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woodhouseian

Listed below are comments made by woodhouseian between Monday, 7th July 2008 and Monday, 3rd August 2009.

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Hard-core smokers 00:58am on 03 Aug 2009 What about the hidden benefits of being a hard core smoker? I'm thinking for example of the little social and gossip networks they develop in the workplace. Why are non-smokers discriminated against in this context, and why isn't more being done about it?
Thursday 23 July 2009 6:50pm on 24 Jul 2009 Following on from my comment #7 and the kind remarks about it in #14, I have now rechecked the situation. Apparently you only need to be 18 to get a Certificate of Approval (COA)to get married on a tourist (visitor) visa, however you then need to leave the country and apply for a spouse visa, which you have to be 21 to obtain. So I'm not clear what is special about Rochelle's situation. Surely this anomaly will just continue for ANYONE aged 18-20, until the immigration rules change to equalise the ages for COA and Spouse visas? Didn't they realise this age diference (COA=18 and Spouse visa=21) when they wrote the rules? And by the way, the minimum age for fiancee visas is now also 21, so if Rochelle had been forced to use the old system now, she'd be unable to get married here until she is 21.
Thursday 23 July 2009 11:40pm on 23 Jul 2009 Can I just point out that Rochelle's situation would not have happened a few years ago - because the immigration rules were actually stricter then! She would not have got as far as being able to marry here as a visitor to the UK. Rather she would have had to return to Canada, apply for a fiancee visa, and hope the High Commission agreed to grant that visa. As I understand it the rules on Certificates on Approval were liberalised as a result of a High Court decision in 2006, and it was with such a certificate that Rochelle was able to get married here. So she benefitted from one liberalisation of the rules, then she suffered from a tightening of the rules. I hope the Home Office allow her to stay though. I am amazed the relevant MP didn't refer the issue straight to the Minister! Why on earth go via the civil service in a case like this?
Let's Talk (but not about Jacko) 11:56pm on 28 Jun 2009 Mark,

Just a quick practical suggestion re the website. Can you please get a link added to the 'Inside Politics' audio, from the main Northern Ireland politics page? At the moment you have to do a separate search to find it.

Regards
Woodhouseian
Cutting Departments 2 10:50pm on 17 Jan 2009 Hi

This link should work:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gsntv/Inside_Politics_17_01_2009/

For some reason the programme website has an incorrect link instead!

Woodhouseian
Happy New Year 11:42pm on 19 Dec 2008 Mark

All the best for the festive season and the year ahead. Thanks as always for the excellent blog during 2008. I read it every day and look forward to continuing to see your insights - and the comments about them, including from the regular contributors - in 2009.
Back from London 5:27pm on 07 Jul 2008 How about independence for Scotland but with Northern Ireland included as part of the package? That way the SNP and Sinn Fein would be able to escape from England, meanwhile the NI Unionists could keep their links with Scottish Protestants. Has anyone suggested this before?

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