UK Politics & Brexit Discussion

[God is Haaland]

On 26/02/2021 at 16:48, Moon Monkey said:

Appreciate your concerns GiH, my health is Grand and I'm also part immunised v Covid,  next installment in May.

It all makes sense now.

On 26/02/2021 at 16:48, Moon Monkey said:

Going to hit the Belgium beer later for a wee celebration. 

Don't od on alc, m8.

[Moon Monkey]

2 hours ago, God is Haaland said:

It all makes sense now.

Good stuff

2 hours ago, God is Haaland said:

Don't od on alc, m8.

We have a healthy relationship 

[Moon Monkey]

1 hour ago, Cazza said:

The UK is a blame culture and anything that is a negative on the realm and can be linked to a mass decision will carry an amount of blame to those who were indirectly responsible. 

At the end of the day, it was  divisive issue which divided the country,  so there was always going to be an amount of blame levelled at both sides from the other

We will just have to get on and live with that decision now regardless.

[LFCMike]

2 hours ago, Cazza said:

A little OTT.... I don't thing he has done that much wrong, it is a difficult position to be in.

You don't have Tony Abbott as your PM!

Not true

[RandoEFC+]

Isn't Tony Abbott the one who was hired by the UK government to advise on trade or something? There was a bit of a kerfuffle because of his chauvinistic comments in the past? This lot just fronted it out though and the media just forgot about it after a day or two.

[LFCMike]

4 hours ago, Cazza said:

Why so post away.... ?

He skipped five coronavirus Cobra meetings at the beginning of the pandemic. Early March he's telling the country he's been in hospitals shaking hands with Covid patients. His government was responsible for the PPE shortage. Locked down too late three times. Failure to close borders or the need to quarantine when arriving in the UK. Delay in making face coverings mandatory. Him and his government handing out Covid related contracts to their rich mates to make them even richer. The outsourced test and trace was a farce. I've probably missed a few here but that's off the top of my head.

 

[Stan]

4 minutes ago, Cazza said:

Evidence?

 

Gove admitted it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/19/michael-gove-fails-to-deny-pm-missed-five-coronavirus-cobra-meetings

 

Apparently it's normal for a PM to not attend COBRA meetings, but during a major crisis, as this was (and don't even need hindsight for that), the PM usually would attend. Johnson chose not to.

[Moon Monkey]

6 minutes ago, Cazza said:

Back to square one, it would have always been that way anyhow.... To much fake opinion and news jumping to the argument with little fact by either side, You/we will have to live with this however which way it pans out. I feel the CANZUK will be a great enterprise, we're always looking to help our pommie bro's out.

Yes, having the independence to make these choices and deals can only be a good think.

[Moon Monkey]

2 minutes ago, Stan said:

Gove admitted it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/19/michael-gove-fails-to-deny-pm-missed-five-coronavirus-cobra-meetings

 

Apparently it's normal for a PM to not attend COBRA meetings, but during a major crisis, as this was (and don't even need hindsight for that), the PM usually would attend. Johnson chose not to.

Fair enough then, I guess the less people mixing the better. Boris was ahead of the game.

[Stan]

5 minutes ago, Moon Monkey said:

Fair enough then, I guess the less people mixing the better. Boris was ahead of the game.

If only they could practice what they preach, eh?

I remember Nadine Dorries meeting with Johnson and attending (full) parliament while she was awaiting results from a COVID test this time last year 

[Moon Monkey]

Just now, Stan said:

If only they could practice what they preach, eh?

I remember Nadine Dorries meeting with Johnson and attending (full) parliament while she was awaiting results from a COVID test this time last year 

Don't get me started on the hypocrisy of politicians/celebrities. 

[Stan]

Get ready for some cringe.

 

 

Found myself internally screaming 'STOP TALKING RISHI!' very early on  

[RandoEFC+]

Scottish Tories tabling a no confidence in Sturgeon motion.

[Moon Monkey]

7 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

Scottish Tories tabling a no confidence in Sturgeon motion.

Would they not be better waiting until after she has took the stand herself in the current inquiry?

[RandoEFC+]

3 hours ago, Moon Monkey said:

Would they not be better waiting until after she has took the stand herself in the current inquiry?

I don't know, but according to political Twitter she defended herself pretty robustly and effectively this morning so I think she'll be coming through this just fine.

[Moon Monkey]

2 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

I don't know, but according to political Twitter she defended herself pretty robustly and effectively this morning so I think she'll be coming through this just fine.

Haven't seen it yet myself,  maybe treat myself later to catch the highlights on YouTube. 

[Batard]

1 minute ago, Cazza said:

Who will host cracker jack now!!!!

You're far too young to remember Cracker jack

[Machado]

On 24/02/2021 at 21:41, Dr. Gonzo said:

Surely, at least one silver lining to Brexit has to be we've done a much better job than the EU at the vaccine rollout.

I've always been staunchly against Brexit, but that seems to be the one clear benefit we've received from no longer being a member. I'm not sure if there have been other advantages at all (and I feel like those who were staunchy pro-Brexit should be trying to sell people on the short and long term benefits... because so far we've seen lots of short term negatives. But the UK's managed to do a pretty incredible job with the vaccine rollout compared to a lot of other countries. Which tbh is pretty fucking impressive considering we've seen nothing but incompetence in government for about 5 years (minimum).

Better job is relative. More vaccines purchased - true.

[DeadLinesman]

5 minutes ago, Machado said:

Better job is relative. More vaccines purchased - true.

Wouldn’t say that tbh. We’ve already vaccinated more than most European countries combined. Others shot themselves in the foot by refusing to use AstraZeneca based on Macron saying it was almost ineffective. Now, complete u-turn. They’ve had the vaccines and literally not used it.

[Machado]

31 minutes ago, DeadLinesman said:

Wouldn’t say that tbh. We’ve already vaccinated more than most European countries combined.

Technically incorrect. Number of people vaccinated doesn't equal number of doses given, so in reality, most EU countries have vaccinnated more than the UK 

The EU negotiated adequate deals on vaccines, but the problem is companies have sold more vaccines than they can produce. I don't see how the EU is to blame for companies not living up to their contractual obligations. The UK started a month ahead of the EU with early regulatory approval, early deals, and accepting additional terms like paying a higher price for the vaccine and giving up on the pharma companies civil liability in case of unwanted effects. They took a gamble the EU wasn't willing to.

Countries like Germany and France could have done the same but they're part of the EU and naturally, the EU's strategy is going to be solidarity. So I'd argue the opposite of what Gonzo said and make the case that being a EU member was actually a benefit in paper as it offered protection to its members from this buy higher, receive first approach. The EU did for its members states what the WHO is trying to do for Africa with COVAX.

2 hours ago, DeadLinesman said:

Others shot themselves in the foot by refusing to use AstraZeneca based on Macron saying it was almost ineffective. Now, complete u-turn. They’ve had the vaccines and literally not used it.

Nothing wrong with an u-turn if it's justified. There was a lack of data to assure the efficiency of the vaccine on the +65. It's only very recently with data from new studies that some countries like Germany, Belgium and Sweden have given it a green light.

[Guest]

I'm starting to understand how brexiters twisted things without technically lying.

@Stan your parents are Indian arent they? Were they born in India or the UK? 

What brexiteers said was that English, Scottish, Irish and welsh people will become a minority in the uk.

However if you go back far enough most of us probably have some foreign DNA in us.

Now stan assuming your parents were born in india and came over here I would call them Indian.(nothing racist is meant in any of this so if I do day something that you consider racist even by accident tell me)

I would say you are British, or maybe indian British. You were born in this country, its what you know you're British.

Now I would say your kids are British. You were born  in Britian so were they. So they are British. 

However others say your children are Indian. So they are basically saying unless you are pure British you arent British. Which is why they say we are becoming a minority where as in reality if you think like that hardly any of us are British.

[Stan]

38 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I'm starting to understand how brexiters twisted things without technically lying.

@Stan your parents are Indian arent they? Were they born in India or the UK? 

What brexiteers said was that English, Scottish, Irish and welsh people will become a minority in the uk.

However if you go back far enough most of us probably have some foreign DNA in us.

Now stan assuming your parents were born in india and came over here I would call them Indian.(nothing racist is meant in any of this so if I do day something that you consider racist even by accident tell me)

I would say you are British, or maybe indian British. You were born in this country, its what you know you're British.

Now I would say your kids are British. You were born  in Britian so were they. So they are British. 

However others say your children are Indian. So they are basically saying unless you are pure British you arent British. Which is why they say we are becoming a minority where as in reality if you think like that hardly any of us are British.

Nothing racist in there mate so no need to worry about that  

The first point I'd make is that it should only be up to the individual themselves to decide what their nationality or heritage is. What gives anyone else the right to decide whether someone is British or not without actually knowing that person? It's why I hate hearing the phrase - which has been said to me personally - 'go back home', 'go back to your own country'. 

To answer your questions (!), one of my parents was born in India and the other in Kenya (you'll find a lot of Indian people of my age/generation has a parent/parents that were born in Africa; there was a lot of work and trade available in Africa in the 60s/70s so many Indian people migrated, albeit temporarily for some, to places like Kenya, South Africa, Uganda; there's big Indian populations in places like Nairobi, Durban, Kampala for example...). Anyway, I identify as British Asian/British Indian if it needs to be more specific. So yes, while I was born in this country and proud to be so, my heritage is Indian and I will never ever forget that, ignore that or better still, never let someone else choose that or tell me where I am from or what I am.

I would let my kids choose how they want to identify when it comes to nationality or heritage; if they choose to identify as British only, then so be it. If they choose to identify as British Asian/British Indian, again so be it. As long as they recognise where their parents/grandparents/great grandparents and ancestors were from. It's something I would never want them to lose sight of.

I try not to pay too much attention to white British people who say 'we're becoming a minority in our own country'. The UK is still predominantly white (by roughly 60-70% if I remember correctly? Maybe higher). I don't see that changing, if at all, for several generations so they're not even going to live to see the effects of multi-culturalism and even bigger diversity of the land here...

[Guest]

@Stan white British is actually roughly 80% 

I was just having a conversation on Facebook with this guy who said that if to many immigrants come in and breed and the pure english dont it will be genocide 

[RandoEFC+]

When you see it .

[Stan]

Our beloved government have found £10bn to aid additional nuclear warheads but struggled to find the money to pay NHS staff properly, not least after their efforts this year.

So much for the 'there's no magic money tree' stick they aimed towards Labour...