Bolitics The New Condem Government

[peterms]

 

Ern Malley @loveandgarbage Follow

Mitchell to judge: "I thought you were here to **** help us"

[blandy]

ooh look. They lied

 

 

David Cameron’s pledge to cut immigration is in ruins after net annual migration soared to more than a quarter of a million.

Official figures this morning showed net migration rose to 260,000 in the 12 months to June, compared with 182,000 the previous year.

Before the election Mr Cameron promised to reduce the figure from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands and asked to be judged on whether he hit the target.

His Liberal Democrat deputy, Nick Clegg, hit out at the Prime Minister today for undermining public confidence in the immigration system by “over-promising and under-delivering” on the issue.

Today’s figures show net migration is now running at higher levels than the Government inherited from Labour.

 

and then tried to hide it

 

 

Theresa May has buried bad news about Britain’s asylum system by delaying and manipulating the publication of independent inspection reports, the head of the Government’s immigration watchdog has warned MPs.

In a damning letter to the Public Accounts Committee...John Vine reveals that the Home Secretary is currently sitting on five reports believed to be critical of the Government, one of which was completed five months ago.

Mr Vine warns the MPs that the failure to publish his reports in a “timely” manner is “reducing their impact” and has “compromised” the independence of his role.

His letter, ....raises serious questions about the extent to which Ms May’s is attempting to control critical stories about immigration in the run up to the election.

 

Among the delayed inspectorate reports is one into a controversial operation to check the immigration status of anyone arrested in London which was given to Ms May in June. A report on visa over-stayers has also been delayed.

In his letter, Mr Vine says that up until this year he had complete autonomy to decide when his reports, which cover all aspect of Britain’s asylum and immigration system, were published. This was the case under successive Home Secretaries since the post was established in 2008.

But Mr Vine said that in December last year he received a letter from Ms May saying that from then on, he would have to publish his reports through her department.

She claimed the change was because there had been a “misinterpretation” of the law by the Home Office

“I was concerned by these proposals for a number of reasons,” he wrote. “I feared, at the time it was made, that a consequence of her decision might be that reports would not be published promptly, reducing the impact of their findings.”

Mr Vine reveals he sought his own independent legal advice from Government solicitors, who concluded that the Home Office’s interpretation of the legislation was “neither the obvious nor the only interpretation of the law”.

But despite raising this with the Home Office his concerns were ignored.

Since the new system came into operation the Home Office has delayed the publication of 10 of his reports by up to four months each.

They have also “bundled” the publication of reports together which Mr Vine is understood to fear lessens their impact.

Allowing the Government to control the release date also allows ministers to release them at times when they will get little publicity – potentially burying unwelcome news.

In his letter to the PAC, Mr Vine makes it clear that he is unhappy. “Unfortunately my concerns have proven correct,” he writes.

“I consider that lengthy delays in publishing reports risk reducing the effectiveness of independent inspection, which depends to a large extent on timely publication of findings, and it is contributing to a sense that the independence of my role is being compromised.”

 

“It is simply not acceptable for the Home Secretary to decide when the Chief Inspector reports,” said Ms Hodge. “This inevitably undermines his autonomy and therefore his credibility.”

[snowychap]

 

@rachaelmongan @MonganRachael

Mitchell loses libel case against News Group Newspapers & Judge satisfied the word 'Pleb' used. #plebgate #mitchell

 

And loses case that plod (choice of word judicious in this circumstances, I think  ) brought against him.

I guess that means damages will be due to PC Rowland from Mr Mitchell?

[drat01]

I wonder if osborne will be calling people autistic again?

[mockingbird_franklin]

I wonder if osborne will be calling people autistic again?

To be fair to gormless george I think he did it when asked about the shortlist for the Turner prize

[snowychap]

Michael Gove managed to get me to agree with him and despair at either his numptiness or party loyalty within about 10 seconds when talking about immigration.

I guess Tony'll be telling us he 'won' that.

 

Edit: And sod off, Plattell, you horrible ****.

Edited November 27, 2014 by snowychap

[bickster]

Mitchell case and judges summing up is possibly the funniest thing a judge has done in a while.

You did call him a pleb because… well he's a pleb

[villaajax]

Plattell is disgusting.

[chrisp65]

Mitchell case and judges summing up is possibly the funniest thing a judge has done in a while.

You did call him a pleb because… well he's a pleb

 

'an old fashioned policeman, well suited to his job,without the wit to make shit up'

 

if ever someone was damned with faint praise

[snowychap]

Ooh. Hasn't Gove (in trying to jump on to the 'I thoroughly agree with the questioner' wagon) just contradicted himself? She's been stuffed by the change in tax credits under IDS (part of the changes to social security that were eulogized by Gove).

Edited November 27, 2014 by snowychap

[chrisp65]

To be honest, I saw Gove was on the programme and I'm now having a retro go on F1 2009 in a Force India bumping everyone else off at corners at Suzuka.

[snowychap]

To be honest, I saw Gove was on the programme and I'm now having a retro go on F1 2009 in a Force India bumping everyone else off at corners at Suzuka.

 

Good call.

[peterms]

I wonder if osborne will be calling people autistic again?

After this very recent stellar performance in the HoC, I imagine he won't be calling anyone anything for quite a while. Except maybe calling the clinic, again.

http://usvsth3m.com/post/rancid-george-osborne.

[villaajax]

 

I wonder if osborne will be calling people autistic again?

After this very recent stellar performance in the HoC, I imagine he won't be calling anyone anything for quite a while. Except maybe calling the clinic, again.

http://usvsth3m.com/post/rancid-george-osborne.

 

 

He's drunk with power.

[peterms]

On the point about attendance at debates, this is instructive

[chrisp65]

I'm sure the screenshots have been carefully selected.

But all the same, it's an utterly damning underlying truth.

The really sad thing is, publicising this will only lead to more votes for UKIP. We've created an environment where showing up the bastards is leading to new bastards being made 'popular' by default for not being the old bastards.

[peterms]

It is claimed that the pictures of debates on pay and expenses are of PMQs instead, and the point is being made by deception; I don't know.

[snowychap]

It is claimed that the pictures of debates on pay and expenses are of PMQs instead, and the point is being made by deception; I don't know.

The one on the left (that is labelled 'debating MP's expenses') looks, to my bleary eyes, like the return of a vote/end of a division (the returners stood facing the Speaker) so that wouldn't be PMQs if so.

 

Edit: I don't mean returners, do I? Can't think of what they're called. Counters?

Edited November 29, 2014 by snowychap

[peterms]

Tellers.

The debunking is by Isabel Hardman in the Spectator if anyone's interested.

[MakemineVanilla]