This thread exists to discuss British politics.
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Recent political stuff:
- The vote to see if Britain should adopt Alternative Voting has failed.
- Lib Dems lose lots of councils and councillors, whilst Labour make the majority of the gains in England.
- The Scottish National Party do really well in the elections.
A link to the BBC politics page containing relevant information.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 3rd 2023 at 11:15:30 AM
Anka Aquila
@3of4
They forgot the red carpet Ireland is preparing for Northern Ireland.
Edited by raziel365 on Nov 15th 2018 at 1:08:26 AM
Instead of focusing on relatives that divide us, maybe we should try to find the absolutes that tie us.
Hey, that's not fair! Why Corsica and Sardinia without popcorn?
Figure of Hourai
Yes, I'm sure the Republic wants that to happen in a way guaranteed to restart the Troubles.
Avatar Source
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
It's from the German equivalent to The Daily Show 
it's not meant to be a serious representation
Figure of Hourai
I was responding to Raziel.
Avatar Source
Still. Misers. There's no reason to go all austerity on the popcorn. <air-shoot>
The borders on that map are kinda weird, now that I had a closer look at it.
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Anka Aquila
I might be misremembering but wasn't that a prospect that was being considered by both Irelands ever since this mess started?.
Edit:
I think it's because the borders are done on membership to the EU.
Edited by raziel365 on Nov 15th 2018 at 1:38:46 AM
Instead of focusing on relatives that divide us, maybe we should try to find the absolutes that tie us.
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
I think the Borders are "Eu" "Eu Adjacent" and "UK" with Popcorn being on Capitals
Even that doesn't make sense - Croatia's in the EU, but the map put it with the other former Yugoslav republics.
Meanwhile Russia got their own borders, but Belarus and Ukraine got merged.
Edited by DrunkenNordmann on Nov 15th 2018 at 10:46:28 AM
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
#justiceforislands
Also, Gibraltar should be a flaming hot chilli pepper. Because ain't no way they're pleased... yet, they didn't ask for any of this, so aren't exactly a self-inflicted flame.
Edited by Euodiachloris on Nov 15th 2018 at 9:50:35 AM
Servant of the Omnissiah
Quick question, what's the split between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland in terms of population? Because that'll be a pretty good indicator of how nasty it'll get once the Good Friday Agreement collapses.
I hope by every God living, dead and yet to be born that doesn't happen, but morbid curiousity prompts me to ask it anyway.
I hold the secrets of the machine.
Figure of Hourai
Large enough that the DUP and Sinn Fein both win elections. Sinn Fein is obviously more famously linked to paramilitary groups, but it's likely to be the unionist side that kick things off.
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Servant of the Omnissiah
![[down]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_down.png "[down]"){kind=icon}
Edited by TechPriest90 on Nov 15th 2018 at 10:35:38 AM
I hold the secrets of the machine.
Figure of Hourai
Or, to put it another way, the DUP and Sinn Fein currently get basically all the votes between them. If this goes wrong, there will be bloodshed.
Part of why I'm extremely annoyed at Sturgeon for saying that Scotland should get the same treatment as NI in the Brexit deal.
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Sturgeon's main interest is Scotland. But the proposal is naturally nonsensical, because the EU would never agree to it, if for no other reason that this would require a border between Scotland and England.
Captain of the Dead City
I suppose Sturgeon is asking for that because Scotland and NI are the two constituent states within the UK that voted Remain. But she's the leader of a party whose only concern is Scotland, so... y'know. Maybe she expects that it will be haggled down to something else so she's shooting high to start? But both the SNP and Plaid's comments on the deal that May announced was that there was no mention of Scotland or Wales (respecively) in all those 500+ pages. It's basically what I expected of them, they don't have much options but to fight for their corners.
"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
Figure of Hourai
It makes sense for her to try, but given the entire context for needing such an arrangement—including a land border which requires free movement with an EU state—it's more annoying than she normally is.
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Captain of the Dead City
Yes, NI's position certainly warrants preferential treatment and extra attention in this context. Even I as an supporter of near Pan-Celtic independence think she's reaching a bit here.
"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
I think she knows that. But that is not the point. The point is to paint a narrative that England was entirely unconcerned regarding the desires of Scotland. Which is easy to do since this is exactly what happened.
Anka Aquila
Add to that the mistrust the Scots have of England thanks to Maggie's run as Prime Minister.
Instead of focusing on relatives that divide us, maybe we should try to find the absolutes that tie us.
I don't know how many people have been following the UN's investigation into the British government's handling of social and welfare policy (the UN's already previously concluded that the government's been in violation of human rights since 2013).
The two-week visit of the UN poverty envoy ended today after two weeks of travelling around the country talking to ordinary people, NGOs, charities, organisations, and politicians. An article from Wednesday had this to say:
It took a UN envoy to hear how austerity is destroying lives
His full report will be released next year, but he released his summary to the press today. I'm only quoting highlights lowlights. I recommend reading it in full, and then reading the links at the bottom of the story to other articles the Guardian has written as it followed the UN envoy around the country.
I was going to bold stand-out text, but I stopped. Read it all.
And here is the Guardian report on the press summary Alston gave today:
UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN says
Philip Alston, the UN’s rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, ended a two-week fact-finding mission to the UK with a stinging declaration that levels of child poverty were “not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster”, even though the UK is the world’s fifth largest economy,
In an excoriating 24-page report, which will be presented to the UN human rights council in Geneva next year, the eminent human rights lawyer said that in the UK “poverty is a political choice”.
- Austerity Britain was in breach of four UN human rights agreements relating to women, children, disabled people and economic and social rights. “If you got a group of misogynists in a room and said how can we make this system work for men and not for women they would not have come up with too many ideas that are not already in place,” he said.
- The limit on benefits payments to only the first two children in a family was “in the same ballpark” as China’s one-child policy because it punished people who had a third child.
- Cuts of 50% to council budgets were slashing at Britain’s “culture of local concern” and “damaging the fabric” of society.
- The middle classes would “find themselves living in an increasingly hostile and unwelcoming society because community roots are being broken”.
The government said it “completely disagreed” with Alston’s analysis. A spokesperson said household incomes were at a record high, income inequality had fallen and that universal credit, which Alston attacked as “Orwellian” and “fast falling into universal discredit”, was supporting people into work faster.
“Even while devolved authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland are frantically trying to devise ways to ‘mitigate’, or in other words counteract, at least the worst features of the government’s benefits policy, ministers insisted to me that all is well and running according to plan.”
Edited by Wyldchyld on Nov 16th 2018 at 7:08:59 PM
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
Servant of the Omnissiah
That UN Envoy thing is....Gods, it's harrowing.
This is the Thatcherite Consensus that everyone likes to play up as the greatest thing ever? This twisted outcome?
I'm beginning understand why people sometimes want to string up every Thatcherite politician and bureaucrat on lamp-posts. This is one of those times.
No wonder some people call her Syphilis Incarnate.
I hold the secrets of the machine.
Anka Aquila
Now I can understand why that old hag was so hated on her lifetime and afterwards.
Jesus Christ, I knew things were bad but not to this extent, and the worst is that this is only the starters before Brexit is finished and the country goes toys in the attic.
Instead of focusing on relatives that divide us, maybe we should try to find the absolutes that tie us.
My first reaction was to twitch at no bonfire in Wales. Even though it's legally accurate for the English bonfire to consume Wales as well.
My second reaction was basically 'WTH, first reaction?!'
Edited to add:
My third reaction was 'Well, that's a page topper!'
Edited by Wyldchyld on Nov 15th 2018 at 9:07:42 AM
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.