The Politics Thread

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

You've really got a thing about Singapore haven't you mummy.w.c.i.e.c.? Have you actually lived there?

No - first became interested in Singapore after reading about their healthcare system in the last chapter of Tim Harford's 'The Undercover Economist'. Recommended reading.

And then one of good mates recently worked out there for Barclays for 6 months and has a lot of good things to say about the place and would quite like to move there on a more permanent basis if possible.

Ah-ha. Just wondered. I've passed through very briefly; too briefly to comment personally, but I have lived in the Far East (Japan), and I've got a few friends who still do. In terms of life-style choices it seems to be way down on the list of all those I know. Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, and Hong Kong are the places where my friends have settled, all of whom did not settle in Singapore (though they all there for a short while). The only person I know who went to Singapore and stayed (a friend of a friend) was a banker and did so despite the culture - he stayed three years purely for the money he was earning. In fact there is another coterie of friends of friends, all of whom are either builders or construction engineers who do similar and move out to countries they can't stand (Saudi, Oman, Libya, Congo) just for the wonga.

Interesting to see Singapore at the top of this list today, with its healthcare getting a mention, of course. http://hereisthecity.com/2012/04/12/thi ... ng+Wait%21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lord Kangana]

The UAE being in the top ten (in fact top 100) shows how flawed that poll would be when discussing anything about the quality of a country for anything but a small minority.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

The UAE being in the top ten (in fact top 100) shows how flawed that poll would be when discussing anything about the quality of a country for anything but a small minority.

Yes, funnily enough I made that same point to the person who sent me that link.

Having said that though, I guess the poll is intended to cover small, rich, expat minorities?

[Hoboh]

And you want to be elected? How will you pay for all this? Why do you hate cars?

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/policies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bloody tree huggers!

[Worthy4England]

Interesting to see Singapore at the top of this list today, with its healthcare getting a mention, of course. http://hereisthecity.com/2012/04/12/thi ... ng+Wait%21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think that this derives from the HSBC Expat Explorer survey.

http://www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The sample for Singapore was about 120 expats who were asked whether healthcare was better or worse than where they came from. It's not clear if all the expats were UK nationals - I'm not convinced they were, but it's just not clear from the survey...

So all in all, it's a bit of a random number.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Those results don't seem to tally though?

[Worthy4England]

Those results don't seem to tally though?

No they don't, but neither did any of the other links to their source data.

[Hoboh]

Abu Qatada!
What a horrible phrase
Abu Qatada!
He's a passing craze

It means more worries
For the rest of his days
It's our problem-free philosophy
deport Abu Qatada!

[William the White]

Abu Qatada!
What a horrible phrase
Abu Qatada!
He's a passing craze

It means more worries
For the rest of his days
It's our problem-free philosophy
deport Abu Qatada!

Did you make that up all by yourself?

[BWFC_Insane]

Abu Qatada!
What a horrible phrase
Abu Qatada!
He's a passing craze

It means more worries
For the rest of his days
It's our problem-free philosophy
deport Abu Qatada!

Did you make that up all by yourself?

God I hope there weren't multiple minds involved!

[Athers]

And you want to be elected? How will you pay for all this? Why do you hate cars?

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/policies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bloody tree huggers!

Reduce heavy freight and shift it from the roads to the railways:
•Reduce the demand for freight transport by localising the economy.
•Expand the rail freight network and make greater use of waterways, where suitable.
•Safeguard land adjacent to railways for use in freight distribution projects.
•Introduce road user tolls for heavy lorries.

Talk about anti-business!

Localising the economy... LOL

[thebish]

And you want to be elected? How will you pay for all this? Why do you hate cars?

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/policies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bloody tree huggers!

Reduce heavy freight and shift it from the roads to the railways:
•Reduce the demand for freight transport by localising the economy.
•Expand the rail freight network and make greater use of waterways, where suitable.
•Safeguard land adjacent to railways for use in freight distribution projects.
•Introduce road user tolls for heavy lorries.

Talk about anti-business!

Localising the economy... LOL

I have always wondered about this "localising the economy" mantra...

I can see how it would cut down freight miles, BUT - surely that is massively environmentally outweighed by the staggeringly HUGE building programme that would be required for every town and village to have the means of production build to make every single product they could possibly require, locally....

it's one thing to have a local baker... but that's hardly "localising the economy..."

[Bruce Rioja]

Abu Qatada!
What a horrible phrase
Abu Qatada!
He's a passing craze

It means more worries
For the rest of his days
It's our problem-free philosophy
deport Abu Qatada!

Did you make that up all by yourself?

God I hope there weren't multiple minds involved!

Just a bottle of Scotch and some crayons, I'd have thought

[thebish]

Oh FFS - big Dave's latest big idea...

children to stand up when their parents enter a room...

where the cock is he getting this stuff from???

[Bruce Rioja]

Oh FFS - big Dave's latest big idea...

children to stand up when their parents enter a room...

where the cock is he getting this stuff from???

They shouldn't be sat down in the first place, the lazy little gits. No wonder they're all as fat as Billy Bunter. Good work, Mr Cameron. Get the blighters exercising.

[BWFC_Insane]

I'm surprised with how bumblingly stupid Cameron is. I always thought he was a bit well, ermm let's say not very nice and obviously didn't agree with his politics.

But he really has come across as a complete idiot at times.

Just a real shame the opposition have not a much (though still better, but not much) better option.

[William the White]

Oh FFS - big Dave's latest big idea...

children to stand up when their parents enter a room...

where the cock is he getting this stuff from???

Eton. His fag always had to do it. And tooto sweeto...

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Oh FFS - big Dave's latest big idea...

children to stand up when their parents enter a room...

where the cock is he getting this stuff from???

Missed this... was this actually a policy announcement or, as I suspect, an aside that you have seized upon?

And why is it such a questionable thing to say? I've got friend who has been a teacher for a few years now and is considering leaving the profession because his crowd control responsibilities get in the way of teaching anything. I think perhaps he'd prefer a situation in which the pupils stand respectfully when he enters the classroom.

[William the White]

Oh FFS - big Dave's latest big idea...

children to stand up when their parents enter a room...

where the cock is he getting this stuff from???

Missed this... was this actually a policy announcement or, as I suspect, an aside that you have seized upon?

And why is it such a questionable thing to say? I've got friend who has been a teacher for a few years now and is considering leaving the profession because his crowd control responsibilities get in the way of teaching anything. I think perhaps he'd prefer a situation in which the pupils stand respectfully when he enters the classroom.

You are having a good josh with thebish here, right? You're seeing if he'll take your bait? He won't. No-one's that daft...

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Sssshhh, he might.