Off Topic Politics Thread

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Well they sure as hell don't ****ing help anyone or anything.

Course they don't. I actaully think if you are drunk and hurt yourself ( if it is proven) then you should pay. But long term alcoholism is one of the biggest problems in our country and one that costs the NHS billions.
 
It illustrates the importance of education and the values that society inculcates. To my mind it is shocking journalism to print that Wayne Rooney has been on a drinking spree or that two England footballers stepped into a strip club. Journalism should be responsible, informative and educative. The parts that are in any way informative are well away from the sports stories or the sleeezy headlines that makes the news and perhaps sells the newpaper.

Depends what paper you read Ides.
 
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Course they don't. I actaully think if you are drunk and hurt yourself ( if it is proven) then you should pay. But long term alcoholism is one of the biggest problems in our country and one that costs the NHS billions.

Trouble is the NHS has reduced the real help it offers those with drink issues. The target led culture inflicted by politicians (not clinicians) on addiction teams is counter productive imo.

By the time I left working in this field anyone 6 days away from their last drink was quickly discharged as a 'success'. Support after that could be great from AA etc but the longer term psychological help some needed was denied despite clear evidence it saved the NHS money in the long term.
 
Trouble is the NHS has reduced the real help it offers those with drink issues. The target led culture inflicted by politicians (not clinicians) on addiction teams is counter productive imo.

By the time I left working in this field anyone 6 days away from their last drink was quickly discharged as a 'success'. Support after that could be great from AA etc but the longer term psychological help some needed was denied despite clear evidence it saved the NHS money in the long term.
It's always short to fixes for the goverment. "Oh look we can save a couple million this year" Doesn't matter how bad it will be in a few years after that as they may not be in control.
 
Donald Trump is poised to eliminate all climate change research conducted by Nasa as part of a crackdown on “politicized science”, his senior adviser on issues relating to the space agency has said.

Nasa’s Earth science division is set to be stripped of funding in favor of exploration of deep space, with the president-elect having set a goal during the campaign to explore the entire solar system by the end of the century.

This would mean the elimination of Nasa’s world-renowned research into temperature, ice, clouds and other climate phenomena. Nasa’s network of satellites provide a wealth of information on climate change, with the Earth science division’s budget set to grow to $2bn next year. By comparison, space exploration has been scaled back somewhat, with a proposed budget of $2.8bn in 2017.

Bob Walker, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said there was no need for Nasa to do what he has previously described as “politically correct environmental monitoring”.

“We see Nasa in an exploration role, in deep space research,” Walker told the Guardian. “Earth-centric science is better placed at other agencies where it is their prime mission.

“My guess is that it would be difficult to stop all ongoing Nasa programs but future programs should definitely be placed with other agencies. I believe that climate research is necessary but it has been heavily politicized, which has undermined a lot of the work that researchers have been doing. Mr Trump’s decisions will be based upon solid science, not politicized science.

Walker, however, claimed that doubt over the role of human activity in climate change “is a view shared by half the climatologists in the world. We need good science to tell us what the reality is and science could do that if politicians didn’t interfere with it.

Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Penn State University, said Nasa has a “critical and unique role” in observing Earth and climate change.

“Without the support of Nasa, not only the US but the entire world would be taking a hard hit when it comes to understanding the behavior of our climate and the threats posed by human-caused climate change,” he said.

It would be a blatantly political move, and would indicate the president-elect’s willingness to pander to the very same lobbyists and corporate interest groups he derided throughout the campaign.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...medium=twitter

One of, if not the most important climate change departments being gutted. Trump is a ****ing idiot.
 
It's always short to fixes for the goverment. "Oh look we can save a couple million this year" Doesn't matter how bad it will be in a few years after that as they may not be in control.
It's worse than this. Successive governments have pandered to the tabloids and 'fought the war on drugs ' when anyone working in addiction services could and often did tell them that alcohol was the major issue along with the growth of gambling as online expands. But who advertises in tabloids. .?
 
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It illustrates the importance of education and the values that society inculcates. To my mind it is shocking journalism to print that Wayne Rooney has been on a drinking spree or that two England footballers stepped into a strip club. Journalism should be responsible, informative and educative. The parts that are in any way informative are well away from the sports stories or the sleeezy headlines that makes the news and perhaps sells the newpaper.

As Archers has said elsewhere, there are newspapers and there are newspapers. There's a very good one that originates from Manchester, of all places.
 
A video on Political Correctness, and what it has done. Personally, I was never a fan of PC even though I speak mostly within it's rules because, hopefully I'm open to opinions, and I respect and tolerate differences. PC originated from socialist/liberals like myself. It has had its moments, but it became a monster of its own destruction. Have a look:

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Donald Trump is poised to eliminate all climate change research conducted by Nasa as part of a crackdown on “politicized science”, his senior adviser on issues relating to the space agency has said.

Nasa’s Earth science division is set to be stripped of funding in favor of exploration of deep space, with the president-elect having set a goal during the campaign to explore the entire solar system by the end of the century.

This would mean the elimination of Nasa’s world-renowned research into temperature, ice, clouds and other climate phenomena. Nasa’s network of satellites provide a wealth of information on climate change, with the Earth science division’s budget set to grow to $2bn next year. By comparison, space exploration has been scaled back somewhat, with a proposed budget of $2.8bn in 2017.

Bob Walker, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said there was no need for Nasa to do what he has previously described as “politically correct environmental monitoring”.

“We see Nasa in an exploration role, in deep space research,” Walker told the Guardian. “Earth-centric science is better placed at other agencies where it is their prime mission.

“My guess is that it would be difficult to stop all ongoing Nasa programs but future programs should definitely be placed with other agencies. I believe that climate research is necessary but it has been heavily politicized, which has undermined a lot of the work that researchers have been doing. Mr Trump’s decisions will be based upon solid science, not politicized science.

Walker, however, claimed that doubt over the role of human activity in climate change “is a view shared by half the climatologists in the world. We need good science to tell us what the reality is and science could do that if politicians didn’t interfere with it.

Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Penn State University, said Nasa has a “critical and unique role” in observing Earth and climate change.

“Without the support of Nasa, not only the US but the entire world would be taking a hard hit when it comes to understanding the behavior of our climate and the threats posed by human-caused climate change,” he said.

It would be a blatantly political move, and would indicate the president-elect’s willingness to pander to the very same lobbyists and corporate interest groups he derided throughout the campaign.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...medium=twitter

One of, if not the most important climate change departments being gutted. Trump is a ****ing idiot.

As the "Vilage Idiot," George W Bush has been usurped!!! This is terrible news!!

Joking apart, it is at best, a rash decision. If Trump wants to explore the Solar System I would be willing to get him into a spaceship and sent him on his journey to Pluto!! On second thoughts bypass Pluto because what has Pluto ever done to warrant a vist from Mr Trump!!
 
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It's not acceptable in my eyes. If people would stop getting out of their heads on drink and just know when to stop we would have our police dealing with proper crime instead of drunk dickheads and our hospitals less overstretched. It's hard to feel sorry for anyone who gets so drunk they don't know what they are doing and gets into trouble. Did you see the drunk idiots dodging trains on the news this morning? Some don't survive leaving devastated family behind not to mention the traumatised people who have to clear up what's left of them. If you make the decision to lose control you only have yourself to blame if you end up in trouble. It's easy to have a brilliant time without going that far.

*Steps off of soapbox.*

I think the 'getting off their heads' culture is 'mainly' a leftover of UK restricted drinking hours. It will take a generation or so to die out. However, dreams have often ended up in the bottom of a glass. And I wonder if that is what those people are exercising their remaining ability to do.
 
Do you know how much the Crown Estate contributed to the treasury last year?
No. Do you?

On a lighter note , about 20years ago I was working at the Duke of Kent birthday party. I was standing nextt to princess Margaret who was standing next to the queen. Princess Anne came up the stairs, greeted her mum and auntie and Margaretlooked at Annes dress and said M&S have a wonderful range this year, both the queen and Margaret started laughing, sisters can be bitches
 
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Again comparing poverty isn't right. There are people in this country still unable to afford food, heating etc etc. There are still people dying from poverty in this country which shouldn't be happening (400 last year meant to double this year).

We have record amounts of children homeless as well. Also have record amounts of people that go to food banks.

I dare you to go to a mother who only eats one solid meal once a week, so she can afford to send her child to school, that some child in Africa is what you call real poverty.

It's only going to get worse with more and more benefits being cut. But as long as the rich are ok everything is ok.


I just don't get people that compare poverty. At the end of the day poverty is poverty. It doesn't matter what country you are from.


If this doesn't tell you we have a huge problem nothing will:

Although the UK is the seventh richest country in the world, many people struggle to afford food.

  • In 2012-13, the Trussell Trust foodbank network, an Oxfam partner, provided over 350,000 people in the UK with food parcels - more than double the year before.
  • Oxfam and Church Action on Poverty estimate that over 500,000 people in the UK are now reliant on food parcels.
  • Over 2 million people in the UK are estimated to be malnourished, and 3 million are at risk of becoming so.
  • 36% of the UK population are just one heating bill or a broken washing machine away from hardship.
  • 1 in 6 parents have gone without food themselves to afford to feed their families
"People at the upper end of the income scale have no idea of what's going on down at the bottom of the scale. They don't realise how much people are really hurting."Sir Michael Marmot, health inequality expert and author of Fair Society, Healthy Lives.

http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/our-work/inequality/food-poverty

And this:

More than 8 million in UK struggle to put food on table, survey says

Food Foundation reveals scale of food insecurity, with 4.7 million thought to be regularly going a day without eating

More than 8 million people in Britain live in households that struggle to put enough food on the table, with over half regularly going a whole day without eating, according to estimates of hunger in the UK.

One in 10 adults suffered moderate levels of food insecurity in 2014, placing the UK in the bottom half of European countries on hunger measures, below Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia and Malta.

Around 17 times the number of people who use Trussell Trust food banks were insecure about getting enough to eat, suggesting hunger in the UK is far more widespread than rising charity food use indicates, according to the analysis of UN data by the Food Foundation thinktank.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...-uk-struggle-to-put-food-on-table-survey-says

Doesn't look like a decent country to me..

I have volunteered at a few places and it was a huge eye opener on how bad this country actually is for many. A hell of a lot of people don't see it

I too have helped in several countries Beefy. Poverty is poverty where ever you meet it. I have helped to gather children lying on pavements so weak they cannot walk. Adults curled up in a corner just waiting to die. A mother lying in a derilict house having given birth on the floor and the baby still attached mother already dead baby died later.
My own mother often went without to make sure I ate at times. When I needed a uniform she took in washing she scrubbed floors and she still went without food. A lot of my generation went through that. That to me wasn't poverty......that was every day life. Yes it was hard and today she would have had more help than she was able to get in those days.
I can fully understand why people struggle at times, yes it is a hard life and not necessarily of their own making. Yes they need help and a lot of people give that help gladly. There is a limit to what anyone can do including the government. Cutting out the waste would definitely help. Getting the scroungers that are not really entitled to the help they are given off benefits that too would free up billions.
You say you have volunteered to help these people that is great...........you will no doubt have seen the shirkers too then as I have when I have done the same thing over here.
So no mate you will never ever convince me not to compare poverty. Been there, done it, got the tee shirt as they say. Yes it is a tough life but some have definitely got it tougher!!!
 
I too have helped in several countries Beefy. Poverty is poverty where ever you meet it. I have helped to gather children lying on pavements so weak they cannot walk. Adults curled up in a corner just waiting to die. A mother lying in a derilict house having given birth on the floor and the baby still attached mother already dead baby died later.
My own mother often went without to make sure I ate at times. When I needed a uniform she took in washing she scrubbed floors and she still went without food. A lot of my generation went through that. That to me wasn't poverty......that was every day life. Yes it was hard and today she would have had more help than she was able to get in those days.
I can fully understand why people struggle at times, yes it is a hard life and not necessarily of their own making. Yes they need help and a lot of people give that help gladly. There is a limit to what anyone can do including the government. Cutting out the waste would definitely help. Getting the scroungers that are not really entitled to the help they are given off benefits that too would free up billions.
You say you have volunteered to help these people that is great...........you will no doubt have seen the shirkers too then as I have when I have done the same thing over here.
So no mate you will never ever convince me not to compare poverty. Been there, done it, got the tee shirt as they say. Yes it is a tough life but some have definitely got it tougher!!!
Poverty is poverty to me. People here are suffering and dying more and more due to benefit cuts and the average wage not being high enough.

We are meant to be a 1st world country so of course our poverty would be different then a 3rd world country. But it still ends up with the same result and that is people dying when they shouldn't be.

As for your benefits claim:

£1.6b benefits is deemed to be claimed fraudulently. Which includes mistakes by the government for over paying, which comes to 1% of the benefits total.

Were as tax fraud is around 18b, which is around 69%. So it's pretty obvious were the biggest issue is. But the papers etc love to big up how so many people on benefits are scum etc.
 
Poverty is poverty to me. People here are suffering and dying more and more due to benefit cuts and the average wage not being high enough.

We are meant to be a 1st world country so of course our poverty would be different then a 3rd world country. But it still ends up with the same result and that is people dying when they shouldn't be.

As for your benefits claim:

£1.6b benefits is deemed to be claimed fraudulently. Which includes mistakes by the government for over paying, which comes to 1% of the benefits total.

Were as tax fraud is around 18b, which is around 69%. So it's pretty obvious were the biggest issue is. But the papers etc love to big up how so many people on benefits are scum etc.

You've been hitting the nail on the political head of the posts of read this evening Beefy. Well said.
 
Poverty is poverty to me. People here are suffering and dying more and more due to benefit cuts and the average wage not being high enough.

We are meant to be a 1st world country so of course our poverty would be different then a 3rd world country. But it still ends up with the same result and that is people dying when they shouldn't be.

As for your benefits claim:

£1.6b benefits is deemed to be claimed fraudulently. Which includes mistakes by the government for over paying, which comes to 1% of the benefits total.

Were as tax fraud is around 18b, which is around 69%. So it's pretty obvious were the biggest issue is. But the papers etc love to big up how so many people on benefits are scum etc.

Absolutely right, but it would be pretty foolish for the papers and other media sources to bite the hand that feeds.

It's also easier for them to paint an individual in a certain light than large faceless organisations.
 
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Poverty is poverty agreed......but what some people call poverty is just not real in my book. Yes we are indeed a first world country and because of that we attract all and sundry. It is a natural phenomenon I guess but I know not if that is contributing to the figures you are quoting. You quoted earlier Beefy about how far we are up a league in Europe as to the numbers of people needing help. Hmmm maybe you should be looking into those figures a bit more. Especially as we are reputed to be not so tough on claimants as they are. Apparently our rules are easier to circumnavigate than most other European nations. (As quoted to me by two individual European members of parliament) Neither English nor Scottish I might add.
I heard recently that a very high proportion some 25 billion or so of our economy is lost to waste and fruadelent use which no doubt incorporates the figures you are quoting on tax evasion. At least this government is trying to tackle that. If they are doing things in a wrong way is a different argument all together. I am sure we all have our own thought as to best thwart the fraudsters. No matter who's in power the wheels of government always seem to grind slowly. For us on the receiving end....never fast enough.