leicsmac

...I think we're going to need a rather large extension. Tea, anyone?

That pretty much sums up the precipice our species is at right now. It'll tip one way... or the other.

Rod Liddle, again. Apparently full Trump policies including flooding Trump-sympathetic parties with Musk's money, are not only totally acceptable but encouragable in the UK.

Elon Musk claiming that 'the AfD is the only party capable of "saving Germany,"' Well, I guess he'd know all about apartheid states and benefiting from them, wouldn't he?

I know nothing of the sort, and it's not up to me to prove a claim I haven't made in any case. Pardon me for not choosing the quicker and easier path of generalisation and round condemnation (or "ugly truth", I guess).

Citation rather needed, I think. And the last time I checked, that wasn't necessarily true universally anyway - mass shootings in the US, for instance, often tend to be mostly home-grown. But generalisations of demographics seem to be the thing that policy runs on right now given recent election results in various places so I guess a deeper look isn't actually all that important.

Which are pretty serious downsides. But yes, totally likewise agreed on how we've got here. The issue is now how best to change the whole thing - as it must, or the consequences will be truly fearsome.

Is anyone particularly surprised by the headli(n)es in those particular papers? (Though I might have expected a little better of the Times.)

At least, in that regard, what Mandelson said had at least some basis in truth. In any case, the point stands that the UK should expect zero respect from this incoming administration unless they are prepared to kiss their rectal passages on every single matter. Trump, and those that follow him, have sycophants and enemies. They do not have friends. It is the very idea of the everywhere "product" at all, that every aspect of human progress, development, life and health appears to have to be packaged as a commodity that has a price and then has to be marketed and sold that I loathe. Not out of any particular moral principle other than the preservation of life, because that and the tribal nature of humanity will, inevitability, lead nowhere good when facing some of the challenges to come.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyx9kplge8o A campaign adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump has called the incoming UK ambassador to the US, Lord Peter Mandelson, "an absolute moron". This is the level of diplomatic decorum the UK should expect routinely from the incoming administration, and act accordingly.

It's rather depressing that the influence of xenophobic and misogynist bigots (and the ones encouraging and enabling them) has become so widespread and deep that a bill like this will even affect FT.

How accurate a summation of how vacuous part of human society is, right there.

Which goes to show that those who value material gain over life and health should be nowhere near any kind of power.

Ah, the US healthcare system, summed up neatly.

"From here on out, you get to do what you've always been good at. Footing the bill while others get their hands dirty." - Elizabet, Horizon Zero Dawn. That applies rather aptly to Musk, I think.

Pretty much what Dunge said above - the man could be Tony Stark but he's bound and determined to be Ted Faro.

Absolutely. And those who remember it often still repeat it because "hey, let's get it right this time"/arrogance/it keeps the power that they have.

Nope, but it is a bit weird how history does unnecessarily repeat itself, isn't it?

Unpopular opinion: Space is a global commons, should be explored as such, and before US and Chinese (or any other third party) get involved in a pissing contest, whoever the US President is should do what JFK did with Khruschev; suggest a joint Moon (and then possibly Mars) mission. (Khruschev was on the verge of accepting too, and I reckon the Chinese would do likewise.) Combine resources, save time and place feet out there for all mankind in the truest sense, not just for empty words backed by nationalism.

Thankfully, in practice, at least for the more horrible crimes, I would think the ratio is rather lower than that. Sexual assaults are the rather sad exception to that rule.

For me, it shows a truly imperfect system, but every other system thought of so far is worse. Like a lot of other human constructs, come to that.

I agree with you. I've said all along that it's better for a thousand guilty men to remain unconvicted rather than one innocent man be found guilty, and that either applies in all areas, or none. It's just the hope that the justice system can continue to develop and obtain more convictions for horrible crimes like these ones and so more victims can get the justice they deserve, while remaining true to the above principle.

It is horrendous when one considers the number of such incidents that go unconvicted and uncharged, let alone the likely numbers of those that go unreported because the victim might feel shamed or that the justice system won't give them justice. It's a terrible price to pay for the sake of keeping the number of convicted innocents as low as possible.

Being cursed with knowledge isn't often the best thing for someone's mental health, it's true. But at the same time, while I can understand those cursed with that knowledge just choosing not to engage, I'm not sure how well that story ends for them or for anyone else.

Don't let Occam's Razor stand in the way of some good old fashioned soapbox conspiracy debate, mate.