Off Topic Politics Thread

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St. Beddytare said:
Anyone would think we are a left wing Forum. I cant argue that BJ is not a first class twat because he is. I think sometimes you guys just criticise just for the sake of it sometimes. For instance you criticise him for reversing a decision for children to wear masks in certain scenarios. Why, he followed the advice then and did again now. Surely that's what you would expect him to do. Do you honestly think the Labour or Liberal party would have done anything different? They too would have acted on the advice they were given at a time. He doesn't make decisions on his own whims although granted you like to think he does.
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Pretty sure does make decisions on a whim. He's notoriously lazy and is known for "not doing detail". He also has a desperate need for adulation
 
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The thing I mentioned about police being over-friendly with white supremacist types because the white supremacist types back the police? Yeah.

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The police were glad-handing with this band of heavily-armed vigilantes. The kid in grey with the backwards hat in the video? A couple minutes later, he opened fire on protesters (unprovoked and at random, by all indications), killing two. And then police just allowed him to walk away...no attempt to arrest him was made.

The police chief also weirdly stated that the 17 year old vigilante was "trying to resolve a situation" caused by people being out after curfew. Also out after curfew? The 17 year old armed with an assault rifle that was palling around with the cops who then murdered two people!

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If you're black, any movement could be fatal. If you're white and outwardly supportive of the police, you are free to do as you please, and the police chief will suggest that it's someone else's fault that you murdered two people.
 
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St. Beddytare said:
Anyone would think we are a left wing Forum. I cant argue that BJ is not a first class twat because he is. I think sometimes you guys just criticise just for the sake of it sometimes. For instance you criticise him for reversing a decision for children to wear masks in certain scenarios. Why, he followed the advice then and did again now. Surely that's what you would expect him to do. Do you honestly think the Labour or Liberal party would have done anything different? They too would have acted on the advice they were given at a time. He doesn't make decisions on his own whims although granted you like to think he does.
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I would say we are a moderate forum. I don't think anyone here would identify with the rubbish coming from the nutjob, Ian Gallaway. As far as I can see we like guys like David Lammy. As for Johnson, some on here give him an easy ride compared to Blair, he who managed to get all sides together in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement.
 
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Schad said:
The American justice system, a thread:

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For those who don't wish to read the totality: the author is a public defender. They have a client who is in jail awaiting trial for attempted murder, though no one in the system seems to believe that the kid will be convicted...rather, the charge itself is the punishment, because it means that the kid will have to wait in jail for a lengthy period (thus far almost a year) awaiting trial. Public defender presents evidence of police malfeasance in the case, and then suddenly finds a warrant out for their arrest, from a place where they haven't been in years. A warrant that would require the lawyer to be jailed for 14 days without bond. Paperwork seems to have been completely falsified (it involved a bench warrant for missing a court appearance on a date where court could not have been in session) and the warrant against the lawyer was dismissed. Police refuse to hand over any documentation concerning how any of this came to be.

Does all this sound highly improbable? It should, because in a functioning society this stuff simply wouldn't happen, but it isn't uncommon in the US. Hell, it's happening in plain sight right now, as a police department in Virginia is trying to hang felony charges on a bunch of opponents, including a state Senator, public defenders, leaders of the NAACP and others for felony damage to a monument, despite there being no indication that any of these individuals participated in the damage of a Confederate monument. But they were all vocal supporters of police reform:

https://www.pilotonline.com/news/cr...0200820-62euq7bbhrfoxergv4ewpigiou-story.html

So what will happen in these cases? Literally nothing. The felonies against the lawmaker and others will likely be dropped, message sent. The kid in prison will likely see the attempted murder charge dropped as well, but will have no recourse for the year or more of their life spent in prison for a crime no one seems to believe they committed. The public defender has a slim chance of winning a civil suit, but it's unlikely. No one's losing their job never mind facing legal consequences for using the cover of law as a weapon against any of these people.

The killings get most of the attention, and they should be featured prominently. But the rot goes far deeper than that. The police act in their own interests, not the interests of the communities they are meant to police. Sunday, they allowed a group of Trump supporters (including members of a couple hate groups) show up armed in Portland, pepper spray protesters, beat them with batons, and point firearms at them. The police didn't step in until the Trump supporters left...after which they declared the remaining protest to be unlawful. Because the Proud Boys and III Percenters and the QAnon wackos support the police, so the police support them, even if they're actively and blatantly violating the law.
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The vice-mayor of the town that charged all of those people for dubious felonies called for the police chief to be fired. Because, y'know, charging a bunch of people with crimes as retaliation is a bad thing. Wanna guess what happened?

If you guessed "they decided that speaking out against police excesses was a crime and charged her, too", claim your prize!

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/portsmouth_n_5f43dec4c5b6c00d03b20ca2?ri18n=true
 
I'd like to think the politics thread is mostly about fact checking and raising counter arguments to the messages coming from the government and the mass-media which will be more left leaning when you have a right wing government. There will be some strong personal opinions and some attacks directed at personalities rather than policies, but on the whole we can continue with some 'intelligent' discourse.
As for Blair - he is a populist like most politicians these days. Most people who 'hate' him is because he took us to war against Iraq and the way that war was justified, and they are right that it was completely unjustified, but if they think another PM of any colour wouldn't have done the same when the USA came calling I think are misleading themselves.
 
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St. Beddytare said:
Anyone would think we are a left wing Forum. I cant argue that BJ is not a first class twat because he is. I think sometimes you guys just criticise just for the sake of it sometimes. For instance you criticise him for reversing a decision for children to wear masks in certain scenarios. Why, he followed the advice then and did again now. Surely that's what you would expect him to do. Do you honestly think the Labour or Liberal party would have done anything different? They too would have acted on the advice they were given at a time. He doesn't make decisions on his own whims although granted you like to think he does.
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Yes I honestly think Labour would have done better. Cheltenham, Liverpool vs Atletico the rugby and other mass gatherings wouldn't have gone ahead, that together with an earlier lockdown with proper closures of bars and restaurants. I can't see Corbyn or Starmer gung ho boasting about shaking hands with infected patients.That went well didn't it? Then of course there was the PPE cronyism contract awards oh and the care home fiasco lets not forget that. Advisers advise Government decides. In this case deciding which science to follow and blame shedding from day one.
Next on the box please!
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SaintStu said:
I'd like to think the politics thread is mostly about fact checking and raising counter arguments to the messages coming from the government and the mass-media which will be more left leaning when you have a right wing government. There will be some strong personal opinions and some attacks directed at personalities rather than policies, but on the whole we can continue with some 'intelligent' discourse.
As for Blair - he is a populist like most politicians these days. Most people who 'hate' him is because he took us to war against Iraq and the way that war was justified, and they are right that it was completely unjustified, but if they think another PM of any colour wouldn't have done the same when the USA came calling I think are misleading themselves.
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I think you are wrong about the mass media being left leaning, when a right wing government is in power.
The Mail, Express, Sun and Telegraph are extremely right wing, which is why the Tories get away with so much.
In the past a Labour Minister messing up anywhere near as badly as the current Tory cabinet, would be hounded by the press, just as Corbyn was, for ever and a day, which is why Labour governments were generally quick to sack someone.
By getting rid of the MP responsible for an error, they were able to shut the media down.
Now, we have a cabinet setting world beating standards for cock ups and as soon as Johnson says “Let’s move on”, the majority of the media drop it and move on.
Regarding going to war with Iraq?
Harold Wilson refused to join the USA in the Vietnam war, despite great pressure from President Johnson.
Some PMs have the balls to do what is best for the country, and it’s people, even if it means going against Uncle Sam.
 
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Just spent 3+ hours filling out a form confirming that my wife is still terminally ill and still disabled as a result of her illness.
The same information as I have given them twice before.
I appreciate that benefit checks need to be made to ensure they aren’t paying benefits to a dead person or someone who has improved in their mobility, but why can’t it be a simple, one page document, that needs to be signed and stamped by a medical expert who knows you?
 
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St Badger said:
Just spent 3+ hours filling out a form confirming that my wife is still terminally ill and still disabled as a result of her illness.
The same information as I have given them twice before.
I appreciate that benefit checks need to be made to ensure they aren’t paying benefits to a dead person or someone who has improved in their mobility, but why can’t it be a simple, one page document, that needs to be signed and stamped by a medical expert who knows you?
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How to make stress more stressful..
 
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St Badger said:
Just spent 3+ hours filling out a form confirming that my wife is still terminally ill and still disabled as a result of her illness.
The same information as I have given them twice before.
I appreciate that benefit checks need to be made to ensure they aren’t paying benefits to a dead person or someone who has improved in their mobility, but why can’t it be a simple, one page document, that needs to be signed and stamped by a medical expert who knows you?
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Last year I helped my mum complete an application for mobility allowance. Pages and pages of it, endless questions, many of them irrelevant to her condition.
 
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St Badger said:
I think you are wrong about the mass media being left leaning, when a right wing government is in power.
The Mail, Express, Sun and Telegraph are extremely right wing, which is why the Tories get away with so much.
In the past a Labour Minister messing up anywhere near as badly as the current Tory cabinet, would be hounded by the press, just as Corbyn was, for ever and a day, which is why Labour governments were generally quick to sack someone.
By getting rid of the MP responsible for an error, they were able to shut the media down.
Now, we have a cabinet setting world beating standards for cock ups and as soon as Johnson says “Let’s move on”, the majority of the media drop it and move on.
Regarding going to war with Iraq?
Harold Wilson refused to join the USA in the Vietnam war, despite great pressure from President Johnson.
Some PMs have the balls to do what is best for the country, and it’s people, even if it means going against Uncle Sam.
Click to expand...

Sorry I meant the forum was perceived as left-leaning not the mass media - and was stating that this forum was countering some of the stories found in the media i.e. the perils of immigration
 
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St. Beddytare said:
Anyone would think we are a left wing Forum. I cant argue that BJ is not a first class twat because he is. I think sometimes you guys just criticise just for the sake of it sometimes. For instance you criticise him for reversing a decision for children to wear masks in certain scenarios. Why, he followed the advice then and did again now. Surely that's what you would expect him to do. Do you honestly think the Labour or Liberal party would have done anything different? They too would have acted on the advice they were given at a time. He doesn't make decisions on his own whims although granted you like to think he does.
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You couldn't be more wrong Beddy. We have a government that has turned lies, deceit, ignorance, nastiness, arrogance, stupidity and rank incompetence into an art form. Following the science? When did this bunch of useless toss pots ever follow the science? If they ever have followed the scientific advice they were given, it was weeks too late and only because public opinion and the media forced them to. By the time they shifted their position to appear more in line with what other scientifically led countries were doing, the damage had been done.

Criticise Boris? The lazy useless fat idiot should be thrown in prison, along with the rest of his pathetic cabinet, for the sheer audacity of taking money from the state under the false pretence that they had earned their salaries. The only thing any of them have earned is scorn and derision for the way they have completely mismanaged just about everything since they came to power. It has nothing to do with Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrats. It has everything to do with the utterly disgusting and morally bankrupt individuals who have been placed in positions of authority, and are completely useless at their jobs.

So no, it doesn't mean this is a left wing forum. It probably does mean this forum has a fair number of people who care about society in general, the less fortunate and infirm among us, the environment, and would like to see the country have a competent government.
 
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Archers Road said:
Last year I helped my mum complete an application for mobility allowance. Pages and pages of it, endless questions, many of them irrelevant to her condition.
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Today’s form was 30 pages. It’s 40 pages if you need to use the extra sheets for additional information.
Filling it in and returning it is time sensitive so it doesn’t help when having been told that, during the 32 minute phone call, the paperwork arrives 9 days later.

Some questions in other forms, as you say, do seem irrelevant, such as the ESA form. That includes, if I recall correctly.
Can you lift a bottle of milk?
Can you put a pen in the breast pocket of your shirt/jacket?
 
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