07/05/17 policy announcements

[surge]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39832997

So we've had the second Tory policy announced! First we have had Ed Milliband's "marxist" energy policy and now what Norman Lamb is saying is his policy which the Tories have sat on for two years. I feel more sympathetic towards May with this policy steal: although Norman Lamb is almost certainly the best champion of mental health issues in Westminster May has spoken about the issue before today and you can find articles in 2014 where she speaking about desire to reform, although limited to police cells only being used in "exceptional circumstances". However, we can go back over a number of years and mental health charities are saying that the ideas needs to be backed up by investment and there doesn't seem to be any additional (sufficient) funding put forward while coalition agreed funding for children's mental health hasn't been met since the Lib Dems departed.

In January of 2017 this article was written regarding the treatment of mental health under a conservative government: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...-a7517531.html

Meanwhile, despite government assurances mental health services would receive equal treatment to physical health, 40% of NHS trusts saw cuts to mental health services across 2015-2016.

Winter Fuel Allowance also seems be becoming a dividing line between parties. Lib Dems seem to want to scrap it under its current guise while Labour, surprisingly, seem to want to keep it as it is.

And this is all before Preston has started....

[life on mars]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39832997

So we've had the second Tory policy announced! First we have had Ed Milliband's "marxist" energy policy and now what Norman Lamb is saying is his policy which the Tories have sat on for two years. I feel more sympathetic towards May with this policy steal: although Norman Lamb is almost certainly the best champion of mental health issues in Westminster May has spoken about the issue before today and you can find articles in 2014 where she speaking about desire to reform, although limited to police cells only being used in "exceptional circumstances". However, we can go back over a number of years and mental health charities are saying that the ideas needs to be backed up by investment and there doesn't seem to be any additional (sufficient) funding put forward while coalition agreed funding for children's mental health hasn't been met since the Lib Dems departed.

In January of 2017 this article was written regarding the treatment of mental health under a conservative government: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...-a7517531.html



Winter Fuel Allowance also seems be becoming a dividing line between parties. Lib Dems seem to want to scrap it under its current guise while Labour, surprisingly, seem to want to keep it as it is.





And this is all before Preston has started....

Why wealthy pensioners should receive it is beyond me, or any other assistance , such as free bus pases and TV licences,give that value to the needy.

[Organ Morgan.]

Just 54 out of 12 million who were eligible declined their Winter Fuel payment in 2015.

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-...-back-11580582

[Eric Cartman]

Winter fuel payments should be based on tax code and age, but if I remember correctly Gordon Brown just said give it (£250) to every OAP.

Foreign Aid should be on a case by case basis - not a fixed amount. That's why we have money being spent on Ethiopian girl bands by desperate accountants try to get the balance sheet to zero out.

I would imagine it was an attempt to empower women, the only way Africa moves forward. A lot of DFID's budget appears to be spent on long term projects intending to improve the state of the world for future generations, which is in stark contrast to our politics and policy domestically during my lifetime. Bizarre really.