News from the opposition

And it is a very good policy to have, whitewave.

This is a good idea. It's definitely what we need.

kittysjones.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/centre-for-welfare-reform-calls-for-citizen-convention-to-develop-rights-driven-constitutional-reform/

MI5 ex- head asked today about the Corbyn debacle. Replied reluctantly because she was being interviewed over science and the need for Britain to remain totally aligned to the EU.

“I have no knowledge of (said dossier) - probably because it didn’t exist.

Information about the government trying to prevent Labour from having any opposition day debates because they don’t want to be forced to disclose key documents which will show the shambles they are making of Brexit
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True M0nica

Well we have discovered one area where the Tories are trying to achieve competency - lying. After PMQs which included May's rather sad little joke, Labour held a briefing - anyone seen it in the MSM?

... the Labour leader’s spokesman was on combative form immediately after PMQs, holding a marathon briefing that set out for the first time a detailed rebuttal of the ‘commie spy’ claims. Corbyn had been through his diary and discovered that on the day of one alleged meeting with Jan Sarkocy in the Commons, he had been 150 miles away at the Chesterfield Socialist Conference (check out the video of a young Paul Mason selling ‘Workers Power’). It was also a Saturday, and the Commons was closed. Moreover, it was the day after Corbyn’s mother died.

Apparently the Sun has now decided it wasn't that day it was another one, but then they would, wouldn't they. It is beginning to be even clearer that he didn't even meet the guy (who has been declared to be a fantasist). As said previously, the Tories seem to see how far they are in the brown stuff generally - that can surely be the only reason for all this nonsense.

There is a longer article on this in the Huffpost

Momentum is having a community meeting in Liverpool to discuss the democratic review. All are invited to feed into the review.

Report on Kier Starmer
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Momentum is putting huge energy into trying to unseat Ben Bradley the Tory MP representing Mansfield. Meetings to be held. He only has a tiny majority.

Following on from Corbyns tweet congratulating Stormzy, Andy Burnham is asking people to sign the petition for Grenfell Tower survivors to ask the government to restore their faith in the Grenfell atower enquiry.

It has been suggested that Bradley donate to Mansfield foodbank, so that Corbyn doesn't sue him.

You are getting very good with the links whitewave. Thank you for the one about Kier Starmer - very interesting.

Really interesting point made by the guest on Daily Politics today, Faiza Shaheen from the think tank Class (The Centre for Labour and Social Studies). She suggested that sometimes "productivity" is used by a bit of a get out of jail card by politicians. She said "you don't expect productivity in Care or Hairdressing, you don't know how that's going to look, so productivity is a bit of an old measure in economics". That struck a cord with me as it is very much a measure that gained favour with industrialisation and has always seemed and odd way to measure some industries. I wondered if anyone had a view on how we could bring the measurements up to date. I am very much out of my depth on this but I do wonder if we should not be measuring the human good in some way as well as the economic good.

Realism?
Equality of pay?

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/01/28/paying-for-it/

Thornberry

“There’s been a young generation that felt politics wasn’t for them, but it is......it is about power. Stormzy is waking them up and I’m really pleased he is doing it”

What a fantastic result for the Lib Dem’s well done!!
Minehead

Lib Dem’s 43%
Tory 39%
Labour 17%

The definition of productivity is: a measure of the efficiency with which a country combines capital and labour to produce more with the same level of factor inputs.

That is entirely compatible with service based industries like the care sector and hairdressing. If people in care are in modern well built, well equipped accommodation then those working there can do their work more easily, less time and money is spent maintaining the building or providing services like cleaning and laundry. This can lead to a reduction in the cost of caring for residents and more time for carers to interact with them.

Other countries manage to have higher productivity than us and provide a better level of care for its population.

Productivity is largely related to the level of investment. So I think monica is right. Invest and get better results.

"That is entirely compatible with service based industries like the care sector and hairdressing."

I know it is M0nica, but it seems too simplistic to me and has done for a long time. It gives you some insight into the making of widgets on a production line run by robots but takes little account of human interaction.

We are seeing the outcomes of treating health workers, carers, teachers, etc., as if they are or could always be replaced by robots. There seems to be nothing in this sort of economics to allow for what humans add simply because they are human. I think the way it has been used is actually destructive at times. My feeling is that many will say well "let's not worry about that. I just want to make as much money as I can. Humanity can go hang".

I am not saying don't use the age old computation but surely we should have found ways to improve, widen and make them more "industry" appropriate. Why, in the first place, do we need to see teaching, health and now I am hearing even aid as an "industry"?

I am not a robot I am a real person!

Jeremy Corbyn is calling for a change in the donor law. Opt out not opt in

I think that gg is also right. The accountants see only numbers, and it can be seen as incomparable in a caring sense. But I do think that it is possible to build in safeguards to reconcile them both. It simply takes the will, which is often lacking.

A bit of light relief. From the RSBP the caption is

“I think I may have overdone the hairdryer this morning”

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"Jeremy Corbyn is calling for a change in the donor law. Opt out not opt in"

He maybe in favour and calling for a change in the law but this is already ongoing in Parliament.

The Organ Donation ( deemed consent) Bill 2017 - 2019 is already at the Second Reading stage and is being debated 'live' at the moment in Parliament.

Free view 231. Live 'The Organ Donation ( deemed consent) Bill 2017 - 2019 '. Interesting debate ongoing although only a few taking part .

YEs I know that it why I posted the opposition’s view. Not sure if your point pogs