August 25, 2010 – 2:02 am
Julia Gillard is a childless 48-year-old unmarried atheist redhead who lives in sin with her hairdresser. She is also the first woman to become prime minister of Australia. Just in case you thought that might mean a new era had dawned, be assured that it is probably just about over. Not that Gillard had radical [...]
By DeusExMacintosh
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Also posted in Environment, Feminism, Funnies, Law, Media, Politics
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Tagged australia, Australian politics, Bob Katter, Germaine Greer, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott
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August 14, 2010 – 9:24 pm
David Cameron claimed on Tuesday that he and his wife Samantha are members of ‘the sharp-elbowed middle classes’. This statement was at the same time an attempt to proclaim his ordinariness and a dig at middle-class values. The Prime Minister was in effect saying that he is much like everyone else while deprecating those whom [...]
Work and pensions minister Chris Grayling is conducting an urgent review into a new medical test for incapacity benefit after fresh figures showed only 6% of those tested were deemed to be totally incapable of working. The figures, covering all new claims from October 2008 to the end of November 2009, show 39% are being [...]
By DeusExMacintosh
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Also posted in Britain, Funnies, Personal, Politics, Popular culture, Society
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Tagged ATOS, Chris Grayling, computer says no, Department for Work and Pensions, disability, DWP, employment support allowance, LiMA, UK coalition government, UK politics, welfare, welfare reform, work capability assessment
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I am not going to link to anyone making ‘dog whistling’ claims this election campaign; there are too many of them. Instead, I am going to make a few requests. 1. Before using this phrase, please take some care to find out what it means. 2. When claiming that this or that politician is ‘dog [...]
FRIENDS of an acclaimed Scottish writer have accused the new government’s crackdown on welfare benefits of being a factor in his suicide. Paul Reekie, who, along with Irvine Welsh, was part of a wave of young Scottish authors who rose to international prominence in the 1990s, killed himself in his Edinburgh home last month. The [...]
By DeusExMacintosh
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Also posted in Britain, Depression, Funnies, Politics, Society, scotland
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Tagged George Osborne, housing benefit, incapacity benefit, Paul Reekie, suicide, welfare, welfare reform
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David Cameron has launched his “big society” drive to empower communities, describing it as his “great passion”. In a speech in Liverpool, the prime minister said groups should be able to run post offices, libraries, transport services and shape housing projects. Also announcing plans to use dormant bank accounts to fund projects, Mr Cameron said [...]
Chancellor George Osborne has outlined plans to cut incapacity benefit, insisting those capable of working should work, citing the example of coma patients who could easily take up gainful employment as draft excluders. His comments come as the government seeks to make further inroads into the £155bn budget deficit, with those on incapacity benefits seen [...]
Henry Kissinger once said of Saddam that ‘we knew he was a son of a bitch, but we thought he was our son of a bitch’. I think it’s fair to say that Saddam ruled his country with spectacular nastiness, but that he also did enough to garner the support of a significant chunk of [...]
By skepticlawyer
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Also posted in Law, Popular culture, Public Policy, Religion, scotland
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Tagged Anthony Shaffer, Charter Cities, Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward, Henry Kissinger, Highland Clearances, Paul Romer, Robin Hardy, Saddam, The Wicker Man, Tradition
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This is going to be a longer and much sharper post than I had originally intended. What first came to mind was an open letter to the new Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, pointing out a simple £50 million cost saving to the welfare bill, but then yesterday the new coalition government handed [...]
By DeusExMacintosh
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Also posted in Britain, Law, Personal, Politics, Public Policy, Society, Taxation
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Tagged budget 2010, coalition, conservative party, deficit, disability, disability living allowance, DLA, employment support allowance, Iain Duncan Smith, incapacity benefit, welfare
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The new independent fiscal watchdog has downgraded the economic growth projections for the UK economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts the economy will expand 2.6% in 2011, down from the 3% to 3.5% estimate given in Labour’s last Budget. The lower figure will likely increase the impetus of the coalition government to cut [...]
