This is not meant to replace the politics thread but rather to keep debating within a certain framework. The idea being that we have a specific theme for the week - some will obviously have more response than others. To start us off I have put down a list of statements - some of which I agree with and others not. The first post after this one (if sensible) will decide the theme for this week. 1. It is never appropriate for the government to restrict freedom of speech. 2. All citizens who do not vote should pay a fine. 3. Performance enhancing drugs should be allowed in sport (they are used in many other fields eg. the military) 4. Corporates should not be allowed to donate money to political campaigns. 5. Trident should be scrapped and Britain should not be building new nuclear power stations. 6. England should boycott the World Cup in Qatar (even if we are the only ones doing so) 7. There should be a new tax on all financial transactions. 8. In addition to the minimum wage there should also be a maximum one. 9. Superhorns is really Jeremy Corbyn in disguise (because he does so much to drive people away from the Tories). 10. Tourism does not contribute towards understanding between nations. 11. Britain should stop all weapons exports. 12. Watford should have smoking areas at the Vic. 13. Britain should be taking in all refugees and relocating them to Luton and the surrounding area. 14. Should the wearing of the Bhurka be forbidden in public places ? 15. Marriage is an outdated concept, and married couples should have no legal or financial advantages over couples who are living together. If anyone doesn't like the look of any of these they are free to put up an alternative. The theme should change every week.
Some great ideas here which cross the party political divide How about for our first week 6. England should boycott the World Cup in Qatar (even if we are the only ones doing so)
Good choice... I fully support the proposal. As the bid was won through corruption and the human rights abuses still happening in the building of the facilities and that it will mean moving that WC to our Winter, I actually believe the whole of UEFA should boycott. But as that's not likely, then the FA should be seen to be taking the moral high ground.
Shame we cant stand up for once as a country.... sadly our treaties and 'deals' means we always have an eye out for what is best financially. I would pull out of the Qatar WC and encourage others to do so and perhaps a tournament with fundraising for human rights. I posted something recently about the situation for workers in Qatar as some will remember. Sadly the wheelings and dealings of FIFA mean it will be some time before I can have any faith in whatever they say or do. So my position is to pull out.
I think we should pull out to regain our footballing sovereignty. We can then renegotiate our relationship with FIFA. After all, they need us more than we need them.
Assuming we qualify, which is never certain, then we should try to get UEFA to act together to make far more noise over the human rights issues. If we were not there as a single country would anyone notice? If the large footballing countries from Europe all went missing it would make a statement, so I do not believe that going it alone is the answer. Far better to work from within and bring about a united front.
I favour a 'Qexit' - a message needs to be forcefully hammered home to FIFA, and others, that such corruption is simply not acceptable. My only misgiving would be, however, that so many deaths were pointless.
I think there are no easy answers to this one. A boycott could be on 4 grounds, firstly because of the corruption scandal - but then when was the last time a World Cup was awarded without this (even Germany 2006 is being questioned on this). Secondly the weather - inconceivable that all the national leagues in Europe should have to restructure to accomodate a winter world cup, and highly questionable given that Morocco was turned down about 8 years ago because it was 'too hot there in summer`! Thirdly, but most importantly, because of the human rights violations against guest workers empoloyed in stadium construction - deaths which can be directly linked to the World Cup there. And lastly because Quatar cannot guarantee the safety of all visitors to the country - when Blatter comes out with quips like 'homosexual supporters would be better advised to stay at home' then something is badly wrong. Having said all of this, how many other major sports events could have been boycotted in the past for similar reasons ? What is the situation with Russia in 2018 - do we know this to be corruption free ? Boycotting for political reasons is, for me, a non starter because where would it end. Nearly every country in the World has some kind of violation of human rights - and could be boycotted by someone else. Look at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics - tit for tat boycotts by the USA and subsequently the USSR in retaliation. Is the solution to withdraw from the World Cup in the hope that other countries follow (I can't imagine Germany doing this), to withdraw from FIFA. altogether (because they are as guilty here as Quatar), or to try to reform FIFA from within ? If we agree in principle with a boycott of Quatar - then surely also Russia in 2018 comes into question ?
In reality, we know it will never happen. The FA is just a gentlemen's club that is just looking after it's members and as long as the TV money comes in and they blow it on white elephants like Wembley and St. Georges, nothing will change. This is all going rather swimmingly, we need a pantomime villain to oppose the motion....
Comrade Corbyn is the very best reason to vote for the Tories. They desperately hope he and his fellow trots are still around for the next election. Maybe we can add 'the internal strife in the Labour Party' to our list of topics?
I am not going to oppose the motion but I find the idea of boycotting a major event an interesting one - when is it legitimate ? If the human rights violations had nothing to do with the World Cup itself then would a boycott still be ok. ? Thinking back to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Would history have remembered a boycott ? What was remembered was Jesse Owens winning a handfull of medals thereby turning Hitler's racial ideologies upside down - and that all before his eyes. Hitler was trying to turn a sporting event into a showpiece, demonstrating the superiority of a political philosophy - just as the Soviets and the Americans have done since, together with a host of others. When does the point come when the world says no ?
Who knows what the world would remember about 1936 really? A boycott may have been as equally, if not more, effective. The 1980 boycott of the Moscow Olympics, and the reasons behind it, is still remembered, even if it is only because some countries 'benefitted' by winning gold that they would not have otherwise done. The boycotting countries organised their own games - does anyone actually remember that? Sport and Politics are irrevocably entwined, and I'd find it odd if no political group were to push for a boycott - the resultant loss of face would be unbearable for the Arabs & would be something from which they would be unlikely to recover. And there are some who would like nothing more than that.
Sadly "turning Hitler's racial ideologies upside down" made little difference to the pursuit of the "Final Solution". Whereas a little sabre-rattling by France and Britain when Hitler reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936 would conceivably have brought down the Nazi regime.
There was a double whammy in Moscow - it meant countries with little drug cheating did not attend, leaving to the real drug cheats to one big crack house!
If you're going to boycott the tournament, the biggest impact would be to boycott the qualifiers after the draw is made - how many FAs in Europe want to explain to their governments why they're not going to get the benefit to the economy that hosting a match against England would have given them?
A simple solution. The FA should state that they are going to pick at least 8 gay players, and subsidise gay supporters travel and accommodation.. The Qatari government will then either ban them or arrest them. In other words, force the Qataris into destroying the tournament.
Great idea! Although, the Qataris could merely do what the Tories like doing - change the legislation to suit their purposes. And then change it back again when the whole shebang was over.
