Off Topic Politics Thread

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This is probably the most depressing thing I will post for a long time:

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I so badly wanted Starmer to unite the Labour Party around a pro-European approach but it seems he has no intentions of doing this. Indeed, by whipping his MP’s to vote for the ****ty trade deal but promising to distance himself from the consequences of it he is showing a complete lack of leadership.

Perhaps the nation needs a new party with a centre-left, pro-European agenda, because unfortunately it doesn’t look like Labour will be offering any such thing.
The Greens are centre-left! No point in flooding the centre-left with lots of parties under FPTP.
 
This speech the other day from Michael Russell in the Scottish Parliament sums up everything we have lost.

https://fb.watch/2L-niRMqNg/

Excellent speech, eloquently made with none of ums and ers associated with the House of Commons. No heckling, no cheering and no childish point scoring jokes, that are usually in bad taste.
Is the HoC the only political hub that stoops to rowdyism as it’s starting point?
 
To US Republicans anyone who even thinks about the democrats is a communist - I see it in our daily meetings at work and deffo from my republican daughter.


I think it is on the rise big time. It is becoming normalised as well. (not saying you think it is normal)



We are not there yet, but getting there. IMO in the US it is pretty much white v black, here it is white v black & asian. There are completely isolated communities in parts of the UK and whilst I often think they don't help themselves, it still exists. What I mean by that is I have family from my father's side who live in Hounslow and are shocked that I have 'white friends'. They also only socialise with each other and only speak their native tongue wherever they go. That I don't agree with at all and causes divisions for the opposite reasons you mentioned.
My cousins live in Luton and are the offspring of Irish parents. Attached to the church where they went is a big social club. They have been going there since they were toddlers. And continue to go with their wives, of Irish ancestry, children and grandchildren, so it is not only considerable swathes of the Asían community who may be slow to intégrate.
 
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Good to see the post Brexit lies being spotted early.
The claims are that Tampon tax and Pulse Fishing are being abolished as a result of Brexit.
The reality is that the Tory government voted not to eradicate the Tampon tax in 2015 and France, a member of the EU no less, banned Pulse fishing in 2019.
Both were achievable whilst in the EU.
Still the lies make good headlines in the right wing media. Just a shame that the right wing media will never expose the lies, proving yet again that they have zero respect for their readership.
 
Good to see the post Brexit lies being spotted early.
The claims are that Tampon tax and Pulse Fishing are being abolished as a result of Brexit.
The reality is that the Tory government voted not to eradicate the Tampon tax in 2015 and France, a member of the EU no less, banned Pulse fishing in 2019.
Both were achievable whilst in the EU.
Still the lies make good headlines in the right wing media. Just a shame that the right wing media will never expose the lies, proving yet again that they have zero respect for their readership.

And most of their readers couldn’t be actually arsed to check the REAL facts, so they just swallow the **** these right wing media keep spouting.
 
Good to see the post Brexit lies being spotted early.
The claims are that Tampon tax and Pulse Fishing are being abolished as a result of Brexit.
The reality is that the Tory government voted not to eradicate the Tampon tax in 2015 and France, a member of the EU no less, banned Pulse fishing in 2019.
Both were achievable whilst in the EU.
Still the lies make good headlines in the right wing media. Just a shame that the right wing media will never expose the lies, proving yet again that they have zero respect for their readership.

Might be worth pointing out how the EU regards sanitary products for women:

Under EU law, nations cannot reduce the rate of value-added tax on menstrual products below 5 per cent as they are deemed to be luxury items and not essentials.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/01...to-abolish-taxes-on-women-s-sanitary-products
 
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Might be worth pointing out how the EU regards sanitary products for women:

Under EU law, nations cannot reduce the rate of value-added tax on menstrual products below 5 per cent as they are deemed to be luxury items and not essentials.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/01...to-abolish-taxes-on-women-s-sanitary-products
From your link.
But Gemma Abbot from the Free Periods campaign group said it was "misleading" for the UK government to say Brexit was necessary to eliminate VAT on menstrual products.

"Actually this was something that was very much up for grabs within the context of our EU relationship," she told Euronews.

"David Cameron back in 2016 had convinced his fellow EU leaders that changes did need to be made to the European VAT system as a whole to allow for the zero-rating of VAT products, and everybody agreed that, and actually the Commission made proposals in 2018 for significant VAT reform.

"I think one of the main reasons why we haven't seen that implemented yet is because of the enormous distraction of Brexit."
 
From your link.
But Gemma Abbot from the Free Periods campaign group said it was "misleading" for the UK government to say Brexit was necessary to eliminate VAT on menstrual products.

"Actually this was something that was very much up for grabs within the context of our EU relationship," she told Euronews.

"David Cameron back in 2016 had convinced his fellow EU leaders that changes did need to be made to the European VAT system as a whole to allow for the zero-rating of VAT products, and everybody agreed that, and actually the Commission made proposals in 2018 for significant VAT reform.

"I think one of the main reasons why we haven't seen that implemented yet is because of the enormous distraction of Brexit."


This is quite correct StJabbo1. Because of EU law, the government had to charge 5% tax on period products. In 2015, Cameron's government established the Tampon Tax Fund which has allocated £47 million raised from the tax on period products to charities working with vulnerable women and girls. In 2016, he pressured the EU to eliminate the tax which the EU said it would give it's members the option to remove but that plan never came to fruition. Last year,the government introduced the period products for schools scheme giving girls access to free period products in their place of study.

Let's hope that without the enormous distraction of Brexit, Germany, who currently tax at 7% and the rest of the EU can find the time to abolish this tax on such luxury items.
 
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Here's what he said, the manchild is delusional and he can't accept facts because he lost and therefore is a loser. It's those toadying self interested cowards in the GOP which are enabling him which are the ones to blame the most. Thankfully it won't work and hopefully the Democrats will win the Georgia election

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I find it strange that with all the "useful" and "correct" information that is available on the internet, such a large proportion of people are happy to accept as fact what any normal person would consider to be spoofy. The comments about "Right Wing Media" probably had a greater degree of truth before 2000 but with the rise in importance of the internet, there are far more sources of misinformation or biased reporting than in the printed media. Taking an impartial viewpoint, I find that the BBC is broadly very Liberal and acts as a balance to less reliable newspapers such as The Sun, The Daily Mail and Daily Express. In the UK , there is balance even if the more "Liberal" of the newspapers such as The Guardian effectively only pander to the pampered middle classes. I tend to get my news from the BBC website, Channel Four News, The Sunday Telegragh and The Morning Star and therefore can come to my own conclusions regarding many issues having taken a holistic approach. The problem in 2020 is that trust in the media has lapsed and some people seem to be happy to accept the misinformation pushed out by unvetted sources.

I am not sure that we are quite at the point where we can make direct comparisons with people's views in America and the UK. We tend to be better educated and more questioning of the news we are presented with. What has gone on with Trump in the US is indicative of a failed education system and symptomatic of the fact that allowing the market to take a free reign of everything from healthcare, media , etc is a recipe for disaster. Effectively this kind of viewpoint is akin to the people being run for the benefit of the system as opposed to the other way around. Ironically, the position taken by Democrats in the US would not really be considered Left Wing in the UK where, as is the case in much of the rest of the developed world, there is an appreciation that Socialism is a legitimate world view.

My concern is that a lot of the drivel that can be found on the Internet will erode this ability in Western Europe to take a balanced and more objective view of any number of issues.
 
I find it strange that with all the "useful" and "correct" information that is available on the internet, such a large proportion of people are happy to accept as fact what any normal person would consider to be spoofy. The comments about "Right Wing Media" probably had a greater degree of truth before 2000 but with the rise in importance of the internet, there are far more sources of misinformation or biased reporting than in the printed media. Taking an impartial viewpoint, I find that the BBC is broadly very Liberal and acts as a balance to less reliable newspapers such as The Sun, The Daily Mail and Daily Express. In the UK , there is balance even if the more "Liberal" of the newspapers such as The Guardian effectively only pander to the pampered middle classes. I tend to get my news from the BBC website, Channel Four News, The Sunday Telegragh and The Morning Star and therefore can come to my own conclusions regarding many issues having taken a holistic approach. The problem in 2020 is that trust in the media has lapsed and some people seem to be happy to accept the misinformation pushed out by unvetted sources.

I am not sure that we are quite at the point where we can make direct comparisons with people's views in America and the UK. We tend to be better educated and more questioning of the news we are presented with. What has gone on with Trump in the US is indicative of a failed education system and symptomatic of the fact that allowing the market to take a free reign of everything from healthcare, media , etc is a recipe for disaster. Effectively this kind of viewpoint is akin to the people being run for the benefit of the system as opposed to the other way around. Ironically, the position taken by Democrats in the US would not really be considered Left Wing in the UK where, as is the case in much of the rest of the developed world, there is an appreciation that Socialism is a legitimate world view.

My concern is that a lot of the drivel that can be found on the Internet will erode this ability in Western Europe to take a balanced and more objective view of any number of issues.
Eloquently discussed!!