The Politics Thread

[Bruce Rioja]

Would DM not have simply been tarred with the "Blair mk2" brush? Unfairly perhaps but I think that might have happened.

Hmmm. Blair, to me, absolutely oozed insincerity and self-interest. I really was impressed with DM and the interview that he gave last night, me having never really listened to the guy before. Not sure how or why his seemingly considerably weaker brother got in ahead of him - was it a union thing?

[Prufrock]

Yep. EM a 'Brownite' from the relative left, DM a very centrist 'Blairite'. EM got the support of the unions and just about won a surprise victory.

[LeverEnd]

Yep. EM a 'Brownite' from the relative left, DM a very centrist 'Blairite'. EM got the support of the unions and just about won a surprise victory.

And Michael Gove rubbed his hands with glee as he started to plot his leadership challenge whilst simultaneously 'getting tough' on things.

[BWFC_Insane]

Yep. EM a 'Brownite' from the relative left, DM a very centrist 'Blairite'. EM got the support of the unions and just about won a surprise victory.

And Michael Gove rubbed his hands with glee as he started to plot his leadership challenge whilst simultaneously 'getting tough' on things.

First he had to get up out of his coffin......

[William the White]

Yep. EM a 'Brownite' from the relative left, DM a very centrist 'Blairite'. EM got the support of the unions and just about won a surprise victory.

Indeed, after the other two constituents of Labour's tripartite system - the MPs and the individual members had given a majority to DM.

So, Labour MPs wanted DM. Individual members wanted DM. A bare majority of Unions after a variety of 'consultations' with their members helped Ed to just scrape a victory.

EM is now about to scrap the system that got him elected, though the current proposed replacement is some way off a true internal democracy.

[Zulus Thousand of em]

So Will. The trade union movement is a 'good thing' when the conversation relates to the late lamented Bob Crow and yet it's a 'bad thing' when we are talking about the election of the leader of the Labour Party.

It's very confusing. I can't keep up. Mind you, I'm not an academic.

[LeverEnd]

Yep. EM a 'Brownite' from the relative left, DM a very centrist 'Blairite'. EM got the support of the unions and just about won a surprise victory.

And Michael Gove rubbed his hands with glee as he started to plot his leadership challenge whilst simultaneously 'getting tough' on things.

First he had to get up out of his coffin......

With Tubbs?

[Athers]

Labour kicked out Bob Crow's RMT though, didn't it?

[William the White]

So Will. The trade union movement is a 'good thing' when the conversation relates to the late lamented Bob Crow and yet it's a 'bad thing' when we are talking about the election of the leader of the Labour Party.

It's very confusing. I can't keep up. Mind you, I'm not an academic.

Not hard, Zulu. I think trade unionism is a good thing in general and that parties should have strong internal democracy meaning that their membership should elect (and dispose of) their leadership. I think that the historic role that Trade Unions have played in the Labour Party has often been to its detriment. Though it kept the money rolling in.

It's a matter of argument whether the election of Ed as leader is one example of this.

Both, imho, are far too supine. DM is the more intellectually stimulating and, I suspect, politically cunning. Can't think of any way Ed surpasses him. But the Labour Party makes me slightly sick all round atm.

The Tories, on the other hand, bring on symptoms of a combination of rabies and malignant tertiary malaria.

[Hoboh]

So Will. The trade union movement is a 'good thing' when the conversation relates to the late lamented Bob Crow and yet it's a 'bad thing' when we are talking about the election of the leader of the Labour Party.

It's very confusing. I can't keep up. Mind you, I'm not an academic.

Not hard, Zulu. I think trade unionism is a good thing in general and that parties should have strong internal democracy meaning that their membership should elect (and dispose of) their leadership. I think that the historic role that Trade Unions have played in the Labour Party has often been to its detriment. Though it kept the money rolling in.

It's a matter of argument whether the election of Ed as leader is one example of this.

Both, imho, are far too supine. DM is the more intellectually stimulating and, I suspect, politically cunning. Can't think of any way Ed surpasses him. But the Labour Party makes me slightly sick all round atm.

The Tories, on the other hand, bring on symptoms of a combination of rabies and malignant tertiary malaria.

Crikey Will, chuck in a bad liberal cold and we could end up on the same ward



Having said all that I'm having a tough week in politics to be honest, I really am finding it tough to trust someone who can cheat on his wife however much I agree with his political aims

[Prufrock]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... t-advisers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No money for nhs wage rises but enough for double digit increases to special advisers. We're still all in it together.

I wouldn't mind but they can't be very good advisers if they thought this was a good idea!

[Lord Kangana]

On the contrary, they must be f*cking brilliant advisers to have convinced someone whose political future is in the balance that it was a good idea.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

The law firm I work at has an interesting art collection and I now chair our 'art network'.

I am now partly responsible for hiring an art intern.

Historically this has tended to be 2 days a week 'expenses only'.

Anyway, I've always vowed to myself that if I were ever in a position to argue against this type of arrangement then I would.

Today I find myself in the odd position of advocating paying the London Living Wage for one day a week, despite having railed against the vacuousness of its calculation the past. The truth is, practically speaking and from a campaigning point of view, it is better to have that reference point to argue for than none.

*sigh*

[Athers]

I wonder if old George will give us a surprise present later... I find it a shame almost everything is leaked in advance these days.

[Bruce Rioja]

I wonder if old George will give us a surprise present later... I find it a shame almost everything is leaked in advance these days.

Bingo tax relief. That'll sort things out.

I expect me and my type to pick up the brunt of it again being a single, non-parent, company car driving, wine and whisky appreciating man. When I smoked I was a 'full house'.

[Beefheart]

Not entirely sure where I stand on this one, but surely the high cost of child care is apparent when people decide to have kids? Why should it be tax payer funded? Plus, with it being a tax relief how is it going to help the most needy given that they now pay very little tax anyway with how high the tax free allowance now is?

Seems it's another attempt to win votes, probably from this generation of mumsnet users.

[Athers]

I'm definitely on board with some reform to childcare arrangements. Some help is surely appreciated, I mean £800/month per child means two kids and mum may as well not work. I do wonder though that the market should start to help soon because these rising prices mean it's now it's a more attractive field for people to train in or run businesses in?

We have to do something though as these unborn children are going to help pay for our really long retirements and care costs.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Is the Budget really the most appropriate forum to announce the introduction of a new coin?

[William the White]

The law firm I work at has an interesting art collection and I now chair our 'art network'.

I am now partly responsible for hiring an art intern.

Historically this has tended to be 2 days a week 'expenses only'.

Anyway, I've always vowed to myself that if I were ever in a position to argue against this type of arrangement then I would.

Today I find myself in the odd position of advocating paying the London Living Wage for one day a week, despite having railed against the vacuousness of its calculation the past. The truth is, practically speaking and from a campaigning point of view, it is better to have that reference point to argue far than none.

*sigh*

I'm not thinking of applying - even at the 'living wage' - but what is the job of the art intern?

And - good on you for the position you've taken! My sort-of nephew (ie if his aunt and I had ever married) is a campaigner for the London Living Wage with Citizens UK. and is only mildly embarrassed by this TV appearance...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baVvrNfG7nI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

The law firm I work at has an interesting art collection and I now chair our 'art network'.

I am now partly responsible for hiring an art intern.

Historically this has tended to be 2 days a week 'expenses only'.

Anyway, I've always vowed to myself that if I were ever in a position to argue against this type of arrangement then I would.

Today I find myself in the odd position of advocating paying the London Living Wage for one day a week, despite having railed against the vacuousness of its calculation the past. The truth is, practically speaking and from a campaigning point of view, it is better to have that reference point to argue far than none.

*sigh*

I'm not thinking of applying - even at the 'living wage' - but what is the job of the art intern?

And - good on you for the position you've taken!

We should probably discuss offline - it's a mixture of enjoyable and valuable opportunities and some realtively tedious administrative work.

It would definitely be worth doing unpaid for anyone who could afford to.

I hope my solution opens it up a bit and makes it more viable to a wider pool of people. And gets the engagement off to a good start from a platform of mutual respect.

With my selfish hat on, I think it makes it more likely we'll get the admin done that I would like doing. I also think paying people with 'exposure' alone, over a longer period, is false economy when you have to supervise them.