Off Topic Politics Thread

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As reported elsewhere.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...rances-100-million-support-nissan-secure-suv/

 

I think I am starting to like and have growing respect for my MP Caroline Noakes despite her being a Tory. This is a quote from he in today's Times:

Ms Harman says that Britain should seize the moment created by Brexit to improve protections for workers rather than undermining them. “We are masters and mistresses of our own destiny now. There will be the old battle lines drawn up but we need to see this as an opportunity not just a threat.” Ms Nokes agrees that the forthcoming government legislation gives the chance to “fill in the missing bits” of employment law. “I don’t think there’s any dispute that a number of my colleagues see leaving the EU as the opportunity to have a bonfire of regulation, but the protections workers have are good and important. We should be improving rights rather than reducing them.” The prime minister may soon find he has taken back control from the EU only to lose it to MPs.

 

Thoroughly depressing post about the dismantling of the UK music industry here through Brexit. It's by Fish from Marillion, but it's too depressing to even make a Fish/Brexit joke.

Long read, but worth it.

 

Crikey! She’s my MP too and many an email correspondence have we had ..... she used to write “Dear David ...” but recently she’s been writing “Dear Mr ....” - think I might have upset her over my anti-government / anti-Brexit stance.
But, I do think, despite her politics, that she’s a more moderate Tory (if that’s possible) and she was certainly very upset that “Dom” wasn’t kicked out for breaking lockdown, plus she’s very supportive of the battle for musicians touring rights in the EU and local support staff for NHS. I just wish some of these “moderates” would get together and remove this stinking pustule of a government. Sadly, there aren’t enough of them and some of the th8ngs she wrote to me about what goes on in the background and how some of her “fellow MPs” act as if they don’t have to listen to their constituents makes my blood boil .........

 

What sort of a triumph is that and how often repeated in any number of industries? Is this an example of what those that voted leave were signing up for? I can't believe for a moment it is.

 

Truly heartbreaking. There just doesn’t seem to be any way through the brick wall. Even if Covid was totally eradicated in the coming months and packed venues became a possibility, the economic nightmare of the Brexit rules would suck any dregs of viability out of touring. Just ridiculous.

What a ****ing triumph.

 

The whole Brexit thing is a complete disaster, from which ever angle it's looked at. I can not actually find one single benefit from being outside Europe. Not one. Everything is being made more difficult, more expensive and more tedious. It's the younger generations I really feel sorry for because so much of the harm inflicted will fall upon them in years to come.

I'm sick to my stomach of hearing from politicians that it will get better, that there will be huge national rewards for being out of the EU and we are now able to determine our own future. The only future this country has, with so much reliance on EU trade and manufacturing is to be a piss pot little country with a huge number of its citizens not wanting any of this complete and utter nonsense. We are well and truly ****ed by this bunch of crass nationalistic imbeciles. The only bright spot on the dark horizon is that one day the sane part of the population just might find the balls to unleash their pent up anger and overturn the dung heap that masquerades as a government. ****ers.

 

I wouldn’t get too excited over what Tory MP Caroline Noakes might be saying to the media, reference the protection of workers rights.
Labour called a non binding vote calling for workers rights to be protected and for a ban on fire and rehire policies and no Tory MP bothered to vote, let alone support it.
At the end of the day she has chosen to put her own position as an MP first, rather than support her words, and the workers, with a positive act.
The fact that she has made two Tory sceptics think that she might be okay, is a concern, because she is manipulating the people via the clever use of the media.

Edit.

Maybe an email to your MP could shed light on why she is contradicting her media position at the ballot box?

 

On the Jeremy Vine show this morning (first and last time I will try and watch it) they tried to make a point that Brexit was worth it because the EU (mainly Germany) haven’t signed off the Oxford vaccine yet....hence the EU was well behind the uk in vaccinations.
Even made a point of saying a German newspaper headline was that the Oxford vaccine was only 10% effective.
Didn’t like the way Vine was pushing that Brexit was better.

 

I know it may be too early for the nation's psyche what with the pandemic, and just learning the impacts of Brexit, but I do wish there were more prominent politicians pushing to collaborate in re-joining the EU. The SNP may think it will be easier for them to do this via independence which is their right to try and do I just hoped if they worked with others first about re-joining.
Without the SNP it will take almost a revolution to get a re-join manifesto high enough up the agenda to force the leaders to take note.
I think it will be at least to General Elections before anything gets done and who knows where we will be in 5-10 years. Poorer certainly (except the fat cats off course)
Depressing - especially when you see some government proclamations about issues selling in the EU is to set up a business within the EU - how is that going to benefit UK jobs and tax incomes?

 

Indeed. But the cultural impact of losing (at least) a generation of musicians will be massive. American pop here we come...

 

Tbf, very few of the (American, not pop) country and blues artists who gave birth to rock n roll made a full time living out of playing music, in the early days of the recording industry. There will always be artists, creativity will find an out. There may not always be financially successful, professional artists.

Mind you, the U.K. economy will take a hit. Am I right in thinking the music industry accounts for a significant chunk of our exports?

 

Yep. As detailed in Fish's post.

 

I didn’t read it all mate, it was too long (plus, Marillion ffs. Worst Genesis tribute act ever).

Hope Roger Daltrey did though.

 

He sold 10,000 of his last album, that’s quite a chunk of VAT. Please read the whole thing, it’s not just about Fish, but about the music industry in total. What he is effectively saying is, the hopes and dreams of the current and next generations of budding musicians have been shot down in flames by the sheer logistical impossibility of touring in Europe.

 

In the current setup I can only see that a UK band touring Europe will have to have a European crew/backing musicians/band and still have to negotiate the visas for themselves - as Fish said that may be financially possible for established names or bands backed by record labels, but not new groups.
Imagine if the Beatles never went to Hamburg.

 

Yeah, I caught the gist mate, I was just being flippant.

Though there is a point about rock n roll being a subversive art form, which doesn’t benefit from getting co-opted into the corporate world. Rock n roll died when Elvis joined the army, as some smart arsed scouser once said.

 

But that’s the whole point! The whole effect of the Brexit surcharge hits independent artists much harder than those signed up to big labels. And you’re totally wrong about rock and roll dying. Not according to the many musicians I know anyway, none of whom are signed to labels but keep battling on.

 

I think you've completely misconstrued everything I've said tbh.