Off Topic The Politics Thread

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Should the UK remain a part of the EU or leave?

  • Stay in

    Votes: 56 47.9%
  • Get out

    Votes: 61 52.1%

  • Total voters
    117
  • Poll closed .
Well I have learnt a new phrase today...yoghurt knitter (tree hugger)...thank you Ellers/Urban dictionary.
I do not think that even our most royal tree-hugger Prince Charles would object to this


A lovely tribute for a hero...by the club I wonder?..
I love the phrase used by one of the MPs...."he was our village copper"

I think so Beth ... http://www.cafc.co.uk/news/article/...er-statement-3639644.aspx#j3KVE7UgjpYlMATS.99

News now breaking from Antwerp that police have thwarted an attacker attempting to drive his car at speed into a busy shopping area.
 
Just before I left home today, I heard (not confirmed) that the intruder was not actually shot by the police per se but by the body guards to the Foreign secretary (who a think are an off shoot of the Met or off MI5 but not sure). It was being implied that it was a coincidence that these armed security people were there (awaiting the arrival of their Foreign Secretary after the vote) otherwise the intruder would have got a lot further, and killed further people. It was being implied that there were no armed policeman in the courtyard at all.

There was a lot of political embarrassment on the lunchtime politics show on the BBC
Unlikely Beth, as the Foreign Secretary was in Washington DC attending a meeting of the Coalition against ISIS. There are plenty of armed police around the Palace of Westminster.
 
Just had a newsflash on my phone, from CNN, that ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack.


there you are then...........that's saves millions investigating who and why ............isis have claimed it <laugh>

strange isis didn't have enough money 2 purchase a gun or two...... after all we did try selling them as cheaply as we could init <whistle>
 
steelmonkey with all due respect the bigger picture is they want all police men and women armed>>>>>so this is just another piece placed in the jigsaw for its justification
 
To do what - bomb Britain?


your not trying 2 say the yanks have anything 2 do with this rise in world terror are ew>>>>>>surely the cia wouldn't fly planes into targets 2 start a holy war on oil rich regions..................

ps im still waitng for trumps promise 2 open up the missing 9/11 report papers............but me knowing how politicians lie im not gonna hold my breath on thy subject...........because its never gonna happen is it <laugh>
 
Think it was the bodyguards of the Labour leader.
Unlikely Beth, as the Foreign Secretary was in Washington DC attending a meeting of the Coalition against ISIS. There are plenty of armed police around the Palace of Westminster.


BBC News understands that the attacker was shot by a bodyguard of Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, not a routine armed guard.

Sorry this is what I heard, the police were not armed
 
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BBC News understands that the attacker was shot by a bodyguard of Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, not a routine armed guard.

Sorry this is what I heard, the police were not armed
this was said on the Politics Show. Andrew Neil got annoyed with the Security Minister. Why the BBC needs to know who was the officer who shot the terrorist I don't know. Surprised they didn't demand his name and address so they could broadcast it to our enemies
 
A old mate of mine was a Met inspector who managed a team that did foreign embassy protection duties. They were armed. This was 10 years ago. Seems odd to not do the same for all police working outside Parliament (there are several with SMGs).
 
A very good, detailed piece about the Tory election fraud investigations.......

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/mar/23/conservative-election-scandal-victory-2015-expenses

What strikes me is how well organised they were and how relatively small the disputed amounts are. However, as the report says, British elections are designed to be cheap so that everyone has a fair chance. Small sums of illegal money can make a huge difference to results. The Electoral Commission report states that there was a realistic prospect that the Tory undeclared spending had “enabled its candidates to gain a financial advantage over opponents.”

'Slowly, a chilling prospect emerges that British politics, our relationship with Europe and the future of our economy, were all transformed following a contest that wasn’t a fair fight.'
 
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I think you are missing the point. Using Orwell in this instant is wrong. If the reference was 1984 (which it probably was) then that is not the society that we live in. China would be a better analogy.

I merely pointed out that nothing can be done until a law is broken (inciting hatred etc) to suggest they are arrested or deported before such time is very Orwellian indeed. Cast your mind back to secondary school when you read 1984, 'thought crime' ring any bells?
Anyway, people I've come across who use phrases such as 'yogurt knitters' and say things along the lines of 'if you've got nothing to hide you've got nothing to fear' tend to be the most closed minded people i meet, so enjoy your rage.
 
steelmonkey with all due respect the bigger picture is they want all police men and women armed>>>>>so this is just another piece placed in the jigsaw for its justification

Without straying too far off topic Aberdude, there is a direct corolation between the amount of armed police, and that of armed criminals, as can be seen in many countries world-wide. Whilst I am fully supportive of having sections of the police armed, I'm not sure I want to see every officer issued with a firearm, and this lead to an escalation of violence on our streets.

I do believe that the officer involved yesterday should have been armed, in fact I'm surprised that police around Westminster are not all armed as a matter of course, but this still would not have prevented the maniac running down people on Westminster Bridge. I have close friends involved in anti-terrorism, and unless this guy was on their high-alert list, he wouldn't have been watched. If he was acting as a "lone-wolf" then his actions could not have been predicted - my concern would now be that there are potential copycat attacks in cities around the UK, the security forces are unable to protect us all and there are plenty of soft targets out there. It is up to us all to remain vigilant and report any suspicions that we may have, but also not allow those who wish to impinge upon our daily lives win their war of fear, intimidation and cowardly acts of murder.
 
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The man believed to have carried out the attack in Westminster has been named by police as Khalid Masood.
Kent-born Masood, who died in the attack, was not the subject of any current police investigations, but had a range of previous convictions.
The 52-year-old was believed to have been living in the West Midlands.
The so-called Islamic State group has said it was behind the attack, in which PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran were killed.
Eight arrests were made in London and Birmingham following Wednesday's attack.
Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his car into railings and then running into the grounds of Parliament, armed with a knife. He stabbed PC Palmer and then was shot dead.
Police said there had been no prior intelligence about his intention to carry out an attack.
But he was known to the police and his previous convictions included GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.
His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife.
He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences.
Car hire company Enterprise said the vehicle used in the attack had been rented from its Spring Hill depot in Birmingham.
The BBC understands Masood had hired the Hyundai SUV in person, giving his profession as a teacher.
 
A teacher? - and he still managed to plough into a group of school-kids - some ****ed up ideology in his head. Will be interesting to see what the toxicology results come back with - the guy in France last week was apparently coked and boozed up before he started his attack, and I know that the two guys who attacked Glasgow Airport had stolen large amounts of morphine and taken that before their attack (my wife worked with one of them, and he is now serving a 38 year sentence). You would think that these maniacs who believe that they are on a martyrs crusade would want to complete their journey with all the faculties, but this just shows how truly cowardly they are.