Yes, Tuesday 23rd, meet at 7pm in the lobby of the Atrium Hotel. TSE (that noted socialist dutifully attending the Labour conference) and I will be there, pretty sure there will be others (Mike? IOS? Surbiton? Roger?) but not sure who yet - can we count you in?
I'm also at the UKIP, Tory and Libdem conferences in case anyone wants to say hello there. Got quite a juicy event at the LibDems with Norman Baker as speaker. I've got an 8-930am fringe slot at the Conservativies with Andrew Rosindell, and we are counting on all those keen young Tory students to bound out of bed to attend.
A belated welcome to the 2 new Scottish Tory delurkers.
We might FINALLY get some balance on the threads...
I agree what this site needs is more Tories. Full of bloody Lefties
Not even interesting ones.
It needs more Scottish Tories, more coalition supporting LibDems, more southern Socialists.
Actually what this site needs most is some switched on Scottish Labour party supporters. It is really odd that they are so poorly represented. We have had some very left leaning nationalists such as MickPork but I can't remember an active Scottish Labour party supporter in the years I have been active on here. Does the blood of Calvin run that thick?
I rarely praise the guy but Danny Alexander walking rings around Emily Maitliss who seems obsessed about the relatively trivial point of whether he will resign after a 'yes' vote (I mean, who cares?).
I rarely praise the guy but Danny Alexander walking rings around Emily Maitliss who seems obsessed about the relatively trivial point of whether he will resign after a 'yes' vote (I mean, who cares?).
Typical journalistic cr@p. Easier to stick the knife into a perceived vulnerable individual than use some intelligence to disect an issue.
@Scott_P Media, buisness, all the other political parties, and commentators aimed at Eck and the nationalists. Like proud knights riding to the defence of the realm.. Avoid narrow river crossings, and don't pitch up on boggy ground. ;-)
@Scott_P Media, buisness, all the other political parties, and commentators aimed at Eck and the nationalists. Like proud knights riding to the defence of the realm.. Avoid narrow river crossings, and don't pitch up on boggy ground. ;-)
Exactly. I;ve never read one post on this site that even hinted at stereotyping Pakistanis as anything.
Rotherham is being posted on here because it is and will continue to be apposite to the political debate. It's inconceivable it won;t be an issue in at least one by-election coming up, and many election battles in 2015.
SeanT leaves me feeling that he is doing that whether thats his intention or its me I am not sure. I dont think it will be an electoral issue (except perhaps in Rotherham) but we will see.
The Yes campaign needs another poll putting them ahead. It seems inconceivable they could win with just one poll having put them ahead during the campaign.
The Yes campaign needs another poll putting them ahead. It seems inconceivable they could win with just one poll having put them ahead during the campaign.
They also need to hold firm and hope that "no" haven't played their cards too early. The banks must be seeing some serious capital flight to have laid their cards on the table already. It does appear to have been co-ordinated though so that no single bank could get an advantage by holding back and gaining a significant chunk of Scottish Nationalist business.
Yes, Tuesday 23rd, meet at 7pm in the lobby of the Atrium Hotel. TSE (that noted socialist dutifully attending the Labour conference) and I will be there, pretty sure there will be others (Mike? IOS? Surbiton? Roger?) but not sure who yet - can we count you in?
I'm also at the UKIP, Tory and Libdem conferences in case anyone wants to say hello there. Got quite a juicy event at the LibDems with Norman Baker as speaker. I've got an 8-930am fringe slot at the Conservativies with Andrew Rosindell, and we are counting on all those keen young Tory students to bound out of bed to attend.
Yes I am coming to the PB event. Looking forward to meeting some more PBers.
Really enjoyed the Ilkley event but off your list above only Mike and TSE were in Ilkley
SeanT leaves me feeling that he is doing that whether thats his intention or its me I am not sure. I dont think it will be an electoral issue (except perhaps in Rotherham) but we will see.
Point to a single post where SeanT has even come close to doing that. You won't be able to because he doesn't. This is exactly the sort of attitude - of being excessively worried about the imaginary spectre of racism on any ethnic issue, and ever ready to accuse people of it - that prevented this abuse to being investigated before it got out of control.
@Scott_P Media, buisness, all the other political parties, and commentators aimed at Eck and the nationalists. Like proud knights riding to the defence of the realm.. Avoid narrow river crossings, and don't pitch up on boggy ground. ;-)
Eck's got "Sir" Rupert as his champion.
Talking of billionaire chums of Salmond, someone has made a film about Eck's 'good' friend Donald Trump and his Scottish golf course. Released this week.
SeanT leaves me feeling that he is doing that whether thats his intention or its me I am not sure. I dont think it will be an electoral issue (except perhaps in Rotherham) but we will see.
Point to a single post where SeanT has even come close to doing that. You won't be able to because he doesn't. This is exactly the sort of attitude - of being excessively worried about the imaginary spectre of racism on any ethnic issue, and ever ready to accuse people of it - that prevented this abuse to being investigated before it got out of control.
As i said might be me but Seans posting style makes me uncomfortable as I am sure mine does to some.
'Another poster with twisted priorities on this issue.'
A council ignored three reports and the abuse of 1,400 children over a 10 year period and you think it's a 'twisted priority' that we don't find out why & how there was a massive cover up?
And if this issue had surfaced when the initial report came out ,it might have alerted people to the issue and perhaps have prevented kids being abused in Rochdale,Oxford,Peterborough etc.
Exactly. I;ve never read one post on this site that even hinted at stereotyping Pakistanis as anything.
Rotherham is being posted on here because it is and will continue to be apposite to the political debate. It's inconceivable it won;t be an issue in at least one by-election coming up, and many election battles in 2015.
It will certainly be an issue in Rotherham at GE2015, if nowhere else.
But I think it will have a deeper effect.
When the inevitable UKIP-are-racist quotations are dug up, Rotherham will be used as a rather devastating counter.
As a prelude, see SeanT ripping HanDodges apart for calling Gillian Duffy a racist a few days ago.
A council ignored three reports and the abuse of 1,400 children over a 10 year period and you think it's a 'twisted priority' that we don't find out why & how there was a massive cover up?
I think it's twisted to be desperate to primarily blame a political party rather than the rapists, social workers, police, elected officials and others who were either directly or indirectly to blame for the scandal.
"It also confirmed that students taking out the loans will pay back exactly the same amount as those who use the traditional scheme, essentially making a charitable donation rather than paying back interest."
What happens if they choose not to make the charitable donation?
Different laws for different people depending on religion, and general division/segregation
I think it's more likely to lead to a slippery slope of Sharia Bonds that the Treasury is so keen to be a world leader in. Or the end of civilisation as we know it. One or the other.
A council ignored three reports and the abuse of 1,400 children over a 10 year period and you think it's a 'twisted priority' that we don't find out why & how there was a massive cover up?
I think it's twisted to be desperate to primarily blame a political party rather than the rapists, social workers, police, elected officials and others who were either directly or indirectly to blame for the scandal.
Why say 'desperate'? People are just discussing politics & betting
People blame labour because they pushed multiculturalism more than any other party... Do you disagree? They were in charge in Rotherham and their councillors are bring sacked for it. We are talking about betting in northern constituencies so it's obviously going to come up
You reckon labour are going to shorten up in the betting on the back of these revelations?
Different laws for different people depending on religion, and general division/segregation
I think it's more likely to lead to a slippery slope of Sharia Bonds that the Treasury is so keen to be a world leader in. Or the end of civilisation as we know it. One or the other.
Exactly. I;ve never read one post on this site that even hinted at stereotyping Pakistanis as anything.
Rotherham is being posted on here because it is and will continue to be apposite to the political debate. It's inconceivable it won;t be an issue in at least one by-election coming up, and many election battles in 2015.
SeanT leaves me feeling that he is doing that whether thats his intention or its me I am not sure. I don't think it will be an electoral issue (except perhaps in Rotherham) but we will see.
You think SeanT has been trying to stereotype Pakistanis as rapists? Well, bless my cotton socks! I have had my fair share of rows with Mr. T. on here over the years (he once accused me of being a "stupid old lefty") but I have never even considered that he might have a racist bone in his body.
Think you are barking up the wrong tree there, old boy. You might want to put up a justification or an apology.
@isam You can't force people to take out a loan If you did, you would be locked up? Instead, the government is setting up a Sharia friendly lone system. But under our PC laws?.......They will have to let anyone use it.
A council ignored three reports and the abuse of 1,400 children over a 10 year period and you think it's a 'twisted priority' that we don't find out why & how there was a massive cover up?
I think it's twisted to be desperate to primarily blame a political party rather than the rapists, social workers, police, elected officials and others who were either directly or indirectly to blame for the scandal.
'I think it's twisted to be desperate to primarily blame a political party rather than the rapists, social workers, police, elected officials and others who were either directly or indirectly to blame for the scandal.'
A council ignored three reports and the abuse of 1,400 children over a 10 year period and you think it's a 'twisted priority' that we don't find out why & how there was a massive cover up?
I think it's twisted to be desperate to primarily blame a political party rather than the rapists, social workers, police, elected officials and others who were either directly or indirectly to blame for the scandal.
There is blame enough for all.
The Labour Party's pandering to the Muslim community in their lust for power has led directly to this tragedy. Postal voting, reduction in contribution to VA schools, open-door immigration; some I might actually agree with, but child rape? I can't recall a single Muslim calling for that.
Nope, it was simply Labour's lust for power overwhelming any human decency.
Quite a lot of people it seems. Quite a few may have done more than just ignore it but let's see what comes out of any Inquiry and criminal investigations. Calling it a "Labour" cover up reeks of being more interested in playing politics with the scandal than being interested in clearing it up.
A council ignored three reports and the abuse of 1,400 children over a 10 year period and you think it's a 'twisted priority' that we don't find out why & how there was a massive cover up?
I think it's twisted to be desperate to primarily blame a political party rather than the rapists, social workers, police, elected officials and others who were either directly or indirectly to blame for the scandal.
Different laws for different people depending on religion, and general division/segregation
I think it's more likely to lead to a slippery slope of Sharia Bonds that the Treasury is so keen to be a world leader in. Or the end of civilisation as we know it. One or the other.
Quite a lot of people it seems. Quite a few may have done more than just ignore it but let's see what comes out of any Inquiry and criminal investigations. Calling it a "Labour" cover up reeks of being more interested in playing politics with the scandal than being interested in clearing it up.
So it was Pakistanis that were overwhelmingly responsible but we mustn't mention that, and it was labour councillors that covered it up and we can't mention that either
Quite a lot of people it seems. Quite a few may have done more than just ignore it but let's see what comes out of any Inquiry and criminal investigations. Calling it a "Labour" cover up reeks of being more interested in playing politics with the scandal than being interested in clearing it up.
So it was Pakistanis that were overwhelmingly responsible but we mustn't mention that, and it was labour councillors that covered it up and we can't mention that either
Well, yes, I was under the impression that you werent meant to be mentioning anything about this topic all right.
@isam You can't force people to take out a loan If you did, you would be locked up? Instead, the government is setting up a Sharia friendly lone system. But under our PC laws?.......They will have to let anyone use it.
Next year I am going to start on a third degree (its fun being retired) and I am going to take out a student loan to fund it. I shall let you know how I get on with my Sharia friendly loan application.
@isam Was it Pakistanis in North Wales buggering the children in care? Was it a Pakistani that lost the governments files into possible abuse by themselves? You are far better than that Isam, you know that Rotheram and several others have Pakistani perpetrators, but it is the buisness and opportunity that lets it happen. Ice Cream vans were a favourite kiddie fiddler toy to buy at one time. Should we have blamed it on Italians?
Quite a lot of people it seems. Quite a few may have done more than just ignore it but let's see what comes out of any Inquiry and criminal investigations. Calling it a "Labour" cover up reeks of being more interested in playing politics with the scandal than being interested in clearing it up.
So it was Pakistanis that were overwhelmingly responsible but we mustn't mention that, and it was labour councillors that covered it up and we can't mention that either
Well, yes, I was under the impression that you werent meant to be mentioning anything about this topic all right.
Look where that attitude got the kids in Rotherham
You can try to spin it anyway you like,but it was a Labour controlled council,no doubt a police authority packed with Labour place-men & then a Labour police commissioner and an overall atmosphere where anyone discussing this type of issue was slapped down as a racist or was in fear of losing their job.
You can try to spin it anyway you like,but it was a Labour controlled council,no doubt a police authority packed with Labour place-men & then a Labour police commissioner and an overall atmosphere where anyone discussing this type of issue was slapped down as a racist or was in fear of losing their job.
I have no interest in spinning for anyone, least of all Labour. I just have a distaste for people making cheap points out of this.
@isam Was it Pakistanis in North Wales buggering the children in care? Was it a Pakistani that lost the governments files into possible abuse by themselves? You are far better than that Isam, you know that Rotheram and several others have Pakistani perpetrators, but it is the buisness and opportunity that lets it happen. Ice Cream vans were a favourite kiddie fiddler toy to buy at one time. Should we have blamed it on Italians?
I didn't say child abuse was unique to Pakistanis did I? It's an abuse of power, but in this case being of a certain ethnicity was the key to the power in that it made it easier to cover up/brush off.
I said just as much about the 70s 80s govt cover up and that was white Englishman
I've been thinking: either way you look at it, we're in a position where we're looking at DevoMax or Scottish independence around the corner.
If it does turn out to be the former, goodness knows how they're going to get round the WLQ. The problem with EV4EL is that you've got the chance of a government being formed which has the support of the House but no majority in RUK, leaving the possibility of nothing getting done. If you reduce the number of Scottish MPs to counterbalance their effect, you get the nasty side effect of marginalising Scotland from government formation, which reduces their influence in UK wide affairs - potentially resulting in a government formulating defence and foreign policy for the whole union with very little input from Scottish voters.
If you devolve power to England, you're left with a rump government that has little influence in anything of significance on the domestic stage. Presumably you could make the UK federal, but then comes the insanely tricky task of imposing federal laws across all jurisdictions, working out the rights of the federal branch and trying to determine how the UK government cannot be a weak body with little to no influence whatsoever over any form of domestic policy (in the meantime creating another expensive layer of government, which is far from what people want at the moment).
Best I can come up with is keeping the HoC as a rUK only chamber and reforming the HoL to resemble something representing a senate with representation across all home nations. Then essentially transferring foreign policy powers from the executive to the HoL. This still has the problem of the WLQ arising in respect of second chamber domestic legislation powers, however. And still creates a situation where you would have a UK foreign secretary being chosen by a government elected purely or substantially by rUK.
My head hurts now, but I cannot see a viable solution to what will really be an even greater constitutional nightmare than at present.
I apologize for interrupting your discussions but in response to messages and emails from members of the pb site we've been advised today that my husband will be fit to return home this weekend for a period of convalescence.
Will be plenty of banks ready to come in and mop up the business, we get rid of the English zombie banks and get real banks in their place.
Er! Malkie! RBS and BoS are headquartered in iEckand and will move south over the separatists border which means that there will be no, that is NO Scottish banks unless the AyrTSB expands rather radically very fast.
Standard Life (Aviva, Prudential, LLoyds, RBS, etc.) can, and probably others will move not only their corporate HQ but most of their offices to Newcastle and south of the border - cheaper staff, rUK government loans and what have you to provide services legally to the majority of their clients.
SL, Scottish Widows and Scottish Gas have computer systems set up so that marginally trained people can actually provide an exemplary service to their customers. Yes, I do have experience.
Scottish Gas (and also looking after BG customers) in Granton was at one time going to be closed and moved down south, Centrica will certainly be now looking how to maintain their customer services to the majority of their customers. Any one want a large birdcage?
So far, I have only looked at approx 50,000 staff based in Scotland. Multiply that by the accepted ratio of 4 to 1, that means that there could be 200,000 unemployed in iEckland.
And for a short order cook, that means, you, too could be soon looking for a new job.
Fanny halfwitted nutjob tries to pretend he knows what he is talking about
Have I crossed the Rubicon? I find myself agreeing with IOS and Gordon Brown and Jim Murphy! I am a rare breed, a Scottish Tory, and I am so upset at the thought of a Yes vote. Also a lurker since around 2004.
Do something about it. This is crunch time. Go to the BT website. It will tell you all the events in your area within whatever mileage you are comfortable with. How will you feel if this goes the wrong way and you didn't do your bit?
One week. We can so this. But everyone needs to help. Better Together indeed.
Feet up and rest David. Survation says no. So do all the big business leaders in Scotland. Your canvas returns must tell you the same.
I don't have access to Scotland wide canvassing or even Dundee wide. The canvassing done by me and my family told me this was going to be seriously close when the likes of JackW and Robert were claiming it was going to be a walk in the park. I will be at a street stall Saturday and will try to canvass every day next week. I have taken Election Day off to help. I am under no illusions. This is going to be seriously close.
DavidL - as a "posh" southern English Tory, living in southern England, is there anything I can do to help?
I feel desperate to get involved, but don't know how. Not sure I'd be anything but counterproductive on Blether Together.
I've registered just to reply to this; the best thing you can do is go to Scotland and campaign. I'm a card-carrying Tory who will be driving up to the Scottish Borders with a Labour Party friend for the weekend to canvass for Better Together. We're confident that the only people who won't listen to us because we sound English are Salmond's acolytes, who will never change their minds. If that's a more widespread belief, then the Union is already over.
If you can't travel up, then Blether Together!
Welcome (and not just to the site). We want a group hug Quebec style this week.
Is an event like this being arranged at the weekend or next week? If not, why not?
I could potentially travel up on the train for this at the weekend.
I have sent an e-mail to my contacts at BT to see what is being organised in Edinburgh etc and will post something as soon as I have a reply. I agree something like this should be organised.
Yes your Orange Order pals are having a big parade, first BT public meeting of the campaign
@OliverCooper: RBS, Standard Life, Lloyds & Clydesdale all say they'd leave indy Scotland. Will the last bank to leave Scotland please turn out the lights?
Sure Clydesdale will be concerned about their 10 branches in England versus 300 in Scotland. The English bank chiefs jockeying for gongs is nothing new.
I apologize for interrupting your discussions but in response to messages and emails from members of the pb site we've been advised today that my husband will be fit to return home this weekend for a period of convalescence.
@OliverCooper: RBS, Standard Life, Lloyds & Clydesdale all say they'd leave indy Scotland. Will the last bank to leave Scotland please turn out the lights?
Sure Clydesdale will be concerned about their 10 branches in England versus 300 in Scotland. The English bank chiefs jockeying for gongs is nothing new.
I thought Clydesdale was Australian owned.
7 days to go. I have my MacSweens haggis and a bottle of single malt ready to celebrate either Scottish Unionism or Scottish Independence, though increasingly leaning to the latter.
Patriotism is not about pounds and pence. It is insulting to think it is.
Voting NO to protect the money in your bank account seems canny and sussed from where I'm standing.
Yes, you're all for that. Let us know when this gains traction and starts influencing votes up there.
It has already started. I just spent three days on the Isle of Lewis and spoke to several older people who wavered towards Yes in the past week (not because of poll figures but because the Yes campaigners are making much more effort and the No propaganda was seen as insulting) but who decided to keep with NO because they care about protecting their bank accounts.
It's a quaint but valuable PB tradition that before skittering off on some totally unverifiable anecdote to prove a political point, one identifies it as such.
What, tradition means I should waste finger energy typing the obvious? Is the following OK? (BEGIN my unverifiable but true testimony, alleging contact with real voters)
I just spent three days on the Isle of Lewis and spoke to several older people who wavered towards Yes in the past week (not because of poll figures but because the Yes campaigners are making much more effort and the No propaganda was seen as insulting) but who decided to keep with NO because they care about protecting their bank accounts.
(END my unverifiable but true testimony, alleging contact with real voters)
I've been thinking: either way you look at it, we're in a position where we're looking at DevoMax or Scottish independence around the corner.
If it does turn out to be the former, goodness knows how they're going to get round the WLQ. The problem with EV4EL is that you've got the chance of a government being formed which has the support of the House but no majority in RUK, leaving the possibility of nothing getting done. If you reduce the number of Scottish MPs to counterbalance their effect, you get the nasty side effect of marginalising Scotland from government formation, which reduces their influence in UK wide affairs - potentially resulting in a government formulating defence and foreign policy for the whole union with very little input from Scottish voters.
If you devolve power to England, you're left with a rump government that has little influence in anything of significance on the domestic stage. Presumably you could make the UK federal, but then comes the insanely tricky task of imposing federal laws across all jurisdictions, working out the rights of the federal branch and trying to determine how the UK government cannot be a weak body with little to no influence whatsoever over any form of domestic policy (in the meantime creating another expensive layer of government, which is far from what people want at the moment).
Best I can come up with is keeping the HoC as a rUK only chamber and reforming the HoL to resemble something representing a senate with representation across all home nations. Then essentially transferring foreign policy powers from the executive to the HoL. This still has the problem of the WLQ arising in respect of second chamber domestic legislation powers, however. And still creates a situation where you would have a UK foreign secretary being chosen by a government elected purely or substantially by rUK.
My head hurts now, but I cannot see a viable solution to what will really be an even greater constitutional nightmare than at present.
Cant see what is complicated about having same devolved powers as Scotland Max devo in E,W and NI parliaments with own MP's.
Remaining powers dealt with by small elected second chamber from all nations.
No need for the current second chamber-HOL which can be abolished.
Comments
I'm also at the UKIP, Tory and Libdem conferences in case anyone wants to say hello there. Got quite a juicy event at the LibDems with Norman Baker as speaker. I've got an 8-930am fringe slot at the Conservativies with Andrew Rosindell, and we are counting on all those keen young Tory students to bound out of bed to attend.
Ah, happy memories :-)
'I understand the right wing would like to do this for political advantage.'
The investigation should be trying to find out how Labour managed to cover it up for so long. .
Clacton UKIP gain, labour distant third - irrelevant essentially.
Greater Manchester - Labour over UKIP by a couple of thousand in a seat that labour under Blair would have won by several streets
"Bruce" allegedly had the Knights Templar as back up and advisers at Bannock Burn
A credible currency plan would be fairly high up my list...
Really enjoyed the Ilkley event but off your list above only Mike and TSE were in Ilkley
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/08/tories-donald-trump-scots-coalition-government-scotland-golf-courses
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2750899/Muslim-students-offered-Sharia-law-friendly-student-loans-government-bid-Islamic-pupils-university.html
'Another poster with twisted priorities on this issue.'
A council ignored three reports and the abuse of 1,400 children over a 10 year period and you think it's a 'twisted priority' that we don't find out why & how there was a massive cover up?
And if this issue had surfaced when the initial report came out ,it might have alerted people to the issue and perhaps have prevented kids being abused in Rochdale,Oxford,Peterborough etc.
But I think it will have a deeper effect.
When the inevitable UKIP-are-racist quotations are dug up, Rotherham will be used as a rather devastating counter.
As a prelude, see SeanT ripping HanDodges apart for calling Gillian Duffy a racist a few days ago.
The moral high ground has tilted the other way.
What happens if they choose not to make the charitable donation?
Fees require students to take out loans, which conflicts with their beliefs
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2750899/Muslim-students-offered-Sharia-law-friendly-student-loans-government-bid-Islamic-pupils-university.html#ixzz3CxMnfX5j
I believe as they follow the old testament, usury is a sin, we thought so as well at one time, but what the hell? it made money. And the rub here of course was, that as it was a "sin", it was almost the only profession Jews were allowed to do.
'A slippery slope? #onenation'
Absurd,they should just do what most of the banks do in the Middle East and change the name from 'interest' to 'fee'.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10949117/Whitehall-child-sex-inquiry-the-114-files-lost.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-29144266
People blame labour because they pushed multiculturalism more than any other party... Do you disagree? They were in charge in Rotherham and their councillors are bring sacked for it. We are talking about betting in northern constituencies so it's obviously going to come up
You reckon labour are going to shorten up in the betting on the back of these revelations?
Think you are barking up the wrong tree there, old boy. You might want to put up a justification or an apology.
You can't force people to take out a loan If you did, you would be locked up?
Instead, the government is setting up a Sharia friendly lone system.
But under our PC laws?.......They will have to let anyone use it.
'I think it's twisted to be desperate to primarily blame a political party rather than the rapists, social workers, police, elected officials and others who were either directly or indirectly to blame for the scandal.'
Who allowed this to be ignored?
The Labour council in Rotherham and the police.
The Labour Party's pandering to the Muslim community in their lust for power has led directly to this tragedy. Postal voting, reduction in contribution to VA schools, open-door immigration; some I might actually agree with, but child rape? I can't recall a single Muslim calling for that.
Nope, it was simply Labour's lust for power overwhelming any human decency.
Queen of Hearts syndrome, sentence first, trial afterwards?
Glad you're not in charge of the investigation
There is a new thread by the way.
Was it Pakistanis in North Wales buggering the children in care? Was it a Pakistani that lost the governments files into possible abuse by themselves?
You are far better than that Isam, you know that Rotheram and several others have Pakistani perpetrators, but it is the buisness and opportunity that lets it happen.
Ice Cream vans were a favourite kiddie fiddler toy to buy at one time. Should we have blamed it on Italians?
You can try to spin it anyway you like,but it was a Labour controlled council,no doubt a police authority packed with Labour place-men & then a Labour police commissioner and an overall atmosphere where anyone discussing this type of issue was slapped down as a racist or was in fear of losing their job.
I said just as much about the 70s 80s govt cover up and that was white Englishman
If it does turn out to be the former, goodness knows how they're going to get round the WLQ. The problem with EV4EL is that you've got the chance of a government being formed which has the support of the House but no majority in RUK, leaving the possibility of nothing getting done. If you reduce the number of Scottish MPs to counterbalance their effect, you get the nasty side effect of marginalising Scotland from government formation, which reduces their influence in UK wide affairs - potentially resulting in a government formulating defence and foreign policy for the whole union with very little input from Scottish voters.
If you devolve power to England, you're left with a rump government that has little influence in anything of significance on the domestic stage. Presumably you could make the UK federal, but then comes the insanely tricky task of imposing federal laws across all jurisdictions, working out the rights of the federal branch and trying to determine how the UK government cannot be a weak body with little to no influence whatsoever over any form of domestic policy (in the meantime creating another expensive layer of government, which is far from what people want at the moment).
Best I can come up with is keeping the HoC as a rUK only chamber and reforming the HoL to resemble something representing a senate with representation across all home nations. Then essentially transferring foreign policy powers from the executive to the HoL. This still has the problem of the WLQ arising in respect of second chamber domestic legislation powers, however. And still creates a situation where you would have a UK foreign secretary being chosen by a government elected purely or substantially by rUK.
My head hurts now, but I cannot see a viable solution to what will really be an even greater constitutional nightmare than at present.
I look forward to his return, and convalescence.
7 days to go. I have my MacSweens haggis and a bottle of single malt ready to celebrate either Scottish Unionism or Scottish Independence, though increasingly leaning to the latter.
(BEGIN
my unverifiable but true testimony, alleging contact with real voters)
I just spent three days on the Isle of Lewis and spoke to several older people who wavered towards Yes in the past week (not because of poll figures but because the Yes campaigners are making much more effort and the No propaganda was seen as insulting) but who decided to keep with NO because they care about protecting their bank accounts.
(END
my unverifiable but true testimony, alleging contact with real voters)
Remaining powers dealt with by small elected second chamber from all nations.
No need for the current second chamber-HOL which can be abolished.
Although 60% of the English are "on benefits" as well.