YouGov/Sun – CON 32, LAB 38, LD 10, UKIP 13

Jun. 20th, 2013 10:59 am
[syndicated profile] uk_polling_report_feed

Posted by Anthony Wells

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PollingReport/~3/iGoRxVXvVO0/7679

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/?p=7679

This morning’s YouGov poll for the Sun had topline figures of CON 32%, LAB 38%, LDEM 10%, UKIP 13%. The six point Labour lead is their lowest from YouGov since the local elections (and equals the lowest this year – YouGov had a six point Labour lead and the beginning of May and a couple in January). As ever, don’t get too excited over a single poll, but it is in line with Labour’s average lead with YouGov now being in the high single figures. Full tabs are here.

Also out yesterday was some polling of Conservative party members for Tim Bale and Paul Webb. The results yesterday just covered approval and attitudes towards the European Union. As things stand Conservative party members are overwhelmingly in favour of withdrawal from the European Union, by 71% to 20%. However, asked how they would vote if David Cameron secured renegotiation and recommended people vote to stay in, 54% would vote to stay, 38% to leave.

I’d take two things away from that. The first is that many Conservative party members are still open to persuasion – if Cameron managed to renegotiate Britain’s membership in some way they could be persuaded to back him (though of course, it would very much depend on what Cameron managed to secure). The second is that many others aren’t, even in the scenario of Cameron’s successfully renegotiating powers (and that itself is a serious challenge), 4 in 10 of Conservative members would not vote with him in a referendum. If a referendum does ever happen, and if the Conservative leadership are campaigning to stay in, it really is going to open up a gulf between the leadership and some party members. Full tabs are here.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PollingReport/~3/iGoRxVXvVO0/7679

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/?p=7679

  • Bookmark
  • Share
andrewducker: (Default)

Interesting Links for 20-06-2013

Jun. 20th, 2013 12:00 pm
[personal profile] andrewducker
Tags:
  • Bookmark
  • Share
watervole: (Default)

The effect of carbon taxation in British Columbia

Jun. 20th, 2013 11:48 am
[personal profile] watervole
 I forget how I came across this report, but it's an interesting read and not too lengthy.  I always thought carbon taxes made sense as the best way to tackle climate change, but the really interesting thing is that British Columbia have done it without damaging their economy.

Here's the summary
Almost all economists, and most Canadian business and environmental leaders, believe 
that a carbon price is the most cost-effective tool for reducing GHG emissions. BC’s 
carbon tax shift, though just four years old, is providing increasing evidence that they 
are right. 
Since 2008, when the tax came in, fuel use and GHG emissions in BC have dropped 
substantially – much more than in the rest of Canada. At the same time, BC’s GDP 
growth has outpaced the rest of Canada’s by a small amount, suggesting that the tax 
shift has not harmed the province’s economy. The BC government has also kept its 
promise to make the tax revenue neutral; in fact it has returned more in tax cuts (by 
over $300 million) than it has received in carbon tax revenue. 
BC took a risk in introducing the carbon tax, which was initially quite controversial. BC 
is one of the few North America states or provinces with a price on carbon – a price that 
is among the highest in the world. That risk seems to have been rewarded. BC 
households and businesses now pay the lowest income taxes in Canada, due to the tax 
shift, and use the least amount of petroleum fuels per capita of any province. BC is also 
decoupling its economic growth from fuel consumption (and GHG emissions) faster than 
the rest of Canada. In other words, it is building a greener economy – which should 
position it well for future success in global markets. It will also help to shelter the BC 
economy from future petroleum price increases and volatility. 
Tags:
  • Bookmark
  • Share

Tristan And His Slut

Jun. 20th, 2013 09:40 am
  • Bookmark
  • Share
supergee: (diocese)

Time travel

Jun. 20th, 2013 06:25 am
[personal profile] supergee
Charles Pierce heretically suggests that the DFH Sixties did not cause the sexual abuse that Catholic priests were committing in 1932.
Tags:
  • Bookmark
  • Share

How a Manchester co-op is getting the food revolution moving

Jun. 20th, 2013 10:39 am
[syndicated profile] guardian_northerner_feed

Posted by Ally Fogg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/jun/20/manchester-veg-people-food-co-operative

With the farming industry in crisis, a Greater Manchester food co-operative shows there are alternatives to globally industrialised agriculture

These are tough times for food producers. Last week the National Farmers Union (NFU) reported that confidence is at a 'new low' with 45% of arable farmers less confident in the prospects for their farm over the next 12 months, against only 16% more confident. In a separate, though probably related finding, the nation's wheat harvest is in crisis, with 2013 yields expected to be down 29% on last year, which were already below average.

The response of the NFU has been to rail against proposed restrictions on environmentally harmful pesticides and push for further expansion of agricultural technology and reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to protect industrial farmers.

Subsidies were high on the agenda at this week's G8 summit, perhaps unsurprisingly when OECD nations subsidise agriculture to the tune of $252bn (£163bn) per year. Questions as to whether the industrialisation and globalisation of food production are the solution, or actually a large part of the problem, were inevitably pushed to one side.

But in Greater Manchester, a group of growers and buyers are quietly demonstrating that alternative models of fresh food wholesale markets are possible. Less than two years ago, Manchester Veg People (MVP) was set up as a non-profit-distributing co-operative to bring together organic, sustainable farmers with potential customers – primarily in the restaurant and catering industries. The simple idea was to help plan and co-ordinate supply and demand of fresh fruit and vegetables, while sharing resources, knowledge and skills.

In an era when the purchasing power of major customers (notably supermarkets) has been held responsible for pushing wholesale prices down so far that some crops need to be sold for a lower price than their cost of production, the co-operative strives to make the relationship between grower and buyer one that is symbiotic and mutually supportive, rather than parasitic.

Producers, which range in size from small city market gardens to a 150-acre site, are able to agree fair prices and stable markets for their crops while buyers, including the University of Manchester catering service, are able to source ingredients fresh from the fields, meaning less waste and lower costs, while meeting increasing customer demand for high-quality, locally-produced, eco-friendly meals.

In their first active year, MVP enabled the sale of over £22,000 of produce. That may not sound a lot in the context of a multibillion farming industry, but considering it was delivered with minimal resources, using borrowed transport, storage and office space, it offers just a glimpse of what is possible.

To enable the scheme to grow as it could, they have now launched a crowdfunder campaign to cover costs of their own van and cold-storage, under the slogan: "Let's get the Greater Manchester food revolution moving."

The longterm vision of MVP is to help make sustainable and organic farming practices a viable business option, particularly for smaller, independent producers. Co-ordinator Katie Brandon explains: "Our model supports existing growers, who have particularly struggled over the last two growing seasons due to the unpredictable weather, but also new people into farming – by trying to make food production a viable way to make a living. This is something we desperately need in the Northwest – and across the UK. If we want more of our food produced locally and sustainably, then we need more people to grow it for us."

The dream of expanding acres of organic farms across the Northwest echoes the vision of charitable social enterprise the Kindling Trust, which helped to establish MVP (author's disclosure: I do some freelance press/PR work for the trust).

Helen Woodcock of Kindling says: "Historically, there have been very low levels of government support for small scale organic producers and the purchase prices offered by big buyers are often unrealistically low. The Manchester Veg People co-op has shown that there are viable ways of moving towards a carbon positive society that meet business needs without relying on the poverty of others or the unsustainable use of resources."

Wresting food production from the grip of multinational commerce may be an impossible dream in our current society, but MVP demonstrate that with imagination and creative drive, there are ways around at least some of the obstacles to healthier and less environmentally damaging agriculture. In the long term, the solutions to the crises in agriculture and the environment may be found not in the G8 and EU conference halls, but the fresh fields of Cheshire and Lancashire.

Ally Fogg

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/jun/20/manchester-veg-people-food-co-operative

  • Bookmark
  • Share

Google and Child Porn-Related Search Engine Traffic

Jun. 20th, 2013 09:42 am
[syndicated profile] ministry_of_truth_feed

Posted by Unity

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/2013/06/20/google-and-child-porn-related-search-engine-traffic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-and-child-porn-related-search-engine-traffic

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/?p=6007

Warning: May contain actual evidence. Three weeks ago, I published a couple of articles in the space of two days that conclusively debunked Amanda Platell's claim that it was easy to find child pornography online using nothing more than Google proving, first, that a porn video she described watching in her article was actually a legally produced commercial porn video and, second, that the female performer in the video, whom she described as being 'in her early teens' was at least 18, if not 19 years old at the time the video was made, way back in 2001. In writing those articles, I chose my words carefully in order to quietly run a little experiment. You see although I'm no SEO expert, I... Read more »

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/2013/06/20/google-and-child-porn-related-search-engine-traffic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-and-child-porn-related-search-engine-traffic

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/?p=6007

  • Bookmark
  • Share

A Thursday Interruption: :hart hands:

Jun. 20th, 2013 08:42 am
  • Bookmark
  • Share

Baroness Kate Parminter writes…We need more research and public engagement before agreeing to GM cro

Jun. 20th, 2013 09:39 am
[syndicated profile] lib_dem_voice_feed

Posted by Kate Parminter

http://www.libdemvoice.org/baroness-kate-parminter-writes-34979.html

http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=34979

The speech today by Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for the Environment makes it clear that he is intent on promoting the use of GM crops in Britain – and to do so by acting as a cheerleader for an industry which has consistently promised much over the last twenty years and yet failed to deliver.   It follows hard on the heels of that of the Science Minister, David Willetts, as the latest attempt by the Tories to go beyond the Coalition Government’s agreed policy on GM crops.

Liberal Democrats are not in principle opposed to GM, but we believe no decisions should be made without clear evidence of public acceptance of GM food.  Food is essential to all citizens and they have the right to be part of the decision-making process.  Ministers must engage with the public in a way that ensures they are well informed on the issue and listen to public views about the development and use of the technology.   There are important question marks over the technology which remain to be answered and the facts about the environmental and economic impacts must be fully understood before any decisions are made.

Claims that there is potential for greater use of GM crops to bring down food prices, deliver environmental benefits and help alleviate hunger sound tempting in the face of a global population set to expand to nine billion where the impacts of climate change and scarce land and water resources will make feeding them a tough job.

But the evidence since the so-called miracle crops were first sold in the US is one which should make British politicians pause for thought.

In the US some weeds have developed resistance to glyphosate following the widespread use of GM herbicide-tolerant crops. Studies have shown that China, Argentina and Brazil are using far more synthetic chemicals to control pests despite biotech companies saying GM-engineered crops would reduce insecticide use.  Moreover, the Labour Government’s trials back in 2004 showed that GM herbicide-tolerant crops could have impacts on biodiversity and wildlife.

It is critical to have the evidence before decisions are made, but recent studies into the effects of GM crops seem to have been quietly shelved by Mr Paterson’s department.  The House of Lords EU Sub-Committee for Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Energy enquired last November about a review that DEFRA had promised on the environmental and economic impact of current GM crops.  They were told that the work was ‘proving to be a much more involved task than was first anticipated and the work is still continuing.’  It was anticipated this would be forthcoming in March this year, but the report is still to see the light of day.

We need to have the evidence on the environmental impacts and potential for cross-pollination of other farming regimes by GM crops.  To that end the Liberal Democrats DEFRA parliamentary committee endorsed the proposal of the Environmental Audit Committee last year that the Government should set up an independent body to research, evaluate and report on the potential impacts of GM crops on the environment, farming and global food systems.  We concurred with the Committee’s view that an initial focus of such research should be on the scope for, and risks of, the co-existence of GM crops with conventional and organic farming regimes.  This would enable us to make the science based decision required.

We also believe that should GM crops be licensed in the UK there must be no taxpayer subsidy for any GM company liabilities.  In America there have been thousands of law suits against GM companies from organic farmers seeking damages for lost crops and lost profits due to cross-contamination.

Liberal Democrats believe that food is an issue which is of fundamental importance to the lives and health of all our citizens.  Decisions about it should not be made without public consent.  Up until now there has been public unease about GM foods.  A survey commissioned by the British Science Association in 2012 showed that only one quarter of British consumers were not concerned by this technology.  It is the job of a Government to act on the scientific evidence but also they have a duty to take their citizens with them.  To provide opportunities to hear the arguments – both sides – and to listen to what they say.

Strong resistance from a number of member states – notably Germany – has meant Europe has not succumbed to the siren calls for control of our food systems by giant corporations.  The announcement this week of formal negotiations on an EU/US trade deal will increase pressure to revisit the EU GM cultivation regulatory regime.  We should use the time before any decisions need to be made about growing GM crops in Europe to get the full facts and engage impartially with the public.  Mr Paterson should lay down his cheerleading pom poms and listen to what the British people say they want for their food and countryside in the future.

* Kate Parminter is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords and spokesperson on DEFRA matters

http://www.libdemvoice.org/baroness-kate-parminter-writes-34979.html

http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=34979

  • Bookmark
  • Share
supergee: (monkeys)

Roles

Jun. 20th, 2013 05:53 am
[personal profile] supergee
Republican suggests indoctrinating children about proper sex roles. Somehow fails to mention need to teach African-American children tap dancing and watermelon eating.
Tags:
  • Bookmark
  • Share

“I refute these allegations” – no, you don’t

Jun. 20th, 2013 09:03 am
[syndicated profile] lib_dem_voice_feed

Posted by Nick Thornsby

http://www.libdemvoice.org/i-refute-these-allegations-no-you-dont-34992.html

http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=34992

I blame the lawyers. It seems to be standard practice for those in the public eye accused of wrongdoing, or their lawyers, to make public statements asserting that they “refute” whatever allegations are being made.

But while they might deny them, or reject them, or dispute them, they do not “refute” them.

Here is the definition of that word:

Verb

  1. Prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove.
  2. Prove that (someone) is wrong.

As the lawyers that make these statements know, denying something is not the same as proving it to be wrong. So I urge my fellow lawyers: stop this assault on the English language. Strongly dispute, wholeheartedly reject and completely deny to your heart’s content, but please, stop your “refuting”.

* Nick Thornsby is Thursday Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs here.

http://www.libdemvoice.org/i-refute-these-allegations-no-you-dont-34992.html

http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=34992

  • Bookmark
  • Share
azurelunatic: (Queer as a) $3 bill in pink/purple/blue rainbow. (queer as a three dollar bill)

To do!

Jun. 20th, 2013 02:22 am
[personal profile] azurelunatic
Good morning, Rev. Lunatic!

Yes, I know it's a horrible hour to be awake, but there's a meeting at work.

If you have time, you may elect to refill the car on the way, instead of on the way home, but only if you have time.

There will be breakfast at the meeting, so there is no need to eat anything now. You do have fruits, however; I recommend rinsing those and bringing them along, because a Lunatic without fruits is a cranky Lunatic.

You have a desk lamp in the back seat of your car. This desk lamp is for your desk at work. Try not to forget it.

You are allowed to bring craft supplies today if you want to, on account of a supreme court decision is expected tomorrow and you want to have the option of being Fucking Sparkly. The best time for these sorts of shenanigans is lunch, for the record. The paper bag near the work bag is all ready to grab.

Please take out the garbage. I know the bag isn't even close to full, but it isn't even close to full of dead leftovers with onions and an empty carton of half-and-half. You will regret it if you do not. This is not a threat, it is a promise.

Don't forget to reboot your phone, lest it reboot itself at an inopportune moment.

Yes, the purple scarf with the sparkly bits is gorgeous, but it clashes with a) the rainbow scarf, b) the turquoise scarf, c) the other purple scarf, and c) the other-turquoise fascinator. I THINK YOU HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY COLORFUL ALREADY, REVEREND. (Not to mention d) the hot-pink boa. Which is sufficiently forthright a color that it finds mention irrelevant.)

Okay, paper bag's now in the Big Blue Bag. Foam core and poster paper are in the Big Blue Bag. I don't think this is the sort of thing that's going to need candles, but if we change our mind in the morning the candle bag is in the activist bin in the closet. Lighter's in purse as always.

godspeed.
Tags:
  • Bookmark
  • Share

Willie Rennie's latest e-newsletter: Courts, Pars, a fair deal for tenants and a day with health pro

Jun. 20th, 2013 09:06 am
[syndicated profile] carons_musings_feed

http://carons-musings.blogspot.com/2013/06/willie-rennies-latest-e-newsletter.html

Willie Rennie as MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife sends out a regular e-newsletter to his constituents. A copy has fallen into my inbox. If you would like to subscribe to it, email willie.rennie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk. 

eNews from Willie Rennie MSP
Thanks for reading the latest edition of my eNewsletter designed to keep you informed about my activities on your behalf.  If you have any views on the subjects raised pleased don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Cupar Sherriff Court
I am frustrated that the SNP Government has secured the support of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee to close Cupar Sherriff Court and nine other courts across Scotland.  Despite considerable opposition from local people the Committee, including local SNP MSP Rod Campbell, backed the plans.  Rod Campbell said it would have been an "abuse" of his position to vote to stand up for local constituents and save the court.  Together with Councillor Margaret Kennedy and MP Ming Campbell, I was opposed to the closure because of the economic impact on the town, access to local justice and the money wasted by moving the police station next to the court.  I pressed the First Minister in Parliament but he refused to back the courts.

Opencast coal
I have been working to deal with the consequences of the collapse of coal mining companies in Fife.  ATH and Scottish Coal collapsed last month leaving local communities, the council and government to deal with the environmental legacy with polluted water and barren land. Sites at Kelty, Crossgates and Oakley are causing particular concern.  I am a member if the Scottish Government's Coal Taskforce, have met Energy Minister Fergus Ewing and Fife Council Leader Alex Rowley. I am opposed to the proposal to introduce a 'pay as you extract' restoration scheme as a replacement for bonds as this could cause even greater problems if companies were to subsequently fold.  If you have concerns about your local opencast please get in touch. 

Police Authority Chief Executive
The Chief Executive of the new Scottish Police Authority has resigned after only months in the job causing concern that problems at the troubled organisation have not been resolved despite Scottish Government assurances.  I quizzed the First Minister on whether his Government had covered up the resignation, submitted in February, in order to conceal more serious problems.  As a result the organisation has had insufficient time to recruit a new permanent Chief Executive and are now recruiting another interim Chief.  The authority, responsible for holding Police Scotland to account for the service it delivers, will have had three Chiefs in its first year.  I will continue to press for answers.

Rethinking renting
Shelter Scotland's campaign for greater security for private tenants came to St. Andrews recently.  I am backing the campaign as it protects tenants from poor landlords who can ask them to leave the property at very short notice without good reason.  To join the campaign check out the Rethink Renting website.

West Fife Show
Farmers and visitors to the West Fife Show at Kelty were keen to update me on issues facing the rural community.

A day with health professionals
I spent the day with health professionals in Dunfermline and Dalgety Bay to get a better understanding of their work.  I spent the morning with the PACT and Hospital at Home team at Queen Margaret Hospital.  This included Care at Home, Community Rehab, and physiotherapy personnel who are tasked with supporting patients in the community who would otherwise be in hospital.  This relieves pressure on the hospital and keeps people at home where they often prefer to be.  In the afternoon I met the Learning Disability Service at Lynebank Hospital whom I quizzed about their work and explored the issues of delayed discharge and integrated health and social care. Finally, I met the Public Health Nursing Team at Dalgety Bay Clinic to see the wide range of services they provide including immunisation and maternity support.

Dunfermline Athletic Football Club
I lent my support to the campaign to buy Dunfermline football club.  After the large group of supporters successfully raised thousands of pounds to save the club they are now embarking on phase two of the campaign - this time to buy the club.  You can make your personal contribution at the Buy the Pars website. 

http://carons-musings.blogspot.com/2013/06/willie-rennies-latest-e-newsletter.html

  • Bookmark
  • Share

Have left-wing protests become too broad to be meaningful?

Jun. 20th, 2013 08:55 am
[syndicated profile] liberal_conspiracy_feed

Posted by Guest

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2013/06/20/have-left-wing-protests-become-too-broad-to-be-meaningful/

http://liberalconspiracy.org/?p=37720

by Michael Jefferies

Many will have seen the spectacular photos documenting the recent protests in Brazil. The streets were full, block after block with people standing shoulder to shoulder – an impressive show of people-power by any measure.

Striking was the near invisibility of political parties and single issue pressure groups. In fact, there have been reports of the crowd shouting down fellow protestors that tried to raise political flags and emblems.

Contrast this with the G8 protests in Northern Ireland this weekend were we saw the full cacophony of the ‘usual suspects’ joined by more novel entrants. Nearly everyone has some sort of visible affiliation: Amnesty, Unison, anarchist groups, a spread of communist/socialist organisations, the County Sovereignty Movement, Free Palestine – the list goes on.

Notwithstanding the time, money, sweat and inconvenience that the G8 protestors endured – the strategic utility of their efforts was close to zero – mirroring the unity in their demands.

In Turkey, unity seems a little better. Turkey’s crisis of liberalism elevated a narrow-interest protest to a national, popular movement. Examining pictures (and with the caveat that I can’t speak Turkish), the presence of political organisations is by the G8 standards minimal (with the exception of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP)).

Perception matters. It determines who will join a protest and it heavily influences the narrative that may result in the political change that protestors would like to see.

Should the presence of the TKP be perceived to rise, I fear moderate liberals – the majority of the protestors – will fail in their fight against illiberal democracy.

Increasingly, successful street protesting requires unity and harnessing the masses. Without mass support, street protests are easy to ignore, before being in practice curtailed as they encroach on the activities of wider society.

Small disruptive protests may gain publicity and represent tactical victories – but only on minor issues do they translate into strategic success.

Maintaining broad, united support requires marching for specific, realistically attainable objectives that are widely supported.

It’s essential that the protest remains open, non-partisan with a mutual expectation that people check their other grievances and ideological axes at the door – especially when this baggage may alienate potential supporters.

Essential that is, if people are interested in actually changing facts on the ground rather than clinging to narrower maximalist demands.

—
Michael Jefferies works in defence and blogs at Full Spectrum Strategy

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2013/06/20/have-left-wing-protests-become-too-broad-to-be-meaningful/

http://liberalconspiracy.org/?p=37720

  • Bookmark
  • Share
miss_s_b: (Default)

The Blood is The Life 20-06-2013

Jun. 20th, 2013 10:00 am
[personal profile] miss_s_b
Tags:
  • Bookmark
  • Share

Tim Farron says: “Help get the vote out for Christine Jardine”

Jun. 20th, 2013 08:30 am
[syndicated profile] lib_dem_voice_feed

Posted by Caron Lindsay

http://www.libdemvoice.org/tim-farron-says-help-get-the-vote-out-for-christine-jardine-34993.html

http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=34993

For the last month, Team Christine has done a power of work in the Holyrood by-election in Aberdeen Donside. They have delivered an incredibly good campaign which has gone down very well on the doorsteps in Bridge of Don, Dyce, Danestone and Kingswells for our energetic, warm and generally wonderful candidate Christine Jardine.

Today is polling day and, for the occasion, Tim Farron has recorded a video. He has been doing some phoning for Christine, which has been very much appreciated. His spies have obviously told him how fabulous Liberal Youth Scotland have been, with many of them putting their lives on hold to be part of the campaign team.

If you want to do what Tim says, here’s three ways you can help:

  • If you can come and help in person, the Team Christine HQ  is at 8 Scotstown Road, Bridge of Don, AB23 8HS.
  • If you can’t make it to help on the ground, could you make some canvassing phone calls for us? If you have a Connect account then you can use the virtual phone bank. The code is AB74BN – 4601.
  • If you can’t do either of these we would really appreciate your help in paying the election bills! You can donate here.

Christine finished off her campaign by repeating her promise that she would fight to build a stronger and fairer Aberdeen, which the SNP Government has repeatedly short-changed, in Holyrood:

Everyone in Aberdeen knows that we have real issues with local roads and transport links. But these problems are a symptom of the fact that Aberdeen has been short-changed so badly by the SNP on key funding.

We have lost out on £21m essential financial support thanks to the SNP in government. This is simply not good enough. The SNP voted for this unfair settlement in Edinburgh and Labour have failed to make the case for change on the council.

Mark McDonald has ducked and dived around this issue throughout the campaign but the fact is that he backed the SNP’s shameful spending plans at Holyrood.

As MSP for Donside, I would take the fight to stop the SNP short-changing Aberdeen to Ministers and rattle their cage on my very first day at Holyrood. That is what a vote for the Liberal Democrats will help deliver. We will work to stop the SNP from short changing the city and take real action to build a stronger and fairer Aberdeen.

 

* Caron Lindsay is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings

http://www.libdemvoice.org/tim-farron-says-help-get-the-vote-out-for-christine-jardine-34993.html

http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=34993

  • Bookmark
  • Share

@RichardJMurphy cocks one up again

Jun. 20th, 2013 08:49 am
[syndicated profile] tim_worstall_feed

Posted by Tim Worstall

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/timworstall/KTZv/~3/E1zGgIzcxss/

http://timworstall.com/?p=37229

A TEMPORARY employment agency has gone into liquidation owing HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) £58 million in unpaid tax.

Edinburgh-based Employ-E, a division of Legitas Group which is also in liquidation, is owned by lawyer David Allen, who is reported to own a golf course and mansion house in the Borders.

Employ-E had about 60,000 low-paid temporary workers on its books, who it supplied to recruitment agencies throughout the UK.

That’s from the Scotsman. Upon which Ritchie declares:

The real question here is, how could that have happened? How could HMRC have reached the point where it cannot chase that much tax? How limited are resources is this is the case?

There is also another question, which is, of course, where is the money? An agency should have been reimbursed all costs including tax. How could it lose that much money?

In the case of both questions surely HMRC should have been on top of this? If not I can only put it down to under-resourcing,

Hmm. So, HMRC is owed all this money because HMRC doesn’t have enough money to check up on companies that owe it tax. Gosh, no, I wouldn’t have expected such a response from someone funded by the taxman’s union, PCS, no, not at all.

Actually bothering to find out what did happen I discover this:

A STRUCK-OFF solicitor’s Edinburgh-based companies have run up tax debts of almost £60 million and have been placed into voluntary liquidation.

Officers of HM Revenue and Customs have submitted a claim of £58m in unpaid tax and penalties to David Allen’s payroll and employment agencies.

It is understood Mr Allen’s Employ-E company made the application for voluntary liquidation over the tax debt, which sources say he is not contesting.

Oh. It’s not gone bust owing £58 million: it’s gone bust as a result of owing £58 million. So, why’s that then?

Mr Allen’s companies help temporary workers and the recruitment agencies which place them in employment “maximise earnings by offsetting legitimate expenses against gross pay”.

But it is understood that HM Revenue & Customs was unhappy with attempts by Employ-E to exploit a rule that meant temporary workers treated money they spent on travel and food as a tax-deductible expense.

It is understood HMRC is investigating, prompting concerns about tax avoidance.

Tax officials are known to be concerned about the use of the “payday by payday” tax relief model, whereby the employer applies income tax and National Insurance relief to the amount of expenses which an employee has incurred, with the relief applied each payday. The effect is that only the balance is subjected to income tax and National Insurance.

HMRC has already warned that the model does not comply with Taxes or Social Security Acts and associated regulations.

It was estimated Legitas alone helped employment agencies, including Mr Allen’s, avoid tens of millions of pounds in tax or National Insurance contributions.

Oh again. You mean that it’s not that it just went bust because it owed £58 million. You mean that HMRC was investigating tax avoidance (or, if this is finally ruled illegal, tax evasion), discovered it and then put in the claim for that tax?

That is, HMRC clearly has the resources to be investigating tax avoidance, has successfully investigated this tax avoidance scheme and has closed it down. The tax gap shrinks as a result: yet Ritchie uses this success as evidence that HMRC doesn’t have enough cash to chase tax avoidance.

Is there no limit to this man’s genius? And clearly, just the man we need to write the rules for the global tax system.

Share

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/timworstall/KTZv/~3/E1zGgIzcxss/

http://timworstall.com/?p=37229

  • Bookmark
  • Share

Ritchie really is a Soviet, isn’t he?

Jun. 20th, 2013 08:33 am
[syndicated profile] tim_worstall_feed

Posted by Tim Worstall

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/timworstall/KTZv/~3/u671_os6qv4/

http://timworstall.com/?p=37227

There?s enthusiasm for the appointment of a woman as COO at the Bank of England with less mention of the fact that she comes from a high Tory family. If that is not the maintenance of the system, what is?

Someone who has been at the Bank of England, JP Morgan, Santander and Experian. Clearly entirely unqualified to work at the Bank of England given that she’s tainted with an haute bourgeois background.

Yes, seriously Ritchie really is saying that the circumstances of your birth mean that you cannot have certain jobs. How very Soviet, Stalinist even.

Share

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/timworstall/KTZv/~3/u671_os6qv4/

http://timworstall.com/?p=37227

  • Bookmark
  • Share

Who knew that India was this Catholic?

Jun. 20th, 2013 08:22 am
[syndicated profile] tim_worstall_feed

Posted by Tim Worstall

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/timworstall/KTZv/~3/byZR7-KkKF0/

http://timworstall.com/?p=37225

Any couple who have sex to be considered married, Madras High Court rules

That’s pretty much the old Catholic view. The priest and any ceremony are only confirming what is already true if the couple have bonked.

This means they would also need to divorce should they break up

That’s rather less Catholic it has to be said.

I can forsee the odd problem with the idea though: raping someone makes them your wife.

Share

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/timworstall/KTZv/~3/byZR7-KkKF0/

http://timworstall.com/?p=37225

  • Bookmark
  • Share

Internet dating: does an innocent Facebook check make you a stalker?

Jun. 6th, 2013 11:33 am
[syndicated profile] guardian_northerner_feed

Posted by Northern Lass

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/jun/06/internet-dating-facebook-social-media

In her latest column on navigating the modern dating jungle, Northern Lass discovers the pitfalls of using social media

In my last stint as a single female 13 years ago, I distinctly remember technology playing a fairly minor part in the dating process.

The technology involved was simple: one phone to swap numbers, text, call and play Snake on; one tape-to-tape or CD burner to make meaningful yet vomit-inducing playlists; and lastly, for a very short period of time as a 16 year old college student, we all acquired pagers.

The primary purpose of the pager was so our hormone-driven admirers could call some poor unsuspecting woman in a call centre and relay bilge such as "I think you're well fit. x Simon". Meanwhile your mum was simultaneously relaying a message to another poor woman in the same call centre, yelling "Where are you? If you are with Simon you are in BIG trouble lady."

Back then, if you wanted to stalk someone, you had to get off your backside and physically follow them around. Or just sit on their garden wall for a few hours – as one of my dear school friends did with Richard Madeley for a short while. It took real effort and just wasn't possible at the swipe of a fingertip.

However, the reality of modern dating involves not just the mobile, but mobile apps, dating websites, Facebook, Skype, meaningful yet vomit-inducing Spotify playlists and, with one particular person I met last year, an interesting reliance on Words With Friends to flirt. The ways to communicate, connect and follow what someone is up to are now legion.

When I first wrote about my internet dating frustrations, struggling to meet someone I clicked with in Manchester, people began offering up some appreciated alternative solutions to try. There were a lot of people that suggested salsa dancing. Have I missed something here? Has salsa suddenly become the single man vacuum while I was off being married? Sucking them in and snaking them about on the Northern Quarter's Copacabanas dance floor? Unfortunately, lacking any sort of passion for the music, I'd just be a badly dancing salsa fraud attending for no other reason than to perv, and so figured I'd look into some of the other suggestions first.

Another idea (possibly my favourite), was to prowl around my local supermarket, judging a potential partner's shared moral values based on the contents of his shopping trolley. I've always viewed Hulme Asda as a vortex of sexual tension. When the students are around, you can hardly move in there for the pheromones floating down the aisles, as sexy eyes are made over the instant noodles. But to walk up to someone going about their daily life, and strike up a conversation because we both pay that bit more for some fair trade bananas … well, seemed just that: bananas. I just don't have that sort of confidence. Neil Strauss I am not.

So once again I turned back to technology. Someone had flagged up True View, a subscription-free dating app designed to match you to people based on a "true view" of who you are and what you get up to. The concept is a good one: you use a drop-down menu of Facebook-style updates to log things you are doing, and the little True View robots start to match people to you who are logging similar activities. So far, so good.

I set my preferences to men within a hundred-mile radius.

Ahh. Five men. Five whole men who were "eating their dinner", "watching TV" or "going for a jog". Nevertheless I was determined to give it a go. So also started logging when I was "eating my dinner", "being a ninja" (there was no option for climbing) and "working on a proposal". Fantastic, I was to the world of True View a hungry ninja with a desk job.

One of the five men did get in touch. But, by his own admission, this was not because he was intrigued by my ninja skills, or even that he liked my profile picture, but because I was the only woman in a 50-mile radius on the app. He then informed me he likes long walks down the side of quiet canals, which is probably perfectly innocent, but happens to be in my top three things not to do with a man you just met off the internet (along with strolls down dark alleys and jaunts in secluded woodlands). He seems like a perfectly nice person, but other than basic human instincts such as eating, we seem to have very little common ground and the conversation fizzled out.

Overall, True View is an interesting idea, if you live in London you would probably have a far different experience with more people to chat to. But for now, there just aren't enough people on there north of the gap to make it a realistic option.

I turned back to the cynical comfort of my online dating profile, where I could see there was a message in my inbox. It was a lovely message. It was funny, it didn't accuse me of having a penis or contain anything sexually explicit like some I had received in the past. I replied, and over the course of a couple of days we had a bit of banter and found out we shared a similar passion for certain genres of music, sports and pastimes. He signed off one message using his full name.

As fellow internet daters can testify, the person on the end of the keyboard could be a far cry from their pictures or who they claim to be. This is a very obvious pitfall of meeting in this way. So when the opportunity presented itself to increase safety and check he was who he claimed to be, I took it. I typed his name into Facebook and up he popped.

Ooh, we have a mutual friend … Ooh, he has an open profile! As I had a quick look – predominantly to ensure there was no wife – I went back to writing my reply, referencing, to my horror after I pressed send, something I'd seen on his Facebook page.

Shit!

Shit! Shit! Shit!!!

This is where the cruelty of technology comes into play. With online dating, you can see when someone has logged on, you can see if your message has been read, so you fully know when you are not being responded to. BECAUSE YOU ARE QUITE EVIDENTLY A STALKER!

The next 24 hours were spent cringing, peering through my fingers at my dating profile, while my friend at work repeated in a less than convincing tone: "He might just not notice?!"

But he HAD logged on, and he HAD read the message, and HAD NOT replied. Of course he hadn't replied, because in my attempt to check he wasn't married or bonkers, I'd outed myself for seemingly acting a bit bonkers. The first man in months I had been truly excited to meet and I'd blown it because technology had allowed me to get my stalk on.

I'd had it with technology and dating, I was ready to try Salsa. I logged back onto my profile to cancel the auto renewal, If I was going to make a prat of myself on the dancefloor, I was going to need beer funds.

But to my surprise, my inbox had a message. And it was from him. I cringed, expecting it to be a question on how the hell I would know he had a "lovely looking camper van?!" But it wasn't. It didn't even mention it, there was no reference to my evident Facestalk faux pas. It was a message simply asking me if I'd like to "meet up for a drink … ?"

Northern Lass

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/jun/06/internet-dating-facebook-social-media

  • Bookmark
  • Share
matgb: Artwork of 19th century upper class anarchist, text: MatGB (Default)

British Liberal, house husband, school play leader and stepdad. Campaigner, atheistic feminist, amateur baker. Male.

Known to post items of interest on occasions. More likely to link to interesting stuff. Sometimes talks about stuff he's done. Occasionally posts recipes for good food. Planning to get married, at some point. Enjoying life in Yorkshire.

Likes comments. Especially likes links. Loves to know where people came from and what they were looking for. Mostly posts everything publicly. Sometimes doesn't. Hi.

Mat Bowles

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Filters

January 2013

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Friends

Me Elsewhere

Profiles

Blogs & stuff I read

Stuff and nonsense

I'm the Chair of the Brighouse branch of the Liberal Democrats & the membership secretary for Calderdale Lib Dems and run the web campaign for the local candidates. I have a job, a stepdaughter and a life.
Here's the legal text:
Printed by Dreamwidth LLC, Maryland, USA. Published and promoted by Mat Bowles (Liberal Democrat) of Brighouse, West Yorkshire.

Page Contents

Popular Topics

Designed by

Powered by Dreamwidth Studios
Page generated Jun. 20th, 2013 11:39 am