[DISCUSSION] The Politics Thread

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Slartibartfast** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 5:38 pm

Xeno wrote:Cal is back.

Slartibartfast wrote:
Xeno wrote:You would be wrong, you were alive when John Smith was in charge of the Party, then Nu Labour took over when he died. That said it's still debatable whether he would have won a General election.

He had already started the move towards abolishing Clause 4 long before Blair actually did it.

That I didn't know. hmmm.

Well, in the sense that he was reforming the party and moving against the Marxist wing of the Party. Reforming of clause 4 was probably going to happen.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Moggy** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 6:45 pm

Fatal Exception wrote:

This is comedy gold. Honestly, I wish Cal wasn't banned so he could respond to this gooseberry fool.

I was laughing too hard when he said that we might not have heard about their manifesto because of the media black out of UKIP. :lol:

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Hexx** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 6:55 pm

What the hell is happening at 1.17?

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Irene Demova** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 6:56 pm

The EUFOs are abducting the jobs

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Rex Kramer** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:30 pm

I, for one, welcome our new ufo flying EU overlords.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Dandy Kong** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:03 am

Would that spray-painted U at the end be a reference to V?

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Slartibartfast** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:19 am

First Bob Crow, now Tony Benn! The left are getting killed off...

Edit - and both presenters on BBC breakfast called him Tony Bear by mistake. :fp:

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Rex Kramer** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:26 am

RIP Tony Benn, love him or hate him (and at one point it was difficult to fall in between those two opinions) he was something that is sadly missing from politics today - a conviction politician.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Fatal Exception** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 11:40 am

Things are so much worse now :dread:

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Alvin Flummux** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:41 pm

I guess the Aussies are protesting their prime minister. Over a hundred thousand turned out, including some 12,000-ish in Sydney alone:

Protesters say they are non-partisan, but united in frustration with the Abbott Government's approach on numerous policy issues.

Demonstrators waving placards have today voiced anger on issues including climate change, the treatment of asylum seekers, marriage equality, the tax system and media ownership.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-16/p ... es/5324048

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Learning Curve** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:56 pm

Fatal Exception wrote:

Things are so much worse now

It's sad that he never lived to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The class war against workers is still continuing and the Tories are still looting the country. Even in the last year he would have seen the Royal Mail being sold for half its value in order to appease the financial backers who donate the majority of Conservative party funds. They did not even face real opposition any more, only hiding their attentions with a token sum put aside for ordinary investors in a vain attempt to place a fig leaf over a blatant wealth grab. This after having the gall to speak so harshly about looters in the London riots. I guess it's okay if you are wearing a suit and use the proper acronyms.

IMO, it will probably take a minor revolution in order to restore the social contract to what it once was. Hopefully it will be a more or less peaceful achieved through occupying government buildings but new the growing 'terrorism' powers being handed to police seem to be building up to capability to crush future dissent.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Fatal Exception** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:34 pm

Learning Curve wrote:
Fatal Exception wrote:

Things are so much worse now

It's sad that he never lived to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The class war against workers is still continuing and the Tories are still looting the country. Even in the last year he would have seen the Royal Mail being sold for half its value in order to appease the financial backers who donate the majority of Conservative party funds. They did not even face real opposition any more, only hiding their attentions with a token sum put aside for ordinary investors in a vain attempt to place a fig leaf over a blatant wealth grab. This after having the gall to speak so harshly about looters in the London riots. I guess it's okay if you are wearing a suit and use the proper acronyms.

IMO, it will probably take a minor revolution in order to restore the social contract to what it once was. Hopefully it will be a more or less peaceful achieved through occupying government buildings but new the growing 'terrorism' powers being handed to police seem to be building up to capability to crush future dissent.

If it starts, I'm there. Can someone else start it though? :slol:

Safety in numbers.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **1cmanny1** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 10:49 pm

Alvin Flummux wrote:I guess the Aussies are protesting their prime minister. Over a hundred thousand turned out, including some 12,000-ish in Sydney alone:

Protesters say they are non-partisan, but united in frustration with the Abbott Government's approach on numerous policy issues.

Demonstrators waving placards have today voiced anger on issues including climate change, the treatment of asylum seekers, marriage equality, the tax system and media ownership.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-16/p ... es/5324048

"Resign Dickhead" :lol:

But he has a NZ wife!

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Alvin Flummux** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 11:03 pm

Yes, but she has Tony Abbott as her husband. :dread:

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Shadow** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 11:06 pm

Fatal Exception wrote:
Learning Curve wrote:
Fatal Exception wrote:

Things are so much worse now

It's sad that he never lived to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The class war against workers is still continuing and the Tories are still looting the country. Even in the last year he would have seen the Royal Mail being sold for half its value in order to appease the financial backers who donate the majority of Conservative party funds. They did not even face real opposition any more, only hiding their attentions with a token sum put aside for ordinary investors in a vain attempt to place a fig leaf over a blatant wealth grab. This after having the gall to speak so harshly about looters in the London riots. I guess it's okay if you are wearing a suit and use the proper acronyms.

IMO, it will probably take a minor revolution in order to restore the social contract to what it once was. Hopefully it will be a more or less peaceful achieved through occupying government buildings but new the growing 'terrorism' powers being handed to police seem to be building up to capability to crush future dissent.

If it starts, I'm there. Can someone else start it though? Safety in numbers.

I guess the problem is that it's always baby steps, they erode our liberty and wealth stability over such a long period that there's never that one thing that makes you kick down doors and make funny banners.

The state of the country now and the total bullshit the Tories have gotten away with over the last few years is so depressing. I know Labour "aren't much better", but they are better. And I actually think a Lib-Lab coalition could be pretty decent, assuming Libs get any seats to form one with.

If the Tories get in again next time out, I'm bailing on this country. Too much good gooseberry fool going on in Canada to stick around here watching the place fall apart.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Learning Curve** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 11:49 am

Naomi Klein sums things up pretty well in the idea of the shock doctrine (if nothing else, the amount of panicked bile being poured on her work by the established more or less proves that she is onto something). Basically, you create a crisis or take advantage of an existing one in order to exploit the emotional state of the population to push through exploitative and restrictive social policy. For example, the agenda of globalisation (the "global race" as Cameron likes to frame it) is pushed forward in order to frighten people into accept worse pay deals and working conditions and the global war on terror is pushed to frighten people into accepting diminishing civil liberties. Anyone who objects is dismissed as being economically naive and that globalisation can benefit everyone (despite three decades of international market deregulation only leading to deepening inequality both nationally and internationally) and having an idealistic and reckless attitude to state security (despite dying in a terrorist attack being marginally more likely than being struck by lightning). Internet freedom and privacy is being clamped down on under the guise of fighting a small group of peadophiles and extremists, ruthlessly using emotional issues like the safety of children in order to forward the agenda of state agencies who view all citizens as potential enemies unless proven otherwise. The list goes on. "Never let a good crisis go to waste." has been a very effective mantra.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **PCCD** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 12:20 pm

This made me laugh more than it should have :fp:

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Qikz** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 12:33 pm

1cmanny1 wrote:
"Resign Dickhead"
But he has a NZ wife!

No wonder they want rid.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **Eighthours** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:55 pm

Owen Jones has indulged in some pretty expert trolling here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... stent-myth

It's all completely ludicrous, but amusing.

EDIT: Christ, the comments with people AGREEING with the bullshit in the article are gold.

PostRe: The Politics Thread by **TigaSefi** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 4:26 pm

Eighthours wrote:Owen Jones has indulged in some pretty expert trolling here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... stent-myth

It's all completely ludicrous, but amusing.

EDIT: Christ, the comments with people AGREEING with the bullshit in the article are gold.

This made me laugh in the comment section

"These comments have been chosen by Guardian staff because they contribute to the debate."

And the actual comment was

Since David Kelly and Hutton something has changed at the BBC. Our state broadcaster now represents the state. The satirical lampooning of political figures, and critical reporting of policies I remember from the 90s is a thing of the past. Its news output is now subtly pro-government. Key people are unashamedly political while hiding behind the organisation's former 'impartiality'.
Owen Jones mentions a few with explicit right-wing connections, but he missed Andrew Marr and Jeremy Vine, both of whom are given a huge platform to push their personal biases. What I find most disturbing is the elevation of the news presenter/commentator into a personality in their own right (just look at the intro to the Marr show!). Instead of presenting the facts, these people are now 'news celebrities' with the power to set the agenda explicitly.
Radio 2 frequently, when soliciting reaction from the public, 'suggests' particular opinions, arguments or justifications that a potential caller 'might' have. No need to actually listen to the callers when Jeremy is there to tell us the range of acceptable opinions.
On a recent Jeremy Vine show about undercover policing, he repeatedly cut off a lady as she attempted to make a point about the police infiltrating legal protest groups, with something akin to 'I'll let you make that point later'. Instead he attempted to conflate undercover infiltration of drug and human trafficking gangs with infiltration of protest groups, asking the lady to concede that undercover policing was acceptable.
Letting an interviewee make a point, or not. If that isn't spin I don't know what is.

Which happens to fit Guardian's agenda to a T! As I said before, the Guardian newspaper needs to be burnt at the stakes.

[DISCUSSION] The Politics Thread

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