The Political Thread

[Proudhuff]

Latest: After weeks of provarication and childishness, the Council has finally written a letter of apology to my Mother. Well, they call it a letter of apology but in my estimation it really isn't - it's a mealy-mouthed, flaccid letter of obfuscation and half-truths designed primarily to offer justification for the unjustifiable and an apology for how my Mum feels, not an apology for causing that feeling through despicable and unlawful behaviour.

I should be angry but I'm just amused. Some of the people involved have letters after their names and university time behind them but they are still too ignorant to know how apologies work. I'm as thick as two short planks but I can still see through the Council's clumsy and cowardly schemes with relative ease.

I'm counting that as a win, however, meagre and weak though it is.

2-1 to me, I think.

One of my pet hates: 'I'm sorry you feel that way'  instead of 'I'm sorry I done that' gggggr!

[von Boom]

Kind of like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSHaCzb3yYk

[Frank]

Heard the latest political "joke" from the Ukraine in an RT piece the other day: The UN, the UK, the USA and the EU have been discussing the situation and are all in complete agreement that there should be no interference in the internal affairs of the Ukraine - by Russia.

How is Russian state media reporting the event, Shark?

[The Legendary Shark]

See for yourself. Russia Today is on Sky Channel 512 (I don't kmow the Freesat number, sorry). Their website might be a good place to start...

[Frank]

See for yourself. Russia Today is on Sky Channel 512 (I don't kmow the Freesat number, sorry). Their website might be a good place to start...

I suppose you could call that balance, as long as the frothing jingoism of Fox News is on the other end of the see-saw.

[The Legendary Shark]

That's an interview with an anti-imperialist. The purpose of interviews is to express bias, points of view, to show how events are being interpreted by different people/organizations/perspectives. You might find actual reports from the News section a trifle less biased. And just so you know, I think all media is biased. Just because I enjoy watching RT, that doesn't mean I believe anything it says without question. It doesn't mean that everything the BBC says is a lie, either.

[ZenArcade]

Putin is a complicated little sh++t and no mistake, but I can't believe were belling the cat with him over this issue. Messing about with Russian naval facilities in the Black Sea area is uber provocative.
I can't understand the western Ukranians mad rush to take on a 40-60 Billion 'loan' from the western bankers. They'll mearly end up controllable debt slaves like the most of the western world (the way our masters want it by the way)!
Hope everyone pulls back from this one there's a lot of MIRV's floating about that part of the world.
Peace and brotherhood guys.Z

[Dudley]

The UN, the UK, the USA and the EU have been discussing the situation and are all in complete agreement that there should be no interference in the internal affairs of the Ukraine - by Russia.

Very good. I do feel slightly sorry for the people of Western Ukraine, even though they have rather brought this situation on their heads.

[Professor Bear]

Some - admittedly dated - political satire over on Bear Alley as Steve reprints some excerpts from the Spitting Image tie-in comic, featuring some contributions from 2000ad regulars like John Higgins and Steve Dillon:
http://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/spitting-image-part-1-steve-dillon.html
http://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/spitting-image-part-2-various.html

[The Legendary Shark]

Point of order; Jesus confronted the money changers, not  the money lenders.
.
Lending money in Jesus' time was not seen as wrong but the charging of interest on loans was seen as wrong - the sin of usury. The money changers were selling Temple Coins, special coins for use inside the temple, in exchange for everyday coins. The priesthood, I think, would determine  the exchange rate and  the money changers got around the usury laws by charging fees on the transactions.
.
Say what you like about him but Jesus knew about banking.

[Hawkmumbler]

What we are looking at with Ukraine is identical to Nazi Germanys invasion of Czechoslovakia before WW2. Stating the obvious maybe but it's not a good sign, doesn't help that as file a shit Putin is I can't deny the man sticks to his decisions.

[Modern Panther]

Today, experts supported the idea of a currency union between Scotland and the UK in the event of a yes vote in the upcoming independence referendum.  Strangely, this isn't being reported on the BBC news reports - not even in the badly put together BBC Scotland.

Instead, we've been informed that the BBC economics editor, Robert Peston, has "discovered" that RBS and Lloyds TSB "must" move to London on the event of Scottish independence...Except, they don't, because they're already in London...some lovely extracts from Peston's own report...

"may not matter."
" I labour the point."
"And RBS has two head offices, one in London, one in Scotland - and, to repeat (yawn)" 
"If you are still with me (many congratulations, by the way)"

This report only a couple of weeks after Peston "discovered" that Standard Life would quit Scotland in the event of a yes vote...Except, again, they said no such thing.  They suggested setting up a separate English company might be a good idea.

I used to trust the BBC, but their partisan reporting on Scottish issues is really starting to get my goat.

[Frank]

What we are looking at with Ukraine is identical to Nazi Germanys invasion of Czechoslovakia before WW2. Stating the obvious maybe but it's not a good sign, doesn't help that as file a shit Putin is I can't deny the man sticks to his decisions.

Russian intervention in South Ossetia seems like a more apt comparison. Vlad's backing down already.

[Ancient Otter]

Vlad's backing down already.

If you can't be bothered to read the article, this photo summarizes it with Putin on the left.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

I can't help but feel like that picture is insulting.

Insulting to dogs.