DEM not gonna CON dis NATION: Rolling UK politics in the short-lived post-Murdoch era

Short of either a Cathy Come Home or a Poll Tax Riot moment these will be permanent. Even if Labour had significant will to do so the slice of the Exchequer that would be required to reverse this would have them so terrified of being labelled financially irresponsible that they would no longer countenance it.

it's still a safety net, it's just that the holes are bit wider

Was it Gove who suggested food banks were some sort of lifestyle choice for some people?

In their absence from govt labour is assuming the mantle of "party what would do all the stuff what we want done" again huh

howd that go before

rote

I don't know, let's ask some malnourished people

malnourishment is a lifestyle choice tbf

http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-how-s-that-hopey-changey-thing-working-out-for-ya-sarah-palin-257868.jpg

Was it Gove who suggested food banks were some sort of lifestyle choice for some people?

"I had the opportunity to visit a food bank in my constituency only on Friday and I appreciate that there are families who do face considerable pressures.

"It's often as a result of some decisions that have been taken by those families which mean that they are not best able to manage their finances.

"What we need to do is to ensure the support is there not just financially but also to make sure that the right decisions are made."

In other words: if you're shit out of luck, work and food it's your own fault.

also "they are not best able to manage their finances" from a man who had to return £7000 in expense claims.

I appreciate that there are families who do face considerable pressures.

I really honestly and truly don't believe any of this government appreciate that, or what it may feel like.

look, Gove is saying that benefits are enough to keep you alive and if you waste your money on ciggies, TV, clothes or Xmas presents it's your own fault.

this may be factually accurate for all i know.

and before anybody's knee jerks what i'm saying is we shdn't be happy accepting this even if it were true

My gratitude to the Liberal Democrats for unleashing these cunts on the British people knows no bounds. Thanks guys, I, for one, will never forget this.

There's a few will be remembering..

Someone's listening to the Autumn Statement in the next room. I can't make out actual words, but just hearing the tone of voice of these braying fuckheads is bad enough.

GIF defacers, do your worst:

http://orderorder.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/ids3.gif?w=424&h=424

Wonder when these jokers are going to stop working on their music hall comedy double act and start running the country?
PMQS: Cameron taunts Balls over hand gestures

I think this is the most shameful thing I've ever witnessed coming out of Parliament: iain-duncan-smith-leaves-commons-debate-on-food-banks-early-9013917

(a) Is this "coalition" government the longest suicide note in British political history? I mean, do they just not want to be in power?

or:

(b) Is this actually what most people in this country seem to want? In which case I'm getting the hell out before we end up with a state of emergency/c*nc*ntr*t**n c*mp scenario.

Sorry, I'll do that link again: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/iain-duncan-smith-leaves-commons-debate-on-food-banks-early-9013917.html

Definitely (b|

I just watched that. I think it's a case that the Tories are banking on there being enough people in category (b) for it to be in their favour, electorally, but they might be wrong about that and it does depend on enough of the country being insulated, ignorant and/or willfully blind to what's actually happening. The public accepted austerity, by and large, as way of balancing the books, now they are effectively advocating permanent austerity, well I'm not sure that's a vote-winner. They're now advocating cuts on a scale that strike me as unachieveable without something breaking. A lot of this is just to bounce Labour into a position they think will stand against them at the next election.

(a) might indeed be possible though. They're consciously inflating a housing bubble that even they can see must burst at some point, and presumably don't want to be in power when that happens. On the other hand, if Labour are in power when it happens, then that's another 18 years of Tory government virtually assured.

I was thinking about this the other day, about how the Tories being the "nasty party" had harmed their election prospects in the past, pretty sure Lynton Crosby has assured them not to worry about that anymore as this is now the "nasty country".

Labour's motion calling on the government to reduce dependency on food bank was eventually defeated by 294 votes to 251, a majority of 43 as Tories and Lib Dems banded together to shout it down.

Caring sharing Lib Dems.

It doesn't help that Labour allowed themselves to totally give up the ground on the austerity debate, the Tories reckon they can effectively get away with anything as long they also keep hammering the message that Labour can't be trusted with the economy. And given that Labour have effectively taken any argument for a Keynesian stimulus or even just a straight-up moral argument off the table, they've effectively signed themselves up to austerity as well. Strikes me that the Crosby tactic is more or less working, even if the Tories are behind in the polls.

Yes, I'm pretty sure now they will win the next election

Alex Salmond must be loving it

Yep, the case that this is not absolutely necessary has been made much more strongly by the centre-left-leaning papers than by the opposition. People have been told that it's vitally important that discretionary funding is cut back because the economy is in no shape to support it. Whether that's actually the kind of country people want to live in permanently remains to be seen though. It'll be tough to sell the idea of an economic recovery and empty coffers at the same time.

It'll be tough to sell the idea of an economic recovery and empty coffers at the same time.

"We're on the right track but there's still work to do" is the current mantra covering both bases and I believe they're planning on using those words until at least 2017 if re-elected.

What words will the Lib Dems be using I wonder?

"Heard Ya Missed Us, Well We're Back."

"Blue Tory Yellow Tory Blue Tory Yellow Tory"

"Would you like fries with that?"

"Ten pence for a cup of tea?"

"I voss neffer a member of the Liberal Demokratik Party!"

http://oursouthend.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/20131219-221301.jpg

He looks like he's lost in a beautiful reverie of emaciated Bolton children in a gruel queue.

Something weirdly Zaphod Beeblebrox-ish about that image.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-I-know-about-teaching/dp/1492912417/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389003422&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+gove

Speaking at his monthly press conference in Whitehall, Clegg said: "You've got a Conservative party now who are driven, it seems to me, by two very clear ideological impulses. One is to remorselessly pare back the state – for ideological reasons just cut back the state.

"Secondly – and I think they are making a monumental mistake in doing so – they say the only people in society, the only section in society, which will bear the burden of further fiscal consolidation are the working-age poor."

Wow. maybe somebody should, like, try to stop them.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/david-camerons-struggling-single-mum-helptobuy-poster-girl-purchases-own-145000-flat-through-her-estate-agency-firm-9041091.html

That doesn't strike me as egregiously awful. The BMW is described as a company car and I don't think it's unreasonable for a recently divorced person with a child to struggle to put together a £25k deposit, or whatever, on their own. Less dodgy than people getting £600k state-backed mortgages with 5% down.

lol nv

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/06/law-to-stop-eveyone-everything

hadn't spotted this until now

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/06/david-cameron-barber-mbe-services-hairdressing

David Cameron's barber was awarded an MBE in the New Year honours list for "services to hairdressing", it has emerged.

I genuinely cannot believe that Clegg is stupid enough to believe that anyone will take that interview seriously as a point of differentiation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/01/09/fire-stations-close_n_4567663.html#slide=more332582

At Clerkenwell Fire Station, which at more than 140 years old is the oldest in the country, fireman Alex Badcock looked stricken as he walked out of the station gate, covering his mouth with his hands.
...
The fire station is set to be immediately converted to luxury flats.

&, of course:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/met-police-will-have-water-cannon-by-this-summer-if-boris-johnson-has-his-way-9046812.html

Clerkenwell Fire Station is full of firemen's flats which have remained empty for years, but is actually the nearest station to Boris Johnson's home. I hope that comes back to bite him in the arse someday.

What are the chances of some kind of funding related row between the tories and the police?