Ed Balls & Ken lead charge against cuts at Labour fringe
The event is being headed by the Progressive Economic Alternatives Coalition, and spear-headed by Jon Trickett MP
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There’s something tragically moving about Vince Cable’s position
Last night’s Question Time showed that anger at the Lib Dems is mounting.
For the first half of last night’s broadcast, Cable repeatedly got it in the neck.
But rather than seeing Cable as a traitor, I would urge a little more nuance. There has been no Jekyll and Hyde transformation. The same exceptionally laudable politician remains – but circumstances dictate he play the devil.
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Vince popularity rises after capitalism criticism
A huge three quarters of the public have sided with Vince Cable after his controversial on capitalism.
In a speech to the Lib Dem conference, Vince Cable said:
Why should good companies be destroyed by short-term investors looking for a speculative killing, while their accomplices in the City make fat fees? Why do directors forget their wider duties when a fat cheque is waved before them? Capitalism takes no prisoners and kills competition where it can.
He has also become the most popular Libdem politician with Labour and Libdem voters.
The poll was carried out by PoliticsHome
Ken Livingstone’s margin of victory
Ken Livingstone overwhelmingly won the Labour race for Mayor of London this morning.
Ken polled 68.6% of the votes, with Oona King on 31.4%.
Among trade union and affiliate organisations members he won 71% to 29%.
Update: Clare French has a better breakdown in the comments below.
Green Party AM Jenny Jones has written about Ken Livingstone for MayorWatch.
Whoever wins tomorrow, the left will have to unite and fight this Coalition
When the Labour party announces its new leader tomorrow afternoon, it’s a given that some will be sorely disappointed. They might moan ‘we’re back to the Blair years again‘, or ‘this means opposition for a generation‘ depending on who wins.
But I’m fairly confident that demands for party unity will quickly become the order of the day. For the time being, this is sorely necessary.
But I’ll say in advance that I doubt there will be, or even should be, a blank cheque from the left.
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Save a family from deportation to Iran!
We have just a matter of a couple of days to save this 10-year old and his mother from deportation to Iran.
“Child M” and his mother, Farah Ghaemi, face deportation to Iran where Farah and her 23-year old daughter face persecution for distributing the ‘Satanic Verses’.
“Child M” is already traumatised by his incarceration at Yarl’s Wood detention centre.
Gerald Kaufman MP on Woman’s Hour, explains the case
More details of the campaign here
What Can You Do?
1. Sign the online petition here
2. Write to (or, preferably, email) the Home Secretary
This is one of the best ways you can help the campaign. In it you need to:
- include Home Office reference numbers: G1158044, G1158044/2 and G1158044/7
- ask for the whole family to be given leave to remain
- say why Child “M” and his family would be in danger if they are sent back to Iran
- express concern at how Child “M” and his family have been treated
- send it to the Home Secretary, Home Office, 2 Marsham Street London, SW1P 4DF, or email: Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Home Secretary: mayt@parliament.uk
hat-tip Shiraz Socialist
Two different approaches to fighting the cuts
I voted for Ed Balls, and whilst I hope he wins, it looks like we’ll be having a Miliband as leader. I think both of them would be excellent, so I’ll not be too upset either way.
The post of Shadow Chancellor will be crucial.
Yesterday Ed Balls gave us a preview of how he’d handle it. Compare and contrast the statements from Ed and Alistair Darling.
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Quango ‘bonfire’ to cull 177 bodies
Government ministers have drawn up a list of 177 quangos to be abolished, it was reported today.
A further 94 of the tax-funded bodies are also under threat of being scrapped, including the BBC World Service, the Environment Agency and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, according to the Cabinet Office list seen by the Daily Telegraph.
Four quangos will be privatised, 129 will be merged, and 350 have won a reprieve. The scale of the cuts, if confirmed, is likely to prove controversial.
During the election, the Conservatives promised to cutback on quangos, although, after becoming prime minister, David Cameron was keen to distance himself from the “bonfire of the quangos” pledged in the past. Nevertheless, the prime minister has insisted cuts are necessary, not just to save money but for democratic accountability. Defenders of quangos believe many of them carry out essential functions.
The disability charity Scope said the Disability Employment Advisory Committee, the Disability Living/Attendance Allowance Advisory Board and the Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee, all said to be facing the axe, “provide the government with insight and understanding into the reality of disabled peoples lives”.
Why do media orgs report ethnicity of terrorist suspects?
A few days ago, five men were arrested in ‘a plot’ to threaten the Pope.
This is how Sky News first reported it:
Budget cuts depress confidence in housing
Britain’s housing market is in the midst of new dip that will shave at least another 5 percent off current house prices, according to a quarterly Reuters poll of economists and property analysts.
There was a marked shift in tone from previous polls, as 18 out of 24 respondents said they expected to see a “double-dip” in house prices — a scenario dismissed by all but six analysts out of 22 in a poll taken less than three months ago.
With severe government budget cuts soon to take effect and around 600,000 public sector jobs expected to go over the next six years, respondents cited homebuyers’ lack of confidence about the direction of the British economy.
The survey predicted house prices will fall 0.5 percent next year on average after rising 1.0 percent in 2010 — essentially flat-lining. In July, analysts predicted home prices would climb 3.5 percent this year and nearly 2 percent next year.
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