British Politics thread

Unfortunately UKIP plays to a simple solution to all woes and the conceit that everything has one identifiable root cause is very enticing to the average voter. That coupled with the fact that Farage himself has oodles more charisma than his nearest rival and a general dissatisfaction with traditional politicians makes for a volatile electorate...the real question is whether 'fear of change' restrains or changes people when it comes to a general election.

Ironically the UK is generally led by majority governments that got elected when less than 45% of the country wanted them.....atm at least with very little fanfair we are run by a government that represents 60+%.... I'm not saying its better or worse, but when people moan its one of the few times we kinda got what we asked for ^^.

lachesis wrote:

Unfortunately UKIP plays to a simple solution to all woes and the conceit that everything has one identifiable root cause is very enticing to the average voter. That coupled with the fact that Farage himself has oodles more charisma than his nearest rival and a general dissatisfaction with traditional politicians makes for a volatile electorate...the real question is whether 'fear of change' restrains or changes people when it comes to a general election.

Ironically the UK is generally led by majority governments that got elected when less than 45% of the country wanted them.....atm at least with very little fanfair we are run by a government that represents 60+%.... I'm not saying its better or worse, but when people moan its one of the few times we kinda got what we asked for ^^.

True. Though I would argue that a bag of flour with a smiley face drawn on it has more charisma than Cameron or Miliband.
In Cameron's defense, he at least still looks like a real person. Miliband looks like he came off the conveyor belt in some secret Labour facility.

[quote="Salomé"]

lachesis wrote:

In Cameron's defense, he at least still looks like a real person. Miliband looks like he came off the conveyor belt in some secret Labour facility.

Indeed in fact as far as leaders go I think Milliband is even some way behind the uber-bland Clegg in the charisma stakes, still I suppose if he gets elected the cost of security goes down as he could go anywhere and no one would care or notice.

It seems to be virtually impossible for Miliband to be photographed without him looking odd in some way.

Getting the Muslim vote all stitched up.

"Oh a peasant begging I better cross.......damn there's a Camera I'll give some money but won't look in case I catch herpes!"

Actually on second thoughts blue suit, blue tie......has the Labour spin machine photoshopped Ed's head on Cameron's Body?

tyUi

A little something for the bitchers and moaners about all the migrants that make life in the UK so hard. Thinking of you there, Erica (you really a guy? I never!)


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11264679/Migrants-prefer-Germany-to-Britain-report-finds.html

"Germany, not the United Kingdom, is the main destination of free movement within the European Union, an international economic organisation has found.
Nearly 30 per cent of migrants travelled to Germany in 2012 under EU free movement rules, compared to seven per cent of EU free-mobility migrants that moved to the UK, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed.
In its annual International Migration Outlook, it said recent national estimates suggest an increase in free movement migration to the UK this year - but Germany continues to be the main destination of free movement within the 28-country bloc.
The findings come after David Cameron, the Prime Minister, signalled he is ready to lead Britain out of the EU if other member states refuse to compromise on the principle of free movement, which he and other ministers say is behind a surge in immigration to the UK.
Last week, official figures showed net migration rising to 260,000 in the year to June - 16,000 higher than when the coalition Government came to office."

Whoa! What's that? We're not suffering the most? How can that be, when we learned to whine about how the ugly, ugly Germans enslave us with the EU and all the smelly foreigners they force upon us??? My, in the end we might even find out one or two of them pay taxes in the UK instead of dodging. Or, worse, that the UK might even profit from migration. That possible?

Wonder how that can be when all my life I was told how dandy and darling everything about England is...

This did made me giggle a bit. Schrödinger's immigrant. :)

http://newsthump.com/2014/11/28/ukip-warns-of-schrodingers-immigrant-who-lazes-around-on-benefits-whilst-simultaneously-stealing-your-job/

Quote :

UKIP have updated Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment by insisting that immigrants exist in a state of both lazing around on benefits whilst simultaneously being out there stealing British jobs.

They mean the place in my favourite pub, that's taken by the Schroedinger guy! Fuck the Germans! And he drank my beer while I was taking a leak in his Beemer's tank...

I obviously do not have a dog in this fight, but this kind of crap would make it hard for me to grant UKIP even a protest vote. No politician has any business in people's bedrooms.

bhj

I found this since then as well:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/ukip-denies-affiliation-with-homophobic-twitter-account-that-sent-abuse-to-gay-campaigner-jack-monroe-nice-people-these-marxists-9895664.html

bn

The NVA is having similar issues over here.
After having been a fringe, separatist party for many years, they boomed under the leadership of Bart De Wever to become the most popular party in Flanders. Unfortunately, the number of MPs they suddenly have revealed some serious warts on their visage. Amongst the many gaffes were instances of negationism and some minimizing of the effects of collaboration. We're only a few months into this legislature...

And we in the Netherlands have Nutty Blondie also known as Geert Wilders who finds solace in insulting people of another religion as long as the Dutch government will pay for his bodyguards and safety.

these last years have shown him a populist that is actually great at being in the opposition as soon as he has a chance to help govern he does a runner.

He is fairly popular but will never ever govern again as nobody will make that mistake again, especially as his party is filled with morons of the grade A variety.

I guess "we" just have a very weird sense of humor? Our health minister is obese and our immigration minister attended the birthday party of a Nazi collaborator.

Salomé wrote:

I guess "we" just have a very weird sense of humor? Our health minister is obese and our immigration minister attended the birthday party of a Nazi collaborator.

And at least one of your Royals likes to dress up as a Nazi, because they were so incredible funny.

saint mark wrote:

And we in the Netherlands have Nutty Blondie also known as Geert Wilders who finds solace in insulting people of another religion as long as the Dutch government will pay for his bodyguards and safety.

That says more about the religion he's "insulting" than it does anything else.

hj

I'm renewing my passport and packing polar gear.

CJB wrote:

saint mark wrote:

And we in the Netherlands have Nutty Blondie also known as Geert Wilders who finds solace in insulting people of another religion as long as the Dutch government will pay for his bodyguards and safety.

That says more about the religion he's "insulting" than it does anything else.

It says something about how a few nutters seemingly have too much power these days, even if mr Blondie does say some horrible offensive things about the religion and its believers and some are no more than generalized populist nonsense which have no intention of solving anything but are aimed at stupid people of the so-called christian variety and blame anything preferable on somebody else than looking at themselves.

Nah, I think my point was more valid.

http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2014/02/24/comment-the-eu-us-treaty-which-enforces-privatisation

This reads as pretty terrifying and should be worthy of focus quite a bit more than "immigration gone wild" in terms of EU-skepticism.

Scary indeed. Goes to show lots of EU-skeptics are more concerned with tabloids and populist BS than real concerns. TTIP and this arbitration stuff is bound to have grave consequences for Europeans. The promised boom and the jobs we get told will come with it are not at all guaranteed, only corporate capital is pushing for the deal with its lobbyists. If the people themselves had a say in it I don't know if it would pass a referendum. But then we are on our way to leave the EU, won't concern us a lot.