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Category: Cuts

Will it be the council cuts that hurt the coalition most?

Will it be the council cuts that hurt the coalition most?

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HenryG looks at where the political battle-grounds will be Over the years I’ve noticed that one of the biggest misconceptions the public have is that their council services are funded almost entirely by the council tax they pay. In good times this isn’t so much of a problem, but it will be the cause of a major headache for the coalition too. The realisation that government spending cuts at Westmininster will hit their council’s services is starting to emerge as…

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Is the plan for Aaron to be Labour’s by-election candidate?

Is the plan for Aaron to be Labour’s by-election candidate?

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Is this what the NUS president was hinting at? There’s been a lot of speculation that the NUS might be planning to run a candidate in the Oldham East & Saddleworth by election following strong hints by the president, Aaron Porter, in an interview on The Politics Show yesterday afternoon But surely the idea of a separate NUS challenge is a nonsense because the last thing that Porter, an aspiring career Labour politician, would want is to take any action…

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MBE asks: Was it English votes for English fees?

MBE asks: Was it English votes for English fees?

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MPs regional breakdown Aye votes No votes Abstentions Total England 311 209 8 528 Northern Ireland 0 12 6 18 Scotland 6 51 2 59 Wales 8 32 0 40 ALL MPs 325 304 16 645 A guest slot on the big vote and the West Lothian Question Linlithgow and East Falkirk includes much of the late, lamented constituency of West Lothian. Last week its Labour MP, Michael Connarty, was one of 51 Scottish representatives to vote against Higher Education…

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Why’s Dave’s “contract” being honoured but not Nick’s pledge?

Why’s Dave’s “contract” being honoured but not Nick’s pledge?

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Could the differing treatment be what undermines the pact? In the run up to polling day on May 6th the Tories sent out a mailer to selected voters in key marginal seats headed “A contract between the Conservative Party and You”. It was designed to ease voters’ concerns about certain key areas of spending that the red team said were being cut. Most of the items listed were directed at pensioners – keeping free bus basses, the winter fuel allowance,…

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Is Herr Bergfeld a gift for Nick Clegg?

Is Herr Bergfeld a gift for Nick Clegg?

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How serious should his bravado be taken? London’s Evening Standard is running a story tonight quoting one of Wednesday’s march organisers and a member of the National Executive of the NUS which could be seen as almost amounting to a call to revolution. He’s called for schools to be barricaded, more “occupations” and a general strike to “break” the Lib-Con coalition Bergfield is quoted as saying: “He said: “The ConDems are the real vandals so force is legitimate to bring…

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The welfare cuts continue to get strong public backing

The welfare cuts continue to get strong public backing

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Making the long term unemployed spend 4 weeks doing unpaid work All voters CON voters LAB voters LD voters Support 73 92 58 83 Oppose 17 3 31 14 Don’t know 10 5 10 3 Withdrawing Jobseekers Allowance from those who turn down a job offer or interview All voters CON voters LAB voters LD voters Support 66 82 57 71 Oppose 21 8 33 22 Don’t know 12 9 10 6 More stringent testing for people receiving Disability Living…

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What does EdM do about the “jobless must work” plan?

What does EdM do about the “jobless must work” plan?

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Is the IDS programme the next “wedge issue”? The big political news this morning is the Observer’s front page splash saying that under plans to be announced in the next few days the jobless could risk losing their benefits if they don’t do unpaid manual work. This is based on the belief that jobseekers “would benefit from experiencing the habits and routines of working life”. According to the paper the unemployed will be told to take up “mandatory work activity”…

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Haven’t the LDs only themselves to blame for the fees mess?

Haven’t the LDs only themselves to blame for the fees mess?

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Was it always likely that the pledge would have to be broken? So we are here – Lib Dem betrayal time and an embarrassment for the coalition. But why on earth did Clegg’s party agree to it in the first place because there was always a pretty good chance that it was a promise that couldn’t be kept? Consider two facts. The inquiry into university funding by ex-BP boss John Browne was set up by the last Labour government with…

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