Ed Miliband's Christmas message to UK Armed Forces
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17
Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, in his Christmas message to members of the Armed Forces, said:
Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards report - Ed Balls response
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Ed Balls MP, Labour's Shadow Chancellor, responding to the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards' first report, said:Benefits Uprating Bill an attack on hard working families - Byrne
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Liam Byrne MP, Labour’ Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to the publication of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill, said:Labour forces parliamentary debate on backing local pubs - Perkins
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17As figures from CAMRA show that pub closures have risen to 18 a week, Labour will use its first Opposition Day Debate of 2013 to hold the Tory-led Government to account for failing to back struggling pubs across Britain.For all Osborne's smoke and mirrors these figures show borrowing rising and up by almost 10% so far this year - Reeves
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Rachel Reeves MP, Labour's shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, responding to today's public sector finance figures, said:Agricultural Wages Board abolition amendment in House of Lords- Huw Irranca-Davies
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Huw Irranca-Davies MP, Labour’ Shadow Farming Minister, responding to the amendment tabled in the House of Lords to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board, said:Ed Miliband's New Year message
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Watch Ed Miliband's New Year message belowWelcomes Department of Health continuing funding of scheme for thalidomide survivors - Kendall
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Liz Kendall MP, Labour’ Shadow Health Minister, speaking in the House of Commons in response to the Government’ Commons statement on the grant to help thalidomide survivors, said: nbsp;Labour's Policy Review - Libraries: Innovation, Co-location and Partnership
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Labour's Policy Review - Libraries: Innovation, Co-location and PartnershipMichael Gove is actively damaging school sport - Twigg
Updated: 2012-12-31 21:42:17Stephen Twigg MP, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary, responding to reports of a delay in the Government publishing its school sports strategy, said:John's Labour blog: Daily Mail "Clarifications & corrections" Best Post?
Updated: 2012-12-31 19:12:00
It was actually December 2011, but is one of my favourites. Hat tip Rupa.
(Apologies to Uncle Sam).Stronger Unions: Seasonal solidarity #10: trade deals haven’t stopped the killings
Updated: 2012-12-31 16:52:35This year’s trade deals with Colombia – first [...]My predictions for 2012 :-(
Updated: 2012-12-31 11:41:05Sad Face Cone Head Bath Originally uploaded by Edgar Sousa I guess it’s time to evaluate my predictions for 2012: The referendum on Scottish independence won’t take place yet. Right. SF will leave the Danish government. Wrong, but they changed their leader. It will again become possible to get a Danish passport in Scotland. Well, [...]Shropshire Unison Labour Link: Government grant shifts scarce
Updated: 2012-12-31 11:33:00Government grant shifts scarce resources from north to south A new study by UNISON, the UKs largest union, has revealed that the Governments New Homes Bonus Scheme is draining scarce resources away from the recession hit north, to wealthier parts of the country in the south. Money for the new...Predictions for 2013
Updated: 2012-12-31 00:53:08Firework Originally uploaded by Paolo Dallorso After two years of really bad predictions, I was going to follow my dear wife’s advice and make predictions with a decent chance of success. However, sometimes it’s more fun to predict slightly less probable events, so here’s my list for 2013: At least one of Scotland’s unionist parties [...]Unison Scotland: Challenges ahead for 2013 – a New Year message from Mike Kirby, Scottish Secretary of public services union UNISON
Updated: 2012-12-31 00:00:00Back on September 25 UnionHome reported that American Football stadiums had become the arenas for an industrial dispute between referees and the National Football League. That was the day after...John's Labour blog: A Modest Proposal on Cults, Trots, Socialist Unity, the Great Day and LaLa-ism
Updated: 2012-12-30 22:57:00
Since this is the season of goodwill to all I checked out the Socialist Unity website to see the latest brother and sisterhood back stabbing, infighting, petty point scoring, abuse and general hatred. I was not disappointed. he reader comments are just amazing.
While the SWP are busy as...ToUChstone blog: Child Benefit cuts
Updated: 2012-12-30 20:21:12
Today’s new TUC report – Child Benefit: a [...]Julie & Julia
Updated: 2012-12-30 02:33:49I’ve just finished watching the most amazing film together with Phyllis and Charlotte. It’s about cooking and blogging, so it’s no wonder that it tickled our fancy (well, my dear wife’s and mine, but even Charlotte seemed to enjoy it). It’s about a 30-year-old New Yorker, Julie, who decides to cook every recipe in Julia [...]My 2012 Olympic Highlights: George Osborne getting booed at the Paralympics:)
Updated: 2012-12-29 23:14:00
Just thinking f some of my highlights of the Olympic 2012 year.
nuff said. Payday Loans? Hopefully only the turkey will get stuffed this Christmas
Updated: 2012-12-28 17:58:00
I first saw this excellent oster in the window of the North Wales Credit Union branch in Denbigh. Check out their press release on the Christmas rip off ere.
It shows up what thieves Payday loan companies are and how they exploit the poor and vulnerable.
You would pay over 4000% APR...The safe seats of the US House of Representatives
Updated: 2012-12-27 23:12:13I’ve moaned about American politics before, but I don’t think I had any statistics to back me up last time. However, Nate Silver has written an excellent article on Five Thirty Eight about the the development of ultra-safe, strongly partisan seats in the House of Representatives. He writes: “As these figures make clear, the number [...]"Pensions will not exist by 2050"
Updated: 2012-12-27 21:52:00It seems that the Daily Telegraph has a silly season in December as well as August (some would argue it actually lasts 12 months).
Michael Johnson, a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies is quoted here as warning that private pensions will soon cease to exist since young people see...UNISON marching for a future that works October 2012
Updated: 2012-12-26 21:46:00UNISON Housing Association Branch and London Regional Banner are in the opening sequences. A great video of a great 2012 day. Christmas Sunshine Over Maeni Hirion
Updated: 2012-12-25 21:48:00
Off message-ish ut I thought I would share my icture f the early bronze age stone circle, Maeni Hirion. It was aken n marvellous pathfinder guide walk on Sunday in Penmaenmawr, North Wales. he far edge of the Snowdonian National Park overlooking the sea....Buchwider Bräu θ₁ – Merry Christmas!
Updated: 2012-12-24 23:59:48Buchwider Bräu θ₁ Originally uploaded by viralbus I decided to brew a Christmas beer this year. It’s a Belgian-style beer, somewhere between a dubbel and a trippel, with added cinnamon. I measured the alcohol contents to 7.2%, but I wonder whether I made a error — it definitely gets you drunk very quickly indeed! Merry [...]Why a Living Wage is not enough
Updated: 2012-12-24 19:21:00It may seem just a little churlish on Christmas Eve to try and take anything away from this very worthy article y the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, on the “imperative for a Living Wage”. This is also at a time that it seems likely that in the public sector at least, the Living Wage...Merry Communist Christmas
Updated: 2012-12-24 00:30:00Hat tip to my best ever Newham comrade Stroppy! Buchwider Bräu η₁
Updated: 2012-12-23 23:36:18Buchwider Bräu η₁ Originally uploaded by viralbus Although I bottled my η₁ two months ago, I haven’t blogged it till now because its beautiful reddish colour never showed up in the photos I took of it. (The trick turned out to be to use a tripod and no flash, of course.) Anyway, η₁ is a [...]Sectarianism, Miserablists and opposing Austerity
Updated: 2012-12-23 17:22:00
I’ve been meaning to comment on this post made by my esteemed UNISON colleague, the NEC member for Skidrow-on-Sea, attacking an unnamed UNISON branch secretary (and as usual interfering in the internal democracy of other branches and Service Groups).
He selectively criticises the branch secretary...My latest Sun column: Power-crazed Ed Balls, being mistaken for Hitchcock and Mitchell's ideal job
Updated: 2012-12-23 09:28:49
: , : SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Sunday 23rd December 2012 My latest Sun column : Power-crazed Ed Balls , being mistaken for Hitchcock and Mitchell's ideal job Sometimes I wonder whether Ed Balls really does possess the political nous he’s credited . with In an interview with a broadsheet newspaper last week , he was asked whether Ed Miliband had confirmed he’d be Shadow Chancellor going into the next election . I’ve never asked him , he said . It’s a bit arrogant thinking about what sort of job you do . Baaaaarp . Wrong . answer To read more , click here COMMENT COMMENTS SO FAR : 0 FIXED LINK EMAIL TO A FRIEND My latest Sun column : Power-crazed Ed Balls , being mistaken for Hitchcock and Mitchell's ideal job link 1 hour ago Twitter Facebook LinkedIn WikipediaWalking in Charles Darwin's footsteps: Cudham & Downe
Updated: 2012-12-20 23:14:00
Off message-ish. Collage from recent pathfinder walk in Bromley, London.
A really fantastic 8 mile, rolling up and down walk with glorious views.
You cannot believe that you are so close to central London and within the M25.
Highlight of the walk was a visit to Down House, which was the home for...Fix "Death Trap" Factories in Bangladesh
Updated: 2012-12-20 22:17:00
Add captionClick here to sign the petition to H&M, Gap and Walmart for them to join a fire safety programme and fix their ""death trap factories" in Bangladesh.
I posted on the "True Price of Cheap Fashion: 120 burnt or jumped to death at Bangladesh Textile Factory Fire" here on 1...UN climate talks promise compensation for countries affected by climate change
Updated: 2012-12-20 16:05:04
Developing countries have won historic recognition of the plight they face from the ravages of climate change, securing a pledge from rich nations that they will investigate the possibility of compensating developing states for “loss and damage” incurred due to … Continue reading →London vs. England
Updated: 2012-12-18 17:38:33London eye tilt shift fake miniature Originally uploaded by hpmnick The release of data from the 2011 census in England and Wales makes for interesting reading. (Scotland’s census won’t release any equivalent data until some time next year.) One thing I found very interesting is how different London is. It’s not immediately obvious when you [...]The role of trade unions in Europe
Updated: 2012-12-17 23:30:00(Guest post by London UNISON activist and Regional Labour Link Committee member anchia Alasia ). nbsp;"Trade unions have a strong and ever growing important role to play in the European Union. Many European countries are currently bearing the brunt of harsh austerity measures, high...RESULTS welcomes announcement of major education summit in 2013
Updated: 2012-12-17 18:25:54
Last week the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Global Education (and former British Prime Minister) Gordon Brown announced that there will be a major global education summit in April 2013 co-hosted by Ban Ki-Moon, (UN Secretary-General), Jim Kim (President of … Continue reading →Protest against Metropolitan Poverty Pay and Tax Cheat
Updated: 2012-12-16 23:33:00
This picture collage is from the rain soaked, somewhat soggy but very lively protest outside the HQ of Metropolitan Housing Trust (MHT) on Friday lunchtime.
Staff in MHT care and support arm are facing pay cuts of up to 40%, other cuts in terms and conditions and massive redundancies in parts of...My latest Sun column: Ed Miliband's inadequate apology for Labour's immigration policy
Updated: 2012-12-16 09:37:06: : SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Sunday 16th December 2012 My latest Sun column : Ed Miliband's inadequate apology for Labour's immigration policy You have to admire the sheer nerve of Ed . Miliband On Friday , the Labour leader made a speech acknowledging that his party had got it wrong when it came to immigration . Okay , good start , I think we can all agree on that . Problem is , the only mistake he thinks the last government made was not insisting that new immigrants learn English . Er , come again What about the fact that , under Labour , 5.5 million foreign migrants arrived in this country That’s the equivalent of 423,000 a . year Or that , under Labour , 75 per cent of new jobs went to foreign-born workers So much for Gordon Brown’s British jobs for BritishYoung Apprentice 1910
Updated: 2012-12-15 22:56:00
I'm not the greatest fan of the BBC series "Young Apprentice" ut it has made me look again at this indenture document (left) signed on "The 7th February 1910" by my Grandfather (or Taid in Welsh, as I called him when I was a young boy) Frederick John Matthews, his father Frederick James...Newham's own £1 Fish Man for Xmas Number 1!
Updated: 2012-12-14 21:00:00Good luck to the East Ham Queens Market musical fish monger uhammad Shahid Nazir nd his bid to become Christmas Number One in the charts. heck out this report from The Independent the One Pound Fish man (£1 Fish Man) Muhammad Shahid Nazir is also set to take on the ITV...Why can't we be more like Sweden?
Updated: 2012-12-14 13:32:14
Home Coffee House Blogs The Week Columnists Features Books Arts Life Podcast Events Shop Subscribe High life Low life Real life Long life Wild life The turf Status anxiety Dave The Wiki Man Food Drink Bridge Chess Chess puzzle Competition Crossword Crossword solution Spectator sport Dear Mary Mind your language Dickens and the profit motive 1 Comment Toby Young 15 December 2012 NHS health workers hold a large Scrooge' Christmas card bearing an image of British Prime Minister David Cameron Carl Court AFP Getty Images Iâ m writing this from a hotel room in Stockholm where Iâ ve been stranded for the last 24 hours thanks to bad weather . Turns out the Swedish airport authorities arenâ t any better at coping with snow than ours â which is surprising given how often it must snow over here Ikea’s Christmas Party
Updated: 2012-12-13 22:22:26Ikea’s dance floor Originally uploaded by viralbus We happened to notice that Ikea were organising a Santa Lucia and Christmas party on the 13th of December. We didn’t really know what it involved, but we decided to go along. It was brilliant! At a cost of £5 for adults and £4.50 for kids (age 12 [...]Why you cannot rely on the Courts to protect you at work
Updated: 2012-12-13 21:42:00
Today I read a case summary in Daniel Barnett's employment law e-newsletter about a recent Employment Appeal tribunal judgement, where it was agreed that a claimant who had been dismissed had been treated very harshly but since it was not "perverse" it was not unlawful.
'It was not the task of the...Metropolitan Housing Association: UNISON Protest tomorrow
Updated: 2012-12-13 08:28:00
Below is a press release from our branch about tomorrow's protest against poverty pay. As you can see from the screenshot to your left that Metropolitan "Vision and Values" ncludes "having care and concern for employees". How they can square these visions and values with paying staff...Affordable, Safe, Adequate, Secure Housing for All
Updated: 2012-12-12 23:10:00
I know following the riots last year in the UK we have nothing to be smug about. Yet I honestly do dread the impact on our society of this Tory led Coalition housing policies. This motion has been passed by my branch and submitted to our UNISON London AGM next year. "This Regional Council AGM...Going into Sheltered Housing
Updated: 2012-12-11 23:30:00Great video by those who do and those who serve.UNISON London Labour Link says Goodbye and thank you Ali G
Updated: 2012-12-10 22:51:00Picture is of me as Chair of UNISON London Region Labour Link presenting retiring committee member, Alan Griffiths, with a bottle of House of Commons Whiskey!
Alan who is also a Newham Councillor, has been a long serving member of the Committee for many years and will be missed. At the...Global Consultation on Education in the post 2015 framework launches E-discussion on equitable access to education
Updated: 2012-12-10 17:50:13
As the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, there are a growing number of processes, preparations and debates on what a post-2015 agenda and framework will look like. In addition to the UN system processes, … Continue reading →RESULTS grassroots attend APPG on Global Tuberculosis xmas reception
Updated: 2012-12-10 10:02:25
On the 5th of December, 30 of our grassroots campaigners from across the UK headed to London to attend the joint Christmas reception for the APPG on Global Tuberculosis and the APPG on HIV and Aids. The event was an opportunity to look back on the work that both APPGs had done in 2012 and look forward to future plans for 2013. Continue reading →Newport and Debham Walk 2012
Updated: 2012-12-09 23:21:00
This walk is from yesterday and is one of my favourites Essex tramps.
The weather was actually much brighter than the dark and moody picture suggests.
I last did the walk on boxing day in 2010 when there was beautiful blue skies, snow and ice. slipped then in the ice without any harm and...My latest Sun column: Why Ed Miliband's pants are on fire, humblebragging and why the OBR should employ a psychic octopus
Updated: 2012-12-09 08:41:16: , : SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Sunday 9th December 2012 My latest Sun column : Why Ed Miliband's pants are on fire , humblebragging and why the OBR should employ a psychic octopus Why do politicians envy ventriloquists Because they can lie without moving their . lips Okay , it’s an old joke . No one expects politicians to tell the truth , the whole truth and nothing but the truth . But I’m still shocked by just how dishonest Ed Miliband and the Labour front bench are whenever they talk about the government’s economic . policy Take the tax cut for millionaires” they’re always going on about . This is a reference to George Osborne’s decision last March to cut the top rate of tax from 50 per cent to 45 per cent . Last Wednesday , Ed Balls told the House of CommonsFund managers index of shame
Updated: 2012-12-08 22:15:00
Fair Pensions have issued their latest rankings of "ethical" fund managers.
Which to be absolutely frank is deeply disturbing. Especially since many fund managers who claim to be ethical would be appearing to act in a completely irresponsible and unresponsive manner?
How on earth can only 11% of...Switzerland-upon-Thames
Updated: 2012-12-07 16:46:11Swiss Tree Originally uploaded by Enro The front page of today’s Economist is dedicated to a story about what would happen if Britain left the EU. I can easily understand the attraction for people and businesses in Greater London (a.k.a. South-East England): London is to a large extent the capital of the world, attracting headquarters, [...]The Tyranny of the Twitterati – my latest Spectator Column
Updated: 2012-12-07 11:57:55: SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Friday 7th December 2012 The Tyranny of the Twitterati my latest Spectator Column In Democracy in America , Alexis de Tocqueville identified the tyranny of the majority” as the main shortcoming of democratic societies . His fear was that the principle of majority rule could easily cross over from the political arena to the realm of ideas . After all , if being able to command the most votes is the main source of political authority , what’s to stop it becoming the main source of intellectual authority as well Tocqueville wasn’t worried about people being oppressed itals physically itals in democratic societies . Rather , it was their independence of mind that was at risk and this mild despotism” was , in some ways , even moreYou either have a free press – or you don't
Updated: 2012-12-07 00:40:22Home Coffee House Blogs The Week Columnists Features Books Arts Life Podcast Events Shop Subscribe High life Low life Real life Long life Wild life The turf Status anxiety Dave The Wiki Man Food Drink Bridge Chess Chess puzzle Competition Crossword Crossword solution Spectator sport Dear Mary Mind your language You either have a free press â or you donâ t 1 Comment Toby Young 1 December 2012 By the time youâ re reading this , David Cameron will probably have made up his mind about how to respond to the Leveson report . For members of my trade , it will be the defining moment of his . premiership Iâ m not all that optimistic . I bumped into a Conservative whip last week who said he thought it would be difficult for the PM to ignore Leveson if he recommends statutory regulation ,
Chris Bryant MP & "Rhondda tricky questions"
Updated: 2012-12-06 23:13:00
In my neighbouring borough Walthamstow, the local Labour Party is holding a fund raising pub quiz with Rhondda's MP Chris Bryant MP on 12 December 2012. Pity I have Housing Scrutiny that night.
Chris "has much to say on Leveson and a great sense of humour so it should be a fun evening. The...The 12 TAX DODGERS of Christmas
Updated: 2012-12-06 08:00:00
Hat tip "I support Public Services - don't let the Con Dems destroy them"
Update: Starbucks agrees to pay more tax. Better late than never I suppose. Public anger has driven this. Now lets drive this anger against Amazon and all the rest of the thieves. Looks like I may have to leave blogger!
Victorian Electoral Matters Committee Inquiry
Updated: 2012-12-05 03:23:07The Victorian Parliament's Electoral Matters Committee has begun an inquiry into the future of Victoria's electoral administration.December conference call recording available
Updated: 2012-12-05 00:43:16We are pleased to announce that a recording of our December conference call is now available for download. Click here for a recording of the call: December conference call Continue reading →European Parliament holds hearing on Global Fund and drug resistant TB
Updated: 2012-12-04 10:26:28
Last week, the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) held a hearing examining the funding problems in the European Region left after the Global Fund cancelled it's last funding round and the impact this has had on the region and on rising rates of drug resistant TB. Steve Lewis, our new Global Health Advocacy Manager, attended the hearing and reported back for the TB Europe Coalition. We are re-blogging his post. Continue reading →