General News Discussion

[lost]

They should've given it to Peter Sutcliffe. He hasn't killed anyone in 30 years. Well done him!

[Rufus Gwertigan]

or jimmy savile for his charity work

[abdoujaparov]

Noble peace prize goes to the EU ? LMFAO

Well done everyone *rolls eyes*

[abdoujaparov]

Considering what is going on in Greece and its potential for it to get worse, for the the old conflicts to remerge between countries... I think that is really short sighted...

[eFestivals]

Considering what is going on in Greece and its potential for it to get worse, for the the old conflicts to remerge between countries... I think that is really short sighted...

and yet, if there wasn't the EU, who knows what might have kicked off already?

At least the EU provides easy channels of communications between nations, which gives them a chance of sorting things out. It wouldn't be so easy if they weren't used to collaberating on an daily basis.

[abdoujaparov]

That relationship is TOTALLY reliant on the continuation of a almost finished currency... The rest is no stronger than our relationship with the Germans. This concept that the French love the Germans is so terribly flawed.

[eFestivals]

Don't get me wrong... I am a big fan of the EU but things are taking a ugly turn at the moment...

yep, but

even the best marriages aren't all just happily ever after. Sometimes there's a bit of conflict, but it doesn't have to mean that divorce and a post-divorce war are the certain result of any conflict.

------

I'm angry already at the plans to 'celebrate' the start of WW1.

First off the govt have no problem finding huge chunks of money for any of their pet projects in this "age of austerity" when Britian is supposedly facing "terrible debt problems" where "we're all in this together", but nothing which helps support people in need is sacrosanct.

And secondly, it's been announced as being about "remembering their sacrifice" and nothing about about how a million young men were sent off to be unnecessarily slaughtered in support of the aristocracy.

Edited October 12, 2012 by eFestivals

[eFestivals]

Poppy Day is a fitting tribute to sacrifice / the loss, outside of that, and the money it raises, I don't want anything further...

acc

according to the justification Dave Moron is putting forwards, 69% of people want 2014 to have a special commemoration of some kind, and an extra public holiday on 11/11 is being talked about.

I'm guessing that they polled the tory party to get that 69%.

And while everyone is always up for an extra holiday, it's weird that Dave Moron is happy to throw away a couple of billion pounds every few years for an extra holiday for things close to the tories heart, and yet it won't work to tax the rich more, but cutting from subsistence level of benefits is easily achievable and an absolute financial necessity.

And people mindlessly nod along, believing the lies about a debt crisis. It's just an excuse for the tories to rip this country apart as they've always wanted, and no one seems to care.

[kaosmark2]

acc

according to the justification Dave Moron is putting forwards, 69% of people want 2014 to have a special commemoration of some kind, and an extra public holiday on 11/11 is being talked about.

I'm guessing that they polled the tory party to get that 69%.

And while everyone is always up for an extra holiday, it's weird that Dave Moron is happy to throw away a couple of billion pounds every few years for an extra holiday for things close to the tories heart, and yet it won't work to tax the rich more, but cutting from subsistence level of benefits is easily achievable and an absolute financial necessity.

And people mindlessly nod along, believing the lies about a debt crisis. It's just an excuse for the tories to rip this country apart as they've always wanted, and no one seems to care.

[Kowalski]

Nobel Peace Prize?

[abdoujaparov]

Nobel Peace Prize?

Edited October 12, 2012 by abdoujaparov

[rug568]

How many wars have there been between European member states? 0.

Considering Europe had been dominated by a huge number of bloody conflicts up until the EU's inception, this is a remarkable achievement.

Say what you want about the EU but you can not deny it has been very important in bringing stability to Europe, and each and every one of us should be thankful for that.

There isn't an institution that deserves it more in my opinion.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

How many wars have there been between European member states? 0.

Considering Europe had been dominated by a huge number of bloody conflicts up until the EU's inception, this is a remarkable achievement.

Say what you want about the EU but you can not deny it has been very important in bringing stability to Europe, and each and every one of us should be thankful for that.

There isn't an institution that deserves it more in my opinion.

[lost]

I was interested in Farage's interview yesterday where he mentions that he has friends who are left wing, though he is more free market, he is happy to disagree with them and have a pint afterwards whilst the people at the top of the EU he believes are fundamentally bad people who's sole aim to to dismantle democracy.

[eFestivals]

But you cant say that is mainly due to the EU. The Cold War, NATO and the militarisation of Germany during that time have played major roles.

yup. Europe had stayed war-free for a while before the treaty of rome. Just sick of war.

I guess the really dangerous moment the EU helped to manage was the collapse of the soviet union. That could have got a bit tricky I reckon, because lots of states still have half an eye on territory within neighbouring states.

[eFestivals]

I was interested in Farage's interview yesterday where he mentions that he has friends who are left wing, though he is more free market, he is happy to disagree with them and have a pint afterwards whilst the people at the top of the EU he believes are fundamentally bad people who's sole aim to to dismantle democracy.

From one angle he's right. But it's not the conspiracy that he sees it as.

The central element of the EU - it's very purpose - isn't up for debate. These countries came together to create a customs union, followed by a free-trade area, followed by a currency union (which those who didn't go into accepted the existence of).... and perhaps/probably a federal europe as the logical and practical conclusion of that process.

So there's no vote to be had over any of that in the European Parliament, because it's all been agreed by each country's leader in a treaty.

Farange wants everything those treaties stand for to be up for a vote. And every day if/until the vote goes his way.

He's failed to recognise that he's made himself pointless by his whole stance.

[Spindles]

A good summation, as I see it.

[LondonTom]

Surely the main reason for European peace is no one can afford a proper war since WWII ? Europe basically got rid of everything it gained during the industrial revolution in fire arms. (...at least thats my sort of basic understanding of the last 100 years or so of european history.)

[lost]

The central element of the EU - it's very purpose - isn't up for debate. These countries came together to create a customs union, followed by a free-trade area, followed by a currency union (which those who didn't go into accepted the existence of).... and perhaps/probably a federal europe as the logical and practical conclusion of that process.

So there's no vote to be had over any of that in the European Parliament, because it's all been agreed by each country's leader in a treaty.

Edited October 12, 2012 by lost

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Surely the main reason for European peace is no one can afford a proper war since WWII ? Europe basically got rid of everything it gained during the industrial revolution in fire arms. (...at least thats my sort of basic understanding of the last 100 years or so of european history.)

[Sawdusty surfer]

On the Savile thing unsurpriseingly Savile wasn't the only one. More names popping up.It's never ending!

Now they've found out that Jeremy Beadle may have had a small hand in it.

[abdoujaparov]

Surely the main reason for European peace is no one can afford a proper war since WWII ? Europe basically got rid of everything it gained during the industrial revolution in fire arms. (...at least thats my sort of basic understanding of the last 100 years or so of european history.)

[Gre]

Apparently it was on the radio earlier in the week but I hadn't heard; that Have I Got News For You/Saville transcript has been confirmed as a hoax on the show tonight.

[lost]

beeb considering renaming John Peel wing:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19933274

[eFestivals]

indeed, in the case of Italy the EU needed to remove the democratically elected leader of the country and replace him with their choice of leader because the people were too stupid to release austerity was the answer and would of kept voting themselves more freebies bankrupting the country, obviously somethings are too important to leave open to democracy. Just a shame they couldn't of got to Gordon Brown first.

yeah, cos his budget planning within the context of the time was just dreadful, eh?

So very dreadful that Dave Moron and Slimy Gideon said they'd stick to his budget plans, that's how bad they were.

Gordon fucked up in plenty of places, but spending money we didn't have* wasn't one of them. It only became that when the world woke up to the fact that it had been playing fantasy economics - and it was the raving-right free-marketeers who hold sole responsibility for those fantasy economics, not Gordon**.

(*at least, nothing outside the standard public sector borrowing)

(** his failing was failing to spot it was fantasy economics - but very few people did).