The Political Thread

[Professor Bear]

I know what you are but what am I?

Damn - intellectually out-thunked again!

[Old Tankie]

 

[Hawkmumbler]

Even Judge Dredd understands how this sort of thing works.

Uuuuurrrmmmm....

[TordelBack]

Even Judge Dredd understands how this sort of thing works.

Uuuuurrrmmmm....

"These were good people, Chief Judge.  Decent law-fearing citizens.  Grud knows we see all too few of them.  Maybe I was wrong, but I figured they deserved a break". - A Brutal Indoctrinated Fascist, Prog 388.

Point being, even Dredd knows all rules have exceptions that derive from basic decency.  Plus, you know, mutants: do what is right, not what is easy.

I now feel like a maroon for dragging Dredd references into real-world situations, surely a reversal of what this thread is for.

[The Legendary Shark]

Drokk no, Tordels - this isn't Hansard so I think it's perfectly reasonable to reference Dredd (or any other Twoothy story) to make or support a point. In fact, given whereabouts on the interweb we are, it would seem churlish not to allow them or to demean them.

Just for fun, I did search for Dredd on Hansard's site and found this, which only goes to show that even some politicians get how old Joe's world is a future we really don't want coming to pass. So, reference away!

[The Legendary Shark]

So now the pointless politicians want to legislate love. The proposed "Cinderella Law" seems to me to be something even Dredd wouldn't be too happy with.

Sure, it all sounds very reasonable to protect children from emotional abuse but, who's to decide when a parent saying "no" to their child constitutes abuse? My parents regularly verbally forced me to do something which the young me found to be upsetting, demeaning and painful. They did this almost every day of my young life despite me sometimes actually begging them not to make me do it. The fact that they never listened to me, never took my feelings into account on the matter and simply expected me to comply with their vile order is something that has scarred me deeply ever since - but it wasn't child abuse. They merely made me go to school.

And what about all those times when I couldn't have that birthday or Christmas present I wanted? The times when I scraped my knee and there was no comfort beyond a quick band-aid applied by a busy parent? Or all the times I was made to go on trips I didn't want to? Or the trips I wanted to undertake that I wasn't allowed to? My childish despair at such times seemed bottomless and cruelly inflicted. It is chilling, to me, to think that in future parents might face actual jail time for such "abuse".

Authority is out of control. We are the authority, not these Westminster airheads.



This Independent opinion piece puts it far more eloquently than I ever could.

[Dandontdare]

the proposed extension to the badger cull has been abandoned following the (clearly predictable) failure of the pilot scheme.

Could a glimmer of common sense be creeping into government? Ah no, wait a minute:

"Defra's own independent assessment shows that culls in two pilot areas were not effective, and raised questions about their humaneness. These pilot culls will continue, though there will be no independent oversight to assess their future performance."

[NapalmKev]

the proposed extension to the badger cull has been abandoned following the (clearly predictable) failure of the pilot scheme.

Could a glimmer of common sense be creeping into government? Ah no, wait a minute:

"Defra's own independent assessment shows that culls in two pilot areas were not effective, and raised questions about their humaneness. These pilot culls will continue, though there will be no independent oversight to assess their future performance."

They'll be going after Cats next!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/first-cases-alert-pet-cats-spread-tb-to-four-people-9220060.html

[Ancient Otter]

I now feel like a maroon for dragging Dredd references into real-world situations, surely a reversal of what this thread is for.

Well we are on the official forums of the publisher of Judge Dredd so if you can't do it here...

[The Legendary Shark]

Back to my usual "conspiracy theory" that banks create money out of nothing, I've been struggling through the Bank of England's Quarterly Bulletin 2014 Q1 document and, sure enough it says:

"Commercial banks create money, in the form of bank deposits, by making new loans.  When a bank makes a loan, for example to someone taking out a mortgage to buy a house, it does not typically do so by giving them thousands of pounds worth of banknotes.  Instead, it credits their bank account with a bank deposit of the size of the mortgage.  At that moment, new money is created.For this reason, some economists have referred to bank deposits as 'fountain pen money', created at the stroke of bankers' pens when they approve loans."

The Report, at least insofar as I have read it up to now, does not address the quandry of interest which is at the heart of current financial problems. If only the initial loan or mortgage amount is created (through the authorizing signature of the borrower) then where does the extra money to pay the interest come from? In theory, as the borrower authorized the creation of the original loan or mortgage amount just by signing for it, why cannot the interest payments be met in the same manner? And why do you need to "pay back" the amount that has already been created and spent?

The politician who addresses these questions might just get my vote.

[Professor Bear]

Change.org petition to make Maria Miller pay back all the cash she stole or resign:

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/maria-miller-mp-either-pay-back-45-000-in-fraudulent-expense-claims-or-resign

A nice sentiment, I suppose, only she sold the house in question a while back for a profit, so I don't see her paying back the cash as that much of a financial hardship.  Still, signing takes two seconds of your time, and when the papers and commentators come to announce how many people have expressed their opinion on the matter, a petition helps put a firm number to the amount of people who might be a bit angry at a benefits cheat getting 45-90,000 pounds of taxpayer money and then being told she has Ian Duncan Smith's support to do so.
Because we're all in this together.

[Frank]

I'm bereft. Maria Miller was by far my favourite of all the Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and I just don't see how we're ever going to find another Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who can fill this vital role as well as she has during her time in office.

It's vital we find someone of a similar calibre to replace Maria Miller to this most vital and high profile of all the offices of state. Sajid Javid seems like a decent enough guy, but he's no Maria Miller, and I'm not sure this billionaire former Vice Chairman of Chase Manhattan has the strength and depth of experience of a Maria Miller.

Let's not forget, this man now has operational control of all British culture. He's now in charge of Shakespeare, must make key strategic decisions regarding Coronation Street in real time, and will be responsible for all Premiership transfers. No wonder they transferred the under performing Jeremy Hunt to the NHS, where he can do no real harm.

[Old Tankie]

The fact that he's a billionaire (according to you) is about as relevant to his new job as the fact that he's the son of a bus driver!

[ZenArcade]

Well it is: haven't seen too many bus drivers basking in the sunny upper environs of expactory controldom. Just lots of old school dimbos who are busy sending us off on the road to impoverished filter down slavery. Z 

[Frank]

The fact that he's a billionaire (according to you) is about as relevant to his new job as the fact that he's the son of a bus driver!

Some irony appears to have found its way into my post, Tankie. I can only apologise.