Westministenders: Before the Fire Alarm of Rome goes off

[RedToothBrush]

I’m going to keep this one very simple.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS 22ND MAY.
www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Postal votes start to go out on 23rd May.

Your challenge is to persuade someone to register to vote or to get someone who is considering not to, to get their arse to the polling station.

Go forth and harass. Especially women and the young.

That’s it. No frills OP.

I would add that in my experience it is partly the fact that over 60s have been for the most part out of the work force some time is a significant factor in their voter behaviour.

Good list, woman

whatwouldron my DH is pushing 50 and works in IT. He is still considered one of the bright young things at his work. He is quasi public sector, which may make a difference. Geography may also be a factor. However he has friends throughout the UK the same age as him and they are all equally employable.

When I started work as a trainee accountant the expectation was partnership by 30 and retired by 50. You could comfortably add 10 years to those expectations now.

My Mum is in her 70s. A very large number of her friends male and female accepted early redundancy during the 80s restructuring and have been retired since they were 50. This is not the case for those approaching 60 who, as you rightly point out, have had the erosion of inwork pension rights in public and private sector, the increase in state pension age and no generous early retirement inducements.

Even my DC's teachers are older on average than 10 years ago.

The economic stats bear out my perceptions of the wage squeeze and higher relative unemployment affecting the young disproportionately.

Ah interesting. The number of over 50s in work has risen everywhere except the South East...... www.saga.co.uk/newsroom/press-releases/2016/february/unemployment-falls-for-over-50s.aspx

By the way I had to hold my nose to click on the Sex And Games for the Aged website..... 😳

Sadly older teachers are finding it harder to get work in the South, young teachers are cheaper.....

pretty over in Scotsnet I have outlined my full prediction list mainly as distraction from Nat 5 angst. You are not helping with the East Dunbartonshire uncertainty - it could just be me that finds Nicholson entertaining. I have no skin in the game as I live in an ultra safe SNP seat

By the way I had to hold my nose to click on the Sex And Games for the Aged

ha ha ha ha whatwouldrondo do it for the team.

Film of US town hall meeting and lively debate about healthcare.

Imagine if Pol Pot May came up against a similarly engaged voter as in this video, here in the UK, during one of the many meetings she has with the non bots.

By autumn, we will be completing forms about our pre existing conditions (including being female) for private health care, if we are lucky enough to be able to afford it.

www.buzzfeed.com/albertonardelli/this-is-why-the-experts-say-you-should-trust-the-polls-at?utm_term=.nrwnkJjRo#.qunjZAWNy
This Is Why The Experts Say You Should Trust The Polls

The Trust Us image is rather creepy. Unintentional though!

www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-labour-chuka-umunna-jeremy-corbyn-single-market-controls-immigration-a7736256.html
Chuka Umunna was wise to break with Labour's Brexit line – there is a way to control immigration and stay in the single market

Jim Waterson‏*@jimwaterson*

Tory manifesto to require all companies with 250+ staff to publish a breakdown of staff wages by ethnicity, to show racial pay disparities.

order-order.com/2017/05/15/progressive-alliance-map-chaos/
"Progressive Alliance Map of Chaos"

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/lib-dems-pledge-emergency-southern-rail-takeover-a3539171.html
Lib Dems pledge emergency Southern Rail takeover

Ciaran Jenkins‏*@C4Ciaran*
Labour and Lib Dems have sent their party leaders to address nurses. Conservatives have sent nobody. #GE2017

RCN conference where they have been talking about strikes. Both Farron and Corbyn.

electionsetc.com/2017/05/13/ukip-dropout-did-not-help-the-conservatives-much-in-the-local-elections/
Effect of no UKIP candidate in Local elections

Conclusion: It didn't help the Cons a great deal more than when there was a candidate.

red did you do that deliberately? Knowing whatwouldrondo and my ongoing with Chuka. Nice picture too, thanks

BBC journalists used to have a little joke when they would run Peter Lilley and Michael Portillo stories concurrently, a bit childish but a funny wind up.

@jimwaterson
Tory manifesto to require all companies with 250+ staff to publish a breakdown of staff wages by ethnicity, to show racial pay disparities.

And we're off.
Weimar policies.

Camps: check
Baying mobs: check
Virtual media and digital control: check
Emasculated opposition: check
'Enemy within': check

ron I dint quite agree wth you re employment.
One of the reasons why unemployment is lower here than in other eu countries is because of the very high level of pooeple on zero hours contract and the like. Plus let's be honest, going to a job center isn't a walk in the park either.
So you have what Ian looking Ike more employment but it's a 'poor quality' employment. One that doesn't give you a lot of stability (or money).

Sorry this needs to go in Bold Caps Lock with a Klaxon.

TORY MANIFESTO TO REQUIRE ALL COMPANIES WITH 250+ STAFF TO PUBLISH A BREAKDOWN OF STAFF WAGES BY ETHNICITY, TO SHOW RACIAL PAY DISPARITIES.

Is everyone ok with this? What could possibly go wrong here?

Tory manifesto to require all companies with 250+ staff to publish a breakdown of staff wages by ethnicity, to show racial pay disparities.

You see when I came here, I was very uneasy with all the questions regarding ethnicity on all the forms. I was told that it didn't matter. It was to help policy makers and was a good thing.
We never hear about the downsides

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/uk-global-childrens-rights-rankings-plummets-child-unicef-a7734426.html
Serious concerns have been raised about structural discrimination in the UK, including Muslim children facing increased discrimination following recent anti-terrorism measures,
Lets not fool ourselves. If children are discriminated, then So are adults.
That measure just looks like one more step to 'follow' people and discriminate again under the guise of being helpful :(

It's not that far away from the initial measure asking companies too record the number of people who are 'foreigners' too.
Because let's be honest, in most people minds, being Asian or whatever equals not being 'truly British'...

Steve Peers‏ @StevePeers

1. Big ECJ ruling on EU trade policy powers Tuesday. Some reading, then some thoughts. Background by @ADCasteleiro: eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/opinion-215-on-scope-of-eu-external.html 2 - Report on the ECJ hearing, by @DavidKleimann and @GesaKuebek: eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/the-future-of-eu-external-trade-policy.html

• me on the AG opinion:

eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/the-eus-future-trade-policy-starts-to.html 3 The case concerns the EU/Singapore free trade deal. The issue is whether EU trade powers (or other powers) cover the whole deal or not. 4 If EU powers cover the whole deal, then the EU can approve it, probably without a veto, and there'll be no national ratification. 5 If they don't, then there'll probably be a veto, and certainly national ratification. Big issue: impact on Brexit & other EU trade deals. 6 Likely outcome: ECJ will say a modest part of EU/Singapore deal is mixed EU/MS competence. So veto & national ratifications needed. 7 Bad hot take alert: many folks will say "38 national & regional parliaments must approve Brexit trade deal". Premature & over-simplified. 8 For one thing, EU is willing to sign a transitional trade deal as part of the Art 50 deal; and EU Commission says Art 50 has no veto or... 9 ...need for national ratification. 2nd, EU often agrees to put most of its trade deals in force provisionally before national ratification 10 3rd: post-Brexit trade deal might not include the same issues as EU/Singapore deal. Eg no sign that UK or EU wants investment clauses. 11 I'm busy tomorrow but will tweet & blog about the ruling when I can. In the meantime, keep in mind tweets 7-10 when you hear hot takes // 11a More background reading on the Tuesday ECJ trade policy ruling here twitter.com/HannesLenk/status/846803627700338688 and here twitter.com/DavidKleimann/status/861199718281613312

WTF?
How on earth could anyone consider for even the briefest of moments that that could be anything other than divisive?

Minorities can't win:
If, in a particular company, they are seen to be earning well (thinking of tech companies etc that may recruit highly skilled foreign workers with high salaries) that will stir up resentment.
If, in another company, they are seen to be earning below average, certain people will jump on that as an example of "them" undercutting wages, also stirring up resentment.

I would love to believe that this is a well meant, but deeply misguided policy, rather than anything more sinister, but no-one can be that stupid could they?

YouGov‏*@YouGov*
Intro/ A new YouGov study from @chris__curtis looks at views in 50 Labour marginal seats
1/ LAB to CON swing in the 50 Labour marginals is slightly higher than national rate:
Marginals: 7.5%
National: 6.5%
2/ …however, when asked to think about their own constituencies the vote gets much closer
3/ 21% of people in the Labour marginals have heard from their Labour candidate, just 9% from the Tories
4/ LAB could be main beneficiary of tactical voting in their marginals: 49% of tactical voters intend to vote Labour
5/ Nearly half of people in Labour marginal can name their MP, and 41% of people think they are doing a good job
6/ Voters in Labour marginals see a Tory landslide as better for the country than it would be for their local area

Ties in with my observations.

Blue Peppers I am not sure what you are disagreeing with? I said Of course as we have discussed here across the board that has been a decline in job security and terms and conditions in the last ten years but I find it hard to believe that baby boomers sitting in jobs are the issue It is the direction that the economy has gone in under the Conservatives and it has affected every age group.

Elsewhere we have discussed that part of the issue has been the shift in the retail / logistics sectors towards low margin, pile it high, sell it cheap business models. Logistics companies and retailers who sell higher margin goods can afford to have motivated and fairly remunerated workforces but the likes of JD Sports and Amazon rely on reducing their costs to the bone. I do think their work practises should be exposed to public glare and that they should be held accountable if they fail to meet the employment regulations. I do not think those employment regulations should be watered down or our response to Brexit should be to protect the economy by make it easier for these businesses to cut costs, especially in terms of human resources. However we do have to recognise that these businesses now occupy a space in the economy with the associated jobs that simply would not be there if they could not make the low cost model work. It simply would not be possible for the remaining businesses that have the capability to market to more affluent / discerning consumers which generate the margins that sustain the higher staff costs of a trained and motivated workforce to generate the growth in their markets to compensate.

Off for some ongoing with Chukka

I'm just thinking how much the stakes with the Lords have just been upped here.

Will the Lords let the Great Repeal Act through?

Will the Lords let a racial pay requirement through? (Or would the Tories take the option of pushing it though via the GPA?)

I'm starting to think there could to be one hell of a stand off in the Lords yet.

I'd watch that Tory manifesto VERY closely for even a hint of reform for the Lords...

Red Is there not already some sort of monitoring of ethnicity in terms of employees. The stats our Council (which has been bluekip for ten years) issues include details of the levels of BME and Eastern European in schools and all employment sectors. I am not sure how they arrive at them?

It was really useful information in our local campaign against faith selection because we had stats that showed that BME, Eastern Europeans (yes really, because it was not the custom for Catholics in former communist countries to baptise by six months, one of the criteria for faith selection) and children on FSM were underrepresented to a shocking extent in local schools that select on faith. Mind you we didn't really get anywhere with it, except that schools think twice before increasing the level of faith selection...

I accept it is a double edged sword but just wanted to highlight that it already goes n and can be put to a good use

'@jimwaterson
Tory manifesto to require all companies with 250+ staff to publish a breakdown of staff wages by ethnicity, to show racial pay disparities.'

Wow! Ethnicity is a strange thing. I understand nationality. It is clear cut. You can have citizenship of more than one country, but you know what it means. Ethnicity in the workplace for some gov't ammo. Uncomfortable.

I knew the NI part of the 3 things which have to be dealt with before any negotiations on trade was just being ignored by the Cons. It will just go away if they don't mention it, you see. Visits to Ireland are 'provocative' in this context. It is not helpfully disappearing. When you think of all the work and effort that went into bringing about the GFA.

DD says the EU are interpreting the treaties wrong. The last resort for this is the ECJ. Time is a tickin', though. And even with that, can the ECJ force the EU27 to do trade deals? Davis is deplorable. The summer will now be spent on not actually getting on with it.

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/brexit-chief-david-davis-predicts-huge-row-over-timetable-for-talks-as-eu-pushes-irish-border-issue-up-agenda-35714052.html

It depends on how its used whatwouldrondo as you say.

The idea that its compulsory is the alarming bit though.

Its not good.

Mike Smithson‏*@MSmithsonPB*
Interesting that TMay has been in Abingdon - part of a key LD target where they did very well in the locals

2015
Conservative - 26,153
Liberal Democrat - 16,571
Labour - 7,274
UKIP - 3,963

2010
Conservative - 23,906
Liberal Democrat - 23,730
Labour - 5,999
UKIP - 1,518

38% Leave

Even more gnashing of teeth than usual today. Peter Ormerod has a useful corrective:

Looked at rationally, it makes no sense. Her government is presiding over a crisis in the NHS, a surge in people using food banks and deepening despondency in our schools. Millions of Britons face a pay squeeze as wages stagnate and inflation rises. The burgeoning gig economy is sapping security from work; the housing market is broken. And yet Theresa May is our most popular prime minister for decades.

Let that sink in. And note that she is hugely popular not just in comparison with Jeremy Corbyn: she is hugely popular in her own right. What should fail in theory is a soaraway success in practice. It seems a wholly irrational state of affairs; and it is easy to see then why so many on the liberal left are so scathing of so many of their compatriots, why comment after comment and tweet after tweet deride Conservative voters as stupid, selfish, blinkered or evil. We facepalm and “wow, just wow” – but by doing so, we condemn ourselves to prolonged political irrelevance.

It seems many on the liberal left are determined to repeat the mistakes of the 2015 general election, the EU referendum and the US presidential race. There is a widespread failure – perhaps even a refusal – to understand the reasons May and the Conservative party are so popular. Until we try to do so, we will always lose.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/15/defeat-theresa-may-left-tory-voters-conservative