Warning: prolonged exposure to graffiti may cause you to develop views which are incompatible with those of the establishment.
I am shy and geeky and shortsighted and tall and not-quite-skinny-enough.
I pretend that I’m happy whilst at the same time nurturing my Issues so they become big and strong.
I was going to title this ‘Who am I’ but I’m not going to tell you that.
* My photos
* My ramblings
* My band (Free EP download!)
* Ask me things. Go on, I'll be nice :-)
I pretend that I’m happy whilst at the same time nurturing my Issues so they become big and strong.
I was going to title this ‘Who am I’ but I’m not going to tell you that.
* My photos
* My ramblings
* My band (Free EP download!)
* Ask me things. Go on, I'll be nice :-)
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"Thieving from the poor while turning them against each other: any response but fury at what this government is doing is inexcusable"➜
A brilliantly written, fantastically blistering piece from Owen Jones about the Welfare Bill. Read it.
If you’re lacking context, last night the House of Commons voted to give a second reading to a bill which would cap the yearly increase in- and out-of-work benefits by just 1% - this is lower than inflation, so marks a real-terms cut in the amount that people will receive.
The Department for Work and Pensions published their impact assessment of this bill yesterday, of which the key points are as follows:
• The DWP says that nearly 10m households - or 30% of all households - will lose money. On average they will lose £3 a week, but the poorest families will lose the most.
• Lone parents will lose more than other family types
• Women are more likely to be affected than men. Some 33% of women are affected, compared to 29% of men.
• Households with a member who is disabled are more likely to be affected than non-disabled households. That’s because, although the 1% cap does not cover disability benefits, people with a disability are more likely to be receive the benefits that are covered by the bill.
Enough is enough. Something has to be done.
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This is what we pay our politicians to do. The leaders trade schoolboy insults while the rest jeer in the background.
Appalling.
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And this is what it looks like today.
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The Guardian asked readers to let them know where petrol panic buying was taking place. This is the current map. Cameron, you are such a goddamn idiot.
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Hmm, I’m not sure. He must know that Labour are only offering electoral reform to try and get them on side, and it’s really not going to be easy to push through. On the other hand though, Conservative aren’t offering it at all.
It has crossed my mind that Cameron might try and broker a deal with SNP/Plaid Cymru but I don’t know how many seats they hold.
I AM SO TIRED!
Realistically speaking, SNP and Plaid Cymru aren’t going to do much more than make up the numbers to squeeze past. Whilst they’ll get some token reforms and bills passed in their direction, they’ll never properly hold any power. They’d be arguing from a position of making up numbers, not of “seriously, you guys would be fucked without us”.
In terms of bums on seats, the Lib Dems hold all the power. Whoever finally makes it NEEDS the Lib Dems to hold an all out, defining majority. They’re the only viable (ie. not minority) swing party going. They’re the only party left who has the clout (and policy ambiguity) to legitimately hold sway over proceedings. It’ll be an interesting few years if nothing else.
Yeah the reason for Cameron joining with SNP and Plaid Cymru would purely be to make up the numbers. It might just get them the 326, while Labour wouldn’t have a chance. And because of that, Cameron could offer some token things - far less than he’d have to offer the Lib Dems, but effectively maintain a fully Conservative government. Which is good for him, of course.
Far from being the Kingmakers, Lib Dems are, unfortunately, pretty much fucked. Given that the thing they want most - electoral reform - is *not* wanted by either Conservative or Labour, even if one of them did put a bill forward as a result of a deal, the chances of it going through are almost non-existent. Nick Clegg won’t want to align himself with the party that’s been in power for the last 13 years and pissed everyone off, but the thought of a Con-Lib coalition just seems ridiculous.
I have no idea what’s going to happen. I’m pretty sure it won’t last though. I think we’ll see another general election within 2 years.
via fionchadd➜
