David Davies to the youth of Wales: Get a MacJob in London

David Davies the MP for Monmouth has managed to get into into the headlines with his call to put 'Put feckless fathers in chains and make them work to pay back societyI presume he means that only poorer family's  and not the likes of Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson who of course has a "Love Child" rather a Illegitimate one 

In a similar manner Both Johnson and David Cameron were member of the Bullingdon Club whose behaviour would be dismissed as "Youthful High Spirits" by other Tories whilst similar behaviour from working class kids is "Mindless hooliganism".

Turning to another example  Mr Davies said:

 "I also met a young couple, a teenage couple, 17 years old, neither of whom had ever worked in their lives, (err they are 17 you idiot" )they were in a two or a one-bedroom flat and were being expected to suffer some inconvenience, perhaps move into a studio flat.
"And again I say to the ministers on my front-bench, you are being far too generous in many instances. Why should the state be paying for two people to set up in, frankly, a teenage love nest.
"And I got into a lot a of trouble because I suggested to the young man that perhaps he should go out and find a job himself. And he said there weren't any... I said, 'Well why don't you move to where the work is' and I immediately ran into a whole load of criticism for that.
"I even had someone email me here. He said, 'You're a Christian, you should be serving the Lord, one day you will stand by the Lord and account for this hardship'.
"And I wrote back and said, 'I read my bible, I don't see anywhere in the bible where it says 17 year olds should be given a flat but I see plenty of examples of people who have had to move for a better way of life, whether it was Abraham going off to the Promised Land or Moses or the disciples who toured all over Europe'. They all moved."
Talking about opportunities in and around Victoria railway station in London, he said: "In Victoria station, which is a prime bit of expensive real estate, you've got your Boots, your Costa Coffee and your Starbucks.
"There's actually an office there which is recruiting people to go and work for Pret A Manger. So I went in there the other day, last week, there were 100 vacancies in Pret A Manger in central London.
"People were waiting to take people on. Young people with an attitude with an ability to go out and do a bit of work can find a job no problem whatsoever and I don't think we should be supporting them in the way we are."

So that his solution. Move to London get a "Macjob" and hang on a minute  where will they live probably like many employed in Macjobs in London many who are immigrants live in squalid overcrowd flats because that all they can afford.

Mr Davies is a MP from Wales. He should be fighting for decent well payed jobs here not persuading 17 year old to move to London and be exploited by pimps and drug pushers,  or live out a meagre existence serving posh sandwiches to the likes of him and barely being able to afford to live in overcrowded accommodation on some "Sink Estate" travelling daily to service their Tory masters.

What we need is an International Disaster Response Force".

The news that Britain and the US are sending warships to help relief efforts in the Philippines after typhoon Haiyan left thousands dead. is very welcome it is certainly preferable to using the military in politicly motivated interventions like Afghanistan or Iraq.

The Philippine government have raised the official death toll to 1,744 on Tuesday, but the figure is expected to climb drastically, with authorities estimating that the storm killed 10,000 or more across a vast region of the country, and displaced about 660,000 others.

David Cameron said HMS Daring, which carries equipment to make drinking water from seawater, would provide humanitarian assistance and flights from its onboard helicopter. At least one Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft would be allocated to move humanitarian aid to areas that are most in need and hardest to reach, the prime minister said.

"HMS Daring, currently deployed near Singapore, will shortly be heading at full speed towards the disaster zone with further support from an RAF C-17 which will be a powerful help to the relief operation," Cameron told a dinner attended by business leaders in London.

HMS Daring is expected to reach the area in five days and the C-17 within the next few days. About 200 military personnel will be involved.

Britain has swiftly ratcheted up its response to the devastating typhoon Haiyan, bringing its contribution since the disaster struck to £10m.

But in a world where we need to respond to disasters is it not about time that the Nations of the world got together and created a permanent" International Disaster Response Force".

For Instance The European could create such a Force consisting of seconded or ex-military  personal together with other trained  and professional members who are permanently based  and consisting of some  3000 men and Women  25% full time and the rest  on a equivalence with the Territorial Army and women  drawn from every member of the EU based on population so the UK would contribute about 200 

They would serve for 5 years and at the end return to they country Trained  prepared to respond to situations at home bur also available to rejoin the Intentional Disaster Response Force.

I would suggest  a neutral country such as the Republic of Ireland.

Based near a Airport for example Shannon in the Republic of Ireland  it would have Transport Planes permanently based there and access to shipping. and helicopters and other vehicles  necessary for a swift and effective deployment.

The force would  be available to respond to Disaster 24/7 , be trained in aspects of aid and have links to the Red Cross and similar organisations.

Similar deployments could be made in North and South America,  Asia and Australasia.

The cost compared to military budgets would be minimal.

Would it not be a better world where the norm would be for people seeing a man or Women entering their village  immediately realise this is not  occupying force but people who are going to help them through their. disaster.

Does the Wasting Mule favour Labour press releases.?

Two political stories on Wales Online appear to me to show much of the problem with Welsh Political Journalism.

The first entitled
"Welsh campaigners call on Government to end 'misery and hardship'  by Rachel Misstear  caused by bedroom tax" looks at times like a Labour Party Press release. As the next line reads

" Labour will press for a vote in the Commons tomorrow on the measure, nearly seven weeks after Ed Miliband announced he would abolish it"

The rest of the article however deals with individual  responses of those affected by the Bedroom Tax including  father of Liberal Democrat cabinet minister Danny Alexander.

Di Alexander - whose son is Chief Secretary to the Treasury - i

He wrote that the Lochaber Housing Association in Scotland had been “facing up to the considerable challenge presented by Welfare Reform changes”.

He said: 

“The first of those to be implemented - the so-called Bedroom Tax - is particularly unfair in that it penalises both our tenants and ourselves for not being able to magic up a supply of smaller properties.”Government funding had been focused on providing homes with at least two bedrooms, he said, as “all parties hitherto agreed” they were best suited to the needs of the rural area.

Its a worthy article but it does give the impression that its Labour who have taken the lead in opposition to the Bedroom Tax where in reality Ed Miliband has been playing catch up with those who have been fighting this.  Including the SNP government in Scotland.

The second article  entitled

 Labour and Plaid Cymru plan to to derail 'privatisation' of probation service
11 Nov 2013 06:39 by David Williamson 

And goes on to claim that 

Opposition parties in Westminster fear planned changes to probation services would put public at unnecessary risk

Describing Plaid's Elfyn Llwyd  as "Leading the Opposition" ( from a Plaid press release?)to this he is quoted as saying  

 “It is not right for us to allow the Government to undermine the integrity of the probation service, and to put profits ahead of public safety. The Government must listen to sense and rethink these disastrous plans.“The common sense answer, of course, would be to extend the remit of the award-winning probation service so that they can supervise offenders sentenced to less than 12 months in prison. The Government have chosen not to do this.“They will be made to answer for this flawed decision making.”

He added: 

“The problems faced by offenders are frequently complex, and probation staff have experience and training which help them to know what services offenders should utilise to meet their own needs. Work done by the Prison Reform Trust has shown that offenders are 12 times more likely to have spent time in care and 20 times more likely to have been expelled from school than others in the general population. Furthermore, two-thirds of offenders have encountered problems with substance abuse; 72% have two or more mental illnesses.“But the Government’s proposals will fragment local partnership work in which probation trusts currently play a vital role, including: youth to adult transitions, troubled family initiatives, women offender institutes and community safety partnerships.”

But Wales Online in this article managed to find a Labour Spokesman  to quote on this. 

As I said much of the two articles seem have originated in Party Press releases . Nothing wrong with that, However it is interesting that in the second a Labour Spokesman seems to have be contacted.  While in the first the impression is that only Labour has opposed the "Bedroom tax. Which is far from the truth.

Maybe the reason is that the number of Journalist working for the Wasting Mule have been cut to such an extent, that they can't chase stories to the length  that they like.

But it looks like the Mule tends towards giving Labour space on their own whilst allowing them to respond to initiatives from others.

West Papua and Scotland: Labour Unionist Hypocrisy?

Those of you who regularly read the Blog Left Foot Forward (LFF)and support a yes vote in Scottish Independence referendum, will be frustrated that a seemingly progressive left Blog reads like a Labour Unionist attack page when it comes to this issue.

But it seems the claims for self determination is to be denied  by LFF for only  the Nations of the United Kingdom.

So its interesting to see LFF taking up arms for the people of West Papua

In an article "West Papua – the forgotten occupation" Tom Tyler draws attention to this conflict.

From his opening paragraph it seems that (although I don't know where he individualy stands on Scottish or Welsh Independence) LFF have a hypocritical attitude to Self Determination.

LFF backs this Nationl Flag should fly over an Independent West Papua

A great tragedy of the break-up of European colonial empires was clumsy partitioning, with little or no regard to ethnic, linguistic or cultural divisions. This was scarcely more evident than with the abuses seen in the Indonesian territory of West Papua

And yet, for Scottish or Welsh Nationalist to even breath the words  "linguistic or cultural divisions" even if they have long rejected the ethnic argument. They are accused of narrow minded Nationalism and sometime smeared with accusation of Fascism.

But LFF oppose this should not fly over an Independent Scotland

Why can a Blog on LFF support West Papuan aspirations  and not that of Scotland?

Can the only reason to support Self Determination be that they are under the cosh of an authoritarian regime?

Once again Labour Unionist prove their Hypocrisy.

Farage meets his match in Tory Anna Soubry

The Spectator's  Sebastian  Payne has asked  Is  Nigel Farage’s magic disappearing? afte a pisspower performance on BBC  On Question Time  last Thursday  his 15th appearance in four years which maybe the BBC can explain.

The Ukip leader was taken to task by an audience member who asked him to ‘stop scaremongering the majority of people’ 

But it was Tory MP Anna  who demolished Farage with the sort of attack others should have been doing for years.

The Tory defence minister (and former TV anchor) Anna Soubry finished off the attack with an impassioned defence of immigration, in language that Farage usually uses to attack it. This left him flummoxed. Here’s what she had to say:

‘You do not talk facts, you talk prejudice. You scaremonger, you put fear in people’s hearts. Times are tough, we know that. But when times are tough, there is a danger and history tells us when things are not good, you turn to the stranger and you blame them. And you shouldn’t. That is wrong and I’m proud of our country’s history. I’m proud that people  come here, these are good people. Sometimes not all of them are, like people in our country, but they come here to work

I'm sorry I couldn't copy the video directl but you can se it here.
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/11/is-nigel-farage-losing-his-touch




Maybe Ms Soubry reminded Mr Farage of Matron at his public school of Dulwich College  which this man of the people attended

But maybe it takes a |Tory to argue the case against Farage as his supporters are hardly likely to listen to the Liberal Left no matter how much they expose the misinformation and darn-right lies coming from Farage.

Maybe he started a strategy of blowing debates in the hope that a string of poor performances will see him included in the leaders debate at the next General Elections.

But for now it worth watching the smug bastard looking uncomfortable .

Its a lesson all should learn stand up to this bully and he will deflate on sulk away.

Labour in a Power Vacumn

I am beginning to  think Ed Millibar is hoping for a really heavy winter next year.

The emphasis on Energy Prices by the party is beginning to look like the only weapon they have in thier armoury.

Only yesterday  Wales online reported that  Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the
was in Cardiff to campaign in the capital’s two marginal seats of Cardiff North and Cardiff Central. At the same time, other Shadow Cabinet members were taking their message to other cities across Britain.

Labour manages to have selective amnesia between 1997 and 2010 when it was in power and did little to control the utility companies but now with yearly hikes they clearly believe that Ed Miliband call for a price freeze

She said:

 “We know that people are under real pressure right across the country. Wages have not been going up, but prices really have. So every month people are feeling worse and worse off.
“One of the biggest culprits is energy bills, and the Government’s not doing anything about it. We think they should be freezing bills right now. It’s what we’ve said we’ll do at the time of the election. But actually we also want to put some pressure on the Government because they should be freezing bills now. You shouldn’t have energy bills going up. For people living in Cardiff and across Wales to see energy bills going up by 10% this winter is deeply unfair. That’s why we’re campaigning and trying to get people to sign a petition to put pressure on the energy companies and the Government to do something about it.

 Asked whether the issue of energy prices would be a significant one in the next general election campaign, the Shadow Home Secretary said: 

“I think it’s massive. I was doorknocking in my constituency last weekend. One woman was saying to me she’s switched her heating off altogether and going to bed early because she just can’t afford to pay energy bills. That’s an awful thing for someone to face in the 21st century. I think the Government should do something about it – and if they don’t, they’re just standing up for energy companies, not for people who need help.”

A view clearly expressed by her leader concentrating his  questions to David Cameron at PMQ's recently

Other Party have solutions the Tories seem to believe that making it easier for people to switch between companies but even if the companies are not operating a cartel they seem to be hiking their prices in a similar manner.

Plaid leader Leader Leanne Wood  called for the  setting up a not-for-profit energy company based on the model of Glas Cymru

She  told her party's annual conference that Energy Wales would buy gas and electricity at wholesale prices and sell directly to homes and businesses.

She said surpluses would be split between protecting customers and expanding energy efficiency.

An idea that Liberal Democrat s seem to have given some support to.

But with an approaching General Election I hope we see more policy from Labour in particular.

But as Labour seem to have accepted the  Con/LibDem cuts and make  no statement that they will reverse the harsh welfare "reforms" that the Westminster government have implanted don't hold your breath.

Energy prices seem to be what they hope will propel Ed Miliband into Number Ten 
.

But the public may think that a bribe of a energy freeze for a few years is not enough .

(B)eeb (B)acks (C)arwyn.

So in First Minister Question  Carwyn Jones  has made it clear that he has decided that a referendum on devolution of income tax powers to Wales is not something he is going to push

     

As Syniadau points our

 " Carwyn Jones made the assertion that a referendum on income tax powers was at present unwinnable, but might be winnable at some point in the future. This is a completely ridiculous thing for him to say. The survey evidence shows that most people in Wales already want income tax powers to be devolved".

More here  

But thanks to Mike also posting the BBC Wales Today programme coverage above.we can see that they are not going to give much coverage to the Parties in the Assembly wanting a early referendum

If this is going to be an example of the BBC coverage of the debate  then those in favour of this are going to have a hard  time getting they argument over.

Political Editor Nick Serveni seems to be intent on merely précising  Carwyn Jones argument rather than giving a critical  analysis  and the opposition are dismissed with the quote of  (a quite clever) sound bite from La Pasionaria and the outstanding revelation that "Inevitably are putting forward for that referendum as well".

If this is going to be the level of debate on Wales Today in which the  political Editor makes Carwyn Jones  case and virtually ignores that of the other parties in the Assembly then the public are not going to anything like the analysis they deserve.