Britain - The Official Thread

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How will you vote in the 2024 UK General Election?

  • Conservative Party

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Green Party

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Labour Party

    Votes: 14 48.3%

  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Other (Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland)

    Votes: 1 3.4%

  • Other Independents

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other Parties

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Spoiled Ballot

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Will Not/Cannot Vote

    Votes: 8 27.6%
  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
KSaiyu
Sooner or later the public will be forced to listen to us when we say that we're killing patients trying to save the NHS.
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You don't have to take part, do what the rest of us do when ethically challenged and move on.
 
The problem has come from when the middle managers have to make the savings, not those higher up or lower down. Because they want to keep jobs that shouldn't exist, especially on such massively inflated salaries that could easily pay for the nurses they had to cut, and things like plastic surgery and gender-reassignment surgery that should not paid for by the NHS are eating into the budget, these kind of things are going to happen. Tell me, if you are being given more money than you had the previous year, why are you still creating debts?
 
TenEightyOne
You don't have to take part, do what the rest of us do when ethically challenged and move on.
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Quit?

Fact is Barts is a perfect storm of:
- Demographics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Tower_Hamlets#Demographics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Newham#Demography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Waltham_Forest
- Mismanagement
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/19/barts-health-chief-executive-chief-nurse-resign
- Culture of fear and bullying endemic across the NHS, heightened after a merger
http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/AAAC1034.pdf

Add them all up?

Overall
Inadequate
Read overall summary
http://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/R1H

I fully expect the NHS to change beyond recognition in the coming few years.
 
Watching a bit of the opening of parliament. Majorly disappointed that Dennis Skinner had no quips this year. But more than that, seeing the Sunday dinner with all the trimmings, the pomp, the circumstance, it was all a bit ludicrous. The fact that the opening takes place in the Lords shows how progressive we are; no monarch has set foot inside the Commons since Charles I.

Then there is looking at the Queen, Phillip, Charles and Camilla dressed out in crowns and stars... they're dressed like absolute 🤬. Some bloke kneels down in front of the Queen to present her with her pre-written speech. Yeesh.

It's all so submissive. I want to be represented, not ruled.
 
Carbonox
Not very fun to watch those ultra-religious groups show up and make up their own rules in your country, eh?
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Hasidic Jews have been in Britain for centuries. They arrived in c.1066, were expelled in 1290 before returning to resettle in 1656. Even between 1290 and 1656 small communities existed in hiding.

Edited to include years as opposed to centuries.
 
Liquid
Hasidic Jews have been in Britain for centuries. They arrived in c.1066, were expelled in 1290 before returning to resettle in 1656. Even between 1290 and 1656 small communities existed in hiding.

Edited to include years as opposed to centuries.
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Have they always been like this?

As in, creating dumb rules for their community that contradict with Britain's laws. Pretty sure cars didn't exist back then.
 
Best way to fight it is for OFSTED to stop the banning of the kids going to school that are driven by women. Anyone found harrassing women for driving should be prosecuted (not under hate laws but for harrassment).

Carbonox
Have they always been like this?
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Progressively more and more of these stories are coming out. It's basically an enclave within London.
 
Carbonox
Have they always been like this?
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Possibly; we know what grip all the Abrahamic religions have had over Europe when taken in theocratic, orthodox form. To say that they, Hasidic Jews, are unique in this regard would be a gross inaccuracy. You only have to look across the water to Ireland to see how the RCC still influences certain draconian and/or misogynistic laws.

I wouldn't be able to say for sure.

KSaiyu
Anyone found harrassing women for driving should be prosecuted (not under hate laws but for harrassment).
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I agree.
 
Sounds like the guys may have shot themselves in the foot with that one. The kids have to go to school by law, so it's going to have to be extra bus fairs, taxis or the fathers driving them instead. Not to mention contravening sexual equality laws. That worked out well then.
 
Carbonox
Have they always been like this?

As in, creating dumb rules for their community that contradict with Britain's laws. Pretty sure cars didn't exist back then.
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Yes and not just in the UK. You may want to look at women's rights to divorce and dress codes within the Hasidic Jewish community, or the number of times Hasidic Jews have delayed flights because they refuse to sit next to women.

Oh and for the record please don't infer that I am happy with any religious group attempting to impose a set of laws that are outside the laws of the country in question and impact on the rights of other individuals. However nor do I for a second believe that just because one ultra orthodox group attempts this, that it can then be applied to all members of that faith.


KSaiyu
Best way to fight it is for OFSTED to stop the banning of the kids going to school that are driven by women. Anyone found harrassing women for driving should be prosecuted (not under hate laws but for harrassment).
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I'm not sure how OFSTED applies to free schools (which most of the schools in question would likely be), but certainly they would not be able to implement them on any form of legal basis, however that doesn't help in regard to pressure within the community.
 
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I will only be satisfied if Buckingham Palace follows suit:

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/05/27/church-to-lower-flag-for-dead-duck-desmond-drake

Church to lower flag for dead duck Desmond Drake

The church in an English village will lower its flag to half-mast as mourners gather to pay their respects to deceased local legend Desmond Drake -- the local mill pond duck.

A wake will be held at a local pub, The Ring O'Bells, in Compton Martin, Somerset, to honour Desmond, a 25-year resident of the mill pond where he was famous for chasing off any male ducks taking a lusty look at his female friends, the Blackmore Vale Magazine reported Wednesday.

Desmond's untimely passing came in the jaws of a fox, which only left a pile of feathers for villagers to remember their local celebrity.

DESMONDDUCK_914484c.jpg
 
Charles Kennedy died today, aged 55.

I don't think his time as Lib Dem leader was as successful as it could have been because he was there whilst Bliar was still on a crest of a wave and the UK was in a two party plutocracy. But I never had a real problem with this guy; he was vehemently against the Iraq war, which was not a popular position at the time.

He was certainly one of my more favoured politicians of the time.

key_Charles_Kennedy%281%29.jpeg
 
Wow, that's a shame - he was one of the very few politicians that commanded respect from across the political spectrum. He was also Rector of Glasgow University for 6 years, so I'd imagine there will be some form of memorial, if not the University flag flying at half mast tonight. RIP Charles Kennedy.

edit: This was posted by the University of Glasgow a few minutes ago...

11393278_1060635573956157_7216897028072118603_n.jpg
 
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It's not too bad, nothing sweary.

What the Guardianistas seem to forget is that Cameron does not want to get rd of the HRA and not replace it with anything else, which seems to be the propaganda being spouted by the Labour party, the Lib Dems, and anyone else who leans on the left. The HRA is going to be replaced with a British Bill of Rights, which focuses on giving the priority to the British public. The main idea behind it is to make it easier to deport foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers. The rest of the HRA in principle is going to remain.

Is it so bad to try and retain the interests of your native people? Before anyone tries to label me as racist, is it any different from what Canada, Australia are doing? Hell, even Jersey has strict immigration controls.
 
DG_Silva
Is it so bad to try and retain the interests of your native people?
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In principle, probably not. But the United Kingdom abandoning the Human Rights Act contravenes the Good Friday Agreement 1998, the Scotland Act 1998 and the Government of Wales Act 1998.

It's not as simple as replacing one with another; the consent of the Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament and Northern Irish Assembly is required.
 
Liquid
In principle, probably not. But the United Kingdom abandoning the Human Rights Act contravenes the Good Friday Agreement 1998, the Scotland Act 1998 and the Government of Wales Act 1998.

It's not as simple as replacing one with another; the consent of the Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament and Northern Irish Assembly is required.
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Not that I disbelieve you, but I'm interested to know how that works. We all know that the Scottish Parliament will never agree with what the Tories want to do.

Aside from that, I see the Labour party are up to their usual tricks: http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/02/homel...1000-for-sleeping-rough-5226481/?ito=facebook Funny how Hackney Council try and push this through after the election, so it would appear to be a Tory-led idea...
 
DG_Silva
Not that I disbelieve you, but I'm interested to know how that works. We all know that the Scottish Parliament will never agree with what the Tories want to do.
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I read an interesting piece about this, and it would appear that Cameron has his work cut out if he has any real intention of replacing the Human Rights Act - it would require a hell of a lot of concessions to be made (that his party won't accept anyway) in order to achieve very little...
 
DG_Silva
Not that I disbelieve you, but I'm interested to know how that works. We all know that the Scottish Parliament will never agree with what the Tories want to do.
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Harder to find concrete reports on the Scotland Act 1998 and Government of Wales Act 1998 themselves, probably because talking about them in relation to the scrapping of HRA has been ignored up until now, but I've definitely read articles on the Good Friday Agreement.

Edit: There is this which talks about it in relation to the Government of Wales Act 2006, when we were granted some more powers, and relates to the initial devolution settlement.

And this with regards to Scotland; it would require legislative consent with the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood will not comply with Westminster just doing what they want.
 
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