UK Thread? UK Thread.

[Uthopia]

Why dont Britain leave the EU?

We will, when our leaders let us vote on it...

Sorry if I am ignorant but why do you dont like the EU? What is the problem?

[Kirrig]

We will, when our leaders let us vote on it...

Sorry if I am ignorant but why do you dont like the EU? What is the problem?

I believe it is because the UK is different to the rest of Europe and sees the EU as a threat to its sovereignty.

[Aesthetica]

We will, when our leaders let us vote on it...

Sorry if I am ignorant but why do you dont like the EU? What is the problem?

EU - Fucking our economy for the benefit of the French and Germans for 40 yrs... There are whole threads on this topic, the last one might still be new enough not to count as a necropost if you reopen it. Started about a month back, when our PM said no to Sarky & Merky's attempt to ream our economy again, to bail out the Euro.

An argument about the EU deserves it's own thread, this is not really the thread for it.

[Trixiestan]

'Piracy' student Richard O'Dwyer loses extradition case

A Sheffield student can be extradited to the US to face copyright infringement allegations, a judge has ruled.

Oh for fuck's sake. This extradition treaty is all the more reason to distance ourselves from America.

[Uthopia]

Sorry if I am ignorant but why do you dont like the EU? What is the problem?

EU - Fucking our economy for the benefit of the French and Germans for 40 yrs... There are whole threads on this topic, the last one might still be new enough not to count as a necropost if you reopen it. Started about a month back, when our PM said no to Sarky & Merky's attempt to ream our economy again, to bail out the Euro.

An argument about the EU deserves it's own thread, this is not really the thread for it.

epic fail

[Aesthetica]

EU - Fucking our economy for the benefit of the French and Germans for 40 yrs... There are whole threads on this topic, the last one might still be new enough not to count as a necropost if you reopen it. Started about a month back, when our PM said no to Sarky & Merky's attempt to ream our economy again, to bail out the Euro.

An argument about the EU deserves it's own thread, this is not really the thread for it.

epic fail

You asked, I answered... EU is increasingly unpopular here, lot of money going out to the EU, bugger all benefits coming back, and nothing but crap from our "EU Friends". There have been some lengthy threads arguing about it.

If you don't like the answer, tough shit. Don't ask the question...

[Uthopia]

epic fail

You asked, I answered... EU is increasingly unpopular here, lot of money going out to the EU, bugger all benefits coming back, and nothing but crap from our "EU Friends". There have been some lengthy threads arguing about it.

If you don't like the answer, tough shit. Don't ask the question...

Your answer was disgusting, racist and chauvinistic.

Germany contributes more to the EU than the UK, you can say the EU had an enormous and worse bureaucracy but saying that Germany and France benefitef from British economy is not true. In fact the EU witohut the EU could function very well, witout Germany the EU would colapse. Even a much poor slovakia had to gave money to save the ritcher Greece.

[Aesthetica]

You asked, I answered... EU is increasingly unpopular here, lot of money going out to the EU, bugger all benefits coming back, and nothing but crap from our "EU Friends". There have been some lengthy threads arguing about it.

If you don't like the answer, tough shit. Don't ask the question...

Your answer was disgusting, racist and chauvinistic.

Germany contributes more to the EU than the UK, you can say the EU had an enormous and worse bureaucracy but saying that Germany and France benefitef from British economy is not true. In fact the EU witohut the EU could function very well, witout Germany the EU would colapse. Even a much poor slovakia had to gave money to save the ritcher Greece.

Check the figures for who gets most of the CAP funding from the EU, and how much farmland they have in relation. CAP is 48% of the EU budget. Britain is a net contributor to the EU budget.

UK: Land 9% CAP funding 9%
Germany: Land 10% CAP funding 14%
France: Land 17% CAP funding 22%

That's just one example. We've had enough and want out of a club where it's obvious we're not wanted except for our ability to give away our money.

[Bales Rant]

For any jobseeker in the UK interested in reading about your rights and what you can do with regard to the government's Work Programme (the work-for-your-benefits thing), these links might be of some worth:

http://www.refusewp.com/

http://www.boycottworkfare.org/

http://www.workprogramme.org.uk/2011062 ... wance.html (the website's layout isn't great)

http://intensiveactivity.wordpress.com/ ... d-illegal/

http://www.consent.me.uk/

http://dolescumtimes.wordpress.com/

I'm a layman in terms of the law and would love for someone who isn't to correct me but after a quick scan it seems:

1/ The Work Programme contravenes UK and European law which prohibits 'forced labour';there is no lawful authority to request that jobseekers attend under the continuous threat of sanctions.
2/ The Work Programme contravenes the Minimum Wage Act (though I've read on the DWP website that it is one of the many lawful exceptions to it).
3/ The Work Programme actually makes a 'client' break their jobseekers agreement because a. they are working and getting benefits b. they cannot fulfill their agreement 'to actively seek work'.

More than that though, the DWP itself found there is “little evidence” that any Welfare to Work/fare Programme “increases the likelihood of finding work.”

– There is little evidence that workfare increases the likelihood of finding work. It can even reduce employment chances by limiting the time available for job search and by failing to provide the skills and experience valued by employers.

– Workfare is least effective in getting people into jobs in weak labour markets where unemployment is high.

In terms of making it difficult for those who would like to make a profit on the back of our misfortune and those cunts who would like to punish jobseekers, it seems one could:

1/ not sign any information waivers that gives your information to third parties, such as the providers like Tesco, Poundland etc, as we are under no obligation to. If an adviser threatens you with sanctions or tells you that you must sign it they are breaching the 1998 Data Protection Act. How can you properly consent with threats?! Record everything on your phone.

2/ don't sign a modified jobseekers agreement - if the Work Programme is mandatory, why does the jobcentre seek your permission. That is not 'just'.

3/ when you are given your first appointment for the placement, tell your jc advisor that you are willing and able to attend but that you are doing voluntary work or going on holiday for the next two weeks - I was reading that if the provider company doesn't get the client in by 14 days they will lose the government money they would have been given.

(2C) Without prejudice to any other circumstances in which a person may be regarded as having good cause for any act or omission for the purposes of section 19(5)(b) or section 20A(2)(b), a person is to be regarded as having good cause for failing to attend or giving up Work Experience provided that the person—

(a) attends the first day of Work Experience,
(b) gives up not later than one week after the date on which the person begins Work Experience, and
(c) does not lose the Work Experience place through misconduct.

(http://www.workprogramme.org.uk/2011081 ... ience.html)

4/ write to the secretary of state threatening legal proceedings!

This immoral, impractical scheme must be stopped. If there's work to be done, there's a job to be done.

[Tagmatium]

If there's work to be done, there's a job to be done.

The fuckers are like this every, though.

My employer has laid off staff in other departments, got rid of a costly programme which has apparently saved millions and combined the job roles of the aforementioned laid off staff into mine.

However, apparently there's not enough profit to see an increase in my wage despite increased workload and pressure.

[Bales Rant]

If there's work to be done, there's a job to be done.

The fuckers are like this every, though.

My employer has laid off staff in other departments, got rid of a costly programme which has apparently saved millions and combined the job roles of the aforementioned laid off staff into mine.

However, apparently there's not enough profit to see an increase in my wage despite increased workload and pressure.

By 'wage' you mean a proper wage, not a work-for-benefit wage?

[Tagmatium]

The fuckers are like this every, though.

My employer has laid off staff in other departments, got rid of a costly programme which has apparently saved millions and combined the job roles of the aforementioned laid off staff into mine.

However, apparently there's not enough profit to see an increase in my wage despite increased workload and pressure.

By 'wage' you mean a proper wage, not a work-for-benefit wage?

Yeah, proper work.

I'm thankful for that, what with being unemployed for five months towards the end of 2010, but I'd still like a bit more, if only to reflect the expansion of my job role beyond the one I signed up for.

[Bales Rant]

By 'wage' you mean a proper wage, not a work-for-benefit wage?

Yeah, proper work.

I'm thankful for that, what with being unemployed for five months towards the end of 2010, but I'd still like a bit more, if only to reflect the expansion of my job role beyond the one I signed up for.

Fair do's mate.

[Lord Tothe]

<- This Yankee liked this explanation of the UK, Great Britain, England, and the Commonwealth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10

[Alyakia]

<- This Yankee liked this explanation of the UK, Great Britain, England, and the Commonwealth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10

shown in orange lol (shame he over simplified the state religion part to the point of being pretty much wrong)

[Fionnuala_Saoirse]

<- This Yankee liked this explanation of the UK, Great Britain, England, and the Commonwealth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10

Minor nitpick but Ireland is a political term as well as geographical.

[Freedomscope]

We have two big parties and one medium party. Labour (right-wing neo-liberals), Tories (right-wing neo-liberals) and Liberal Democrats (right-wing neo-liberals).

Couldn't have put it better myself

[Freedomscope]

Mind you, thinking about it, they're all pretty left wing really. They LOVE spending lots and lots of money without a care in the world.

[Aesthetica]

Mind you, thinking about it, they're all pretty left wing really. They LOVE spending lots and lots of money without a care in the world.

But the right wing neo-liberal bit is that the money they spend isn't a) theirs or b) their corporate sponsors.

so that's ok, it's ok to spend money as long as it belongs to poor people, and you're spending it making rich people richer...

[Kirrig]

Mind you, thinking about it, they're all pretty left wing really. They LOVE spending lots and lots of money without a care in the world.

But the right wing neo-liberal bit is that the money they spend isn't a) theirs or b) their corporate sponsors.

so that's ok, it's ok to spend money as long as it belongs to poor people, and you're spending it making rich people richer...

Isn't that the aim of a government desiring success?

Now for the long delayed description of how MMP could work.

Assume there are ten constituencies, of which four elect two MPs. Under MMP there will ten electorates that elect one MP and there will also be four list MPs. That way there is no increase in the number of politicians.

[Trixiestan]

Alan Johnson warns trade unions against becoming 'delusional left'

Former home secretary and union leader responds to criticism of Ed Miliband's acceptance of public sector pay cap and cuts

The union movement is at risk of plunging back to the "fantasy utopias" of the 1970s, the former home secretary and former union general secretary Alan Johnson warns today after Britain's third largest trade union suggested it might disaffiliate from the Labour party over Ed Miliband's pledge not to reverse the freeze on public sector wages.

lol what a complete cockhead

EDIT:

UK unemployment increases to 2.685m

UK unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November to 2.685 million, official figures show.

The Employment Minister, Chris Grayling, said the figures were worrying.

"The overall level of unemployment is, and will remain, a major concern for the government,

"However, I should say that these figures are much more complex than the headlines first suggest. In reality, the number of people in employment has gone up; the level of people on Jobseeker's Allowance, when you take into account changes in our welfare system, has actually gone down slightly; the number of people on out of work benefits has come down over the last few months since the general election."

"There may be more people out of work, but don't worry, we're not paying for it"

[Tagmatium]

"There may be more people out of work, but don't worry, we're not paying for it"

As another poster said, it seems that there's enough work for people to do and not get paid for, but there's not enough for people to actually get a job.

[Horsefish]

"There may be more people out of work, but don't worry, we're not paying for it"

As another poster said, it seems that there's enough work for people to do and not get paid for, but there's not enough for people to actually get a job.

All employers enjoy free labour. They don't want to pay for it though.

[Yootwopia]

What a fucking high-quality government was elected eh everyone?

Always a good sign when this type of thing is on the BBC News Site.

PS nice one, Lib Dem voters.

[Aesthetica]

"However, I should say that these figures are much more complex than the headlines first suggest. In reality, the number of people in employment has gone up; the level of people on Jobseeker's Allowance, when you take into account changes in our welfare system, has actually gone down slightly; the number of people on out of work benefits has come down over the last few months since the general election."

"There may be more people out of work, but don't worry, we're not paying for it"

Yet... See, many of the people downsized recently, will have redundancy money coming to them...

And if you sign on at the dole with more than a couple or three grand, you DONT get jobseekers allowance or housing benefit, until you've spent your redundancy pay, so the govt. doesn't have to cough up benefits for all the people they are puttong on the dole for a while depending on how much cash the poor buggers got as a "piss off" bonus from their last job.

Also, when they send you on a work for your welfare indentured slavery program, for example even though you're getting benefits, those are not "out of work" benefits, they are "training" benefits or "in work" benefits.