FlyTheNest

Tubby Isaacs wrote:That seems like fair comment.

So what should Labour do?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 19801.html
Donald Trump is “dangerous” and drastic steps must be taken to protect the public from him, two leading psychiatrists have warned.

The President’s erratic behaviour, including “repeated failure to distinguish between reality and fantasy” and “paranoid claims of conspiracy”, cast doubt over his ability to react rationally in a crisis, they said.

tinyclanger2 wrote:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 19801.html
Donald Trump is “dangerous” and drastic steps must be taken to protect the public from him, two leading psychiatrists have warned.

The President’s erratic behaviour, including “repeated failure to distinguish between reality and fantasy” and “paranoid claims of conspiracy”, cast doubt over his ability to react rationally in a crisis, they said.

This would need to be a minimum requirement for the job really.

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Sion Simon, the Midlands City Mayor candidate, is going hard against it. 145,000 self-employed in his region, he reckons.

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Sion Simon, the Midlands City Mayor candidate, is going hard against it. 145,000 self-employed in his region, he reckons.

StephenDolan wrote:

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Sion Simon, the Midlands City Mayor candidate, is going hard against it. 145,000 self-employed in his region, he reckons.

Get the impression between the regular referencing of the Midlands in PMQs (Fabricant this week), the Northern Powerhouse being ditched to cover the Midlands and Hammond making jaunts there that the Tories are targeting this mayoralty.

StephenDolan wrote:

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Sion Simon, the Midlands City Mayor candidate, is going hard against it. 145,000 self-employed in his region, he reckons.

Get the impression between the regular referencing of the Midlands in PMQs (Fabricant this week), the Northern Powerhouse being ditched to cover the Midlands and Hammond making jaunts there that the Tories are targeting this mayoralty.

We want more Syrian refugees: council offers exceed official UK pledge of 20,000

Local authorities have offered almost 22,000 places, with councils increasing pledges after being overwhelmed by public support

Theresa May is under pressure to increase the number of Syrian refugees offered asylum in Britain as local authorities say they can take in more than the government’s offer of 20,000 spaces. (Guardian)

Faisal Islam‏Verified account @faisalislam Mar 8
DCLG Local Government budget (form which social care funded): £8.2bn this year (incl extra £1.2) to £6.5bn, £5.5bn and then £5.4bn in 19/20

Kevin Schofield‏Verified @PolhomeEditor
Another departure from Jeremy Corbyn's office, I hear. Head of Economic Policy Mike Hatchett leaves tomorrow after barely a year in the job.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Evening All

I’m missing this place. I’ve happily joined in Ephemerid’s community and it’s lovely to see old friends there.

But I realise it doesn’t solve my basic problem, which is that I want to be able to post my carefully considered political views in public without being made to feel like an idiot. I realise I’m still scared posting over there. Or anywhere.

If I feel like this I worry that others do too. Where is the space for nuanced views on the Labour leadership? And on Labour’s Brexit policies? Is there really no room on the internet to explore these ideas without it feeling heretic? Would it be possible for FTN to make itself a safe space again? Where we disagree but listen with respect to each other? Where we don’t put words in each others’ mouths?

Any thoughts? Love to you all, Paul

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I think I did try Dick Emery on poor Hugo a few weeks back

Theresa May robustly defends controversial increase in national insurance but says legislation will not be introduced until autumn after MPs raise concerns

Tubby Isaacs wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Evening All

I’m missing this place. I’ve happily joined in Ephemerid’s community and it’s lovely to see old friends there.

But I realise it doesn’t solve my basic problem, which is that I want to be able to post my carefully considered political views in public without being made to feel like an idiot. I realise I’m still scared posting over there. Or anywhere.

If I feel like this I worry that others do too. Where is the space for nuanced views on the Labour leadership? And on Labour’s Brexit policies? Is there really no room on the internet to explore these ideas without it feeling heretic? Would it be possible for FTN to make itself a safe space again? Where we disagree but listen with respect to each other? Where we don’t put words in each others’ mouths?

Any thoughts? Love to you all, Paul

Post here!

I'm more onside with Labour after the Lords vote the other night. If that helps.

PorFavor wrote:@PaulfromYorkshire

I didn't vote for Jeremy Corbyn either time but respected the outcome of the first vote. I didn't blame him for "Brexit" but don't like how he's dealing with it. I was prepared to give him a bit of time. That time has now run out. No replacement leader is obvious. I consider myself left wing on most issues. That's my position.

Does that help you at all?

Keep posting!

adam wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I think I did try Dick Emery on poor Hugo a few weeks back

That's not even been legal for long! It's still not medically recommended.

Edited to add - Missus.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I've felt like it's heretic to even criticise the EU as it currently exists, despite so wanting it to succeed.

As a Greek living and working in Paris, Dimitris Christopoulos, who heads the International Federation of Human Rights, one of the world’s oldest rights groups, has seen both sides of the issue up close. He believes the Greek government has used the mess to shield itself from the possible mass return of failed asylum seekers from elsewhere in the E.U. The E.C. and a number of member states are keen to resume the so-called Dublin Regulation from March onward. Christopoulos is also clear that far from weakening Mouzalas’ position with Brussels, the suffering and waste in Greece won him the “absolute support of the commission.”

“The Greek administrative chaos is the best deterrence” to others hoping to reach Europe, says Christopoulos. “It sends the message that Greece is a mess so don’t come this way.”

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Evening All

I’m missing this place. I’ve happily joined in Ephemerid’s community and it’s lovely to see old friends there.

But I realise it doesn’t solve my basic problem, which is that I want to be able to post my carefully considered political views in public without being made to feel like an idiot. I realise I’m still scared posting over there. Or anywhere.

If I feel like this I worry that others do too. Where is the space for nuanced views on the Labour leadership? And on Labour’s Brexit policies? Is there really no room on the internet to explore these ideas without it feeling heretic? Would it be possible for FTN to make itself a safe space again? Where we disagree but listen with respect to each other? Where we don’t put words in each others’ mouths?

Any thoughts? Love to you all, Paul

gilsey wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I've felt like it's heretic to even criticise the EU as it currently exists, despite so wanting it to succeed.

It's lovely to see you.

Here's something on that subject, I think it's been picked up by the mainstream press now, a long and shocking account of Greek corruption and incompetence.
https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/art ... -in-greece" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The really shocking part is the end.

As a Greek living and working in Paris, Dimitris Christopoulos, who heads the International Federation of Human Rights, one of the world’s oldest rights groups, has seen both sides of the issue up close. He believes the Greek government has used the mess to shield itself from the possible mass return of failed asylum seekers from elsewhere in the E.U. The E.C. and a number of member states are keen to resume the so-called Dublin Regulation from March onward. Christopoulos is also clear that far from weakening Mouzalas’ position with Brussels, the suffering and waste in Greece won him the “absolute support of the commission.”

“The Greek administrative chaos is the best deterrence” to others hoping to reach Europe, says Christopoulos. “It sends the message that Greece is a mess so don’t come this way.”

tinyclanger2 wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Evening All

I’m missing this place. I’ve happily joined in Ephemerid’s community and it’s lovely to see old friends there.

But I realise it doesn’t solve my basic problem, which is that I want to be able to post my carefully considered political views in public without being made to feel like an idiot. I realise I’m still scared posting over there. Or anywhere.

If I feel like this I worry that others do too. Where is the space for nuanced views on the Labour leadership? And on Labour’s Brexit policies? Is there really no room on the internet to explore these ideas without it feeling heretic? Would it be possible for FTN to make itself a safe space again? Where we disagree but listen with respect to each other? Where we don’t put words in each others’ mouths?

Any thoughts? Love to you all, Paul

Hi Paul - thanks for this. I have been thinking about this for some time, hoping that we can do exactly as you propose, and wondering how we can go about it. I know that I have misunderstood some posts in the past, and know (from some responses to me) that sometimes I have been completely misunderstood. On other occasions of course I have just been a get, but old habits die hard.

I do think this is intrinsically difficult. Face to face you get to read expressions, hear tones, and consider how to put things so as to avoid inducing tears/receiving a punch in the head. Online we get none of this, and the red mist can suddenly descend. But if we can't make it work here, then where can we?

Have suggested a few things in the past which boil down to:

READING
1) if you think someone's a troll then don't feed them, but accept that one man's troll is another man's lost soul. The only alternative is banning people and on the whole how can you really draw that line?
2) very occasional posts that are clearly just offensive or deliberate stirring can be removed on serious justified request if mod agrees
3) if something makes you, er, seethe, see if there are other tones you might read it in that might at least alter the seethe level

WRITING
4) imagine that you are actually talking to someone AND/OR draft before you post - particularly if you are a) seething or b) surrounded by red mist

CLARIFICATION
5) ideally develop a process for seeking clarification (white flag approach)

(when I say "you", I might add, I mean "one")

Am most keen to read other views and am often influenced by people posting here. Am sure that fundamentally our views are generally more aligned than not, and it's important, in general, particularly in this new barking mad world, that we can discuss our smallish differences without losing it.

Having said all that of course, even face to face I struggle to communicate without unintentionally pissing people off.
It's a gift. And a curse.

Mostly a curse.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:

gilsey wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I've felt like it's heretic to even criticise the EU as it currently exists, despite so wanting it to succeed.

It's lovely to see you.

Here's something on that subject, I think it's been picked up by the mainstream press now, a long and shocking account of Greek corruption and incompetence.
https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/art ... -in-greece" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The really shocking part is the end.

As a Greek living and working in Paris, Dimitris Christopoulos, who heads the International Federation of Human Rights, one of the world’s oldest rights groups, has seen both sides of the issue up close. He believes the Greek government has used the mess to shield itself from the possible mass return of failed asylum seekers from elsewhere in the E.U. The E.C. and a number of member states are keen to resume the so-called Dublin Regulation from March onward. Christopoulos is also clear that far from weakening Mouzalas’ position with Brussels, the suffering and waste in Greece won him the “absolute support of the commission.”

“The Greek administrative chaos is the best deterrence” to others hoping to reach Europe, says Christopoulos. “It sends the message that Greece is a mess so don’t come this way.”

Well indeed.

Can't we hope for a better EU?

Tubby Isaacs wrote:That doesn't seem all that plausible. Greece's priority is getting the big money debt off its back, and to do that it must look far less like a mess.

Some have tried to portray yesterday’s announcement as progressive, but what is progressive about raising taxes for low-paid drivers while the Government go ahead with cuts to capital gains tax for a tiny few? What is progressive about raising taxes for low-paid self-employed cleaners while the wealthiest families in the country get an inheritance tax cut? What is progressive about raising taxes for plumbers while multinational corporations see their tax bills slashed year after year?