The Politics Thread 2020

[Anon]

1 minute ago, maxjam said:

That quotes not lost on me, everyone else will have to wonder wtf I'm on about ?

It's like poetry. It rhymes.

[rynny]

3 minutes ago, maxjam said:

That quotes not lost on me, everyone else will have to wonder wtf I'm on about ?

[ramit]

24 minutes ago, SchtivePesley said:

And the police have arrested a CNN crew reporting the violence?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-52849358/minneapolis-unrest-cnn-reporter-arrested-live-on-air

I wonder how much further into the depths of facism the US has to sink before people stop looking for loopholes to defend it?

A lot lower, i suspect.  It's all the fault of the left, don't ya know.  The old, look what you're making us do, is a handy tool.

[jono]

2 hours ago, 86 Schmokes & a Pancake said:

Care to quote a single post where you've been labelled a heretic or a Nazi? Any one will do.

The folk on here are far too nice to do that 

[CWC1983]

Anyone see Question Time last night? 

Helen Whately, our Health and Care minister was absolutely hopeless. She was like a rabbit in the headlights. Her lack of knowledge was embarrassing. Almost everything she did say was straight off the prepared script.

John Swinney wasnt much better. 

The new version of question time is much better.

The lack of clapping and cheering is making the politicians think about their answers. Before, it was just soundbites to encourage the audience to clap and cheer. 

Its easy to see the ones that dont have the debating or overall knowlage to overcome this. 

 

[jono]

2 hours ago, 86 Schmokes & a Pancake said:

Have I said it's not? If you'd had the wit to read the post I responded to you might have grasped that I'm disputing the relevance of Brexit. Of course he's disliked, He's ducking repugnant. 

 

My post makes no mention of 'interpreting lockdown rules'. And just because you choose to believe something doesn't make it fact. 

 

Cool story bro. Completely irrelevant but thanks for sharing.

I'm guessing you pitch yourself in the 'wise men' group and everyone who does not share your opinions is an 'obedient fool'. Bravo old boy. It must be very comforting for you.

I'll resist the urge to respond to your 'pathetic' comment and I see no need to address your crass football analogy either.

Have a good day.

Oh dear, I seems we might have had a fall out. But on the last point .. yes, I do and on here most of the people I chat with fall in to the same category. Even you (most of the time)

[bigbadbob]

21 hours ago, TuffLuff said:

Well why don’t we look into it and see

The Vaughan Gething Case-

The accusation: Snapped eating chips

Reasoning: On his permitted exercise for the day and his child needed something to eat. Claims everything he did was in the rules within the Welsh lockdown rules. 

Verdict: There’s no evidence to suggest he did anything wrong. Certainly didn’t drive anybody with symptoms across the country or anything so I think we are ok to agree that this one is solved? Not guilty, go and enjoy your chips.

The Stephen Kinnock Case

Accusation: Went to visit parent on said parents birthday

Reasoning: A short and simple. Took ‘necessary’ items to his dad, maintained distance and didn’t stay long. 

Verdict: Not the smartest move to post this ok twitter, but considering he didn’t drive anybody with symptoms, maintained a social distance or driving to test eye sight then i think he’s ok here surely? Got a good shoeing on twitter, a reminder of responsibilities by the twitter plod and I imagine a bit of a roasting in private. Not guilty but take it on the chin!

The Tahir Ali case

Accusation: Attended funeral with over ‘100 people’

Reasoning: No reason given, but he went as an observer. Quick couple of things to observe though. One this quote, “West Midlands Police confirmed it was called to Sutton New Hall Cemetery following reports of a large crowd of people. On arrival, officers found approximately 15 people socially-distanced into family groups, therefore no action was taken," (from bbc report). This is more than allowed but the police decided no further action was necessary. The other is Ali response, in that he apologised and said he wanted to help set clear guidance on funerals attendance. I think this helped me understand the complexities and position he was put in and how he was looking to change it. 
 

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/police-called-up-100-mourners-18028561.amp

Verdict: Not ideal this. I think the problem was only considered once the funeral took place and he didn’t deny anything and said he wanted to do something about it. Too much context involved for it to be a simple case.

The Kevan Jones Case

Accusation: Attended birthday of a 100 year old war veteran 

Reasoning: The Party was moved indoors at the last minute due to the weather, all precautions were put in place to allow a small crowd into a sports hall.

Read more here: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/kevan-jones-mp-defends-decision-18323036.amp
 

Verdict: Similar to the Ali case he was put in a position. Maybe not the best action possible was taken but there was an attempt to keep within regulations and protect everyone involved. Not guilty

 

KEY DIFFERENCES:

As far I can tell, none of these people were ill or were with people were ill, they didn’t move the coronavirus from one place to another so had no potential to spread the disease, none of them tested their eye sight by driving 60 miles, none of them looked to cover up what they did, none of them were in meetings that decided what lockdown in the uk should be (actually, maybe gething could in Wales but he was eating chips!), none of them held press conferences in the rose garden at no.10 (won’t open that can of worms). Anymore?

Similarities:...They were outside?

There you go everyone I went and actually looked into what I did a post about. To all those who have been writing utter nonsense on here, about these MPs or trying to change the debate,  I did the work you should be doing before posting you lazy bunch of self righteous, tedious bunch of bleeps. 

You've got too much time on your hands

[TuffLuff]

20 minutes ago, bigbadbob said:

You've got too much time on your hands

Doesn’t take long to read a few articles matey

[bigbadbob]

3 minutes ago, TuffLuff said:

Doesn’t take long to read a few articles matey

Good luck to ya matey

[jono]

3 hours ago, 86 Schmokes & a Pancake said:

Welcome back comrade ?

I KNEW you were one of them ... ha ha outed ? 

[bigbadbob]

2 hours ago, ramit said:

The twitter link refers to 1 act of vandalism, not every act of vandalism city wide.  Reportedly a fire was started in that building shortly after the fella broke the windows, the first of many, if reports are accurate, so my question is legitimate.

Who started the fire? The copper?

[Comrade 86]

5 minutes ago, jono said:

I KNEW you were one of them ... ha ha outed ? 

Fully paid-up, swivel eyed, rich-eating, book burning, lunatic fringe Trot. No big secret ?

[cstand]

2 hours ago, SchtivePesley said:

And the police have arrested a CNN crew reporting the violence?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-52849358/minneapolis-unrest-cnn-reporter-arrested-live-on-air

I wonder how much further into the depths of facism the US has to sink before people stop looking for loopholes to defend it?

Well done to the police safety first clear the streets for normal people to enjoy. 

[cstand]

30 minutes ago, bigbadbob said:

Who started the fire? The copper?

Who’s the fire starter, twisted fire starter. Eh eh eh

[jono]

27 minutes ago, 86 Schmokes & a Pancake said:

Fully paid-up, swivel eyed, rich-eating, book burning, lunatic fringe Trot. No big secret ?

Yeah but as we like the same style of football I won’t throw you out of a helicopter or disappear you by other means 

I can’t forgive you for dissing my matey football analogy .. that is unforgivable, you should have fallen for my inclusive huggy ploy.. dang it all, just couldn’t fool you, but then that means you join the wise mans crew. Running dog, subversive counter revolutionary that you are 

[ramit]

57 minutes ago, bigbadbob said:

Who started the fire? The copper?

Not that i am aware of.  Don't have definitive proof he is the policeman named either, but i will keep on it and give updates, for i have little else to do today.

This may be of interest though.  The fella in the pink shirt who followed the umbrella hammer man into the parking lot after he broke the windows of an auto store can be seen again, this time in front of the police station with no pizza box in his hands, but wearing a backpack, taking on crowd control.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AlexLunaViewof1/status/1266294275454627840

 

Ahh, the plot thickens.  There is no pizza in the pizza box

 

[Gladys' Handbag]

8 hours ago, GboroRam said:

Did Boris ever release the report into Russiam interference in our election process? 

I know it's high time we 'moved on', but I've been refreshing my memory on this.

TLDR - don't hold your breath.

The report, produced by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), was completed in March 2019 and after being approved and redacted by the security services was sent to Johnson for approval on 17th October.

After approval by the PM, the report needs to be published by the ISC and the committee only exists for the duration of the parliament.
So as Johnson hadn't approved it by the time parliament was dissolved on 6th November it has to wait until a new ISC is formed.
He finally approved the report on 13th December, the day after the election. Hmmm.

The ISC members are appointed by the PM, So now we're waiting for Johnson to appoint a new committee, and to date he's only appointed the chairman Chris Grayling (yes, that's what I thought!). There are nine members on the committee and he's appointed one in five months.

Maybe I'm being too cynical here, but it's almost as though he doesn't want it published. Does the fact the Dominic Grieve, the previous ISC Chairman and troublemaking remoaner, was so keen to get it published before the election suggest that it may contain something of interest?

Now the pandemic gives Johnson a perfect excuse to spin out the proceedings a bit longer, but as we're all allowed to play tennis again maybe he can find time for a few fund raising games with Ms Chernukhin at £160,000 a pop.

[i-Ram]

Trump not holding back today I see - got time on my hands for the next few weeks so might start building a bunker under my house.

 

"We will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and directing those funds" to other global public health charities, Trump says.

"The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government," he says, adding that China "instigated a global pandemic that has cost over 100,000 American lives".

China, he says, "pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world" about the virus.

"Countless lives have been taken and profound economic hardship has been inflicted all around the globe,"

[ariotofmyown]

1 hour ago, cstand said:

Who’s the fire starter, twisted fire starter. Eh eh eh

They didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world's been turning.

[jono]

5 hours ago, Archied said:

The one good thing to come out of this Cummings affair for me is it has balanced up this forum for me ,, 

for a long time I’ve seen some left thinking posters being totally entrenched and left me scratching my head as how anybody could infer I was right wing when I consider myself working class with socialist values ( not extreme though ) in a way I hadn’t seen from those considered right wing , this issue has evened it up a bit with me being unable to grasp in the slightest how Dominic, boris and the cabinet’s behaviour could possibly be defended ,, beginning to think I must just be some kind of weird loner ?

It’s an interesting one. In the first instance I thought Cummings needed to go, regardless of any general feeling that Boris has done an OK job. Not exceptional but as well as we could expect any incumbent to. Sounded at first look like rank hypocrisy.  Then listening to the myriad of stories, gossip and comment And a breakdown of the fact and events I just concluded that Cummings actions were pretty reasonable. Not perfect, not ideal, given his position in the hierarchy but all pretty “meh” when we got to the nitty gritty. You could have done it, I could have done it, there was his kid involved. Just didn’t look like scandal to me. Slightly embarrassing sure but capital crime and worth all the faux outrage ? Not to me but then again, interpretation is what it is for every individual. 
 

As to you Archied, I reckon you are very even handed and big picture, and always are on this forum.  we are probably a few degreees apart politically but but only as far milk first or last. Still make tea. I don’t think you’re weird or a loner, just think we disagree on this particular point