Monthly Archives: February 2016

UK policymaking ‘jeopardised by rubbish official statistics’

Andrew Tyrie MP says official statisticians have been ‘marking their own homework for years’. [Image: Linda Nylind for the Guardian].

Mr Tyrie’s call for improvements to the statistics-gathering and publishing process is certainly welcome.

Whether his suggested plan to bring this about is equally welcome is debatable.

And why restrict this to economic data? What about all statistics relevant to the Department for Work and Pensions – including the number of claimants who die, not just while claiming benefits, but within at least a year of their claim being cut off, if the DWP chose to end it?

That would add robustness to the DWP’s protestations of innocence regarding the circumstances of these deaths – or it would provide conclusive proof of Iain Duncan Smith’s guilt.

Andrew Tyrie, the chairman of the Treasury select committee, has called for sweeping changes to how the UK produces official statistics to improve the quality of economic data.

Chancellor George Osborne should use March’s budget to launch a shakeup of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), urged Tyrie, who recently criticised the body for falling behind its international peers and jeopardising policy decisions with “rubbish” statistics.

Tyrie also urged Sir Charlie Bean, the former Bank of England deputy governor, to complete his final report for government into the quality of UK economics statistics in time for the 16 March budget.

The chair of the cross-party committee of MPs is worried that ministers, the public and Bank of England policymakers are having to work with statistics tarred by poor data collection and production.

As part of his enquiries, Bean had asked the Treasury committee for ideas on how to improve public scrutiny and oversight of data collection. Tyrie has written back with three suggestions: a change of statistics watchdog; returning responsibility for statistics to the Treasury from the Cabinet Office, and bolstering the independence of UK statistics bodies.

But the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) said it would be wrong to move responsibility for UK official statistics from the Cabinet Office to the Treasury.
Reacting to Tyrie’s recommendations, Mike Hughes, the chair of the RSS National Statistics Advisory Group, said: “Strengthening the independence of statistics is laudable but bringing them under the purview of the Treasury would achieve the opposite perception and would be counter-productive for government. There would be the constant question of whether Treasury had influenced the figures.”

Source: UK policymaking ‘jeopardised by rubbish official statistics’ | Business | The Guardian

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oUCh! BT accused of ‘shameless profiteering’ over Universal Credit helpline

Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats said that the Universal Credit helpline should be free [Image: James Gourley/Rex/Shutterstock].

Fair play to Farron for raising this issue – albeit after the Trussell Trust and the Labour Party had raised the wider issue of DWP helplines generally.

It’s just a shame he didn’t lay the blame where it is due – on the Conservative Government that has allowed BT to make such a huge profit from people who are extremely poor.

The DWP has put out the same excuse as with other benefit helplines – that people can ask to be called back.

This Writer wonders how long the wait would be if they did.

BT has been accused of “shameless profiteering” after official figures indicated that the telecommunications giant has generated more than £1m from a phone line designed to help people struggling with the new universal credit system.

Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said it is wrong to charge some of the poorest people in Britain who are simply seeking advice about the new universal credit which integrates six benefits.

In a parliamentary written answer last week the employment minister Priti Patel said that 2.2m calls have been answered by universal credit agents manning an 0345 helpline. Farron estimates that this has generated a minimum of £1.49m for BT – and possibly as much as £6.6m – because Patel said in her written answer that each call lasts an average of 7mins 29 secs. Calls to 0345 numbers from landlines cost up to 12p a minute and up to 45p a minute from mobiles.

Farron told the Guardian: “Charging millions of pounds for some of the poorest people in the country to get advice on universal credit is shameless profiteering. The move to universal credit will prompt questions from people and the government should be able to offer advice and reassurance without taking even more away from those on the tightest budgets. Helplines like this should be free.”

Source: BT accused of ‘shameless profiteering’ over universal credit helpline | Society | The Guardian

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Elliott Johnson: police report ‘used to deflect Tory bullying claims’

A file, prepared by British Transport police and submitted to a coroner ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, which made reference to Elliott’s sexuality and previous history of depression, was obtained by the Daily Mail on Friday [Image: PA].

The father of Elliott Johnson, the Conservative activist believed to have killed himself in September, has said a police report into his son’s death is being used to deflect attention from the bullying he suffered at the hands of Conservative party members.

Ray Johnson said he has been left with no choice but to release further extracts from a note left by his son on the day of his death to disprove reports that he and his wife Alison had “rowed” with Elliott about his sexuality.

Elliott, 21, was found dead on railway tracks after leaving a letter in which he alleged Tory election aide Mark Clarke and others had bullied him. Clarke has previously denied the allegations.

“Elliott’s sexuality had nothing to do the fact that Elliott was being bullied and harassed by people like Clarke,” Johnson said.

Lawyers for Elliott’s parents will argue at a hearing in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, on Wednesday, that the inquest into their son’s death should be broadened to examine the claims of bullying and harassment.

A file, prepared by British Transport police and submitted to a coroner ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, which made reference to Elliott’s sexuality and previous history of depression, was obtained by the Daily Mail on Friday. It also detailed three incidents five to six years ago when it was feared Elliott had attempted to take his own life. There is no suggestion that the report was leaked by the police.

Johnson told the Guardian: “I’m certain that it’s been put out to try to deflect attention from last September to say ‘Here’s a young man who was likely to commit suicide because of his past history’. The past history was five or six years prior. Since those instances, he’d gone on to university and there were no further instances, no further issues with regards to mental health. He had matured. He was a young man. He’d moved on. He was looking forward to his life as a political journalist. I think what happened in September was completely unrelated to what happened five or six years earlier.”

Source: Elliott Johnson: police report ‘used to deflect Tory bullying claims’ | Politics | The Guardian

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New challenge to Bedroom Tax at supreme court

Paul, Susan and Warren Rutherford [Image: Aled Llywelyn/Athena].

Vox Political wishes success to all the challengers – not least Paul Rutherford, who is a commenter on This Blog.

The supreme court is to hear a legal challenge against the government’s bedroom tax from five people who argue it discriminates against the weak and vulnerable.

The five cases at the centre of the proceedings on Monday relate to people who have so far lost their cases at both the high court and court of appeal.

One challenge is that of Charlotte Carmichael, who has spina bifida. She lives with her husband in a two-bedroom housing association flat in Stockport, Greater Manchester. Her condition means she has to sleep in a fixed position in a hospital bed with an electronic pressure mattress. There is not enough space for a second bed so her husband sleeps in a separate bedroom.

When the new regulations were introduced the couple had their housing benefit reduced by 14%.

Another appellant is widower Richard Rourke, from Derbyshire, who uses a wheelchair. He is a council tenant and lives in a three-bedroom bungalow. His disabled stepdaughter used to live with him outside of university term times.

Rourke uses the third bedroom, which is a box room, to store his equipment, including a hoist for lifting him, his power chair and shower seat.

[Another challenger was mentioned at this point in the original article, but according to Paul Rutherford (below) this was in contempt of court so it has been excised from this excerpt.]

Mervyn Drage, from Manchester, occupies a three-bedroom flat in a high-rise tower block, and has lived there for 19 years. He suffers from mental health problems, and various physical problems.

His legal team say his conditions are exacerbated by stress, anxiety and changes to routine, and he is “very anxious about the prospect of having to move if his full housing benefit entitlement is not reinstated”.

Paul and Susan Rutherford, from Pembrokeshire, who won their case at the court of appeal – a ruling being challenged by the government at the supreme court – care for their severely disabled grandson, Warren, in a specially adapted three-bedroom bungalow.

They can only care for Warren with the help of paid carers who regularly stay overnight.

Lawyers say the current regulations allow for an additional bedroom if a disabled adult requires overnight care but not for a disabled child in the same situation.

The discretionary payments to cover their shortfall in rent run out next month, and their legal team says there is no guarantee they will continue.

Source: Disabled people challenge bedroom tax at supreme court | Society | The Guardian

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Tories want to quit EU to “scrap workers’ right to paid holiday”

The European Union mandates workers be given four weeks of paid holiday [Image: Getty Images].

The European Union mandates workers be given four weeks of paid holiday [Image: Getty Images].

Angela Eagle is absolutely right on this.

Workers’ rights are under threat if Britain leaves the European Union, Labour’s shadow Business Secretary has said.

Angela Eagle warned that EU-backed principles like paid holidays and equal pay were “on the ballot paper” in the In-Out referendum on 23 June.

Ms Eagle warned that many Conservatives who wanted to leave the bloc wanted to scrap the rights and said Labour voters would be key to the Remain vote.

“Workers’ rights are on the ballot paper in this referendum – a lot of workers’ rights are underpinned by EU regulations: equal pay for work of equal value, paid holidays, rights for part-time workers,” she told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

“[These are] all things that Tory eurosceptics want to be free of.

“I think it’s important that we put the Labour case for staying in and underpinning rights at work, having a higher, more productive economy, greater skills in our economy so people can earn higher wages, a more productive economy, is really an important part of staying in Europe.”

Source: Tories want to quit EU to ‘scrap workers’ right to paid holiday’ | UK Politics | News | The Independent

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Tories line up to demand free labour for our multi-millionaire monarch

Boris Johnson, acting as though he knows what a litter-picker does [Image: Clean for the Queen campaign].

 Here’s a tip for Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Rory Stewart (who?): If you want people to clean up the UK, in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday, then bloody well pay for it!

There are still plenty of people at the Job Centre, and plenty more in part-time work who would be grateful for the chance to earn some extra cash. Living Wage is, what, £8.25 an hour (£9.40 an hour in London).

Michael Gove: Clearly he has yet to realise that the worst rubbish in Westminster is himself and his political party [Image: Clean for the Queen campaign].

 It is insulting of you to ask – no, expect – the people of this nation to go and carry out menial work in celebration of a multi-millionaire’s longevity – with no remuneration for the effort.

Rory Stewart is an environment minister, apparently. Perhaps he should be offering to pay people, if he expects them to work for him [Image: Clean for the Queen campaign].

 Would you get off your pampered backsides and put in the effort if you weren’t being paid a fortune for everything you do? Of course not.

But then, you belong to the Party of Double-Standards, don’t you? Rich people need more money to encourage them; poor people are starved to produce the same effect.

This Writer hopes your miserable enterprise is treated with the disdain it deserves – and Her Majesty is provided with a stark visual message about the state of her country under its current, pathetic, management.

Needless to say, the Twittersphere has been having its merciless fun at the expense of these miserly clowns.

This Writer especially likes Alex Andreou’s comment: “Look forward to more Tory chores: , , #PruneForATycoon and #DustForAnInvestmentTrust surely cannot be far off.”

Oh, and Jessica Elgot of The Guardian? It’s probably not a good idea to write a gushingly-favourable news item about a plan to cynically exploit the people of the UK in a newspaper that is, at least nominally, still supposed to be on the side of ordinary people.

The mayor of London and the justice secretary donned hi-vis jackets and purple T-shirts at the launch of the litter collection campaign Clean for the Queen. Run by Keep Britain Tidy, it is calling on people across the UK to voluntarily tidy up neglected areas to mark Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday.

Nearly 100 MPs have pledged their support for the more official litter-picking events in their constituencies over the weekend of 4-6 March. They will also receive support from community groups, local authorities, housing associations, schools, children’s clubs and high street retailers.

Anyone caught supporting this travesty should be shunned.

Source: Gove and Johnson strike a pose in Clean for the Queen campaign | Politics | The Guardian

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Osborne is categorically promising to make us worse off | Tax Research UK

'Con' artist: George Osborne.

‘Con’ artist: George Osborne.

Thanks to a Vox Political commenter for this:

The Guardian has reported: George Osborne has warned he may have to impose bigger than expected cuts to public spending towards the end of the current parliament as the “storm clouds” in the global economy hit economic growth.

This is utterly bizarre. GDP is, it is pretty universally agreed, made up of four elements:

GDP = C + I + G + (X – M)

where:

C = consumption

I = investment

G = government

X = exports

M = imports.

What George Osborne is saying is that GDP us at risk of falling.

And let’s be clear, what we also know is that we are already operating in an economic environment where we are using less than the UK’s economic capacity.

GDP could be bigger than it is, but is being constrained because there is a shortage of demand (so C is under performing); business is under investing because business is sitting on massive likes of cash (so I is under performing); G is under-performing because of austerity and we know imports are apparently growing faster than exports. No wonder George says it is not a pretty picture.

And despite knowing all this Osborne is saying that if C, or I or (X – M) fall then he has an obligation to reduce G. In other words, if these three elements of GDP is falling George Osborne is saying that he has a  duty to exacerbate the trend by cutting government as well.

This is utterly illogical, for three reasons.

Read them at: Tax Research UK » Osborne is categorically promising to make us worse off

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Cuts to elderly and children’s services in Oxfordshire abandoned – because Cameron’s relatives live there?

Protesters had gathered outside County Hall where the meeting took place.

Congratulations are due to David Cameron’s mother, Mary, and aunt, Clare Currie, for doing what the rest of us could not – and stopping cuts to local authority-run services in their county.

The plaudits should, of course, be served up with a fair helping of sarcasm.

Can there be any doubt that the only reason Oxfordshire Council has halted its plan for £2 million of cuts to children’s centres and day centres for the elderly is that protests against the moves by Cameron’s relatives have embarrassed the prime minister? This is a Tory-run council, after all!

In a desperate move, Cameron set up a £300 million fund for Tory counties in southern England to cancel their cuts – but it doesn’t seem to have done much good; where Oxfordshire’s previous budget said it still had to find £11 million of cuts, the total has now risen to £15 million.

It seems clear that this is a result of the reprieve for care centres.

Will Cameron’s Mum and Aunt give up, now that the Blue-suits have given them what they want?

Or will they realise that they are being patronised and this is only a temporary reprieve in an attempt to get them to shut up?

Controversial cuts to elderly and children’s services in Oxford have been abandoned after opposing councillors reached a last-minute deal.

Around 200 people, including David Cameron’s aunt, had gathered outside County Hall to protest Oxfordshire County Council budget for 2016-17.

Elderly day centres and children’s centres had been in line for £2m cuts under the plans.

Members voted in favour of an amended budget.

The decision came after a private meeting between the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat groups.

Councillors voted 60 in favour and two against the new budget.

Political reporter Bethan Philips said: “In the previous budget they said they had £11m still to find, but now they are saying they have £15m to find.

“They may have just kicked the decision down the road.”

Source: Controversial cuts to elderly and children’s services in Oxford abandoned – BBC News

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Tory Bullying – Sick New Smear | Zelo Street

Elliott’s parents, Ray and Alison Johnson, planned last year to boycott a ‘biased’ inquiry on the bullying claims [Image: David Levene for the Guardian].

Elliott’s parents, Ray and Alison Johnson, planned last year to boycott a ‘biased’ inquiry on the bullying claims [Image: David Levene for the Guardian].

The Daily Mail has added another instalment to the Tory Party’s bullying scandal this week as it has tried its best to smear the memory of Elliott Johnson, and the name of his family.

Meanwhile, out there on the right, one of Young Britons’ Foundation head man Donal Blaney’s bosom buddies has used the Mail story to apply a particularly nasty smear to the Johnson family. The dead activist’s friends are not at all happy at this development.

“Tatler Tory victim rowed with his parents about being gay: Activist whose suicide sparked bullying scandal had battled depression for years, police report finds” reads the headline of Andrew Pierce’s article. Pierce’s name is on the by-line for two reasons: he is a loyal Tory, and always keen to deflect blame away from the party, and the Mail will claim it cannot be homophobic because the report was written by a gay man.

The Mail claims to have seen the Police report prepared for the coroner’s inquest, but what they saw does not back up the headline… Moreover, as Johnson made his fateful last train journey, his mother tried to phone him, which suggests there was regular contact, and parental concern for his wellbeing.

But this has not stopped Mike Rouse, a longstanding friend of Donal Blaney, from using the article to smear Johnson’s memory, and indeed his family.

“This article in the Daily Mail makes for seriously uncomfortable reading, but I think it’s important to share with my activist friends who have been close to this and following this for some time [link to Pierce’s article included]. Personally, I am left quite angered by what I’ve read by the way Elliott’s parents appear to have treated him over 5 or so years after he came out as gay to them. They should have found a way to support and love their son regardless of his sexuality”. And there is more – much more.

Source: Zelo Street: Tory Bullying – Sick New Smear

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Gap-year students are deciding asylum claims

A Ugandan asylum seeker whose fate may be decided by a student with five weeks’ training [Image: David Levene for the Observer].

If this is true, is it fair on either the students or the asylum-seekers?

This Blog notes also that the amount of training is one week less than is currently given to DWP employees – and we all know how good they are at their jobs, right?

Gap-year students are being recruited by the Home Office to make potentially life or death decisions on asylum claims, the Observer has learned. The students receive only five weeks’ training before they begin interviewing asylum seekers and making decisions about whether they can stay in the UK or should be sent back to their home countries.

The Home Office has confirmed that the practice of recruiting gap-year students on temporary contracts during busy periods to help process asylum claims is a longstanding one. A spokesman said that job adverts for these temporary contracts were placed on student and university websites. He added that such temporary jobs are targeted at students who might not want a long-term career at the Home Office.

Some of those recruited are law students and previously some were assigned to working on the controversial “detained fast-track”, where asylum cases were processed very quickly. Following a legal challenge, the Home Office has suspended detained fast-track. A further legal challenge is under way about the system with which the Home Office has replaced it.

Source: Gap-year students deciding asylum claims | UK news | The Guardian

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