Austerity is not working.
Growth is at a standstill, forget the comforting notion that we have avoided a triple-dip ... if you take London out of the picture, the country is still in deep recession.

Where are your plans for growth Miliband?
If you have any, we aren't seeing them.
That's the big essential ... where is it ?

Frankly, presenting yourselves as "as $h1t as the Tories", won't get votes.

On the plus side, he is making the right noises about reducing the cost of housing benefit without punishing the recipients of it ... and reducing the cost of tax credits by making employers pay a living wage.

The Tories have made themselves virtually unelectable, so what do we see? Labour painting themselves blue.
Utterly crazy.

Neo-liberalism is the orthodoxy and none of the three main parties appear to even realise that anything else exists.

I mentioned it before – so many of them studying exactly the same PPE course at exactly the same place, Oxford. It's one factor behind the total lack of ideas beyond the aforementioned orthodoxy.

Quote: rover49 "Just got back from visiting my mate and he has told me what has gone on and it seems that all they are trying to do is get people off benefits, no matter what. He told me that he sent them information via a web site and then was given an appointment to go for his assessment. When he arrived he was told to wait in a seating area and was kept waiting for nearly an hour in view of the reception. When he was called in he had to walk up a corridor, up a set of stairs and along another corridor. During the assessment he was told that he had answered four of the queries already, namely he could use a computer, site for up to an hour, walk the minimum distance required and climb a flight of stairs. He was given a pen to fill a questionnaire out which proved he could use his hands. He needed 15 points to keep his benefit and was given a score of 'zero' and told his benefits would stop. Being a fiesty 2@, he asked what jobs he could do and if they could get him a placement in a workplace environment, but was told it was nothing to do with them, they just assessed to a set criteria and he could appeal if he wished. He has asked me to be a referee on his behalf as I have known him since he was in his twenties and to give evidence as to his deterioration over the recent years, but he was told not to hold out much hope as the decision is unlikely to be reversed. He is willing to work (in fact would love to), but an assessment of an hour does not set the full story of his situation, I have been to see him on days he has not been able to get out of bed and is high on pain killers, like most people in his situation he has good and bad days and I doubt many employers would put up with the likely levels of time off he will need over a prolonged period. Tory Britain 2013.'" Tell him to appeal. Ask him to request his medical assesment and see what exactly he scored zero points on. What you say above is not dissimilar to what I said previously, that they are watching you from the very second you enter the premises. There is a website called Benefits and Work (www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/) which have some great information. I think its £10 registration fee but they have all the information (and how to phrase things on forms) on appeals, tribunals etc, its well worth it for your friend. He has to gather all medical evidence right now, start pestering his GP, Consultant etc and send it with the appeal within 28 days. Tell him not to give up, thats what they are hoping he will do.

Quote: rover49 "Just got back from visiting my mate and he has told me what has gone on and it seems that all they are trying to do is get people off benefits, no matter what. He told me that he sent them information via a web site and then was given an appointment to go for his assessment. When he arrived he was told to wait in a seating area and was kept waiting for nearly an hour in view of the reception. When he was called in he had to walk up a corridor, up a set of stairs and along another corridor. During the assessment he was told that he had answered four of the queries already, namely he could use a computer, site for up to an hour, walk the minimum distance required and climb a flight of stairs. He was given a pen to fill a questionnaire out which proved he could use his hands. He needed 15 points to keep his benefit and was given a score of 'zero' and told his benefits would stop. Being a fiesty 2@, he asked what jobs he could do and if they could get him a placement in a workplace environment, but was told it was nothing to do with them, they just assessed to a set criteria and he could appeal if he wished. He has asked me to be a referee on his behalf as I have known him since he was in his twenties and to give evidence as to his deterioration over the recent years, but he was told not to hold out much hope as the decision is unlikely to be reversed. He is willing to work (in fact would love to), but an assessment of an hour does not set the full story of his situation, I have been to see him on days he has not been able to get out of bed and is high on pain killers, like most people in his situation he has good and bad days and I doubt many employers would put up with the likely levels of time off he will need over a prolonged period. Tory Britain 2013.'" Tell him to appeal. Ask him to request his medical assesment and see what exactly he scored zero points on. What you say above is not dissimilar to what I said previously, that they are watching you from the very second you enter the premises. There is a website called Benefits and Work (www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/) which have some great information. I think its £10 registration fee but they have all the information (and how to phrase things on forms) on appeals, tribunals etc, its well worth it for your friend. He has to gather all medical evidence right now, start pestering his GP, Consultant etc and send it with the appeal within 28 days. Tell him not to give up, thats what they are hoping he will do.

I was a little surprised to hear Lord Oakeshot on QT last night, criticising all three main parties for not considering building council houses. He called for a massive programme of building for the rented sector, claiming it was such a programme that provided the stimulus to re-start the economy post-WW2. The rents could be set at levels that would require virtually no housing benefit. He was also adamant that there were £billions waiting to be invested in such a scheme

I've come to the conclusion that organising society like in Logan's Run is the only solution. Right, who's first?

He's right about the stimulus ... not sure about the billions.
But even the IMF reckon that the UK could borrow 10bn for growth with little impact ... but oooh no, borrowing is what got us into this mess (total , the banks got us where we are) and we mustn't borrow ... ever.

Not only will it not gain them any votes, it'll lose them plenty. I fully intended to vote Labour at the next election (in a lesser of two evils/anyone but the Tories sort of way), but after yesterday's speech I see little point. I find the whole state of British politics thoroughly depressing. Would that someone would provide a real, viable alternative to the two main parties.

A mere challenge to the narrow orthodoxy would be a start.

In which case, what happens if everyone who says and believes this actually votes Green, say?

That's similar to what people said at the last election about the Lib Dems

The aim then, I think, being electoral reform.

Looking at their policies, though, would you really see the Greens clambering into bed with the Tories?

On the other hand, they might, if they had a big leap forward, be able to form a coalition with Labour. Which would be interesting.

A slight move away from the core subject (skipping the usual teacher training process, which rather makes a mockery of claims it's not tough enough).

ButMorning Star[/i lobby correspondent at the time observed that Twigg was more right-wing than his predecessor. Looking at the situation we're currently in, it's not difficulty to see the truth of that, and more widely than Mike was describing at the time.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22801980 "Bedroom tax' failing, says housing associations' report"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22801980 "Bedroom tax' failing, says housing associations' report"

But we wouldn't be borrowing anything at all , we'd be selling things, government bonds to be exact. 50-99 year bonds at 3% to cover the cost of construction, suitable land is already owned by central and local government. If there's not enough available, then we simply allow local government to purchase agricultural land, give itself planning permission and flog half off to private developers, that should cover the construction of the council houses.

The means are there, it's only the political will that's absent

From a personal perspective, I felt (at that point) that the LDs did offer something slightly different, as well as the above, to the other 2 main parties. At the end of the day though, many people apparently didn't follow through on the opinion poll thoughts and we all know what happened. Sell out city. Unfortunately, schmucko supremo here fell for it 2.78125:5