brexit negging when yr mandate is is trash: or further chronicles of a garbage-fire

Mordaunt was big on the Leave Lie about Turkey joining the EU any year now and Britain's supposed inability to veto that if Remaining.

Penny Mordaunt was a couple of years above me at university and 2 of my friends knew her as they were in the same department. One of them messaged me today to voice his displeasure at the appointment. I remember the name from back then but I'm pretty sure I never met her. I seem to recall them not liking her very much, which would make a lot of sense.

Hitler Downfall memes totally useless if you speak German, or at least that's the case for me.

Nah. I speak German but that's easy to ignore if you just reads the subtitles. Played format though? Def.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/09/johnson-under-fresh-pressure-over-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-error-iranian-tv

Johnson's "misspeaking" on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being reported as an "inadvertent confession" of spying in the Iranian media.

Ladies and gentlemen, political journalism in the UK in 2017: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/09/amid-government-wreckage-michael-gove-quietly-starting-look/

christine ockrent speaking from paris on newsnight:

"florence was positive but florence was just a speech. if politics were made only of speeches, the french would be kings of the world"

Gove by dint of heroically saving the Bees from extinction and not been caught molesting anyone yet, is suddenly a contender again? Wow this party is really fucked! Apparently Broon upset Humphrys by not condemning Corbyn + McDonnell on Today. I don't listen to it anymore and mornings are at least 90% improved already.

Amid the government wreckage, is Michael Gove quietly starting to look like leadership material again?

no

"again"?!

never thought i'd be defending him but he actually seems a lot better in his environment post than some of the previous incumbents - positive noises on the neonicotinoid ban and speaking out against the tree felling in sheffield are both good things. still in favour of the badger cull though which is pretty indefensible and basically a sop to the nfu

Hey guys, I know a few of you (or close relatives) have to through the PIP assessments. The girlfriends autistic brother is getting his ordeal next Friday and he didn't tell anyone till now or filled in the forms they ask for beforehand. Do you know of any good websites that cover potential pratfalls or what they check on or... basically any advice is welcome

Gove by dint of heroically saving the Bees from extinction and not been caught molesting anyone yet, is suddenly a contender again?

Brentford or Barnet?

xp
That sounds like a bad situation, gl to the fellow. Turn2Us.org might be worth a try.

Brentford really do need saving, they are going a leave a ground with a pub on each corner for a soulless modern stadium!

Everything is so punitive + designed to make the applicant fail with PIP, that's the secret of it's *success*, alas.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/10/pip-disability-benefit-almost-killed-my-wife-personal-independence-payment

talking of which...

An ongoing national disgrace but no-one cares.

people like Chakrabortty + Dr F Ryan have been consistently good on attacking PIP, but no-one really gives a fuck. The former was good on QT last night, unlike about 95% of the commentariat, he is self-effacing, likeable + seems like a real human being!

Cheers for the link calz

He got booed for saying that people were dying as a result of this policy - booed. Admittedly QT audiences are now stuffed full of local party activists trying to get their mugs on TV.

classy QT audience as ever.

xp

http://www.advicenow.org.uk/tags/sickness-and-disability-benefits?term=PIP
might be worth a try as well, and sometimes you might pick up some tip just mining messageboards for other peoples experiences with PIP, although that can be a bit depressing.

hasnt govey actually been doing decent stuff at environment? by which I mean nicking labour policies and avoiding his usual creative destruction nonsense

By all accounts he wasn't a terrible justice minister either but that's about his level, he shouldn't be allowed anywhere that allows him to grandstand and/or drive through one of his obviously demented pet projects (eg education).

By all accounts he wasn't a terrible justice minister either

Especially in comparison to Grayling

"all schools to be converted to academies", remember that one? jesus christ. literally gifting thousands of acres of public schools, and the land they sit on, to private ed consortia. literally giving our schools away. the proposal died in ignominy but these people are completed fucked in the head.

+1 to Calzino's links and advice - trawl benefits forums.
Also, Citizen's Advice should be v clear on the basics:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/
You could also try talking to them if you get a chance.

wheeeeeee

Latest Westminster voting intention (fieldwork 7-8 Nov)
Con 40%
Lab 43%
Lib Dem 6%
Other 10%https://t.co/4tbpV827gd pic.twitter.com/ymglKqXtF6

— YouGov (@YouGov) November 10, 2017

the thought that 40% of voters can look at the never-ending firehose of raw sewage that is this government and agree that they deserve re-election is... troubling

Gove by dint of heroically saving the Bees from extinction and not been caught molesting anyone yet, is suddenly a contender again?

― calzino, Friday, November 10, 2017 9:59 AM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Strong and Stable Gove.

Xp to a hoy hoy

See if he can take a friend or support worker with him, into the actual assessment itself. Can also request to record assessment too (on phone etc) and assessor needs to give a “valid reason” (?!) to refuse this.

Also not to undersell what he can/cannot do or struggles with, day-to-day, inc how he gets around the impact his health has on his basic daily living/mobility (which ppl can often take for granted and ignore/not fully objectively appreciate when they have longstanding health issues, from my experience helping ppl with PIP & ESA claims..)

Not checked the above links yet but they may likely contain similar/better comments and advice. Have a hunt online for the “Descriptors” the DWP use as well to award points in PIP assessments, as a guide, if you’ve not already got these....

the thought that 40% of voters can look at the never-ending firehose of raw sewage that is this government and agree that they deserve re-election is... troubling

I want to see polls that break this down by Brexit intention. I'm pretty certain the "oh god just hold our noses until we are free and all is finally well with this godforsaken land I used to know" crew is propping up the Tory vote in a big way

yeah, probably - altho again i find it hard to understand how even the most ardent leaver can have faith that this shower of morons and cowards are actually capable of delivering a brexit that doesn't get the country pulped

They don't care about the country being pulped, they just want these Muslims out their freedom.

If the Lib Dems weren't so shite, they'd be taking votes from the Tories.

the lib dems disbanded a few months ago didn't they?

pretty sure i'm remembering that correctly

can't remember the last time i saw vince kibble tbh

rebranded themselves as The Radical Party iirc

big man vince and the roots radics

a lib-do-dem, a lib-do-dem dem dem

As far as PiP goes, I was lucky that there was a local-ish man who used to work for them and now volunteers helping people through it. Very busy, very good guy. But then a friend of mine just got it in a tribunal after six months of refusal, and she's much sicker than me; she spent five year from 17 to 23 in institutions, but apparently she's fit to work a year later despite her GP and psych misgivings. It's so up in the air, and dependent on personality and likeable was (not me, but folks helping me). Which is the key, I think - having good advocates.

Should be 'likeability'

Yep, the advocate my partner had from the CAB was a complete piece of garbage and almost like a bystander for much of the appeal hearing. And then just coldly said: You've lost, taxi is coming in 5 mins - so go wait outside.

I've still never heard a justification for this system. It's nonsense in common sense, medical, and political terms. I know what the Tories are wanting to do - cut money - but I have no idea how them make that presentable.

Half of the community I'm part with is military, and right wing - but none of them defend this.

Most people try and dismiss the post ATOS assessment dead disabled people as hyperbole or as on last night's QT where the Tory voter is naming Chakraborty as "the Donald Trump of the Guardian" for mentioning them.

Even some liberal types are a bit: This talk of dead disabled people isn't quite helpful.

They would probably have died anyway.

Yeah - it's just the lack of affirmative support that's interesting. I've heard people downplay it, or 'what are you going to do?' it.