UK Politics Thread

[deanb]

So rather than a thread for every little shit thing the Con-Dem gov't does I thought I'd make a generic encompassing thread.

Tuition fees are now old hat news.

Now they want to take away our porn.
http://www.telegraph...Government.html

I guess I agree with the sentiment, keeping porn away from kids n such.
But I dislike the fact you'd have to manually opt-in. Cos what would that entail?
Also there's the whole 'what would count as porn?'
Cos there's sites out there that aren't explicitly porn but have some pretty risqué images. (looking at you DA)

Oh for non-UK folks: We already have a child porn filter in place (Which got the UK as a whole kicked off Wikipedia a couple years back). This plan is working on the basis that that filter could just be expanded.

Eurgh fucking conservatives.

[King Jimmeh]

Ultimately, if it comes down to being blocked by the ISPs having a list of porno sites, the tasteful ones will be blocked while the dime-a-dozen bunch will must as there are just soo many of them. And as for opting-in, I am curious how that would be handled, as it should still allow people to remain anonymous to do it, and in that case, what's to stop a non-billpayer opting-in on their behalf anyway.

[Mister Jack]

[Chronixal]

I'm not surprised. The Tory party still acts as though they live in the Victorian era, it makes sense they'd try and regress the rest of the country back to it too. Not that such a filter would affect them of course: Only us proles aren't allowed to have any fun.

 

The worst part is any legitimate concerns will be shouted down and brushed aside as the ravings of a child hating, porn-addicted sicko and the proposal will be pushed through, although I'd like the think the Lords have some sense left at this point but I doubt it.

 

As much as they're as tainted and as bad, if not worse, the best thing any Lib Dem with any shred of dignity to do now is defect to Labour and force another general election.

[Chris]

As much as they're as tainted and as bad, if not worse, the best thing any Lib Dem with any shred of dignity to do now is defect to Labour and force another general election.

 

You mean force another hung parliament, right? 'Cos that's the only result of any future election unless this AV referendum changes our Labour-favouring voting system.

[Chronixal]

It depends how stable they believe the recovery is and how the market respond. I personally think a hung parliament could be the best thing for this country but apparently market forces decide otherwise.

 

Also I'm not sure how you believe the FPTP system favours Labour.

[TheForgetfulBrain]

 

Now they want to take away our porn.

http://www.telegraph...Government.html

 

I guess I agree with the sentiment, keeping porn away from kids n such.

But I dislike the fact you'd have to manually opt-in. Cos what would that entail?

Also there's the whole 'what would count as porn?'

Cos there's sites out there that aren't explicitly porn but have some pretty risqué images. (looking at you DA)

 

 

It's good that you can manually opt in, but stuff like this and the various rumbles over here currently at works just keep reminding me that net neutrality is on a timed lease.

 

Someday we're going to look back and say, 'Yep, I lived in the era of the Wild Web.'

 

Eventually, pirating music, games, movie, television, porn - that's all going to end for the casual consumer, and you're really going to watch where you surf - moreso than now.

[deanb]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8335839/Coalition-may-put-clocks-forward-two-hours.html

 

Our current Government is fucking insane.

At what point does the UK, specifically Greenwich, being on GMT+1 make any sense? We're meant to be GMT. Full stop.

Also scrapping May Day? lolwut!? I'm in favour of more holidays, but scrapping May Day in favour of that. Nope.

[Mal]

"Britain is the greatest country in the world"

Umm... that is fine and all but if you keep thinking like that, you will be knocked off the top. Besides, only us Americans are allowed to say such things!

Britain's time has past for many decades.

 

Before they switched up the damn time, which would royally screwed with everybody in and anything related to Britain... spice up the place a bit. Summer Olympics are coming next year. DO SOMETHING WORTH WHILE. I'm not expecting anything as good as the Beijing Olympics or Rio's in 2016 but come on... as of right now, I'm half expecting the opening ceremony to be people drinking tea and eating crumpets...

[Hot Heart]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure an impressive opening ceremony for a sporting event is the mark of a great country.

Edited February 22, 2011 by Hot Heart

[Mal]

Its pose to show something like "HEY, look what we got and can do!". Its a major advertisement event. It could draw people in for a few years. So... at the moment, I wonder what are they going to do.

 

I'm half expecting something like this... (However, get saxophone guy in and it will be an instant winner. Not even sure if he even British... )

 

But seriously, what the article that Dean linked was about how they are trying to draw in tourists. If they do something pretty cool during the Olympics, then maybe they will get a boost in tourism. So Britain... dress to impress next year and do it.

[deanb]

As far as 2012 goes, we probably think it'll be more crap than you guys do. Most of us don't much care for hosting it.

Trying to find the Mock the Week clip but most are the Beijing Olympics. Short n skinny is they suggest we just spend the 12billion or whatever in building and launching nukes at the sun. Should surpass the fireworks display at Beijing and the bonus of destroying the planet and hiding our shame.

Come on, we started the Olympics by turning up to Beijing in a bus.....with Boris Johnson inside.

Come on this should of told anyone we're going to fuck it all up:

edit:

I'm half expecting something like this... (However, get saxophone guy in and it will be an instant winner. Not even sure if he even British... )

I'd guess he's from Moldova. Just going off the video n all

But seriously, what the article that Dean linked was about how they are trying to draw in tourists. If they do something pretty cool during the Olympics, then maybe they will get a boost in tourism. So Britain... dress to impress next year and do it.

We're an awesome country to live in and all. But I seriously cannot comprehend how anyone would want to come here for a holiday. Especially from US. Spain, Italy, Greece are a relatively short trip away (in fact I think Spain's closer)

[Hot Heart]

Seriously, you visit Britain for the history; not a fireworks display during shit weather.

[Mal]

That's quite a bad outlook on things...

Well, the Olympic mascots as far as I remember has all been pretty crappy... and creepy too. I however, like those eyes. Its all seeing... just like Big Brother...

 

So yeah, "British's tourism industry in the gutter. Even Fish N' Chips can't save the day*."

 

*Maybe. I do love me some fish and chips.

 

Edit: Getting edit ninja'd sure is awesome.

 

Well, besides the history of the place, yeah, I can't think of a reason to go to Britain besides that I know the language. Then again, Britain has some interesting geology... wait. That's history again, geologic history...

Edited February 22, 2011 by MaliciousH

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Tuition fees are now old hat news.

 

Yes. 13 years old because labour introduced them after promising not to in their manifesto. After it was introduced it was inevitable it would be raised. You're angry at the wrong Government.

 

Joe

[deanb]

What was the system before that?

Also I don't much care on the current stuff anyway since this is my final year in Uni, £3000~ all the way baby.

Do find them a bit dickheadish to look on students to help bridge the economic woes. I guess being an Etonian Cameron thinks the £9000 fee is a bargain. Can pick up diplomas at a Poundland store.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Damnit, my post just disappeared. I won't type it all out again as it is making me angry to think about for too long!

 

You didn't pay anything to go to uni before labour got in. Their 1997 Manifesto promised not to introduce tuition fees which brought out a lot of students to vote for them for the first time. One of the first things they did when they got into power was introduce tuition fees. They broke the specific and unambiguous pledge as soon as they got the opportunity.

 

For there next manifesto they pledged not to raise income tax and implied they wouldn't raise the overall tax burden. They then raised national insurance. You know, the other mandatory PAYE tax so exactly the same as raising income tax. Not to mention all the other taxes they raised massively increasing the tax burden on every pound you earn.

 

They also got rid of the 10p tax. That's Labour the working man's party. Of course by then they knew that working class people are never going to change their votes from Labour so they thought "fuck those morons - they'll take whatever shit we fling at them and beg for more" So they pandered to the middle income earners -typically Conservative voters - by changing income taxes to increase the burden on lower income earners and lower it for middle income earners. That is the exact opposite of what tax is for which is to spread wealth down the chain but that wouldn't increase their voting base so that's not what they did.

 

Basically, while Conservatives may be no bunch of roses at least they are doing what they said they would do before the election. Labour gave deliberately misleading (income tax) and blatant lies (tuition fees) to get into and to maintain power in successive elections.

 

Joe

[deanb]

Well keep in mind this time around Lib Dem's also said they wouldn't increase the cap.

Also no tuition fees... at all?

[TheFlyingGerbil]

No tuition fees at all until Labour introduced them. Don't get me wrong the Conservatives said they were probably going to introduce them which was one of the reasons Labour did so well - they got in on a lie and boy did they start as they meant to go on.

 

I don't really think you can say the same thing about the Lib Dems, they are not the UK Government. They're part of a coalition and having only 15% of coalition seats means yours is not going to be the main view holding sway in the Cabinet. I'm sure they argued their corner and I think they actually got more concessions from the Tories than their number of seats would warrant but they aren't going to get it all their own way.

 

Joe

[deanb]

http://www.telegraph...march-live.html

 

• Reports of more than 400,000 protesters on the streets

• 800 coaches and 10 trains bring marchers to London

• Thousands of police flood the capital to keep order

• Windows smashed and shops targeted in Oxford Street

• Sticks thrown at police - shit got serious.

btw I don't remember this many protests n such during Labours time. Or is my memeory just too foggy/I didn't pay attention too much when younger.

[Chris]

btw I don't remember this many protests n such during Labours time. Or is my memeory just too foggy/I didn't pay attention too much when younger.

The Iraq war? They were bigger (globally, too) than these.

[Mr W Phallus]

I got the impression Dean meant protests over economic issues (ie spending cuts), but I could be wrong.

Edited March 26, 2011 by withoutphallus

[deanb]

Yeah. I hardly remember any protests against Iraq war. Folks disliked it, but I don't remember anything like this.

Not to say they didn't happen, just I can't remember them.

[Chris]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2941315.stm

 

One of many protests from 2003.

[deanb]