No problem Disco, I wasn't suggesting you were ... ... just shows how easily words are ambiguous I arrived in France without being able to speak the language and learned with French friends and work colleagues. I therefore, when saying 'you', always used the familiar term 'tu' and not 'vous'. Now, if you were to address a Gendarme as 'tu' they'd take serious offence as French people chose to do if they're being rude to them. I never had any bother, with the police, because I clearly wasn't winding them up and my tone was always respectful. This police officer was clearly not being offensive and his tone was bang on in my view. The man saying 'I'm Jewish and I'll walk where I want' is much less respectful, as it seeks to undermine the authority of the officer. I think he's scored an own goal, certainly with me, and appears to be a hypocrite in some eyes.
I don’t agree with that, I believe people who are dying to take offence should be totally ignored otherwise before to long you won’t be allowed to speak.
One of many reasons I could never have been a police officer. Police the lunatics who make up the general public, especially in the 21st century. **** that.
I don't think it's that complicated. If the Arabs were to accept that the Jewish people have a history in Palestine, which is undeniable as the Hebrew and Christian scriptures,together with the Quran, confirm,and were to then form themselves into a proper state with an elected Govt.,and rid themselves of the terrorist Iranian influences of both Hamas and Hezbollah,there might be progress toward a workable solution. The West could then pressure the Israelis to give up their occupied lands in the West Bank and Gaza,which,they would do,if a long lasting peace was guaranteed. Jerusalem could be administered by the UN,as envisaged in 1947,to guarantee the various religions each access to their holy sites,without hindrance. And,I'm sure,as part of the deal, Western aid could flow into Palestine to build their country for the benefit of the people. All fundamentalist and militant Islam has achieved in the last 75 years is to make Israel one of the most highly armed,skilled fighting forces in the world. No amount of half-arsed terrorism is going to achieve anything but more misery for the long suffering Arab people living in Palestine.
Especially now everything's recorded. At one time the police could snap you back into reality with a witty, if 'inappropriate' comeback ... ... I used that technique on the doors and it really worked. You can't do that now. Police have to read from a script like a car insurance salesman.
Yep,and the question decent,common sense people have to ask themselves is...why is that? What have we allowed ourselves to become and why? None of us are happy with it,but we seem unable to reverse it.
Again that's idealism. It's a great thought but it works in a vacuum rather than the weird ****ing world we live in. You can't alienate every moron who votes, pays taxes, spends in businesses and, in this day and age, has a very loud voice on an internet filled with morons. There are real world consequences to that and they would be ****ing ugly.
Do you not think they could be a very large silent majority who just don’t speak up? What also worries me is people like Sunak and Starmer lick these morons arses instead of politely telling them to go away.
Judging from the people I have met over the course of my life, in England, Belgium, and Australia. I would definitely not say that. I do not think decency is the place we start from and I certainly don't think it's bred into the majority of people. I have been on and off anti-depressants since I was maybe fourteen largely down to this belief. I might be the wrong person to have this conversation with
I went to an event in Southwark, near Borough Market, on Sunday morning. Completely forgot it was London Marathon day. Event finishes and me and the wife decide we'll go home rather than hang around, as its heaving. Got to London Bridge tube and its backed up beyond belief, so we decide we'll walk to the City which is where we need to go to get home, forgetting that the Marathon route goes over Tower Bridge, where we'll have to walk. Pavements on Tower Bridge are thronged with people and there's a narrow gap for people to walk down, with people moving in both directions. Occasionally there's a bottle neck and you have to stop to let people through. But when you do that, people behind push past you into the gaps that are being left for the people coming the opposite way. I think to myself "you've been following me for 5 minutes, do you not think there's a ****ing reason why I've stopped still?". I've noticed this in other similar situations, perhaps five years ago, people would stop and let other people through, step aside on a narrow path so that two people can get down it without one having to walk in the mud. Doesn't happen now. I feel there has been a real change in people in the last five years or so. People have become far more selfish, much less considerate. Or, at least, they no longer feel like there is a need to be seen to be doing the polite, considerate thing.
Sorry to hear that marra, praying you make a full recovery. You are a great contributer on here, and I enjoy reading your posts. Good luck with the second novel
Morals have certainly slipped in Britain, we need a massive reset and reintroduce common decency and sense
You could well be right. Sorry to hear of your pain.....hope you are able to get off the pills and find some optimism marra. It's not easy....you're not alone...we're all trying to find it.
Multi-culturalism mate.....introduce thousands of people who don't have the same values....and watch things change!
Not only complain,but to make you feel as though you are an ignorant person,holding all sorts of undesirable views and that your opinion is invalid,simply because it doesn't agree with theirs.
Did anyone watch the full 13 minutes video and not just the 30 second soundbite that is bouncing around the media? Personally I thought the policeman was professional in his dealing with Mr Falter, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, who was leading a smaller group to counter the pro Palestinian march. During the altercation, Mr Falter did everything in his power to provoke a response from police, presumably to highlight his particular stance. This policeman was a bronze commander in a major incident. His concerns would have included the safety of the public on both sides of the protest, his staff and maintaining order and discipline in his area of responsibility. The last thing he needed was the distraction of Mr Falter and his futile argument designed to counter the planned march that was taking place. Yet he handled him with a professional courtesy that must have been difficult in the circumstances. Some Jewish groups at the march have stated they have no issue with the term "openly Jewish", Mr Falter himself says that he has no complaint against frontline officers and the Jewish leaders who met with the home secretary have apparently said they are happy with the way the situation was managed. I just wonder who is offended by the terminology,
