The Political Thread

[von Boom]

Going to have to go with Mr Billy Connollys' view...." Anyone who actually wants to become a politician, should automatically be excluded from doing so "

Same goes for police officers, judges, or any position of relative authority.

[Hawkmumbler]

Disagree with you on Police Officers, whats wrong with aspiring to a position where you can actually help someone, rather than dicking about in Commons or in a law book?

[von Boom]

Nothing wrong with it. I just wish they did a better job weeding out the bad ones.

[The Legendary Shark]

Agree with Hawkmonger.

People who want these jobs should be nurtured and encouraged but the institutions themselves need to be shielded from corporate manipulation.

We need judges and politicians and so it's our responsibility as a society to provide them with protection from corruption as best we can.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Those same politicians mentioned something about a decent pay increase helping stop corruption, especially on their expenses.

[JamesC]

I used to share a house with a young lady police constable.
She wasn't the sharpest tool in the box and the Norwich police seemed to be about the most incestuous institution I've ever heard of (insert joke about Norfolk inbreeding here). If they spent as much time combating anti-social behaviour as trying to get in each other's pants we'd all be better off.

I picked up a bit of police slang though - my favourite being 'he was NFA'd'. It turned out NFA stands for 'No Further Action', but they'd use the term NFA'd to people to make them think that something was being done.
EG, 'We got the guy that nicked your bike and he's been NFA'd. He'll think twice next time!'

[Professor Bear]

Well, it's finally happened. Now they want to tax sunshine... m.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24272061

This is nothing new - that's why we have a "fuel tax" rather than a tax on the use of petrochemicals, to steal money from those who'd come up with alternatives to oil, even Joe Blogs and his chip fat engine.  See also: those court cases where people collecting river and rainwater were charged rates for it by their councils.

[Ancient Otter]

I picked up a bit of police slang though - my favourite being 'he was NFA'd'. It turned out NFA stands for 'No Further Action', but they'd use the term NFA'd to people to make them think that something was being done.
EG, 'We got the guy that nicked your bike and he's been NFA'd. He'll think twice next time!'

Pretty depressing but not unexpected. The last episode of the Adam Curtis series "The Trap" mentioned the rampant massaging of statistics and figures by government institutions to make it appear targets were being reached or exceeded.

[Professor Bear]

In a Conservative Britain, just because you're homeless doesn't mean you have nothing left to lose: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-seize-possessions-of-rough-sleepers-in-crackdown-on-homelessness-8631665.html

[JamesC]

In a Conservative Britain, just because you're homeless doesn't mean you have nothing left to lose: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-seize-possessions-of-rough-sleepers-in-crackdown-on-homelessness-8631665.html

It reminds me of that 'The Day Today' feature where they were clamping them.
They should get Kim Wilde to stage a protest.

[Frank]

"They [the police officers] were just taking the sleeping bags and chucking out everything. I asked to keep it, and the food, but they said 'No'.

Police later confirmed that the shocking intervention was part of a co-ordinated effort to "reduce the negative impact of rough sleepers".

I suppose if the homeless don't eat they'll get skinnier and make less of a visual impact. If the cops are short of cash for their Christmas party, can't they just issue more speeding fines, rather than stealing food from the homeless to provide the nibbles?

[The Legendary Shark]

If we saw police officers doing this, how many of us would try to stop them, I wonder? If we saw a gang of skinheads doing this, would we try to stop them?

I'm not judging here (not sure what I'd do myself, to be honest), I'm just curious.

At what point does one step in? Hopefully well before the police get the job of putting Certain People onto trucks bound for 'resettlement camps'.

"First they came for the homeless and I didn't speak up because I wasn't homeless..."

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Wise words Mr Shark, too many keyboard warriors in society who would standby and never put themselves at the slightest risk to help another.

[TordelBack]

...too many keyboard warriors in society who would standby and never put themselves at the slightest risk to help another.[/color]

You're right. What we need is some kind of professional law-enforcement agency that are actually trained and equipped to intervene in such situations.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

In the situation that is being talked about, there is obviously something wrong going on. It doesn't take a hero to walk up to the police and enquire as to what is happening.