News from the opposition

I missed this on Thursday. Rather important, I think, that barristers are going to stage walkouts from tomorrow.

www.theguardian.com/law/2018/mar/29/barristers-vote-to-walk-out-in-protest-at-government-cuts

I think I mentioned it sideways on Jen. The Barrister commenting on the radio about this was the one who said it wasn't just about what they were being (or not being) paid for work they were expected to do but about the condition of buildings, which had become unfit to work in so delaying cases, too.

So you did, GracesGran. Sorry.
Hadn't realised they were starting to walk out from tomorrow.

No Jen, no apology needed. I didn't have the detail and it is really interesting to put flesh on the bones.

I have to admit I was surprised - my own prejudice showing - that the problems had got as bad as they are.

www.facebook.com/pg/uvwunion/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1710983412303224

Even more problems. This is why unions are needed.
Workers in London on £7.50 an hour not even being given basic safety equipmemt to protect their health.
DM cleaners went on strike and were given a pay rise to £10 an hour.
Other union workers in London are now doing the same.

and the good news from north of the border is a newly established fund for the parents/family of premature and sick babies .The fund will pay expenses while their children are in hospital..thats travelling expenses,parking expenses and meals .Shona Robison,health secretary said that at this difficult time in peoples lives we should be giving them support instead of making their lives more difficult.The fund will be available from Tomorrow April 1st 2018

Excellent news, paddyann.

Some people think that Corbyn's factory of hate article in the Sunday Times is today's April Fools joke.
Others take it seriously, just to show what the opposition does hate.

twitter.com/hashtag/JCsArmyOfHate?src=hash

??Jen

A tweet a couple of days ago.

MPs: You must sack Christine Shawcroft, Jeremy.
JC: I don't have the power.
MPs: You're weak!
JC: OK, I'll change the rules to give myself the power. MPs: POWER CRAZED DICTATORSHIP!

You'll find it with this.

He appears to be getting quite a number of recruits because they hate what he hates.

It seems Corbyn is damned if he takes action, damned if he doesn’t.

He can’t win. The might of the MSM is against him. Such irrational hatred of this mild mannered, caring, pacifist.

Many powerful groups seem be very afraid of the change a Corbyn led Government could (potentially) bring and the financial implications for themselves and their associates.

and today we have help for new small business ,always good to have a government working FOR the people who put them in power unlike Westminster .

Scottish National Party (SNP)
3 hrs ·

From today, there will be no business rates for unoccupied new properties and tenants who take them on will be rates-free for the first year.

Here's how we're supporting businesses: www.snp.org/scottish_budget_2018_what_it_means_for_…

Haven't you also banned fracking?

www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/29/david-cameron-laments-painfully-slow-fracking-progress-in-uk

So much for hug a husky Dave. I wonder how much he is being paid for this.

evolvepolitics.com/former-tory-mp-under-investigation-by-police-over-10m-of-missing-taxpayers-money/

Never noticed this on the news.

evolvepolitics.com/facebook-refuse-to-remove-post-from-tory-supporting-page-calling-for-jeremy-corbyn-to-be-assassinated/

Nor this.

evolvepolitics.com/tory-activist-corbyn-anti-semitism/

Or this.

Tory activist: (from DJ’s link above)
“It’s an actual stroke of genius we’ve been able to pull this off, perfect timing heading into the elections too”

Well, what can you say? At least it’s out in the open now that the Tories are deliberately using this Corbyn smear for political gain!

Could Evolve make up their minds as to whether or not Mackintosh os a tory MP or a former tory MP (or do they have another one i the frame?)

He is the latter, of course - former MP

Sorry about typos.

I thought this was worth sharing. It's from Tax Research UK posted on April 3 2018.

The FT has an editorial today in which it discusses the NHS, saying:

"The government cannot avoid responsibility for the present mess. The Treasury’s imposition of deep cuts in the provision for social care has had predictable consequences."

These, it says are:

"The net effect of Whitehall myopia has been to save pennies while wasting pounds."

Wasn't it ever thus with supposed frugality imposed for dogmatic reasons? Even more damning though is this:

"The NHS has also had to manage the costly bureaucratic upheaval introduced after 2010 by David Cameron’s government. The changes fragmented provision at a cost of billions of pounds. They will have to be reversed if the NHS is to capture the productivity gains and savings available in an integrated system."

In 2010 David Cameron promised no top-down reorganisation of the NHS in one of the biggest lies ever told to an electorate until the Leave campaign came along. It has been a disaster. Premised on the idea of competition, and clearly intended to deliver privatisation, it has created enormous and costly waste that has simply served in increase NHS admin but not help the delivery of services.

The FT is right to say that the Cameron and Lansley reforms have to be reversed. Many of us said they would be a disaster at the time. We were right.

I'm beginning to feel some affection for the FT

You just like a bit of truth really Maizie, as do we all. You're right though, they have done a few interesting and rather more balanced articles recently.

I suppose, from their point of view, running the economy into the ground would not be seen as a good thing. I think the idea that cut upon cut would make things better was just form of madness. Either that or you worry about their lack of knowledge. Any company owner could tell you that you cannot keep cutting from all directions in this way. The Tories are a bit like asset strippers really but they don't recognise that the assets of the state include the people. Now the FT has laid it out re the NHS but do you think anyone is listening?

Another interesting article which says:

The cost of childcare has soared by up to 47% since 2010, shock figures compiled by Labour reveal.

Analysis shows nursery care now costs £121 a week for a two-year-old in England - up from £82 eight years ago.

Yet weekly wages have risen by only 17% in the same period, from £439 in January 2010 to £512 in December 2017.

Shock figures show how the cost of childcare has soared - while wages lag behind

Yes ,we banned fracking,though Sir Ian Wood ...he who told us OIL was running out in the lead up to the Scottish referendum..and then told us we had trillions of pounds worth of oil AFTER the no result...has said he will sue the Scottish government as preventing him the feedom to FRACK is contravening his human rights...lol.Couldn't make it up.What has fracking got to do with human rights?