Page 285 of 410

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:45 am
by Return_of_the_STAR
Preezy wrote:Here's the full speech for some context:

I don't believe in this reasoning, forgive me for my directness. We among the West have been discussing such Marshall plans for Africa for many years and have in fact given many such plans already. So if it was so simple it would be fixed already. The Marshall plan was a reconstruction plan, a material plan in a region that already had its equilibriums, its borders and its stability. The problems Africa face are completely different and are much different and are "civilizational." What are the problems? Failed states, complex democratic transitions and extremely difficult demographic transitions. Multiple trafficking routes that pose severe issues - drugs, human trafficking, weapons. Violent fundamentalism and islamic terrorism. All of these create major issues in a region that at the same time has some examples of excellent growth that prove the continent is a land of opportunity. So if we want a serious answer to African issues and African problems, we must develop a series of politics that are much more sophisticated that a simple Marshall plan or money transfer, which we agree with the world bank on. The matters of vital infrastructure, education, health - there are roles for financing and it is our responsibility to help on these issues. In terms of security, we must help by linking with regional African stability instruments which France is currently engaging in with the sahel nations. Development, security - and there is also a shared responsibility. Such a Mashall plan as you desire is also a plan that will be administered by African governments and regional blocs. It's by a more rigorous governance, a fight against corruption, a fight for good governance, a successful demographic transition when countries today have 7 or 8 children per woman. As of today, spending billions of dollars outright would stabilize nothing. So the transformation plan that we have to conduct together must be developed according to African interests by and with African leaders. It must be a plan that must take into account the issues I've described, using public private partnerships, and must be conducted on a regional and sometimes even national basis.


Thanks when i saw the story i thought there must be way more to this, surely he didn't just get up and say there's too many children, kill the children!! but i couldn't see any stories anywhere that had the full translated speech. It's amazing how the media always twist speeches for a quick headline. But it always works as people rarely read beyond the headlines or first line of a story.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:53 am
by Preezy
Yeah what he said seems quite reasonable and thought-out, as opposed to what the headlines would have you believe.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:56 am
by Eighthours
Preezy wrote:Yeah what he said seems quite reasonable and thought-out, as opposed to what the headlines would have you believe.


Thing is, I saw people tweeting the whole speech in French for context and saying it was EVEN WORSE than the headlines. :?

Not true, by my reading of it! It seems reasonable. Africa is a hot potato that Europe and the US, for obvious historical reasons, don't usually feel they can comment on without a barrage of criticism, but there's fuckloads of very bad stuff happening in quite a few countries.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:10 am
by Grumpy David
Nothing controversial about that speech.

The greatest act of kindness we can offer African countries is free trade deals. Capitalism has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty. Foreign aid can only go so far.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:15 am
by Moggy
The full speech is much better than the headlines would lead you to believe.

Plus it's much better than the alternative that LePen would have come up with. ;)

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:40 am
by Squinty
I can't see any issue with that speech. He points out the obvious.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:35 pm
by Garth
After telling us a few weeks ago that Maybot didn't cry after the election results and was "getting on with the job", apparently she's saying today she felt "devastated" and did shed "a little tear"? :lol:

Any obvious attempt to humanise her isn't going to work, it's far too late for that. She'd still a dead woman walking.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:40 pm
by Hexx
I thought they said at the time she cried a bit? (And there were jokes so did the country)

I was even today, like, all "change the record woman".

Have I made that up :(

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:44 pm
by Garth
There were rumours from Tory staffers but people like David Davis denied it.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:44 pm
by Squinty
Hexx wrote:I thought they said at the time she cried a bit? (And there were jokes so did the country)

I was even today, like, all "change the record woman".

Have I made that up :(


No, it was reported that she cried twice. When the exit poll was released, and before she went to maidenhead.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 7:17 pm
by Dual
She shed a single tear. The first time she has cried in 60 years.

So stoic and brave in the face of such a savage left wing media that want her head on a stick.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 7:22 pm
by Moggy
Are we supposed to feel sorry for her after she called a completely unnecessary election and then spent months acting like a cold hearted twat?

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:02 pm
by JediDragon05
It's ok to cry you old hag. Crying takes the sadness out of you

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:50 pm
by Alvin Flummux
Image

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:43 pm
by KK
The NHS has been ranked the number one health system in a comparison of 11 countries.

The ranking

1 UK
2 Australia
3 Netherlands
4 = New Zealand
4 = Norway
6 = Sweden
6 = Switzerland
8 Germany
9 Canada
10 France
11 US

The UK health service was praised for its safety, affordability and efficiency, but fared less well on outcomes such as preventing early death and cancer survival.

The research by the Commonwealth Fund, a US think tank, looked at countries across the world, including the US, Canada, Australia, France and Germany.

The US came bottom.

It is the second time in a row that the UK has finished top.

Three years ago, when the survey was last done, the UK was also number one.

It comes despite the NHS being in the grip of the tightest financial squeeze in its history with lengthening waiting times.

The good and the bad

The NHS was praised for the safety of its care, the systems in place to prevent ill-health, such as vaccinations and screening, the speed at which people get help and that there was equitable access regardless of income.

Only in one of the five themes looked at did the NHS perform poorly compared with the other nations - health outcomes. This covers general health of the population, early deaths and cancer survival among other measures.

England's Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "These outstanding results are a testament to the dedication of NHS staff, who despite pressure on the front line are delivering safer, more compassionate care than ever.

‎"Ranked the best healthcare system of 11 wealthy countries, the NHS has again showed why it is the single thing that makes us most proud to be British."

But others pointed out that in terms of quality of care - as shown by the health outcomes - the findings were more damning.

Kate Andrews, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the NHS was "far from being the envy of the world".

"The UK has one of the highest rates of avoidable deaths in western Europe, and tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year if NHS patients with serious conditions such as cancer were treated by social health insurance systems in neighbouring countries, such as Belgium and Germany.

"It is not just low-income earners who receive poor care, the NHS's provision of care is equally poor for everybody, irrespective of income."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40608253

Depends how much you trust this US think tank, I suppose.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:10 pm
by That
Imagine how good they'd be if they received a bit of funding.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:41 pm
by Return_of_the_STAR
That healthcare report tells me that the NHS is very efficient and affordable at killing people unnecessarily.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 12:03 am
by That
Yeah mate that's exactly what it says. Well done.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 12:58 am
by Return_of_the_STAR
Karl wrote:Yeah mate that's exactly what it says. Well done.


I was clearly being sarcastic. But it is increasingly being said that people are dying under NHS care where they would have a better chance in another country.

Re: The Politics Thread 3.0

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 2:01 am
by Dowbocop
Return_of_the_STAR wrote:
Karl wrote:Yeah mate that's exactly what it says. Well done.


I was clearly being sarcastic. But it is increasingly being said that people are dying under NHS care where they would have a better chance in another country.

So, from the original article, the NHS is great at being safe, affordable, and efficient, but Jeremy still strives for greater efficiency above all else, despite repeated messages from people on the front line that care is suffering as a result of endless cost cutting.

Going to need a non-biased source for the bit in bold as well.

Seriously, compare the two think tanks' objectives...

https://iea.org.uk
The IEA is the UK’s original free-market think-tank, founded in 1955. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.



http://www.commonwealthfund.org/about-us
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.


It is not just low-income earners who receive poor care, the NHS's provision of care is equally poor for everybody, irrespective of income.

strawberry float. Off.

Right, calmed down, let's get started on that. Leaving aside the right wing think tank's faux outrage that genuinely rich people sometimes die, they are using the phrase "equally poor" on the back of the UK being found to be better than everyone else. Could you imagine if the UK suddenly led the world's economy post-Brexit, and Alistair Campbell did a hatchet job on British business? Wouldn't make sense, would it?

It's 2AM and the stream of consciousness style betrays the fact I've been on the whisky, but come on, yeah?