Off Topic Politics Thread

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Oh soooooo much this!

June 2016, No.10
David Cameron: “Fecking hell old chaps, that result is a turn-up maybe we need to speak to the Euro chaps”

Next Day, Brussels
David Cameron: “Listen you lovely euro folk, you’ve seen the result. This means we need to shake this EU malarkey up a bit. Pull your fingers out and let’s sit down and sort it out. I’ll tell the people back home. I’ll cop some
Flack, but luckily the referendum was just advisory.”

It wasn’t difficult.

Wasn't ever going to happen, because that vote was never really about the EU. What is it that Cameron would have asked the EU for? Where exactly had they wronged you?

No one really knows what they want from the EU, they just know that somehow they don't want to be in it. The objection pertains to the EU as an organization itself, not any particular EU policies. It's "No one tells Great Britain what to do" and "We want these foreigners with their crazy values and non-British culture out of the country." There's nothing the EU can do about that and still be the EU.

The EU just happened to be the flashpoint and a handy wedge issue for politicians. But the UK would be having this culture war with or without Brexit.

Look at us, here in the US. We're not in the EU but we're having the exact same battle here. It's remarkable how similar the themes, arguments and the characteristics of the politicians are.

The world is changing very fast and old people don't like where it's going. But you can't stop technology from making the world smaller and increasing globalization, or taking away outdated manual labor jobs, or people from traveling, etc. What a large share of Brexiters (and Trump supporters here) want is for the whole world to go back to 1960. The EU cannot help with that. No one can.
 
Wasn't ever going to happen, because that vote was never really about the EU. What is it that Cameron would have asked the EU for? Where exactly had they wronged you?

No one really knows what they want from the EU, they just know that somehow they don't want to be in it. The objection pertains to the EU as an organization itself, not any particular EU policies. It's "No one tells Great Britain what to do" and "We want these foreigners with their crazy values and non-British culture out of the country." There's nothing the EU can do about that and still be the EU.

The EU just happened to be the flashpoint and a handy wedge issue for politicians. But the UK would be having this culture war with or without Brexit.

Look at us, here in the US. We're not in the EU but we're having the exact same battle here. It's remarkable how similar the themes, arguments and the characteristics of the politicians are.

The world is changing very fast and old people don't like where it's going. But you can't stop technology from making the world smaller and increasing globalization, or taking away outdated manual labor jobs, or people from traveling, etc.
What a large share of Brexiters (and Trump supporters here) want is for the whole world to go back to 1960. The EU cannot help with that. No one can.

This was something I was mentioning just the other day. You have issues of immigration, the disappearance of jobs and corruption in politics. Basically, the lobbyist with the biggest purse buys the politician. The reason that Trump was elected was that the Business As Usual theme of establishment politician Hilary Clinton just wasn't chiming and half the people felt let down. Trump said he'd drain the swamp. He hasn't. He's helped make it deeper and most people in the USA are worse off since his arrival. And the real reason that people are losing their jobs is due to automation and new technologies, where new skills are required. But the blame falls on immigrants [doesn't it always?]
And you're right, there's a European/UK establishment figure or body that you can pair up with each US example.
 
And the real reason that people are losing their jobs is due to automation and new technologies, where new skills are required.

Nail on the head.

Also, the fact that an immigrant (to any country) is not 'proud' and will do any job. This country in particular, I feel, has an issue with jobs that are seen beneath people. I may be generalising here, but there are jobs out there sometimes, it is just that the state will pay you almost as much not to work, so some decide not to. Then they blame the immigrants that won't get the benefits and take the jobs that they didn't want. Unsurprisingly, the cream rises to the top and eventually some of the immigrants become the bosses. This then fuels more hatred. And so the circle continues.
 
Benjamin Netanyahu's party Likud appears to have narrowly lost Israel's latest election. The sitting PM had won a previous election, without a sizeable mandate, so he went to the country again. And this time he appears to have been defeated. His offer to rival leader Benny Gantz to form a Unity Coalition government was thrown back at him. Now he could be in danger of facing corruption charges, and after that, who knows? If he doesn't get immunity, it could be prison after an investigation.
That's pretty much the meaningful sum of my knowledge on this. If I'm way off, do tell me.
 
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Benjamin Netanyahu's party Likud appears to have narrowly lost Israel's latest election. The sitting PM had won a previous election, without a sizeable mandate, so he went to the country again. And this time he appears to have been defeated. His offer to rival leader Benny Gantz to form a Unity Coalition government was thrown back at him. Now he could be in danger of facing corruption charges, and after that, who knows? If he doesn't get immunity, it could be prison after an investigation.
That's pretty much the meaningful sum of my knowledge on this. If I'm way off, do tell me.

Could we apply this to someone called Boris?
 
Benjamin Netanyahu's party Likud appears to have narrowly lost Israel's latest election. The sitting PM had won a previous election, without a sizeable mandate, so he went to the country again. And this time he appears to have been defeated. His offer to rival leader Benny Gantz to form a Unity Coalition government was thrown back at him. Now he could be in danger of facing corruption charges, and after that, who knows? If he doesn't get immunity, it could be prison after an investigation.
That's pretty much the meaningful sum of my knowledge on this. If I'm way off, do tell me.

Largely covers it. I'd add that the prospects for a government that isn't a Blue & White - Likud unity coalition are pretty bleak, and basically nonexistent if you're talking about one led by B&W. The third-largest group in the Knesset is set to be the Joint List, a loose amalgam of majority-Arab parties, whose politics tilt toward the far left; Gantz has indicated that he isn't likely to work with them, but even if he did a liberal coalition falls one party short, and no one on the right is ever going to be in a coalition with Joint List. He could theoretically go for a coalition with the far right/Orthodox, but that seems dubious. Meanwhile, the only coalition Netanyahu could form is the same one (for all intents and purposes) that he failed to form in April, when he was forced to call a snap election.

It's a mess. As you say, it's not just Netanyahu's political future that hinges on his remaining as PM, and Gantz has no reason to consent to being a junior partner...particularly when such might allow Netanyahu to avoid prosecution. Unless Netanyahu is able to convince Avigdor Lieberman (who is hard right, but much more secular than the parties he'd be in a coalition with) to join him, Bibi's political career might at least have reached its end, even if they might be back at the polls in short order (Israel has had six legislative elections in 13.5 years as it stands; get the contract to print the ballots and you'll live like a king forever).
 
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I am pissed off with Queenie. She is a Constitutional Monarch and she and her brood and other hangers on cost us a bloody fortune. It is about time she earned her keep and sorted out this bunch of charlatans who have shanghaied our democracy. Bollocks to her not wanting to get involved in politics it is the principal reason for her existence. Cameron has put his neck on the line to stop this bunch of crooks so why aren't her advisors helping her to see through the lies and deceit and put the lying cheat Johnson well and truly in his place? Each of her last six Prime Ministers are saying Brexit is wrong and can see right through Boris (runaway) Johnson's motives. Come on Queenie earn your keep, do your job or **** off and save us all a fortune.
 
I am pissed off with Queenie. She is a Constitutional Monarch and she and her brood and other hangers on cost us a bloody fortune. It is about time she earned her keep and sorted out this bunch of charlatans who have shanghaied our democracy. Bollocks to her not wanting to get involved in politics it is the principal reason for her existence. Cameron has put his neck on the line to stop this bunch of crooks so why aren't her advisors helping her to see through the lies and deceit and put the lying cheat Johnson well and truly in his place? Each of her last six Prime Ministers are saying Brexit is wrong and can see right through Boris (runaway) Johnson's motives. Come on Queenie earn your keep, do your job or **** off and save us all a fortune.
And Chas coming up next what a king W⚓. Over in the Netherlands we have a king Willy.
 
I am pissed off with Queenie. She is a Constitutional Monarch and she and her brood and other hangers on cost us a bloody fortune. It is about time she earned her keep and sorted out this bunch of charlatans who have shanghaied our democracy. Bollocks to her not wanting to get involved in politics it is the principal reason for her existence. Cameron has put his neck on the line to stop this bunch of crooks so why aren't her advisors helping her to see through the lies and deceit and put the lying cheat Johnson well and truly in his place? Each of her last six Prime Ministers are saying Brexit is wrong and can see right through Boris (runaway) Johnson's motives. Come on Queenie earn your keep, do your job or **** off and save us all a fortune.
Queenie is 93. She's far from stupid but she's too old to get involved in all these shenanigans. Charlie is 70 and is a Charlie. Maybe her speech will ignore Boris and be an abdication speech where she hands the reigns to William who just might do as you wish?
 
Queenie is 93. She's far from stupid but she's too old to get involved in all these shenanigans. Charlie is 70 and is a Charlie. Maybe her speech will ignore Boris and be an abdication speech where she hands the reigns to William who just might do as you wish?
not to mention that her finances don't get audited and a few of the Duchies have billions stashed away in the Caymans with Boris's cash