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 .
I think if you observe passengers on a long train journey you'll be amazed at how many of them spend all their time engrossed in their smart phones, oblivious to the World around them. They would be far better off relearning the lost art of conversation. Smart phones can play a role in staying in touch with people (although I can do that perfectly well on my laptop) but they are no substitute for the real thing. Unfortunately they have also helped to breed a generation of people who are incapable of getting real English sentences together. I'm not a Luddite Goldie - I don't want to throw away all technology, but i want to preserve the human element of having a choice. Unfortunately if it comes to the point of non smartphone users being increasingly marginalized (warn apps during corona, booking of travel, digital IT, etc. etc) then the element of choice is no longer there and the gadgets are ruling us rather than the other way around. It's now come to the point where I am compelled to hand in my tax declarations online whether I want to or not. .

You make some good points, Cologne. Over-use of a smart phone can be detrimental, and there is an addictive element to social media. But I look on it like the advent of the motor car. People get killed in a car but this didn't halt its success. We just have more safety features now.

The smart phone and its future replacements, and internet technology, won't be stopped. We just have to use these tools most effectively, and safely.
 
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But it's WOKE!

Reflecting reality is not woke. To give an example. Making a drama set in London with a mixed race cast that reflects the proportionality of the racial mix in the city's population is positive. On the other hand, making a drama set in a Buckinghamshire village, as was done recently with The Midwich Cuckoos, and showing the population as about 50% black is contrived, patronising and woke.
 
Reflecting reality is not woke. To give an example. Making a drama set in London with a mixed race cast that reflects the proportionality of the racial mix in the city's population is positive. On the other hand, making a drama set in a Buckinghamshire village, as was done recently with The Midwich Cuckoos, and showing the population as about 50% black is contrived, patronising and woke.

Midwich is a fictional place. You really do find such odd things to make you angry.
 
As I understand it, the retirement age goes up from 66 to 67 just before I qualify if it had remained at 66.
For some reason my state pension age is 66 years 10 months. No idea how this date is arrived at.

I’m getting a bit pissed off with the increasing nagging about those who have retired ‘early’ to go back to work. If you’ve stopped work before state pension age, are not claiming benefits, pay income tax on your pension and investments, continue to spend money and therefore pay VAT you can do whatever the **** you like without some witless politician badgering you, you are still contributing more than many to the nations coffers.
 
It's set in Buckinghamshire. That's a real place. It's simply subliminal messaging to programme people towards a certain type of society that the drama director favours.

You're a sad case, Goldie. Do you regularly count the numbers of black faces in TV productions? I guess you then have to check where it's set and the racial demographics of the location before knowing whether you should be angry or not. It must spoil your enjoyment.

I bet you were one of those people who were outraged at the portrayal of a mixed race couple in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.
 
You're a sad case, Goldie. Do you regularly count the numbers of black faces in TV productions? I guess you then have to check where it's set and the racial demographics of the location before knowing whether you should be angry or not. It must spoil your enjoyment.

I bet you were one of those people who were outraged at the portrayal of a mixed race couple in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.

To be fair to Goldie…..he has got a point. Just ‘cos he mentions it doesn’t mean he’s angry…just maybe that it’s pretty obvious what’s being done.
 
You're a sad case, Goldie. Do you regularly count the numbers of black faces in TV productions? I guess you then have to check where it's set and the racial demographics of the location before knowing whether you should be angry or not. It must spoil your enjoyment.

I bet you were one of those people who were outraged at the portrayal of a mixed race couple in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.

You're blind, woke, Strolls. Probably deliberately, because not seeing things suits your extreme political agenda.
 
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Dunno where to put this but as this thread is the most popular, here will do.

After Steels post on The Oldfield Tavern, it got me looking it up and seeing some of the massive bands that played there in the late ‘60s/70’s....got me also looking at The Farx Club which was on Northcote Ave, Southall where the Northcote Arms once was.
These venues played hosts to such mega stars as Genesis, Supertramp, The Who, Hawkwind, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Free and many more...
Did any of the old timers on here ever go to these two venues and if so, was it seen as a big thing or “just another band”......?
 
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