Given the way this story has been reported worldwide I would suggest “be really annoying for a couple weeks” is slightly underplaying what is going on You make it sound like a minor inconvenience. If it truly was there wouldn’t be emergency power legislation being passed. Unless the word “emergency” has had it’s definition changed
I was being charitable. Changing public health policy because a couple thousand people made borderline terroristic threats isn't better.
The problem is politics has tended to attract “the wrong hands” quite a lot throughout history. I’m not saying I’m going to stay up all night worrying about these things, but I do think it’s quite a big change that western governments are willing to be so transparent in their blatant disregard for political checks and balances.
Excuse me for quoting the Guardian, there are similar reports from other verifiable sources as my family and friends in Canada have confirmed. It's been an alt right highjack which you seem determined to deny. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/07/ottawa-protests-explainer-vaccine-mandates-whats-next "Who’s protesting? While there are certainly some members of the convoy who are in Ottawa to protest the trucker vaccine mandate, convoy members raise a varied list of complaints. Canada Unity, which operates as an umbrella organization for many of the protesters, is collecting signatures for its “memorandum of understanding”, a document that demands the Canadian government rescind all vaccine requirements or “RESIGN their lawful positions of authority immediately”. The group’s founder, James Bauder – who has written on Facebook that Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, ought to be tried for treason, and who has endorsed the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory – insists that, should the document get enough signatures, an election will be triggered. Joining Canada Unity is a motley crew of anti-vaccine and rightwing activists. Tamara Lich, who has coordinated a wildly successful GoFundMe, and Pat King, who has coordinated with many of the truckers, were involved in efforts to declare the oil-rich Western provinces’ independence from Canada. Others who have latched on to the movement include QAnon figure Romana Didulo, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada”. Speakers and protesters have rejected the science behind vaccines, called for Trudeau’s arrest and trial, and waved Nazi and confederate flags. What do they want? The protesters say they will not leave Ottawa until all vaccine requirements and mandates have been abolished, a demand that is very unlikely to be met. Some have gone further and said they will camp out until Trudeau leaves office."
Out of interest, when BLM were protesting, did you support their movement? Or did you think that the Black Lives Matter cause wasn’t worthwhile because of a few looters and rioters? Because I think in both cases, a few bad apples shouldn’t be allowed to spoil it for the peaceful majority that have a valid point. Regardless, I find this absolutely astonishing: Even Venezuela didn’t resort to this during their hyperinflation etc. I find it absolutely mind-boggling
Aren’t banks private entities ? How can they freeze accounts at the request of the government? I assume this has always been the case. Or was it part of the long game when governments bailed out banks circa 15 years ago I guess this is why some people are so committed to crypto - try for something completely separate. But that doesn’t seem to work here either (I’m not interested in a crypto discussion)
For thousands of years governments didn’t have the technical ability to do this. They would have had to use force to confiscate physical money. The digital age has given them the ability to do this. But they lacked the political courage until now. This is a watershed moment imo. And the links between the Canadian government and financial sectors and ours are strong enough to assume that the UK would use similar tactics. Maybe I’m a pessimist but I can already envision a day in five years time when the conservative government are freezing the assets of anyone who wants to stop the privatisation of the NHS (for example).
Banks are regulated. Part of that regulation involves the ability to suspend individual (or all!) account transactions under certain circumstances. Been that way for at least a century. Famously, all bank transactions in the United States were frozen for an entire week a few years into the Great Depression to prevent a bank run that would crash the economic system when it had just started recovering from the previous crash (it worked).
Stormy weather ahead for the orange man. I wonder what the wind blows for spaffer? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...p-list-legal-cases?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Are you stating that you are deflecting? Because you have avoided answering. You can acknowledge that reasons for protests vary and even strongly favour one over another and still see that it is an alarming precedent that could be applied by very nefarious figures Many would indeed be talking very differently if it was Trump responding to the reports of looting by freezing the bank accounts of BLM organisers. (And yes I know he had a mini crack down and used tear gas but think that him doing that is likely the main reason the Canadian police have stopped short of doing that themselves) Instead they keep access to their funds and do this with them: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60392196 Maybe Trump was talking about financial sanctions - it was a while ago now. He didn’t follow through that I am aware of. As to “iffy right wing tweets” - that may be the source but it would appear to be a clip of someone speaking. The worst you could say is it might be clipped to remove context. It’s not like some of the others Os has shared from known firebrands So your reply above is not truly reasonable. I am aware that “whataboutism” can be a big problem. But if we are talking about setting concerning precedents either within one nation or worldwide then comparing reactions to other protests is not completely unreasonable. Especially as those ones 2 years ago were at a time of apparently strict covid rules in many places.
He won’t see any time though. So it is indeed stormy but closer to the “in a teacup” variety. Best any could hope for is that his kids and cronies go down
Support BLM yes, rioting and looting of course not. If that was the question you're referring to. Not my deflection I don't see how that can be inferred and iffy right wing misleading tweets current and previously posted are exactly that. I don't think you would give them much credence. More I could say in the sober light of day but busy now preparing for the windy weather. Also off to the Indonesian embassy for Mrs Jabs new passport. Quick in and out of the Hague before we batten down the hatches and break out the malt.
Unfortunately, he is more teflon than a teflon pan and will get away with it all. I have a horrible feeling he is going to run for 2024 and may actually get in.
I'm hoping those that have been abandoned will spill the beans there's plenty of dirt to dig. As for Johnson I can only hope for an ignominious downfall.
For Johnson I can only imagine it is a case of “when” between now and the next election. I really can’t see how he can lead them into the next election
Without pretending to have any particular knowledge of things, beyond the stories in the media, it occurs to me that Johnson's tenure is really dependent on the Tory donors, and how long they will give him, before deciding that the 'men in suits' need to have a word in his ear, and respectfully suggesting that Boris really ought to spend more time away from politics, possibly with his family, however many offspring that is.
He can't be super-healthy though, can he? And it's supposedly quite hard work campaigning, surely he'd rather play golf in Key Largo (if he can stay out of gaol).
That much is inevitable, as he himself should know - being a classical scholar who is presumably not completely deaf to his own hubris. The only question is, who and what he brings down with him; the entire Tory party with any luck, but quite possibly also the Union, and the entire edifice of Parliamentary democracy.
