Off Topic Politics Thread

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As a classroom teacher I am pretty qualified. Yes kids are not where they normally are, but there is no such thing as behind. The issue with disadvantaged kids is not produced by this pandemic but exacerbated by it. No short term fix will mean anything. What the country needs to do is start investing into education and public service in general.

Who benefits from this 'behind' rhetoric? Definitely not the kids who already feel the pressure. Definitely not the teachers who have done a ridiculous amount extra for no pay already. Only the government who can mask inadequate funding behind a pandemic crisis.

Kids overcome adversity. They bounce back from illness and other absence. They don't need to be told they are behind. We need to invest full time in young people and not as a bounce back gimmick.
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Well bloody said.
 
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Whatever side of the political spectrum you are on, just an observation.

Last time (every time?) Trump arrived in the UK there were mass protests.

Not heard of one with Biden arriving.
 
What I want to know is why the USA get so hot under the collar about Irish politics - do they care so much about the politics of Italy or Mexico as they have just as large immigrant population? Is it because the powerful people in the US are white and trace their heritage there, though most couldn't point to Belfast on a map.
I like the US is pushing Johnson on the NI lie he peddled - but it baffles me why it matters so much to them still.
 
SaintStu said:
What I want to know is why the USA get so hot under the collar about Irish politics - do they care so much about the politics of Italy or Mexico as they have just as large immigrant population? Is it because the powerful people in the US are white and trace their heritage there, though most couldn't point to Belfast on a map.
I like the US is pushing Johnson on the NI lie he peddled - but it baffles me why it matters so much to them still.
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The Irish have had a more substantial role in shaping American politics over the past century and a half. They formed the backbone of the Democratic Party machines in major cities, as the party provided a route for non-English immigrants into polite society and political influence. This was out of necessity more than ideals, but the result was that by the early 20th century the Irish rose enough in stature that they were considered 'white' whereas the Italians (who arrived later) were not, and the Hispanics (some of whom have been in parts of the US since before those territories were in the Union) still aren't.

One of the downstream effects is that, once Protestant versus Catholic politics faded to a significant extent, Catholic voters of Irish descent became a significant swing bloc by the early 1970s...at the time when The Troubles were really kicking into high gear. And because Americans of Irish descent care a fair bit about Ireland, and American politicians of Irish descent seemingly never stopped talking about it, Ireland maintained a weirdly important place in US politics. It wasn't that long ago that politicians openly fundraising for the IRA didn't merit more than a bat of the eye.
 
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Schad said:
The Irish have had a more substantial role in shaping American politics over the past century and a half. They formed the backbone of the Democratic Party machines in major cities, as the party provided a route for non-English immigrants into polite society and political influence. This was out of necessity more than ideals, but the result was that by the early 20th century the Irish rose enough in stature that they were considered 'white' whereas the Italians (who arrived later) were not, and the Hispanics (some of whom have been in parts of the US since before those territories were in the Union) still aren't.

One of the downstream effects is that, once Protestant versus Catholic politics faded to a significant extent, Catholic voters of Irish descent became a significant swing bloc by the early 1970s...at the time when The Troubles were really kicking into high gear. And because Americans of Irish descent care a fair bit about Ireland, and American politicians of Irish descent seemingly never stopped talking about it, Ireland maintained a weirdly important place in US politics. It wasn't that long ago that politicians openly fundraising for the IRA didn't merit more than a bat of the eye.
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That all makes some sort of sense for over 40 years ago.
Just to me seems so irrelevant to today. Just another form of tribalism which long with greed is the stem of all evils in the human race.
 
SaintStu said:
That all makes some sort of sense for over 40 years ago.
Just to me seems so irrelevant to today. Just another form of tribalism which long with greed is the stem of all evils in the human race.
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The Americans, like most sane people, don’t want a return to the tribalism of 40 years ago, that the whole point of preserving the Good Friday Agreement. This is quite a good piece:
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St. Luigi Scrosoppi said:
So Johnson is telling the G7 leaders that the UK is a country. That is a lie and par for the course. It is the union of four countries just like the EU is not a single country but a union of countries.
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You should probably air your grievances with the UN in this instance, as they classify the UK as an island country and a sovereign state in its own right. Or they’re bloody liars too.
 
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What's the difference between a septic and a sceptic? One's got it and one's less sure.. vaccinating subject... I 'm watching England wishing I was watching the tennis. I'm not septic as far as know. There again just got back from the pub...
 
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