“She was very friendly. She denied she was spitting tacks when I asked her – she said she didn’t know where that came from. To be honest I think the interpretation of how she felt wasn’t necessarily her interpretation, but perhaps those ‘close to her’, as the phrase goes. And to be fair, we’re getting on fine. Of course we’re not soul mates, but she’s been quite supportive of me. The fact is I think she respects me because I’m competent and work hard.”
And now it seems the scales have fallen from his eyes... or he wants to get re-elected.
Featherstone gets the job:
Paul Waugh @paulwaugh 56s57 seconds ago Featherstone: "I've always had a very constructive relationship with Theresa May and I look forward to working with her again.”
"Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and “had an association” with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found."
My Mum worked for Tower Hamlets council treasury for 20 years, and amazingly still votes Labour... but everything you hear about Rahman seems to be true, and is an open secret
There is no doubt a future Labour government will use the quantitative easing method for funding.Quantitative easing could replace and buy out expensive government PFI contracts and save the taxpayer a fortune.Quantitative easing could buy out all student debt as well and quantitative easing could fund a credit union in every town and quantitative easing could provide a £100 billion stake for private industry to match in a national investment bank. Quantitative easing isn't just the name of a race horse,it's the key to the future.
Ipsos:... C 31 / L 41 / LD 8 / UK 8 / GRN 8 YG:....... C 33 / L 39 / LD 9 / UK 12 / GRN 6
Midlands
Ashcroft: C 36 / L 28 / LD 8 / UK 20 / GRN 6 ComRes: C 35 / L 30 / LD 8 / UK 23 / GRN 3 ICM:........ C 36 / L 33 / LD 8 / UK 15 / GRN 4 Ipsos:...... C 35 / L 33 / LD 7 / UK 16 / GRN 6 Populus:...C 36 / L 34 / LD 8 / UK 17 / GRN 5
North
Ashcroft: C 28 / L 37 / LD 6 / UK 22 / GRN 6 ComRes: C 25 / L 44 / LD 7 / UK 19 / GRN 3 ICM:........ C 26 / L 41 / LD 8 / UK 11 / GRN 4 Ipsos:...... C 28 / L 41 / LD 7 / UK 16 / GRN 6 Populus:...C 30 / L 42 / LD 8 / UK 17 / GRN 3 YG:.......... C 27 / L 43 / LD 5 / UK 18 / GRN 6
Tories seem to be doing well in the Midlands. Labour to win marginal London seats shocker but if they don't advance in the Midlands (and this includes Wales above) they are not going to pick up many seats. They seem to have given up on the South (viz R&S), so that's out. Seems like they will lose anywhere from a couple to a skinful of seats in Scotland too.
How many marginal seats in London are there that they can plausibly win from the Tories? 6-7? (Hendon, Enfield N, Ilford N, Chiswick, Acton, Croydon C?)
At least two if not three of these are likely to be Mansion Tax averse too.
Spread of Labour's top 50 targets North 12 Midlands 12 South 9 London 5 East 4 Yorkshire 4 Scotland 2 Wales 2
Labour are also being (realistically) targetted in: Great Grimsby (UKIP); Southampton Itchen (Con); Scotland (Various)
Anywhere else? The other Southampton seat? Will any Labour London seats flip over the Mansion Tax? Hamptead (Tories would have won it on 1992 boundaries). Derby North?
If Labour are floundering on about 30% they will almost certainly lose some seats. A strong UKIP showing could see them losing Bolton W, Dudley N.
Hampstead is one of which I have some local knowledge.
Labour have picked a strong candidate to succeed Glenda. There's a big LD vote for them to squeeze, and no UKIP presence to speak of.
I think you can put a line through this one. For Labour to lose Hampstead you'd have to be in real meltdown territory.
Which reminds me of this joke, that you should appreciate.
Very much looking forwards to the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend, apparently it is the smoothest track on the calender although some of the corners are a bit hairy.
There is no doubt a future Labour government will use the quantitative easing method for funding.Quantitative easing could replace and buy out expensive government PFI contracts and save the taxpayer a fortune.Quantitative easing could buy out all student debt as well and quantitative easing could fund a credit union in every town and quantitative easing could provide a £100 billion stake for private industry to match in a national investment bank. Quantitative easing isn't just the name of a race horse,it's the key to the future.
QE is magiking money into existence to buy financial assets from commercial banks, it increases monetary supply but doesn't give the government beans to spend. I think what you are thinking of is what is commonly called "Printing Money".
Actually, it's a great circuit and probably my favourite. It's also very wet, which can mean difficulty as the rubber gets slick, which can lead to thrills and spills.
Very much looking forwards to the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend, apparently it is the smoothest track on the calender although some of the corners are a bit hairy.
"The European Commission slashed its economic outlook for the eurozone on Tuesday, predicting the currency bloc would grow only 1.1 per cent next year, down from a 1.7 per cent forecast just six months ago.
The revisions were particularly big in the two largest eurozone economies, Germany and France, for which the commission cut its projections by nearly a full percentage point for 2015. The gross domestic product forecast for Germany, the common currency’s economic engine, was cut from 2 per cent in May to 1.1 per cent; France went from 1.5 per cent to 0.7 per cent."
"The commission raised its forecast for Britain saying it expected the economy to grow 2.7 per cent next year, compared with the 2.5 per cent May forecast."
Oh good, we can pay even more to help countries that refuse to help themselves
Ipsos:... C 31 / L 41 / LD 8 / UK 8 / GRN 8 YG:....... C 33 / L 39 / LD 9 / UK 12 / GRN 6
Midlands
Ashcroft: C 36 / L 28 / LD 8 / UK 20 / GRN 6 ComRes: C 35 / L 30 / LD 8 / UK 23 / GRN 3 ICM:........ C 36 / L 33 / LD 8 / UK 15 / GRN 4 Ipsos:...... C 35 / L 33 / LD 7 / UK 16 / GRN 6 Populus:...C 36 / L 34 / LD 8 / UK 17 / GRN 5
North
Ashcroft: C 28 / L 37 / LD 6 / UK 22 / GRN 6 ComRes: C 25 / L 44 / LD 7 / UK 19 / GRN 3 ICM:........ C 26 / L 41 / LD 8 / UK 11 / GRN 4 Ipsos:...... C 28 / L 41 / LD 7 / UK 16 / GRN 6 Populus:...C 30 / L 42 / LD 8 / UK 17 / GRN 3 YG:.......... C 27 / L 43 / LD 5 / UK 18 / GRN 6
Tories seem to be doing well in the Midlands. Labour to win marginal London seats shocker but if they don't advance in the Midlands (and this includes Wales above) they are not going to pick up many seats. They seem to have given up on the South (viz R&S), so that's out. Seems like they will lose anywhere from a couple to a skinful of seats in Scotland too.
How many marginal seats in London are there that they can plausibly win from the Tories? 6-7? (Hendon, Enfield N, Ilford N, Chiswick, Acton, Croydon C?)
At least two if not three of these are likely to be Mansion Tax averse too.
Spread of Labour's top 50 targets North 12 Midlands 12 South 9 London 5 East 4 Yorkshire 4 Scotland 2 Wales 2
Labour are also being (realistically) targetted in: Great Grimsby (UKIP); Southampton Itchen (Con); Scotland (Various)
Anywhere else? The other Southampton seat? Will any Labour London seats flip over the Mansion Tax? Hamptead (Tories would have won it on 1992 boundaries). Derby North?
If Labour are floundering on about 30% they will almost certainly lose some seats. A strong UKIP showing could see them losing Bolton W, Dudley N.
I don't see Labour losing Bolton West judging by Local election results.
9160 Lab 6851 UKIP/Wigan independents 6619 Con
The UKIP/Lab split for Dudley North (In LEs) is very similiar to Rother Valley near me and I judge that to be a 4-1 shot for UKIP so I think whilst there may be a smidgen of value in 5-1 UKIP I'm not bowled over.
7439 Lab 8085 UKIP 4925 Con
Derby North - hmm is that something to do with an apparently awful local MP ?
Labour look solid enough there based on local election results to me.
Meanwhile by far the most important decision today will be the EAT one on holiday pay. If it goes the way the trade unions hope, thousands and I mean thousands of their members in the private sector face losing their jobs and hundreds of thousands will see a huge fall in their pay as employers cut back on granting overtime on an ongoing basis.
Is there a reference for that, sounds alarming. Is it asking for O/T to be used when calculating holiday pay or something ?
Sky News all over this. Talking heads unusually vocal in condemning it and pointing out it's yet another recruiting tool for UKIP. They want our Government to put in place emergency legislation to mitigate effects and protect jobs.
Just sit back and let the CBI explain why the EC is good for business....
The government is working on mitigating its effects. It has in the past argued over the backdating and of course the substance, namely that voluntary overtime, is not like commission or in flight bonuses.
It's like they want to impose the French labour market on the rest of Europe in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the EU (EEC, whatever) was founded. Force more costs on employers while simultaneously removing the flexibility that overtime offers.
Nuts.
Will no one think of the lawyers?
Actually, I can answer that question myself. The lawyers will think of the lawyers.
I doubt that I could be accepted as a member on a fair-and-diligent jury having watched the Polly-channel.. And I am sure that there are enough ##### Labour-laywers are watching this (and licking each-others-[MODERATED])....
All eyes will be on Cue Card but at 14/1 my money's on Pepite Rose. Unfortunately it's a seven runner race, so no value in the ew, but I've had a small win bet anyway.
Brent crude trading at $77 a barrel, what price independence ?
Sweaty palms in Moscow right now, as well as Venezuela and those oh-so-liberal gulf states. Heart of stone, etc, etc.
Saudi/OPEC cut production at some point.
Perhaps $75-$80 a barrel or so. We aren't there yet.
I'm sure they will. That's still a very, very painful price for some, and one seems to mark the start of a new price plateau. [not that I'm willing to risk a penny of my own hard-earned on that scenario!]
More painful for Putin than the House of Saud.
It seems the Saudis are using price as a weapon of economic warfare.
You seem to be comparing Apples with Oranges. The average US state has roughly the same population as twice that of Wales, or 1.5 times that of Scotland. Indeed, California is only a few million short of the population of England!
Actually the average US State (including DC) has roughly 6.3 million people (2014 est.), a bit more than the population of Scotland (5.3 million, 2013 est.).
England = 53 million (Census 2011) California = 38 million (2014 est.)
England = 1.4 x California population
If you take the median, rather than the mean, then the 26th most populous state is Kentucky, at a little under four and a half million, so somewhat smaller than Scotland. Colorado - 22nd by population - is the closest to 5.3m.
I've lived in Colorado! Also visited New Mexico and Utah. Apart from that, does changing planes at Chicago count?
And the teeniest US State by population, Wyoming, has around 590,000 people, almost exactly the same as Glasgow...
Last week Mr Miliband and Harriet Harman, his deputy, grown adults with a combined age of 108 and aspirations to high office, wore T-shirts scrawled with a feminist slogan that looked like the rushed homework of an indifferent GCSE design student. Mr Cameron declined to follow. Mr Blair would have laughed the idea out of the room. It is hard to picture Alistair Darling, the august former chancellor of the exchequer who announced his retirement this week, going along with it.
"Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and “had an association” with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found."
Same reason there isn't a national inquiry into child grooming gangs: it's Muslims doing the crimes and we mustn't draw attention to that lest the plebs draw the wrong conclusions.
And while we're considering rampant corruption in the ethnic dominated politics of Tower Hamlets, and wonder why the police aren't investigating, let's just remember the recruiting policies the Metropolitan police have brought in. Highly effective recruits from the home counties won't be allowed to join, because they're not "diverse" enough, but the shortage is so great that we're having to allow people in with criminal backgrounds to get enough non-white Londoners for the quotas:
So people were right, the Welfare figure from the personal tax statements includes £20 billion in public sector pensions.
Really? I was sure that would come from departmental spending - there's a big enough figure for employer pension contributions on my payslip after all.
"Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and “had an association” with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found."
Same reason there isn't a national inquiry into child grooming gangs: it's Muslims doing the crimes and we mustn't draw attention to that lest the plebs draw the wrong conclusions.
Is there any thread that you won't corrupt with your obsession?
Anywhere else? The other Southampton seat? Will any Labour London seats flip over the Mansion Tax? Hamptead (Tories would have won it on 1992 boundaries). Derby North?
If Labour are floundering on about 30% they will almost certainly lose some seats. A strong UKIP showing could see them losing Bolton W, Dudley N.
I don't see Labour losing Bolton West judging by Local election results.
9160 Lab 6851 UKIP/Wigan independents 6619 Con
The UKIP/Lab split for Dudley North (In LEs) is very similiar to Rother Valley near me and I judge that to be a 4-1 shot for UKIP so I think whilst there may be a smidgen of value in 5-1 UKIP I'm not bowled over.
7439 Lab 8085 UKIP 4925 Con
Derby North - hmm is that something to do with an apparently awful local MP ?
Labour look solid enough there based on local election results to me.
Not sure predicting General Election results based on past Local results is wise.
In Derby North the Tories are positive, UKIP are gaining popularity in the huge wwc estates.
The MP you are right is a shocker. Wonder what Nick makes of him.
"Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and “had an association” with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found."
Same reason there isn't a national inquiry into child grooming gangs: it's Muslims doing the crimes and we mustn't draw attention to that lest the plebs draw the wrong conclusions.
Is there any thread that you won't corrupt with your obsession?
When I was in New York recently, the only story about Britain which made the papers there was the Rotherham grooming gangs story. Quite shaming.
Simply filing the report somewhere is not good enough. Action is needed. There may be stuff going on behind the scenes but so far nothing appears to be happening.
I'm a professional investigator and one of the things we have to do is to try and join up the dots in order to see what connections there are, what common characteristics there may be and to see if there is a bigger picture. Where you have people sharing a particular characteristic involved in misbehaviour it is sensible to see if there is a connection or if this is no more than coincidence. Turning a blind eye for fear of what looking might reveal is not a sensible approach.
"Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and “had an association” with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found."
My Mum worked for Tower Hamlets council treasury for 20 years, and amazingly still votes Labour... but everything you hear about Rahman seems to be true, and is an open secret
As far as the property and contract transactions are concerned, I can speak to this with a little knowledge.
Every Local Authority (LA) I've ever dealt with has a policy to "obtain best possible consideration" for any asset it is trying to sell. However, as with anyone selling a house, if you want a quick sale you may not get the price you want and sometimes an Asset sale in one area frees up capital to invest in another so it's not always straightforward.
That said, to not declare a Conflict of Interest when evaluating the bids seems unusual though I've known it happen often because a Councillor doesn't really understand what the term "Conflict of Interest" means. This seems well beyond that.
There would be clear Standing Orders for the award of Contracts as well. An LA doesn't have to go to the lowest bidder any more - there is or should be a marking system based on a number of criteria to determine the quality of the bid and the viability of the bidder. Under the awful CCT regime of the 80s and early 90s, LAs were forced to sell the service to the lowest bidder who of course couldn't do the work and make any money and so came crawling back to the Council for help.
There should also be a clear audit trail - it's a legal requirement and of course anyone can ask an FOI about the award of a Contract and see the paperwork (albeit with some redaction).
As for the awarding of grants, I'm less clear on that. Nobody normally objects to the award of a grant to a local charity or voluntary organisation but there still needs to be a measure of due diligence.;'
"Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and “had an association” with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found."
Same reason there isn't a national inquiry into child grooming gangs: it's Muslims doing the crimes and we mustn't draw attention to that lest the plebs draw the wrong conclusions.
Is there any thread that you won't corrupt with your obsession?
Someone else posted the story about Tower Hamlets, not me. I'm sorry, but entire Theresa May gets her way, you can't silence those bringing up inconvenient points.
That Janan Ganesh piece on Ed Miliband is worthy of Matthew Parris in his prime. He's now our best political journalist. I particularly liked this passage:
"But Mr Miliband does not have a 35 per cent strategy. He has a 35 per cent world view. He is authentically leftwing and was only ever going to seek a leftwing path to power. His effort to cobble together enough like-minded voters to pull off a slight but doctrinally pure victory is better understood as an urge – what Amis calls a “frisson” – than a decision. And it was not his error to follow this path; it was Labour’s error to choose as its leader someone who was always incapable of doing anything else.
That leadership campaign four years ago was a miniature of his supposed plan for May. He spent months reinforcing his party’s certainties on everything from economics to foreign policy. In a stupor of self-congratulation, Labour elected him – just. Critics accused him of “pandering” and admirers credited him with “guile”, but both words, like strategy, imply he did not mean it. He did."
Next challenge for Mr Ganesh: to write something as unflinching about David Cameron.
"Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and “had an association” with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found."
Same reason there isn't a national inquiry into child grooming gangs: it's Muslims doing the crimes and we mustn't draw attention to that lest the plebs draw the wrong conclusions.
Is there any thread that you won't corrupt with your obsession?
Someone else posted the story about Tower Hamlets, not me. I'm sorry, but entire Theresa May gets her way, you can't silence those bringing up inconvenient points.
Your energies would be better spent writing directly to the Home Secretary.
Not sure predicting General Election results based on past Local results is wise.
In Derby North the Tories are positive, UKIP are gaining popularity in the huge wwc estates.
The MP you are right is a shocker. Wonder what Nick makes of him.
I'm a big fan, but my bias is that I rate MPs partly by their animal-friendliness, and the Derby North MP Chris Williamson, like (for balance) Norman Baker and Oliver Letwin, are heroes to animal protection people.
I've not heard how the campaign is going there, but in Nottingham South, which is a Tory target, the Conservative effort has been modest so far, as it has in Broxtowe and Gedling. In much of the East Mids, the Tories simply suffer from a good base of ground troops - you might expect them to pour in from Rushcliffe and Newark, but for whatever reason they don't seem to. So I'm sceptical about Tory gains (or protection against losses) in this half of the Midlands - I don't know anything about the West Mids.
Not sure predicting General Election results based on past Local results is wise.
In Derby North the Tories are positive, UKIP are gaining popularity in the huge wwc estates.
The MP you are right is a shocker. Wonder what Nick makes of him.
I'm a big fan, but my bias is that I rate MPs partly by their animal-friendliness, and the Derby North MP Chris Williamson, like (for balance) Norman Baker and Oliver Letwin, are heroes to animal protection people.
I've not heard how the campaign is going there, but in Nottingham South, which is a Tory target, the Conservative effort has been modest so far, as it has in Broxtowe and Gedling. In much of the East Mids, the Tories simply suffer from a good base of ground troops - you might expect them to pour in from Rushcliffe and Newark, but for whatever reason they don't seem to. So I'm sceptical about Tory gains (or protection against losses) in this half of the Midlands - I don't know anything about the West Mids.
If you get elected you are supposed to represent your constituents not animals
Comments
“She was very friendly. She denied she was spitting tacks when I asked her – she said she didn’t know where that came from. To be honest I think the interpretation of how she felt wasn’t necessarily her interpretation, but perhaps those ‘close to her’, as the phrase goes. And to be fair, we’re getting on fine. Of course we’re not soul mates, but she’s been quite supportive of me. The fact is I think she respects me because I’m competent and work hard.”
And now it seems the scales have fallen from his eyes... or he wants to get re-elected.
Featherstone gets the job:
Paul Waugh @paulwaugh 56s57 seconds ago
Featherstone: "I've always had a very constructive relationship with Theresa May and I look forward to working with her again.”
#INeverStoppedHavingTheMindOfA14YearOldBoy
Baroness Garden appointed Government Whip; Baroness in Waiting; & Government Spokesperson in @UKHouseofLords
http://www.libdems.org.uk/liberal_democrat_ministerial_changes …
* Hat-tip: Hiliary Benn.
Quantitative easing isn't just the name of a race horse,it's the key to the future.
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/bear-scotland-v-fulton/
As I read it claims are only valid if made within 3 months, so back dating not too much of an issue?
Labour have picked a strong candidate to succeed Glenda. There's a big LD vote for them to squeeze, and no UKIP presence to speak of.
I think you can put a line through this one. For Labour to lose Hampstead you'd have to be in real meltdown territory.
Which reminds me of this joke, that you should appreciate.
Very much looking forwards to the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend, apparently it is the smoothest track on the calender although some of the corners are a bit hairy.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lady garden
Definition number 2 requires mind bleach
Actually, it's a great circuit and probably my favourite. It's also very wet, which can mean difficulty as the rubber gets slick, which can lead to thrills and spills.
Anyway, I'm off for a bit.
Strongly suspect Nick Clegg appointed Lib Dem peer Lady Garden a Government whip just for the LOLs.
9160 Lab 6851 UKIP/Wigan independents 6619 Con
The UKIP/Lab split for Dudley North (In LEs) is very similiar to Rother Valley near me and I judge that to be a 4-1 shot for UKIP so I think whilst there may be a smidgen of value in 5-1 UKIP I'm not bowled over.
7439 Lab 8085 UKIP 4925 Con
Derby North - hmm is that something to do with an apparently awful local MP ?
Labour look solid enough there based on local election results to me.
Don't be so hard on yourself
Telegraph News @TelegraphNews 33m33 minutes ago
Angelina Jolie says she is considering a career in politics http://fw.to/Y4gQP2U
I won't. Have you read Taki this week? Info on the origin of the Nighthawks Cafe. See my post 12:02pm.
You keep 'em talking Mike; keep the whatsits away from sensible folk!
I doubt that I could be accepted as a member on a fair-and-diligent jury having watched the Polly-channel.. And I am sure that there are enough ##### Labour-laywers are watching this (and licking each-others-[MODERATED])....
Haldane Chase at Exeter today.
All eyes will be on Cue Card but at 14/1 my money's on Pepite Rose. Unfortunately it's a seven runner race, so no value in the ew, but I've had a small win bet anyway.
It's not hard to find a silly photo of any politician.
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1382143/thumbs/o-NIGEL-FARAGE-570.jpg?1
No presence: Caliph Rahman.
:so-al-beeb:
* Shpellink!
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1382143/thumbs/o-NIGEL-FARAGE-570.jpg?1
True; you pick yours, I'll pick mine.
And the teeniest US State by population, Wyoming, has around 590,000 people, almost exactly the same as Glasgow...
Over 2-quid down, in two days! Yet it is very early to celebrate (except for a Junior "Downfall")...
4.1
* £500 from fund - via an arbitrary - back to said fund is stupid (at extra cost). Junior may have won the bet but I could not....
UKIP Windsor @UKIP_RBWM 1h1 hour ago
‘Third world’ Europe is finished, says Ecclestone http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/leisure/11204574/Third-world-Europe-is-finished-says-Ecclestone.html …
It's all going down the spout!
+100 Con Maj
-245 Lab Maj
Am i doing it right
(Yes that has changed alot since you last saw it)
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/14/met-police-ban-recruits-outside-london
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/met-police-to-hire-recruits-with-minor-convictions-9604807.html
I'm sure this policy won't make corruption worse. We have idiots running this country.
Con 33.5%
Lab 27.9%
LD 17.1%
UKIP ??
ignoring any house bias.
Anywhere else?
The other Southampton seat? Will any Labour London seats flip over the Mansion Tax? Hamptead (Tories would have won it on 1992 boundaries). Derby North?
If Labour are floundering on about 30% they will almost certainly lose some seats. A strong UKIP showing could see them losing Bolton W, Dudley N.
I don't see Labour losing Bolton West judging by Local election results.
9160 Lab 6851 UKIP/Wigan independents 6619 Con
The UKIP/Lab split for Dudley North (In LEs) is very similiar to Rother Valley near me and I judge that to be a 4-1 shot for UKIP so I think whilst there may be a smidgen of value in 5-1 UKIP I'm not bowled over.
7439 Lab 8085 UKIP 4925 Con
Derby North - hmm is that something to do with an apparently awful local MP ?
Labour look solid enough there based on local election results to me.
Not sure predicting General Election results based on past Local results is wise.
In Derby North the Tories are positive, UKIP are gaining popularity in the huge wwc estates.
The MP you are right is a shocker. Wonder what Nick makes of him.
Of the current Betfair prices I'd say LabMaj too low, ConMaj too high, NOM about right.
Sorry about the Haldane tip. Didn't jump well; don't know why.
Simply filing the report somewhere is not good enough. Action is needed. There may be stuff going on behind the scenes but so far nothing appears to be happening.
I'm a professional investigator and one of the things we have to do is to try and join up the dots in order to see what connections there are, what common characteristics there may be and to see if there is a bigger picture. Where you have people sharing a particular characteristic involved in misbehaviour it is sensible to see if there is a connection or if this is no more than coincidence. Turning a blind eye for fear of what looking might reveal is not a sensible approach.
Every Local Authority (LA) I've ever dealt with has a policy to "obtain best possible consideration" for any asset it is trying to sell. However, as with anyone selling a house, if you want a quick sale you may not get the price you want and sometimes an Asset sale in one area frees up capital to invest in another so it's not always straightforward.
That said, to not declare a Conflict of Interest when evaluating the bids seems unusual though I've known it happen often because a Councillor doesn't really understand what the term "Conflict of Interest" means. This seems well beyond that.
There would be clear Standing Orders for the award of Contracts as well. An LA doesn't have to go to the lowest bidder any more - there is or should be a marking system based on a number of criteria to determine the quality of the bid and the viability of the bidder. Under the awful CCT regime of the 80s and early 90s, LAs were forced to sell the service to the lowest bidder who of course couldn't do the work and make any money and so came crawling back to the Council for help.
There should also be a clear audit trail - it's a legal requirement and of course anyone can ask an FOI about the award of a Contract and see the paperwork (albeit with some redaction).
As for the awarding of grants, I'm less clear on that. Nobody normally objects to the award of a grant to a local charity or voluntary organisation but there still needs to be a measure of due diligence.;'
Phew.. at least we are only useless, and not utterly useless
http://politicalbookie.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/snp-odds-tumble-across-scotland/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=sports&utm_campaign=politics&hootPostID=0ef5e8c213fb52409f8df77364054813
"But Mr Miliband does not have a 35 per cent strategy. He has a 35 per cent world view. He is authentically leftwing and was only ever going to seek a leftwing path to power. His effort to cobble together enough like-minded voters to pull off a slight but doctrinally pure victory is better understood as an urge – what Amis calls a “frisson” – than a decision. And it was not his error to follow this path; it was Labour’s error to choose as its leader someone who was always incapable of doing anything else.
That leadership campaign four years ago was a miniature of his supposed plan for May. He spent months reinforcing his party’s certainties on everything from economics to foreign policy. In a stupor of self-congratulation, Labour elected him – just. Critics accused him of “pandering” and admirers credited him with “guile”, but both words, like strategy, imply he did not mean it. He did."
Next challenge for Mr Ganesh: to write something as unflinching about David Cameron.
http://newstonoone.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-snp-battleground-in-november-2014.html
Tomorrow's piece, fortunately, should be less taxing on my remaining grey cells.
new thread
Useless is as useless does
I've not heard how the campaign is going there, but in Nottingham South, which is a Tory target, the Conservative effort has been modest so far, as it has in Broxtowe and Gedling. In much of the East Mids, the Tories simply suffer from a good base of ground troops - you might expect them to pour in from Rushcliffe and Newark, but for whatever reason they don't seem to. So I'm sceptical about Tory gains (or protection against losses) in this half of the Midlands - I don't know anything about the West Mids.