Off Topic The Politics Thread

I meant the people of Stoke rather than the UKIPs. Nuttal is obviously a fruital cake - but had they elected him, they might have raised the town's profile. Maybe got some regeneration funds to help them choose a better MP next time. As it is its just another Northern town with a labour MP.

 

I've voted Labour in the past and if they ever get back to sensible policies I'd again. But at the moment I'm more UKIP.

 

Do UKIP have many/any policies?

 

Fair enough. Sounds like you're a policies man rather than a party man, right or wrong. Me too. Just trying to find the party that best meets my views.

 

stopping Labour getting elected for one

 

Not to boast about Nuttall's Olympic Gold medals on his CV

 

They're too quiet about his moon landing for my liking.

 

This is a very interesting (but long) piece about targeted social media campaigns, automated accounts designed to spread, popularise and prioritise political messages and the attempts to influence recent key votes by technically brilliant minds from the conservative right and Russia.

It could just be paranoia (to those that want it to be) but it's a very informative piece about where media is heading in the wake of "fake news".

That is if technically savvy me can get a working link....(?)

Robert Mercer: the big data billionaire waging war on mainstream media

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...p-nigel-farage?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Messaging

 

A man who owned a Koran and decided to burn it, is being prosecuted in Denmark for blasphemy.

There's a sickness among the ruling elite in some Scandanavian countries

 

I don't read it as a case of owning a book and deciding to burn it. He posted a video on an anti-Muslim site of him doing it.

He will probably get a fine for it so it's not like his provocative action will see him imprisioned for life or anything like that.

 

He owned the book. He was entitled to do what he wants with it. If I go out and buy a bible and burn it, can I expect to be prosecuted? If not, what makes certain Muslims so precious? (I say "certain Muslims" because not all take great exception - the case was brought to my attention by an excellent Muslim radio presenter, Maajid Nawaz on LBC who is a liberal and thinks the case is madness)

Extreme political correctness erodes our freedoms.

 

If you did buy a bible and burn it on video in a hate group then I would expect you to be prosecuted.

Why would a man that hates Islam have a Koran? Why would he not give it away or quietly recycle it? Do you think his motives were that different from those of a radical preacher?

 

I see Shammy Chakrara-Batty has lost Labour another swathe of voters with her barmy idea to give all prisoners mobiles. She'll be suggesting four weeks paid holiday for the precious lags next. With these ideas from the top of the Labour Party Mother Theresa will sail on regardless...

 

I'm being prosecuted for burning my own property, and a radical preacher wants to burn alive, behead, throw off a building etc... all infidels.

See the difference?

 

It's your own property because you bought it specifically for the purpose of fuelling hatred.

The preacher uses words so your comment about preventing freedom surely goes to freedom of speech (given that the preacher would be unlikely to commit the acts he encourages others to do).

The intent and hatred behind both examples is the same. The desire to provoke others is the same too IMO.

 

How's that, then? Do elaborate.

 

Take a look at what's happening in our universities, with speakers like Greer being banned. Student movements trying to rewrite history

 

You make an assumption in your first sentence. He might have bought it to study and decided he didn't like. I don't approve of the provocative act but I strongly disapprove of bringing the criminal law into it.

You're confusing someone who is provocative and offensive, and someone who incites violence. It is not against the law to offend.

 

I did make an assumption. Although the chances of someone who is on anti-Muslim groups deciding to buy the book to study it seems remote (and let's face it, this entire thread is full of assumptions that are reasoned to some degree or another).

His provocative act was not so much burning it (if he did so in private then I'd agree that it's his right to do so) but in posting a video of it to the hate group.

Your final point is one of interpretation. If an Islamic hate preacher was giving the same speach to, say, a group of vicars then it would be offensive. To people that might act on it then it is inciting violence.

To burn a Koran and post it to the hate group is not trying to offend the group, it would be inciting it to further action (although exactly what action would depend on your interpretation of burning a book and it's significance and symbolism).

 

I think we all know you don't buy a copy of the Koran to study it and then decide to film yourself burning it and posting the film on Facebook just because you don't like it, without any idea of the effect that might have on some Muslims - it's an act of hate, not an intellectual protest.

You're wrong about offending not being against the law. It clearly is against Danish law to offend when the basis of offending is religious, or they wouldn't have a law that permits charging him.

Inciting violence is also an act of hate and equally deserving of prosecution. Carrying it out is worse. If I could, I'd prosecute them all.