The Political Thread

[Frank]

Yes, a good chunk of them really are bigots, and the argument about 'redefining' the word marriage not being within Parliament's remit is amongst the most spurious, weaselly pieces of shit the 'anti' campaign spewed out. Or are they forgetting that "voter" was once defined as "white, land-owning man" ...?

I'd stand by my characterisation of the opposition to the current bill as largely composed of instinctively conservative little Lynne Trusses, who just want everything to stay the way it's always been because that's the way it's always been. The folk with the real ideological opposition to social reform, who are making a concerted effort to change the way the real world operates, are those who keep bankrolling and publicising legal challenges to legislation which makes it illegal for state officials to use their religious beliefs as a basis to deny folk their legal rights and access to public services.

When the executive and legislative parts of the body politic have proven themselves agin ye, the judiciary and the fourth estate are your next options. 'Mike Judge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, which helped fund Miss Ladele's case, added: "Christians will feel let down by this decision. It will only serve to reinforce the impression that Christians are being pushed to the sidelines of public life. "Our nation's highest court has effectively told them their concerns are not of general public importance." '

[Richmond Clements]

When the executive and legislative parts of the body politic have proven themselves agin ye, the judiciary and the fourth estate are your next options. 'Mike Judge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, which helped fund Miss Ladele's case, added: "Christians will feel let down by this decision. It will only serve to reinforce the impression that Christians are being pushed to the sidelines of public life. "Our nation's highest court has effectively told them their concerns are not of general public importance." '

So, the court decided that their belief system was equal in Law to the others and has no special exception. Hardly 'being pushed to the sidelines'.

[Frank]

So, the court decided that their belief system was equal in Law to the others and has no special exception. Hardly 'being pushed to the sidelines'.

I'd argue that the spectacle of the appeal and the use to which it was put by the media served the ends of its financial backers better than a win would have done. The outcome is largely irrelevant and was never really in doubt.

[paddykafka]

So Fianna Fail, the political party that - in conjunction with the banks, speculators and property-developers - decimated the Irish economy, is now, according to a recent survey, the most popular among voters in the Irish Republic.

Yes, you read that correctly, folks. Despite making a complete bags of the place, these cretinous cankers on the arse of the body politic would be voted back in tomorrow if there was an election.

There is only one word to describe anyone who would vote for these clowns, and that is "Moron" !

Remember those old Punch cartoons depicting the stupid, greedy, drunken Irish gobshites holding their caps out for whatever shillings they could get? Reading today's newspaper's has me thinking we deserve that reputation.

Is it any fucking wonder that I'm a misanthrophist?

[Old Tankie]

Sorry to hear that.  Is it painful?!  Bit like shingles, is it?

[JayzusB.Christ]

So Fianna Fail, the political party that - in conjunction with the banks, speculators and property-developers - decimated the Irish economy, is now, according to a recent survey, the most popular among voters in the Irish Republic.

Yes, you read that correctly, folks. Despite making a complete bags of the place, these cretinous cankers on the arse of the body politic would be voted back in tomorrow if there was an election.

I hear you.  I just can't understand it - have the electorate got the memory of a goldfish?  Because it's not like FF have done anything in the meantime to salvage their reputation. For fuxake.

[TordelBack]

I just can't understand it - have the electorate got the memory of a goldfish?  Because it's not like FF have done anything in the meantime to salvage their reputation. For fuxake.

Goldfish memories, or just feel the Blueshirts and their power-hungry ideology-traitor allies* have by now demonstrated sufficiently little wit and empathy in their largely nominal stewardship of this rudderless clusterfuck of a state that it's now socially acceptable to return to the Civil War allegiances that make us all feel so connected to our glorious past of murdering each other and blaming someone else.

*The party I inexplicably keep voting for, despite their unbroken track record of propping up whatever wealth-obsessed knobs look like they might not get in otherwise.

[MercZ]

So Fianna Fail, the political party that - in conjunction with the banks, speculators and property-developers - decimated the Irish economy, is now, according to a recent survey, the most popular among voters in the Irish Republic.

The revolving door of politics is a weird thing, but it seems the way it works now. Party performs less than expected and the one before gets popular again. Then they get back into power. Rinse, wash, and repair.

[JayzusB.Christ]

The party I inexplicably keep voting for, despite their unbroken track record of propping up whatever wealth-obsessed knobs look like they might not get in otherwise.

Me too.  The only reason being that the only electable alternatives are slightly more bungling and cynical oafs.

[maryanddavid]

To be honest what are the alternatives, FF or SF? Both government parties are coming in for a kicking for very legitmate and stupid decision, and also coming in for criticisims for decisions that they have to make. So if Im a pissed off voter with FG and La where do I send my vote?
SF may be a political force in the future, but they need to get coherent policy and put all skeletons firmly in the ground.
FF is the only alternative, not that I would ever give them the vote but I can understand the reason for the result.

[Stan]

I don't deny the Lib Dems were pushing for it. They're the one party you'd expect to do so. I just don't think Dave was forced into this position. Though I will admit it's all very bizarre, so who knows really? There must be a good reason Dave slashed his own throat this way but I can't fathom what it is.

Aye and No. Dave's been making speeches for the last five years which demonstrated that he was in favour of this and didn't mind pissing off the minority of the country and his party who feel strongly about this (non) issue. The 50/50 split in the parliamentary Conservative party vote in the free vote over this bill isn't representative of the strength of felling in the UK as a whole, where most folk couldn't give a toss one way or the other and where a defacto form of gay marriage already exists in everything but name.

Those rebelling Tory MPs knew they could afford to look like they were taking a principled stand to the vocal minority of their constituents who were making phone calls and organising campaigns, safe in the knowledge that the vote would always go the way their party's leadership intended. Dave hands an olive branch to his coalition partners, so they can go back to their party faithful and say look what we made the Tories do! (even though Dave didn't mind doing it at all), allowing them to save a little face as they go along with policies which are antithetical to their core principles.

Meanwhile, all the pictures of Dave on my telly for the last few days have been of him delivering a Thatcher-like "No-No-No" outside the EU building, telling the media that he's going to make Johnny Foreigner acquiesce to British demands that they adopt an Osbourne-style austerity program. If there's one touchstone issue for UK Conservatives, it's Europe, and they love a bit of Frog/Kraut-bashing much more than they dislike the idea of marriage between homosexuals . The folk who were opposing that bill weren't really bigots, they were the kind of folk who obsess over the correct use and definition of words and who still can't get over the fact that Snickers, Starburst and Cif used to be called one thing and are now called another - even though it makes no real fucking difference to the way things are.

I don't think the phony budget cut helped him to be honest. If the blogosphere is anything to go by people are even more pissed. Then you have the secret vote etc. Any positive could be wiped out North Korea style. Thus pissing people off even more.

Then he made the mistake of telling people this was one of his good reasons to stay in the EU.

[Stan]

What's another word for 'people'? I'll have to check the internet.

[MercZ]

This political cartoon came up during the release of US DoJ documents providing a justification for government drone strikes on citizens.

[Stan]

Excellent. :thumbs:

[Frank]

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Stonewall's Bigot of the Year and one of the men responsible for choosing a new Pope who can sort out Ratzinger's botched handling of decades of allegations of sexual abuse by the clergy, is facing accusations of making inappropriate advances to young priests: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21563345

If these allegations turn out to have any substance, you can chalk O'Brien's vociferous opposition to gay marriage - drawing an equivalence between renaming civil partnerships and legalising slavery (!) - to another case of the folk who get most worked up about things generally being those who are dissembling and displacing their own internal conflicts onto wider society. It allows you to understand his recent call for priests to be allowed to marry in an entirely different light.