The Political Thread

[Roger Godpleton]

NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARIES TODAY WHOO

[johnnystress]

I've been depressed by this thread all day...I should let it go

[JOE SOAP]

You are johnnystress.

[Beaky Smoochies]

Thank you for your polite response to my very impolite comment Beaky, but I think we had best agree to fundamentally, utterly, completely disagree!  It is good that we can find common ground in our affection for a comic, but, uh, I think that's about it.

You're welcome dude, you're a gentleman, now onto that Dredd trailer (on another thread, of course)...

I wouldn't presume that anyone is automatically left-wing just because they don't agree with your views Beaky -an extremist position- nor would I see your views as particularly 'conservative' or promoting freedom and liberty but that's politics for ya. One man's left is another's right.

I never said anyone was automatically left-wing because they disagreed with my views, but point taken nonetheless, although I strongly disagree that my opinions are "extreme", THAT'S the point I was trying to make in that the organised Left attempt to paint everyone who holds a conservative viewpoint as 'extreme', my views on the protection of life and the institution of marriage are exactly that reflected in the Irish Constitution, just saying, but good points made, I understand and respect your viewpoint...

Mitt Romney has about as much chance of being the next President of the United States as Wallace, oops! sorry, Ed Miliband has of being the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom!

Not according to recent opinion polls which put Mitt Romney around six points ahead of Obama, but things can change on a dime, and certainly Republicans are going to have to fight tooth-and-nail and hammer-and-tongs to get back the White House, they cannot take for granted they'll beat Obama, George Soros' manchuriuan president isn't gonna go quietly into the night without a low-down-and-dirty Chicago brawl... now what about that whole Scottish independence thing then...?

[Old Tankie]

Ah! Beaky Smoochies, ......the Scottish Independence thing......... Now, I wouldn't have brought this subject up myself but, being as you've asked for my opinion, as an Englishman I hope and pray that I live long enough to see the day when they depart!!  But, to be honest, I think our friends north of the Border will "bottle" it.  Incidentally, I think that a referendum that could result in the breakup of the United Kingdom should be voted on by every part of the United Kingdom and, if it was, I feel we would definitely be saying "Bye, bye" to Scotland!!  ...................... Well, you did ask!!!!!

[Spikes]

Wish somebody would offer the English Independence.

[Roger Godpleton]

My first decree as Boarder of the Year 2011 is that this thread only be used for stupid jokes from now on as Linker-in-Chief johnnystress is feeling unwell.

[Modern Panther]

I wish the government would offer English independence to.  Then maybe us Jocks could stop subsidising your Olympics.

[Spikes]

Tut, 

[vzzbux]

I say go for a referendum. But you can guarantee that if it fails there will be a push for another.





V

[johnnystress]

My first decree as Boarder of the Year 2011 is that this thread only be used for stupid jokes from now on as Linker-in-Chief johnnystress is feeling unwell.

Just the feeling off your favourite pub being invaded by people you find objectionable

I'll get over it

Thanks though

[JOE SOAP]

I never said anyone was automatically left-wing because they disagreed with my views, but point taken nonetheless, although I strongly disagree that my opinions are "extreme", THAT'S the point I was trying to make in that the organised Left attempt to paint everyone who holds a conservative viewpoint as 'extreme', my views on the protection of life and the institution of marriage are exactly that reflected in the Irish Constitution, just saying, but good points made, I understand and respect your viewpoint...

Fair enough, but if Republicans/Conservatives are the 'guardians' of morality and the sanctity of marriage why is it the political party with the most sex offenders, paedophiles and hypocritic closet-gay-men? Not to mention Mitt Romney's polygamistic potential for multiple wives, more beds in the White House please!

I'm no admirer of the Democrats lack of scruples either but personally I think politics shouldn't have anything to do with how consenting adults wish to live their own private lives. Whatever unions they choose to live within should be at least equal with the rights of everyone else and respected. That kind of urge to control such a private thing is 'extreme' to me.

There are plenty of anachronisms I could point out in the Irish Constitution -including the blasphemy law- that really have no bearing on rationality and the rights of individuals, picking the ones that suit an argument doesn't really mean anything.

[Steve Green]

I wish the government would offer English independence to.  Then maybe us Jocks could stop subsidising your Olympics.

'Our' Olympics?

I wanted nothing to do with that jumped up sports day...

[Beaky Smoochies]

Whatever unions they choose to live within should be at least equal with the rights of everyone else and respected. That kind of urge to control such a private thing is 'extreme' to me.

Believe it or not, I actually agree with you to a point, what consenting adults choose to do with each other is their business alone (as Thomas Jefferson once said, "That government is best which governs least"), and why government is even concerned with who marries who, I'll never know, you didn't even have to register your marriage with the government in Great Britain before the 1840's, and in Ireland (when you lot were still part of the U.K.) before the 1860's, who you choose to marry is, or rather SHOULD be, between you, your spouse-to-be, the church (if you want a religious ceremony), and God - the only time you should have to present any official certification of marriage would be for purposes of taxation and/or adoption, apart from that, leave people alone to live their lives as they see fit, I think THAT'S a pretty conservative opinion, I'll hope you agree, Joe my friend...

There are plenty of anachronisms I could point out in the Irish Constitution -including the blasphemy law- that really have no bearing on rationality and the rights of individuals, picking the ones that suit an argument doesn't really mean anything.

Tsk, tsk, Joe, Dev will be turning in his grave if he heard that, I don't know what The Big Fella' would have made of it, though ...

As for the Scottish independence thing, if I were David Cameron, I'd be pushing for the 'devo max' option to be included in the referendum, if that question is included, I'll bet every penny I own right now that the Scottish people will reject full independence but go with that instead, in which case, the Union survives intact, with Cameron claiming credit for saving it via his gamble on 'devo max', AND the Conservatives get rid of almost all (with probably a single-digit number of Scots MP's returning to Westminster as opposed to the current 52) those Scottish Labour and Lib Dem MP's, making it much harder for the Left to return to Downing Street anytime soon, it really is a win-win situation for the Tories, in my opinion...

[Modern Panther]

Well if they're not our olympics, and they're not your olympics...must just belong to Boris.  Bless 'im, the Tories'll keep him in a job at any cost.

as for devo max as an appeasement policy, labour tried the same thing in'97 with devolution.  They thought it would kill nationalism stone dead. The main Westminster parties are pushing for a vote right now because only about thirty percent ofscots would vote for independence right now. The SNP want another couple of years to try to get this figure up.  That said, the best way to get more people to support the snp is for Cameron to tell them not to. The conservatives are the fourth party at Holyrood, almost a fringe party.