Off Topic Politics Thread

Djokovic was one. Incredible to think that two of the top tennis players have experienced such horrors at such close quarters in their childhood. Andy Murray at Dunblain and Djoko in Belgrade.

 

Nato also bombed out the 3 bridges over the Danube in Novi Sad (where I live). The last one was re-built this year (20 years later)

Paid for by the EU!

 

P.S. moved here not long after the bombing. Never had any trouble from the natives. People everywhere are good, just the politicians are bastards! and luckily most people know that!

 

You may have heard that the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change [IPCC] was published yesterday, 25th Sept 2019. It's this one [front page copy], so don't be confused:



You can obtain downloads on each and every chapter and aspect of the report, or the summary alone, or the whole damn lot from here. It is mostly understandable by anyone, because it uses language explaining the data, which you might not be able to work out. Basically, by looking at this, you can't say "I don't know" anymore. It is unequivocal. Here's the link to the downloads. Share them. Get a summary under people's noses, at least. By the way, it is massive, so if that boggles you a bit, just read the summaries or skip and dip through the report. You'll see enough: https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/download-report/

 

There's also this article which helped steer me towards the IPCC report. It talks of the oceans getting warmer more rapidly than we dared think. And if you remember what Onionman [Vin] said, a few months back, it may be the land-based ice melt which makes the ocean levels rise, but even more so the oceans swell due to them heating up, just like most elements do, and that means places go under water. Care to realise how far above sea level St Mary's is?

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/25/7558...tting-hotter-and-higher-and-it-s-accelerating

 

Vin underestimated the direct effect of melting ice. Every week, the Greenland glaciers alone lose 50 billion tons of ice, enough on its own to raise global sea levels by 0.1 mm. That’s just Greenland. It’s happening all over the world, only yesterday the Mont Blanc glacier was reported as about to collapse.

 

Yeah I know, but it was a great point he made, because everyone forgets that aspect. And yeah, I did hear about the Mont Blanc glacier. It's going to happen everywhere glacial. Two glaciers that I've walked on in NZ, the Fox and the Franz Josef, have retreated so much that if I stood now where I walked in 1992 I'd fall something like 60-70 feet to the revealed ground.
Incidentally, you know that Ben Nevis is famous for having a little bit of snow on its peak all year round? Not anymore. I asked a buddy who walked up it and he enquired too. Nope, it melts away these days.

 

Most people around the world get their impressions of the British from TV programmes. The most popular are Only fools and Horses and Midsommer Murders. My wife watches about 2 re-runs of Midsommer Murders a day. That's what the British are like she says, I've been to Stratford! Decent and rich. You know Midsommer has the highest murder rate in the world says I? Yes but they're not real murders, and you're more like Blackadder!

 

Never watched a single minute of Midsommer Murders. I can only watch the odd 'crime' drama, probably once or twice a year. Am I alone in being sick to death of them, in their various forms?
Of course, I did used to watch John Nettles in Bergerac quite regularly, way back when, if only to listen to that theme music. But I've never been fascinated by police dramas.

 

Just noticed we've reached the 1000th page of the politics thread and we've not even resorted to murdering each other yet!

 

Oh, in the context of crime drama, did I mention that I watched the first episode of Jonathan Creek from 1999 [yes you did]. It was my JC cherry too. Jeez, it was awful. Wow, did that not age well. Neither leads seemed to be able to act their way out of a paper bag. I watched a much later episode from the 2000s, and although it was a tad better for not having Caroline Quentin in it, it was still super bad. Nope, I won't be going back. Which is a shame, because I like windmills.

 

Theirs is not to reason why
Theirs is just to do and lie

They don’t have enough skin in the game
It’s the middle and poor who suffer

At least old school Tories actually believed they were working for the country

(They were wrong, but that’s different)

The more the right wingers stick it to ordinary people, the less the people believe the progressive politicians ... figure that!

 

I am feeling genuinely unsettled, sad and disturbed by the way this country is going.
The Tory party has, in my opinion, descended to levels that don’t even register on the moral compass. Every day they set lower and lower standards for decency, for honesty and for never accepting responsibility for their actions, always looking to shift the blame on to others. But here’s the thing.
What is unsettling, saddening and disturbing me, isn’t just the behaviour of the government, but knowing that people I know, people I respect and people I love will continue to support them.
People who I know are decent and honest have effectively sold their souls to the devil and do not give a flying fig that the political party that they CHOOSE to support has become so abhorrent and the No Deal Brexit, some of them are baying for, will cause serious hardship for millions.
I know that my relationship with one of my siblings has become very strained, and is not likely to recover, but I no longer have the same level of respect, for her, that I once had, which is extremely sad.
I can’t help but feel that similar situations are happening throughout the country.
The Tory party has broken the country.

 

It seems to be on the agenda though............

 

Absolutely not a laughing matter Beddy. Shame on you.

 

Not sure what political party Creek belongs to?

 

Oh pooh, wrong thread.. Well SiS started talking about TV progs, and it progressed. Made a change for me on this thread anyhow. I'm forever putting up warning news on here.

 

Really not funny, I'm dismayed by it all, can't continue with the comments on here for a bit. I'm not surprised but didn't think it would sink so low, Johnson and his cronies in cabinet and on the back benchers have no respect from me and many others. Corbyn and other opposition figures have lost opportunities to have changed the course over the last few years but blew it. **** them all.

 

Michael Gove “wobbling” next to the speakers chair.