One moment Scully - I know this is getting away from the subject at hand but the word Communism comes from commune, not from the state. No form of state control can be labelled as communist - even Marx (who was not the inventor of this ideology) held that the dismantling of the state was the precondition before communism could be attained. States like the USSR had not made the transition to communism. I would go further by saying that communism is the completed form of democracy - you cannot have a democracy where the most important means of production, and resources, are in private hands. But this is, I suspect, the material for a different thread.
The only one chucking insults around is you my Northern friend. The Brexit connection was brought into the discussion as a similar effect to change as the coronavirus. They have many similarities of effects on the population and economy.
Spent a few years trying with you... . sadly you only seek to wind up with your comdrade corbyn, guardian,. diane abott insults... nasty stuff.. I sugget you do something worthwhile with your time rather than recycling directionless rhetoric on here.... Get back to you food kitchen... Oh I forgot.... that was a ' LIE' wasnt it..........................
You have accused my of many things which you have to back track on. I'd like to stuff that lasagne down somebody's throat.
That is a really important point. In Bhutan every village has a peoples forum where every issue is dicussed in full and then reps go with their decisions to the regional area meeting etc etc.... It is not a communist country clealry... but throughout history decisions have been made in this way.....
Just a question or two Scully. Why didn't the state take notice of the report that told it it was not prepared for a major outbreak of illness? Why did the then health secretary say that he pleaded for money to up date and increase the stocks of equipment, but was told there was no money? Why when you are looking for practical people to go out and take samples from peoples throats and noses would you think of employing accountants? Why does a county council go bust because it has outsourced everything and can no longer make cutbacks because of the contracts it has signed? There are lots of detailed examples of what has happened over the past ten years, all of which have had the effect of reducing the ability of the government to act as it should and protect people.
Our politicians really need to stop being dishonest... Looking like Sir Keir Starmer is going to call out the Govt on this.. Which has to be a good thing ... Stop the fudging...
Agreed with above however I find all government but the current government in particular seems to dodge difficult questions from the media. One example, BBC Newnights, not once in the past months did they put anyone up to the program to clarify any issue raised ..... and they were valid issues not headline grapping tabloid ones !
I received this from a relative in Oz this morning. I've no idea where it originated - but thought it worthy of sharing: It’s a mess out there now. Hard to discern between what’s a real threat and what is just simple panic and hysteria. So, for a small amount of perspective, imagine you were born in 1900. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends when you are 18 - 22 million people perish in that war. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20 - 50 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million. When 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, the World GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You manage to see 75 million people perish in that war. Smallpox was epidemic until you were in your 40’s, as it killed 300 million people during your lifetime. At 50, the Korean War starts - 5 million more perish. From your birth, until you are 55 you dealt with the fear of polio epidemics each summer. You experience friends and family contracting polio and being paralysed and/or dying. At 55 the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict. During the Cold War, you lived each day with the fear of nuclear annihilation. At 62, you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, almost ended. At 68, you watch the Hong Kong flu strike down a million people worldwide. As if you haven't experienced enough, at 80 you witness the AIDS/HIV crisis claim 700,000 lives. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How did they endure all of that and survive? For those of you born since 1980, think about your parents and/or grandparents - they were called to endure all of the above. Some survived, some didn't. All you are called to do is stay home and sit on your couch. Try and keep things in perspective.
I do not disagree but it would be more helpful if the challenges were constructive rather than negative and critical all the time.
I think you know what I meant Cologne but perhaps I should change communist to extreme left wing state dictatorship.
I understand Dominic Cummings pointed out that the country was not prepared for a pandemic but was ignored. I cannot answer your questions OFH because I cannot speak for the government. Governments respond to pressure from various sources and their decisions are influenced by those who shout loudest and also from agreements made with or by other international bodies. The failings in some areas of government over the last 10 years have consequences, there have been successes too and the same would apply if the government of the last 10 years would have been Labour or a coalition.
Actually I did know what you meant Scully but the way we use language is very important and is greatly conditioned by the dominant ideology of the period we live in. Unfortunately we use expressions like left wing or right wing without any really clear understanding of what they mean. Similarly words like Fascist, Nazi, Communist, Anarchist etc. are simply bandied around as words of abuse to describe those we don't like. The expression 'extreme left wing state dictatorship' is another case in point - generally left wing politics are about creating lateral relations in society, and being opposed to fixed hierarchies, about making sure that sovereignty comes from the base of the societal pyramid - so by that definition a dictatorship can only be right wing (whatever it calls itself).
Has it ever come to light what Cummings was doing for his three years in Russia? So far all I can see is some vague reports of a failed airline. Anyone seen anything more?
With you, of course, having a telepathic knowledge of what 99% of the World believes However interesting the use, or misuse, of such descriptions is it has little to do with the present discussion on Corona, and so, much as I would like to continue this theme, I will leave the matter there.
