POLITICS CORNER

[hartley353]

The crime figures continue their downward spiral. This is obviously good news for everyone. Both the politicians (Cameron) and the police are keen to offer their reasons why this is happening. Charts of police numbers against falling crime don't seem to correlate. Cameron's explanation is equally un-persuasive.
Some while ago I read the suggestion it was because of the ageing population. Ie: old people are more law abiding. Perhaps this is the real reason but since the aged have become the fall guy with respect to the NHS its not in their interest to start handing brownie points out in this manner.

It is doubtful that the rate of offending has fallen, but it is probable that the way the police have recorded crimes has changed and in that change lies the difference. The press recently said that criminals have now turned to the internet to practice their trade. Far more profitable than house breaking and far less risky, it could be a maybe.

[Stanley]

I note that Cameron is going for an automatic block on every household to ban 'porn'. Talk about inviting unintended consequences! Did any of you listen to 'Something understood' on R4 yesterday? If you like erotic poetry you could do worse than find it on I player and listen again. Some people would consider the religious programme dealing with desire pornographic. (Incidentally, farming this week which followed was a very good programme on the pea harvest in Lincolnshire.)

[Tardis]

If the internet bans access to certain porn, will that also mean that our UK bound police force will not be able to track felons?

Since it is widely accepted that these kinds of images are not spread via 'normal' internet search engines, just how effective will any kind of ban be?

How will the state educate people to know that looking at these images is wrong?

[plaques]

Don't tell me I've got to cover up my table legs again!

[Stanley]

I seem to remember another Tory politician wrapping himself in the 'Family Values' flag when an election loomed.

[Tizer]

If Ministers are talking about seriously nasty porn, especially affecting children, then surely that should be banned altogether? If it's so bad then why should they ask people to choose to have it or not. They don't ask us to choose whether we want the right to murder our neighbours.

The `news' about the royal baby seems to have hidden the significant escape of 100s (yes, hundreds!) of terrorist prisoners from two jails in Iraq. No small event but a major attack on the jail to get them out...gunmen, mortars, automatic rifles etc.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23403564

[Tardis]

I wonder how you ban something where 50% of the content is homemade? The figure for most Porn

I personally can not understand how someone needs to experience 'rape' or 'child porn' in picture or video format

That said, I would rather educate than ban because we can not sanitise the world

[Stanley]

I'm beginning to think that a better indicator of the health of the economy would be the average income of the poorest 5o% percent. GDP and dodgy inflation figures don't give a true picture of the damage caused.
Justin Welby advocates a growth in credit unions to fight the usurers. He has attacked Wonga this morning. Good man.....

[Tripps]

Did you see that Private Eye said he was known to his friends as "Mitres Welby"

[Tardis]

Party spending:

[Tardis]

Justin Welby advocates a growth in credit unions to fight the usurers. He has attacked Wonga this morning. Good man.....

Hopefully the church will get the whole thing set up, but he also needs to attack the banks for their charges since Brown's reforms forced everyone on benefit to have a bank account

[Stanley]

News this morning that Cantab is furious because he's found out that indirectly the Church Commissioners have invested in Wonga. Action this day?

[Tizer]

...but he also needs to attack the banks for their charges since Brown's reforms forced everyone on benefit to have a bank account

And for repeatedly sending marketing letters to a 94-year-old who is now in a care home, trying to get him to take out a Barclaycard...my father.

[Tardis]

Nice footwork by the ABC today over the disclosures from the FT of Church investments.

Probably does demonstrate the arms length nature of their funds

[hartley353]

The sums of money in the various church denominations is beyond the dreams of avarice, I would doubt if any of them can produce an accurate balance sheet, or know where most of this money lies.

[Stanley]

The 111 debacle is more important than it looks at first sight. Some very interesting questions being asked in surprising quarters about the efficacy of the internal market in the NHS.

[Tardis]

Government has today posted GIST for crowd sourcing of spending

[Wendyf]

Government has today posted GIST for crowd sourcing of spending

[Tardis]

Government has today posted GIST for crowd sourcing of spending

http://www.gist.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

Illustrating spending across government

[Tardis]

The 'Bedroom Tax' is not a tax, but a means tested benefit, says judge

and a whole lot of other things about not deciding political thinking through the courts

[Stanley]

Private Eye (as usual) is doing a good job of flagging up heartless decisions that save minuscule amounts of money. ATOS is still up to its old tricks.

Lord Howell advocates the NE as ideal for Fracking as it is desolate and largely uninhabited. Really..... Has he ever been there? (LINK) Funny that he regards the south as 'natural' when it is all modified by man. The desolate areas he refers to are some of the best natural landscapes in England. Talk about NIMBYism....

[Tardis]

Safe to say the Labour party appear unhappy:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danho ... -suspects/

http://labourlist.org/2013/07/the-narro ... -of-drift/

Particularly pick out "I hate this but in the end it is the electorate - and very specifically the English electorate - that are the problem" as an example of how not to win people and influence them

[Stanley]

Eric Pickled complains about councils maximising parking income to make up shortfalls in funding. He says it is damaging retail trade etc. He's right of course but this is an unintended consequence of the cuts which he says are necessary. He can't have it both ways!

[Tardis]

Councils can not use car parking and ticket revenue to bolster their spending, see the recent case in Fulham

[Tardis]

New Lords:

Conservative party

Richard Balfe– former MEP and Conservative Party Envoy to the Trade Unions and Cooperative movement

Sir Anthony Bamford DL – Chairman and Managing Director of JCB

Nicholas Bourne – former Leader of the Conservative Group in the National Assembly for Wales

Matthew Carrington – former Conservative MP

Daniel Finkelstein OBE – Associate Editor of The Times and former Head of Policy for the Conservative party

Annabel Goldie DL MSP – Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament; former Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

Lady (Fiona) Hodgson CBE – campaigner on women’s issues; senior member of the Conservative voluntary Party; former Chairman of the Conservative Women’s Organisation

Christopher (Chris) Holmes MBE – former Paralympic swimmer; Director of Paralympic Integration at London 2012; Non-Executive Director of the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and a former Non-Executive Director of the Disability Rights Commission

John Horam – former MP; Conservative representative on the Electoral Commission

Howard Leigh – senior corporate finance professional; Conservative Party Treasurer; former Chairman and current President of Westminster Synagogue; former Trustee of Jewish Care and current Chairman of Jewish Care’s Business Group; Trustee of the Jerusalem Foundation in the UK

Dame Lucy Neville-Rolfe CMG – former senior civil servant, including Number 10 Policy Unit; former leading Executive at Tesco Plc

Sir Stephen Sherbourne – longstanding political career in Westminster and public affairs, including former Political Secretary to the then Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher), and former Chief of Staff to the then Leader of the Opposition (Michael Howard)

Michael (Mike) Whitby – Conservative Councillor in Birmingham; former Leader of Birmingham City Council

Susan Williams – former Councillor and Leader of Trafford Council



Green party

Jenny Jones AM – member of the London Assembly; former Chair of the Green party of England and Wales and former Deputy Mayor of London



Labour party

Sir Charles Allen CBE – Non-Executive Director of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games; Chairman of Global Radio Group

Sir William Haughey OBE – prominent Scottish businessman and CEO of City Refrigeration Holdings

Alicia Kennedy – former Deputy General Secretary of the Labour party

Doreen Lawrence OBE – campaigner for justice, race equality and better policing

Jonathan (Jon) Mendelsohn – business advisor and co-founder of LLM Communications



Liberal Democrat party

Catherine (Cathy) Mary Bakewell MBE – former leader of Somerset County Council

Rosalind (Olly) Grender MBE – former Director of Communications for Shelter; former Director of Communications for the Liberal Democrats

Christine Mary Humphreys – President of the Welsh Liberal Democrats; former Member of the National Assembly for Wales

Zahida Manzoor CBE – former Legal Services Ombudsman; former Deputy Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality

Brian Paddick – former Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service

James Palumbo – co-founder and chairman of Ministry of Sound Group, the international music and entertainment business

Jeremy Purvis – former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

Alison Suttie – former Press Secretary to the President of the European Parliament; former Deputy Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg and Election Manager for the 2010 General Election

Rumi Verjee CBE – entrepreneur and philanthropist

Sir Ian Wrigglesworth – Liberal Democrat Treasurer; former MP for Teeside Thornaby and for Stockton South