All-purpose news and politics thread

[Spike-X]

Never afraid to go after the big targets, the Catholic Church are now setting their sights on the Girl Scouts.

Chief among their complaints seems to be the fact that the Girl Scouts freely acknowledge that sex and contraception are things that exist.

[dupont2005]

The Vatican should avoid commenting on any children's groups

[the4thpip]

For those of us who normally don't give a fuck about German provincial elections:

The Social Democrat/Green coalition government in North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany's largest state, has been returend with an increased majority while the CDU, the ruling pary nationally has recorded its worst result there since WWII.

It seems to me that pollsters continually underestimate that the CDU loses voters with every election because they just die off and young people are just not interested in them. I live in a rather hip, bohemian neighborhood, and the CDU only got 5% at my polling station.

[Iangould]

If only there was some part of government spending Greece could cut without causing widespread hardship.

If only ...

[king mob]

The government's 'fuck the disabled' policies continue...

Half a million people are set to lose their disability benefits under government plans, it has emerged.

The work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, said he was determined to introduce radical reforms to disability allowances that could slash the annual cost by £2.24bn.

Around 500,000 people in the UK who receive disability living allowance (DLA) could no longer be eligible for the replacement personal independence payment (PIP) under the plans, which are outlined in a report by the Department for Work and Pensions this month.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Duncan Smith said there had been a 30% rise in the the number of claimants in recent years, with the annual cost of the benefits soon to reach £13bn.

Under the reforms two million claimants would be reassessed in the next four years and only those considered to be in need of support able to qualify.

Duncan Smith told the Daily Telegraph: "We are creating a new benefit, because the last benefit grew by something like 30% in the past few years.

"It's been rising well ahead of any other gauge you might make about illness, sickness, disability or for that matter, general trends in society.

"A lot of that is down to the way the benefit was structured so that it was very loosely defined. Second thing was that in the assessment, lots of people weren't actually seen.

"Third problem was lifetime awards. Something like 70% had lifetime awards, (which) meant that once they got it you never looked at them again. They were just allowed to fester."

Duncan Smith defended the reforms which could see people without limbs, including ex-servicemen and women, no longer entitled to disability benefits as their everyday mobility is not undermined by their prosthetic limbs.

"It's not like incapacity benefit, it's not a statement of sickness. It is a gauge of your capability. In other words, 'Do you need care, do you need support to get around?'.

"Those are the two things that are measured. Not, 'You have lost a limb.'"

Ministers are consulting on the new eligibility criteria for the disability benefit system, which will be announced in the autumn.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...d-half-million

[Iangould]

The Vatican should avoid commenting on any children's groups

But how else are they going to deal with the problem of sexually promiscuous children seducing priests?

[Iangould]

So, on the one hand a poll suggests the majority of Greeks want a coalition government to be formed and for that government to honor the EU bailout deal.

On the other hand, the same poll shows the anti-bailout Left Coalition would win 20% of the vote if new elections were called, making them the largest party in Parliament.

link

[sharksfin]

anyway - did you know the german party called pirates (die piraten) mix the whole democratic theatre up down here?

there are some exciting points in the party-program that might be interesting because its maybe a step forward to a truly humane society. beside many other points there are:

- unconditional income for any full aged german state resident (minimum monthly income - living wage)
- liberalization of copyright laws for personal use of music, video and other medias
- liberalization of drug laws for soft drugs (espec. medical prescription of mary jane)

as seen at the past elections in north rhine area, they have a growing number of voters. at the moment , they move in the parlament at north rhine area and passed by some classic partys like "die linke" (socialists) and still reached nearly the same number of voices as the classic liberals "fdp" - classic partys that exist since decades.

so, the german politics are really afraid of the pirates, because of peoples feedback at elections and polls. at the moment the influence on politics still small, but the pirates have the fastest growing constituency in germany actually.


new web-comic-strip, visit: http://jelly.haifashion.eu

[Alan Lynch]

Never afraid to go after the big targets, the Catholic Church are now setting their sights on the Girl Scouts.

Chief among their complaints seems to be the fact that the Girl Scouts freely acknowledge that sex and contraception are things that exist.

To be fair, the Vatican admits both things exist. Right before saying really stupid and harmful things about them.

[Charles RB]

The government's 'fuck the disabled' policies continue...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...d-half-million

Most of Duncan-Smith's comments would all sound reasonable and logical if it wasn't for that whole "half a million out" thing, which says that it's not going to matter if the new tests say "most of them still need the money". They've gone in with "we can cut X number".

[king mob]

Most of Duncan-Smith's comments would all sound reasonable and logical if it wasn't for that whole "half a million out" thing, which says that it's not going to matter if the new tests say "most of them still need the money". They've gone in with "we can cut X number".

DLA is not an unemployment benefit. It's designed to give disabled people both in and out of work extra money so they can afford to get around, so that's either to a job, or the doctors or wherever. It's got a fraud rate of 0.5% according to this governments own figures so what will happen when this money is removed from people is you'll have people unable to get to work, or get around.

As for the ATOS tests (which Labour started) these are ticksheet tests designed to ignore a G.P's advice, so if someone can walk in a straight line, then they can work, even though they can't lift anything because they have a severe spinal condition and because of the medication they're on for the pain they're almost constantly in, they can't sit in an office for 8 hours a day, so they can't work. This is what happened to a mate last year and she appealed and was lucky enough to have ATOS's verdict overturned, most aren't.

[the4thpip]

The German GDP showed unexpected strong growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2012.

[king mob]

Let's see how Murdoch spins this.

Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, is to be charged with perverting the course of justice, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday.

She faces three charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice including the alleged removal of seven cases of material from the archive of News International and the alleged concealment of documents and computers from officers investigating phone hacking.

Brooks, who was arrested in March by Scotland Yard police officers investigating phone hacking, is the first person to face charges in the major criminal investigation into hacking and allegations of bribing public officials.

Her husband, Charlie Brooks, the racehorse trainer and friend of the prime minister, is also to be charged, the CPS announced.

Rebekah Brooks's former PA Cheryl Carter, News International's head of security, Mark Hanna, News International chauffeur Paul Edwards and security consultant Daryl Jorsling have also been told they will face charges, the CPS confirmed. One other person who was arrested, who has not been named, will not face charges.

In a statement minutes before the official announcement from the CPS, Mr and Mrs Brooks said: "We deplore this weak and unjust decision. After the further unprecedented posturing of the CPS we will respond later today after our return from the police station."

Brooks and her husband were told the decision on Tuesday morning when they returned to the police station to answer bail along with the five other suspects.

The charges are as follows:

• That Rebekah Brooks between 6 July and 19 July 2011 conspired with Charles Brooks, Cheryl Carter, Mark Hanna, Paul Edwards, Daryl Jorsling and persons unknown to conceal material from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service.

• That Rebekah Brooks and Cheryl Carter between 6 July and 9 July 2011 conspired together permanently to remove seven boxes of material from the archive of News International.

• That Rebekah Brooks, Charles Brooks, Mark Hanna, Paul Edwards and Daryl Jorsling conspired together and with persons unknown, between 15 July and 19 July 2011, to conceal documents, computers and other electronic equipment from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service.

All six will appear before Westminster magistrates court on a date to be determined.

Alison Levitt QC, the principal legal adviser to the Director of Public Prosecutions, announced the decision in a televised statement read out at CPS headquarters. She said: "This statement is made in the interests of transparency and accountability to explain the decisions reached in respect of allegations that Rebekah Brooks conspired with her husband, Charles Brooks, and others to pervert the course of justice."

She said prosecutors had applied the tests required and found that there was sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution was required in the public interest.

The charges are the first since Operation Weeting began. Scotland Yard has budgeted for three linked inquiries to run to 2015 at a cost of more than £40m. The CPS is still studying four more files which have been passed to it by detectives investigating phone hacking, leaks and alleged bribes to the police.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/ma...course-justice

[thehod]

In a statement minutes before the official announcement from the CPS, Mr and Mrs Brooks said: "We deplore this weak and unjust decision. After the further unprecedented posturing of the CPS we will respond later today after our return from the police station."

Which is Brooks speak for "oh bugger, we're banged to rights."

[king mob]

Which is Brooks speak for "oh bugger, we're banged to rights."

Pretty much, plus this is the easiest of the charges that have been rumoured to be coming Brooks way. Also, Lord Levenson is making a statement at 2 in relation to this.