AM glass box for Wednesday
Do you have any ideas you could share with us for tonight's programme? If so, drop them into the glass box before we have our meeting at 11am. Thanks, sequin.
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The blog for the afternoon news and current affairs programme presented by Eddie Mair.
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The leak says MPs should not be able to claim a mortgage for a second home.
Isn't this world a strange place? You would have thought a position of representative of the people would have all the safe-guards mustered around it so as to be as little opportunity for moral, financial or political corruption. Instead, the set up seems to actively encourage all of the above when you would have expected the opposite.
Ok they have made a start...its just the tip of the iceberg though and we must continue to not allow them to lull us into believing it is a past issue. Second homes today...tomorrow...phoney second jobs perhaps?...the day after that...an end to family cronyism?
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Great one.thanks for sharing this to us.
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We talk about the freedom of the press. But what about the freedom of of the people to read the press?
A Waterstone's spokesperson said at the time: "We continue to work directly with publishers to ensure they are kept up to date on our progress." As a result of The Bookseller's report, which has attracted more than 270 comments, the chain cut off communication with the magazine, and blocked staff from accessing its website. It has also told publishers in a letter that it would introduce "new, regular communication" so they need not "rely on trade press for information".
So if you work for Waterstones it seems you cannot read the trade press.
more
here!
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I heard the news today and well - all I hear is November rushing towards us as we accept an Indian summer without seeming demur. Well ceratin Media outlets - THAT makes a change!
Leaks are interesting though aren't they? Was it a leak - were they leaks or put out to lessen reactions of for or against when the whole report comes along. PM - please discuss. Expostulating MoPs are tuned out almost completely now - from being taken notice of I mean. you cannot but help hear them. One on Any Questions last week - allegedly pleading a cause of not being guilty - of - well, anything, had me helpless with laughter on the floor.
Such ardour for us constituents to cherish and utilise. I wish I could vote for that MoP return to Parliament next year.
That is not a leak. It official MyBook Party Policy. Well for today at least. lol
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El Señor Presidente Tony Blair?
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Joe, if you're still around - I think Sequin might like your Sam photos ;o)
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How much does a Parliamentary Question cost?
You can't get your computer to connect to the Office intranet. What do you do? Call the IT helpdesk? Or ask a Parliamentary Question?
Well it seems that Southend West's MP, David Amess, would choose the PQ route. We can only guess what office drama led to this question:
“To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps the House of Commons Commission (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to make the Parliamentary House of Commons intranet compatible with computers running Windows Vista 64-bit edition; and if he will make a statement.”
Nick Harvey MP resisted the temptation to tell Mr Amess to try switching it off and back on again, and instead said:
“No alterations need to be made to the Parliament intranet specifically for Windows desktop Vista 64 bit edition. The intranet is delivered through internet browsing technology which is independent of the system on which the browser runs.”
All this suggests that 26 years as a backbench MP is just too long. In the real world, you call the helpdesk when you can't get connected to the internet, you don't write a Parliamentary Question. It would certainly have saved the taxpayer some money.
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#7. Sid
Well that is very interesting.
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Did anyone see Newsnight last night and Ann Atkins's unbelievable two faced hypocrisy.
I know the BBC and people who post on BBC blogs are prone to spot connexions.
There has been an increase in homophobic attacks and there has been a corresponding increase in Faith schools.
The correlation is strong and so I think we need to look in detail at what is taught regarding tolerance in these schools.
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Looternite (9) I hope you're not insinuating that a higher percentage of students from Faith schools are making such attacks?
Please either give us a reference to back up your statement, or retract/reword it.
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#10. Gillianian
It was mentioned on Newsnight by Kirsty Wark no less.
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#10. Gillianian
I am also highlighting the ease with which correlation is used.
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But everyone knows that correlation is not the same as causation, don't they?
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Is employing your spouse/family member such a bad thing. Given that there must be checks and balances to make sure that they are employed to do a job, a not just sitting at home being paid and that the pay is commensurate with the duties and hours.
Most MPs spouses started off by being the chief local activist, campaign manager, leaflet producer, deliverer and door knocker for the election of said MP and probably worked unpaid in the office for years. When elected it seemed sensible to keep on in a paid position the person who knew all the people and the duties inside out in the same way that any small business would do. Not everyone is out to fiddle the taxpayers money.
Once again the bad have spoiled things for the good.
tod
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#13. Sid
That's right.
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theotherdaughter (14) - Totally agree. There is the world of difference between paying someone doing a full time job, who brings years of experience and is always 'on the premises' and slipping thousands to family members just to bring the expenses up to the maximum permitted. If Kelly can't come up with a system to differentiate between the two circumstances then I don't hold out much hope for the quality of the rest of his report.
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#10. Gillianian
Just watched again last nights Newsnight and if you watch it you will see approx after 40 mins the item about homophobic attacks returns for the studio discussion. Now I for one had no idea that Homophobia was on the increase until last night and it was indeed Kirsty Wark that first mentions the connexion between homophobia and faith schools.
Sure faith schools may not be telling students to attack gays but they certainly do not seem to be instilling respect and toleration of gays.
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#14. theotherdaughter and #16. PrestonFirmlie
What happens if the MP has an affair with his/her secretary and then marries her/him.
Unfortunatley as PrestonFirmlie suggests, MPs like the Tory Conway are likely to find a way to fiddle.
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Looternite - thanks for telling me about the Newsnight item, which I've just watched and found deeply worrying.
One of the most significant points I picked up out of the discussion was made by Johann Hari of the Independent, who quoted a study which found that homophobic violence fell by 60 percent where schools tackled instances of it in their own establishments - and this includes both religious and non-religious schools.
The inference here is that Britain's schools in general aren't dealing with the problem adequately - the majority of attacks seem to be made by youths who are still at school or who have recently left.
With regard to Faith schools, I can appreciate the huge dilemma faced by teachers whose beliefs mean they cannot promote the homosexual lifestyle as normal and acceptable, but who wish to instil tolerance of other beliefs and cultures.
It would be good to hear about schools where such a balance has been found.
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Looternite - Would it be essential for them to have an affair before getting married? Indeed, would it be essential for them to get married after having an affair?
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Ok controversial.
I am not an avid fan of Ann Atkins. Neither am I gay. I know her husband is a Christian minister isn't he? However, She has the right to hold her views and not to be accused of perpetuating violence and homophobic responses because of her views which, when all is said and done come from her personal experience. There is a danger in this debate of one side falling into the position of assuming, if your not for us you are against us. I'm sorry Don't think like this.
The other danger is...research, research, research! The problem is without going into proper quantified detail about how research is conducted, formed, and analysed, it not that useful. Most people go looking for evidence to bolster up what they already believe to be true anyway. This is why research has to be done properly and with scrutiny. Just because a university does the reseach does not mean its going to be any better than say...well yours or mine if the research is biased to begin with by looking for evidence to determine what they want it to. For instance, were there any gay people involved in the collation of the research done by London university mentioned on news night? Could this have had a baring on the outcome?
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Good to hear Carolyn Quinn. She is n`t on Radio 4 often enough. She needs her own show. What about bringing back Down Your Way? She would be ideal as a presenter,
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no problem with MPs employing family members provided the position has been advertised through a job centre, there is a proper interview process and the position is awarded to the most suitable candidate. The interview board should however include a third party (maybe from a job centre) otherwise nepotism will prevail.
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ivehadenuf (23) - And how do you propose we deal with a spouse who has been doing the job for the past 20 or 30 years?
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PrestonFirmlie - as i have said - the most suitable candidate should be given the job. I doubt if anyone having already done the job for 20 - 30 years would face much compitition and would be almost certain to secure the position. the point i was making is that employment laws require all positions to be advertised - without exception.
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Why have politician talking on behalf of Newcastle football fans? Don’t they have a supporters association in Newcastle? If you have to have an establishment figure on PM Surely a BBC journalist could speculate in a more condensed manner.
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ivehadenuf (25) - "... employment laws require all positions to be advertised - without exception."
Want to have a bet about that?
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Any chance of a debate to clarify what is a "Human Right". My niaive interpretation is that it is something which all humans, across the planet, require or should expect to receive. Increasingly it seems be used as an excuse for getting someting paid for by others. Examples include radical medical treatments which our Health Service cannot afford, or the forehead-smacking assertion from Ted Brocklebank (MSP) that watching Gaelic TV on Freeview was a human right.
I suspect that some clarity could sadly reduce the income of some eye-wateringly expensive lawyers in Strasburg, which could be construed to be an infringement of their.........
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#29. greygrumpysandy
It's also a right not to watch gaelic TV.
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