General politics discussion thread

[Loki]

Yeah, that's not what's going to happen though. You won't get a high quality duty solicitor because they won't exist any more. All that work is going to be contracted out to new companies designed to do it as cheaply as possible. You'll get the legal equivalent of an Indian call centre worker who is trained to do the process, but not an expert. The right to the best possible legal advice is being chopped, basically.

 

Here's another blog about it:

 

http://barrister999.wordpress.com/2013/04/...he-law-society/

 

It's not a very sexy or simplistic story, but it will have a serious impact particularly on the less well-off members of society.

[Chest Rockwell]

Are you sure about that, Loki? The way it reads to me is that this will put a stop to those who have the money for their own legal help from using the legal aid system? Someone like me, who is usually broke, would still be able to get one of those high quality duty solicitors to come down the station and get me the fuck outta there.

 

 

That's bullshit though anyway. Even if you can technically afford it it would still be a massive hit to your wallet that you shouldn't have to take.

[The King Of Swing]

Time for some good old fashioned political corruption.

 

MP Patrick Mercer resigns Tory Whip after being caught in a lobbying sting.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22727903

 

Whoops.

[JNLister]

In among the cash for questions stuff, the Mail on Sunday has a "Number 10 rocked by sex scandal". They say they can't name those involved for legal reasons but claim "when aides told Mr Cameron the identities of the alleged lovers he was ‘stunned’, and, according to sources, ‘immediately realised the importance of the story’. The Prime Minister and his aides also discussed the possible fallout should details of the affair become public – and how such disclosure could ‘blow out of the water’ any major political set pieces planned by No 10."

 

Guido Fawkes, who's a blogger who has a good record of accurately reporting Westminster rumors (which isn't to say those rumors are true) implies he told Downing Street, saying "When I told the PM's aide about the affair referred to on the front page of the Mail on Sunday the blood drained from his face. He then took a large swig of his drink."

 

Piecing stuff together, it appears to be a man and a woman, both middle aged, neither Liberal Democrats and neither currently in the cabinet. There's also supposedly something in it that's way more serious than two people shagging.

 

I'll put a popular rumour in spoiler tags, and by "spoiler" I mean "not true so don't sue":

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Samantha Cameron and Boris Johnson.

 

[close spoiler]

");document.close();

 

More credible rumour -- and again utterly unconfirmed -- is

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Rebekah Wade and Andy Coulson, the scandal being that somebody with high level security clearance was sharing pillow talk with a major newspaper exec.

 

[close spoiler]

");document.close();

Edited June 2, 2013 by JNLister

[Astro Hollywood]

Regarding the first spoiler, I haven't been so desperate for a rumour to be true since Hacksaw Jim Duggan's dildo-blender.

[JNLister]

A few people have spotted that when Guido Fawkes uploaded a story on it, he gave the picture the filename acrb.jpg.

 

A totally unconnected fact is that Cameron has an older brother called Alex who is a barrister with some high profile corporate clients.

Edited June 2, 2013 by JNLister

[SpursRiot2012]

That second one is shit. Please let it be the first one"

[The King Of Swing]

Whoever is involved some people seem to think that the affair could finish off Cameron but I'm personally betting on a massive let down.

[JNLister]

The best unfortunate politics typo since Ed Miliband's Blackbusters:

 

[Vamp]

That's the kinda thing I'm getting fed up of to be honest. Someone says something that people might see as contentious and somebody else jumps in to tell him he missed out a letter in a bloody tweet. Point out hypocrisies by all means but somebody making a bloody typo? Where's the apostrophe in "govt" Jill Segger? Huh? Huh? Like you know what you're talking about. Where's the 'a' before second? Huh? I served her! Oh yeah! Up high. #Vamp'sawesome

[JNLister]

It's not like anyone's calling for his resignation or anything like that. It's just funny and ironic that he did it in a tweet that demands people learn English.

[Vamp]

But it's not all that funny. If he'd have spelt a word wrong because he was shit at English it'd have been funny. Going "he missed out a letter when he's talking about people not being able to speak English" on a bloody tweet isn't funny. It just makes you look like a knob.

[David]

Why not just follow the lead of other EU nations and cut the benefits of those who weren't either born in the country, or who haven't paid into the system?

Edited June 27, 2013 by David

[David]

 

A Home Office poster campaign advising people not eligible to stay in the UK that they can be given help to go home has been branded "racist" by a charity.

 

The campaign began at offices in Glasgow and London on 29 July and will run until 4 October.

 

The Home Office said it was part of a policy to help those who cannot stay in Britain to "return home with dignity".

 

Positive Action in Housing, which works with asylum seekers, said the posters were "shameful and deeply offensive".

 

One of the posters on display at the Glasgow office reads: "Is life here hard? Going home is simple".

 

Another shows a photograph of an aeroplane with the caption: "This plane can take you home. We can book the tickets".

 

Chairs in the waiting area had stickers which said: "Ask about going home".

 

The Glasgow-based charity's director Robina Qureshi said: "As we all should know, 'go home' is a well-known racist taunt that has been used for decades in this country by fascists and racists against those of us from immigrant communities.

 

"That a government agency should decide to take up the same racist and xenophobic refrain while processing would-be refugees to this country, is shameful and deeply offensive.

 

"The go home poster campaign exposes the UKBA's attitude and gives us a small idea of what refugees in this country go through when they seek asylum."

 

SNP MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, James Dornan, said he had written to Home Secretary Theresa May demanding that the poster campaign be stopped immediately.

 

"There is no room for this type of abhorrent xenophobic campaign which will only serve to make already vulnerable people feel unwelcome and fans the flames of racial bigotry," he said.

 

"The Home Office has absolutely no idea about how modern Scotland treats vulnerable people - regardless of where they are from. Their campaign in Brand Street must stop immediately."

 

The Scottish government said immigration policy was currently reserved to the UK government.

 

But a spokesman added: "An independent Scotland will also ensure that we uphold our long tradition of providing shelter for those fleeing violence and persecution in their own countries."

 

A Home Office spokeswoman said the posters were part of a pilot campaign running at the UKBA offices in Brand Street, Glasgow, and Hounslow, west London.

 

She said it was part of a wider policy aimed at highlighting the range of help and advice available to those not eligible to stay in Britain to return home voluntarily.

 

The spokeswoman said this was more cost-effective and less traumatic than forced removals.

 

"Those with no right to remain in the UK should leave voluntarily," she said.

 

"These posters are designed to ensure people know that we can provide sensitive advice and assistance to help them return home with dignity.

 

"We also continue to work closely with community groups who welcome the opportunity for someone who is not here legally to leave the country of their own accord."

Fucking Hell, that message is pretty plain and to the point, isn't it? They're not beating around the bush with this campaign.

[JNLister]

Obviously it's wrong to look at somebody's behaviour as a child and judge them on it as an adult. But in the case of Nigel Farage, it's certainly funny. Here's what one teacher thought of him being appointed as a prefect back in the day.