DEM not gonna CON dis NATION: Rolling UK politics in the short-lived Cleggeron era

I think the public will wise up to this pretty quickly, maybe not quickly enough though

Wonder if they give a shit though? Cuts looking pretty popular to people who think they won't be affected. And who do those who are most affected vote for anyway? The LDs will get shafted (as as been said many times I know), but not sure those poor deluded souls who voted for them will be very keen on nu-nu-labour. Thatcher did very well with high unemployment, blah blah blah...I think Cameron's onto a winner here.

V different circumstances when Thatcher did it as there was a bash the unions dimension.

If a 2nd long lasting recession is provoked by the cuts and the private sector don't manage to fill the gaps...

Thatcher rode the back of a successful war then had a second term wherein the opposition was in the equivalent of a saloon bar punch-up for the duration. The popularity vote probably stacked up about the same as this go round.

popular vote, sorry.

Thatcher also had falling oil prices and falling interest rates.

I don't see any opposition at the moment.

The cuts haven't been pushed through to any degree where a sizeable number of people are feeling it as yet.

I had to do an interview with a Very Famous Woman yesterday - she told me she voted for Lib Dems because she thought they couldn't possibly coalesce with the Tories. I *did* say something along the lines of LOL U MAD but I suspect the Lib Dems she was thinking of when making this decision have no Orange book of their own (she very much does, LOL). She also told me that a top banker friend of hers is saying that the frenzy over the EU economy is overstated because the countries in trouble are only 11 per cent of the Eurozone GDP, whereas Germany is 26 per cent on its own - so goalposts are being moved purely to alter the social contract between the masses and leaders/employers *much* more in favour of the latter (so if you like being a scared serf or you're rich enough to be insulated, you'll be fine).

I don't see any opposition at the moment.

thatcher didn't really have falling interest rates tbh. never went lower than like 7%.

Interesting Spectator piece here which argues that Osborne's "things are worse than we thought" line is bullshit. In other words the government would be able to deliver the reduction in the deficit without deviating from Darling's plan - any further spending cuts, or tax rises for that matter, would be purely ideological. This won't be widely reported obviously.

welp, yep. even the conservative media don't want "the 1980 recession 2.0" -- sure, they hate the public sector and everything, but public sector employees make better consumers than unemployed people.

well, parts of the conservative media -- the ft etc.

The FT has been pretty neutral on the public sector hasn't it? I haven't seen the level of hostility that I have in the Economist, which is still going "FFS CUT NOW" against all reason.

Cameron's speech on Bloody Sunday findings, then?

Well obviously he pitched it perfectly. Our brave boys are the best in the world but they fucked up back in the day, sorry. Having said that, it's the kind of thing he should be able to do well what with being a smooth talking bastard.

think there will still be a lot of people left feeling aggrieved, but, you know, northern ireland

Cameron's response contrasted with Ken Clarke's earlier in the week (when he slagged of the cost and time it took) which struck me as curious timing.

think there will still be a lot of people left feeling aggrieved

Well initial euphoria and all that, but it's had an unbelievably positive reception over here.

Lol Tories and all that, but whatever about Brown, I couldn't ever see Blair having the instinct/?guts?/staightness to lay it down like Cameron did yesterday.

whuuut. im not seeing what's gutsy about cameron's speech. this thing was a entirely foregone conclusion. im glad if it has had a mostly positive reception & can see that the media is mostly interested in interviewing the terminally pissed off.

Well, Blair commissioned the inquiry in the first place, but given the Tory Party's history it was good that Cameron was so straight about it. That said, he had to, given the inquiry's findings it would have caused havoc otherwise.

With NI politics (with p. much all international politics?) I'm not sure that all 'foregone conclusions' tend to nevertheless come up with the right answers, especially when the right amswer is 'a Tory govt fucked up, and lied about it for 38 years'.

I think Blair would have said almost exactly the same as Cameron. Brown as well probably. It's a pity Widgery is not alive to see this (although he would have had to be about 100). What happens to his report now, is is just trashed never to be mentioned again? Did it ever have any legal status?

The front cover was printed on a huge paper banner and walked through, Gladiator finish style by the families of the victims on the march to the Guildhall yesterday.

A copy was ripped up on stage by victim's families after the verdicts.

Its findings were set aside by the Saville inquiry, so presumably it had at least a quasi-legal status up to now.

They're really starting to hang of this now.

In Full: The projects axed or suspended by government

Cameron Cameron Free Swimming Snatcher

Sheffield getting hammered in that list, I guess Clegg isn't into delivering Pork or maybe he doesn't care east of eccleshall road Waitrose

Meanwhile in the fucking la-la land that the LibDems are living in...

Nick Clegg has outlined plans to make the UK a better place for children, saying for too many childhood is a time of "stress, anxiety and insecurity".

I thought I wouldn't be able to listen to Cameron for five years but I think it's Clegg's hectoring tone I won't be able to cope with. It's like listening to Thatcher.

Increasing stress, anxiety and insecurity for the sons and daughters of forgemasters workers IMO

Odds on Mr Clegg not keeping his seat in 5 years?

(ugh 5 years)

no chance whatsoever. the distant second party in that part of sheffield is the conservatives, who i can't see winning a seat in sheffield again in my lifetime, and, as long as this coalition persists, will presumably not actively campaign against its deputy leader.

Stonehenge Visitor Centre: £25m - fair enough, not like it's going to cause a massive drop in visitors or anything.

Local Authority Leader Boards £16m - know nothing about these, doesn't seem a big loss.

Sheffield Forgemasters International Limited: £80m - how to lose a load of votes in your own constituency in one easy stuff, excellent work Clegg you twat.

Rollout of the Future Jobs Fund: £290m - this is presumably being axed as part of "streamlining" the welfare system (ie "if you don't take this job we're stopping your benefits")

Six month offer recruitment subsidies: £30m - axing stuff like this seems insane

Extension of Young Person's Guarantee to 2011/12: £450m - see above, young unemployed people you are fucked.

Two year Jobseeker's Guarantee: £515m - surely this is one of those New Labour mechanisms that seems like a great idea on paper but doesn't actually work?

Active Challenge Routes - Walk England: £2m - who cares, really?

County Sports Partnerships: £6m - this is the sort of shit Tories love cutting.

North Tees and Hartlepool hospital: £450m - this is a cut borne out of cynicism and naked spite if ever I saw one.

I had to stop here, it was getting too depressing. Either Clegg is actively trying to alienate his own constituency or it's a Tory attempt to undermine him behind the scenes and he is privately fuming. I suspect the latter.

sorry, but not surprised, to hear abt the cut in funding for the bfi's national film centre - doubt if this will ever happen, now

Sheffield Forgemasters International Limited: £80m - how to lose a load of votes in your own constituency in one easy stuff, excellent work Clegg you twat.

not really. hallam does not work that way. it's the other side of a big city, it's the constituency with the most homes with 60k+ income outside of kensington and chelsea, and it was conservative until 1997.

not defending the decision, but it's not going to cost him any votes in his constituency is my point.

yeah the bfi cuts are mad gay

p much all i have to say on that

sorry, but not surprised, to hear abt the cut in funding for the bfi's national film centre - doubt if this will ever happen, now

Surprised there haven't been plans to axe the ICA. Yet anyway..xp

the ica is in a different kind of clusterpickle innit

basically it's been run by a complete fucking cock

Well how much money has ot lost in the last year? And given that there are v similar-ish arts centres round London (Riverside, for exmaple) I would think its a target, of sorts..

w. the ica the problem really reflects the future rather than the past. it got into deep shit by relying on corporate sponsors, not a notable source of stability. so idk if it's costing the state more than usual...

but yeah i wouldn't want to be riverside etc

http://www.metamute.org/en/content/crisis_at_the_ica_ekow_eshun_s_experiment_in_deinstitutionalisation

I'm not really sure what the point of the ICA is in this day and age.

last time i went it had a room of people playing fuckin video games. sponsored by sega/amstrad/_______ no doubt

but the cinema shows stuff other cinemas don't at any rate

they have talks, rubbish 'art rock' indie bands, etc

It just feels like the rest of London has outstripped the ICA, I can't remember the last time it felt like there was a must-see exhibition on there, literally like 4-5 years.

When even *my* boss is inclined to describe an organization as a total clusterfuck, it has to be. And more on this I cannot possibly say.

yeah. they need to improve, basically! im kinda divided on these questions since i go to see obscure movies in cinemas far less than i did ten years ago [via rapidshare]

but it should exist, and be better

i thought ICA is that place where people have a membership for in order to feel cultured?

i dunno ken, some people like art n shit you know?

Do they even do the Talks anymore?

That piece is pretty great. You don't get that kind of institutional critique anywhere in the "MSM" unless Private Eye counts.