George Osbourne to be investigated

[madhattershouse]

The fallout from the cuts seems t fall largly on women . Now the man is being investigated...

[[http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/26/george-osborne-investigated-equality-watchdog
here]]

interesting - is this alongside Fawcett's effort?

The article does not make this clear although there was a seperate article a few days ago abot the Fawcett claim. It would be nice if there were 2 claims running at the same time would it not?? This so-called democratic government seem to be hellbent on messing with the lives of the populace, something I think many had hoped went with the former new-labs! We seem to have gone from new-labour to old-victorian in one fell swoop!

This is in addition to (and different from) the Fawcett judicial review.

Fawcett have called for a judicial review of the budget.

EHRC are using one of their powers called a section 31 to question the fairness of the treasury's spending decisions.

I'm not sure it's fair to say that Osbourne himself is being investigated.

That's my understanding of it anyway. I think it's a really positive move.

This is very interesting, thanks.

What will happen if they find Osbourne and the treasury "guilty" of what they are accusing them of.

Who runs and pays for the Equalities Commission?

Is it something the govt could just shut down?

It's a quango I think?

They could just shut it down. Watch this space.

This is good news.

Good for Yvette Cooper!

Tbh the EHC is in such a mess it's not very effective. Some pressure groups do a better job with zero government funding.

But I'll applaud whoever goes after this shower of bastards we didn't elect.

Sorry EHRC not EHC

What powers does this commission have? ie if they do find the budget contravenes whatever law what can they do about it

EHRC is a statutory body. It is what once was the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Race Equality, and the Disability Rights Commission.

It was spared in the cull of the quangos but it is "under review". It's facing massive budget cuts.

I don't think the Section 31 can lead to much. I mean, it's not going to force the government to change its spending decisions. On the EHRC website it says: "Once the assessment is complete, the Commission will report its findings and may make recommendations. If the assessment finds a breach, the Commission can serve a compliance notice, or enter into a binding agreement with the Treasury for it to take steps to avoid further breaches. If a public authority such as the Treasury fails to comply with a compliance notice or the binding agreement, the Commission can apply to a court for an order compelling them to comply".

Nowt to do with Yvette Cooper though Balloonslayer. She's been doing lots to highlight the unfairness of the cuts and the impact on women but she had nothing to do with the Fawcett challenge or the EHRC stuff AFAIK.