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Thats your problem. You are confusing a daytime TV presenter with a real journalist. Thats what he does, and politicians have to do that kind of show because some people are swayed by that. We have people like Jeramy Paxman and Jon Snow to do the deeper stuff. Politicians have to be able to do the harsh questioning as well as the day time TV and weekend cooking show stuff. It's the modern equivalent of opening supermarkets and kissing babies.
insaniak wrote: Sometimes, Exterminatus is the only option.
And sometimes, it's just a case of too much scotch combined with too many buttons...
There's certainly momentum in Scotland, social media at this stage, for people to reject Labour. Recently joined the Scottish Green Party and will be going to my first meeting on Thursday. I'm looking forward to getting involved in any way I can. I'm hopeful that even if people aren't for Independence they'll see how Labour has shafted Scotland and the UK and how having them in power won't be good for this Country or the UK as a whole. Labour inspires more hatred in me than the Conservatives at this point. You expect the Conservatives to pursue their policies, Labour have betrayed their ideals. Utter revulsion is all I have left for them.
Here's some Russell Brand.
Some good truths in here. It's probably a bit airy for some people but I enjoyed it. Morally relativistic comments about his past or current status need not apply.
When did they promise less austerity? Last I recall, Ed Balls vowed not to touch the fiscal reforms instituted by the Tories. I don't believe him for a second, there's never been a single Labour Institution that's left with a balanced budget (something ideological no doubt), but he hasn't said that austerity will end to my knowledge, quite the opposite.
Ed Ball's comments don't add up, and drew derision from the Trades Unions. Then on top of that they got no backing from Milliband.
Milliband wants a hike on the minimum wage, I agree with that but it will mostly effect minimum wage compnaies like the supermarket chains. The £8 will be paid for with a hike on groceries, this will then mean a rise of inflation and subsequently of welfare payments.
Apprenticeships are also not free, and subsidies are promised. In the speech Milliband didn't ink apprenticeships with hiring UK or EU workforce and gave a green light to increased immigrant labour.
Which on analysis is possibly why the housing goal is at 500k new homes and not 200k as mentioned in the ICIS report in June.
-£8.00 minimum wage by 2020.
-A 2.5 billion injection into the NHS, to be subsidised by a crackdown on tax evasion, a new mansion tax, and more tobacco taxes.
-Lowering the minimum voting age to 16.
-Raising apprenticeships to the point where 50% of the youth do them.
They're also mildly nonsensical and meaningless for the most part. The minimum wage is going up to £6.50 in October, and Osborne has being saying since January he wanted it to hit £7.00. If it keeps going at its current rate, it'll actually be £8.00 be 2020, or something close to it. The Tories already ringfenced the NHS (so no cuts there to complain about), and his proposals for raising more cash are a mixture of lies (Labour hitting the rich? Pah), and easy hits (rich people and smokers! Yeah!) that will be ineffectual (the people Labour hires to write tax laws become tax evasion advisors two years later and rich people keep their money outside the country).
Good analysis. But it only covers four of his six plans.
There is a 'promise' to reign in the banks, without any specificity whatsoever. This is obviously therefore a complete falsehood, no major party will touch the banks, and to promise a clampdown without proposals is just vacant rabble rousing. Again Labour betrays socialist roots.
The house building program is the sixth.
The apprenticeships is a desperate attempt to find a solution to growing University costs and youth unemployment issues, but the goal given is simplistic to the point of idiotic. It's like Blair's original goal of 50% to University. You can't just seize on a figure like that. It looks nice in the headlines, but starts falling apart once you consider the fine print. Apprenticeships in what? Where are the new apprenticeships going to allow people to work? Will these markets be globally competitive, or will they just end up unemployed again because the industry isn't here? etcetc
With the increase in selective scholarships and a mounting attack on the independent schools the apprenticeships is the last nail in a coffin of neo-feudalism. Apprenticeships effectively mean - here is your blue collar work with a glass ceiling. Especially as apprenticeships are often now in semi-skilled occupations.
It shows how far Labour has fallen when a large percentage of the population are denied social mobility.
Milliband even managed to look patronising doing it. Calling for a round of applause because a young apprentice electrian was female. There have been female sparkies for a while.
There is more however, the constitutional meddling is most worrisome, especially as it was mentioned in passing and yet is far more weighty that issues which Milliband made extensive commentary on. Labour has an ugly reputation for constitutional meddling purely for its own party benefit and to the both short and long term detriment of the nation. I do not trust New Labour to make a fair constitution for the nation, and such matters should not be attempted even by more far sighted and well informed parties. Current politics both on the left and right is increasingly self serving, short sighted and dogmatic. Those are not flavours that make up a healthy long term constitutional document. The UK has a volatile electorate, and thus has been well served by not having a single constitutional document.
Nice to see that some of the press has now cottoned on to the fact that Milliband ignored the economy in his speech. The Tories were slow of the mark, they could have nailed him badly for that.
Some good truths in here. It's probably a bit airy for some people but I enjoyed it. Morally relativistic comments about his past or current status need not apply.
You do know that Russel Brand is not a free thinker, he is reading from a loose script provided by Labour. As a comic he can get away with stuff mainstream Labour cannot. Such as repeatedly calllng Farage racist without anything to back it up. He can also make other proposals and accusations and commenataries without the need to back them up with anything. This therefore makes him useful.
Brand is there for a purpose, its away of putting across a partisan point of view in a milieu that is hard to critique.
Be aware that you are drinking in New Labour spin, remodelled for the twitter generation.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/24 17:49:39
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
I'm obviously not saying his thoughts are unique, because I'm sure he's reading up on this kind of stuff at the moment, as he says in his "Trews" program. To suggest he's being paid to be a New Labour shill is quite something else.
I don't take everything he says as 100% absolute truth.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/24 17:53:11
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
Knowing Scottish people as I do, news of a big oil field find would not have made the slightest bit of difference to the vote - they would still believe themselves incapable of handling all that money, and would still have handed it over to somebody else...which they did. I wish Scots would take a similar approach to winning the lottery and hand over that cash to me
Evidence of this approach? Well, Everybody knows about the McCrone report, but did it provoke anger? No!
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Daba wrote: It hasn't even been a week since the voting...
Well, if they can cobble together a 'pledge' in under two days, I'm sure they can implement these powers in a similar space of time.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/25 12:20:11
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
Given the typical incompetence of our politicians, especially when coming up with knee jerk ad hoc responses, I'd much prefer they take their time and come up with a well considered and thoroughly researched solution, like a federal system of government that devolves power to ALL regions fairly.
Constitutional reform can't be done overnight.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/25 13:21:10
Given the typical incompetence of our politicians, especially when coming up with knee jerk ad hoc responses, I'd much prefer they take their time and come up with a well considered and thoroughly researched solution, like a federal system of government that devolves power to ALL regions fairly.
Constitutional reform can't be done overnight.
They had plenty of time, they had two years of the Scottish referendum campaign to cobble something up.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/25 14:02:13
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
Given the typical incompetence of our politicians, especially when coming up with knee jerk ad hoc responses, I'd much prefer they take their time and come up with a well considered and thoroughly researched solution, like a federal system of government that devolves power to ALL regions fairly.
Constitutional reform can't be done overnight.
They had plenty of time, they had two years of the Scottish referendum campaign to cobble something up.
As did Salmond , on things like currency union and EU membership, the former which was outright rejected by Westminster before the referendum, and the latter which would have taken years to achieve and even then on unfavourable terms due to obstruction by other EU countries.
And yet Salmond failed to cobble up a plan B on those points because he believed he was going to get his way, just like Westminster failed to come up with a plan for devolution because they believed they would get their way and win comfortably without having to make concessions.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/25 14:21:49
This complaining about lack of reforms is really getting on my wick. It started 48 hours after the vote and has been going on all week. Seriously, a week, whilst parliament has been in recess, so they can't even vote on anything.
On top of that the Govenment seems to have been thrown by how strong the calls to answer the West Lothian question at the same time have been.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/25 15:36:15
insaniak wrote: Sometimes, Exterminatus is the only option.
And sometimes, it's just a case of too much scotch combined with too many buttons...
Steve steveson wrote: This complaining about lack of reforms is really getting on my wick. It started 48 hours after the vote and has been going on all week. Seriously, a week, whilst parliament has been in recess, so they can't even vote on anything.
On top of that the Govenment seems to have been thrown by how strong the calls to answer the West Lothian question at the same time have been.
They had TWO years to present a plan on extra powers. I have zero sympathy for them.
I'm pretty sure 45% of Scots voters now have new powers of super naysaying, super complaining and "we're al dhooooomed!".
Your also just about to get the gift of Salmond's Deputy in charge, I can't remember his name but he has aright legs.
We in the dryer bit of the UK get Labour crippled when it comes to any vote related nonsense.
It's one win after another for you lucky little gets!
Like I said, TWO fething years to come up with a plan!!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/25 19:39:06
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
We've known that for a while now. We've also known that the vast majority of those reserves would cost more to extract than they would bring on the open market under current technology. Making them economically unviable for the foreseeable future.
A UKIP donor has called for an English referendum on ejecting ‘malcontent’ Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the UK. UKIP leader Nigel Farage has demanded a “federal future” for Britain.
Property investor Andrew Perloff, chairman of Hertfordshire-based real estate firm Panther Securities, said Scotland’s rejection of independence came as no surprise given that UK taxpayers “contribute £1,600 per year per person ... to these malcontents”.
The ‘Barnett Formula’ is a wealth distribution method whereby UK taxpayers spend £1,600 more on every Scot than on every English person.
Under the heading “chairman’s ramblings” in Panther Securities’ interim results, Perloff said: “We have just had the result of the Scottish referendum which appears as a resounding Yes to the union 55 percent in favour to 45 percent against.
“I do not know why the result would have been in doubt. Why would any faction of a social club resign when all the other members contribute £1,600 per year per person to their particular faction and have been further browbeaten to offer further incentives to these malcontents?
“Perhaps now the English can have a referendum as to whether we wish to keep the Scots in and whilst we are at it, the Irish and Welsh as well! Why should the Scots have a one-way bet?” Perloff asked.
Panther Securities, which recorded pre-tax profits of £3,235,000 in the six months to June, has donated £17,500 to Farage’s UKIP.
Farage wrote to 59 Scottish MPs in the wake of the Scottish referendum demanding they immediately give up their right to debate or vote on devolved English issues in Westminster. If Scots want more autonomy, then they shouldn’t be making England’s decisions, he says.
“We’ve had a lot from Scotland but the tail cannot go on wagging the dog any longer,” Farage told the BBC.
The UKIP leader, and a number of Tory backbenchers, have accused Prime Minister David Cameron of ignoring England to appease the Scots, who are keen to see promises made during the referendum campaign fulfilled.
All three major parties have agreed to grant Scotland more authority over issues including welfare spending and setting its out levels of tax-decisions currently in the hands of the politicians in Westminster.
“Throughout this whole devolution period [England] really have been the poor relation, we've been ignored,” said Farage, accusing Westminster leaders of “panicking” in the lead up last week’s referendum.
Farage told LBC Radio listeners this week there needed to be a constitutional convention to work out a “federal future” for the country.
He called for “a fair proper way to have a federal United Kingdom, where all four parts of the country are happy that they've got a fair deal.”
In a column published in the Sun, he said more Scottish power would breed resentment. “English people have been suckers for too long,” because English taxes “inordinately” benefit Scotland, he argued.
Its hard to be awesome, when your playing with little plastic men. Welcome to Fantasy 40k
If you think your important, in the great scheme of things. Do the water test.
Put your hands in a bucket of warm water,
then pull them out fast. The size of the hole shows how important you are.
I think we should roll some dice, to see if we should roll some dice, To decide if all this dice rolling is good for the game.
Forty-nine percent of Welsh citizens are demanding the same devolved powers currently offered to Scotland following last week’s referendum. But a new poll shows support for Welsh independence has dropped to its lowest level.
Leanne Wood, leader of Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru, said the current Wales Bill should be redrawn and that a new one should be introduced alongside the revised Scotland Bill.
“It would be unthinkable and unacceptable if MPs voted for substantial new powers for Scotland whilst also voting on a second rate bill for Wales,” Wood said in a party statement.
“If our devolution journey has taught us anything it is that piecemeal, incremental change in our settlement leads to unsatisfactory outcomes for the people of Wales,” she said. “The Wales Bill is already inadequate and it would be insulting for its inadequacy to be further highlighted by new arrangements for Scotland.”
In the run up to the September 18 Scottish referendum, polls indicated a spike in Welsh support for an independent Wales. However, in the days following the referendum, fresh poll data suggests fewer Welsh citizens than ever support a split with the UK.
Wednesday’s survey by ICM for BBC Wales, which polled 1,006 adults from September 19-22, found only 3 percent of Welsh citizens surveyed wanted independence.
But the survey found that 49 percent back more powers for the Welsh Assembly, while 12 percent want the assembly completely abolished.
The result contrasts with a separate poll for ITV Cymru Wales and Cardiff University published on September 15, during the Scottish #indyref campaign, which found support for Welsh independence stood at 17 percent, with 70 percent against.
By contrast, rather than killing nationalist sentiment in Scotland, the referendum defeat has provoked a massive membership boost for Alex Salmond’s Scottish National Party.
Responding to Wednesday’s ICM poll, Plaid Cymru Shadow Economy Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said the poll showed significant support for ensuring “more decisions about Wales are made in Wales,” and said “the status quo is no longer an option”.
“Plaid Cymru has long argued that the decisions that directly affect people’s lives should be taken as close to them as possible, and it is clear that voters here agree with us,” ap Iorwerth told RT.
“Only yesterday the party published its proposals for ensuring that Wales has the same powers that are being offered to Scotland in areas such as policing, our natural resources, energy as well as more control over the levers which shape our economy,” he said. “The state of our economy demonstrates clearly that Westminster isn’t working for Wales which is why Plaid Cymru has clear proposals to create more jobs, improve public services and to invest in our infrastructure.”
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Plaid Cymru leader Wood said she was not surprised to see such small support for an independent Wales, blaming the “context of the Better Together campaign” and the “unprecedented level of scaremongering” by the British establishment parties during the Scottish referendum campaign.
Wood said she was “encouraged,” however, by the growing number of people who support more powers for the National Assembly for Wales.
Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to link new devolved powers to Scotland with plans to address the so-called “West Lothian question”, the anomaly whereby Scottish MPs can vote on English-only matters while English MPs have no say on devolved matters in Scotland. Welsh nationalists see this as an opportunity to claw more powers from Westminster.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s poll found growing support for Nigel Farage’s UKIP in Wales, capitalising on falling support for the governing coalition parties and weakening of traditional Labour Party electoral strongholds.
UKIP support is up 7 points at 14 percent compared with a BBC poll in March, while Labour is down 4 points at 38 percent, and the Conservatives are down 1 on 23 percent. Plaid Cymru are down 1 on 13 percent and the Liberal Democrats down 2 points on 7 percent.
While UKIP are unlikely to take a seat, their rise could have an impact on key marginals.
Its hard to be awesome, when your playing with little plastic men. Welcome to Fantasy 40k
If you think your important, in the great scheme of things. Do the water test.
Put your hands in a bucket of warm water,
then pull them out fast. The size of the hole shows how important you are.
I think we should roll some dice, to see if we should roll some dice, To decide if all this dice rolling is good for the game.
AndrewC wrote: But that's the fun thing Shadow, you cant kick us out, you can only leave.
Cheers
Andrew
I dont want to kick you out. I don't want you to leave either. I want us all to kiss and make up, so we can be one big happy family again. If it takes burning Westminster to the ground and burning all MPs at the stake to achieve it, I'm OK with that.
We have much more in common historically, culturally and legally with the Scottish and Welsh than we do with continental Europeans.
Northern Ireland I think will leave one day. Its inevitable, and maybe even for the best. Two separate united islands with strong ties but separate independent governments.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2014/09/25 22:46:47
AndrewC wrote: But that's the fun thing Shadow, you cant kick us out, you can only leave.
Cheers
Andrew
I dont want to kick you out. I don't want you to leave either. I want us all to kiss and make up, so we can be one big happy family again. If it takes burning Westminster to the ground and burning all MPs at the stake to achieve it, I'm OK with that.
Okay, I'll bring the marshmallows, hot chocolate and a copy of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. If you can arrange for the matches and a PA system please.
Cheers
Andrew
I don't care what the flag says, I'm SCOTTISH!!!
Best definition of the word Battleship?
Mr Nobody wrote:
Does a canoe with a machine gun count?
AndrewC wrote: But that's the fun thing Shadow, you cant kick us out, you can only leave.
Cheers
Andrew
Wait... wait... what if England votes for independance from the UK? Can that happen? Someone should whisper that in a UKIP rep's ear, just to see what happens. I bet it would be hilarious.
Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Caledonian 95th (undergoing regimental reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?)
Steve steveson wrote: This complaining about lack of reforms is really getting on my wick. It started 48 hours after the vote and has been going on all week. Seriously, a week, whilst parliament has been in recess, so they can't even vote on anything.
On top of that the Govenment seems to have been thrown by how strong the calls to answer the West Lothian question at the same time have been.
They had TWO years to present a plan on extra powers. I have zero sympathy for them.
Your argument makes no sense.
It took Salmond even longer to set up a referendum to ask one question.
So something that involves negotiation and dialogue could conceivably take a little longer then.
Negotiation on devolution is only beginning I am still confident it will be concluded in a fraction of the time it takes the Scottish Government to pose a single Yes/No question.
Your mantra of our side can take as long as it wants but you must deliver yesterday simply doesn't wash. Try another line please.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Alex Salmond beleives that if you have devolution you have most of independence, so just declare it.
He 'forgets' that the democratic majority rejected independence.
Though I have an exceptionally low opinion of Salmond, I had to do extra extra sourcing to find quotes for this. I had to be sure. Was Salmond really that fething desperate
Alex Salmond wrote: I mean my view on the referendum, it’s my personal view, is it is something you have in that once in a generation but of course there are many routes to independence. I mean the referendum route was one of my choosing, it was my policy, I thought that was the right way to proceed but of course there are a whole range of ways Scotland can improve its position in pursuit of Scottish independence. I think that’s going to happen, Dermot. I mean when you have a situation where the majority of a country up to the age of 55 is already voting for independence then I think the writing’s on the wall for Westminster, I think the destination is pretty certain, we are only now debating the timescale and the method.
So if democracy doesn't get what you want, try another method. Huzzah for Kim Jong-Eck.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Caledonian 95th (undergoing regimental reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?)