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I actually have no idea about the practical situation in the UK.
I was thinking of back home in Sweden, where the extreme right are in fact white supremacists and nazis. :(

"My milkshake bringeth all ye gentlefolk to the yard. Verily 'tis better than thine, I would teach thee, but I must levy a fee."

"When Kleiner showed me the sky-line of New York I told him that man is like the coral insect—designed to build vast, beautiful, mineral things for the moon to delight in after he is dead."

https://soundcloud.com/paralytik

 

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I actually have no idea about the practical situation in the UK.

I was thinking of back home in Sweden, where the extreme right are in fact white supremacists and nazis. :(

Probably understandable considering the extent of the immigration to Europe lately.

"I really perceive that vanity about which most men merely prate — the vanity of the human or temporal life. I live continually in a reverie of the future. I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active — not more happy — nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. The result will never vary — and to suppose that it will, is to suppose that the foregone man has lived in vain — that the foregone time is but the rudiment of the future — that the myriads who have perished have not been upon equal footing with ourselves — nor are we with our posterity. I cannot agree to lose sight of man the individual, in man the mass."...

- 2 July 1844 letter to James Russell Lowell from Edgar Allan Poe.

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I was thinking of back home in Sweden, where the extreme right are in fact white supremacists and nazis. :(

Probably understandable considering the extent of the immigration to Europe lately.

Precisely. From what I gather, the mainstream politicians in Sweden have embraced multi-culturalism to such an extent that merely criticising government immigration policy can be prosecuted as "hate speech". It is no wonder that far right parties can thrive in this kind of environment.

 

Stupid grandstanding politicians all over the world seem incapable of recognising the simple truth that just because you ban, censor and outlaw political viewpoints doesn't mean that people will stop holding those viewpoints. Instead they will see themselves as "oppressed" and become more extremist.

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..merely criticising government immigration policy can be prosecuted as "hate speech".

Oh, but you've gotten all of this the wrong way. It has nothing to do with the legal stuff, or actual fear that you'll be prosecuted for anything. Many people are just narrow-minded and they don't want to be labelled racists in their community, even if that's exactly what many of them are. The Sweden Democrats (SD) were previously publicly called xenophobic, but the media immediately picked up and spread the term "immigration critical" when SD started using it, so yay, now people have a politically correct way to say they're afraid of Africans, without coming off as racist! Perfect widespread delusion, ready to be further misused and skewed, which it has been.

 

Though, the real political problem is that the government themselves have ignored the immigration issue completely, along with numerous other issues that has indirectly and directly made immigration-related problems worse. The right wing parties has changed many laws to make it cheaper and easier for companies to have (or ditch) employees, or rephrased, made it much harder for employees to actually get decent pay and keep their jobs.

The hiring firm business has gone up several hundred percent due to the changes in laws, so now it's not unusual that people have to work for 12 months for a lower "starter" salary before they even get the chance to write a proper contract. I have several friends who has worked for 6 or 12 months on temporary contracts, only to be let off a month before the real talk begins. The company then brings in someone new and repeats the process.

 

In combination with this (as another example), we've lately seen several "free schools" (as in private schools sort of, but they still get public funding based on the number of students, within legal gray zones) being bought up and run to the ground by leeching international capital investment companies/banks. They basically buy a school cheap, change its advertising to something popular (like hair stylist, which you will never be able to actually work as, because really, how many does that for a living? there is no market!) and start to pull money out of it (lower the amount of books being given to students, fire teachers, etc) until it's sucked dry and take the money out in revenues for the company. After the school is bankrupted, the kommun/county is of course responsible for the local students, so the load on the public schools increases to the point where they too need stately funds to survive, sucking even more money, that could have gone to other useful things, out of the system.

 

There's also the problem with house building, especially in bigger cities, but also in smaller ones.

There are not enough rental apartments being built, the construction companies rather build apartments you have to buy for a couple of millions instead because it's more convenient. Short-term money, they get their investments back fast, etc.

This of course affects everyone who doesn't have a couple of million in the bank, basically the majority of the population. It goes without saying that it's practically impossible for a student moving to a big city to study at a university to pay +€1k / month for 20 square meters, but this is what the housing market has turned in to. People who own an apartment rent it out second hand on the black market for twice the price, and people are buying in because they are desperate to get away from their depressing small towns/parents' homes.

 

There are several other major changes that has brought on the current situation, but increased immigration is only a small part of a bigger picture.

 

 

EDIT: I realize that most of the things I'm describing are probably happening all around Europe, in some or other form.

Edited by Paralytik

"My milkshake bringeth all ye gentlefolk to the yard. Verily 'tis better than thine, I would teach thee, but I must levy a fee."

"When Kleiner showed me the sky-line of New York I told him that man is like the coral insect—designed to build vast, beautiful, mineral things for the moon to delight in after he is dead."

https://soundcloud.com/paralytik

 

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...

This is the sort of froth-mouthed hysteria one would expect on Twitter. I'm no great fan of UKIP's stance on immigration and their science policy is junk, but resorting to spurious accusations of rape and child abuse is a pretty desperate debating technique.

You may expect it on twitter but this is the view I formed from watching the news and reading statements made by actual UKIP candidates, plus I didn't accuse anyone of rape I said they think it's OK, perhaps that was a bit strong so I'll amend it, they and their supporters don't seem to think rape is as big an issue as it's made out to be.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/07/ukip-candidate-roger-helmer-newark-seeks-clarify-rape-comments

 

'Women concerned about rape should take reasonable care,' says Roger Helmer

No rapists shouldn't rape, end of argument.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/30/ukip-donor-says-women-cannot-be-raped-by-husbands

 

But Farage once again had to contend with the highly contentious views of a party supporter. Marchessini, who previously said there was no such thing as date rape, said that rape could not take place in marriage. "There's no such thing," he said.

Well that's just idiocy, you get married because you love the person you're marrying, it's not a license to grant you sex when you feel like it.

 

However animal rape, that's serious

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-30578607

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukip-candidate-gay-donkey-tried-to-rape-my-horse-9940230.html

 

A Ukip parliamentary candidate standing in Wales has claimed a “homosexual donkey” tried to rape his horse.

OK he was probably just having a joke, but still. he's standing for parliament.

 

As for child abuse well there's this

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/12/nigel-farage-russell-brand-children-question-time_n_6315138.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/question-time-nigel-farage-said-4796301

 

Brand said: "In the 'practice question' Farage says it’s okay to hit children 'it’s good for them to be afraid' he said. There is a lot of fear about in our country at the moment and he is certainly benefiting from it."

Much as I think Russell Brand is an idiot and prone to exaggeration he doesn't strike me as a liar.

 

No twitter, you'll notice, and I believe UKIP have taken steps to address some of the worse excesses, but they do seem to attract a certain type of supporter/candidate and the gaffes are still coming in.

 

But strangely, any publicity seems to be good publicity for UKIP, I get rather dismayed by the number of people who appear and uncritically support them when one of their candidates for running the country comes out with some absurdity.

 

Please note my prior comments about the other parties still stand.

 

As for the Lib Dems having no choice, we're in the run up to an election, they have nothing to lose by standing up for their core principles and everything to gain, so what if their coalition partners get angry, they've blocked legislation that went against their principles before, but for the last couple of years they may as well have been puppets on strings.

 

They are nodding along with the Conservatives over things like removing £300million from the legal aid budget with no prior impact assessment, meaning those at the bottom of the heap have to rely on the charity of lawyers working for free to get justice. Several attempts to restrict the Judicial Revue process, which is the only means the man in the street has to hold the authorities to account, this is going to the Lords for the third time, hopefully they'll block it again. Nodding through DRIP because 'terrorism'. They haven't made a single sound regarding the latest Conservative outburst about banning encryption to deny terrorists a safe means of communication despite the minor detail that it will kill e-commerce in the UK and turn us into a technological 3rd world... if we're lucky.

 

So unless the Lib Dems get their sh*t together pretty damn quick I see no reason they should be trusted with the reins of power either.

Edited by esme
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While I agree with the sentiment that rapists shouldn't do what they do, that wording is the second dumbest shit I've read on the subject, beaten only by the "legitimate rape" thing one of the US Republicans said a couple of years ago. Rapists shouldn't rape, but they will anyway, so you should take care. Or would you care to argue that having a burglar alarm enables burglar culture?

 

If you put it on rapists to stop raping... you'll be waiting a while. Declining to look after yourself on the expectation that someone else will do the right thing is effectively putting a neon "rape me" sign around your neck.

Edited by Xarg

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Sigh,

 

I was pointing out that it isn't the victims fault, it is always the rapists fault, I'm not putting it on rapists to stop raping, I'm putting it on society to stop them and not blame the victim.

 

It doesn't matter what a woman wears, how drunk she is, where she is, if she's married to the person or not it's not their fault it's the rapists fault.

 

If a man does not have consent or if the woman is incapable of giving consent then it's rape.

 

If a man seriously cannot control himself, then that man should be incarcerated to protect both themselves and everyone else from their actions.

 

We're getting a little off the big brother topic though, I suggest if you want to continue this you start another topic on the subject

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No, I agree with you completely, however having recently read that some campus organisations in the US had discouraged women from attending self-defense courses, instead demanding that "men be taught not to rape", so I was reacting more to the "rapists shouldn't rape" thing as I've seen it used recently, I'm not meaning to attack you personally. I agree that it is the rapist's fault.. but in the same way that leaving your door open encourages someone of questionable moral standards to take a peek around your house, and hey, you aren't watching that TV anyway, being drunk in a short dress in public might encourage someone to make a pass at you.

 

Should you be able to be drunk, and wear what you want without repercussion? Sure. Is that the reality we live in? Nope. I'll end on this note however, I don't want this conversation starting up here, I see enough of it elsewhere and I'm tired of it. Someone else can make a thread if they want.

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While I agree with the sentiment that rapists shouldn't do what they do, that wording is the second dumbest shit I've read on the subject ... Rapists shouldn't rape, but they will anyway, so you should take care. Or would you care to argue that having a burglar alarm enables burglar culture?

Precisely. Advising people to take common-sense precautions to reduce their exposure to the risk of crime is not "blaming the victim", even if the screeching Guardianista mob is too thick to tell the difference.

 

Yes, in an ideal world it would be nice if criminals didn't commit acts of violence and precautions weren't needed, but tough shit, we don't live in an ideal world. Discouraging people from taking such precautions because "they shouldn't have to" is just endangering people for no good reason.

 

If a man does not have consent or if the woman is incapable of giving consent then it's rape.

Of course if they're both incapacitated it's still conveniently the man's fault because of patriarchy and stuff. Equality before the law seems to be a principle that can be freely thrown on the bonfire any time Gender Issues are concerned.

 

But strangely, any publicity seems to be good publicity for UKIP, I get rather dismayed by the number of people who appear and uncritically support them when one of their candidates for running the country comes out with some absurdity.

I'm pretty sure that's precisely why they are gathering popular support. They are not afraid to say publically what a lot of ordinary people actually think, in a society where the main parties (and public figures more generally) are incapable of ever straying from the standard politically-correct script.

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Precisely. From what I gather, the mainstream politicians in Sweden have embraced multi-culturalism to such an extent that merely criticising government immigration policy can be prosecuted as "hate speech". It is no wonder that far right parties can thrive in this kind of environment.

 

Stupid grandstanding politicians all over the world seem incapable of recognising the simple truth that just because you ban, censor and outlaw political viewpoints doesn't mean that people will stop holding those viewpoints. Instead they will see themselves as "oppressed" and become more extremist.

 

I think we should also be mindful of the background of many immigrants. Many don't get proper education from the country where they came from, especially if they are refugees from a place like Syria.

You know, these people are easily manipulated. They are naive, they are the target audience of terrorists to convert into soldiers. I think that a big thing of the coming years is to make sure that at least the future generation gets a better future. Through education the likelihood someone can use these people again is significantly lower.

 

So much talk of globalization. But all those concepts seem to be very vulnerable, and things didn't seem to change much from the 20'th century even if the Cold War ended.

"I really perceive that vanity about which most men merely prate — the vanity of the human or temporal life. I live continually in a reverie of the future. I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active — not more happy — nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. The result will never vary — and to suppose that it will, is to suppose that the foregone man has lived in vain — that the foregone time is but the rudiment of the future — that the myriads who have perished have not been upon equal footing with ourselves — nor are we with our posterity. I cannot agree to lose sight of man the individual, in man the mass."...

- 2 July 1844 letter to James Russell Lowell from Edgar Allan Poe.

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Anyone seen this abuse of parliamentary procedure by four Lords backbenchers

 

Casually adding 18 pages of clauses from the summarily rejected Communications Data bill to, the pretty much guaranteed to pass, Counter Terror bill.

 

These concerned citizens just happen to be

Lord King the former Conservative defence secretary
Lord Carlile the Liberal Democrat former reviewer of counter-terror laws
Lord West the former Labour defence minister
Lord Blair the former Metropolitan police commissioner

 

Who were trying to create a security state when they weren't lords, seems nothing has changed.

 

If this is allowed to pass then any random lord can simply staple whatever self serving clauses they like on the back of any bill thats going to pass and if no one spots it it will become law.

 

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/ourwork/reports/abuse-of-parliamentary-procedure

 

https://gigaom.com/2015/01/22/uk-terror-law-amendments-would-bring-back-snoopers-charter/

 

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/22/snoopers-charter-changed-version-pass-before-election

 

The reading is today, if it passes, kiss goodbye to any privacy you thought you ever had

 

--EDIT--

 

I forgot to mention, they carefully removed any clauses requiring a judicial warrant, so it all happens with the permission of a senior officer of a nod from the home secretary, the legal system is excluded from interfering.

Edited by esme
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Perhaps this will be the wake-up call we need to get rid of the House of Lords altogether. It's ridiculous that in 2015 we still have an anachronistic, anti-democratic upper house full of un-elected political appointees and clergymen influencing the legislative process in this way.

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I'm for that, I'd like it to be a fully elected house equal in authority to the commons, the difficulty is stopping it being a clone of the commons so one house ends up rubber stamping legislation made by the other.

 

Maybe we could use the internet and have every piece of commons legislation subject to approval by the electorate, if they want legislation passed they have to explain it to us so we understand why it's necessary. Sadly National Security considerations would prevent anything like this from working and MP's would never submit to having their decisions vetoed by the mere electorate.

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Well the amendment which was added because 4 Lords decided it was vital to the security of the nation and we would be subject to terrorist atrocities if it did not become law as a matter of urgency without it was withdrawn without a vote by their spokesman after wasting a few hour of the Lords time

 

So not so vital and urgent

 

My bet is they try again when they think no one is looking

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From http://openrightsgroup.tumblr.com/post/109243426910/terrorists-know-snapchat

I am not a tweeter. We have Facebook and Twitter. Somebody tried to explain WhatsApp to me; somebody else tried to explain Snapchat. I do not know about them, but it is absolutely clear that the terrorists and jihadists do.

- Lord King of Bridgwater, former Defence Secretary and later chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, amending the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill to include the text of the Communications Data Bill. January 2015.

 

Or in other words

I have absolutely no clue how this technology works, how useful it is, how it affects people or what the impact of any laws I pass regarding it may have.

 

Regardless of this, I feel confident that I can pass laws affecting everyone who uses it despite my total ignorance of the matter and so this is my attempt to poke the hornets nest with a short stick

Because Terrorism woooOOOOooo *waves hands in an attempt to hypnotise the audience into fearful submission*

Both Peers and MP's should not be allowed to vote on an issue unless they can correctly answer 2 out of 3 questions on it as selected by the opposition, and if less than 10% of the house vote, the bill is not passed.

 

Oh, and abolish the party whip.

 

Lawmakers should have a detailed understanding of the laws they make.

I never really had an opionion on the Lords of parliment, but now I see it is just a bunch of old white guys with hidden agenda's.

I regard it as vote stuffing by whichever party is in office in order to have the lords rubber stamp legislation from the commons.

Edited by esme
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Lawmakers should have a detailed understanding of the laws they make.

So, I take it you're not a fan of the "You have to pass it so you can read what's in it" kind of lawmaking?
Edited by Xarg

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Nope

 

And from all reports because these four Lords didn't get their way, they are going to try again next week.

 

Smacks of stamping feet and holding their breath until they get their way to me.

 

They are desperate to get this through before the election, because they doubt their chances of getting it through afterwards.

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Hopefully the NDAA and PATRIOT ACT's taught people lessons about signing it so they could read it, sadly, "turrism" is that magic buzzword that gets pens flowing like virtually no other.

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Our problem is that the Lords are there for life, in theory they can do this tactic to any and every bill heading through the house until they get their way and there's nothing the electorate can do to stop them, we can't vote for new lords, we cant remove their peerages.

 

They can stall parliament, and stop every bill in it's tracks by forcing it into ping-pong between the houses by stuffing these amendment in, I think the only way to stop that is via the parliament act which would effectively dissolve the House of Lords and there would be no check or balance on legislation from the commons.

Edited by esme
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Googe to be 'forced' to divulge more about what personal data they gather and what they do with it:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11379419/Google-forced-to-change-too-vague-privacy-policy-after-watchdog-steps-in.html

 

They'll divulge only what they want to give out and the rest will remain a secret.

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I'm pretty sure that's precisely why they are gathering popular support. They are not afraid to say publically what a lot of ordinary people actually think, in a society where the main parties (and public figures more generally) are incapable of ever straying from the standard politically-correct script.

Spot on.

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