Things Noticeable this week

[Dr Pepper]

Originally Posted by bloke57

U.S. Televangelist Jesse Duplantis has urged his congregation to raise $54 million - because he really needs a private jet to allow him to do his important work.

.

Makes Jimmy Bakker's excesses look positively reasonable....needa food bucket anyone.?..them end times is a cummin..

[Roubignol]

EUROPEAN Budget Commissioner Gunther Oettinger

“My Concerns and expectations are that the coming weeks will show that markets, government bonds and Italy’s economy could be so drastically impacted that they serve as a signal to voters not to vote for populist on the right and left.”

It seems that democracies have to follow the Capitalist dictatorship.

EU budget chief APOLOGISES after 'disrespectful' Italy remarks spark FURY across Europe

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by xyzde69

EUROPEAN Budget Commissioner Gunther Oettinger



It seems that democracies have to follow the Capitalist dictatorship.

EU budget chief APOLOGISES after 'disrespectful' Italy remarks spark FURY across Europe

No they have to follow the EU Diktats. This man was elected by whom? In what Country? Oh Whoops he was not elected, so shut up pen pusher! These over paid folk are beginning to worry about losing their huge salaries, massive expensive and cushy jobs!

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by xyzde69

EUROPEAN Budget Commissioner Gunther Oettinger



It seems that democracies have to follow the Capitalist dictatorship.

EU budget chief APOLOGISES after 'disrespectful' Italy remarks spark FURY across Europe

Mr Mattarella's argument appears to be that the winners of the 4 March general election did not run on a clear-cut anti-Euro platform and do not have a mandate to lead Italy out of the Euro or out of the EU. I can see some merit in this argument; but in a parliamentary democracy the head of state (whether president or monarch) needs to steer clear of party politics if at all possible.

In Australia, it is still remembered that the Governor-General fired the Labour government in 1973 and appointed the Liberals (conservatives) because Labour had lost their majority, could not pass a budget and refused to call an election because they were going to get their arses kicked by hte voters. The Governor General acted as he did to put a stop to extremely selfish and anti-democratic behaviour by the Labour side, but after such an extraordinary intervention he knew he was compromised and no longer impartial, and resigned as soon as the Liberals passed a budget and then called and won a general election.

I suspect that Mr Mattarella has been compromised in much the same way. He has taken sides. Regardless of whether he was right, or even whether his actions were legal, he himself has lost his impartial position and in a parliamentary republic this will make his position untenable.

[vannax]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

Mr Mattarella's argument appears to be that the winners of the 4 March general election did not run on a clear-cut anti-Euro platform and do not have a mandate to lead Italy out of the Euro or out of the EU. I can see some merit in this argument; but in a parliamentary democracy the head of state (whether president or monarch) needs to steer clear of party politics if at all possible.

In Australia, it is still remembered that the Governor-General fired the Labour government in 1973 and appointed the Liberals (conservatives) because Labour had lost their majority, could not pass a budget and refused to call an election because they were going to get their arses kicked by hte voters. The Governor General acted as he did to put a stop to extremely selfish and anti-democratic behaviour by the Labour side, but after such an extraordinary intervention he knew he was compromised and no longer impartial, and resigned as soon as the Liberals passed a budget and then called and won a general election.

I suspect that Mr Mattarella has been compromised in much the same way. He has taken sides. Regardless of whether he was right, or even whether his actions were legal, he himself has lost his impartial position and in a parliamentary republic this will make his position untenable.

Nicolae Ceausescu, Benito Mussolini...
There do exist thresholds and tipping points.

Here's a lesson that Churchill knew:
When we slaughter our enemies, its good.
When our enemies slaughter us, its bad.

"Political tags -- such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth -- are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire."
Robert A. Heinlein

Locking up and/or denying entry to journalists and youtubers, making it a crime to carry knives or guns, etc places the UK authorities among "those who want people to be controlled", which goes against all that the British have stood for for hundreds of years, since before Magna Carta, even.

[gedly]

There's one great thing about Italian democracy. Everybody has a go at being prime minister.

[vannax]

Oh, and one more thing about folk who want to control others:
https://www.cosmopolitan.com.au/news...ustralia-26901

Then again, the Aussies never denied some little tighty entry, ever, which is more than I can say for the UK authorities.

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by vannax

Locking up and/or denying entry to journalists and youtubers, making it a crime to carry knives or guns, etc places the UK authorities among "those who want people to be controlled", which goes against all that the British have stood for for hundreds of years, since before Magna Carta, even.

Really

Yup I have no doubt that King John fought hand and foot to get the clause about gun and sword control out of Magna Carta

Why do you always have to bring that same tired old nonsense into ALL your arguments, just accept that as a race by and large us Brits are more comfortable with our gun control measures, in fact I'd like to see sentences for offences where guns are used increased.
As for Brits and our attitude to knives you may have a strange desire to want to carry a knife or maybe even knives with you as you go about your daily business but again that is alien to our way of life.

Many of us may not like it but we do accept that in the USA the public attitude to guns is vastly different and that no matter how many mass shootings occur it will never change, we speak out but we know in our hearts that nothing will happen. Why cannot you just shut up an accept that we see things differently here?

[vannax]

Originally Posted by Wendigo

Really

Yup I have no doubt that King John fought hand and foot to get the clause about gun and sword control out of Magna Carta

Why do you always have to bring that same tired old nonsense into ALL your arguments, just accept that as a race by and large us Brits are more comfortable with our gun control measures, in fact I'd like to see sentences for offences where guns are used increased.
As for Brits and our attitude to knives you may have a strange desire to want to carry a knife or maybe even knives with you as you go about your daily business but again that is alien to our way of life.

Many of us may not like it but we do accept that in the USA the public attitude to guns is vastly different and that no matter how many mass shootings occur it will never change, we speak out but we know in our hearts that nothing will happen. Why cannot you just shut up an accept that we see things differently here?

"Why cannot you just shut up an accept that we see things differently here?"

Because an Englishman would never prevent his neighbour from carrying a sword, or a .32 in his pocket. I am an Englishman.
You wonder why Brexit is foundering? A population that "sees things differently" in that they are more than happy to give up any and all means of defending themselves is no threat to a people who now, effectively, own them.
History speaks for itself, no matter what your feelz about it say.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by vannax

"Political tags -- such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth -- are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire."
Robert A. Heinlein

Starship Troopers is a cracking good book but I don't think I would look to its author for advice concerning how societies should be governed. Don't forget that Johnny Rico gets flogged for lack of discipline. There is no such thing as a society which is not controlled.

Originally Posted by vannax;4447997Locking up and/or denying entry to journalists and youtubers, making it a crime to carry knives or guns, etc places the UK authorities among "those who want people to be controlled", which goes against all that the British have stood for for hundreds of years, since before Magna Carta, even.

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Britain has always been a strongly controlled society. I am extremely comfortable with this, and very supportive of it always remaining so. Whenever I see dirty, loathsome bastards spitting on the pavement I long for someone to beat them savagely until they cannot even crawl. If any British person demanded the right to bear arms I would devoutly wish for them to have their gun hand nailed to a table. These "freedoms" are freedom to defecate and urinate in our drinking water and we enforce social rules to curtail such anti-social activities.

Magna Carta was all about enforcing social rules on anti-social monarchs such as King John, who was Kim Jung Un before Kim Jung Un.