Off Topic News & Current affairs

That Heaven quote always reminds me of that fantastic scene in The Black Adder when Edmund (the new Arch Bishop of Canterbury) is trying to persuade a wealthy landowner on his death bed to leave all his worldly goods to the King (Edmund's father Richard VI, played by Brian Blessed) instead of leaving them to the Church.

The Arch Bishop - in fear of his life - disparages Heaven as deathly dull, and describes Hell as a perverts' paradise; thus convincing the dying old man to change his Will in favour of the King.
One of my favourite scenes from the first series.

 

I'm starting to feel a distinct Thatcherite vibe from Boris of late.

Come on Britain, back to work!!

That's all well and good.
Unless you're elderly, or ill, or poor, or disabled, or disadvantaged, or have mental health issues.
The hardy and enterprising can bear some suffering during these years of transition to a glorious future.
Everyone else can go to the wall.
A lean, mean, Darwinian Society is obviously better off without them anyway, according to some.

 

Politics is more depressing than it's ever been. We've got the most dishonest lying government ever, and the most feeble opposition ever. I hate to say it, but Cautious Keir is even worse than Corbyn, who at least had a bit of fire in his belly. Starmer is still a lawyer, weighing up every word he says with such care that he ends up saying nothing, while Johnson says whatever will make his fans happy at any particular time.

 

Another falsehood, designed to appeal to the Angry Daily Mail classes.

 

There's plenty of jobs out there for the poor and hopefully wages will rise in the lower paid sectors if we stop importing cheap slaves, sorry workers, from poorer countries across the world. We still have the most generous benefits system in Europe, and possibly the world, to give assistance to the disabled, ill and elderly.

Not sure who exactly the disadvantaged are ? Would that be the lazy c*unts who come up with every excuse not to work hard but still expect the same advantages that come to those who do work hard ?

Now if the Tories could just do something about our over-population, ineffective Police Force, sorry Police Service, build lots of new prisons and lock criminals up for a long time, stop laundering foreign criminals money through our financial markets, stop the flow of illegal migrants across the channel, rebuild our manufacturing sector, reform our education sector to teach kids things they actually need to know, bring an end to our foreign dictators fund, sorry overseas aid budget, reform our NHS so that it just treats sick people who have or will in the future pay into it, rather than spending the cash on managers, breast reductions and sex changes and maybe even stop making elderly people who have worked hard all their lives and scrimped and saved, pay for their care, when those who haven't worked hard and have spent all their benefits on drink, drugs, McDonalds and fags don't have to pay for their care, then maybe, just maybe I might vote for them one day.

And breath...................

 

I agree with only some of that, but I had to like it

 

There are plenty of working people living in poverty.

 

True, but far fewer than other countries. Don’t think any party or system in the world can end poverty for everyone. Communism claims that it can but in reality it never does.

 

I think I’ll just have to accept that politically I am slightly to the right……

Of Genghis Khan

 

Problems you cannot solve with an App;

#1: Women being unsafe on the streets.

Is this really the best society can come up with?
It's akin to saying tents are the answer to homelessness.
Or alphabetti spaghetti kills the two birds of food poverty and illiteracy with one stone.

 

After WW2 great reforms were enacted, in order to provide care for the poor and most vulnerable in our society.

Now after the Pandemic (which has claimed twice as many civilian lives in the UK as WW2) we have a Government content to bring to reality the very opposite;
A society where the strongest, thickest-skinned two thirds will have a chance to prosper.
And where millions of poor and vulnerable folk are no longer supported or helped.
A Nazi style culture where the weak will be allowed to go to the wall.

Not exactly what our grandparents fought and died for.

 

Just to clarify the 'Nazi' reference;
I'm not saying Boris and the Tories sympathise with that philosophy.
But after more than a decade of Conservative (or Conservative led) Government we have a country where services for the poor are stretched beyond breaking point.
The NHS, social care, mental health services. All chronically under-staffed and with morale on the floor, more people leaving every day.
The reality in Britain now for many is go private or go without.
And millions of people waiting for treatment, while millions more go undiagnosed.
Life expectancy is going down.
Our society is regressing from civilisation to barbarism.
They might as well open up asylums again, and work houses.

Now we have the power back to elect a Government that is free to act, we need bold political vision.
We need big long term fixes for enormous problems.
And I'm not seeing any.

 

This gave me a warm glow. I could have written this myself.

The problems of this country could be eased if the Government actually wanted to see improvements but too many in all parts of the House are incompetent and/or corrupted by those making money out of the mess.

 

Good old Prince Charles. I think he's a bit of an XR supporter on the quiet...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58847456

Definitely encouraging folk not to trust world political leaders, and take matters into their own hands.
Charlie, you old rebel...

 

Just watched the programme on the BBC about gambling addiction with Paul Merson.

The barrage of gambling advertising that swamps TV football coverage is an absolute disgrace.
And how can any gambling company justify continuing to take deposits from an addict every few minutes again and again and again, day after day.
They deny that they feed on addiction.
They are damned liars.

I've made some crappy decisions in my life.
But I'm so glad that I've never gone near gambling.

 

Unfortunately he's also a complete and utter knob. Another of the great "do as I say, not as I do" brigade.

When he stops flying around the world on private jets, when he stops flying across the country in private jets and private helicopters because it's quicker than being driven, when he stops driving across the country in massive heavy cars rather than get a (normal) train, when he stops living in massive palaces, castles and mansions using up vast amounts of energy in the process, when he stops killing animals for 'sport' aka fun, when he gets a proper job, maybe, just maybe I might start to listen to what he's got to say.

Until then I couldn't give a sh*it what he thinks I should and shouldn't do.

I have respect for the Queen, Princess Anne and maybe William. The rest are complete wasters.

 

I must admit, looking at it from that perspective I do have more respect for Greta (though not perhaps for some of the hangers-on of her movement).
At least she tries to live a lifestyle more consistent with her cause. And she herself has no other agenda or vested interest.
I can admire dedication to a belief, even if the passion of that dedication sometimes puts the objective ahead of the freedoms and rights of other people.