billion and £24 billion, respectively), the Liberal Democrats a 2½:1 ratio (£51 billion and £20 billion) and the Conservatives a 4:1 ratio (£57 billion and £14 billion). ' 'Labour has already put a £17 billion tax increase into the pipeline for the coming Parliament. We estimate that its goals for borrowing and the overall composition of the fiscal tightening would require it to announce further tax increases worth around £7 billion. The Conservatives have announced a £6 billion net tax cut on top of what is in the pipeline from Labour, but their goals would probably require them to reverse about half of it. The Liberal Democrats have announced a £3 billion tax increase on top of what is in the pipeline'
The extra tax is because the coalition went with the LDs extra tax raising proportion of reduciung the deficit compared with cuts. Its useful to remember that the outgoing Labour budget set in train 17 billion of tax rises.
Clever asymmetric warfare from ISIS. The only way to shut them up would be to close down Twitter: unfortunately that would shut up the rest of the world as well, which they know.
Gone back to thinking the referendum will be No 55%, Yes 45%. Wobbled a bit yesterday.
Well there are very strong hints that Panelbase have a poll showing YES ahead. And this time not biassed
It's late here in Germany. I'm a bit drunk. But I think Cameron has lost the union, and Labour are fecked for 20 years. England will swing right.
I'm starting to come to terms with it. Personally, I might be better off, as frightened Scots pile into London property. Taxes in England will, eventually, go down. Both countries will be more rightwing.
Reminds me of the wine tasting I did in Koblenz at the age of 10 on a primary school trip. Teachers would probably be jailed for arranging such a thing today.
From a betting perspective, it must be the case that both Alastair Carmichael and Danny Alexander will resign from the government on the day after the referendum.
The opaque nature of the declarations process (as reported) and the likely closeness of the result suggests some prediction method is required as the results come in.
The opaque nature of the declarations process (as reported) and the likely closeness of the result suggests some prediction method is required as the results come in.
Ideas?
Compare results with the 1997 referendum, maybe?
No reason why my forecasts are any better than anyone else's of course, but here's my Scottish referendum prediction anyway. Haven't changed it since 25th April:
You could have a prediction and then compare the actual results to the prediction as they come in. Hopefully they wouldn't be too different so you only have to make slight modifications to the final predicted result.
You've got to respect the Liberal Democrats for their gumption, if not their sense. Nick Clegg called Nigel Farage out for a debate because he was sure that he could defend the EU. And now they're holding a dance to test the hypothesis that the party is deader than disco.
Re: King v The Doctors, I can only relate the following experience...
In 1994, aged 66, my Dad was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The prognosis was grim. Very grim. He was given two years to live, and that would be after surgery to remove his voice-box, and half his shoulder, rendering his left arm useless.
I travelled up to Liverpool to discuss the matter with his consultant. After listening to the prognosis, I said, quite equably:- "Well, thanks, you don't mind if we get a second opinion?"
The narcissistic cnut looked at me as if I was some kind of insect, and replied:- "I do mind. In fact, I take it as a personal insult!"
I did, with some effort, get that second opinion...
When my Dad died last year, aged 85, of "Old Age", long-cured of the cancer, voice-box and shoulder intact, he had had the privilege of reading about himself in a medical journal, as the "world's-longest survivor" of that type of cancer...
Alex Salmond: Meet the bully behind the mask The First Minister tries to patronise a Telegraph political reporter with a bag of sweets while struggling to answer questions about a separate Scotland's finances.
Comments
Night all
Why would you want to?
Or maybe a better question should be
Why should you be able to?
I honestly can't see any legitimate reason why ... unless of course the job they were applying for was Vicar/Priest/Imam/Rabbi/Chief Cullender in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
She [Valerie Trierweiler] also takes a swipe at Mr Hollande's Socialist credentials, claiming that while he has created an image of disliking the rich, "in reality the president doesn't like the poor".
"He, the man of the left, talks about "the toothless ones" in private, very proud of his humorous streak."
The hashtag "SansDents" fast became a top-trending French-language topic on Twitter on Wednesday just behind "Trierweiler".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29042867
and
[Roger Lord] claimed UKIP leader Mr Farage had "crushed me, made me look an idiot, turned my career to dust".
Mr Lord said he had been given no warning about Mr Carswell's decision.
"I was speaking to Nigel Farage three weeks ago, talking about my plans in Clacton, what I was intending to do," he said.
"He knew what was going to happen and he didn't flinch."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-29045467
http://www.ukip-tm.org.uk/ukip-thirsk-malton-adopt-prospective-parliamentary-candidate/
I think his hysterical outbursts are what turned his political career to dust. Will anyone want a candidate who publicly on national television threatens defection in a fit of pique and threatens a new colleague with physical violence even if he is a rival.
Clearly Farage was not going to tell anyone what was going on beforehand for fear of leaks and from the sounds of it there wasn't any real opportunity to work through an outcome that would have satisfied all parties because Lord had already gone public
I suspect if Lord had kept his counsel , taken it on the chin and just quietly worked with the UKIP HO as you would expect from someone who aspired to represent his constituency at national level he would probably have earned himself a decent candidacy as compensation. As it is who would want such a reactionary and volatile candidate? The Tories perhaps.....
'I have no plans to raise VAT' and then raised it three weeks later.......
Andf Scotland is just as much a part of the UK as anywhere else. There are pockets of labour voters all over the place when there is a tory govt and there are swathes of the country that vote tory when there is a labour govt. This is no argument at all.
The only difference between them is that the honest ones don't claim not to be politicians.
There actually seems to be a fair bit of Westminster cross-party consensus on what the main points of negotiation should be after Scotland votes Yes. It does not seem beyond the bounds of possibility to me that this will develop into a cross-party approach to the divorce. I imagine something similar will happen on the Scottish side. If the negotiations are party-specific it is going to be much harder to get a binding. long-term settlement - something that the markets will need, as well as the country in general. Ditto with the development of a new constitutional arrangement for the rUK.
From a betting perspective, it must be the case that both Alastair Carmichael and Danny Alexander will resign from the government on the day after the referendum.
Ho ho ho. See you next week Live at the Apollo.
23rd April 2010.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7625873/General-Election-2010-Cameron-dismisses-claim-Tories-would-put-up-VAT.html
"
Are you sure? Oh alright then:
The pre-election pledges that the Tories are trying to wipe from the internet
In an interview with Jeremy Paxman on 23 April 2010, Cameron said: "We have absolutely no plans to raise VAT. Our first Budget is all about recognising we need to get spending under control rather than putting up tax."
VAT was subsequently raised from 17.5 per cent to a record high of 20 per cent in George Osborne's emergency Budget.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/11/pre-election-pledges-tories-are-trying-wipe-internet
And they even tried to hide them after the fact. Tut Tut Tut........
"Charities should stick to knitting and keep out of politics, says MP"
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/03/charities-knitting-politics-brook-newmark
Ie a GP
The NHS has been organised to be driven from the bottom up by GPs and the system specifically excludes the SoS to interfere. And again the initial tory ideas were diluted by the LDs.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/9118472/Horsegate-David-Cameron-admits-riding-Rebekah-Brookss-police-horse-live.html
David Cameron rebuked for telling porkies about the national debt
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/02/david-cameron-rebuked-for-telling-porkies-about-the-national-debt/
"Who gets the Elgin Marbles?"
David Cameron 2010
More than 600 Sure Start centres for families with young children have been shut or merged since the coalition came to power
"The NHS has been organised to be driven from the bottom up by GPs"
I believe that was a mistype, it should read "rodgered", nor "driven"
Nick Clegg during the 2010 GE campaign:
""We see absolutely no reason to raise VAT because we have done our homework, we have identified where money can be generated and where money can be saved."
12th April 2010
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2010/04/12/uk-britain-election-libdems-idUKTRE63B1H320100412
Both the Tories and Lib Dems said they would not raise VAT. You can't blame the fact they had to form a coalition for them both lying to the public.
Perhaps as part of the coalition negotiations both parties insisted on other policies (such as the LibDem pledge to increase personal allowances) which meant that to meet the first-year deficit targets VAT had to be increased instead of what each party had individually planned. Just a thought, you know. Not everything is a conspiracy.
"The poorest 20% of UK households spend a higher proportion of their disposable income on VAT than the richest 20%, the Office for National Statistics said."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15519727
Besides, compared to what you and the other Tory hypocrites on here say about your political opponents it is an extremely mild comment.
Fact is that both Cameron and Clegg said they had no plans to raise VAT and within a few days of getting into office they did exactly that.
"We back Sure Start" can easily be misread as "we will shut Sure Start centres down"
Victims are being encouraged by hard-pressed police to investigate offences themselves, inspectorate reports
(page wasn't linked when I tried it)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2741039/Blackout-alert-Offices-factories-undergo-1970s-style-electricity-rationing-winter-stop-households-plunged-darkness.html
It would be ironic if an ultra cold snap brought this matter to a head, and helped to bring down the coalition with it over the winter!
In his resignation letter he said, 'On the subject of immigration, let me make it absolutely clear; I’m not against immigration. The one thing more ugly than nativism is angry nativism'
That just about wipes the floor with UKIP. Cerainly you.
He is a libertarian. UKIP praise Putin (UKIP stands for United Kingdom In-favour of Putin)
Carswell does not mind a united Europe or a united world. He just argues how it should be governed.
Carswell was born and brought up in Africa. His mate Hannan was born and brought up in Peru and Bolivia. Their first experience with the UK was public schools and Oxbridge. I do not think Carswells links with the UK are particularly typical or sympathetic to UKIP.
I suppose he'd barely heard of ukip when he joined last week...
I'm not against immigration, just mass immigration
Never trust a headline writer.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/336174/Ban-migrants-who-can-t-pay-their-way-says-MP
Douglas Carswell, the Tory MP for Clacton, said the former PM’s ‘mind-boggling arrogance’ beggared belief. He added: ‘If you look at the world from an expensive property in a gilded square in Central London, then immigration looks very different to if you are in a small bungalow in my part of Essex.
‘Immigration might have been a good thing for overpaid over-opinionated former PMs because it means we have got more Russian plutocrats and Arab sheiks to rub shoulders with. But in my constituency immigration can mean being priced out of work.’
http://www.westhamonline.net/forum_flat.php?7391656|a0
All staff there seem to be French !
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303433304579306631941720964
Registrars and members of the public reported more than 9,100 bogus weddings last year but only 90 people were removed, the Home Affairs Committee was told.
Many more go unreported because register office staff fail to tell immigration officials, said borders inspector John Vine.
He explained to MPs the route to UK citizenship was a massive worry and along with proxy weddings, where neither bride nor groom has to be present, was the “biggest threat” to immigration control.
Last night Tory MP Douglas Carswell said: “It sounds like it’s happening on an industrial scale, but there is nothing we can do because we are part of the EU.”
http://www.amren.com/news/2014/06/bogus-citizenship-weddings-bring-9100-illegal-migrants-to-uk/
Tony Blair yesterday admitted for the first time that mass immigration has produced a ‘challenge’ which causes alarm to millions. The former prime minister acknowledged there was a ‘debate’ over the impact of immigration and whether British generosity in allowing it had been abused.
Mr Blair said immigration had produced both a cultural and economic ‘challenge’. He made his admission in an article in which he accepted that ‘there is a perception of failure’ over the issue. The view contrasted strongly with his stance as prime minister. In the 2005 election campaign he insisted immigrants had made a ‘huge contribution’ to Britain and condemned opponents for ‘exploiting people’s fears’.
In his 690-page autobiography published last year he devoted only one page to the controversial subject. Yesterday, however, in Roman Catholic journal The Tablet, Mr Blair declared that immigration – 3.2million came to live in Britain during Labour’s years in power – was a matter of major importance.
He said: ‘A new type of debate is taking shape. While it can centre on immigration or protectionism, it is above all about issues to do with culture and integration – issues that are altogether more vigorous and potentially more explosive. ‘In Europe, the debate is about whether our attempt to integrate cultures has succeeded or failed and, insofar as there is a perception of failure, it is about whether our “generosity” in allowing inward migration and encouraging multiculturalism has been abused.’
Last night Douglas Carswell, MP for Clacton, said: ‘What a pity that Tony Blair waited until he left office to address an issue of concern to millions of people in this country.’
http://immigwatch.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/oklahoma-house-passes-arizona-style.html
Guardian version of the BBC ticker.
"Police telling victims to solve crimes by themselves"
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/04/police-telling-victims-solve-crimes-themselves
'Labour favours a 2:1 ratio of spending cuts to tax rises (£47 billion and £24 billion, respectively), the Liberal Democrats a 2½:1 ratio (£51 billion and £20 billion) and the Conservatives a 4:1 ratio (£57 billion and £14 billion). '
'Labour has already put a £17 billion tax increase into the pipeline for the coming
Parliament. We estimate that its goals for borrowing and the overall composition of the
fiscal tightening would require it to announce further tax increases worth around £7 billion. The Conservatives have announced a £6 billion net tax cut on top of what is in the pipeline from Labour, but their goals would probably require them to reverse about half of it. The Liberal Democrats have announced a £3 billion tax increase on top of what is in the pipeline'
The extra tax is because the coalition went with the LDs extra tax raising proportion of reduciung the deficit compared with cuts.
Its useful to remember that the outgoing Labour budget set in train 17 billion of tax rises.
It seems to be being played all over the place at the moment. It was on an advert on Sky News just now:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04g1010
The Irish are still arguing over stuff that went down on the Lusitania... I kid you not.
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/artblog/2007/may/09/thistimeweirisharekeeping
http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2014/09/matthew-offord-mp-and-john-steveson-mp-step-up-the-plate-for-the-party-boris-and-run-in-clacton.html
The opaque nature of the declarations process (as reported) and the likely closeness of the result suggests some prediction method is required as the results come in.
Ideas?
Compare results with the 1997 referendum, maybe?
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fBxvVgbyO_msx2eJxVbUlh6MubdD4-fZ-UIBFkwNIaI/edit
In 1994, aged 66, my Dad was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The prognosis was grim. Very grim. He was given two years to live, and that would be after surgery to remove his voice-box, and half his shoulder, rendering his left arm useless.
I travelled up to Liverpool to discuss the matter with his consultant. After listening to the prognosis, I said, quite equably:- "Well, thanks, you don't mind if we get a second opinion?"
The narcissistic cnut looked at me as if I was some kind of insect, and replied:- "I do mind. In fact, I take it as a personal insult!"
I did, with some effort, get that second opinion...
When my Dad died last year, aged 85, of "Old Age", long-cured of the cancer, voice-box and shoulder intact, he had had the privilege of reading about himself in a medical journal, as the "world's-longest survivor" of that type of cancer...
The First Minister tries to patronise a Telegraph political reporter with a bag of sweets while struggling to answer questions about a separate Scotland's finances.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11073598/Alex-Salmond-Meet-the-bully-behind-the-mask.html
I guess we've got another two weeks of "dodge the question" on currency while Salmond tries to play "whackamole" with the press.....
twitter.com/joneselizab/status/507275959553499136
The shortlist was Jeff Bolter, Gary Carp, Elizabeth Jones, Bruce Machan, Winston McKenzie, Ace Nnorom.
twitter.com/joneselizab/status/505006535379259393
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