quote:

The Electoral Commission has today announced that it has opened an investigation into allegations regarding the Conservative Party spending return at the 2015 UK Parliamentary General Election

The investigation opened by the Commission today focuses on whether the Conservative Party met their reporting obligations under the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000, specifically:

-whether the spending reported by the party in its 2015 UKPGE campaign spending return, in relation to the Royal Harbour Hotel Ramsgate, was notnational campaign spending and therefore should not have been included in the party’s return;
- whether spending on the Premier Inn Margate was national campaign spending and therefore should have been included in the party’s 2015 UKPGE campaign spending return.

quote:

The Commission’s sanctioning powers are limited to a civil penalty of up to £20,000

LemonDrizzle posted:

well, this is a thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGtePm2vaFQ

Guavanaut posted:

Shameful hypocrisy. They should have put it on ToryTube, where the comments still have to work even if they're disabled.

LemonDrizzle posted:

well, this is a thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGtePm2vaFQ

V. Illych L. posted:

unless i have fundamentally misunderstood some primal terror that lurks in the hearts of the british, of course

V. Illych L. posted:

unless i have fundamentally misunderstood some primal terror that lurks in the hearts of the british, of course

MrL_JaKiri posted:

They even include the setup for McDonnell's Mao gag, that it being about Osborne being friends with the Chinese. Why keep that in?

Cerebral Bore posted:

Yeah, I suspect that the more they go on abour Corbyn being an imminent danger, the more he's going to look like a serious contender instead.

Guavanaut posted:

Shameful hypocrisy. They should have put it on ToryTube, where the comments still have to work even if they're disabled.

Guavanaut posted:

Shameful hypocrisy. They should have put it on ToryTube, where the comments still have to work even if they're disabled.

Guavanaut posted:

Shameful hypocrisy. They should have put it on ToryTube, where the comments still have to work even if they're disabled.

Guavanaut posted:

Shameful hypocrisy. They should have put it on ToryTube, where the comments still have to work even if they're disabled.

Guavanaut posted:

Shameful hypocrisy. They should have put it on ToryTube, where the comments still have to work even if they're disabled.

Guavanaut posted:

Shameful hypocrisy. They should have put it on ToryTube, where the comments still have to work even if they're disabled.

quote:

The OECD has called for its rich-country members to ease up on austerity and collectively agree to spend more on infrastructure projects to boost flagging growth.

The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development expressed concern about the state of the global economy as it cut growth forecasts made three months ago and warned that low interest rates and money creation by central banks were no longer enough for a lasting recovery.

Marking the latest stage in its shift away from support for austerity, the OECD criticised the over-reliance on monetary policy – low interest rates and the money-creation process known as quantitative easing – and urged that countries adopt a more balanced approach.

The OECD has in the past supported the deficit-reduction programme taken by the UK chancellor, George Osborne, but believes Britain should now join with other countries in spending more on public investment.

“A stronger collective policy response is needed to strengthen demand,” the OECD said in its interim economic outlook, which reduced growth estimates for every member of the G7 group of leading industrial nations – the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, France and Canada.

“Monetary policy cannot work alone. Fiscal policy is now contractionary in many major economies. Structural reform momentum has slowed.”

The OECD reduced its 2016 global growth forecast by 0.3 points to 3%, leaving it unchanged on 2015 – the weakest year for global activity in half a decade. It also shaved 0.3 points off its 2017 forecast, reducing it to 3.3%.

It added that the performance of the global economy was worse than its long-term average and weaker than would be expected during a recovery in the developed world and amid potential for a period of catch-up in emerging economies.

“The downgrade in forecasts is widespread, reflecting a broad range of disappointing incoming data for the fourth quarter of 2015 and the recent weakness and volatility in global financial markets.”

Fiscal policy involves measures that affect tax and public spending, and the OECD said a more expansionary approach was needed to create a more favourable climate for structural reforms that would lead to higher productivity. It advocated that all countries should borrow at ultra-low interest rates for infrastructure projects, and that this would lead to stronger growth and lower debt levels. The call reflects the OECD’s concern that investment has failed to pick up during the recovery.

“Many countries have room for fiscal expansion to strengthen demand. This should focus on policies with strong short-run benefits and that also contribute to long-term growth.

“A commitment to raising public investment collectively would boost demand while remaining on a fiscally sustainable path.”

It added that investment spending had a high multiplier effect, with strong knock-on effects from investment projects on overall growth rates. Quality infrastructure would support future growth and make up for “the shortfall in investment following the cuts imposed across advanced countries in recent years”.

The outlook report added: “The benefits of structural reforms would be enhanced by a more supportive demand environment, which increases the benefits to firms and workers of the new opportunities created and helps to support the necessary reallocation of resources.”

The OECD said it now expected the UK to grow by 2.1% in 2016 and 2% in 2017 – in both years a reduction of 0.3 points on its November 2015 forecasts. Its estimates for the US have been shaved by 0.5 points to 2% in 2016 and by 0.2 points to 2.2% in 2017.

It added that the slow recovery in the eurozone was an important factor dragging on the global recovery and left Europe vulnerable to global shocks. The OECD cut 0.4 points off eurozone growth in 2016 and 0.2 points off eurozone growth in 2017, reducing its GDP estimates to 1.4% and 1.7% respectively. China’s growth has been left unchanged at 6.5% in 2016 and 6.2% in 2017.

Chancellor George Osborne said: “Today’s OECD forecasts are another demonstration of the cocktail of risks facing the world this year, with expectations for global growth downgraded in 2016 and 2017.

“It is not surprising that this is expected to have an impact on growth the UK, though thanks to our economic plan we are forecast to be the fastest growing of the G7 economies this year.

“In a turbulent economic climate, we need to show resilience and resolve and keep taking the action necessary to restore order to the public finances and deliver economic security for working people.”

LemonDrizzle posted:

well, this is a thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGtePm2vaFQ

thespaceinvader posted:

No Inception BWWAAAAAAHS I don't believe there is a threat.

namesake posted:

Haha.

Also when the Scottish bit starts the woman speaker says 'believes in human potential' right as the video changes to a robot arm in a factory, practically the only part of the video not featuring a human...

Foxtrot_13 posted:

Did the Parliamentary Labour Party vote to go on strike?

This is like the Kinnock years when they seem more interested in scoring points against internal rivals than actually looking like they could govern. They need to wake up and see that just not being the Tories is not enough, they need to have a clear message on how they are better.

Foxtrot_13 posted:

Did the Parliamentary Labour Party vote to go on strike?

This is like the Kinnock years when they seem more interested in scoring points against internal rivals than actually looking like they could govern. They need to wake up and see that just not being the Tories is not enough, they need to have a clear message on how they are better.

Pork Pie Hat posted:

Parliament isn't sitting at the moment, they're having a recess

Niric posted:

Well-known communist sympathisers the OECD have reduced their growth forecasts and called for more public investment by the government. George Osborne hails this as an endorsement for his policies, somehow:

OECD calls for less austerity and more public investment

TinTower posted:

Puntification posted:

I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I heard the word gaga and it wasn't about the pop star or the queen song.

thespaceinvader posted:

gently caress's sake. You know the European Working Time Directive, that thing that prevents us being worked to death by our slavedriving overlords?

Yeah, they're trying to stop that applying to doctors via private members' bill http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2015-2016/0046/16046.pdf

Fuckers.

(Also, overtime and travel time in a move which will surprise basically no in-home care workers anywhere).