"You are using the scattergun approach of shooting out insults at me now" I made a high-horse comment. You were the one that insulted me. SH does not engage in debate. That is the only reason why he was ever what you somehow call 'the recipient of our collective views'. That in itself is an insult. 'Offensive language'? Please. Guess you're going to make me go back and find your posts now. It's Saturday night... (so it's fine when you do it?) A mixture of snidey digs, insults, generalisations and hypocritical comments following the stuff you threw back at me.
Each of those comments was appropriate in the position of the debate taking place and were often a repeat back of a similar comment. Put of context I could do the same to your comments. But you and others have been the ones attacking. Never mind. You have your way. I will be more than happy to stand down if your fellow posters agree with you. See my thread.
Please do. You'll have to do some serious digging, all your posts were done in a few hours. No one ever claimed you were unfit to be a mod. Stop being so melodramatic.
If your assertions about me are correct then I am unfit to be a mod. It is not melodrama - it is tiredness. I cannot be bothered to argue with you all the time. I do not want to be a mod if it means that when I try to do what I genuinely beleive is good for the board I come under vitriolic attack. This whole debate today represents everything I wanted this board to not be. I am not continuing this debate as it is like schoolchildren having a fight and I am ashamed to be one of those involved.
I was careful to say overly protectionist. Suffice to say that otherwise we are absolutely in accord.
America freely chose their president we should accept their decision. Trump could actually work out to be excellent for the UK, he has certainly shown interest in furthering the interest of our country. He should be given a chance to see the effects of his direction. I probably disagree with all of you on this subject but my main concern is for the future of the UK. Obama was no friend of Britain, he preferred to cosy up to Merkel. Brexit will happen, we need all the friends we can muster, especially decision makers.
Debatable that they did vote freely between the Russian question and the FBI - not to mention the lack of a suitable opponent. Trump will be good for trump, though I expect him to be impeached. Will be lucky to get through this electoral term without 1. Severe civil unrest in the U.S. 2. Severe curtailment of civil liberties. (We're seeing that already) 3. Escalating terrorism and possibly war. Obama was a fine president, and more of a friend to the UK than trump will be. Trump über alles, if you hadn't already worked it out. I have never been less worried about my credit card debts as I am now.
In all seriousness this is the most worried i have been about the future of our civilisation in my adult life....
It's the most worried I've been since the mid-eighties. But then we had the EU to keep a few things in check. I think the NHS will be run into the ground making more people feel that they have to look to private health to care for their families. More nationalised industries will be sold off. There will be wars. Oh yes. Iran must be on the cards, not for control of oil, of course. Syria and the whole Middle East is going to be very messy. Another Afghanistan war. Republicans like war. How far we'll be drawn in to support worries me too. The world will be an even more divided place in four/eight years' time. Minority oppression will be more the norm. The level of closet racists in this country surprised me - I knew there were lots, particularly amongst older generations, but I was surprised at how many. As long as their poison doesn't start seeping into the young, who have a better grasp of morality and responsibility to all, IMHO, then hopefully this torrid time we are in for, will pass into history as a time of the dying of Self Above Everyone.
I'm sorry to say, Leo, but I think you have been a little hypocritical in one respect. You say criticism should be about the views, not the person. But you've called Toby "a hypocrite" rather than hypocritical i.e. the noun suggests a permanent state, that he, as a person, is a hypocrite, rather than the adjective, suggesting his position is hypocritical. BTW, I don't think that Fez, Toby and I have formed any sort of collective - I think we probably differ quite a bit on some things.
Not a lot to be said about this sort of thing - other than the fact that Trump's action will undoubtedly cause more harm to the US than good.
And then there's this - the burning of a mosque in Texas just hours after Trump signed his 'Foreign Terrorist Entry' order. https://thinkprogress.org/islamic-center-of-victoria-fire-8a683f632a7a#.1j0wz91tz
There does seem to be a legitimisation of racism all over, but the Texan incident is not it. Islam is an ideology and being Muslim is not a race. I think it is absolutely important to not lose sight of the difference. People have rights ideas do not. Having been to Texas on several occasions I am staggered that there are any mosques there at all. That said, this type of behaviour is unacceptable. Too many reminders of 1930's Germany.
You're right, of course. I don't know so much about America, but I do think there is a racist element to Islamophobia in this country, though. The majority of Muslims are not white. The media, particularly the DM and DE, are all over them. The birth rate is discussed freely, and a pretty open suggestion that Muslims are 'taking over'. The problem to those daily comics and the fools who read them, IMHO, is largely the colour of most Muslims' skin. The parallels with 1930s Germany are there, definitely - particularly the fact the populace seems to accept the victimisation. I feel considerably closer to Muslims than followers of the CofE. My bestest buddy is lapsed Muslim and you couldn't meet a more moral person. Given all the problems where I work with the covering up of *****philia by the the Diocese of St Albans, am I surprised to see yesterday the front page of a local newspaper which says that a local vicar destroyed evidence of child pornography on a church computer to protect an unnamed person who works within his church? No. He went to the Diocese rather than the police. Their instructions were pretty clear. BTW, this lovely chappie, who also recently told 100s of schoolchildren that Father Christmas does not exist, is due in Seb's school on Monday. Business as usual. Give me a Muslim every time.