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

no that is how her name is spelt

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/20/people-stripped-benefits-charged-decision

Cunts

the borough of islington were running assistance for welfare appeals and had >80% success

this is only blue sky dogshit that will never happen but charging for access to public tribunals lik this seems like an obvious human rights act violation

Immigration appeals require a fee, iirc.

"[Women] don't have to feel unfeminine," she said.

"There are some wonderful sports which you can do and perform to a very high level and I think those participating look absolutely radiant and very feminine such as ballet, gymnastics, cheerleading and even roller-skating.

"We really need to take a step back and actually ask women what they want and give it to them.

"Whether it's a Zumba class or a game of rounders after they've dropped the kids off. That's the approach we need to take - what works for them."

Helen Grant, Minister for Sport and Equalities, Ladies and Gentlemen

fuck's fucking sake

the aggravating thing is that there's a real point underneath all the 1950s "women know your place" bullshit

Immigration appeals require a fee, iirc.

― Ramnaresh Samhain (ShariVari), Friday, February 21, 2014 6:12 AM (1 hour ago)

and under current legal aid rules, as i understand it, people making immigration appeals are only eligible for legal aid if they're judged to have a more than 50% chance of success (not sure how this fits with the govt's earlier move to deny legal aid to non-uk residents, which I guess you could argue a new asylum seeker is by default).

It's not just the ConDems that have that opinion about women. The Labour policy document:

http://www.sportsthinktank.com/uploads/labour-sports-manifesto.pdf

There are now sports centres specifically for teenage girls; programmes such as “Back 2
Netball” offering flexible formats to appeal to women who may not have played sport since
school; and a UK Athletics Women’s Running Network, providing a safe an accessible
environment for women of all ages to enjoy running in their own time.
We will ensure that the Active Women programme, backed by £10 million of lottery
funding, delivers more opportunities to get women from disadvantaged communities and
those caring for children to play sport – including providing crèche facilities onsite for small
children, or sports activities for children while their mums play.
We will work closely with sports’ governing bodies to enable more women to take part both
in traditional sports such as hockey and netball, as well as trying a wider range of new
sports and activities such as aerobic dance.

iirc the main thinking at one point for why women didn't carry on with sport into adulthood was that communal changing rooms put teenage girls off sport because they didn't want to be seen in their underwear by girls they thought were more attractive than them. (or, rephrased, that looks were the thing that defined their decisions and not wanting to do sport)

(I am not playing the Tory card on this btw, just pointing out that our politicians these days try and make hay from minor linguistic differences while having virtually identical policies.)

as i said, i totally agree with the idea that anything that encourages people to be more active is good, and that women's sport needs to be taken more seriously by broadcasters and journalists. the language in that Helen Grant interview is counter-productive to those aims.

Unfortunately this is soundbiting off the main interview and taking a couple of quotes out of context. Interview here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/10636527/Sochi-2014-Give-British-women-the-sport-they-want-even-if-its-more-Zumba.html?placement=CB1

Presents pretty much the same thing you're talking about is good. Femininity issue appears/ to be in the context of this report:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/unfeminine-school-sports-leave-girls-on-the-sidelines-7704402.html

Which makes it seem like perfectly acceptable language to use.

That second report is two years old but is directly referenced by the interviewer for the first and it's in the context of that that the word "feminine" seems to have been first used, by the interviewer.

SCOTLAND's biggest food bank has run out of food

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/atos-crisis-fit-to-work-checks-shelved-3180876

people should go to prison for this shambles, and for the pain its caused the country's most vulnerable.

It'll be interesting to see which company (if any) takes on the assessments moving forward. The potential for bad publicity is so great it might have to get reabsorbed into the state if they can't find a business thick-skinned enough.

free government money for shoddy unpopular work? they'll be queueing up

ATOS have already renamed themselves, haven't they?

Yes, the brand is so contaminated they're going to be called OH Assist in the UK from now on.

"Atos have announced that they want to end their £500million contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) a year early, blaming death threats."

surely if you're fit enough to kill someone, you'd be fit enough to work

The FT is reporting today that, even by official Treasure models, there's a £20bn hole in Osborne's finances, which is kind of hilarious until you remember his solution is inevitably going to be "great, more austerity!"

official Treasure models luvin it brah

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-26480506

Bus Pass Elvis Party beats Lib Dems in election.

Don't Be Cruel

'Baby Let's Play House (of Commons)'

RIP Bob Crow http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26527325

anyone know how he died?

heart attack.

RIP Bob. Deserved his own thread.

Only 22 MPs voted against the annual welfare cap. If the Labour Party wasn't dead before it is now.

Only 13 of them Labour: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/03/labour-welfare-cap-rebels-full-list

Tom Watson's a lovely guy but if he's the Left Wing of the party now then i haven't got enough time to type out all the "ha"s

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-cameron-claims-jesus-invented-the-big-society--he-is-just-continuing-gods-work-9250449.html

can't believe a politician is interpreting Christian doctrine to suit their own agenda

can't believe a politician is interpreting Christian doctrine to suit their own agenda

Of course but in 2014 it just seems even more vulgar. Have to concede that at least he's not using it justify killing people (directly)

Is it worse when they actually believe it or when it's like this, whatever this is

I take whatever solace I can find in the fact that we can never truly know the difference.

i'm not calling any ilxer on this so much as goggling that enough cretins voted for a cunt who's pulling rhetorical gestures with a 2000 year plus heritage

Pensioners could get life expectancy guidance

The kid who plays Joffrey in Game of Thrones - I'm sure he's basing himself partly on Cameron.

Pols finding God is a worry, especially when it's not linked to getting their kids into better schools but wtf @ this

the prime minister's constituency office called the police when one of the country's most senior bishops visited last week to deliver a letter about food poverty

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-row-over-christian-values-food-poverty-104252415.html#9ZKayZt

David Cameron's eldest daughter is nearly 10, so God has presumably been bothered to butter up the governors of Grey Coat Hospital.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27208966

UKIP just might win a seat after all (briefly)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27202753

Mr Henwood, who is on the council candidates' list in Enfield, told the BBC: "I think if black people come to this country and don't like mixing with white people why are they here? If he (Henry) wants a lot of blacks around go and live in a black country."

UKIP still weeding out these troublesome racists who aren't representative of the party.

United Kingdom, 5/1/14, 1Part 1 & Part 2.

Still, fastest growing economy in the known universe, innit.

Bugger it... Part 1 and Part 2

Oh buggeration! 1/5/14!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20773800

Another week, another UKIP arsehole.