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Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 5:40 am
by Matty_the_Emo_Slayer
And the far left trying to claim it too. Which of course makes sense in the context of the Spanish Civil War (soon to be called The First Spanish Civil War??) but things are very different now. One of the main arguments for Catalan independence is the strength of their market economy in contrast to the floundering other regions of Spain so to call this "class struggle" is a bit comical.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 11:56 am
by Gandalf the Red

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 1:41 pm
by Matty_the_Emo_Slayer
Related videos

Rees-Mogg: Food banks "rather uplifting"

:lol:

I love this cartoon-faced shitebag, he is Bond villain levels of ridiculous.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 10:16 pm
by houston4044
Rees Mogg always strikes me as a cross between a stereotypical Victorian toff and Mr Burns, I just haven't figured out who his Smithers is in the Tory party.

Half the time he gives a speech I expect him to lean on the lectern and do the Mr Burns gimmick

"sir, more people are using food banks"
Image

On another note, seems the King of Spain's speech has done little but rile up the Catalonians. Is it just me or do government's seem to walk into the same traps over and over? Since when does sending in the police and riot squad in front of the media ever quash independence movements?

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:49 pm
by Metalchemyst
Yeah. The way the Spanish Government has handled this has probably made an independent Catalonia more likely in future. They could have granted an official referendum on biased but reasonable terms such as a minimum 55% Yes for independence to happen and a minimum voting age of 21. Like England should have done for the Scottish referendum. At the very least it should not have allowed 16s & 17s to vote. My political beliefs didn't stabilise until my mid-20s. When I was 20 I wanted to abolish the Monarchy and have a United States of Europe. Now I'm the opposite on those issues and I'm glad I never got to vote on them at that young age.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:07 pm
by Gandalf the Red
Probably because when you are young you have ideas, beliefs and a view that everything can be lovely with rainbow coloured unicorns.

Then reality hits.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:46 pm
by houston4044
I don't think Rajoy can really use the line that the Catalonia vote was a "mockery of democracy" when he sent in the police who pulled people out of voting stations, beat them with batons and shot them with rubber bullets to prevent them voting; kind of rubs salt in the wound.

The slogan "strong and stable" is the gift that keeps on giving for Theresa May, satirists must be having a field day.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:31 pm
by bloodofthekings
Gandalf the Red wrote:Probably because when you are young you have ideas, beliefs and a view that everything can be lovely with rainbow coloured unicorns.

Then reality hits.


Or a big fat dose of cynicism and begrudging acceptance. If you're old enough to work and pay tax (so, 16) then you're old enough to vote on all matters relating to how that tax is spent, and could be spent in the future. I've met plenty of older people who are just as politically ignorant as some teenagers are.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:18 pm
by Gandalf the Red
But how many 16 to 17 year old school leavers are actually paying tax? Very few. Especially since you don't pay Income Tax under a certain level now and most 16/17 YOs are working in MW jobs that won't even get close to that level.

Most of the ones who are paying tax probably got the job because of Daddy, and I doubt many of those are going to be voting Labour.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:06 pm
by houston4044
Don't think my political views have changed much since I was 16, haven't particularly altered any views that I can think of. Admittedly I think the only major change would be a change in my priorities but the views themselves haven't changed.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 12:14 am
by Metalchemyst
Proportional representation was debated on Monday after one of those on-line Government petitions:

https://www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/news ... ary-debate

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:29 pm
by houston4044
With yet more off shore tax scandals hitting the headlines, it always reminds me of George Osbourne arguing that lowering the top tier tax rate would stop this sort of thing, that worked out well :lol:

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 10:59 pm
by Metalchemyst

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2017 7:17 pm
by Metalchemyst
A letter I saw about the Ireland/N.Ireland border issue:

What’s all this nonsense from the Irish about no hard border? I lived in Londonderry from 1969 to 1972 and the customs posts on the main roads opened at 8am and closed at 6pm. The rest of the time the border was wide open. There were hundreds of roads crossing the border without any controls. I once saw pigs being smuggled across along a back road.

M. Huss, Ashford, Kent.

Re: The UK political thread (formerly independence thread)

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 12:56 am
by Metalchemyst