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

I don't think it is uncommon, though slightly embarrassing in the context of Osborne proposing governments be legally bound to deliver a surplus, though I am not an expert.

yeah, aiui not voting for the budget doesn't express a policy disagreement - it's more like a vote of no confidence, & that's a step too far.

I think 'balanced' might muddy this, because it's got that sense of 'outgoings and incomings make zero' somewhere in the background. Budgets go through where they don't add up in that way, but there's an explanation of how we take on the extra debt in the background, so ok, Annex A is the place to look:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents/budget-2016#annex-a-financing

But the unusual thing here is – within a few days, before the vote – 4-odd billion pound of the policy accounts vanished - Treasury's effectively saying we'll change a decision, making the numbers very wrong. I think… this is the important summary table that is now bullshit?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents/budget-2016#budget-decisions

soundbites from parliament today, as edited together on the news, presented quite a contrast: labour as sober, dismayed parents, unsure if they would ever get control of their erratic progeny; tories were basically frothing at the mouth, eyes bulging, braying and shouting

This is good and what was missing from the debate:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/22/disability-debate-disabled

hell yes, cf. the entire history of disability legislation, notably the Autism Act 2009 and subsequent "autism strategies", plus the way the concept of "inclusion" has been used for 20 years to cut services for disabled students and the current borderline-legal shambles that is the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 - taking what i imagine to be thousands of children out of statemented status just at the points where they most need additional support

Unless the parents are reasonably wealthy and can afford to send their kid to a NAS approved private school or something, without a statement ASC kids are almost guaranteed a wretched childhood.

statement is now an EHCP and tho i shd be careful i will say that where the new SEND regs say "all children who were statemented should be transferred to an EHCP" that is a long way from happening on the ground

I have been told it is coming at a school meeting a few months back and told "not to worry about it".

That's probably fine as long as he's at the same school, especially if they take the time to do it right. The new process looks better on paper - on the ground it's creating a lot of issues around transition between different provisions

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/03/will-the-brussels-attacks-tip-the-brexit-scales.html#

Have we done a Brexit thread btw?

idk about the emphasis on the horse meat scandal - can hardly remember anything about it. V funny piece.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tories-sneak-out-land-registry-7624668

Paul Mason is a lot feistier online

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/30/britain-sacrifices-steel-industry-to-curry-favour-with-china/

This has been doing the rounds and is worth reading as well, even if it is AEP.

that paul mason piece is fucking great

I think McDonnell's Little Red Book jape might be remembered more fondly in the current climate. Even during his Great Leap Forward hubris Mao didn't plan to make the UK a satellite within 50 years, but he didn't know in the future that agent Osborne would be working for them.

That was part of the joke, I think, although who knows.

I can't remember a time in my life when both the government and the opposition have seemed so weak, so little in control of their own parties and of events.

It seemed like the joke was a bit misunderstood at the time.

Labour cold called me the other day asking for more donations and I gave them the old famous Flavor Flav line.

not sure what anybody expects when your steel industry gets sold to a giant overseas congolomerate who doesn't give a shit about you but if any issue is custom made for corbyn to make hay with it's one that involves steelworkers getting laid off and david cameron in lanzarote

corbyn has his own scandal to contend with

http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Jeremy-Corbyn-cake-eats-Exmouth-holiday/story-29018984-detail/story.html

Oh my God, not CAKE?!?

Exmouth???

That's a lot of #content to #harvest from one trip to a cafe. Good work Local World.

I can't believe I just clicked through a gallery featuring ten pictures of the same slice of cake.

You're doing your bit for British jobs, in fairness.

Onlookers said the scene reminded them of Marie Antoinette, the super-rich toff duchess who said of starving peasants: "let them eat cake".

no they didn't

paul mason clearly needed to be released into the wild.

that was a wonderful read.

he does these columms for the guardian that are always interesting but occasionally veer into slightly thomas friedmanesque futurism

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/30/britain-sacrifices-steel-industry-to-curry-favour-with-china🔗/

This has been doing the rounds and is worth reading as well, even if it is AEP.

Yes, read this earlier -

The EU trade directorate has been rendered toothless by a British veto. So much for the canard that the UK has no influence in Brussels.

"The British are sacrificing an entire European industry to say thank you to China for signing up to the nuclear power project at Hinkley Point, and pretending it is about free trade," said one official in Brussels bitterly.

What they are blocking is a change to an EU regulation intended to beef up Europe's 'trade defence instruments' (TDI), enabling it to respond much more quickly to Chinese dumping and too impose much tougher penalties.

Hinkley fucking Point!

I fancy Paul Mason.

nice to see a lot more press attention being given to the EU/chinese tariff issue ..

Paul Mason has really let go since he left C4 hasn't he? Also needs to stop writing for The Guardian, they let him indulge in his worst yoof is connected bollocks. Some very unconvincing stuff on tech - not that I wholly agree with what I've seen of his Postcapitalism shebang.

But even in that piece there is quite a bit to unpack: so a steel will make a tank - what if that tank is sold to run over a Greek or a Spaniard yoof protesting at the lack of jobs and food.

Well, at least he got to the protest by reading about it on Facebook so that's ok.

There are about a million reasons why it might be useful for the UK to have a steel industry at some point in the future, once it's gone then starting up afresh will be even less economical than running it at a (hopefully temporary) loss. The current steel glut isn't a permanent state of affairs, if Port Talbot really is losing £1m a day then nationalisation is going to cause its own problems later down the line if there isn't a recovery, but it's still better than letting the whole thing go to the wall.

Don't need steel manufacturing capacity but do need trident because uncertain world lol

(course, trident is itself an example of an interventionist industrial policy, arms being the only industry where this is allowed)

that's basically been US industrial policy for the last 100 years?

The banks/financial services haemorrhage a lot more of the public's coffers than the steel industry, just noting the unfortunate link between industrial and defense policy. Don't know if that would hit a Tory's heart as yes Trident might cover it and post-Iraq there is no appetite (or much cash) for ground adventures. xp

didn't realise how isolated the UK/Osborne is in europe re: steel, seems like an interesting case

An entire industry being driven to the point of collapse by a combination of the Chinese government and an Indian conglomerate is pretty indicative of the reality of the UK's place in the world fwiw.

LOL: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/01/exclusive-royal-family-considering-dramatic-brexit-intervention

EU rules on state aid seemed to be pretty flexible during banking crisis.

Good example of the general cluelessness of the EU debate: it's never been about 'us' (Britain) against 'them' (Yerp). As far a defence of manufacturing goes, 'our' government are more 'them' than 'they' are.

Using outside experts who advised that the intervention would need to be presented by a figure with impeccable European credentials, a strong affinity with the continent and the character to speak out, the family has decided that the move should fronted by Prince Philip.

i think the url of that guardian article reveals the truth.

Really hope so

“He has been hugely impressed by the way the EU stepped in, not just once but several times, to save Greece,” said one official with knowledge of events. “He admires what Tsipras and Varoufakis achieved – in fact he told friends he sees something of his younger self in the charismatic, motorbike-riding, eye-for-the-ladies Varoufakis. Mind you,” added the source, “he also thinks the Greeks would never have got into this mess if the colonels had still been in power.”

I didn't realise the graun could be so hilarious, my sides reached escape velocity etc

the graun's picture of a glassy-eyed grinning phil is legit terrifying:

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a80120bd0b1a30f2a4c55e83cc48ee7394eb8c82/0_0_4267_2844/master/4267.jpg?w=1920&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=c2f12381fccd207d788e14fadff56057

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/01/chancellor-buy-to-let-landlords-george-osborne

This another April Fool's piece?

London is the least densely occupied big city in Europe

But has some of the densest newspaper columnists.

you're all enjoying yr april fool's day, simon jenkins is enjoying his april fool's LIFE, etc etc