Despite setbacks, UKuncut are back on the streets
contribution by Tim Hardy
Many of us went out again in London under the banner of UKuncut this Sunday. We were met at our start point by dozens of police vans containing more officers per protester than were at the EDL march in Blackburn.
FIT officers were on the scene openly filming everyone in an act of surveillance as intimidation.
continue reading… »
TaxPayers Alliance try blaming Osborne’s rising debt on inflation
My good friend’s at the TPA have responded to my False Economy post on household debt.
Leaving aside the sniping (I’m a ‘hack’ apparently), their key argument is that the higher household debt forecasts are due to higher inflation (’the colossal elephant in the room’). Fair enough, although the basic problem with this argument is that the OBR haven’t really revised their inflation forecasts by all that much.
continue reading… »
Poll: 73% fine with #UKuncut style protests
Over the weekend YouGov asked people about the recent protests over spending cuts:
73% thought that peaceful civil disobedience was “acceptable”.
Only 22% thought it “unacceptable”.
3% thought that violent protests such as breaking windows or damaging buildings were “acceptable”.
93% said they were “unacceptable”.
On the deficit:
24% backed the government policies to reduce the deficit.
3% thought there should be more cuts,
29% thought the cuts should be done more slowly,
19% think there should be fewer cuts and more tax rises
16% thought cuts were unnecessary.
It would be nice if those commentators who criticised Ed Miliband for speaking at the TUC march and claimed it was a flop were aware of the real state of public opinion.
Fewer than 1 in 4 people support the government’s plans. 2 in 3 would prefer an alternative which reduced the scale or speed of the cuts. Nearly 3 in 4 back peaceful protest against the cuts.
Only a tiny minority of people support smashing shop windows in protest, a belief as extreme, fringe and popular only on the internet as the notion that the cuts should be deeper.
‘Tories planned to smear Andrew Lansley rapper’
Paul Waugh at PoliticsHome has an interesting post on how Cameron lost the debate on NHS changes by failing to persuade anyone of the benefits.
But at the end he adds:
I’m told that the Conservatives were so worried by the Lansley rap that there was a plan to get CCHQ to troll the comments on YouTube and call the rapper a dangerous lefty. Surely this can’t be true….?
That rapper is of course Mc Next Gen, and his video has now racked up an incredible quarter of a million views.
via @richardblogger
You can also buy the single now on iTunes.
Public oppose blood donation privatisation
A youGov poll out today reveals that a massive 64% of the public oppose privatising blood donations.
The government is looking to privatise the NHS Blood and Transplant Service.
YouGov found that 64% of people oppose plans to use private companies to run part of the NHS Blood and Transplant Service
25% would agree with the privatisation if it went ahead, with only 4% saying they would ‘strongly support’ the move.
The Government say they are considering whether to privatise part of the NHS Blood and Transplant Service in a bid to make it more ‘commercially effective’.
Sections of the service which could be run by private firms include testing, processing and transport of blood and are part of a wider strategy to outsource more NHS services.
However, the proposals have faced objections on the grounds that people who donate blood do so for free, so private companies should not profit from this goodwill. 25,000 signatures from members of the public have already been amassed in under a week, as part of a union-organised petition protest against the plans.
“The public have voted – it’s time for the Government to back off from their ill-conceived plans to sell-off parts of the NHS Blood and Transplant service” said Unison chief Dave Prentis today in a statement to press.
The campaign by Unison to oppose privatisation is here.
Ten ways to pressure on the Coalition and defeat it
The hundreds of thousands of people who marched through London on 26th March were a powerful testimony to the strength of opposition to the coalition government’s cuts agenda.
Afterwards, the differences between those involved in parliamentary politics and those involved in direct action could lead both groups to think ‘these are the times that try men’s souls.’ Such tensions are inevitable. The important lesson I think should be drawn is that this must not distract from the pressure on the coalition.
Here are ten ways to put pressure on the Coalition.
continue reading… »
Would those opposing intervention in Libya also do so for Ivory Coast?
I have been deeply sceptical about ‘whataboutery’ when it is used an argument for consistent inaction on human rights everywhere.
Nicolas Kristof captures a central point in his last New York Times column:
Just because we allowed Rwandans or Darfuris to be massacred, does it really follow that to be consistent we should allow Libyans to be massacred as well? Isn’t it better to inconsistently save some lives than to consistently save none?
Why I’ll be joining the right-wing Rally Against Debt
Various Tory and UKIP bloggers are organising a ‘Rally Against Debt’ in May. Right-wing luminaries such as Daniel Hannan MEP, who confidently predicted the rise of the UK Tea Party last year, is praising it too – presumably in hope his dreams will still be realised.
I would urge the organisers not to be put off by the fact it will be around a 1000 times smaller than 26th March. In fact, I’m going to join them, and I think other lefties should do!
continue reading… »
Simple video shows how Alternative Vote works
Haven’t really seen any good, simple explanations of AV anywhere, and thought this was worth highlighting.
via @asimhaneef
Has Cameron really u-turned on Lansley’s disastrous NHS bill?
contribution by Richard Blogger
The Sunday Telegraph reports that Cameron was ambushed by Tory MPs at last weeks 1922 backbenchers’ meeting where they expressed their concerns over the Health and Social Care Bill.
Since September I’ve been giving talks on the white paper and people have asked me how to stop the policy and I’ve told them that the only way is to target backbench (particularly shire) Tory MPs and carefully tell them what it will mean to their constituents.
You can read articles through the front page, via Twitter or RSS feed. You can also get them by email and through our Facebook group.
» Revealed: govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote
» Would raising the tax threshold actually help the poorest?
» To win London, Ken Livingstone has to step outside his comfort zone
» This trade agreement with India will destroy thousands of lives
» UK debt hasn’t hit £1 trillion – mostly because of QE
» The benefits of being a “burden” on society
» Today’s economic figures will simply confirm UK’s “lost decade”
» Have Labour realised the election is more than three years away?
» Violence in the office
» Want a more responsible capitalism? Reform how pensions work
» The world is entering the third phase of the crisis, warns ILO
|
19 Comments 33 Comments 59 Comments 18 Comments 15 Comments 25 Comments 38 Comments 7 Comments 64 Comments 11 Comments |
|
LATEST COMMENTS » Sunny Hundal posted on Revealed: govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote » Sally posted on Even by economic standards Hester's £1m bonus is unworthy » Flowerpower posted on Diane Abbott resigns from abortion panel » Tom (iow) posted on The benefits of being a "burden" on society » Anne posted on Revealed: govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote » Ian M Davies posted on Week of action against Atos begins Monday » Robert2012 posted on The benefits of being a "burden" on society » G.O. posted on Would raising the tax threshold actually help the poorest? » Dave posted on Revealed: govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote » Schmidt posted on Even by economic standards Hester's £1m bonus is unworthy » Link: “govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote” | Help Me Investigate Health posted on Revealed: govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote » Planeshift posted on Would raising the tax threshold actually help the poorest? » Makhno posted on The benefits of being a "burden" on society » Trooper Thompson posted on Would raising the tax threshold actually help the poorest? » ukliberty posted on Does Priti Patel MP care for human rights? |
