Questions for our British friends

[george anson]

Originally Posted by palo5

I completely agree, but that's what almost none of us do. The last time the English did it was in 1649 and maybe 1688. The last time we did it was 1918. The last time the Americans did it was.... well, they never did it. The most you'll get from them is "we investigated ourselves, and found we're not guilty". Where did they get that from?

Everytime there has been a revolution in this island it has been put down or had it's aims reversed. There seems a genuine lack of revolutionary spirit in this island. Or more perhaps because even from it's earliest stages in Saxon England and at subsequent stages despite the unwillingness of the ruling classes concessions have been made at crucial times to defuse the flames of revolutionary passion (along with a bit of force) and in particular the continual removal of autocratic powers unlike many countries on mainland Europe.

But given sufficient economic and resource deprivation revolutions can occur in any country even those that have had stable government for centuries. The dustbowl and Great Depression, the refusal to pay the bonus to US Army veterans almost tipped America into another revolution. Communism was for a time popular in the big cities certainly at fomenting unrest and pointing the obscene disparity in wealth of a few and the suffering of the many (salt of the earth citizens who had the rug taken away from them).

Without FDR (who deservedly wins the accolade of the best US President) who knows what might have happened. Certainly the actions of officers like MacArthur and Patton at the time enforces my opinion of them as rather unlikeable characters.

[george anson]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

Ahh palo when are you going to get tired of tweaking those of us in democratic (?) countries? Yes I know Roosha is a forward thinking democracy but not all can follow their lead.
After all Putin is the fore runner for liberal democracy.

While this might be swerving off the main lane for this topic America is hardly the standard bearer for democracy it must be said.

The extension of the Monroe Doctrine into a global context has led to the removal in certain instances of governments that were elected by their people (and where those people had suffered for many years from the excess of a privileged few). Not to mention poking Russia with a stick by getting involved over the Crimea, Ukraine and often siding with the wrong side.

Pakistan and the Mujahadeen for instance. I have no issues at all with the so called ordinary American people. I've been over there and met many here and they are great people by and large but with their political class and also within the military brass who still seem stuck in a Cold War mentality and want to continue to play the great game.

The same applies to Putin. Russia does need a strong leader especially after the Yeltsin led mess post 1990 that took the country to it's knees, gave national industries to a few corrupt oligarchs (that's how they earned their fortunes) and saw a brain drain in all sorts of areas out of the country, a steep population decline as well. I don't have much time for Putin given how he has amassed a huge fortune and how he acted over the Kursk and Beslan but he was right to react over encroachment over Russian borders.

Something has to be done to build a rapport again as in the days of Gorbachev and Reagan.

[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by george anson

While this might be swerving off the main lane for this topic America is hardly the standard bearer for democracy it must be said.
.

Okay which nation is then?? I mean as time goes on even the most democratic nation will get more reactionary, IMO.

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by Grouchy

In my part of Yorkshire we don't have the immigration volume that there is further west in the county. We have a few Eastern Europeans but not much else (yet). The local car wash is staffed entirely by these folks and they work hard - probably for little money.

I don't see that leaving the EU will solve any immigration problems in this part of the world as most immigrants into Yorkshire come from outside of the EU and will walk in anyway.


I confess I didn't vote in the referendum - my excuse was that I smashed my right leg that morning... I spent the day in an underfunded, understaffed A&E.. being treated by a Polish doctor.

Not sure what part of Yorkshire you live in. but in my part there are masses of immigrants, most factory, driving, warehouse and other semi and unskilled jobs are full of them, everywhere you hear eastern accents and language. yes there are a lot of foreign doctors and nurses in the hospitals, bit there are hundreds of British trained doctors and nurses on the dole! As for underfunded, well ask labour about PFI, or look it up on line, that is why the NHS appears underfunded, it owes a mere £122 Billion, thanks to labour looking after their mates in the private sector, might explain Blair being worth a mere £60 million!

[palo5]

Originally Posted by george anson

While this might be swerving off the main lane for this topic America is hardly the standard bearer for democracy it must be said

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

Okay which nation is then??

Not one that thinks bombing people is the best way to convert them, that's for sure

[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by palo5

Not one that thinks bombing people is the best way to convert them, that's for sure

ohh Palo you need to do much better than that. Ukraine and Syria are the most prominent refutation to your post. Are you feeling okay or are you ailing? you usually do much better than that.

[Grouchy]

I live on the Yorks. coast. As I said. not a lot of immigrants here and I know that the situation changes dramatically the further inland (west or south) you go in the county.

To rupertramjet
I agree totally with your reasoning regarding the state of the NHS. Blair, his cronies and PFI have a lot to answer for - not just in the NHS but in all public services - including my old branch of the emergency services.

Don't ask me what the answer is but I doubt the present government will sort it out..

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by Grouchy

To rupertramjet
I agree totally with your reasoning regarding the state of the NHS. Blair, his cronies and PFI have a lot to answer for - not just in the NHS but in all public services - including my old branch of the emergency services.

Don't ask me what the answer is but I doubt the present government will sort it out..

The problem with PFI is that the documents concerning the agreements are up to 1000 pages long, giving absolute control to the financial institutions that backed them. There are absolutely no back out clauses, nothing that can be done, to release the government from them. These schemes run up to fifty years! At the end of the agreement, the asset remains the property of the investor, so can either be sold again to the service, or taken back into possession of the investor, imagine you have a twenty acre hospital site, built on a former green field site, with staff accommodation, after fifty years it would be a lame argument for the planners to claim it could not be turned into a housing estate, because there is already one there! twenty acres of former green field in say Surrey or Berkshire! Good stuff eh!

PFI also effects the Police, Ambulance and Fire Brigade, believe it or not even street lighting projects are not exempt! So local councils too! The deal includes the maintenance and service of these projects, so they can be far below standard in maintenance, but the end user can get stuffed because there is nothing that can be done!

Funny but these are all the sectors that are so desperately cash strapped, there is no solution to it, we just have to pay through the nose!

[palo5]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

ohh Palo you need to do much better than that. Ukraine and Syria are the most prominent refutation to your post. Are you feeling okay or are you ailing? you usually do much better than that

If you believe such fake news, there's not much I can do about it, SF

But you shouldn't make such a display of gullibility, because you will encourage more suckers

[bloke57]

This is all lovely but there haven't been many questions for us British folk of late.

Don't you want to know what we give out grannies for St Swithin's day or what colour hats we wear when mowing the lawn?

It's be great to answer some nice questions because for all its faults Britain is, in the end, quite a pleasant little place...honest guv!