Interesting News Snippets

Ditto for the Left – Guardian, Independent, New Stateman and the Times. Should all be closed. They offer no useful purpose other than for fish and chips.

I cannot see that quoting reams from an ardently right wing pro Tory publication achieves much other than to reinforce your own opinion.

It was in the Torygraph, ’nuff said.

sorry couldn’t resist

Interesting to to read that this correspondent’s experience of IDS is contrary to the standard media wailings. My italics.

SIR – Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation as Work and Pensions Secretary is regrettable.
During my time as a teacher in Ealing, I attended a talk that he gave to sixth formers. He spoke about a range of political and social topics in an articulate and authoritative manner; but what struck me and others was his obvious compassion. It is therefore not surprising that he has resigned over the prospect of disabled claimants being penalised by benefit cuts.
However, it is a shame that he did not feel that he could remain in office in order to fight the Chancellor for the money to retain those benefits which he deems fair. George Osborne is right to control spending, but not at the expense of those in significant need.
Robin Nonhebel
Swanage, Dorset

Three cheers, Eddie! Remiscent of Ranulf Fiennes seven marathons in seven days on seven continents at the age of 61 in 2003. And I think Eddie ran 10 in 10 days a few years ago, didn’t he?

Well done Eddie Izzard.

He has amazing grit and determination and it is a fantastic achievement to raise so much money. A double marathon on the last day to complete the challenge of running 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35856814

Trek – I certainly was not attempting to place IDS in any league of equivalence , moral or intellectual.

Rather than enjoying the machinations I am finding them all,from all sides, increasingly wearisome.

“enjoying the spectacle of the in-fighting, spin and counter spin…”

That’s an area of excellence for Labour. They should make the most of it, they haven’t got (m)any. Come back Mandy and Andy – your hour still hasn’t arrived.

If the New Statesman called me ‘not very clever’ I’d include that on my CV. I’d then qualify for a job in JC’s shadow cabinet !

No doubt about it.

I must admit to quoting reams as you put it to provide some balance to the rightwing articles so often espoused as being “good” or “excellent” here to reinforce their own opinions as you accuse me of doing.

If you notice I did acknowledge , perhaps too tongue in cheeck to be immediately obvious, it may be a tad biased-it is an alternative view after all.

I still think , in my opinion if you want to labour the point, that suggesting IDS is in the same league as the “fine men” you quote is inappropriate to say the least. He is , again in my opinion, intellectually and morally a pygmy compared to those you have mentioned quite rightly as ones with vision. And BTW I don’t disagree with some elements of your position.

I will also admit to enjoying the spectacle of the infighting, spin and counter spin in evidence in all shades of the media today.

I cannot see that quoting reams from an ardently left wing anti Tory magazine achieves much other than to reinforce your own opinion.

I am simply expressing my opinion based on what he and others of a similar philosophy have been trying to do against insuperable odds.

Those fine men who established the great post-war reforms would be appalled to see how much state dependency has grown. It was certainly not what they intended nor could have expected. It takes political courage to fight against the odds and it is depressing to see the antipathy from both left and right, engendered.

I beg to differ re: IDS and his caring nature

I give you this incident as a primary example of his self satistfied attitude
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Another interesting take this morning on the situation from the New Statesman regarding his espousal that the Tories spend more on the disabled so are therefore more caring

This is the Secretary of State who has wasted so much money on failed policies that the government is able to claim – entirely truthfully – that the money being spent on disabled people has gone up, even though not a single penny has gone to disabled people while countless billions have been lavished on IT systems that don’t work and a benefit reform that will never be implemented.

This is the man who as leader of the Conservative party mistook a spoof poster – “It rains less under a Conservative government” – for the real thing, happily posing underneath it. This is the man who Osborne described as “not clever enough” after watching him present on his welfare reforms in the last government. This is the man who, despite having been the longest-serving Secretary of State at the Department for Welfare and Pensions, leaves it having implemented nothing and done nothing.

I am sure others may say this is not entirely unbiased, but there are elements of truth there regarding Universal Credit

As exciting as it would be for people like me, Iain Duncan Smith simply isn’t clever enough to have thought this many moves ahead. This is the man who is the chief architect of the universal credit, which was supposed to have been rolled out in October 2013, and in March 2016 has been rolled out to the grand total of 141,100 people – and by “people”, I mean “single men without dependents”, the only group whose claims are simple enough to be processed on the universal credit.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/welfare/2016/03/think-iain-duncan-smiths-resignation-masterstroke-sadly-hes-not-clever

I am quite sure IDS’ resignation is political as suggested above. I am, however, equally certain that IDS together with Frank Field are two of a very small minority of MPs who not only care about the disadvantaged but have struggled to emulate Beveridge’s aspirations in the approach and reality of social care in all its manifestations.

The last labour government was not interested and Frank Field was sacked by Blair for trying.

Scotland’s airshows seem to be going ahead. Both of them!

Re: IDS.
Just seen this on another forum
Sounds plausible knowing the personalities involved:

The cynic in me thinks IDS is resigning solely to damage Osbourne and the “In” campaign re Brexit. By kicking Osbourne and Cameron right now he’s helping Brexit, a cause he is championing and nailing his colours to Boris’ mast as he’s next in line if they pull off Brexit.

I honestly don’t believe IDS gives a toss about the disabled.

Yes, the tories of course!!!!!!

It was the international bankers who got us into the morass BTW, just in case your memory is failing.
Gideon is doing his level best to send us back into the abyss with his incompetence and policies directed at his personal gain ( politically).

As the director of the Institute of Economic affairs said in the Torygraph today:

Yesterday’s Budget was a three-out-of-ten Budget in an era of one-out-of-ten Budgets…….but not this Chancellor who always puts politics before the needs of the economy.

What will his legacy be?
Here is one opinion
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/budget-2016-unjust-and-economically-illiterate-is-that-the-legacy-george-osborne-wants-a6938001.html

Yeah, so right ! I seem to recall that Labour’s spend, spend, spend policies got us into this morass in the first place.

So, the disadvantaged know whom to blame !

I opened a beer in celebration.:very_drunk:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35848687

If the cuts were too much even for him, God help the disadvantaged in Today’s Tory Britain

Nicola Sturgeon reveals the SNP will start pushing for ANOTHER independence referendum this summer…

The SNP said that the last indyref was a ‘once in a generation’ event. Are they conceding now that the average life expectancy in Scotland is **** poor?

The cynic in me thinks they are simply clutching at straws, and trying to stir up another highly emotive show of faith from supporters, rather than draw attention to their consistently rubbish track record with the powers already devolved, and their pussyfooting austerity-lite approach to Scotland’s economy.

I agree. I read that piece by David Owen. I don’t want to be too controversial but, is Angela Merkel still in possession of all her faculties ?

She is disastrous. She appears to make EU policy on the hoof. ‘Knee jerk’ doesn’t adequately describe this person. I’m more than a little surprised that she hasn’t opened what remains of the EU’s borders to admit 80,000,000 Turks ? What is holding her back ?

Thought this piece was very well argued.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12196086/The-EU-deal-with-Turkey-is-fraught-with-dangers.html