Can't help thinking if this survey had showed Labour or Tory MPs with positive ratings amongst their constituents it would not have been dismissed so readily here. Lib Dem MPs getting much stronger numbers than the other two parties, even allowing for sampling MOEs increasing, seems pretty clear cut to me. As for the weather, husband at home because no trains. Am told trees are on roads etc. But not even enough wind to blow the paper out of the recycling boxes here.
LOL. Actually there is many a true word spoken in jest. What northerners fail to grasp (I am one by birth so can say this) is how bloody important London is, and the sheer scale of the logistical exercise in keeping it running. 10 million population, daytime population far higher. The buses alone carry a cool 3 million people a day - more than the population of the cities of Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester put together.
When the terror attacks happened in Madrid, there were large communal protests in Spain against terrorism. Whereas Londoners carried on as normal.
Tbf the UK government wasn't dishonestly trying to whip up outrage towards a politically convenient bogey man (ETA). On the minus side the UK cops shot an entirely innocent bloke (that might be described as the Met carrying on as normal of course).
Tomorrow we'll all go back to making money to keep them in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed but which they have not yet learned how to earn.
Please don't think its not appreciated AF.
Not only do Londoners sacrifice their quality of life so that mine is better than it othewise would be but they also give everyone a good laugh in so doing.
Now here's something for Londoners to read about - they may have heard about such places or even seen them when outside the M25 but its not likely that they'll ever live in one:
When the terror attacks happened in Madrid, there were large communal protests in Spain against terrorism. Whereas Londoners carried on as normal.
Tbf the UK government wasn't dishonestly trying to whip up outrage towards a politically convenient bogey man (ETA). On the minus side the cops shot an entirely innocent bloke (that might be described as the Met carrying on as normal of course).
Well that was a few weeks later, but I agree with your broader points.
Had the police been honest, and said we messed up, under stressful times, the public would have been understanding, but no, they lied and smeared.
In hindsight, Andrew Mitchell got off very lucky, with his interaction with the police.
When the terror attacks happened in Madrid, there were large communal protests in Spain against terrorism. Whereas Londoners carried on as normal.
Tbf the UK government wasn't dishonestly trying to whip up outrage towards a politically convenient bogey man (ETA). On the minus side the cops shot an entirely innocent bloke (that might be described as the Met carrying on as normal of course).
Well that was a few weeks later, but I agree with your broader points.
Had the police been honest, and said we messed up, under stressful times, the public would have been understanding, but no, they lied and smeared.
In hindsight, Andrew Mitchell got off very lucky, with his interaction with the police.
What? They could have fitted him up as one of the Guildford 4 or a shoplifter or ... I don't see how Mr Mitchell has gotten off lightly for anything. He was a bit rude in general - God preserve us from being fitted up like this if we ever make such an observation.
Stormageddon -- all the racing has been called off, even though it's up north at Leicester and Redcar (and I was pretty sure today's card was the one that would pay off my mortgage).
When the terror attacks happened in Madrid, there were large communal protests in Spain against terrorism. Whereas Londoners carried on as normal.
Tbf the UK government wasn't dishonestly trying to whip up outrage towards a politically convenient bogey man (ETA). On the minus side the cops shot an entirely innocent bloke (that might be described as the Met carrying on as normal of course).
Well that was a few weeks later, but I agree with your broader points.
Had the police been honest, and said we messed up, under stressful times, the public would have been understanding, but no, they lied and smeared.
In hindsight, Andrew Mitchell got off very lucky, with his interaction with the police.
What? They could have fitted him up as one of the Guildford 4 or a shoplifter or ... I don't see how Mr Mitchell has gotten off lightly for anything. He was a bit rude in general - God preserve us from being fitted up like this if we ever make such an observation.
Can't help thinking if this survey had showed Labour or Tory MPs with positive ratings amongst their constituents it would not have been dismissed so readily here.
Can't help thinking if this survey had showed Labour or Tory MPs with positive ratings it would be a thread.
Glad to hear you were uneffected by the storm in a tea cup MrsB.
Help! Stormageddon is finally here. It's a bit windy, I would say about 25/30 miles per hour. A real damp squib after all the hype and hullaballoo. Taken my tin hat off and thrown the, by now mouldy sandwiches, in the bin. What a let-down.
bus blown over between Ipswich and Sudbury and no trains from Essex until at least noon.
Was very windy about 7am but all quiet now.
Spoke with 2 of my team, both have lost fences and one has quite a few roof tiles in garden from somewhere and his neighbor has lost a garden wall.
Morning all. It was a bit windy here in deepest Sussex, and I had to make a small detour to avoid a fallen tree on my way to work, but it's nothing remotely like 1987.
On topic: With the possible exception of the score for the LibDem incumbents, are we sure this is isn't simply a proxy question for the degree of general grumpiness, rather than anything to do with the local MP? In other words, is the lower score for Conservative MPs just caused by grumpy Kippers?
After all, very few people have the faintest clue who their MP is, let alone know enough to form any view on whether he or she is doing a good job.
Now here's something for Londoners to read about - they may have heard about such places or even seen them when outside the M25 but its not likely that they'll ever live in one:
- my rent was £790/month, and it's actually nicer and more secluded than the advert suggests. I now live in a one-bedroom flat above a shop in Holloway and pay £1200/month, though it now strikes me that I didn't actually need a detached house. Main advantage was that I got to watch foxes playing outside the window.
Anyway, I can now go and see Mamma Mia any evening I like. Think positive!
So lets get this straight, the new evidence in the McCann case that has been "unearthed" is actually five year old evidence that was being suppressed and subject to legal threats.
Stormageddon -- all the racing has been called off, even though it's up north at Leicester and Redcar (and I was pretty sure today's card was the one that would pay off my mortgage).
Galway and Naas in Ireland still on.
Funnily enough, I've backed a couple at Naas today:
2.15 King Shabra 16/1 3.45 Alpha & Omega 5/1
Both horses clocked fast times on their previous start and look overpriced.
"Labour’s new shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt revealed he may send his own children to private school.
The MP for Stoke on Trent currently sends his five-year-old son Digby to a London primary but refused to rule out moving him to an independent school in future."
Stormageddon -- all the racing has been called off, even though it's up north at Leicester and Redcar (and I was pretty sure today's card was the one that would pay off my mortgage).
Galway and Naas in Ireland still on.
Funnily enough, I've backed a couple at Naas today:
2.15 King Shabra 16/1 3.45 Alpha & Omega 5/1
Both horses clocked fast times on their previous start and look overpriced.
Followed you in at those prices 0.5 pt Win on King Shabra, 0.5 pt E/W on Alpha Omega ^^;
Morning all. It was a bit windy here in deepest Sussex, and I had to make a small detour to avoid a fallen tree on my way to work, but it's nothing remotely like 1987.
It's not been as windy as 1987, but it's still a major storm.
One reason why a 1987-level storm would have less impact today is that councils have learnt to chop down trees that are dying before they are blown down by a big storm.
On the topic of satisfaction with MPs, I guess it's quite difficult to quantify exactly how your MP can actually please you. Does it mean that they have taken your cause on and intervened in something? Does it mean you're happy with the way they vote, interact with the local community, or appear in local papers or on local TV? Most people have bugger all interaction with their MP, so the question is quite difficult to answer.
Many of the respondents to this thread are under estimating the number of constituents who approach their MP with a personal problem during a 5 year parliament . It may well be true that many of the problems are more suitable for a councillor to solve and indeed all the MP may well do is point the constituent in that direction . Where an MP holds regular surgeries where constituents can drop in without an appointment he may well see 2,000 constituents over a 5 year parliament a not insignificant number . My experience is that Lib Dem MP's are more assiduous in holding surgeries than Labour MP's and they more assiduous than Conservative . I consulted Des Turner Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown circa 1999 and it was his response and help which gained him the votes of myself and my wife in the 2001 GE , the first and only time I have ever voted Labour .
Many of the respondents to this thread are under estimating the number of constituents who approach their MP with a personal problem during a 5 year parliament . It may well be true that many of the problems are more suitable for a councillor to solve and indeed all the MP may well do is point the constituent in that direction . Where an MP holds regular surgeries where constituents can drop in without an appointment he may well see 2,000 constituents over a 5 year parliament a not insignificant number . My experience is that Lib Dem MP's are more assiduous in holding surgeries than Labour MP's and they more assiduous than Conservative . I consulted Des Turner Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown circa 1999 and it was his response and help which gained him the votes of myself and my wife in the 2001 GE , the first and only time I have ever voted Labour .
If the Conservative MPs constituencies are more affluent, and the problems they are sent come more from middle-class people, then they may well deal with 99% of the communications and requests for help they deal with by email. Hence fewer surgeries and more fete openings.
A 'Green' LD MP, as A True Believer would not, of course, use electricity (unless generated by used f@rts or whatever 'renewable' is today's flavour-of-the-month).
Hamster wheels are deemed adequate by Labour MPs (see NPXMP for details of the cruelty aspects of this and UNITE for details of working hours and pay rates)
Conservative MPs simply throw babies into the power station to reduce CO2 (obviously)
That's been posted already. Hunt thinks the best teachers move up into school management - on that alone, the man's an idiot or worse. So I doubt where he sends his kids to school will make a difference. Besides, that kind of hypocrisy is only what voters expect.
LOL. Actually there is many a true word spoken in jest. What northerners fail to grasp (I am one by birth so can say this) is how bloody important London is, and the sheer scale of the logistical exercise in keeping it running. 10 million population, daytime population far higher. The buses alone carry a cool 3 million people a day - more than the population of the cities of Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester put together.
Bob, not wishing to be unpleasant , but we just see London as a big dump and Londoners as a bunch of molly coddled whingers that have no idea of reality. Whilst we are on gruel , you guys are living high on the hog and get all the good movies and theatre shows first. When was last time you wore a flat cap and went out coursing with a whippet.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
Sorry, coming late to the thread, so this point may have been made.
Doesn't this analysis perhaps overstate the individual importance of the LD MP by conflating it with the NOTA voter?
i.e. someone who said in 2010 'they're all the same, don't want to vote Tory or Labour, so I'll vote Lib Dem'. When asked that voter could well say they're happy with their MP because they are not Tory or Labour. But this could change in 2015.
* I'm assuming the analysis was on 2010 voters - not clear from chart
Stormageddon -- all the racing has been called off, even though it's up north at Leicester and Redcar (and I was pretty sure today's card was the one that would pay off my mortgage).
Galway and Naas in Ireland still on.
Funnily enough, I've backed a couple at Naas today:
2.15 King Shabra 16/1 3.45 Alpha & Omega 5/1
Both horses clocked fast times on their previous start and look overpriced.
Followed you in at those prices 0.5 pt Win on King Shabra, 0.5 pt E/W on Alpha Omega ^^;
One of the biggest problems us National Hunt followers face, Pulpstar, is assessing the form of Irish raiders coming over here for the big Festivals.
I've started collating speed records from Ireland in the hope that I can identify one or two dark horses before they win a big handicap in the UK, after which they become very much less dark. On Saturday, I backed Billybuster at Wexford on the evidence of its speed ratings. It was only 2/1 and didn't win by much, but I suspect the heavy going blunted its speed. Put it in your notebook.
I'm far from sure today's suggestions will be primed to run big races, and I have therefore staked lightly, but on the evidence of the clock I can assure you both animals are capable of running fast. Again, put them in your notebook, whatever the outcome.
Many of the respondents to this thread are under estimating the number of constituents who approach their MP with a personal problem during a 5 year parliament . It may well be true that many of the problems are more suitable for a councillor to solve and indeed all the MP may well do is point the constituent in that direction . Where an MP holds regular surgeries where constituents can drop in without an appointment he may well see 2,000 constituents over a 5 year parliament a not insignificant number . My experience is that Lib Dem MP's are more assiduous in holding surgeries than Labour MP's and they more assiduous than Conservative . I consulted Des Turner Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown circa 1999 and it was his response and help which gained him the votes of myself and my wife in the 2001 GE , the first and only time I have ever voted Labour .
If the Conservative MPs constituencies are more affluent, and the problems they are sent come more from middle-class people, then they may well deal with 99% of the communications and requests for help they deal with by email. Hence fewer surgeries and more fete openings.
A 'Green' LD MP, as A True Believer would not, of course, use electricity (unless generated by used f@rts or whatever 'renewable' is today's flavour-of-the-month).
Hamster wheels are deemed adequate by Labour MPs (see NPXMP for details of the cruelty aspects of this and UNITE for details of working hours and pay rates)
Conservative MPs simply throw babies into the power station to reduce CO2 (obviously)
Forgive me if I don't fully understand the point you are trying to make . It is not just the relatively small number of constituents that an MP may meet or help but also the neighbours , friends and family that they will tell that they were helped by MP X . The net result of it all is an increased incumbency vote for an assiduous MP and the figures given in the thread header .
"Due to lack of funds LibDemBlogs is currently suspended. A total of £5 is due before the end of the day, after which our hosts will close down the site completely." http://www.libdemblogs.co.uk/
After having slept through a 130mph hurricane some years ago, I did wonder what all the panic was about yesterday. Sad about the 2 deaths, but we have had windy days for many years.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
How many people die from drowning or getting squashed by a tree at this time of year generally? I doubt two is out of the ordinary. It's very sad for those involved but hardly Pompeii.
Help! Stormageddon is finally here. It's a bit windy, I would say about 25/30 miles per hour. A real damp squib after all the hype and hullaballoo. Taken my tin hat off and thrown the, by now mouldy sandwiches, in the bin. What a let-down.
bus blown over between Ipswich and Sudbury and no trains from Essex until at least noon.
Was very windy about 7am but all quiet now.
Spoke with 2 of my team, both have lost fences and one has quite a few roof tiles in garden from somewhere and his neighbor has lost a garden wall.
Allegedly loads of trees down along A127 too.
Trees down here in the frozen north , our forecast was a nice day , and it was a normal autumn day with howling gales and lashing rain. Good insurance scam on 20 year old fences under cover of stormageddon
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
Labour could fund reintroduction of EMA by removing Winter Fuel Payments from wealthy pensioners, says Tristram Hunt http://bit.ly/1cmb6sc
Very wise. Get the kids hooked on welfare dependency as early as possible in order to lock in those Labour voters of the future.
Richard, I strongly support the Labour party's plans to take away money/benefits from the demographic that has the highest turnout, and give that money to the demographic that can't vote in general elections.
Forgive me if I don't fully understand the point you are trying to make . It is not just the relatively small number of constituents that an MP may meet or help but also the neighbours , friends and family that they will tell that they were helped by MP X . The net result of it all is an increased incumbency vote for an assiduous MP and the figures given in the thread header .
I take your point, Mark.
The (serious) point I was making is that different constituencies will have different local issues which may well be raised with the local MP in different ways - some (Labour, urban) will mainly use walk-in surgeries but others (Highlands and Islands) will use email much much more since it might take an hour or more to get to wherever the surgery is being held (rarely, much, much longer).
Your point that X will tell his family & mates the result of any (bad?) experiences they've had with their MPs response is well made.
I'd also suggest that an MP with a massive majority and/or Ministerial/Government/Committee/Opposition activities to occupy their time outside strictly constituency matters may well both feel less need AND have less time to spend in 1-2-1 meetings in their constituency.
Thus, LD MPs have fewer outside calls on their time (less likely to be Directors, need to meet Union bosses, be called upon by journos); in any case, surely it's the quality of the MPs office staff which matters - I'm sure many (indeed, most) problems are answered or directed elsewhere by office staff rather than Himself - whatever the signature may imply.
I see Mr Ratcliffe is twisting the knife on workers who supported Unite. WORKERS at Grangemouth who did not initially sign up to a controversial survival plan for the plant will receive a smaller pension than those who voted to accept it, it emerged yesterday. The 665 workers who did not sign the survival plan agreement will be sacked and rehired as new employees, getting only the reduced pension. Those who did sign the contract will get a “sweetener” of between £2,500 and £15,000
Labour could fund reintroduction of EMA by removing Winter Fuel Payments from wealthy pensioners, says Tristram Hunt http://bit.ly/1cmb6sc
Just redistributing one bit of welfare from one group to another, neither of which needs it in my book. Better to scrap both EMA and these winter fuel payments to (40p marginal rate?) pensioners. Will this lead to a 70%+ marginal tax rate for some pensioners - I am sure Tim will be on Labour's case if it does...
Economically neutral, politically probably a bit of a loser. I'd have neither of 'em.
I see Mr Ratcliffe is twisting the knife on workers who supported Unite. WORKERS at Grangemouth who did not initially sign up to a controversial survival plan for the plant will receive a smaller pension than those who voted to accept it, it emerged yesterday. The 665 workers who did not sign the survival plan agreement will be sacked and rehired as new employees, getting only the reduced pension. Those who did sign the contract will get a “sweetener” of between £2,500 and £15,000
Even disregarding that, EMA is ****ing insane. 90%+ of the kids who got it would've gone to school anyway, minimising effectiveness.
It's not a lot of money per head and kids staying in school produces a whole lifetime of positive externalities, so you don't need a high proportion of wins to make the thing pay for itself in the long run.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
But that's the media. The fact the media over-reacted (*) to the storm does not really excuse our collective over-reaction to their over-reaction. It was a significant event, whatever some of our northern hardy brethren might think.
@Malc: I've got a live, thanks. I don't need another one; this one's full enough.
(*) According to Network Rail, damage was much worse than expected.
I thought Labour policy was to require schoolchildren to stay in full time education to 18 anyway. In which case, paying them to do something they have to do would be throwing money away.
Regarding the graph at top of the article could the fact of the date when elected play a part? Of the 57 LD MPs, 11 (10%) were elected in 2010 or 2013. For the Conservatives, I understand that the figure is closer to 50% of current MPs that were first elected in 2010. The longer MPs are in place, the better chance they have of being known and supported.
I thought Labour policy was to require schoolchildren to stay in full time education to 18 anyway. In which case, paying them to do something they have to do would be throwing money away.
School leaving age changes to 17 from this year and to 18 in 2015.
I thought Labour policy was to require schoolchildren to stay in full time education to 18 anyway. In which case, paying them to do something they have to do would be throwing money away.
I'd imagine it'll be part of replacing child benefit for over 16's as and when Osbornes idiotic 66% marginal rates policy is sorted out
The general public love it as a policy. They're quite right too.
Many of the respondents to this thread are under estimating the number of constituents who approach their MP with a personal problem during a 5 year parliament . It may well be true that many of the problems are more suitable for a councillor to solve and indeed all the MP may well do is point the constituent in that direction . Where an MP holds regular surgeries where constituents can drop in without an appointment he may well see 2,000 constituents over a 5 year parliament a not insignificant number . My experience is that Lib Dem MP's are more assiduous in holding surgeries than Labour MP's and they more assiduous than Conservative . I consulted Des Turner Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown circa 1999 and it was his response and help which gained him the votes of myself and my wife in the 2001 GE , the first and only time I have ever voted Labour .
I had dealings with my Lib Dem MP and he really did get stuck in.
Looking at it dispassionately there might have been more noise than substance but it has to be said that his intervention broke the log jam and led to a resolution in our favour.
I would also say he clearly understood the issue and rolled his sleeves up and went out to bat for us.
That's 2 votes nailed on for 2015 that he otherwise might not have had - plus much positive comment from us to family, friends and work colleagues.
On the other hand my last MP (Conservative) was very disappointing and left us with a negative impression of him and his efforts.
Even disregarding that, EMA is ****ing insane. 90%+ of the kids who got it would've gone to school anyway, minimising effectiveness.
It's not a lot of money per head and kids staying in school produces a whole lifetime of positive externalities, so you don't need a high proportion of wins to make the thing pay for itself in the long run.
I see Mr Ratcliffe is twisting the knife on workers who supported Unite. WORKERS at Grangemouth who did not initially sign up to a controversial survival plan for the plant will receive a smaller pension than those who voted to accept it, it emerged yesterday. The 665 workers who did not sign the survival plan agreement will be sacked and rehired as new employees, getting only the reduced pension. Those who did sign the contract will get a “sweetener” of between £2,500 and £15,000
I totally agree with it , they were stupid enough to follow unite like sheep. It was pretty obvious he was not bluffing. Next thing for sure is that the convenor who was the cause of it all ( doing Labour odd deals in work time with work computer ) will be sacked for gross misconduct in the next few days. Who knows police may even do something about Falkirk this time and Lamont will need to come out of the bunker.
On the topic of satisfaction with MPs, I guess it's quite difficult to quantify exactly how your MP can actually please you. Does it mean that they have taken your cause on and intervened in something? Does it mean you're happy with the way they vote, interact with the local community, or appear in local papers or on local TV? Most people have bugger all interaction with their MP, so the question is quite difficult to answer.
I'm not sure this is true. I normally had 100 letters and emails per day - over 30,000 a year. Lots of them weren't from constituents and lots were the same person writing more than once over the year, but overall I estimate that I was contacted at some point by a quarter to a third of all constituents (not counting canvassing etc.). Where they had problems, I found I could do something helpful about half the time - give useful advice, sort out a muddle with pensions, etc. - and in the other half I could at least offer a sympathetic ear.
10% of all constituents still subscribe to my email updates, three years after I stopped being their MP - though no doubt some don't actually read them and/or can't be bothered to unsubscribe. People who never contact their MPs imagine that this is the norm, but I'm not sure it is, especially where MPs proactively promote their contact details.
Mark Senior sums it up pretty well. If your main contact with politics is someone who keeps you informed and responds sympathetically if you have an issue, you're more likely to support them than some newcomer. IMO this is becoming more true as party allegiance weakens - I rarely meet people who say they absolutely could not imagine voting for a different party to their usual one. But not all MPs like doing this sort of thing, and some get visibly peeved by constituents "pestering" them. Like Mark I think this is rarest with LibDems and most common with Tories, and the survey reflects that.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
But that's the media. The fact the media over-reacted (*) to the storm does not really excuse our collective over-reaction to their over-reaction. It was a significant event, whatever some of our northern hardy brethren might think.
@Malc: I've got a live, thanks. I don't need another one; this one's full enough.
(*) According to Network Rail, damage was much worse than expected.
They get some leaves on the track, couple of guys sent out with a brush and dustpan to get them sorted out.
Quite right. Why some feel that a 25/50 year hoolie is not newsworthy is beyond me. Maybe if it had blown down the architectural delights of Leicester they would feel differently.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
But that's the media. The fact the media over-reacted (*) to the storm does not really excuse our collective over-reaction to their over-reaction. It was a significant event, whatever some of our northern hardy brethren might think.
@Malc: I've got a live, thanks. I don't need another one; this one's full enough.
(*) According to Network Rail, damage was much worse than expected.
They get some leaves on the track, couple of guys sent out with a brush and dustpan to get them sorted out.
I know you're a Scotsman, but I think your education system should teach you the difference between leaves and entire trees ...
I see Mr Ratcliffe is twisting the knife on workers who supported Unite. WORKERS at Grangemouth who did not initially sign up to a controversial survival plan for the plant will receive a smaller pension than those who voted to accept it, it emerged yesterday. The 665 workers who did not sign the survival plan agreement will be sacked and rehired as new employees, getting only the reduced pension. Those who did sign the contract will get a “sweetener” of between £2,500 and £15,000
Lamont has asked Miliband to re-open the enquiry. - its Ed thats in the bunker:
"Ed Miliband is under pressure to re-open his investigation into alleged vote-rigging after a cache of emails appeared to implicate Unite in thwarting the original inquiry.
Around 1,000 emails handed over to police allegedly show union bosses conspiring to subvert the Labour Party investigation into the selection of its parliamentary candidate in Falkirk.
Last night there were renewed calls – including one from Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont – to re-open the inquiry."
I thought Labour policy was to require schoolchildren to stay in full time education to 18 anyway. In which case, paying them to do something they have to do would be throwing money away.
It seems throwing money away is hard wired into their DNA.
On the topic of satisfaction with MPs, I guess it's quite difficult to quantify exactly how your MP can actually please you. Does it mean that they have taken your cause on and intervened in something? Does it mean you're happy with the way they vote, interact with the local community, or appear in local papers or on local TV? Most people have bugger all interaction with their MP, so the question is quite difficult to answer.
I'm not sure this is true. I normally had 100 letters and emails per day - over 30,000 a year. Lots of them weren't from constituents and lots were the same person writing more than once over the year, but overall I estimate that I was contacted at some point by a quarter to a third of all constituents (not counting canvassing etc.). Where they had problems, I found I could do something helpful about half the time - give useful advice, sort out a muddle with pensions, etc. - and in the other half I could at least offer a sympathetic ear.
10% of all constituents still subscribe to my email updates, three years after I stopped being their MP - though no doubt some don't actually read them and/or can't be bothered to unsubscribe. People who never contact their MPs imagine that this is the norm, but I'm not sure it is, especially where MPs proactively promote their contact details.
Mark Senior sums it up pretty well. If your main contact with politics is someone who keeps you informed and responds sympathetically if you have an issue, you're more likely to support them than some newcomer. IMO this is becoming more true as party allegiance weakens - I rarely meet people who say they absolutely could not imagine voting for a different party to their usual one. But not all MPs like doing this sort of thing, and some get visibly peeved by constituents "pestering" them. Like Mark I think this is rarest with LibDems and most common with Tories, and the survey reflects that.
I bow to your superior knowledge, Nick. It's just that not many of my family, friends or colleagues seem to have much to do with our MPs (aside from the whole station writing to our local MP, asking them to lobby the PM on our behalf over pensions!)
I have a neighbour who bombards our MP and government ministers with questions about Bilderbergers and HAARP weapons. How do you cope with that?
Quite right. Why some feel that a 25/50 year hoolie is not newsworthy is beyond me. Maybe if it had blown down the architectural delights of Leicester they would feel differently.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
But that's the media. The fact the media over-reacted (*) to the storm does not really excuse our collective over-reaction to their over-reaction. It was a significant event, whatever some of our northern hardy brethren might think.
@Malc: I've got a live, thanks. I don't need another one; this one's full enough.
(*) According to Network Rail, damage was much worse than expected.
They get some leaves on the track, couple of guys sent out with a brush and dustpan to get them sorted out.
I know you're a Scotsman, but I think your education system should teach you the difference between leaves and entire trees ...
Josias, They will be exaggerating to help their punctuality statistics , likely to be a few twigs or a small bush. We will see it on SKY and BBC nauseum for sure.
On the topic of satisfaction with MPs, I guess it's quite difficult to quantify exactly how your MP can actually please you. Does it mean that they have taken your cause on and intervened in something? Does it mean you're happy with the way they vote, interact with the local community, or appear in local papers or on local TV? Most people have bugger all interaction with their MP, so the question is quite difficult to answer.
I bow to your superior knowledge, Nick. It's just that not many of my family, friends or colleagues seem to have much to do with our MPs (aside from the whole station writing to our local MP, asking them to lobby the PM on our behalf over pensions!)
I have a neighbour who bombards our MP and government ministers with questions about Bilderbergers and HAARP weapons. How do you cope with that?
Most people will not even know the name of their local MP
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
Exactly, You need to get a life Josias
Yes, exactly - as lots of people on here have pointed out, not nearly enough Southerners have died in horribly gruesome ways and not nearly enough of the Southerners' posh homes and property have been damaged in unusual and interesting ways to excite the attention of the real, hard-working families from the North (ie up from Watford Gap)
Quite right. Why some feel that a 25/50 year hoolie is not newsworthy is beyond me. Maybe if it had blown down the architectural delights of Leicester they would feel differently.
It looks as though the winds in the January 2012 storm were slightly stronger in Scotland, but I don't know when the last storm across southern England was this strong.
There are a couple of hundred thousand homes that have lost electricity now. It should be possible to strike the right balance of "this is a major event that is being dealt with" between "OMG apocalypse!" and "I think I may have seen a branch sway - what is everyone moaning about?".
It does look like Denmark, northern Germany and perhaps the Netherlands are going to take the worst of this storm, though. It's unlikely to be as bad as the Lower Saxony storm of 1972.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
But that's the media. The fact the media over-reacted (*) to the storm does not really excuse our collective over-reaction to their over-reaction. It was a significant event, whatever some of our northern hardy brethren might think.
@Malc: I've got a live, thanks. I don't need another one; this one's full enough.
(*) According to Network Rail, damage was much worse than expected.
They get some leaves on the track, couple of guys sent out with a brush and dustpan to get them sorted out.
I know you're a Scotsman, but I think your education system should teach you the difference between leaves and entire trees ...
Josias, They will be exaggerating to help their punctuality statistics , likely to be a few twigs or a small bush. We will see it on SKY and BBC nauseum for sure.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
Exactly, You need to get a life Josias
Yes, exactly - as lots of people on here have pointed out, not nearly enough Southerners have died in horribly gruesome ways and not nearly enough of the Southerners' posh homes and property have been damaged in unusual and interesting ways to excite the attention of the real, hard-working families from the North (ie up from Watford Gap)
Morning all. It was a bit windy here in deepest Sussex, and I had to make a small detour to avoid a fallen tree on my way to work, but it's nothing remotely like 1987.
It's not been as windy as 1987, but it's still a major storm.
One reason why a 1987-level storm would have less impact today is that councils have learnt to chop down trees that are dying before they are blown down by a big storm.
Although these things are always local.
1987 barely touched us, just took down a couple of elderly trees in the garden and thinned out Bluebell Wood a little. 1990 (?) flattened the entire of Snowdrop Wood despite the fact that overall it was a less dramatic storm.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
Exactly, You need to get a life Josias
Yes, exactly - as lots of people on here have pointed out, not nearly enough Southerners have died in horribly gruesome ways and not nearly enough of the Southerners' posh homes and property have been damaged in unusual and interesting ways to excite the attention of the real, hard-working families from the North (ie up from Watford Gap)
Finally someone that sees reality , even if it is only in their own twisted narrow humourless bigoted mind.
It doesn't convince me, but it's at least based on some form of logic.
Nailed on:
Peter Kellner:
"All the Government needs to do is ensure that steady growth is maintained and spreads to all parts of Britain and feeds through to rising living standards; and ministers must avert any more nasty shocks like the rise in energy prices and persuade voters that the Conservatives are on the side of normal people, not just the rich and safeguard the quality of the key public services such as schools and hospitals and translate steady growth not only into more jobs but enough decently-paid full-time jobs and make the Help to Buy scheme work for young couples trying to get on the housing ladder without inflating a house price bubble.
Two people killed so far in the storms. Perhaps some of the critics lower in the thread ought to reconsider their position?
Not really. Any death, whether caused by a storm, or a car crash or any of the multitude of ways that people suffer and die every day is a tradgedy, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It's the over reaction to the storm that is generating the banter. Sky News last night, running a trailer with grey stormy seas, promoting "Coverage of The Storm, throughout the night, and Live from 6am" has left them scratting around interviewing a bloke who's patio roof DIDN'T blow off.
But that's the media. The fact the media over-reacted (*) to the storm does not really excuse our collective over-reaction to their over-reaction. It was a significant event, whatever some of our northern hardy brethren might think.
@Malc: I've got a live, thanks. I don't need another one; this one's full enough.
(*) According to Network Rail, damage was much worse than expected.
They get some leaves on the track, couple of guys sent out with a brush and dustpan to get them sorted out.
I know you're a Scotsman, but I think your education system should teach you the difference between leaves and entire trees ...
Josias, They will be exaggerating to help their punctuality statistics , likely to be a few twigs or a small bush. We will see it on SKY and BBC nauseum for sure.
Comments
As for the weather, husband at home because no trains. Am told trees are on roads etc. But not even enough wind to blow the paper out of the recycling boxes here.
LOL. Actually there is many a true word spoken in jest. What northerners fail to grasp (I am one by birth so can say this) is how bloody important London is, and the sheer scale of the logistical exercise in keeping it running. 10 million population, daytime population far higher. The buses alone carry a cool 3 million people a day - more than the population of the cities of Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester put together.
We had some minor flooding along the East coast in 1953, but obviously nothing compared to the Armageddon happening in Bobajob's garden today. .
I was in Bedfordshire in 1987 and thought Michael Fish struck the right tone. We don't have proper weather disasters really.
Had the police been honest, and said we messed up, under stressful times, the public would have been understanding, but no, they lied and smeared.
In hindsight, Andrew Mitchell got off very lucky, with his interaction with the police.
I know TFS will just rejoice at that news.
Thanks for being a Londoner, Bob. xxxx
TSEofPB @TSEofPB now
Some of the damage caused by the storm in the South 1/2
pic.twitter.com/ThJFh2P62P
and
TSEofPB @TSEofPB now
Some of the damage caused by the storm in the South 2/2
pic.twitter.com/6i7rxvUetZ
Glad to hear you were uneffected by the storm in a tea cup MrsB.
Was very windy about 7am but all quiet now.
Spoke with 2 of my team, both have lost fences and one has quite a few roof tiles in garden from somewhere and his neighbor has lost a garden wall.
Allegedly loads of trees down along A127 too.
Falling tree kills 17 y o in Kent allegedly, but they were in a mobile home.
On topic: With the possible exception of the score for the LibDem incumbents, are we sure this is isn't simply a proxy question for the degree of general grumpiness, rather than anything to do with the local MP? In other words, is the lower score for Conservative MPs just caused by grumpy Kippers?
After all, very few people have the faintest clue who their MP is, let alone know enough to form any view on whether he or she is doing a good job.
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/chances-of-surviving-today-virtually-zero-2013102880650
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28239873.html
- my rent was £790/month, and it's actually nicer and more secluded than the advert suggests. I now live in a one-bedroom flat above a shop in Holloway and pay £1200/month, though it now strikes me that I didn't actually need a detached house. Main advantage was that I got to watch foxes playing outside the window.
Anyway, I can now go and see Mamma Mia any evening I like. Think positive!
Funnily enough, I've backed a couple at Naas today:
2.15 King Shabra 16/1
3.45 Alpha & Omega 5/1
Both horses clocked fast times on their previous start and look overpriced.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10408383/Labours-new-education-spokesman-would-consider-private-school.html
"Labour’s new shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt revealed he may send his own children to private school.
The MP for Stoke on Trent currently sends his five-year-old son Digby to a London primary but refused to rule out moving him to an independent school in future."
http://www.scotsman.com/webimage/1.3160903.1382918622!/image/937248900.jpg_gen/derivatives/articleImgDeriv_628px/937248900.jpg
0.5 pt Win on King Shabra, 0.5 pt E/W on Alpha Omega ^^;
One reason why a 1987-level storm would have less impact today is that councils have learnt to chop down trees that are dying before they are blown down by a big storm.
Most people have bugger all interaction with their MP, so the question is quite difficult to answer.
Where an MP holds regular surgeries where constituents can drop in without an appointment he may well see 2,000 constituents over a 5 year parliament a not insignificant number . My experience is that Lib Dem MP's are more assiduous in holding surgeries than Labour MP's and they more assiduous than Conservative .
I consulted Des Turner Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown circa 1999 and it was his response and help which gained him the votes of myself and my wife in the 2001 GE , the first and only time I have ever voted Labour .
It's far worse than that. Here is an actual picture of my wife, taken an hour ago. We've had to book an emergency appt at the hairdressers.
http://www.fotolia.com/id/17025268
A 'Green' LD MP, as A True Believer would not, of course, use electricity (unless generated by used f@rts or whatever 'renewable' is today's flavour-of-the-month).
Hamster wheels are deemed adequate by Labour MPs (see NPXMP for details of the cruelty aspects of this and UNITE for details of working hours and pay rates)
Conservative MPs simply throw babies into the power station to reduce CO2 (obviously)
Is the general consensus that civilisation as we know it has survived?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BXmRhVXIEAAbiJy.jpg:large
Whilst we are on gruel , you guys are living high on the hog and get all the good movies and theatre shows first. When was last time you wore a flat cap and went out coursing with a whippet.
Doesn't this analysis perhaps overstate the individual importance of the LD MP by conflating it with the NOTA voter?
i.e. someone who said in 2010 'they're all the same, don't want to vote Tory or Labour, so I'll vote Lib Dem'. When asked that voter could well say they're happy with their MP because they are not Tory or Labour. But this could change in 2015.
* I'm assuming the analysis was on 2010 voters - not clear from chart
I've started collating speed records from Ireland in the hope that I can identify one or two dark horses before they win a big handicap in the UK, after which they become very much less dark. On Saturday, I backed Billybuster at Wexford on the evidence of its speed ratings. It was only 2/1 and didn't win by much, but I suspect the heavy going blunted its speed. Put it in your notebook.
I'm far from sure today's suggestions will be primed to run big races, and I have therefore staked lightly, but on the evidence of the clock I can assure you both animals are capable of running fast. Again, put them in your notebook, whatever the outcome.
Good luck to us both.
"Due to lack of funds LibDemBlogs is currently suspended.
A total of £5 is due before the end of the day, after which our hosts will close down the site completely."
http://www.libdemblogs.co.uk/
George Eaton @georgeeaton 1m
Labour could fund reintroduction of EMA by removing Winter Fuel Payments from wealthy pensioners, says Tristram Hunt http://bit.ly/1cmb6sc
Even disregarding that, EMA is ****ing insane. 90%+ of the kids who got it would've gone to school anyway, minimising effectiveness.
In addition, it's madness to pay kids to turn up to school and then charge them to go to university.
The (serious) point I was making is that different constituencies will have different local issues which may well be raised with the local MP in different ways - some (Labour, urban) will mainly use walk-in surgeries but others (Highlands and Islands) will use email much much more since it might take an hour or more to get to wherever the surgery is being held (rarely, much, much longer).
Your point that X will tell his family & mates the result of any (bad?) experiences they've had with their MPs response is well made.
I'd also suggest that an MP with a massive majority and/or Ministerial/Government/Committee/Opposition activities to occupy their time outside strictly constituency matters may well both feel less need AND have less time to spend in 1-2-1 meetings in their constituency.
Thus, LD MPs have fewer outside calls on their time (less likely to be Directors, need to meet Union bosses, be called upon by journos); in any case, surely it's the quality of the MPs office staff which matters - I'm sure many (indeed, most) problems are answered or directed elsewhere by office staff rather than Himself - whatever the signature may imply.
If they spend it as often as they have the bankers bonus tax their will be free everything for everyone forever..
WORKERS at Grangemouth who did not initially sign up to a controversial survival plan for the plant will receive a smaller pension than those who voted to accept it, it emerged yesterday.
The 665 workers who did not sign the survival plan agreement will be sacked and rehired as new employees, getting only the reduced pension. Those who did sign the contract will get a “sweetener” of between £2,500 and £15,000
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/grangemouth-pension-boost-for-staff-who-signed-up-to-deal-1-3160695
Economically neutral, politically probably a bit of a loser. I'd have neither of 'em.
A stupidity tax for those that voted against.
@Malc: I've got a live, thanks. I don't need another one; this one's full enough.
(*) According to Network Rail, damage was much worse than expected.
School leaving age changes to 17 from this year and to 18 in 2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/education_after_16/
You sound surprised at the thought of Labour throwing money away...
Looking at it dispassionately there might have been more noise than substance but it has to be said that his intervention broke the log jam and led to a resolution in our favour.
I would also say he clearly understood the issue and rolled his sleeves up and went out to bat for us.
That's 2 votes nailed on for 2015 that he otherwise might not have had - plus much positive comment from us to family, friends and work colleagues.
On the other hand my last MP (Conservative) was very disappointing and left us with a negative impression of him and his efforts.
Who knows police may even do something about Falkirk this time and Lamont will need to come out of the bunker.
10% of all constituents still subscribe to my email updates, three years after I stopped being their MP - though no doubt some don't actually read them and/or can't be bothered to unsubscribe. People who never contact their MPs imagine that this is the norm, but I'm not sure it is, especially where MPs proactively promote their contact details.
Mark Senior sums it up pretty well. If your main contact with politics is someone who keeps you informed and responds sympathetically if you have an issue, you're more likely to support them than some newcomer. IMO this is becoming more true as party allegiance weakens - I rarely meet people who say they absolutely could not imagine voting for a different party to their usual one. But not all MPs like doing this sort of thing, and some get visibly peeved by constituents "pestering" them. Like Mark I think this is rarest with LibDems and most common with Tories, and the survey reflects that.
Quite right. Why some feel that a 25/50 year hoolie is not newsworthy is beyond me. Maybe if it had blown down the architectural delights of Leicester they would feel differently.
@TSE
A shame. I shall have to imagine your response
And for everything else there's mastercard
"Ed Miliband is under pressure to re-open his investigation into alleged vote-rigging after a cache of emails appeared to implicate Unite in thwarting the original inquiry.
Around 1,000 emails handed over to police allegedly show union bosses conspiring to subvert the Labour Party investigation into the selection of its parliamentary candidate in Falkirk.
Last night there were renewed calls – including one from Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont – to re-open the inquiry."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2478113/Miliband-urged-reopen-Unite-union-vote-rigging-probe.html#ixzz2j0x6Nd3s
I have a neighbour who bombards our MP and government ministers with questions about Bilderbergers and HAARP weapons. How do you cope with that?
http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2013/10/28/how-long-before-the-tories-overtake-labour-in-the-polls/
It doesn't convince me, but it's at least based on some form of logic.
There are a couple of hundred thousand homes that have lost electricity now. It should be possible to strike the right balance of "this is a major event that is being dealt with" between "OMG apocalypse!" and "I think I may have seen a branch sway - what is everyone moaning about?".
It does look like Denmark, northern Germany and perhaps the Netherlands are going to take the worst of this storm, though. It's unlikely to be as bad as the Lower Saxony storm of 1972.
https://plus.google.com/+networkrail/posts
No rude jokes needed... ;-)
1987 barely touched us, just took down a couple of elderly trees in the garden and thinned out Bluebell Wood a little. 1990 (?) flattened the entire of Snowdrop Wood despite the fact that overall it was a less dramatic storm.
How's your Falkirk 'non-story' doing, btw?
Peter Kellner:
"All the Government needs to do is ensure that steady growth is maintained and spreads to all parts of Britain and feeds through to rising living standards; and ministers must avert any more nasty shocks like the rise in energy prices and persuade voters that the Conservatives are on the side of normal people, not just the rich and safeguard the quality of the key public services such as schools and hospitals and translate steady growth not only into more jobs but enough decently-paid full-time jobs and make the Help to Buy scheme work for young couples trying to get on the housing ladder without inflating a house price bubble.
That’s all.
Simple."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10408622/Can-the-rising-tide-lift-the-Tories-boat.html
New evidence in Falkirk = shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !
Did you get your crisps last night?
Ed Balls.