POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

Funnily enough I couldn't care less about what they are doing in the Westminster Village. My attention is focussed on more important matters, they call it real life..... There may be a lesson in here somewhere for our leaders. I always remember Harold Wilson dismissing unemployment figures saying "If a man is unemployed, it's 100%" That's the effect of real life.....

[plaques]

Much against my better nature I've just read today's business article from the Telegraph Link. where one of its talking heads is chastising the Bank of England for thinking about cutting the interest rate later this year. After several column inches of smokescreen waffle he totally fails to see that the real problem is the austerity programme that has been foisted on us. Until our Government along with the EU Central Bank takes on a more expansionist policy through investments in production our GDP will continue to flatline. These people couldn't run a corner shop never mind a country.

[Stanley]

You are absolutely right (as usual!) and you have put your finger on the major factor. It's just blind stubbornness that's stopping this being done.
At least we haven't got Trump and his stupidity. he is saying that if Hilary Clinton is against guns she should disarm her close protection team. I always said this campaign would get dirty! (LINK)
Later. Martha has sent me a free online subscription to the New York Times so I can follow the election. It lasts until December.....

[Stanley]

I am so pissed off with the disloyal Labour Party MPs and the old dinosaurs who are still attacking Jeremy. I suspect because they believe that there is going to be a landslide from the membership in his favour. The anti Corbyn faction are in complete denial. They refuse to recognise that what is driving them is self-interest. I said from the beginning that the root of this problem was the fact that power in the PLP is being transferred from the MPs to the membership. None of the rebels has acknowledged this. Jeremy has been completely open and inclusive, all right there is the matter of de selection hanging over the rebels but what did they expect? They have gagged the local parties by ordering them not to hold meetings in an attempt to de-franchise them and I suspect this is going to backfire on them. This is all the same disease as is affecting the Tories, self-interest trumps the wishes of the electorate.
I have said all along that I do not agree with everything Jeremy does or believes but fully support his honesty and his efforts to give the membership a voice. Getting back into power is not the issue, the internal workings of the Party have to be sorted first and I hope he is successful.

[plaques]

You will have noticed from reading Stiglitz that he comments that economists never admit they have been wrong. This would mean that the position and theories they have been pushing possibly all their lifetime have been wrong. Often they will try to re-frame the question or pull out some obscure fact which leans towards their theories. Stiglitz also goes on to say that politicians are no different in this respect. Expect more of the old dinosaurs to come out trying to defend their discredited positions.

[Stanley]

When will they learn P, they are yesterday's men!

[Stanley]

I see T May is at the UN doing her schoolmarm bit on migration. I seem to remember forecasting that it was increasing exponentially and would get much worse as the stresses of war and climate change hit the world. From reports she is putting a few hackles up and certainly doing nothing to support Merkel who is heading for trouble. It seems to me she is under the delusion that she is the Elected Leader of a 'Great Power', both illusions. Meanwhile the Ship of State has large holes in the bottom and nobody is even bailing, let alone plugging the leaks. Army, Police, Local Authorities and public services, particularly the NHS are flagging up crisis conditions and nothing concrete is going on. Even the fly-tippers are having a field day. I despair of what is laughingly described as 'governance'. Brexit is looking like a disaster.
Or am I being too pessimistic.....?

[Stanley]

Getting close to a result in the Labour leadership election. Polls are closed and we will know on Saturday. I listened to Jeremy Corbyn doing an interview and was struck by how sensible he had been in not responding to the personal attacks on him.

[Stanley]

I don't know who is to blame for Syria.... But one thing is certain, evil men are causing untold pain and grief and it appals me. Meanwhile the 'statesmen' posture. Noticeable that there are no women amongst the culprits.....
Later. Reading local news I note our MP Stephenson was at the opening of the Food Festival for the photo opportunity. Did he attend the opening of any food banks?

[Stanley]

The only political matter on my mind at the moment is the Labour leadership vote result and its consequences....

[PanBiker]

Just got the news over here that Jeremy has been reelected with 62% of the vote. Now maybe we can get on with some policy. Make or break time for the dissenter's.

[plaques]

The ‘confidence fairy’ has been dragged screaming and kicking back into the limelight. Such an exposure so early on in Theresa May’s premiership may be seen as a bit premature. Normally the fairy only appears when industry is firing on all cylinders and the economy is in full flight. Somehow the government, through the rightwing papers, feel that the time is right for a bit fairy mania. Admittedly any green shoots are going to suffer under the winter clouds of the ‘Brexit’ but now that the arch villain Corbyn has increased his majority in the leadership contest its any port in a storm. Well what can we boast about?
Mark Carney at the BOE has done an excellent job in staving off a complete economic collapse with more tools left in his tool box. eg: reduce interest rates down to 0.1% which should make all ordinary savers absolutely ecstatic.
In the latest survey of business confidence 11% (nearly 50 firms within the survey) are more confident than last time. This is mainly due to the fall in the value of the £ which is making current exports competitive but will soon impact on raw material and imported goods. Grab the good news while you can.
There are more people in work than ever before. (don’t mention zero hours contracts).
So all we need to get the economy swinging is for all those who have been stashing their money away under the bed in the expectation of hard times to go out and spend it. Shopkeepers to restock their shelves with new orders. Manufactures to make the goods to fill these shelves and invest in new more efficient machinery. Councils to spend their reserves in replacing the services they have cut and employ more people who will spend their money etc etc..

The term “Confidence Fairy” was first used by Paul Krugman the American Nobel prize winning economist. Actually he said there was no such thing as a confidence fairy.

[Stanley]

Lovely post P, says it all and I love Paul Krugman as well.... I have been noting the 'confidence indices' also and as you imply, it's a very old story which to say the least, is wearing a bit thin. The backlog of the true picture based on fact is horrendous and they know it. Add the 'Cameron Effect' of tripping over all the cans kicked down the road and it is not an inspiring picture.
I was delighted to hear that Jeremy had increased his majority and reflected that if we had all been allowed to vote it would have been even higher. He does exactly the right thing when he 'wipes the slate clean' and appeals for unity and a concerted effort to fight the government but I can't help remembering the gagged local committees who I assume are now able to meet and voice their opinions. I noted the glum faces of the rebels at the announcement. The arrow they shot at Jeremy has turned out to be a boomerang and now, despite all the fine words, they will have to suffer the consequences. Even the ones who resile and come back on board in the scramble for jobs are irrecoverably stained by by participation in the revolt, the hard liners face a bleak future as many of the local associations will be baying for blood.
The crisis in the party is not over until we see whether the hard-liners go for a split and an alternative party. If they do they will fail but in the process give aid and succour to the Tories who will be able to continue the attack on 'Split Labour'. I wish Jeremy all the luck in the world. I want to see him succeed and establish the right to power of the electorate because that was what this was all about, the MPs trying to hold on to their power over the party by opposing the clear mandate of the members. It's going to be interesting...... My money is on Corbyn succeeding...
An afterthought, what if Jeremy was to ask all the MPs to make clear their support for his efforts to rebuild the Party? I heard the other day that the Labour membership is the biggest in Europe, a powerful weapon and a sign of the times. We may even see the strange sight of the wider electorate realising that they have the ultimate power. If so, high time!

[Tizer]

Confidence fairies...On the Saturday that I left for holiday there was a big article in The Times business section canvassing the views of those who work in the London financial firms. Most of them are not only lacking confidence in the future but are scared that it's going to go very badly wrong. Ironically they feel that way because, superficially, things look so good. The markets are pricing companies very high and yet the man on the Clapham omnibus is losing out dramatically and knows it. Those surveyed say this always ends in tears, but even more importantly they've never seen such a large disparity. We usually think of these City folk as being out of touch with us ordinary beings but at present they seem to be far more aware of the real world dangers than are the politicians. Hard hat time!

On the Saturday evening that I returned from holiday I put the TV news on and there was that chap Jeremy Corbyn looking happy. What was he doing on the news? I'd forgotten about the Labour leadership election! I'm very pleased that the vote was heavily one way rather than it being a close run result and I'm pleased for those who want him to be the Labour leader. Although I'm not a supporter of any political party (except at that moment when I tick my general election voting slip) I'm glad Corbyn has won this race. In my simple view of things he is true Labour; the other lot are as different from Labour as they are from the Tories. If they want to be different then they need to start a new party to fit their beliefs (and not use the word Labour in its title). But that doesn't mean I think Corbyn's Labour will be successful. We'll have to wait and see how it all pans out.

I must drop in one negative note. Corbyn has won - but only by defeating an almost unknown opponent. Which reminds me of a story told last week by a British journalist interviewing Republican supporters in a mid-west US state. He finished his article by quoting one of them saying: "God help us if Trump is the best we can do". I guess some `New Labour' (as it was) supporters here might be feeling the same about Owen Smith. But when it comes to thinking about a possible future Labour PM perhaps even some Old Labour supporters here might think the same of Corbyn.

[Stanley]

Good post Tiz and I agree with you. My gut feeling is that you have got consequences of Brexit exactly right. See today's news for the chairman of Barclays reinforcing your point.
Corbyn. Politics is a funny old game but there is a chance of change now to 'Proper Labour'. I wait and hope.

[Stanley]

I like the rhetoric that is coming out of the Labour Conference. It remains to be seen whether it can be translated into policy. The rebels are still on the attack and the Tory press are vitriolic as usual. I still believe the Right ids frightened of the new Socialist undercurrents in Labour. They make so much sense and evidently chime with the preferences of the majority of members. I watch with interest......
Theresa May keeps very quiet..... all is not well at the head of the Tory Party.

[Tizer]

There's a lot of analysis of the Trump-Clinton TV programme today. Something that strikes me about the whole issue but doesn't seem to get much attention from the news media or commentators is the fact that so many millions of people in the USA seem to think that it's OK to be a loud-mouthed racist liar. It's shocking that so many think he should be President of one of the biggest and most important nations. That should be worrying us more than the fact of Trump himself. Not least because the UK seems to be heading in a similar direction.

[Tripps]

I have just seen extracts from he debate. Are these two really the best the USA can do? I think Trump said he was 'smart' by not paying any federal income tax, and Hilary described sending thousands of emails including many security classified ones, in private, rather than over the government system as a 'mistake' .

I sometimes apply a test to situations - 'what would happen if everyone did it'.
Not to be taken literally - just as a guide.

[Stanley]

two perceptive posts. Many of the commentators I have heard have raised the same point as Tiz. Worrying.....

[Tripps]

Today's High Court case of Junior Doctors versus Jeremy Hunt, is rather like an episode of Yes Minister. Another case of 'start with the result you want (Minister without fault), and work your way backwards to achieve it'.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would "impose" the new (rejected) contract on the junior doctors. The doctors said he could not do so - it was 'ultra vires' - beyond his legal power, and authority, so they took him to court.

The headlines today, say that Hunt won, and was deemed to have done nothing wrong. However it was revealed by the doctors' side, that by 'legal acrobatics' in the last few days he had changed his stance, completely, and was no longer 'imposing' - just recommending and advising the adoption of the new contract. He had not, and moreover never had any intention to impose, (I've just seen a film clip of him doing exactly that). The judge went as far as to say that everyone understood that was, and always had been the case.

I was going to say you couldn't make it up, but then George Orwell did so in his book 1984. No doubt Winston Smith will make the necessary adjustment to any records, though that could be a big task.

The doctors now say that despite 'losing' - in fact they have won; in that the imposition of the new contract has been stopped. However it appears that the individual Health Trusts can still 'impose' the contract if they wish. It remains to be seen how many of them will actually do so.

So everyone's a winner.

[plaques]

Certainly the Ministry of Truth strikes again. The interview conducted by Jon Snow clearly records the climb down. "Jon Snow grills Jeremy Hunt over humiliating junior doctors' contract climbdown" Link. Hunt initially 'IMPOSED' the contract and then backed down to a recommendation. It was only after five strikes that he changed his stance. I doubt whether normal people would consider the latest recommendation as 'always' being the case.

[Stanley]

I missed the trial. As David says sounds like a typical defence by obfuscation. Politicians have degrees in this these days! On a very basic level, I wouldn't trust Hunt as far as I could throw him. What I still don't understand is the root of the matter, is it simply to reduce wages paid to staff or is there a deeper and more sinister agenda?
I always remember a friend who I admired who was an advocate of promoting people beyond what seemed to be their ability, he reckoned that in most cases they rose to the challenge. That crossed my mind when I listened to the clips from Jeremy's Conference speech. He is a different man and gives every indication that he is stepping up to the plate.

[Stanley]

I heard a very disturbing interview this morning with a spokesman for the survivors in the child sexual abuse enquiry which has hit the buffers yet again. He directly accused the government of setting up such a large and wide ranging enquiry, he says it was designed to fail He said the reason is that the Home Office and other departments are culpable and want the enquiry to fail. See THIS

[Stanley]

The Brexiteers are still in full flow using specious arguments based on pious hopes and aspirations. I listened to Liam Fox, another man I don't trust.....
More bad news from the CSA enquiry, another senior lawyer has resigned. Theresa may says the new chair has 'Her complete confidence'. Phrases like 'poison chalice' and 'Kiss of death' spring to mind. I begin to think that there may be some truth in the allegations made by the survivors, that the project was designed to fail. If so they may have succeeded. It begins to look like a shambles and a busted flush. I don't normally go for conspiracy theories but this one is looking credible. Either that or this government couldn't run a booze-up in a brewery. Take your pick!

[Stanley]

One of the survivor's representatives attended a meeting yesterday and reported afterwards that he had been assured that the work of the IICSA inquiry would carry on unchanged. I hope so!
News also of some easing of the regime of reassessments for people on long term Sick Benefit. About time! Thinking further about it, I think these announcements are triggered by Jeremy's conference speech and the recognition that Labour's message to the country is that they are going to fight for improvements like these. The Tories need to move to counter this attractive proposition. Watch out for more of the same. Corbyn could be influencing the government already, remember that they now have a greater number of signed up members than any other party in Europe. Far from the 'Labour Threat' receding because of internal strife it is advancing!