Psychoactive Substances: Rolling UK Politics in The Neo-Con Era

This last Budget seems considerably more barefaced, less afraid of looking outright nasty, than previous Budgets. That might be because they're no longer in coalition, but I suspect it's a combination of Osborne seeing minimal threat from Corbyn, and positioning himself in a jostle for leadership votes among the Tory right.

Everyone should study maths until they're 18 years old.... Why was this in the budget?

'to ensure the future workforce is skilled and competitive'

competitive workforce. that's the point of education now.

most of the media is entirely in their pocket

arguably it's the other way round, but otherwise, yeah. :-(

many more will have to suffer, many more will have to die

One bright spot - the Lords have shot down the govt's union-busting legislation?

Fucking insane when the Lords are more socially progressive than the Commons

Yeah they won't tolerate that for long.

The sainted report on Why Labour Lost The Election doesn't paint a terribly flattering picture of a lot of the electorate or their priorities.

Electorate mostly seems to have made a conscious choice to kick down, not up, when times are hard, because it is easier and you can get more immediate satosfaction that way.

We'll see how long that lasts. There is a feeling that Hunt will fuck up in a massive way. Reckon that'll trickle down.

We can say this is a real low but Cameron and Osborne are only progressing what New Labour started. 'Maths till 18' looks like classic New Labour policy.

I had a conversation with my MP about bigots: a lot of the people [in Camden] who complain about 'immigrants' are really complaining about boisterous twenty-something men who play as hard as they work, in much the same way British twenty-something men act when they're let off the chain for the first time (my neighbours don't really address the behaviour of young British men, or characterise it as inconsiderate, unless the guys are ~brown~). If we could reframe it as young-man behaviour instead of 'migrant' behaviour, and somehow encourage them to set better boundaries, might that help?

As to the budget, this academy thing has the potential to piss off every single middle-class person in the country... and WTF was up with announcing an un-consulted/huge education policy in the budget?

(my neighbours don't really address the behaviour of young British men, or characterise it as inconsiderate, unless the guys are ~brown~).

tbh that's probably because ur neighbours are racist and don't really give a fuck about boisterous behaviour.

As to the budget, this academy thing has the potential to piss off every single middle-class person in the country..

It should delight them. The more control individual schools have over admission, the easier it is for parents with the sharpest elbows to game the system to get their kids into the best ones.

otm

BB, most of my working-class/estate-dwelling neighbours aren't actually racist - was just commenting on something my MP got as feedback from some older people who aren't representative of the wider group, but their opinions are amplified purely through moaning to him.

Old people with racist views, whodathoughtit?

life-long Tory voter 'quits party' and sabotages website over 'appalling' disability cuts

A disability campaigner and life-long Conservative

lol

It does beg the question of what exactly he expected of the Conservative Party. Unless he's all "taking from this lot of vulnerable people was okay, but you've crossed a line now".

Con MPs that chair disability charities have also been forced to resign.

xps
maybe a late road to Damascus moment or just plain old self-interest, whatever the case he wasn't a disability campaigner in the past tense or at least he was a pretty fucking shit one.

Con MPs making noises that changes to disability benefit won't get through parliament. Sunday trading has gone to their heads

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2016/03/car-crash-interview-osborne-gets-asked-on-radio-4-why-he-keeps-missing-his-targets/

YouGov poll puts Lab in lead by 1pt after budget

link?

No story up yet but https://twitter.com/SamCoatesTimes/status/710587916557357056

Same poll has this the first budget majority rate as unfair since the Omnishambles too

Danczuk nailed on a false expenses claim to add to his numerous troubles:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/12197771/Simon-Danczuk-ordered-to-pay-back-11000-in-expenses.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

that last photo in the story: How Journalism Works

I don't think that relying on a former member of staff to "describe the rules to me at he time" defence is going to fly

That's not fair Tracer, the story is all about Danczuk's ex-wife. Er, implicitly.

Nicky Morgan is a rising star and a real contender for the Tory crown...

LOL

Always worth remembering the calibre of the sort of clowns the Tory press like to big up.

She's no Hilary Benn.

hilarybennsexyselfie.jpg

Petition demanding referendum for "undemocratic" major policy change on schools already on 60000 votes.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/academies-petition-tories-force-all-schools-60000-48-hours-a6939296.html

“There is growing evidence that academies underperform & serious questions about their financial oversight. Buildings & land are being handed over to unaccountable orgs.

“Once they are transferred there is no legal mechanism to get them back. Before all schools become academies we demand the government holds a full public inquiry - that takes into account educational research and the views of teachers, parents and students - followed by a referendum in order to show that they have a mandate.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35847611

Apparently taking money away from people with disabilities isn't the vote winner they imagined.

my partner just said IDS has resigned.

Indeed he has, now it's getting interesting.

Yep. Shit's happening.

YES bye fucker

He has royally stuck the boot into Osborne too.

Imagine being Cameron and bottling having sacked IDS time and time again for him to then go and do that.

lol ids resigned in protest of the disability cuts. i didn't know he had an ounce of compassion in him, apparently he isn't a complete scumbag

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/03/iain-duncan-smith-has-resigned/

apparently he isn't a complete scumbag

I wouldn't go that far

He is a complete scumbag, but Osborne is the consummate scumbag.

that's true.

quite indicative of how egregious using disability cuts to fund a middle-class tax-break is that the axe-man himself blanches

How much is positioning re: Brexit fallout rather than genuine concern? It's taken him a fucking long time to find any kind of conscience.

So that first wave of cuts and unfair sanctions that disenfranchised many, put many into poverty and some into death were alright? I have seen him defend them enough times to see he was having no trouble sleeping.

I suppose, as a Eurosceptic, he now has time to focus on that campaign. Then be positioned to be a cabinet minister in the government of the next Tory leader - in case of Brexit you'd imagine Cameron would step down.

Chancellor to Boris's PM. Eugh. Nightmare fuel.