Tuesday 15-10-27 George Osborne in "Listening Mode"

So, with all the kerfuffle over tax credits over the last couple of days, it has been an interesting time to watch BBC Parliament TV. Watching the Lords overturn the government's attempt to turn tax credits on their heads through the use of a Statutory Instrument was particularly pleasing. Osborne and the government should have realised that this was going to be a controversial measure, and they should have approached this properly, through a financial bill or an amendment to a bill. In that way, the Lords would not have been able to send it back to the Commons - as they are not, by law, allowed to veto a money or financial bill. As it was, the govt. wanted to curtail discussion in the House of Commons and so introduced this measure in a Statutory Instrument, which meant that MPs could only approve or veto the measure, but not adapt it. And of course, no Tory MP vetoed it, despite the fact that some of them argued against approving it.
After the House of Commons had approved the measure, and before the Lords kicked it back last night, Osborne faced questions from the Treasury committee. He declared that he was "comfortable" with the "judgement call" he had made. At that stage, despite the protestations of the members in the House of Commons, he was completely sure of his position and he was going to forge ahead with the cuts as proposed.

He was in "listening mode" before the Lords' vote, and apparently offered that if they kept their motion to a "motion of regret", i.e., they would let the SI (Statutory Instrument) pass, then he would look and see if there was anything he could do. That seems to me to be the wrong way round, and it seems the Lords thought so too. Good. In my opinion, in the same way that he pointed to the Commons majority as support for his plans, he would have taken the approval of the Lords as a sign that they agreed with his policies, and I expect that there would have been no changes to the cuts. This is just my opinion, but when you take how relaxed and "comfortable" he was in front of the Treasury Committee, I can only think that the passing of the motion would have been what he relied on in the future. After all, what people say, and the points raised during debates, fade into the mists of time eventually, and all that is left is the result of the vote.

The picture above is taken from the interview he gave after the defeat of the SI in the Lords. During that interview he claimed that he was in listening mode and had been in listening mode as previously advised. Listening isn't doing, though. Listening isn't changing policy to mitigate the impacts on the lowest paid. Listening isn't providing an alternative motion.

I don't believe that George Osborne would have made any changes to this legislation if he hadn't had it thrown back in his face. And that did need to happen. Taking money away from those on the lowest rung of the ladder is the cruellest and most vicious thing to do. People rely on tax credits to pay for their heating, or their rent, or food to put on the table. To take that away is to remove their reason to work, and I am sure that more people would end up out of work as a result.

I hope that George Osborne does really review and rethink his plans, so that the worst off in our society are not adversely and disproportionately impacted. But I have a sneaking suspicion that they will not escape unscathed. I hope that people are aware of what he was trying to do, and I hope that they can remember that in 2020, when it's time to vote again for who we want in charge. But fate is fickle, and if things start going well, and if the economy turns around, it may be that there is a feel-good factor; after all, a rising tide lifts all boats, or at least that's what they say. But at the moment, with inflation at zero, and growth slowing, things are not looking good. If there is one silver lining among the gathering clouds, it is that those on tax credits are not going to be more destitute than they already are - or at least, that's how it looks at the moment.

Sunday 15-10-25 Changing Bank Accounts

So on Friday I changed bank accounts. I took some time during my lunch break, fired up the old interwebs and arrived at Yorkshire Bank's homepage. About ten minutes later, I was all done, I had my new account number and sort code, and had agreed to switch from my current current account, with Tesco, using the CASS or Current Account Switching Service. And because of that, Yorkshire Bank are going to pay me £150.

I switched earlier in the year to the Tesco current account because they were giving away 10,000 clubcard points, which is the equivalent of £100. I will probably switch next year to the Co-Op, because they are giving away £125 to swap. I don't see why people stick with their current accounts, and I would recommend that you look at what the options are.

Halifax as well gave me £100 a couple of years ago, and I stayed with them a while, because they gave me £5 every month for staying in credit. They didn't pay any interest though, but I currently don't get more than that in interest on my Tesco current account. I also liked the Halifax internet banking site, so I may go back to them eventually. I wouldn't expect to get another £100 out of them, but the chance is there and even if I don't, a monthly £5 always helps.

I probably won't stay with the Yorkshire Bank for more than three months because I've had a look at their internet banking site and it feels dreadful. It's like some stuffy grey-haired pinstripe wearing half-moon spectacles designed it. "What? What's the issue? It displays the facts and figures...?" Unfortunately in today's internet age, it doesn't strike me as being modern, and that will drive me away.

I was with the Co-Op for a while, a few years ago, and while they were ultra-modern in some ways, i.e. they sent me a little PIN generator so that my account was secure, the banking site was atrocious. So I changed, and that might have been when I went to the Halifax.

I've banked with First Direct before, they were good, and if you go with them they pay £150. Unfortunately because I am a previous customer, I don't qualify for that. I left them because they stopped paying interest on their current account, but at the moment if you pay into their regular savings account they are paying 6% interest - which is a fair whack in these zero-inflation times.

Most banks these days will give you a contactless card and they are pretty much all members of the Faster Payments scheme, so looking at the situation objectively, there is not much different between them. Hence my recommendation that you look around and see what the offers are. I've bagged a notional £250 so far this year (as long as this payment from the Yorkshire comes through) and that will mostly, probably, go towards a nice Christmas present for TW. Not a new tablet off of eBay. Oh no.

But once I've exhausted the offers, I shall be looking for a bank that pays acceptable interest, either on their current account or a linked savings account, and has a welcoming banking web site. Just because it's about cold hard filthy lucre, doesn't mean that design is not required. I want a website that I can appreciate, and feel at home on. I know that's an odd thing to say, but I'm not sure how to express it otherwise.

Tuesday 15-10-20 A Weekend of Good Rugby and Dashed Hopes

This weekend just gone was the weekend of the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
First up Wales played South Africa, and although I find it difficult to recall what happened four games ago, Wales were doing well. South Africa scored an excellent try at the end though, there was no defence on the blindside to stop the winning try. So Wales fell. It was a shame, I thought Wales had a chance against RSA, but it wasn't to be.
Next up France played New Zealand and fit stuffed - that match was on Saturday night at 8pm. The odds were so against France, and France had played well against the All Blacks in past World Cup events, that I thought it was worth a small flutter. Well, there is a reason why the All Blacks are the tournament favourites, and that was £2 wasted. Every time France had the ball they seemed to be confronted by a wall of black shirts. On the other hand, when the Kiwis had the ball, they seemed to dance through the chinks in France's defence with ease. So it was goodbye to France, and my £2.
Sunday was a new day, this was much more straightforward. Ireland were favourites to beat Argentina and Australia were odds on to win against Scotland. I even put a little bet on, a double that both Ireland and Australia would go through. The talk before the Ireland game was of how dangerous Argentina were, but I poo-poohed that suggestion: surely Ireland were the more professional, organised side? Yes Argentina had passion and flair but they wouldn't be able to last eighty minutes against the men in green? Well, yes they could, actually. They blitzed Ireland and were 17-0 up after 15 minutes. Ireland then woke up and got back on terms, but Argentina then broke through their defence several times to score and take the game away from Ireland. So even before the final quarter-final of the day, my bet had already gone bad.
Actually, after the Ireland match, we went out for a walk in Arundel. I was planning on catching up with the highlights later, because surely it would be a walkover for the Aussies? Well no, as it turned out. We got back to the house at half-time, and before I could close my eyes and not see the score, it was 16-15. So we whizzed through the first half and sat down to watch the second half semi-live... It was a gripping match, and ended 35-34 to Australia. The final points were awarded dubiously, Australia were given a penalty instead of a scrum, and they took the three points as well as the lead.
Scotland are a much-improved side and I look forward to seeing how they do in the Six Nations next year.
I had already put a pound on Australia to win the whole thing, and after New Zealand's performance, I've also put £2 on them to win. It looks like it might be an Australia - New Zealand final, so I'll be happy either way, but given the upsets in this competition so far, it's not a given.
Bring on the semi-finals next weekend!

Tuesday 15-10-13 The Frailty of Power

I'd like to preface this by saying I don't have, or I don't believe that I have, particularly strong political beliefs. I think I've voted Tory before, because I thought John Major was actually a decent chap. I voted Labour in 1997, along with most other people. And I've voted Lib Dem as well, when I thought they were offering the best view of the future / there was no realistic alternative. So I don't think I have any strong preference for any particular political party.

I've heard the Tories justify their policies with the line that the nation have voted for these policies, that they won the election and they are only carrying out the wishes of the majority. I don't think that's quite true, and I think that the Conservatives have cause for concern.

In the General Election in May 2015, 30.7 million people voted out of a possible 46.4 million registered to vote, or deemed eligible to vote. That is a turnout of 66.1%, or two thirds of the voting public. Of those, 11.3 million people voted conservative, or 36.9%. So out of the voting public, 11.3 out of 46.4 million voted Tory. That's less than 25% of the voting population. And in addition to that, the Conservatives only have a twelve seat majority. 

Now, I am not saying that the other 75% would vote against the Tories. I think a large percentage of the UKIP voters would vote Tory, if UKIP disappeared, and they may vote Tory tactically next time around, seeing that even though 3.8 millions voted UKIP, they only got one MP. And the DUP and UUP would probably also vote Tory or support the Tories in a coalition if needed. 

What I am saying, though, is that with a majority of only 12, and only having support of less than 25% of the population, I think the Tories are following a high-risk strategy in cutting tax credits two years before the new "living wage" (which isn't the same as the living wage promoted by the Living Wage Foundation) comes into effect. And I think it is a little rich for people the likes of Osborne and Cameron to keep banging on about "living within one's means". That's easy enough for them, when one is likely to become a Baronet, and the other is a well-paid leader of nations. I can live within my means, and I am actually managing to pay down some of my debts, albeit slowly. But even for me, payday can't come quickly enough. For those people who earn less, who qualify for working tax credits, life in 2016 is going to get a lot more bleak. They are going to be in work, but not earn enough to live on. 

A constant stream of MPs have lined up to stress that with all the other changes, actually people won't be any worse off. But I don't believe them. In order to get the sums to add up, you have to add in extra childcare allowance, when there is no guarantee that they have kids, higher tax thresholds  - which we all benefit from - and other benefits available to everyone - not just those on working tax credits. I will benefit from higher tax thresholds. So will George and David. But they, and I, don't need their wages bumped up with tax credits. Nor do they rely on that income to buy necessities like food or gas or electricity or travel, so that they can live. They don't need to worry about how they are going to replace that income stream for the two years before the minimum wage rises to £9.50. And even then, that won't be the "living wage", because the living wage (as recommended by the LWF) takes into account tax credits.

I started writing this article before last week's Question Time, and it seems that the same has occurred to other people. I heard on the news this morning that this could be another poll tax moment, and now it is being reported that up to 71 tory MPs in marginal seats could lose their majority at the next election.

The Tories came to power promising that they would balance the books, and pay down the deficit, but I don't think anyone was expecting them just to stop paying benefits to the poorest among us. Now that people have seen the plans and assessed the impact, they're not happy. I am not saying I know what the answer is, but to be so brazen about this is not the way forward. 

Saturday 15-10-10 Indie Daze at Kentish Town Forum

And so on the 3rd October I headed off to Kentish Town for Indie Daze, to see a few bands from the old days. I was meeting up with an old friend from Uni and we were planning to have one of our semi-annual meet-ups and a bit of a bop. Pop Will Eat Itself, Primitives, Wedding Present and Wonder Stuff were all appearing. The train journey was fairly uneventful, except that at Burgess Hill an eighties throwback got on the train and I did wonder for a second whether he was also heading to the Forum. But then I quickly dismissed that, he would have been from a different "tribe" - he had a wet-look permed mullet, which I have to admit is fairly distinctive in this day and age. I seem to recollect he was wearing denim as well, but I may be misremembering... Anyway, he got off after a bit, and went on his merry way. I was sitting next to a couple of, or perhaps just one pilot and his friend, they were heading off to "Twickers, yah?" to meet up with some friends and watch the rugby - England were playing Australia later. In their pressed tops and colourful slacks they cut quite the dash. So, earphones in and a bit of Happy Mondays was the perfect antidote to that.
I met up with E outside the venue, and we went in without any delay. I suppose that as it was  an all-dayer, and people would have their favourite bands, not everyone was planning to arrive at 12:45. So, we beat the rush. The first band on was the Popinjays, who struck me as a more poppy female Carter USM, in that there were only two of them, one singer, one guitarist, and a drum machine. They were both quite cheery and self-deprecating, and they seemed to be happy to be there despite the fact that there were only 30 or so guys there to see them. I'd not heard the Popinjays before, but they sounded pretty good. It was a bit weird to be inside, in the dark, at quarter past one in the afternoon, watching a band perform under lights as if it was 9pm. But they did okay and started the day off well.
The next band on were Back To The Planet, and I had no interest in seeing them. Neither did E, luckily, so we headed out to get some lunch. We disregarded a number of places before ending up at the Rustique Cafe, where I had a really nice English breakfast (but no sausages, unfortunately!) and a coffee, before we headed back to the venue for the third band - Eat.
Eat are one of my favourite bands that no-one has ever heard of. I have a couple of bands which fit into that category - New FADs come to mind, but Eat are right up there. Apparently I did see them in 1992 at a one-day festival in Slough, with Jesus Jones and the Fall, but I can't remember watching them. They are proper rockers, they didn't look like aging indie kids, and they were excellent. The lead singer Ange  Dolittle was obviously the main focus of the stage, coming on as he did with dreads down to his arse and his mad stare. It was an impressive show.  They played their greatest hits, so Fatman, Skin, and they finished with Electric City. They were memorable, and probably, for me, worth the cost of entry by themselves.
Next up were Primitives, who didn't do it for me, I have to say. They played Crash and Through The Flowers, but I didn't recognise a lot of the songs and my interest wasn't piqued in finding out any more.
We started on the beers when Primitives were on, and so by the time Pop Will Eat Itself came on, we were ready to revitalise the day. PWEI always put on a good live show, and last Saturday was no exception. I found myself bopping away to the tunes and really enjoyed it. Despite the fact that Graham Crabb is the only original member, they have a big back catalogue to plunder, and they played a big range of hits, from Def Con One to Ich Bin Ein Auslander, to Get The Girl, Kill The Baddies. The mosh pit was heaving as per usual, and everyone seemed to have a good time.
I was a bit worried at how Wedding Present would maintain the atmosphere, but my fears were groundless - Gedge and the team were brilliant. They played a couple of hits and then launched into Bizarro. I think the influence of Steve Albini is still felt on them, as the tracks and the sound certainly seemed to have more muscle and power than I expected. And of course everyone went crazy to Kennedy and Brassneck, so having them on after PWEI paid off.
After Wedding Present the Wonder Stuff were headlining, and I've seen them before so I chose to head for home. It was a great day and I really enjoyed seeing the bands and catching up with E., as well as having a few beers. The journey home was fairly uneventful and I was in bed and asleep by 00:30. I may go again next year, depending on the line-up.