The now-enacted will of (some of) the people

[mjmooney]

1 minute ago, villakram said:

Except for how it's used to ensure or at a minimum attempt to produce corporate control of global food supplies. Neo-liberal wet dreams...

That's how it's used. Different argument. My issue is with the idea that it is somehow intrisically dangerous to health. 

[ml1dch]

2 hours ago, tonyh29 said:

the EU temporarily banned some chicken imports from there due to safety concerns  (Salmonella  ) ...  turned out 6 consignments of chicken were contaminated .. interestedly in the same period 27 Polish chicken consignments were contaminated  .... makes you wonder if EU safety concerns are really safety concerns 

An element is safety, but you're right in your insinuation that a large amount is European markets protecting themselves from outside competition.

But while the Telegraph et al choose to interpret that as "protecting inefficient French farmers", they're also the protectionist rules that sustain British agriculture and manufacturing. And keep people buying British chickens for £5 rather than US chickens for £3.50.

So if that is the route we're going down (and it's certainly the route favoured by most of the Conservative leavers I've seen quoted on the subject), there needs to be a bit more honestly from the likes of Mogg and his mates about what it means for UK farms and businesses.

Edited January 21, 2019 by ml1dch

[Xann]

9 minutes ago, ml1dch said:

... there needs to be a bit more honestly from the likes of Mogg and his mates about what it means for UK farms and businesses.

James O'Brien tore it out the slippery piece of shit.

The previous link has been taken down. Here's another.

 

[ml1dch]

Yeah, I watched that last week.

While he's right in all the things he says, he could be better at not sounding like a smug Representative for Wellingborough* while saying it as he's unlikely to convince anyone not already convinced.

I'm target audience to agree with everything he says, but all I can think is JUST STOP INTERRUPTING.

 

*poster's own lack of self-awareness noted

Edit- not come across that word-filter before.

Edited January 21, 2019 by ml1dch

[tonyh29]

15 minutes ago, Xann said:

James O'Brien tore it out the slippery piece of shit.

The previous link has been taken down. Here's another.

 

all I can see is a bloke not listening as he's reading his screen whilst talking over the top of Mogg  ... Huffing and sighing like a petulant child isn't winning an argument

If that's the best the left can come up with as a media darling no wonder they are restricted to complaining about right wing bias as their sole argument for everything

[bickster]

2 minutes ago, tonyh29 said:

all I can see is a bloke not listening as he's reading his screen whilst talking over the top of Mogg  ... Huffing and sighing like a petulant child isn't winning an argument

If that's the best the left can come up with as a media darling no wonder they are restricted to complaining about right wing bias as their sole argument for everything

What gives you the impression that James O'Brien is left wing? He doesn't give me that impression at all. All I know about him is that he's in favour of the UK being in the EU, that puts him in the same camp as Margaret Thatcher

[ml1dch]

May confirms that the £65 / £32.50 for kids fee for settled status is being scrapped reimbursed to those who have paid already.

Which is commendable, so good job on her / them for doing it.

[HanoiVillan]

5 minutes ago, ml1dch said:

May confirms that the £65 / £32.50 for kids fee for settled status is being scrapped reimbursed to those who have paid already.

 Which is commendable, so good job on her / them for doing it.

Ye - e - s, I guess so. She had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do it, but the right decision in the end (to be fair, there were plenty of Tories who didn't agree with this idea from the beginning). 

[Stevo985]

I'm torn with James O'Brien.

I like him because he knows what he's talking about and a lot of his views echo my own.

But on the other hand, sometimes he comes across as a right word removed. He stops callers in the middle of their point to be pedantic about one tiny part. Which I get why he does thatbecause often it's a soundbite that is false and he wants them to know that, but eventually the caller just runs out of steam and can't be bothered to make their point and the whole thing fizzles out.

If he let them make their point then he would more than likely debunk that as well and it would all work out better. 

[HanoiVillan]

 

[tonyh29]

12 minutes ago, bickster said:

What gives you the impression that James O'Brien is left wing? He doesn't give me that impression at all. All I know about him is that he's in favour of the UK being in the EU, that puts him in the same camp as Margaret Thatcher

he asked a questions then screeched over the top of the answer rather than listen  was the first clue 

tbh I don't know a lot about him , that's the first time I've heard him speak(and on that showing hopefully the last)  tbh   ... so all i really know him from  is  he was  called a professional leftie by the Sun following his agreed departure from newsnight   ..yeah i know  but hey internet and all that

[peterms]

Time for a bit of calm, reflective analysis, perhaps over a quiet pint?

Get yourself down the pub and read this.

[bickster]

1 minute ago, tonyh29 said:

o all i really know him from  is  he was  called a professional leftie by the Sun

Does that mean he's a member of Noel's House Party?

[ml1dch]

1 minute ago, HanoiVillan said:

Ye - e - s, I guess so. She had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do it, but the right decision in the end (to be fair, there were plenty of Tories who didn't agree with this idea from the beginning). 

Oh absolutely. I'm prepared to be charitable in this case.

We're not going to be short on things to complain about in the weeks to come so will give her a pass on this getting the right result here eventually.

[Xann]

23 minutes ago, tonyh29 said:

... all I can see is a bloke not listening as he's reading his screen whilst talking over the top of Mogg...

You don't get it. We know.

O'Brien is asking where JRM is getting his post Brexit economic forecasts from.

When JRM reveals his source, O'Brien points out that JRM isn't telling the whole story of the report and is just cherry picking.

Brexit all over.

 

[HanoiVillan]

15 minutes ago, tonyh29 said:

he asked a questions then screeched over the top of the answer rather than listen  was the first clue 

tbh I don't know a lot about him , that's the first time I've heard him speak(and on that showing hopefully the last)  tbh   ... so all i really know him from  is  he was  called a professional leftie by the Sun following his agreed departure from newsnight   ..yeah i know  but hey internet and all that

Yeah, well, The Sun eh. 

Apparently he considers himself 'liberal' but not 'left', which seems about right. 

[tonyh29]

3 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

Yeah, well, The Sun eh. 

 

I think you'll find I already did that line for you  ..I even gave it a smiley to help bring out the ironic joke 

[Enda]

Yesterday a car bomb exploded outside the courthouse in Derry. It made the front page of every major Irish newspaper, but none of England's.

Today, two controlled explosions after men with guns hijack more vehicles in Derry. From RTE:

Quote

Two security alerts under way in Derry

Updated / Monday, 21 Jan 2019 16:18

A road in the Southway area was cordoned off by police (Pic: Press Eye)

A controlled explosion has been carried out on a hijacked vehicle in the Circular Road area of Derry.

A number of homes remain evacuated and cordons are still in place whilst investigations continue.

This incident was one of two that the PSNI have been dealing with following reports of two vehicles being hijacked in the city.

The Circular Road area was cordoned off after a white Transit van was reportedly hijacked by three masked men who threw an object into the back of it before abandoning the vehicle.

This was so bloody predictable.

On 22/02/2017 at 16:59, Enda said:

A good question! The short answer is that, historically, the Border is a boon to people who like to kill other humans. Leaving the Customs Unions will require a border. The sentiment is capture pretty well in this Guardian article, calling border police "sitting ducks".

But I'm really bad at giving short answers so will waffle on for another couple of paragraphs. Many elements of the Good Friday Agreement are reliant on pan-European agencies, in particular the EU's funding of "peace initiatives", but also the explicit recognition of the European Convention of Human Rights as a baseline for civil rights up there, so a departure from these agencies could cause further trouble. A couple of weeks ago, the UK Parliament rejected a vote that would require the Brexit terms be consistent with previous commitments under the GFA. Pull out the hundreds of millions of pounds the EU is pouring into Derry to keep people happy, "disrespect the wishes of the NI electorate" by pursuing Brexit, unilaterally back out of basic civil right mechanisms agreed to under the GFA, reinforce the partition mentality by having a hard border... it doesn't take much to undo the great progress our two countries have worked so hard on to improve relations.

I think the UK is blindly walking into a very dangerous situation. As I don't like seeing ordinary English people being killed or injured by IRA bombs in pubs, I think the way Brexit is proceeding is really very regrettable.

And, of course, I really hope I'm wrong. But I don't think I am. I think there will be violence.

Not necessarily the posters of VT but people in Britain generally don't understand Northern Ireland enough. And now the DUP, the only party not to back the Good Friday Agreement, and are in your government.

The bombs will only get worse. This is all so reckless.

[tonyh29]

11 minutes ago, Xann said:

You don't get it. We know.

O'Brien is asking where JRM is getting his post Brexit economic forecasts from.

When JRM reveals his source, O'Brien points out that JRM isn't telling the whole story of the report and is just cherry picking.

Brexit all over.

 

me not agreeing with your view of the world doesn't mean I don't get it   , so  no need for the snide remarks , though it does reaffirm my "class" comment from the other day

Whatever message O'Brien was trying to put across was lost  ..you're opening  gambit was he tore JRM a new one  ...he might well have done  , but I'd imagine for the average listener they would have struggled to find his message  , it was painful listening , another one of those instances that meant I wanted to shout to the radio (PC in this instance , shut the **** up and let him answer god damn it )

poor journalism really

[wazzap24]

52 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I'm torn with James O'Brien.

I like him because he knows what he's talking about and a lot of his views echo my own.

But on the other hand, sometimes he comes across as a right word removed. He stops callers in the middle of their point to be pedantic about one tiny part. Which I get why he does thatbecause often it's a soundbite that is false and he wants them to know that, but eventually the caller just runs out of steam and can't be bothered to make their point and the whole thing fizzles out.

If he let them make their point then he would more than likely debunk that as well and it would all work out better. 

First time I ever saw/heard him was on Newsnight a few years back.

I spent the first five minutes thinking who is this sarcastic/patronising word removed.

Then he absolutely skewered one of the guests (can remember who) with the kind of questioning the entire BBC news team should be using right now. He was absolutely brilliant and by far and away the best presenter Newsnight have had in some time. 

I catch a bit of his show on LBC from time to time and whilst I agree about the way he comes across, I still think he's superb. 

I also admire him for refusing to work for the BBC because of the 'need for balance'. Which is basically where we are now with them, which allows any clearing in the woods with an opinion a practically unchallenged platform to spout nonsense. 

What he did to Mong-the-Merciless in that clip above is what should be happening to all of  the unicornists everyday, but instead the haunted pencil gets to ramble on and people swallow it.