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Post by The Doctor on Feb 21, 2014 23:57:50 GMT
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 22, 2014 0:02:15 GMT
There are not enough words to convey my utter contempt for the privileged and out of touch bastards that come up with ideas like that.
Andy
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Post by legios on Feb 22, 2014 8:14:23 GMT
This is a genuinely appalling idea, and one which goes against the principle of equal access to justice for all.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 22, 2014 11:15:21 GMT
I imagine the BBC will ignore it. They didn't exactly give much coverage when the law was changed so now we have to pay £250 to lodge a case for unfair dismissal.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 22, 2014 11:29:24 GMT
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Feb 22, 2014 16:27:15 GMT
Leaning more and more towards an independant Scotland view. The SNP are incompetant and clueless but at least they are not evil. The Coalition is. The loss of Scottish MPs from Westminster would help the coalition, or a Conservative majority, retain the balance of power in England, Wales and NI for the foreseeable future, so if you oppose what they stand for and care about poor people south of the border, you should vote to stay! Scottish independence would be very bad for poor people in firmly Labour Wales. And Welsh independence is not an economically credible option. But if Scotland stays, the hope of a change in Westminster Government remains for us. We don't get a vote, but our future is in your hands! Martin |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 22, 2014 18:28:03 GMT
That is one of the biggest points that is keeping me from voting yes at the moment, and something Mark Stevenson pointed out to us on twitter when we talked about it earlier today.
The current government's war on the poor and vulnerable is sickening.
Andy
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kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
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Post by kayevcee on Feb 22, 2014 21:34:25 GMT
As I understand the schedule here, a "yes" vote would not cause Scotland to break away from the UK until March 2016, so we will still be on hand to boot Cameron and co. out of Downing Street in 2015. EDIT: Oh wait. The MPs delivered by Scotland in 2015 would be expected to step down upon separation. That could possibly mean the loss of a Labour majority or the return of power to the Conservatives, which is an appalling state of affairs. If nothing else, a "yes" vote would be a signal for apathetic Labour voters in England, Wales and NI to get out in 2015 and make sure that doesn't happen- with turnouts hovering around 50% for general elections, apathy is a greater enemy to most parties than anything else. At least you don't need to worry about left-wing voters going with the Liberal Democrats this time. I feel like Scotland has a moral imperative to create a fairer society and a better government than the current private-sector-good, public-sector-bad, jobs-for-the-boys, hammer-the-poor and worship-the-rich ethos that has prevailed in Westminster since the 70s. We need to show that the modern Labour party are far more right-wing than the general public and that people all over Britain deserve better than the horror show our government has become. I honestly have no words to discuss the pure apathy for human suffering exhibited by the coalition. -Nick
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Post by Marc Graham on Feb 22, 2014 22:43:57 GMT
Tories and lib dems have 0 mps in Northern Ireland. Neither do labour. Not a hope of this changing. Tories attempt to merge with the Ulster Unionists lost their only seat and that experiment looks dead.
Northern Ireland will have very little impact in uk Parliament unless there's some coalition required. Sinn Fein are abstentionist and won't take their seats, so its either SDLP joining labour or DUP possibly propping up tories if anything. Given that they are likely to have only a couple of MPs I'd say there won't be any Northern Ireland politician in the uk government in the near future.
Still, interesting time..
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Feb 23, 2014 7:35:32 GMT
Government in Wales is fairly powerless when it comes to welfare ( wales.gov.uk/newsroom/communities/2014/140217-welfare-cuts/?lang=en) because it has no borrowing or tax-raising powers, and so its total spending on health, education, etc. is limited by what money Westminster gives it each year. The current UK Government has now offered Wales powers to vary income tax, but with a "lockstep" clause that means if tax is raised or lowered for the rich it has to be raised or lowered for the poor by the same amount - the Welsh Assembly won't be able to change one tax band without changing the others. All the Welsh parties have condemned this ( www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/parties-unite-condemn-lockstep-shackles-6697372), even the Conservative leader in the Assembly has sacked members of his shadow cabinet for not opposing the UK Government proposal. Maybe a different future UK Government would support more devolution. You don't need independence to address welfare issues - just proper devolution. Martin |
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Feb 23, 2014 9:46:23 GMT
We could raise more money here in Scotland curently that could be spent on health and welfare but it seems those in power here would rather not to win votes (the eternal council tax freeze for instance) while making numerous things 'free' (bridge tolls, prescription fees, tuition fees, etc).
Meanwhile our health, welfare and transport infrastructure are all crumbling (literally in the case of the roads) due to cut backs from both the UK and Scottish governments. While the Coalition are the bigger problem regarding welfare we are not helping ourselves either in other areas.
And we could also think about the huge cost overuns on projects like the Holyrood building, trams and I expect inevitably on the new Forth bridge.
I am in favour of further devolution but not full independence. I'm also of the opinion that I don't want to give our current crop of politicians here any more power as they haven't yet matured or become seasoned enough to use wisely what powers they already have.
The Yes campaign's economic case is so dangerously full of holes and half-truths that they have clearly not thought through that it makes independence unwise at the moment, but combined with abandoning the rest of the UK (where I am from) to the mercies of successive Tory goverments makes me a firm No voter.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 10, 2014 17:32:36 GMT
When approaching a council facility today where I go every week I noticed that all approaches to it now had multiple signs declaring that you may be behind with your rent. Such signs were illustrated by a variety of pictures of different people with their head in their hands. Frightening stuff.
In other news, as I accessed a food bank as part of my job recently it occurred to me that when doing this job 10 years ago I never had to do such a thing as food banks did not exist. Work or benefits paid enough for folk to eat. This was literally not a problem I had to help people to deal with.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 29, 2014 17:19:32 GMT
Oh FFS www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29402844A future Conservative government would freeze benefits paid to people of working age for two years, George Osborne tells his party's conference. How much do you propose putting MPs pay up in that period George? |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 29, 2014 20:28:45 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 30, 2014 10:12:03 GMT
Cuts to employment and support allowance 'considered' www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29821696This is the bit which got me angry: "one of the largest fiscal risks currently facing the government". Not a risk, a responsibility. And it's nowhere near the biggest |
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 22, 2015 16:15:52 GMT
Universal Credit is now due to be implemented "any day now" so naturally Social Care workers are only getting the briefing packets now. Lots of patronising stuff about how folk need to find extra ways to earn or else (sanctions are implied) with little acknowledgement that in many walks of life that is impossible even if the worker has the will. For example, bonuses don't exist in my line of work (Social Care visiting support) Never had one in my life. Paid overtime does not exist. Whether I do a good, bad or mediocre job or whether I carry out contracted hours or work extra hours I get paid the exact same amount every month. There is literally no way I can make an extra penny no matter how hard I apply myself. In fact, austerity measures have kept my wages frozen for years so I do more work for less.
Not a moan. Just how life is. Yet I see no acknowledgment of such things in Government policies.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 27, 2015 19:35:36 GMT
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Post by legios on Mar 27, 2015 19:46:45 GMT
Um wait, what? Any proposal to scrap the contributory JSA and ESA is basically a statement to someone in my position that "You have paid National Insurance for fifteen years so you are entitled to no assistance from your Government in your time of need". What then would they be proposing considering that it is something for which I have already been paying?! I'm not getting something for nothing from the taxpayer, I am receiving something that, when I was paying tax, I have paid.
If something like that were to be implemented I would be requesting my money back quite frankly - on the grounds that it had been taken under false pretences. (Yes, I know it wouldn't work. But it is the principle of the thing).
I may be a little touchy about this as I have received my summons to an interrog...interview regarding my psychological status regarding my ESA today, and it has given me a bit of a small anxious turn...
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 27, 2015 19:48:58 GMT
It's all hideous.
Hopefully they'll be out on their arses and won't even get near thinking about it
(3)
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 27, 2015 19:59:47 GMT
They might have gotten away with picking on so called scroungers, even had decent support for it, but that list of cuts should scare the crap out of even the biggest supporters. At least anyone who doesnt have more money than they can likely spend in their lifetime.
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 8, 2015 17:22:23 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 9, 2015 15:27:32 GMT
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on May 9, 2015 17:10:09 GMT
OK.
Martin
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 9, 2015 19:04:06 GMT
Done.
Andy
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Dave
Empty
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Post by Dave on May 9, 2015 21:43:20 GMT
Done.
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kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
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Post by kayevcee on May 9, 2015 22:51:31 GMT
Done. Oh God.
-Nick
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 11, 2015 9:12:12 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 16, 2015 9:38:13 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on May 16, 2015 13:56:04 GMT
And yet they refused to specify what the cuts would be just a few weeks ago! Do they think people are stupid?
*looks at election result*
Oh, hang on...
-Ralph
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Post by legios on May 16, 2015 19:54:49 GMT
So, our economy is recovering from the severe recession at a much slower rate than European nations that did not take an austerity approach...clearly we therefore need to do more austerity because it is not working yet. Ah well. At least we're doing better than Greece. At the moment. Karl |
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