The Political Thread

[The Legendary Shark]

Sir John Vickers (Chair of the ICB) has been instructed by the government to come up with proposals to ensure the future stability of the banking system. You can use this tool to tell him your thoughts on banking reform:

http://action.compassonline.org.uk/page/speakout/icblobby?js=false

The people of the world can no longer continue groaning under the unjustifiable financial demands of a very few insanely greedy people. It's time to start fighting back. The above doesn't address the core issue of private versus social money, but it's a start.

[Old Tankie]

But some politicians have been speaking out against him for years, (just not the ones you're thinking of), along with some journalists.  And as for him being a great danger to our democracy, he's almost as dangerous as a muzzled and controlled press, which is what we're going to get after all this nonsense if we're not careful.

[The Legendary Shark]

The more people who own newspapers/TV stations/Radio stations etc., the freer the press. The fewer owners, the less balanced the overall content. Democracy needs divers voices to be healthy, not just a few powerful moguls telling us what they think is right or wrong.

People like Murdoch are emblematic of the wider problems of the world. Too much power and wealth is being consolidated into the hands of too few people, stifling social diversity and social progress. We risk becoming peasants and serfs in a neo-feudalistic society ruled not by kings or presidents or emperors but by CEOs, bankers and accountants.

People like Murdoch need to be brought down to a manageable level. That is, beneath common law and not above it. Like the rest of us. Had it not been for this 'phone hacking scandal I'm fairly sure that his bid for BSkyB would have gone through whether there'd been petitions against it or not. It just became impossible for the government to not condemn these actions. So, it's only an accidental kind of a victory won by public opinion and circumstance. Still, a win is a win.

These are the kinds of things that give me hope for the future. No matter how corrupt or stupid members of parliament are, no matter how strenuously they push to impose their own agendas or the agendas of their backers - we can still push back. And we can push hard if we have to. It is we who hold the true power.

[Richmond Clements]

You fail to see the threat of a media baron whom politicians up until now didn't want to speak against through fear of what he'd say about them in the third of Britain's media he owns? Really? You're fine with someone having that much influence over elected MPs? Really?

No- I fail to see having no Sky TV as being in anyway a bad thing.

[Matt Timson]

[The Legendary Shark]

Heh, in that case we are in agreement.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Don't forget to boycott all films from Fox 

the studio is a subsidiary of News Corporation

[JOE SOAP]

A good thing Dredd is no longer under FOX Searchlight or you wouldn't be so right-on.

[vzzbux]

Less Sky more installations for me.




V

[JayzusB.Christ]

More Catholic Church cover-up scumbaggery in Ireland. When are we ever going to learn? Bosses working hard to cover up sexual crimes = criminal organisation. 

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

The more people who own newspapers/TV stations/Radio stations etc., the freer the press. The fewer owners, the less balanced the overall content. Democracy needs divers voices to be healthy, not just a few powerful moguls telling us what they think is right or wrong.

The Simpsons did a whole episode about that. I prefer the one about the monorail though

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

This Hacking story just keeps getting better and better

[JayzusB.Christ]

Scuse me for going off on my own tasngent again, but the Irish Government is now in a state of opposition to the Vatican, threatening it to stay out of our affairs!  If you grew up in the 80s in Ireland like me, this would have been absolutely unthinkable.
For my own part, I'm saying GET THE FUCK IN! I've been waiting for all my adult life.

[TordelBack]

Too little far too late, JBC.  I'd like to see the state tell the church (all churches, actually) that they have to fund their own abuse compensation in its entirety, and screw this 50% bullshit that they deny agreeing to. 

The argument that this would throw retired religious out on the street and close schools elicits a 'so drokking what' response from me - let the religious petition the Vatican for some of its billions, or live on state handouts like everyone else whose employers turned out to be corrupt incompetent bastards, and let the state take over the much-vaunted school property holdings. 

If those undertakings end up costing more than the compensation itself, well then at least we'll have rooted out those vipers once and for all.  Here endeth the lesson.

EDIT:  And now I feel like a vindictive shite.  I've known plenty of decent priests and the odd decent nun, and I've nothing against them.  It's the idea that their organisation is entitled to special treatment, in effect to be 'bailed out' like the other shower of crooks, that gets my goat.  Companies go the wall through no wrong-doing and get fuck all help, a shower of entrail-readers get caught covering up the widepsread fucking of children and get taxpayers money shovelled at them...

[JOE SOAP]

Scuse me for going off on my own tasngent again, but the Irish Government is now in a state of opposition to the Vatican, threatening it to stay out of our affairs!  If you grew up in the 80s in Ireland like me, this would have been absolutely unthinkable.
For my own part, I'm saying GET THE FUCK IN! I've been waiting for all my adult life.

When it's the likes of Alan Shatter saying all this...doesn't give one confidence and they really aren't going far enough with it. We'll need to see a few bishops in the stripey hole before it gets real.