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

Appalling juxtaposition of post and display name there.

inpartisan bowel syndrome

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/21/spending-review-cuts-will-hit-poorest-harder-says-ifs
Report on that IFS analysis.

Paxman asking Danny Alexander if public sector workers in e.g. Swansea should "get on their bikes".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/default.stm

We had a fantastic meeting this afternoon where they told us we're going to be losing approx 1/3 of our headcount. You could see people looking around and mentally subtracting one in three of their colleagues. It really made the day go with a swing...

Clegg says the IFS review is "distorted and a complete nonsense".

He just gets worse and worse.

Sorry to hear that, Stone Monkey

I think he's getting a bit grumpy. It's very obviously not "a complete nonsense" as he well knows. By chance I got an invite to-day to hear him next month but I don't think I can face it.

Nick Clegg that is (not Stone Monkey - although he would have very right to be grumpy and I'm sure he could do a speech as well as Clegg...).

It sounds horribly self serving, but I think my office might be in pretty good shape for it. We're the only one of our offices that opens late and we've got a load of specialist teams here too. If I were in one of the other offices I'd be totally shitting bricks right now. We're looking at probably the closure of two out of the seven offices nationally. One of the Scottish and the Wales office is probably safe. The rest? We just don't know. They say they'll tell us more in November.

It's been a completely shitty day.

People do not live only on the basis of the benefits they receive. They also depend on public services, such as childcare and social care...

You're not helping your case there Cleggy old chap.

Should his next sentence perhaps have been; "So we're going to cut you off from those too..."?

remembering that brief period when I liked Nick Clegg is making me feel ever grubbier.

You can take the boy out of Winchester....

I'd happily take bets that Clegg officially become a Tory, and be provided with a safe-seat, before the decade is out.

I have a deep and abiding hope that he gets home of an eveing and his mrs looks at him with utter disgust.

don't 'get' why tory OKW lets philip hammond on the telly, dude doesn't even have a proper mouth

Paxman asking Danny Alexander if public sector workers in e.g. Swansea should "get on their bikes".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/default.stm

― Tilting at Bushmills (onimo), Thursday, 21 October 2010 17:59 (5 hours ago) Bookmark

Also on Newsnight - Iain Duncan Smith: 'Get on the bus to find work'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9116107.stm

IDS of course inherited his seat from norman tebbitt, not too far from me. perhaps i should go put some dog poo through his constituency office's letterbox

I think you should do that, in the interest of 'fairness'. There's no alternative really.

Wait a sec, I thought we were having a conversation to define what "fairness" "is"

beyoncé says get on the bus yourself, IDS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijD5WLTGnYY

GIVE BACK OUR STUFF

i hope this has mileage in it - go fawcett society go

What's the deal with Labour ministers chickening out from saying these cuts are "ideologically driven"?

Hazarding a guess that the fact that Labour agrees that some cuts have to be made means it's an argument that isn't as clear cut and easily conveyed (tho obvious to anyone with their head screwed on) as the 'economic suicide' one, the latter also having possible idea behind it of getting people to trust Labour on the economy again, something i'd imagine their policy wonks are quite keen on?

Reading an article about the South Korean grand prix circuit this morning reminded me of the Tories' attitude towards the north -

The circuit might even represent nearby Mokpo, for this sprawling coastal city on South Korea's south-western tip was the home of the main opposition party and funding was deliberately cut in an attempt to marginalise the area.

Good to see the protests against excessive wages starting though.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11604098

STORM THE BARRICADES!
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01149/SNE2201P-682_1149111a.jpg

What's the deal with Labour ministers chickening out from saying these cuts are "ideologically driven"?

Eh? Alan Johnson said they were ideologically driven in his response immediately after.

He did at first then realised what he'd said and nuanced it severely to "some of those on the benches opposite". He then explictly said on the Andrew Marr show that he din't think the cuts were ideologically driven.

it's an argument that isn't as clear cut and easily conveyed

You tell that to the Tories and the *Scum

(this is how I will refer to the Liberal Democrats form now on)

do you think convincing people they're ideologically driven is the big vote-winner then?

Personally I think they should stfu and work out what THEY would do and how to look like a serious opposition rather than just going "THIS IS BAD!" across the house.

Sadly I think unless the coalition collapses, then the damage will be done by the next election and they should be also be thinking how they're going to clean up the mess. I'd like to think they won't just meekly accept the new status quo like they did last time, but I'm not confident in that at all.

do you think convincing people they're ideologically driven is the big vote-winner then?

Telling the truth isn't generally a vote winner, true

The Tories seem to have no problems saying the public spending of the last government was ideologaically driven nonetheless

Those of us who care about it, know that they're ideologically driven. Banging on about it isn't necessarily good politics. Matt is right, urgent and key here is offering a workable alternative and challenging the ConScums on those grounds.

(actually u&k might be giving up on this whole sorry shitheap country and turning Baader Meinhoff but hey it's Friday let's KIP)

what

Helal Uddin Abbas, Labour Party - 11,254
Alan Duffell, Green Party - 2,300
John David Macleod Griffiths, Liberal Democrats - 2,800
Neil Anthony King, Conservative Party - 5,348
Lutfur Rahman, Independent - 23,283

If you know anything about Tower Hamlets that's no surprise

'independent'

My surprise was that he got twice as many votes as Labour's Abbas.

Those of us who care about it, know that they're ideologically driven. Banging on about it isn't necessarily good politics

this

My surprise was that he got twice as many votes as Labour's Abbas.

Abbas doesn't have as many "connections" I'm guessing

James - Rahman was kicked out of the Labour Party because, I duno, they thought he was some kind of Islamist entryist or whatever. Ken then stormed over looking for a ruck and started campaigning for Rahman against the Labour Party. I'm not surprised Rahman won frankly.

Plus there was a 'Abbas is a wifebeater' whispering campaign, whispering as in "newsletters through the door, editor away on holiday denies responsibility etc"

it's a ridiculously low turnout - 20 per cent or so. feel like a real political party should be able to beat the alleged bangladeshi machine on this showing, but instead labour polled fewer votes in tower hamlets than the tories managed in hackney. feeble.

the public love infighting

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/21/ruthless-tories-chewed-up-nick-clegg

well this is otm but

It is hard to detect any discernible Liberal Democrat influence in the detail of Wednesday's announcements.

hard to detect any discernible?

oh andy

anyone have a reference for this vodafone tax bill story?

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-a-colder-crueller-country-ndash-for-no-gain-2112069.html

got one...
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=514832&in_page_id=2

That might be cribbed from the Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312220/MPs-accuse-tax-fiasco-HMRC-chief-Lesley-Strathie-arrogance.html