The Politics Thread

[William the White]

On our island, all that divides England from Scotland and Wales is a wall and a few signposts, oh, and a few accent differences. Mind you, you could quote Birmingham, Newcastle and even Wingates on that. Like's been said, we're British in name,, maybe time to be so by nature.

Unless the Scots and Welsh don't want to be... In which case we should wave goodbye amicably and occasionally meet up for coffee in years to come...

And if me and my mates want to opt out, can we do so too?

do elucidate - i mean, as far as I'm personally concerned I'm all for you and your mates opting out of lots of things, voting to start with, but, prima facie, until you present it, there's no evidence that you and your mates form a nation... so i'm struggling, not for the first time, to understand what you're getting at... do you and your mates form a nation like the welsh and scots?

[fatshaft]

On our island, all that divides England from Scotland and Wales is a wall and a few signposts, oh, and a few accent differences. Mind you, you could quote Birmingham, Newcastle and even Wingates on that. Like's been said, we're British in name,, maybe time to be so by nature.

You're bob on Tango, the trouble is that due to a succession of policies that have left the Welsh and Scots feeling more isolated and let down, the divide is stronger than ever, hence devolution came about.

Contrast that with Peter, all it takes for him to be upset is simply having a non-English PM.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

On our island, all that divides England from Scotland and Wales is a wall and a few signposts, oh, and a few accent differences. Mind you, you could quote Birmingham, Newcastle and even Wingates on that. Like's been said, we're British in name,, maybe time to be so by nature.

You're bob on Tango, the trouble is that due to a succession of policies that have left the Welsh and Scots feeling more isolated and let down, the divide is stronger than ever, hence devolution came about.

Can you give me a history lesson and some examples? The example we have had so far is the Community Charge, which annoyed people in Newcastle as much as it did those in Glasgow.

[thebish]

On our island, all that divides England from Scotland and Wales is a wall and a few signposts, oh, and a few accent differences. Mind you, you could quote Birmingham, Newcastle and even Wingates on that. Like's been said, we're British in name,, maybe time to be so by nature.

Unless the Scots and Welsh don't want to be... In which case we should wave goodbye amicably and occasionally meet up for coffee in years to come...

or a can of Irn Bru?

[fatshaft]

On our island, all that divides England from Scotland and Wales is a wall and a few signposts, oh, and a few accent differences. Mind you, you could quote Birmingham, Newcastle and even Wingates on that. Like's been said, we're British in name,, maybe time to be so by nature.

You're bob on Tango, the trouble is that due to a succession of policies that have left the Welsh and Scots feeling more isolated and let down, the divide is stronger than ever, hence devolution came about.

Can you give me a history lesson and some examples? The example we have had so far is the Community Charge, which annoyed people in Newcastle as much as it did those in Glasgow.

Well it didn't really, because Scotland was used as the guniea pig, and had it imposed much earlier, it was only once the poll tax riots kicked off when it was introduced in England that it was changed, Scotland's objections were totally ignored.

The run of Thatchers government really sealed it, Scotland has always voted Labour (I should point out I am not a Labour man myself), and even as you know got as far as not a single Tory at one point in the depths of Thatcher's reign. Such was the disenchantment with policies that did nothing to help Scotland, on the contrary killed off shipbuilding, mining and virtually all of Scotland's manufacturing, and were in fact the antithesis of Scotland's inherent socially responsible attitude.

[Bruce Rioja]

Such was the disenchantment with policies that did nothing to help Scotland, on the contrary killed off shipbuilding, mining and virtually all of Scotland's manufacturing, and were in fact the antithesis of Scotland's inherent socially responsible attitude.

Those industries are hardly unique to Scotland though, are they?

[thebish]

On R5 they just had a question-the-politicians type program, and on it was a BNP spokesman (from Luton)

The BNP guy was asked (as he kept mentioning the phrase) what exactly he meant by "Indiginous English White Population"

he said - and I kid you not - anyone who was born here and has ancestors who were born here dating back to the Ice Age.

so - leaving aside modern day immigration entirely..

how many people would count under that definition when you have excluded the Normans, the Saxons the Vikings and many of the cross-continental Celts?

in fact - the closest you might get to that nowadays would not be the "English" - it would be the Welsh....


(nor was it a slip of the tongue - he was asked to repeat it for clarity - and he used the same definition)

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

The BNP guy was asked (as he kept mentioning the phrase) what exactly he meant by "Indiginous English White Population"

he said - and I kid you not - anyone who was born here and has ancestors who were born here dating back to the Ice Age.

how many people would count under that definition when you have excluded the Normans, the Saxons the Vikings and many of the cross-continental Celts?

Four? And only half a chin between them....

[Bruce Rioja]

On R5 they just had a question-the-politicians type program, and on it was a BNP spokesman (from Luton)

The BNP guy was asked (as he kept mentioning the phrase) what exactly he meant by "Indiginous English White Population"

he said - and I kid you not - anyone who was born here and has ancestors who were born here dating back to the Ice Age.

so - leaving aside modern day immigration entirely..

how many people would count under that definition when you have excluded the Normans, the Saxons the Vikings and many of the cross-continental Celts?

in fact - the closest you might get to that nowadays would not be the "English" - it would be the Welsh....


(nor was it a slip of the tongue - he was asked to repeat it for clarity - and he used the same definition)

See, this supports my theory that you shouldn't just be handed the right to vote at 18, but you should be made to sit an entrance exam so as to show that you can spot an absolute wanker when one opens its mouth in the name of politics.

[TANGODANCER]

anyone who was born here and has ancestors who were born here dating back to the Ice Age.

I fulfill the first bit, but, with an Irish father and a long line of Irish forefathers, guess that rules me out then.

[thebish]

anyone who was born here and has ancestors who were born here dating back to the Ice Age.

I fulfill the first bit, but, with an Irish father and a long line of Irish forefathers, guess that rules me out then.

the BNP would send you home Tango - you immigrants coming here to steal our jobs and rape our women and eat our swans....

[William the White]

anyone who was born here and has ancestors who were born here dating back to the Ice Age.

I fulfill the first bit, but, with an Irish father and a long line of Irish forefathers, guess that rules me out then.

the BNP would send you home Tango - you immigrants coming here to steal our jobs and rape our women and eat our swans....

Naah - he's not wanted in Halliwell...

[as]

On R5 they just had a question-the-politicians type program, and on it was a BNP spokesman (from Luton)

The BNP guy was asked (as he kept mentioning the phrase) what exactly he meant by "Indiginous English White Population"

he said - and I kid you not - anyone who was born here and has ancestors who were born here dating back to the Ice Age.

so - leaving aside modern day immigration entirely..

how many people would count under that definition when you have excluded the Normans, the Saxons the Vikings and many of the cross-continental Celts?

in fact - the closest you might get to that nowadays would not be the "English" - it would be the Welsh....


(nor was it a slip of the tongue - he was asked to repeat it for clarity - and he used the same definition)

Shall we start a facebook page seeing if Nick Griffin will go on Who Do You Think You Are?

As, if we're honest, everyone of us is a bleedin' immigrant.

[CAPSLOCK]

On our island, all that divides England from Scotland and Wales is a wall and a few signposts, oh, and a few accent differences. Mind you, you could quote Birmingham, Newcastle and even Wingates on that. Like's been said, we're British in name,, maybe time to be so by nature.

Unless the Scots and Welsh don't want to be... In which case we should wave goodbye amicably and occasionally meet up for coffee in years to come...

And if me and my mates want to opt out, can we do so too?

do elucidate - i mean, as far as I'm personally concerned I'm all for you and your mates opting out of lots of things, voting to start with, but, prima facie, until you present it, there's no evidence that you and your mates form a nation... so i'm struggling, not for the first time, to understand what you're getting at... do you and your mates form a nation like the welsh and scots?

Seeing as the concept of 'nations' means little to me, it's an irrelevance

The Scots aren't a race, the Welsh aren't a race

Its just lines on maps

So, if I decide I don't like the way things are going, I'll pay my tax directly into my bank and just use services provided by the contributions of others

And, you know what, I'd like a say in how their contributions are used

As for not being allowed to vote cos I wouldn't vote fora pig in a red rosette, here we go, let's restrict it to folk with check jackets, elbow pads and corduroy 'pants'

[TANGODANCER]

As for not being allowed to vote cos I wouldn't vote fora pig in a red rosette, here we go, let's restrict it to folk with check jackets, elbow pads and corduroy 'pants'

After a hasty check on my wardrobe I now find I'm not even eligible to vote. I can't even find a red tie in there. (Mind you, did find a Deane Golf Club tie, does that count for anything?

[CAPSLOCK]

Only if you wet the bed

[ratbert]

Maybe there should be a neutral election outfit issued to all citizens on polling day... but even that could be construed as nanny state-ism!

[William the White]

On our island, all that divides England from Scotland and Wales is a wall and a few signposts, oh, and a few accent differences. Mind you, you could quote Birmingham, Newcastle and even Wingates on that. Like's been said, we're British in name,, maybe time to be so by nature.

Unless the Scots and Welsh don't want to be... In which case we should wave goodbye amicably and occasionally meet up for coffee in years to come...

And if me and my mates want to opt out, can we do so too?

do elucidate - i mean, as far as I'm personally concerned I'm all for you and your mates opting out of lots of things, voting to start with, but, prima facie, until you present it, there's no evidence that you and your mates form a nation... so i'm struggling, not for the first time, to understand what you're getting at... do you and your mates form a nation like the welsh and scots?

Seeing as the concept of 'nations' means little to me, it's an irrelevance

The Scots aren't a race, the Welsh aren't a race

Its just lines on maps

So, if I decide I don't like the way things are going, I'll pay my tax directly into my bank and just use services provided by the contributions of others

And, you know what, I'd like a say in how their contributions are used

As for not being allowed to vote cos I wouldn't vote fora pig in a red rosette, here we go, let's restrict it to folk with check jackets, elbow pads and corduroy 'pants'

opt out was the phrase we both used... you are allowed to use your vote for any candidate of any apparel or species as far as i'm concerned... I'd just rather you and possibly both your mates didn't bother...

who said the welsh or scots were a 'race'?

do lines on maps divide Britain and Ireland and France - and do you care very little for those?

[fatshaft]

Seeing as the concept of 'nations' means little to me, it's an irrelevance

The Scots aren't a race, the Welsh aren't a race

Its just lines on maps

So, if I decide I don't like the way things are going, I'll pay my tax directly into my bank and just use services provided by the contributions of others

And, you know what, I'd like a say in how their contributions are used

As for not being allowed to vote cos I wouldn't vote fora pig in a red rosette, here we go, let's restrict it to folk with check jackets, elbow pads and corduroy 'pants'

nation /= race LDO, which may be why it means so little to you, you just don't understand the difference perhaps?

[thebish]

Lib Dems....

suddenly people have noticed them - and they are not just the friendly-but-harmless uncle sitting in the corner.

suddenly they are under some scrutiny - and (just like labour and conservative have always been) under attack from some sections of the press...

and they don't like it!! suprise surprise!! get over it luvvies - welcome to being noticed - you'd better sharpen up a bit!


re. tonight - I think it might be interesting...

many people came away from last week mistakenly thinking that the Lib Dems would scrap Trident. This is VERY FAR from being the case.... I suspect that young Nicholas might be pressd on this...