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Post by mercian on Jul 8, 2023 21:24:51 GMT
I assume you're joking. Just in case you're not what on earth has 'tackling obesity' got to do with TfL, or any organisation for that matter? Well I think the Obesity Health Alliance might disagree with you on that mercian  obesityhealthalliance.org.uk/Yes, clumsy phrasing on my part. Obviously the NHS should be concerned too. It's because I was going to say 'business' or 'commercial organisation' and was trying to forestall quibbles that TfL wasn't one of those. ☹ |
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Post by mercian on Jul 8, 2023 21:26:23 GMT
I mix with people of all ages - chess clubs aren't just for old fogies! I can honestly say that I don't think I've heard Brexit mentioned in conversation for several years. Chess players are capable of holding a conversation? Not in my experience and I used to be one. 😁 Well we're a very sociable lot. For a lot of us the main purpose of chess is to work up a thirst for a few pints later on. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2023 21:35:49 GMT
I must admit, if I were an elector in Mid Beds, I'd be getting increasingly ticked off with my elected representative playing childish 'will she, won't she' games about resigning for petty, political reasons, whilst presumably hardly devoting her efforts to the concerns of her constituents. |
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Jul 8, 2023 21:46:47 GMT
Given I spent several weeks in April tramping the streets for the local elections I suspect I have spoken to many more 'real people' than you have recently. How do you know the were "real". Only joking  I suppose-in context of this discussion-how representative of the 98.5% of voters who are not members of a political party were they? - the 98.5% who you complained don't spend time putting up political posters. I don't want to re-start old arguments, and I realise that party activists are a key part of the ability of political parties to exist. But they are a vanishingly small minority of the voting population . "TRust in the government" has halved to 20% ish in the last 35 years. 60% believe "politicians don't care". ** ** "Political disengagement in the UK: Who is disengaged?" HoC Library November 2022 I wasn't complaining, just noting a change in behaviour since I first became politically active. Chelmsford town in 1983 was a sea of orange Liberal/Alliance posters until you got into the surrounding countryside where the farmers had Conservative posters up along the field edges near main roads. You even saw the odd Labour poster, even though they had no chance. In contrast in the local elections in May in Braintree I saw no Conservative or Lib Dem posters, a couple for the Greens and perhaps half a dozen Labour. When mentioned in debriefs they always turned out to be the homes of known Labour members. It is not the only change either. People are much less inclined to even open the door now to canvassers. Back in the day if you rang a bell or knocked you could pretty much automatically assume if an adult was in they would open it, short of them being really busy. Now you can hear people moving around inside and they will not open the door. A lot of people have those camera bell things so they can see who is there, but I also think people live more atomised, less communal lives due to the internet, etc., and are simply not inclined to open the door to anyone they don't know. I find it rather sad not because of the impact on politics, but just the slow death of community. |
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Jul 8, 2023 21:51:58 GMT
I must admit, if I were an elector in Mid Beds, I'd be getting increasingly ticked off with my elected representative playing childish 'will she, won't she' games about resigning for petty, political reasons, whilst presumably hardly devoting her efforts to the concerns of her constituents. Indeed so. I can't believe that the Tories will poll only 11% in Mid Beds, but given a popular local independent, the fact that both Labour and the Lib Dems will fight it hard, and Dorries' antics, there is the possibility of Conservative humiliation. It will certainly be an interesting by-election if/when it happens. |
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shevii
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Post by shevii on Jul 8, 2023 21:53:40 GMT
This has got to be expectation management hasn't it? Very pointless expectation management. No-one is going to be impressed if they get 25% rather than 11%. Anthony on twitter already made the point about "certain" to vote as well. |
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alurqa
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Post by alurqa on Jul 8, 2023 22:44:03 GMT
Politically, there would be substantial pressure on new member states to join the euro, not least as they would have joined the EU knowing eurozone membership was an expectation. Having said that, once countries have become EU member states there is no mechanism to force them to join the euro nor to sanction them if they fail to do so." That final sentence is the part to bear in mind. There is no mechanism to force member States to join the Euro. So when someone claims that the UK would be 'forced' to join the Euro, the implication is that new and different rules would be created to treat the UK differently from the other non-Euro, EU Member States. It's not just the Euro. Poland and Hungary have tried to override the EU, Poland with it's politicisation of its judicary and Hungary with its suppression of any opposition. The EU had no mechanisms to counter these, as it was assumed once you became a member you would be 'sensible.' The Covid recovery fund has proved a powerful force to fight these tendencies, although the fight is still far from over (ie money talks). Nothing is set in stone, and I would expect different rules to be applied to new entrants, especially the UK, based on past experience. Of course the financial sector is massively important to the UK, and so being told to adopt the Euro would be of enormous consequence to us. Germany has a desire to boost Frankfurt. But I believe my point still stands that as the UK is weakened, the EU would play hardball with any future closer relationship |
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Post by eor on Jul 8, 2023 23:12:01 GMT
Quick question for crossbat11 - why are Warwickshire CCC ridiculously wandering around calling themselves 'Birmingham' these days? Thanks, PJ, for giving me some distraction from this morning's session at Headingley! The creation of the one day cricket only entity known as Birmingham Bears was, I think, a marketing tool to promote T20 cricket in the city. Edgbaston being a suburb of Birmingham and most, but not all, of the Warwickshire members and spectators hailing from the city. They've always been a Brum-centric county cricket team but when I started watching cricket in the 60s, they used to play at outgrounds in Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford. There are some very strong cricket clubs in Warwickshire like Leamington and Kenilworth too. I don't quite understand why they don't take cricket to these populous towns elsewhere in the country and foster potential members. In Coventry's case, a very large city too. I do know quite a few Warwickshire members of my age and older who were outraged by the name change and don't recognise it. Mind you, they tend not to watch T20 cricket anyway. As for cricket generally, a sad day for me. Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington leaving Worcester to go to Notts next season. Jack Haynes on his way soon, no doubt. The football-isation of cricket continues apace. That chimes with me crossbat11 - when I was growing up Glamorgan played county championship games at St Helens, along with Newport and Colwyn Bay (ok, neither of which could be remotely considered part of Glamorganshire but roll with it) as well as periodic games like B&H Cup at various smaller grounds in Neath and other places. Whereas these days (and especially following the rebuild of Sophia Gardens into an occasional Test ground) it seems more likely you'll find the national rugby and football teams straying out of Cardiff to play matches west or north - tho admittedly given the matches they choose that's often a combination of wanting to grow fanbases further afield and seeking to avoid the embarrassing spectacle of very modest crowds spread through a very large stadium in Cardiff |
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Post by eor on Jul 8, 2023 23:30:37 GMT
Dont post that often but a little info on that Uxbridge poll showing labour only gaining 3.5% on the 2019 vote. Dont know how reliable the JL Partners poll is but this seat has little in common with most other London seats. Heavy favourites with bookies but would imagine Lab not taking this for granted. The northern part is heavily traditional Con, Boris type supporters, non transient white working class tradesmen types and some professionals. Stop for a pint sometimes on way back , these places could`nt be much more different. Places like Ickenham and Hillingdon still have a village feel to them, often overhear groups of workers having a pint referring to lefties and whilst Con support is 20% down in the poll many of these will not switch to Lab but opt for fringe parties, the ULEZ issue is having some effectFor people on this board who don't live nearby (I live in the next-door Borough) it can be difficult to understand that there are parts of Greater London that still have a village feel to them, Ickenham and especially Harefield, both within the constituency, are two of them. As technical writes, the ULEZ issue is having an effect in this election with even the Labour candidate coming out against the speed with which it is being introduced. I still expect a Labour win, but with a much smaller swing than in the other by-elections on the same day. As someone who has in recent years both driven and run quite a bit through country lanes on the Kent side of Bromley I very much get this. Once you get out of the urban sprawl of Bromley and Orpington themselves, much of the borough is pretty rural, and there are loads of places on the edges where ULEZ will mean everyone taking diversions through one village rather than another to avoid straying over the arbitrary line while they go between two places in Kent. Likewise there will be plenty of people who are charged every time they leave their farm to drive to another rural place, because their starting postcode is technically London. I appreciate there's a long history in terms of people living in outer London boroughs maybe wanting the benefits of being on the edge of a huge city but without paying the taxes to support that infrastructure, but personally it seems like if the Mayor wanted to genuinely make ULEZ about air quality then in the outer boroughs it would have been far more sensible to draw the scheme lines around major population areas rather than Borough boundaries. |
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Post by eor on Jul 8, 2023 23:56:30 GMT
Day 500 of war criminal Putin's 7 day special operation in Ukraine. Having killed tens of thousands of his own teenage population in the carnage of war with tens of thousands more injured and fleeing Russia Putin's invaders now consist of older men dying in similar horrific numbers. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians and those defending their own right to be free have died, billions in damage has been caused and Putin's reckless narcissistic insanity has endangered food supplies to some of the poorest countries in the world and moved us all closer to nuclear Armageddon. The right wing media needless to say lead with the vital news that an unnamed BBC presenter might have some smutty pictures. The accusation is that the presenter was paying a 17 year old to send them sexually explicit pictures. Whilst I personally find this legal grey area rather stupid, in that a 17 year old is considered an adult when engaging in sexual activities but simultaneously a child when it comes to the filming of them, it surely can't shock you that the media in general (well beyond the right-wing squirrel you threw in) consider "BBC star accused today of child sex offences" to be a bigger news story today than "Day 499 Russia-Ukraine status quo becomes day 500 Russia-Ukraine status quo"? |
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 5:49:43 GMT
In today's edition of Tories making a tit of themselves here we have Robert Buckland blaming the last Labour government for the current unsolved burglary rate. Burglary is by its nature a difficult crime to solve the rate of burglaries has actually halved in the last twenty years however the conviction rate has just about halved as well and since 2013 has hovered around the 5% mark. Bloody Labour's fault of course! youtu.be/uQ9RpsW6y2Q |
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 6:02:25 GMT
eorYou are correct about the distribution of pictures, however as soon as the individual turned 18 it ceased to be a criminal offence for them to distribute images of themselves. The information I have seen is as that this behaviour transpired while they were between 17 and 20 , if none of the images were sent before the age of 18 , there's no crime at all, as this appeared consentual as it was seemingly a business transaction then what is happening here is primarily inappropriate behaviour but not criminal. It's a salacious story not a criminal expose. It may be of interest to members of the public to disclose it as opposed to in the public's interest to do so, but it's as it appears at the moment no more than that and simply a trawling expedition by media to work out which celeb was doing it. Important news story , nope.
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 6:12:16 GMT
Very interesting talk between James O'Brien and Judge Rinder. People may know Rinder from his appearances on day time tv but he's actually a highly respected barrister whose done some significant prosecutorial work. They're talking about propaganda and the malign influence of newspapers in behaviour. youtu.be/26Hn3tOflPI |
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Post by crossbat11 on Jul 9, 2023 7:49:33 GMT
Very interesting talk between James O'Brien and Judge Rinder. People may know Rinder from his appearances on day time tv but he's actually a highly respected barrister whose done some significant prosecutorial work. They're talking about propaganda and the malign influence of newspapers in behaviour. youtu.be/26Hn3tOflPIPowerful and sobering in equal measure. Thanks for sharing the video. Rinder is right about the corrosive nature of drip-feed propaganda and how the descent into fascism can be slow and almost imperceptible. He makes a very good point too about how the comforting and reassuring daily sights of modernity can breed complacency that all will forever remain safe and civilised. In fact the bulwarks against fascism are often easily swept away. Echoes of that terrible phrase too. The banality of evil. And how what appear to be ordinary and decent people can be coerced and duped into doing unspeakable things. |
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 8:25:01 GMT
Indeed the drip feed of misinformation turns into a torrent and what was a canard in the first place becomes the accepted wisdom. Attachment Deleted |
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Mr Poppy
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Post by Mr Poppy on Jul 9, 2023 8:37:19 GMT
I assume you're joking. Just in case you're not what on earth has 'tackling obesity' got to do with TfL, or any organisation for that matter? I am most certainly not joking. TfL is a govt entity and GLA has devolved powers. The devolved govts of Scotland and Wales are pushing ahead in a few small ways as well. Obesity and 'poor health' generally are massive issues that are costing NHS and the broader economy a fortune - most of which is "avoidable". I appreciate the 'libertarians' will cry 'nanny state' but do we let people in UK carry guns? smoke in pubs? drive at whatever speed they want to on the roads (with however much alcohol/drugs they want to have inside them when they do so)? NO. So why are doing f-all about obesity and other health issues? See next post for more info. Govt has the set the policies and agenda as the private sector is 'for profit' and, in some cases, their profit comes at significant societal expense and there are various ways to deter/tax/ban such behaviour by the vendors and gen.pub |
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Mr Poppy
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Post by Mr Poppy on Jul 9, 2023 8:45:46 GMT
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 8:47:21 GMT
Interesting members only survey of lib dems , without going into the details I thought it interesting that most members identify themselves and the party as left of centre, running on an individual basis from quite far left ( me) to centre left ( most members) to centre , virtually no one identified as centre right none as far right.
The party itself was perceived as centre left.
Which is consistent with objective assessment.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2023 8:50:40 GMT
I wasn't complaining, just noting a change in behaviour since I first became politically active. Chelmsford town in 1983 was a sea of orange Liberal/Alliance posters until you got into the surrounding countryside where the farmers had Conservative posters up along the field edges near main roads. You even saw the odd Labour poster, even though they had no chance. In contrast in the local elections in May in Braintree I saw no Conservative or Lib Dem posters, a couple for the Greens and perhaps half a dozen Labour. When mentioned in debriefs they always turned out to be the homes of known Labour members. It is not the only change either. People are much less inclined to even open the door now to canvassers. Back in the day if you rang a bell or knocked you could pretty much automatically assume if an adult was in they would open it, short of them being really busy. Now you can hear people moving around inside and they will not open the door. A lot of people have those camera bell things so they can see who is there, but I also think people live more atomised, less communal lives due to the internet, etc., and are simply not inclined to open the door to anyone they don't know. I find it rather sad not because of the impact on politics, but just the slow death of community. Interesting observations. I wonder whether the electronic home security devices you see now ,are a function of feelings of insecurity and fear of crime , rather than withdrawal from "society". I certainly agree that internet/social media has had a profound effect on social interaction . Though effects differ depending on age group I suspect. As to the reluctance to respond to political door knockers and reduced political activity. Not sure I would lump this in with your other observations about personal interaction. I'm more inclined to believe it is a function of a tired ennui about the political class and its foot soldiers. An increasing belief that they dont have any idea how to solve the multiple problems of today. Only empty words. I don't think this feeling is restricted to UK either I should say |
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 8:54:14 GMT
Must be ill I found myself liking a Trevor post,shouldn't eat cheese late at night.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2023 8:55:38 GMT
colin I think you've got the wrong end of the stick and gone off on a hobby horse tangent. If I understood pjw1961 correctly, he wasn't "complaining" at all about people who no longer put political posters and signs up at elections. He was bemoaning, I think correctly, the increased toxicity in our politics that now deter people from potentially upsetting their neighbours by signalling their support for a specific political party at election time. I agree with him that this is sad and reduces the sense of occasion, and even the fun, of electioneering. Why this observation led to a discussion about "bubbles", "real people" and party "activists" ( yet again) I do not know. Another example of how a sensible comment quickly becomes the trigger for a much less illuminating discussion. Which is a pity. Yes I saw his suggestion that fear of upsetting others is causing the lack of overt political displays he observes. Obviously I can't comment on his personal doorstep experiences. But I find that suggestion a bit odd. |
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Jul 9, 2023 8:57:50 GMT
Very interesting talk between James O'Brien and Judge Rinder. People may know Rinder from his appearances on day time tv but he's actually a highly respected barrister whose done some significant prosecutorial work. They're talking about propaganda and the malign influence of newspapers in behaviour. youtu.be/26Hn3tOflPIPowerful and sobering in equal measure. Thanks for sharing the video. Rinder is right about the corrosive nature of drip-feed propaganda and how the descent into fascism can be slow and almost imperceptible. He makes a very good point too about how the comforting and reassuring daily sights of modernity can breed complacency that all will forever remain safe and civilised. In fact the bulwarks against fascism are often easily swept away. Echoes of that terrible phrase too. The banality of evil. And how what appear to be ordinary and decent people can be coerced and duped into doing unspeakable things. It is worth pondering the results of the Migram experiment, the Stanford prison experiment (fair to note the methodology of that one has been questioned, but the results were real enough for those involved) or, for a real world example, American guard behaviour at Abu Ghraib. It really doesn't take much to get most people to commit atrocities - someone in authority seeming to sanction it and a message that the victim deserves it for either being what they are or simply for being there. The more hopeful side to this is that reversing those things - leaders making it clear that torture/murder and so on are wrong and that everyone should be treated with respect - will equally prevent most misbehaviour. This is the reason that promoting culture wars is an act of evil and people who do it should never be allowed anywhere near power in a democratic society. A functioning Conservative Party would have expelled Braverman over the 'invasion' comments (as Heath did with Powell), not made her Home Secretary. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experimenten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experimenten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse |
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Post by crossbat11 on Jul 9, 2023 9:03:44 GMT
Indeed the drip feed of misinformation turns into a torrent and what was a canard in the first place becomes the accepted wisdom. View AttachmentPicking up some of Rinder's themes about corrosive propaganda and the dangers of us becoming blind to its effects, I wonder if we need to also ask a question of ourselves in order to health check one of his other points about complacency. We're very familiar with these mass circulation largely right wing newspapers in this country, their comforting titles and their often bland content beyond the comments and opinion sections. But how do we know that their proprietors and editors aren't fascists by nature and, in essence, have no real commitment to democracy at all? A dramatic question but one, maybe, we need to start asking, I think. Put another way, what might we have amidst us now that is already eating away at our civilised society? |
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alurqa
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Post by alurqa on Jul 9, 2023 9:04:05 GMT
The accusation is that the presenter was paying a 17 year old to send them sexually explicit pictures. Whilst I personally find this legal grey area rather stupid, in that a 17 year old is considered an adult when engaging in sexual activities but simultaneously a child when it comes to the filming of them, it surely can't shock you that the media in general (well beyond the right-wing squirrel you threw in) consider "BBC star accused today of child sex offences" to be a bigger news story today than "Day 499 Russia-Ukraine status quo becomes day 500 Russia-Ukraine status quo"? And in other news the Guardian reports a Tory minister is upset with Brexit: www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/08/tory-brexiter-george-eustice-visas-young-eu-workers-labour-shortageWe need more EU workers, admits leading Tory Brexiter
George Eustice, the former environment secretary, is calling for a reciprocal visa scheme so that under-35s can work across the EU and BritainBut on the Beeb's website I can ony, with difficulty, find the story; and that's because it appears when discussing the Guardian's front page, of which there is a link deep down the page here. So they know about it. How much more of a Brexit story is this? But not a hint on the Beeb's Brexit page. Impartial my arse. Scumbags. |
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 9:05:15 GMT
Glad to see both the main opposition party and UK government opposing the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine , while war criminal Putin's invaders routinely use these barbaric weapons and it's understandable that Ukraine wishes to be able to retaliate it's a mistake.
Cluster munitions are an effective alternative to precision weapons against armour however while the precision weapon normally hits or misses the desired target it's normally destroyed by the process.
With cluster munitions a percentage of the bomblets routinely fail to explode in use but remain a threat to individuals for years afterwards.
It's estimated that a staggering 98% of deaths from cluster munitions occur after the weapon has been used as a result of accidental contacts in the ensuing years.
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Mr Poppy
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Post by Mr Poppy on Jul 9, 2023 9:10:12 GMT
You may be right about the apathy but I'm not sure you can judge from posters. Public displays of political affiliation seem to have gone out of fashion. It is very hard to get anyone beyond actual party members to put up a poster these days. You may need to get out of your bubble a bit more often. " beyond party members" is the real world where people try to cope with life's dificulties and think most politicians haven't a clue what those are and wouldn't know what to do about them if they did. To which I'd add some people might think some politicians know what they should do but think the politicians are too scared of doing it because they think it is unpopular (eg May tried to end the triple lock and bring in other changes but rowed back on those because it risked upsetting a key demographic of CON voters). Since I've got a bee in my bonnet about healthcare then quite recently we literally told people to "Stay At Home" but seem too timid to do anything to tackle obesity in case govt is accused of being a "nanny state"? To deal with the "nanny" aspect then one part of the solution is (IMO) to treat people like adults and give them more personal* responsibility for their own health but given we shied away from vaccine passports and won't even introduce ID cards then the La-La-Libertarians shouting "nanny state" will continue to make politicians too scared to bring in changes. * Not the best analogy perhaps but you have to past a test and then need insurance to drive a car. Bad drivers pay higher insurance. You get a speeding fine, you take an online "awareness" course and if you repeat offences then your fines go up, your insurance goes up - eventually you get banned. Why not the same with "bad choices" in health (starting with education and 'tests' in schools for <18s)? A lot of focus on "awareness" and "sin taxes"/bans on sales of unhealthy foods but why should all taxpayers pay for the bad choices of some people? We don't equalise car insurance payments between good and bad drivers - so what is the problem with making people who make bad health choices pay more (and eventually lose access to 'free' services)? The welfare state is a safety net not a trampoline. (NB I'm aware of 'mental health' issues and where that is a factor then additional support is given but IMO it mostly an issue of awareness and individual/family will power to become more healthy via personal responsibility). |
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Jul 9, 2023 9:11:06 GMT
I wasn't complaining, just noting a change in behaviour since I first became politically active. Chelmsford town in 1983 was a sea of orange Liberal/Alliance posters until you got into the surrounding countryside where the farmers had Conservative posters up along the field edges near main roads. You even saw the odd Labour poster, even though they had no chance. In contrast in the local elections in May in Braintree I saw no Conservative or Lib Dem posters, a couple for the Greens and perhaps half a dozen Labour. When mentioned in debriefs they always turned out to be the homes of known Labour members. It is not the only change either. People are much less inclined to even open the door now to canvassers. Back in the day if you rang a bell or knocked you could pretty much automatically assume if an adult was in they would open it, short of them being really busy. Now you can hear people moving around inside and they will not open the door. A lot of people have those camera bell things so they can see who is there, but I also think people live more atomised, less communal lives due to the internet, etc., and are simply not inclined to open the door to anyone they don't know. I find it rather sad not because of the impact on politics, but just the slow death of community. Interesting observations. I wonder whether the electronic home security devices you see now ,are a function of feelings of insecurity and fear of crime , rather than withdrawal from "society". I certainly agree that internet/social media has had a profound effect on social interaction . Though effects differ depending on age group I suspect. As to the reluctance to respond to political door knockers and reduced political activity. Not sure I would lump this in with your other observations about personal interaction. I'm more inclined to believe it is a function of a tired ennui about the political class and its foot soldiers. An increasing belief that they dont have any idea how to solve the multiple problems of today. Only empty words. I don't think this feeling is restricted to UK either I should say I agree about the insecurity and fear of crime point, but it is worth saying that in many areas it is the perception of crime rather than the reality. I worked in a rural district in Essex that the crime statistics showed was a very low crime area (to which the Police naturally responded with minimal policing) but surveys showed the fear of crime, especially among the more elderly population, was very high. The absence of a police presence didn't help with reassurance, but the biggest factor seemed to be where they got their news. That cohort tended to read papers like the Mail and Express who made crime central of their news coverage, with a general message that the country was going to the dogs. Of course, the media generally loves a crime story, especially a murder. Thus a large perception gap had grown between how dangerous their own neighbourhood actually was and what they believed to be the case. |
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steve
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Post by steve on Jul 9, 2023 9:13:28 GMT
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Post by catfuzz on Jul 9, 2023 9:14:10 GMT
Glad to see both the main opposition party and UK government opposing the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine , while war criminal Putin's invaders routinely use these barbaric weapons and it's understandable that Ukraine wishes to be able to retaliate it's a mistake. Cluster munitions are an effective alternative to precision weapons against armour however while the precision weapon normally hits or misses the desired target it's normally destroyed by the process. With cluster munitions a percentage of the bomblets routinely fail to explode in use but remain a threat to individuals for years afterwards. It's estimated that a staggering 98% of deaths from cluster munitions occur after the weapon has been used as a result of accidental contacts in the ensuing years. Agree that cluster munitions are an abhorrent weapon against military targets, however is there an argument to use them as a blunt tool for de-mining areas in the defensive lines? Aiming such ordinance at minefields would be a quick way of disarming these areas in lieu of air power? Of course, I’m not advocating for them, but this could be a possible use that has a much minimised ethical cost? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2023 9:29:20 GMT
You may need to get out of your bubble a bit more often. " beyond party members" is the real world where people try to cope with life's dificulties and think most politicians haven't a clue what those are and wouldn't know what to do about them if they did. To which I'd add some people might think some politicians know what they should do but think the politicians are too scared of doing it because they think it is unpopular Times reports that Starmer/Reeves will channel Blair /Brown and commit to Tory spending plans in the short term. I think that-if true-is certainly another example of not frightening the horses. Of course it may be that Reeves sees the virtue and necessity of such plans More broadly I do think that any politician will struggle with today's array of problems. The difficulty of improving living standards & public services via economic growth ; post the Pandemic disruptions and post the long years of cheap credit , QE and zilch inflation. A European Continent facing years of debilitating military & economic stand-off with Russia across the wasteland of a destroyed Ukraine. The increasing stranglehold of China & Russia on resources like the rare metals that power the new technologies on which European economic growth depends. A continuing tide of unregulated migration from Africa and Asia . The fall of the Dutch Government and the continuing social tensions in France are recent symptoms. I see no end to these flows and their effects on Europe. So whilst I understand Starmer's political caution in order to get into No. 19-when he is there reality is going to present itself and he will need to start making choices & producing solutions. |
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