Theresa "MAY" not build a better Britain.

[Stickman]

Charge against vaz dropped now after he offered to supply drugs to his hired mincers.

One rule for us and another for important man.

The powers that be were always gonna bend over backwards to get him off

[Section_31]

My mate's just started as a prison guard, he loves it but says the other trainees were the biggest bunch of helmets he's ever met. Apparently one of the prisoners made one of his current colleagues cry - she's a woman who looks like Barbie apparently - so as punishment the others locked him up and refused to give him his meds.

[Lee909]

You couldn't pay me enough to be a prison guard

[Creator Supreme]

Not sure where else to put this. The decision to replace the Class 507's and 508's on Miseryrail with Driver only trains is a fucking scandal! Merseytravel, fat Joe et al can do one! Another 160 jobs gone!

[Bobby Hundreds]

I don't really know anything about the railways but I watched have I got news for you the other day, Ian Hislop talking about southern rail and the strikes saying the passengers who don't get on the trains will be compensated by the tax payer and the tax payer will also be compensating the operating company, so the operators will be making a fortune regardless of strikes and how they treat workers/customers. If that's the gist of it, it is completely obscene. I'm for completely nationalising the railways as essential country infrastructure if a service as bad as southern rail is portrayed can make 99 million in profit last year we risk nothing

By taking it out of the hands of people who don't give a shit about anything other than rinsing as much money from a service as they can before it becomes a danger.

[Creator Supreme]

Great post Bobby!

[Champ]

I don't really know anything about the railways but I watched have I got news for you the other day, Ian Hislop talking about southern rail and the strikes saying the passengers who don't get on the trains will be compensated by the tax payer and the tax payer will also be compensating the operating company, so the operators will be making a fortune regardless of strikes and how they treat workers/customers. If that's the gist of it, it is completely obscene. I'm for completely nationalising the railways as essential country infrastructure if a service as bad as southern rail is portrayed can make 99 million in profit last year we risk nothing

By taking it out of the hands of people who don't give a shit about anything other than rinsing as much money from a service as they can before it becomes a danger.

Strong genes in Mook's family

[Moctezuma]

I don't really know anything about the railways but I watched have I got news for you the other day, Ian Hislop talking about southern rail and the strikes saying the passengers who don't get on the trains will be compensated by the tax payer and the tax payer will also be compensating the operating company, so the operators will be making a fortune regardless of strikes and how they treat workers/customers. If that's the gist of it, it is completely obscene. I'm for completely nationalising the railways as essential country infrastructure if a service as bad as southern rail is portrayed can make 99 million in profit last year we risk nothing

By taking it out of the hands of people who don't give a shit about anything other than rinsing as much money from a service as they can before it becomes a danger.

 

Again this is socialism and a protection net for corporations and the rich but the poor are not insulated in the same way, it's incredibly tedious how often this happens and yet with the exception of Private Eye (Hislop) and some on the left this very rarely gets reported or discussed at any great length in the media.

[Moctezuma]

I really think what this country requires is someone who can offer/communicate a positive vision of the future from a an left wing economic base and a liberal social view. I feel the Labour party are fighting a constant rearguard action against the current government and aren't really selling people an effective alternative/able to communicate that. Some of what need to be discussed maybe quite scary and difficult for people to grasp but ultimately has to, in particular new forms of work or removal of work as we become more technologically advanced. 

 

While there are many things that assail the country just now (Brexit, Trump, declining global competitiveness, Climate Change) it is in the face of these that a positive movement that wrests power back to the public and away from the established hegemonic interest is required, as I think most people can now see that those neo-liberal ideas have wrought great destruction on vast tracts of our society.

 

I think the Labour party should be sticking up pictures of Gene Roddenberry's Start Trek and thinking how can we get to that over time? What is the policy basis that will enable people to make the most of their lives when AI and mechanization has taken over huge numbers of working positions? I'm not normally a technological evangelist but there is a genuine opportunity to remake society on it's way and instead the right are leading people with their usual bile of them against us/take what you can get and don't think of wider society outwith yourself.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Those pesky twats at the EU prtoecting your rights, how dare they!!

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38390150

 

The UK government says it is "disappointed" after the European Court of Justice said the "indiscriminate" collection of data was against EU law.

EU judges said communications data could only be retained if it was used to fight serious crime.

Its verdict came after a legal challenge to the UK government's surveillance legislation.

The challenge was initially championed by Brexit Secretary David Davis, who was then a backbench Conservative MP.

The Lib Dems said the ruling proved the government had "overstepped the mark" with its Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act, branded the "snoopers' charter" by critics, which requires communications companies to retain data for 12 months.

'Proper scrutiny'

The ECJ has ruled that a "general and indiscriminate retention" of data is against EU law and can only be done under certain conditions and "solely for the purpose of fighting serious crime".

Its ruling confirms a preliminary verdict in July. The case now returns to the UK Court of Appeal, which had referred the case to the ECJ for clarification.

Mr Davis, who had long campaigned on civil liberties issues, left the case after Theresa May appointed him to her cabinet in July.

Tom Watson, Labour's deputy leader, who is one of those bringing the case, said: "This ruling shows it's counter-productive to rush new laws through Parliament without a proper scrutiny."

The Home Office said it would be putting forward "robust arguments" to the Court of Appeal.

It added: "Given the importance of communications data to preventing and detecting crime, we will ensure plans are in place so that the police and other public authorities can continue to acquire such data in a way that is consistent with EU law and our obligation to protect the public."

'Urgent changes'

The government said it would not make any changes until the Court of Appeal had ruled on the legal challenge to the legislation.

The term 'communications data' refers to details such as the time and date of a phone call being made or an email being sent - but not its contents.

The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act expires at the end of December, and new legislation, the Investigatory Powers Act, is in place.

Campaign group Liberty, which represented Mr Watson, said: "Today's judgment upholds the rights of ordinary British people not to have their personal lives spied on without good reason or an independent warrant.

"The government must now make urgent changes to the Investigatory Powers Act to comply with this."

[Guest Pistonbroke]

We've been here before...breaking news.

 

Swaleside Prison: Inmates take over jail wing

 

Prisoners have taken control of a wing at a prison in Kent with up to 80 inmates involved, the Prison Officers Association (POA) has said.

The association said there was an "ongoing disturbance" at the category B training prison HMP Swaleside.

POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance was unclear but fires have been lit.

He said: "Some fires have been lit, apparently, and basically we know that it's an ongoing incident."

He added he understood prisoners had taken control of the jail's "A" wing.

Live: Kent prison disturbance latest updates

HMP Swaleside has a capacity of about 1,100 inmates serving prison terms of more than four years.

An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in July described the prison as "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high", with many of the incidents classed as serious.

Last week hundreds of inmates rioted for more than 12 hours at Birmingham prison.

Prisoners set fires, stole keys to residential areas from a guard and one inmate was seriously injured.

[Anubis]

This beggars belief...

 

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/21/at-least-1000-government-laptops-and-flash-drives-reported-missing-since-2015?client=safari

 

At least 1,000 government laptops, computers and USB flash drives have been reported lost or stolen since the general election in May 2015, according to official figures.

 

Equipment went missing from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at an average rate of more than one a day, according to records obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws.

 

Overall, the losses across government are likely to be much higher as a number of departments used legal technicalities to refuse to release the information.

 

Campaigners said the reasons being used by Whitehall to avoid answering the FoI requests were “stretching credibility to well beyond its snapping point”.

 

Most of the departments that did disclose information about missing items refused to say if they contained sensitive or confidential information.

 

The MoD recorded 759 laptops and computers as being lost and 32 stolen as well as 328 lost CDs, DVDs and USB drives up to October, records released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed.

 

It has launched a probe into the losses, suggesting a suspected accountancy error could lead to a significant reduction in the figures.

 

The Department for Work and Pensions, which administers the state pension and a range of benefits for more than 22 million people, reported 42 missing laptops or computers and eight USB drives up to August.

 

DWP officials said most of the losses and thefts “occurred in home/office break-ins and whilst travelling” and all its laptops are encrypted.

 

The newly created Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy had six laptops lost or stolen since it was set up in July.

 

Figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed 12 laptops were missing while seven were recorded as lost or stolen by the Department for Transport.

 

The Treasury recorded eight missing laptops and one missing flash drive since the general election but one of the computers was recovered.

 

At the Department for International Development, one laptop was lost and 26 were stolen, including one that contained sensitive information.

 

The Home Office would only point to figures for 2015 showing it recorded one lost laptop and two stolen ones, adding that it would not release later figures because they were planned for publication at some point in the future.

 

A number of departments refused to give details about the number of losses and thefts by using a clause of the FoI Act to claim the information is exempt from disclosure.

 

They said releasing the numbers or revealing whether lost or stolen equipment contained sensitive information would be useful to criminals.

 

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Education (DfE), along with the Ministry of Justice, Department for Communities and Local Government, Department of Health and Cabinet Office used the exemption.

 

 

DfE officials refused to even say if the department held records about missing equipment, claiming that confirming such information “could encourage continued theft”.

 

The DCMS said it could not reveal whether any sensitive information had been lost because it could be “useful information to an adversary”.

 

Maurice Frankel, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, said: “They are stretching credibility to well beyond its snapping point with some of these answers. The fact the Ministry of Defence felt able to answer makes it very implausible that these civilian departments cannot.”

 

He added: “The fact they are using very similar language in the responses suggests there has been a memo go round telling them to reply in similar terms.”

 

Frankel said the DfE’s refusal to even acknowledge if it held the information was “complete nonsense”. “They have had a common sense by-pass here,” he added.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

I'm amazed I'm not shocked about this revelation. 

[Guest Pistonbroke]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38386088

 

Rough sleepers 'urinated on' by public, survey finds

 

Rough sleepers have described being urinated on, having belongings stolen and being sexually assaulted while living on the streets.

Homeless charity Crisis said of 458 street sleepers it interviewed in England and Wales, 80% had suffered an attack or abuse in 2016.

More than half said they did not report crimes, as many believed that the police would not be able to help them.

The government has promised to support a bill aimed at tackling homelessness.

Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said the report exposed a "horrifying state of affairs".

"We knew it was dangerous on the streets already but the very scale of it is quite shocking," he told BBC News.

He said crimes like urinating on a person, which affected 7% of those surveyed, were "appalling and dehumanising" but that victims often felt too ashamed to go to the police.

Six per cent of the street sleepers surveyed said they had been sexually assaulted in the past year.

"Police need to reassure homeless people their safety is paramount and they will investigate these crimes," he said.

Gary, who has slept rough in Yorkshire, told Crisis he feared gangs of youths who would roam the streets in the early hours.

"Anyone sleeping in the shop door was done," he said. "They used to brick them or worse still - a couple of lads that were sleeping on the streets with me got knifed while they were asleep."

Being homeless was the only reason Simon, also interviewed by Crisis, was kicked in the head by a member of the public this year.

"He said, 'Are you homeless?' I said, 'Yeah' and he just kicked me in the head. I was sat on the floor reading my book."

Many of those interviewed said they had become reclusive in order to avoid violence.

Dan, from south-west England, said: "I stay by myself quite a lot. I don't want to get involved.

"It doesn't really do me any good mentally because I'm on my own, but I do find it's safer."

More than 250,000 people in England are homeless, according to charity Shelter.

On any one night in England last year, an average of 3,569 people slept rough, according to government figures, a 30% increase on the previous year.

Recent estimates suggest there are some 8,000 homeless people in Wales,15,000 in Northern Ireland and 35,000 in Scotland.

Crisis expects to take in 4,000 people over Christmas at its 11 centres across the country, including in London, Swansea and Edinburgh.

Volunteers provide hot meals, healthcare and advice on how to access housing, work and benefits.

But Mr Sparkes called on the government to do more to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place.

In January, the Homelessness Reduction Bill will be examined in detail by a House of Commons committee.

Bob Blackman MP, who introduced the bill, has said he hopes it will give people longer to seek help from their local authority.

He proposes councils intervene when someone is facing homelessness within 56 days' time, instead of 28 days as now.

[Creator Supreme]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38386088

 

 

Rough sleepers 'urinated on' by public, survey finds

 

Rough sleepers have described being urinated on, having belongings stolen and being sexually assaulted while living on the streets.

Homeless charity Crisis said of 458 street sleepers it interviewed in England and Wales, 80% had suffered an attack or abuse in 2016.

More than half said they did not report crimes, as many believed that the police would not be able to help them.

The government has promised to support a bill aimed at tackling homelessness.

Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said the report exposed a "horrifying state of affairs".

"We knew it was dangerous on the streets already but the very scale of it is quite shocking," he told BBC News.

He said crimes like urinating on a person, which affected 7% of those surveyed, were "appalling and dehumanising" but that victims often felt too ashamed to go to the police.

Six per cent of the street sleepers surveyed said they had been sexually assaulted in the past year.

"Police need to reassure homeless people their safety is paramount and they will investigate these crimes," he said.

Gary, who has slept rough in Yorkshire, told Crisis he feared gangs of youths who would roam the streets in the early hours.

"Anyone sleeping in the shop door was done," he said. "They used to brick them or worse still - a couple of lads that were sleeping on the streets with me got knifed while they were asleep."

Being homeless was the only reason Simon, also interviewed by Crisis, was kicked in the head by a member of the public this year.

"He said, 'Are you homeless?' I said, 'Yeah' and he just kicked me in the head. I was sat on the floor reading my book."

Many of those interviewed said they had become reclusive in order to avoid violence.

Dan, from south-west England, said: "I stay by myself quite a lot. I don't want to get involved.

"It doesn't really do me any good mentally because I'm on my own, but I do find it's safer."

More than 250,000 people in England are homeless, according to charity Shelter.

On any one night in England last year, an average of 3,569 people slept rough, according to government figures, a 30% increase on the previous year.

Recent estimates suggest there are some 8,000 homeless people in Wales,15,000 in Northern Ireland and 35,000 in Scotland.

Crisis expects to take in 4,000 people over Christmas at its 11 centres across the country, including in London, Swansea and Edinburgh.

Volunteers provide hot meals, healthcare and advice on how to access housing, work and benefits.

But Mr Sparkes called on the government to do more to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place.

In January, the Homelessness Reduction Bill will be examined in detail by a House of Commons committee.

Bob Blackman MP, who introduced the bill, has said he hopes it will give people longer to seek help from their local authority.

He proposes councils intervene when someone is facing homelessness within 56 days' time, instead of 28 days as now.

Goodwill to all men (sic), my arse!

 

What kind of scum bastards would do something like that?

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Goodwill to all men (sic), my arse!

 

What kind of scum bastards would do something like that?

 

Utter scum mate. Hopefully Karma will pay them a visit. 

[magicrat]

PM far too busy telling HRH to fuck off and mind her own business to worry about about a few homeless wretches.

 

This explosion in the number of homeless is 100 % down to the cut in funding for shelters and community mental health teams, It is criminal what the Tories have done to the most vulnerable and sick in society, Those completely without a voice 

Not that long ago anyone on the streets could get treatment and shelter. Today there is nothing  and a quick stroll through Liverpool city centre tells you all you need to know. Jesus Christ when you consider the time and money wasted on Brexit it makes me despair and wonder how these cunts like May sleep at night. A committed Christian building a fairer society. Liar  

[lifetime fan]

This beggars belief...

 

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/21/at-least-1000-government-laptops-and-flash-drives-reported-missing-since-2015?client=safari

 

 

Some one I know ran the IT support department at MOD Abbeywood.

 

As laptops were replaced with newer ones he'd wipe them and then sell them to mates at football.

 

One day a mates wife rang the IT support phone number off the gold sticker on the bottom because she was having problems with it.

[Hades]

Anyone spotted rico1304, Strontium Dog and Dr. Nowt this Christmas?

[njackets]

Made a point in thanking the Armed forces for there services in her Christmas message, I've never bothered with pm Xmas message things so don't know if this is a regular thing?

 

Fair play to her for that, Armed Forces are no where near as busy as they've been this year for as long as I can ever remember (probably in my life time as a whole) so nice to get a shout out.

[Anubis]

Anyone spotted rico1304, Strontium Dog and Dr. Nowt this Christmas?

 

They're busy. Dr Nowt is loading the presents onto the sleigh with the other elves. Rico is getting his uniform on so he can deliver them. And SD is being saddled and put in reigns just behind Rudolph in sleigh-pulling team.

[Moctezuma]

PM far too busy telling HRH to fuck off and mind her own business to worry about about a few homeless wretches.

 

This explosion in the number of homeless is 100 % down to the cut in funding for shelters and community mental health teams, It is criminal what the Tories have done to the most vulnerable and sick in society, Those completely without a voice

Not that long ago anyone on the streets could get treatment and shelter. Today there is nothing and a quick stroll through Liverpool city centre tells you all you need to know. Jesus Christ when you consider the time and money wasted on Brexit it makes me despair and wonder how these cunts like May sleep at night. A committed Christian building a fairer society. Liar

Completely agree with this, I walk past Kings Cross station most days, while it has a bad reputation in the past for rough sleeping, the number of rough sleepers seems to have increased significantly since I've been using the route to work over the last few years.

[VladimirIlyich]

PM far too busy telling HRH to fuck off and mind her own business to worry about about a few homeless wretches.

 

This explosion in the number of homeless is 100 % down to the cut in funding for shelters and community mental health teams, It is criminal what the Tories have done to the most vulnerable and sick in society, Those completely without a voice

Not that long ago anyone on the streets could get treatment and shelter. Today there is nothing and a quick stroll through Liverpool city centre tells you all you need to know. Jesus Christ when you consider the time and money wasted on Brexit it makes me despair and wonder how these cunts like May sleep at night. A committed Christian building a fairer society. Liar

Its because we have both an ignorant electorate and an archaic voting system that they are never called to account for their behaviour. The sad thing is that most modern politicians are just puppets of the rich and powerful,both individuals and groups, and its worth their while just to do as they are told. They dont even have an ideology,they are simply selfish and vile people whose interests coincide with their bank balance.

[Jairzinho]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38418877

 

New 'Ring of Steel' planned for London Square Mile

 

A new "ring of steel" costing £5m has been proposed to protect the skyscrapers in London's "Square Mile" from terrorist attack.

 

Manned checkpoints, rising street bollards and crash-proof barricades are among the measures proposed.

 

It follows advice from MI5 and counter-terrorism police.

 

A Corporation of London report said they "had identified that the area was highly sensitive to... a hostile vehicle-borne security threat".

 

The advice comes in the wake of the Berlin Christmas market terror attack on Monday in which Tunisian Anis Amri, drove a lorry at shoppers, killing 12 and injuring 49 people.

 

The ring of steel is believed to be the best way to protect the heart of London's financial district.

 

London's first ring of steel was a response to IRA bombs in the Baltic Exchange in Bishopsgate in 1992.

 

It would be the first time since the late 1990s that manned checkpoints were used.

 

Such checkpoints were phased out after the IRA announced a ceasefire in 1994.

 

The new protective ring will border Liverpool Street, the Bank of England and Fenchurch Street - an area which is home to some of the capital's newest and most recognisable skyscrapers.

 

"This eastern section of the City of London is especially of importance in as much as there are going to be a number of major landmarks developed around the area that could be of interest," the report said.

 

The new plan would be subject to a consultation but could be fully implemented by 2022.

 

Will Geddes, founder of International Corporate Protection said: "Although we've seen of late 'lo-fi type' attacks, like the Berlin Christmas market where a lorry that was hijacked and driven into a crowded area, we cannot discount the type of attack that will... include a large truck packed with explosives"

[magicrat]

Its because we have both an ignorant electorate and an archaic voting system that they are never called to account for their behaviour. The sad thing is that most modern politicians are just puppets of the rich and powerful,both individuals and groups, and its worth their while just to do as they are told. They dont even have an ideology,they are simply selfish and vile people whose interests coincide with their bank balance.

 

This much is true of the Tories . Murdoch and his poisonous creed are driving popularism in the UK and their rabid dogs in the right of the Tory party have seized power , Brexit is it's cause celebre today . What happens when its doesn't do whet it says on the tin as it surely will is scary

We will see massive social unrest as the poor get poorer,  Not a single thing about the benefits of leaving the EU have I for one moment believed will happen but like you say they probably wont be held to account and the blame will be attached to the nasty Europeans that wouldn't give us what we wanted ,