[Tubby Isaacs]

I reckon Murphy will stay with defence. It's seen as too much of a risk to drop Trident, so you might as well have a Blairite there.

Twigg needs to go before the autumn. If he doesn't say anything when the Tory majority PAC gives Gove a right rocket, he's a waste of time.

[new puritan]

Yeah, I'm a bit puzzled about what Twigg's supposed to have done to earn Miliband's 'full confidence' as that Observer article states. Also not sure what the likes of Berger and De Piero have done to merit promotion. Berger in particular comes across as a lightweight.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Adonis likes Twigg and Miliband likes Adonis. The poison tentacles are still there.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I've quite liked Andy Slaughter. He's having a go at Hammersmith and Fulham, Toby Young's school etc.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Adonis likes Twigg and Miliband likes Adonis. The poison tentacles are still there.

Adonis has actually gone on record criticising the conversion of already successful schools. Twigg hasn't opposed that. And Adonis has talked about training being the most important thing now. Surely Twigg could have gone for that, and contrasted it with Gove's sanctioning unqualified teachers (or indeed, headteachers).

Can't understand why Adonis would rate Twigg at all.

[The Weeping Angel]

Oh has he got any links Tubbs?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Adonis likes Twigg and Miliband likes Adonis. The poison tentacles are still there.

Adonis has actually gone on record criticising the conversion of already successful schools. Twigg hasn't opposed that. And Adonis has talked about training being the most important thing now. Surely Twigg could have gone for that, and contrasted it with Gove's sanctioning unqualified teachers (or indeed, headteachers).

Can't understand why Adonis would rate Twigg at all.

Faith schools, the great Blairite project (or one of them) and an enlarged academies programme. Twigg doesn't rock the boat.

[mojojojo]

People in comments of that Guardian article ask what the last paragraph is for - good question.

[new puritan]

Burnham talking sense on zero-hours contracts. They're a total scourge.

Labour should pledge to ban "zero hours contracts" at the next election, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has said.

Mr Burnham praised his party leader Ed Miliband's proposal to reward firms for paying low paid workers more than the minimum wage.

But he said the Labour leader should "go further" and vow to ban so-called zero hours contracts as well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22328897" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[new puritan]

Miliband's unveiling some new policies today.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... ens-speech" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A lot of it we already know about, but there's some stuff in there that we might not. A national register of landlords seems like a good idea - I think there are already local registers in some Labour boroughs. Nothing in there about building new council housing, but I'm hoping that will be one of the main manifesto commitments come 2015. Still not sure about this job guarantee business though. I'm not against a job guarantee in principle but there's not been much discussion of what jobs will actually be made available, and who'll be providing them. The Labour leadership says it supports a living wage, but apparently at least some of these jobs will be at NMW - so unless they're planning to increase NMW to living wage level, that suggests their support for a living wage is largely just hot air.

Not really sure why this investment bank has to be at arm's length from the government, either. I know politicians are loath to 'pick winners' these days but we need to have some way of ensuring that credit actually goes directly where it needs to. Is it going to be democratically accountable in any way?

[new puritan]

Roy Hattersley has a dig at the Blairites.

The mantra of the moment is "listen to the people" – a call for populist politics dressed up to look like a demand for the genuine democracy which is said to be denied to Britain by an unrepresentative and remote elite. Despite its superficial appeal, government by continuous opinion poll does create one serious dilemma. How are politicians to behave when, having listened, they find themselves in fundamental disagreement with what they have heard? Should I, in 1964, have called for what a clear majority of my constituents, and most of the country, undoubtedly wanted – the repatriation of all Commonwealth immigrants?

A couple of months ago, a Tory MP – discussing, on radio, the proposed changes to the planning laws – blandly explained that he had no doubt that they were right and necessary but that he would oppose them because of the strength of opposition in the borough which he represented. It would be easy to dismiss his behaviour as simply the craven hope that obsequiousness is the certain prescription for re-election. And there is no doubt that the "listen to the people" lobby is dominated by politicians of the right who believe that the national mood is, for the moment, in their favour. But the idea is gaining ground among politicians who should know better.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... nion-polls" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Quite a good piece on the whole.

[The Weeping Angel]

John Mann on Labour and UKIP

http://labourlist.org/2013/05/how-shoul ... ckle-ukip/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[youngian]

John Mann on Labour and UKIP

http://labourlist.org/2013/05/how-shoul ... ckle-ukip/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is not socially sustainable to allow flexible labour markets, free movement of Labour and capital and have social justice. Why do people think that Google and Facebook base themselves in Ireland and Amazon in Luxembourg?

It is time to stop meddling with vague concepts. Let us have clear social justice priorities

The top priority in housing for those who have lived in social housing as children;

No benefits for anyone until they have paid National insurance for two years

No free flow of capital to avoid taxes

No zero hours agency contracts with no employment rights

No open market in labour in the United Kingdom, rather a system of work permits, including for all Europeans.

Ed Miliband needs to commit Labour to a people’s Europe, by announcing that he will tear up the single Market in labour and capital. I think we will find that Germany, France, Holland and Denmark will quickly follow our lead.

A control over the Common Market, free flow of people but not free flow of labour and capital. That’s what I call a real renegotiation.

He is pissing in the wind calling for treaty renegotiation on free flow of labour and capital.
However most of his points are valid and are a result of domestic legislation rather than EU legislation. Apart from working permits which is a system open to abuse and only designed to make people feel better.
Even in neighbouring countries like Belgium even EU citizens have to register in their commune within a few weeks with a letter from your employer in order to be there legitamately. Essentially a de-facto work permit system.
Not sure how Britain on its own is going to tackle international corporate tax abuse either.

[The Weeping Angel]

The stuff about Trade Unionists voting UKIP I just don't buy that.

[Kreuzberger]

Not sure how Britain on its own is going to tackle international corporate tax abuse either.

Corporation tax regulations need to harmonised but that has nowt to do with the need for individuals being required to register with Vieux Gillaume in Belgium or with his counterparts in most other European states.