2015 post UK election discussion

Toffeelover · May 8, 2015

Khalekan said:
I thought they had a majority of nine......which would rise to thirteen given the four SF absentees.

But if his majority is twelve then sixteen is indeed the effective majority.

I am sure the pundits were saying a majority of 12! before other considerations.

tsubaki · May 8, 2015

Toffeelover said:
Dan Jarvis had a heck of a Military career and is not part of the Oxbridge clique, could he really be the kind of "new" leader, Labour need?

Noone who is spent any time in Aberystwyth should be put near the levers of power, you couldnt be entirely sure that they werent an alien masquerading as human.

daylightrobber · May 8, 2015

SNova said:
I'd get rid of them in a heartbeat, but they bring money into the country. If they bring more in than they take out, that's the only reason why I'd keep them.

Are you talking about the Royal family or immigrants

Allezfan · May 8, 2015

Khalekan said:
I thought they had a majority of nine......which would rise to thirteen given the four SF absentees.

But if his majority is twelve then sixteen is indeed the effective majority.

331 out of 650. So 12 more than all the other parties combined. But the speaker doesn't vote so it's really 13 plus sinn fein gets 4 so yeah 17 majority, that'll be enough.

Whistlin' Dixie · May 8, 2015

SNova said:
Mate there are definitely scroungers that is all I said. Are you trying to tell me there aren't?

Oh, I know there are some.......how much do they cost again? How many people of the total claiming benefit are 'scroungers' according to you? 10%? 20?

How much goes unclaimed each year? Care to furnish us all with that one?

How much did IDS waste on this universal credit IT (At the latest count?)

And remind me - Who pays for the removal of people from their luxurious homes with their plethora of unused bedrooms, because of the bedroom tax? Does IDS?

And finally, remind me how much DWP spends on salaries, admin & welfare to work schemes.......Schemes that by even the government's own definition are worse than if the jobseeker had been left alone to find a job.

When you've got the answers, THEN tell me - WHO'S THE SCROUNGERS?

Must be great living on £72 p/w. Even though the EU has reported that the UK unemployment benefit system is: 'manifestly inadequate'

Toffeelover · May 8, 2015

tsubaki said:
Noone who is spent any time in Aberystwyth should be put near the levers of power, you couldnt be entirely sure that they werent an alien masquerading as human.

Ah come on , is that not being racist to our Welsh brethren

. Now just hold on as well on my mother's side I have ancestors from Wales, her maiden name was Jones!lol

tsubaki · May 8, 2015

Toffeelover said:
Ah come on , is that not being racist to our Welsh brethren. Now just hold on as well on my mother's side I have ancestors from Wales, her maiden name was Jones!lol

I myself am one of the Welsh, Aberystwyth is the weirdest place in Mid Wales - which is itself pretty weird to begin with.

Toffeelover · May 8, 2015

Allezfan said:
331 out of 650. So 12 more than all the other parties combined. But the speaker doesn't vote so it's really 13 plus sinn fein gets 4 so yeah 17 majority, that'll be enough.

Wow and as I said, add to that the one UKIP and the DUP who have is it six, no doubt they will suppport the Tories rather than Labour or SNP.

cpfc1905 · May 8, 2015

Minimeister said:
At least the Lib Dems got totally destroyed like. I hope the taste of power was worth it.

Allezfan said:
1931 was the last time the 3 main parties weren't the 3 biggest parties.

Good going, Clegg.

The sell-out Liberal scum got what they deserved. They didn't have to go into a coalition with CMD and pals.

Toffeelover said:
Dan Jarvis had a heck of a Military career and is not part of the Oxbridge clique, could he really be the kind of "new" leader, Labour need?

I'll be honest, I have no idea who this guy is but I've seen him mentioned everywhere. What's he like?

Toffeelover · May 8, 2015

tsubaki said:
I myself am one of the Welsh, Aberystwyth is the weirdest place in Mid Wales - which is itself pretty weird to begin with.

I have been there a few times and Barmouth, like that area very much. Is your name Jones?

Billy Dean · May 8, 2015

Whistlin' Dixie said:
No, let's get this right - you said you wanted freedom to insult (NOT criticise - there is a difference) idealogies.

I remember Nik used that exact terminology a few times

rascal · May 8, 2015

I worked and my mind was immediately taken off the fact that society will shortly be breaking down, I come into this thread and I'm depressed again. Hard working folk like me who earn less than 20k are well and truly fooked.

Toffeelover · May 8, 2015

cpfc1905 said:
The sell-out Liberal scum got what they deserved. They didn't have to go into a coalition with CMD and pals.

I'll be honest, I have no idea who this guy is but I've seen him mentioned everywhere. What's he like?

Here you are mate.

Early life[edit]
Jarvis was born on 30 November 1972[1] in Nottingham, the son of a lecturer and a probation officer. He attended Lady Bay Primary School.

He and his brother Rob Jarvis are fans of Nottingham Forest F.C., with both as children failing to gain tickets in the ballot for the 1989 F.A. Cup semi-final between Forest and Liverpool, and hence they did not have to witness the Hillsborough disaster.[2]

He studied international politics at Aberystwyth University.[3] He graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Politics and Strategic Studies.[4] He graduated with an MA in Conflict, Security & Development from King's College London in 2011.

Military career[edit]
Jarvis attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an officer cadet. On 9 August 1997, he was given a short service commission into the Parachute Regiment as a subaltern (second lieutenant) with seniority from 9 July 1994. On the same day he was promoted to subaltern (lieutenant) with seniority from 9 July 1996.[5] He then joined the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment. On 4 October 2000, he transferred to an intermediate regular commission. At the time he was an acting captain.[6] He was promoted to captain on 10 October 2001.[7]

Having attended the Intermediate Command and Staff Course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, he was promoted to major on 31 July 2003.[8] He transferred to a regular commission on 9 February 2004.[9] In the later part of his army career he was stationed at HQ Land Forces in Wilton, and lived in Salisbury.[10]

During his time in the Parachute Regiment, Jarvis was a platoon commander with 3 Para in Kosovo in 1999, and was with General Sir Mike Jackson during the Pristina airport incident when Jackson refused the suggestion of his American NATO superior to confront Russian forces. Jarvis later described Jackson's comment to Wesley Clark that he was "not going to start World War Three for you" as a "very surreal moment in my life". Jarvis then served as Jackson's personal staff officer. In 2000 he was deployed to Sierra Leone in the aftermath of Operation Barras to help the Army learn the lessons of the kidnap of a group of troops by an armed rebel group.[3]

Jarvis served in Iraq during Operation Telic and in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick.[11] He was deployed to Afghanistan twice, first as a member of the team making the first reconnaissance trips to HelmandProvince in 2005 to 2006 in preparation for a decision on whether to commit British troops there. The second deployment was a six-month tour as a company commander with the Special Forces Support Group, leading a company of 100 troops.[3] He was also deployed to Northern Ireland.[12]

He resigned his commission on 3 March 2011.[13] In the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military division).[14]

Honours and decorations[edit]

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
80px NATO Medal for Kosovo

General Service Medal (1962)

Iraq Medal

OSM for Afghanistan

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
Politics[edit]
Although his military service had precluded political activity, Jarvis had joined the Labour Party at the age of 18[15] while at university.[16] Shortly before the 2010 general election, Jarvis was shortlisted for the Labour Party selection in the south Wales seat of Islwyn.[17] He picked up support from one local would-be candidate who had not made the shortlist,[18] but he was not selected.

Jarvis was selected as the Labour candidate for Barnsley Central on 27 January 2011 following the resignation of Eric Illsley, who stood down after being convicted of fraud for his part in the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal. An eliminating ballot was held and at the penultimate stage Jarvis was tied with local councillor Linda Burgess, each several votes behind Richard Burgon. London Regional Director, Ken Clark, put two pieces of paper into the Press Officer, Phil Dilk's, hat. One that said "Loser" and one that said "Winner" and Burgess went first picking out the paper that said "loser", and Jarvis won; in the final stage he picked up most of Burgess' votes to win selection.[1] He became the first Labour candidate for the Barnsley Central seat since 1938 who was not born in Yorkshire.[19]

MP for Barnsley Central[edit]
On his selection he resigned his commission to stand in the by-election,[3] and gave his campaign the codename 'Operation Honey Badger', referring to a famously fierce animal and signifying his determination to fight for the people of Barnsley.[15] Jarvis found that his Nottingham origins put off some Barnsley voters who remembered the fact that Nottinghamshire miners did not join the 1984–85 strike, although he had been 12 at the time.[16] He was elected with over 60% of the vote in the by-election held on 3 March 2011.[20]

During his maiden speech on the 2011 budget, Jarvis called for a change in economic policy including "a plan to get jobs and to help families feeling the squeeze". He also referred to Parachute Regiment colleagues who had been killed in action and argued that the UK and US should put forward reconciliation in Afghanistan.[21] He joined the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee on 21 March.[22] Jarvis spoke in a debate about NHS reforms in May 2011, paying emotional tribute to the doctors and nurses who cared for his wife, and fearing an ideological free-market agenda which would undermine “all that is great about the NHS”.[23]

In October 2011, Jarvis was appointed Shadow Arts and Culture Minister, part of the Shadow Culture, Media and Sport team led by Harriet Harman, moving to become Shadow Youth Justice and Victims Minister in Labour leader Ed Miliband's October 2013shadow cabinet reshuffle.

Personal life[edit]
Jarvis met his wife Caroline in 2000 when she was working as a personal chef for the family of General Sir Mike Jackson. Their first child was born in 2003, three days before Jarvis was deployed to Iraq; a second child was born in 2005. Caroline Jarvis was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006 and died in July 2010.[16] Jarvis remarried in 2013.