The Political Thread

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Just out of curiosity...is the RHI scandal in Northern Ireland much of a news story outside of our wee country?

[COMMANDO FORCES]

It's on the radio relatively a lot but only came to prominence on the TV with the collapse of the power sharing executive and even then they don't go into too much detail.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

OK.

If you don't mind me asking, what's your opinion on the whole thing?

And on a side note CF, did you ever serve in Norn Iron?

[COMMANDO FORCES]

I'm not fully up to speed but from what I gather, the renewable scheme was flawed from the start and when a whistle-blower stepped forward nothing happened initially, as the scheme ploughed on.
It seems that everyone is blaming others but Arlene Foster is the one in the running for the blame.

It's obviously a lot more complex than that but that's off the top of my head.

As for serving in NI, I did a bit and found the countryside very enjoyable. Just a pity I never got to enjoy the sights, which I intend to do with the family sometime over the next couple of years.

[Frank]

is the RHI scandal in Northern Ireland much of a news story outside of our wee country?

Like every other story right now, it depends what Donald Trump wrote on twitter the night before.

TV news went big on McGuiness's resignation and Foster having to stand for re-election, but they seem more interested in the personalities than the granular detail. I've heard about that guy and his empty barn dozens of times, but I'm not sure how the subsidy worked or why it went wrong.

In typical hand wringing fashion, the BBC ran an item worrying it hadn't given the story due prominence, because the dissolution of the power sharing agreement wasn't the top item on the running order that day.

[TordelBack]

Been following along down here, but to be honest as long as you nordies keep (most of) your shootings below crotch-level, we don't pay much attention to your largely incomprehensible doings.  Main interest would be what happens to SF priorities in the South, and what effect the superior McGuinness' manoeuvrings might have on the distinctly inferior Adams. 

Other than that, it's the Trumpxit duet, all day, all the time.  Our own professional political class must be ecstatic at the complete lack of scrutiny. 

[Hawkmumbler]

Rich Spencer got smacked in the maw again. Beautiful.

[Modern Panther]

There's an on going comedy sketch to be made out of that.

Rich Spencer, down the shops, waiting for that inevitable moment...Rich Spencer, in the park, still waiting...Rich Spencer, taking out the bins, hurrying in the fading dusk light...Rich Spencer, running a bath, when BLAM...another smack in the face.


If any of you Remoaners have a whole ten seconds to spare away from your on going attempts to undermine the sovereignty of the British people by insisting that British laws, enforced by British courts should be debated in the British parliament, the Bill the government spent a fortune trying not to publish is now available.  It's a corker.  Hold onto your hats.

[Jim_Campbell]

the Bill the government spent a fortune trying not to publish is now available.  It's a corker.  Hold onto your hats.

The Bill (and vote) are widely being discussed as if this is a vote to invoke Article 50. It isn't. The Bill gives back to Theresa May the powers the Supreme Court said she didn't have.

And Corbyn is going to put a three-line whip on his MPs to make them vote for it.

[Modern Panther]

Yup.  After so much effort and upset just to try to have a sensible debate over it, it turns out that there's little to say.  The lid dems will have a good old moan, but nobody cares about them anymore 'cause it turns out they'd sell their granny for a shot at power.  The SNP will raise some points, but be shouted down and declared dangerous secessionist.

In a few years time, when it's the '80s again and citrus fruit only comes in cans and the Russians have conquered Finland, we'll look back on this and laugh through our Trump-brand radiation filter masks.

[Professor Bear]

You may joke about the FibDems' chances, but their refusal to acknowledge the damage their time in coalition did to the party actually seems to be bearing fruit - despite their leader stating on the record that he would enter into coalition again.

And Corbyn is going to put a three-line whip on his MPs to make them vote for it.

And thanks to the Guardian fabricating that very story earlier in the week, it meant when the 3-line whip thing actually happened, people had been inoculated to the idea for several days.  Compare and contrast the angry reaction to the (fake) Guardian story to the resignation and sadness that greeted the announcement today.

[Theblazeuk]

Ah this is good http://www.areyousorryyet.com/

Getting me through my day of wondering why there's no headlines about a three-line whip on the Tories (Mrs May is ignoring her constituency... but you'll never know) and despair at Labour and the Lib Dems. Oh for electoral reform where I could vote for the Greens, just like in the mayoral election.

[Professor Bear]

Everyone knows the best way to fight a government is to attack its opposition.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Come on, Beadle, it's time to take the mask off. The hands gave you away months ago.

[The Legendary Shark]

Facebook's worrying me. I've seen a lot of otherwise decent people actively calling for Trump to be assassinated. Eight years ago, these same people would have been outraged at all the similar threats to Obama but now, apparently, calling for the premeditated murder of an "elected official" seems fine.

Isn't this dehumanization the kind of thing usually presaging a civil war? "This person, and by extension anyone who voted for or supports this person, is too stupid, bigoted and evil to be treated as human and can only be dealt with through force." I find this mindset to be intensely dangerous - I mean, can't the people spouting this rubbish see that they're being manipulated into spreading it just as perfectly reasonable people were manipulated into spreading similar opinions and rhetoric in 1930s Germany? Have we learned nothing?

It's okay to disagree with Trump, it's okay to disobey him - but to call for his murder? Absolutely and categorically not.

I am heartened, however, that such bloodthirsty idiocy has not infected this particular political thread.