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United Kingdom36161 Posts
On July 15 2014 17:37 Silvanel wrote:
To be honest US internal issues have much higher chances of impacting people in other countries thus generating more interest from foreigners. Also they have those super lenghty disscussions about Obamacare and every supreme court verdict, they seem to love this stuff.
As to UK from continental perspective UK is stable, perhaps even stagnant. Your foreign policy wont change regardless of who wins elctions. You wont get involved anywahere without the approval of Your overgrown rebel son. And even if You could You are too busy taking russian and arab money to care. In short. Nothing to see here.
No offense. Peace.
Perhaps this got slightly unfair towards the end... :p
Otherwise the very first sentence seems essentially correct to me. Added to the fact that people tend to flock towards the biggest threads naturally anyway. You'll get general conversations in the US thread stemming from particular things; people don't use this thread that way.
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I guess a "EU politics megathread" wouldn't draw nearly as much attention as the US politics megathread.
Most of the stuff that affects people is still decided in the individual European countries.
The US government simply has a lot more concentrated power than the EU one.
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I love UK politics thread. Also Australian Politics thread...
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On July 15 2014 20:34 urboss wrote:
I guess a "EU politics megathread" wouldn't draw nearly as much attention as the US politics megathread.
Most of the stuff that affects people is still decided in the individual European countries.
The US government simply has a lot more concentrated power than the EU one.
Well, most of it is influenced by council talks. When that is said, EU politics is incredibly complex.
US politics has a senate and house with elected politicians, about 20 committees and a right to propose legislation in both parts, as well as two parties and 51ish states (depending on Puerto Ricos future status). Add a president and his administration on top and you are covering the most important bases.
EU politics has at least 10 councils of ministers with 28 different opinions in each, 1 European council with heads of states, 1 foreign policy representative, a parliament with 7 current groups (8 if the extreme right groups can cooperate), 201 national parties, about 22 committees with no right to propose legislation and a commission of about 28 commissioners with monopoly on proposing legislation and withdrawing it. Contrary to USA the legislative processes run from EC and they are trying to convince the relevant councils and the parliament committees about their proposals and it is either happening in closed meetings or with full access (almost seems random!). A lot of infighting is happening between the 3 main institutions, making coverage of how legislation stands very difficult given the 201 parties in the parliament and 28 completely separate opinions in the council. Add a commissioner adding further heat by threatening to withdraw something he/she doesn't like and we have something close to complete chaos. They have a census research center in the parliament to help parliamentarians sort through the 201 parties and their opinions to find the right combinations to create majorities on particular issue...
EU politics is more important than most people think, but the making of it is unbelievably complex if you want to understand the political discussion leading up to it. I thought about making an EU politics thread but I dropped it because it will be either shattered issues in different countries, very biased covered or excruciatingly complex explanations.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28341980
Michael Gove got stuck in the toilet on his first full day as government Chief Whip, according to Labour's Shadow Leader of the Commons, Angela Eagle.
The former education secretary was given a new job in charge of party discipline in this week's reshuffle.
Ms Eagle told MPs he had not had the "most auspicious of starts".
She said that on Wednesday Mr Gove "managed to get stuck in the toilet in the wrong lobby and he nearly broke his own whip".
The new Leader of the Commons, William Hague, offered a light-hearted defence of Mr Gove, saying "knowledge of who is in the toilets in whatever lobby is a very important piece of information for any chief whip and I take this as evidence that he was carrying out his duties very assiduously".
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The UK's bid to become Europe's leading space nation took a giant leap forward today as government revealed the 8 locations now under consideration to base Britain's first spaceport.
Speaking at Farnborough Air Show's 'Space Day', Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill and Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency Dr David Parker unveiled the findings of a recent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) report highlighting 8 possible airfields that could host a spaceport and the economic opportunities it could open up for the UK.
Government's ambition is for a UK spaceport to open in 2018 - providing a focus for regional and international investment for growth and establishing the UK as a leader in the rapidly-expanding space market.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
"Space is big business for the UK. It already contributes £11.3 billion to the economy each year, supporting nearly 35,000 jobs. That's why it's important for us to prepare the UK for new launcher technology and take steps towards meeting our ambition of establishing the first British spaceport by 2018."
"Exploring the opportunities that commercial spaceflight presents, and potentially making strategic investments in this area, will support the growth of this thriving industry and underpin the economy of tomorrow, making the UK the place for space."
Source
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France branded the British as ‘hypocrites’ yesterday over David Cameron’s demands that Paris abandon its £1billion warship sale to Russia.
The Prime Minister says it would be ‘unthinkable’ for French president Francois Hollande to go ahead with the supply of two helicopter carriers to Moscow.
European leaders have been under intense pressure to impose tough sanctions on Russian – or risk repeating the mistakes of Nazi appeasers in the 1930s.
But Mr Hollande has vowed to press on with the deal, with an ally warning Mr Cameron that he should ‘start by cleaning up his own back yard’.
Asked on Monday whether France should pull out, Mr Cameron said: ‘Frankly in this country it would be unthinkable to fulfil an order like the one outstanding that the French have.
‘But we need to put the pressure on with all our partners to say that we cannot go on doing business as usual with a country when it is behaving in this way.’
Source
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On July 24 2014 04:42 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:Show nested quote +France branded the British as ‘hypocrites’ yesterday over David Cameron’s demands that Paris abandon its £1billion warship sale to Russia.
The Prime Minister says it would be ‘unthinkable’ for French president Francois Hollande to go ahead with the supply of two helicopter carriers to Moscow.
European leaders have been under intense pressure to impose tough sanctions on Russian – or risk repeating the mistakes of Nazi appeasers in the 1930s.
But Mr Hollande has vowed to press on with the deal, with an ally warning Mr Cameron that he should ‘start by cleaning up his own back yard’.
Asked on Monday whether France should pull out, Mr Cameron said: ‘Frankly in this country it would be unthinkable to fulfil an order like the one outstanding that the French have.
‘But we need to put the pressure on with all our partners to say that we cannot go on doing business as usual with a country when it is behaving in this way.’ Source
Cameron needs to take the lead then and stop all weapons deals with Russia.
If you're going to talk the talk you'd better show that you are able to walk the walk.
I would gain massive respect for him if he did this.
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On July 14 2014 06:04 KwarK wrote:
As sleazy as it obviously is I don't see anything especially heinous about the rich and powerful having sex with 20 year old male prostitutes.
Just want to check... Is this the elm guest house stuff you were talking about because if it is, that's not a very good description.
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United States43988 Posts
On July 24 2014 09:10 Dapper_Cad wrote:Show nested quote +On July 14 2014 06:04 KwarK wrote:
As sleazy as it obviously is I don't see anything especially heinous about the rich and powerful having sex with 20 year old male prostitutes. Just want to check... Is this the elm guest house stuff you were talking about because if it is, that's not a very good description.
Been in the US a while, out of the loop on the drama. My point was that unless the prostitutes were under 16 it's not especially terrible. I take no issue with either their orientation, nor their age, nor their employment in the sex industry and, as the article was at pains to point out, the age of consent at the time for homosexual sex was 21.
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So what happens if Scotland votes Yes, does that mean Scotland is now a Nuclear Power by de facto?
A new agreement critical to Britain's Trident nuclear weapons system, was signed the other day by British and US officials.
Whitehall was silent. We had to rely on the White House, and a message from Barack Obama to the US Congress, to tell us that the 1958 UK-US Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) had been updated.
A new amendment to the treaty will last for 10 years. Obama told Congress it will "permit the transfer between the United States and the United Kingdom of classified information concerning atomic weapons; nuclear technology and controlled nuclear information; material and equipment for the development of defense plans; training of personnel; evaluation of potential enemy capability; development of delivery systems; and the research, development, and design of military reactors."
The UK, Obama added, "intends to continue to maintain viable nuclear forces into the foreseeable future." It was in America's interest, to continue to help Britain "in maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent".
There was no word from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Whitehall department responsible updating the UK-US treaty. Parliament, a spokesperson said in response to questions, would be informed "at an appropiate time". MPs would have a 21 day window before the end of the year in which they could debate the issues involved.
However, the content of the new agreement will remain secret. To reveal them, Whitehall officials say, could "assist proliferation" of nuclear weapons.
Source
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United States43988 Posts
The division and separation of combined assets such as the military would have to be arranged but I sincerely doubt that Scotland would wish to be a nuclear power. There is simply no need for it. The most likely arrangement in my opinion is that the continued use of HMS Clyde would be guaranteed to England and things would just continue as before.
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A black flag with white Arabic writing, similar to those flown by jihadist groups, was flying at the entrance of an east London housing state near Canary Wharf.
In a highly provocative gesture, the emblem was planted on top of the gates of the Will Crooks estate on Poplar High Street, and is surrounded by flags of Palestine and slogans.
The flag bears similar writing to the jihadi flags that have been flown by the extremist group in Iraq and other jihadi groups since the 1990s. When the estate was approached last night, a group of about 20 Asian youths swore at Guardian journalists and told them to leave the area immediately. One youth threatened to smash a camera.
When a passerby tried to take a picture of the flag on a phone, one of the gang asked him if he was Jewish. The passerby replied: "Would it make a difference?" The youth said: "Yes, it fucking would." Asked if the flag was an Isis flag, one local man said: "It is just the flag of Allah." But another man asked: "So what if it is?"
Source
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Police were today probing leaflets handed out in the West End by radical students encouraging British Muslims to join the Islamic State (Isis).
Dozens of the leaflets were circulated on Oxford Street last night saying it is the responsibility of Muslims to pledge allegiance to the “Khaleef” - a reference to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-appointed leader of extremists waging a murderous campaign across northern Iraq.
Images of the group were posted on Twitter by users angered by the claims, including one British Muslim who claimed she had been “racially abused” after challenging the group.
The men, from Luton, are former students of banned cleric Omar Bakri and firebrand preacher Anjem Choudary.
Scotland Yard today confirmed it was assessing whether the contents of the leaflets is in breach of anti-terrorism laws.
The spread of pro-Isis material has become a major concern for intelligence chiefs and last night’s demonstration is one of the most high-profile to date.
Source
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Britain's role in the Iraq crisis has moved beyond a "humanitarian mission" and its expanded operations could last for months, its defense minister said in a newspaper interview published on Monday. The remarks come after the United States launched a series of airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) to try to reverse territorial gains by the armed group.
Britain has so far limited itself to aid drops, surveillance and a deal to transport more military supplies to Kurdish regional forces allied with the Baghdad central government against IS fighters who have overrun much of northern Iraq. In addition, Britain's trade envoy to Iraq has said special forces are gathering intelligence there.
"This is not simply a humanitarian mission," Defense Minister Michael Fallon told The Times newspaper.
Warning that the operation could last months, Fallon was reported as saying that RAF Tornado military jets and a spy plane were flying further into Iraq, beyond the focus area of the humanitarian crisis in the Kurdistan region, to gather information on the forces of IS.
Source
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So whats going on, Scotland going to pull a Quebec and scare the crap out of the UK government or will they really try to go it alone as 3ish million outside of the EU, NATO?
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On July 31 2014 14:17 KwarK wrote:
The division and separation of combined assets such as the military would have to be arranged but I sincerely doubt that Scotland would wish to be a nuclear power. There is simply no need for it. The most likely arrangement in my opinion is that the continued use of HMS Clyde would be guaranteed to England and things would just continue as before.
Isnt there a slight problem with those nuclear submarines? Ie. the only base capable of housing them is in Scotland. And the only way Britain can use Tridents are those submarines. Buliding a new base outside of Scotland would cost tremendous amount of money (and would take around 10 years to build). So in event of separation Britain would like to sign some agreement about keeping that base (at least for a while), so they would keep their detterent. Only thing is, if Scots would vote Yes on indepdence they sure as hell wouldnt like to keep British nuclear warheds on their soil.
PS. I guess in an unlikely scenario when they vote YES the deal would be "We keep the poound and in exchange You keep the base for next 10 or so years".
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On September 04 2014 15:54 Sub40APM wrote:
So whats going on, Scotland going to pull a Quebec and scare the crap out of the UK government or will they really try to go it alone as 3ish million outside of the EU, NATO?
They'll rejoin the EU is record speed. It is in no one's interest to keep them out. The only reason it's even mentioned because it's a useful argument for the no side, but once the vote is over practical calculations will take over.
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On September 04 2014 15:54 Sub40APM wrote:
So whats going on, Scotland going to pull a Quebec and scare the crap out of the UK government or will they really try to go it alone as 3ish million outside of the EU, NATO?
It is a going to be a question that gets relevant if the vote ends up as a yes (they still have a relatively comfortable lead for a "no"). Needless to say, most countries would like the union to continue. If Scotland actually ends up voting for independence, they will probably get accepted into EU and NATO almost immediately, but since noone outside of the russian sphere really wants Scotland to go independent, the uncertainty of not taking a stance on the issue is fine since uncertainties are the strongest argument against independence.
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EPT
