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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Local By-Election Preview : January 9th 2014
politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Local By-Election Preview : January 9th 2014
Haverhill East on St. Edmundsbury (Con Defence)
Result of last election to council (2011): Con 38, Ind 4, Lab 3 (Conservative overall majority of 31
Result of ward at last election (2011): Emboldened denotes elected
Conservatives 834, 664, 662 (55%)
Labour 648, 636 (33%)
Liberal Democrats 260, 188 (12%)
Candidates duly nominated:
0
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Comments
Tell it to the fop. Finally, a "red line" on renegotiations from Cammie to appease his Eurosceptics? So obviously if he doesn't get this 'red line' immigration cap he'll campaign to stay OUT and won't be shy in saying so.
Or not.
*chortle*
twitter.com/UKIP/status/421342211708428289
Please tell me where I said Le Pen's comments were helpful to Ukip
They've only got that at 9-1. Hills give you 10-1 which really is good value.
Labour blighting the lives of more children.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25196974
Tory kipper waverers will be almost as appalled as when Farage was banging on about muslims. Possibly because that's Crosby's job.
Alanbrooke said:
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Mr P are you back up in the Midlands this month ?
Yes I am indeed!
The Wales education minister has already warned parents not to expect any improvements for a few years (ie, ever).
If England starts to inch up the table in the next PISA and Wales goes nowhere (or even down!) ed milliband has a big, big problem.
And "fully transparent", does that mean I cab get a spreadsheet with a line by line breakdown?
Er.....what happened to the retail figures ? I am sure you will find milk and honey in it.
Please, no yellow boxes.
Regards
Imtiaz
Apologies if that's what was an incorrect interpretation.
I do thunk it is indefensible that he has sought to hide the financial arrangements for the Free Schools and all it does is provide fodder for his opponents who can reasonably claim that he must be trying to hide something.
As I say I think most of Gove's reforms have been excellent and I hope he is able to continue his mission up to and after the next election. But that doesn't make him infallible (as we saw this week with the WW1 outburst) and the sooner he makes the data available on Free Schools the better.
Until then it is reasonable that his opponents highlight this issue. For sure Tories would be doing so if it were a Labour minister concealing information that is clearly in the public interest.
http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/elections_and_voting/upload/NoticePollHaverhillTownEast.pdf
So what is 'pouter going on about then? What is Gove refusing to divulge?
365 and Victor to go...
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/07/why-is-government-secretive-about-free-schools
Compouter is actually making a very good point. For all that I think Gove is doing good things with and for our education system, there is no denying that he suffers from the same faults as many (or all?) ministers in that he cannot stand to be scrutinised and held to account.
I do thunk it is indefensible that he has sought to hide the financial arrangements for the Free Schools and all it does is provide fodder for his opponents who can reasonably claim that he must be trying to hide something.
As I say I think most of Gove's reforms have been excellent and I hope he is able to continue his mission up to and after the next election. But that doesn't make him infallible (as we saw this week with the WW1 outburst) and the sooner he makes the data available on Free Schools the better.
Until then it is reasonable that his opponents highlight this issue. For sure Tories would be doing so if it were a Labour minister concealing information that is clearly in the public interest.
Richard
Gove has to decide whether a request for information on costs and other detail, over and above normal accounting disclosure requirements, is bona fide.
This exchange in the HoC on 6 January 2014 between Caroline Lucas and Michael Gove illustrates why it may be necessary to maintain some level of discretionary confidentiality:
Caroline Lucas: I am grateful to the Secretary of State for his response. Why has his Department been using all its legal might to prevent the release of free school applications and decision letters, even after the Information Commissioner ruled that there was a strong public information argument in favour of releasing them? Surely if public money is being used, in the public interest there has to be an absolute right for that information to be put in the public domain.
Michael Gove: I note what the hon. Lady says, and we have extended the freedom of information legislation to cover academies, which was not the case before this Government came to power. It is, however, important that we protect those individuals who made proposals for schools that were not accepted, from the programme of intimidation that has been directed at many brave teachers by the National Union of Teachers and other extreme left-wing organisations. I make no apologies for protecting from intimidation those public-spirited people who wish to establish new schools.
Provided Gove complies with statutory requirements and standard ministerial practice on accounting disclosure, he has every right to release or withhold further information at his discretion.
What are your thoughts on the ban on Dieudonne?
If you don't like it, find another leader, get elected in 2015 and extend the FOI legislation to cover Free Schools.
****Shuffles goalposts in readiness ****
I need to read a bit more about him.
I'm shocked by this, shocked I tell you.
Sky News @SkyNews 6m
INDEPEDENT FRONT PAGE: 'Exposed: Scotland Yard's rotten core' #skypapers
pic.twitter.com/omQ1wurDst
Voters Shocked Christie Botched Such An Easy Political Cover-Up
http://www.theonion.com/articles/voters-shocked-christie-botched-such-an-easy-polit,34909/
He has no doubt decided that release of additional cost information at this stage would not be in his interests.
YouGov/Sun poll tonight: Labour lead still at six points: CON 32%, LAB 38%, LD 9%, UKIP 13%
I am a shareholder in Marks & Spencer. It doesn't give me the right to access accounting data on my local store.
They could be the end of him eventually.
My argument is there is no such thing as Government, it has no legal personality. It is simply a proxy for the taxpayer/citizen/voter. It therefore has no locus of authority to withhold information, because the information is mine to start with.
That is impractical and would prevent the proper and efficient functioning of government.
I repeat, I am in favour of Free schools. I am also in favour of accountable and open Government. We had to put up with 13 years of Labour hiding everything from us and then lying in the bits of information they did release. I would hope that the Tories would not continue in the same manner.
Mr Pole,
how come the our cousins outremanche have got a 80% increase in money from the EIB tp spend on infrastructure - upgraded landing strips for their mistresses presumably - yet the UK which has some of the crappest infrastructure for any advanced country isn't bothering ? What is Gormless george up to or not up to more likely ? I suspect a bad case of Cableitis.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2014/01/09/20002-20140109ARTFIG00715-l-union-europeenne-n-a-jamais-autant-aide-l-economie-francaise.php
Marks and Spencers are not using public money for their business./ Free Schools are.
I repeat, I am in favour of Free schools. I am also in favour of accountable and open Government. We had to put up with 13 years of Labour hiding everything from us and then lying in the bits of information they did release. I would hope that the Tories would not continue in the same manner.
Richard
You are a senior executive/professional.
You know that in your job you need to allocate priorities to your main tasks and responsibilities.
You also know that you need to manage information flows both internally within your organisation and externally with the rest of the world.
You may be working on an exploratory drill. Is it sensible that you be required to release information on your progress on demand from a competitor or market investor? Or do you agree internally what information to release when and to whom in order to most benefit your enterprise?
The tasks and responsibilities of government are very similar to those undertaken in other commercial and administrative fields. Yes, there should be more public accountability than is expected from private sector operations but there still needs to be a balance between internal and external interests.
Gove's requirements are to release information as required by statute and agreement and to manage additional release in accordance with his and the government's political interests.
There is no doubt that cost information on Free Schools will be made available in due course. But at this stage in the development of the programme it is not in Gove's or to government's interest to foster debate on the costings which would detract from the primary political purpose of the Free Schools initiative.
Managing information is a basic day to day management task.
These organisations provide sinecures for loyal hacks and allow politicians to interfere in resource allocation.
The Anglo-Saxon model of having powerful markets and independent distributors of finance is less flawed than the continental model.
Goldman Sachs anyday over the EIB.