The Political Discussion Thread

[Linda06]

You haven't seen a real winter until you have seen a Michigan winter.

Lot's of snow storms there?

Republicans / Conservatives / etc vote this November. Democrats, liberals and other assorted debris votes in December.

Ah haha

I can't really take Boris Johnson serious after that picture.

You're welcome

Canada -- I'd pick Canada.

Well they dolove us Scots

Hey, at least Brexit made at least one person/organization happy (apart from the Leave-camp obviously) -- Daesh is rejoiced. They call for more terrorist attacks to destabilize the union some more. Brussels might be diffifult, but plenty of other cities to hit. Abu Bakr Al-Bagdadi is having a party in Brexit's honor. Lots of fire works I hear...

In France at the moment the terrorists don't need to attack. The Russians, French and English are fighting amongst themselves.

Oor Nicola will make sure we're alright

4 nations divided, or two against two. Over here it's only 2 that don't get along.

Most of us don't have a problem with the English people. It's the elitist Westmonster establishment we have a problem with, and the fact that no matter what way Scotland votes it doesn't make a blind bit of difference and is a waste of time. The EU referendum has proven that decisively when every area in Scotland voted remain but we'll be forced to leave against will will of the people of Scotland. We need an independent Scotland where we can make our own decisions, decide our own fate and make our own mistakes.

Northern Ireland are similar to Scotland in a way, Wales can be mixed at times.

Yeah how does voting work inside the UK?

I don't get that if there was a high number of "remain" votes why that was not honoured and the "leave" votes end up winning. How exactly does that work?

Also is the UK now going to leave the UN?

This is interesting if it is true.

The United Kingdom has 4 nations within it. But the problem we have is that England has so much more of a population than the other 3 countries that most of the time it doesn't matter how we vote, it's what England votes that ends up winning . Scotland's population is around 5.5 million. London alone is something like 8 million.

In the General election, Scotland voted SNP in, in 56 out of 59 constituencies, only 1 Labour MP, 1 Conservative MP and 1 Liberal Democrat MP got voted in, in Scotland. But because the majority of England voted Conservative that's who is running the whole of the UK, even though Scotland didn't vote for them. Scotland would NEVER vote Tories in unanimously. If I remember correctly I think if you added all the constituents of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it still wouldn't have been enough to stop a Tory majority.

It's not the UN we were voting on. It was the EU

[Falcon Horus]

Lots.. So if you are being mobbed, you won't use deadly force??

No, I wouldn't be able to, and I wouldn't want to.

I can't even kill a fish, let alone use deadly force on a human.

However, I've never been in a situation like that before so who knows how I would respond. My flight instinct on the other hand is quite developed, to expert level. Don't know what good that'll do me but flight definitely wins over fight.

I speak for common sense which says we want neither

Apparently Bernie's staying in the race, so it'll be up to the convention to decide who gets to be the nominee. Trumpt doesn't stand a chance in hell against Sanders so if they pick him, the nitwit's out.

In France at the moment the terrorists don't need to attack. The Russians, French and English are fighting amongst themselves.

Yup, they are.

It's not the UN we were voting on. It was the EU

UN = United Nations
EU = European Union

Two very different entities, for those confused about or unfamiliar with it.

[Annoyed]

No, I wouldn't be able to, and I wouldn't want to.

I can't even kill a fish, let alone use deadly force on a human.

Oddly enough, I'm in the same boat. I've gone on many camping/boating trips (I'm writing this from my boat, anchored off a local beach in Lake Ontario), and people always ask why I don't fish. The answer is that I have a very low quease point; attempting to clean a fish I had caught would cause me to blow lunch all over my dinner, so why catch or kill the poor thing. There is no point.

I could (and have) used deadly force when defending myself against attack, however.

[pookey]

From a fish?

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

Oddly enough, I'm in the same boat. I've gone on many camping/boating trips (I'm writing this from my boat, anchored off a local beach in Lake Ontario), and people always ask why I don't fish. The answer is that I have a very low quease point; attempting to clean a fish I had caught would cause me to blow lunch all over my dinner, so why catch or kill the poor thing. There is no point.

I could (and have) used deadly force when defending myself against attack, however.

My granddad taught me how to gut a fish when I was five...

[SoulReaver]

It's not the UN we were voting on. It was the EU

so to sum it up -
Scotland wants to leave the UK
the UK wants to leave the EU
Scotland wants to stay in the EU

the english british scottish westerosi are right - why keep things simple?

[jelgate]

My granddad taught me how to gut a fish when I was five...

And I gut deer all the time.

[garhkal]

I speak for common sense which says we want neither

And who's common sense is that??

No, I wouldn't be able to, and I wouldn't want to.

I can't even kill a fish, let alone use deadly force on a human.

That explains a lot. So you are a pacifist then.

Apparently Bernie's staying in the race, so it'll be up to the convention to decide who gets to be the nominee. Trumpt doesn't stand a chance in hell against Sanders so if they pick him, the nitwit's out.

He acknowledged mid week he stands NO chance to get the #s he needs, so why is he staying in??
Is he just that pig headed?

[jelgate]

Rational minded humans otherwise known people who don't become obsessed with politics

[Falcon Horus]

That explains a lot. So you are a pacifist then.

No, I can't classify myself as a pacifist.
I'm not averse to violent outbursts on furniture or in my car when I get hindered by annoying drivers (the amount of cursing I do is nearly the equivalent of sailor).

I also LOVE my first-person shooter games.

Nope, definitely not a pacifist in the true sense of the word.

However, as I looked up the meaning of the word (I know what it means, I just needed to know if I fit the profile of one) I found another word that describes me best: ahimsa - a term meaning 'not to injure' and 'compassion'

"Ahimsa is one of the cardinal virtues and an important tenet of 3 major religions (Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism). Ahimsa is a multidimensional concept, inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself. Ahimsa has also been related to the notion that any violence has karmic consequences. [...] Most popularly, Mahatma Gandhi strongly believed in the principle of ahimsa."

[Linda06]

so to sum it up -
Scotland wants to leave the UK
the UK wants to leave the EU
Scotland wants to stay in the EU

the english british scottish westerosi are right - why keep things simple?

Scotland want's it's country back
Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain in the EU
England and Wales want to leave the EU
London wants to stay in the EU
Cornwall voted to leave the EU but wants assurances that they wont lose the substantial amount of the EU funding they got
Ireland are threatening reunification
London's threatening to split from the rest of England
The UK is imploding
Who knows what the future holds

See, simples

Got a headache yet?

[Annoyed]

From a fish?

No, by 3 knife wielding hoodlums.

[jelgate]

Scotland want's it's country back
Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain in the EU
England and Wales want to leave the EU
London wants to stay in the EU
Cornwall voted to leave the EU but wants assurances that they wont lose the substantial amount of the EU funding they got
Ireland are threatening reunification
London's threatening to split from the rest of England
The UK is imploding
Who knows what the future holds

See, simples

Got a headache yet?

The more we are different, the more we are the same

[Annoyed]

Apparently Bernie's staying in the race, so it'll be up to the convention to decide who gets to be the nominee. Trumpt doesn't stand a chance in hell against Sanders so if they pick him, the nitwit's out.

I wouldn't be so quick to count Trump out regardless of who the Dems run. The Brexit vote apparently surprised a lot of people, it wasn't expected. But the thing is, the motivation behind the Brexit supporters and Trump's supporters are very similar.

Behind the Support for Brexit and Trump: Economic Resentment

The United Kingdom's stunning vote to leave the European Union was driven by much of the same sentiment that fueled Donald Trump's insurgent march toward the Republican presidential nod: A rejection of economic globalization and the elites who favor it by those who feel left behind.

Many economists warn that the British vote to leave the EU, dubbed "Brexit," could cripple that nation's economy — just as many say Trump's ideas would stifle U.S. growth or even trigger another recession.

Millions of voters have defied those concerns. The Brexit vote and Trump's widespread support reflect a sweeping rejection of expert opinion in advanced countries. Yet that rejection itself could raise the likelihood of further economic harm, some economists warn.

But the working class stiffs are finally telling those economists to go take a hike. Trump just might ride this wave to an overwhelming victory this fall.

[garhkal]

No, I can't classify myself as a pacifist.
I'm not averse to violent outbursts on furniture or in my car when I get hindered by annoying drivers (the amount of cursing I do is nearly the equivalent of sailor).

I also LOVE my first-person shooter games.

Nope, definitely not a pacifist in the true sense of the word.

However, as I looked up the meaning of the word (I know what it means, I just needed to know if I fit the profile of one) I found another word that describes me best: ahimsa - a term meaning 'not to injure' and 'compassion'

"Ahimsa is one of the cardinal virtues and an important tenet of 3 major religions (Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism). Ahimsa is a multidimensional concept, inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself. Ahimsa has also been related to the notion that any violence has karmic consequences. [...] Most popularly, Mahatma Gandhi strongly believed in the principle of ahimsa."

Interesting. Learned something new today.. Thanks.