General News Thread

[leicsmac]

2 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

I'd say compatibility, not superiority tbh. 

Better word use. 

 

Trying to get all of those cultures to fit into a single society. 

 

Just now, danny. said:

Yes, sadly it can. When people’s preferences are ignored and erased and they are told they are racist for expressing any concern about that, it can be radicalising. 

Quite right.

 

And then the trick becomes at least trying to sort the situation where that is kept to a minimum, because then all the choices that remain are bad ones. 

[bovril]

I love the idea that people have been ignored over immigration when it's all we've talked about for ten years and the government decided we could do without a few extra billion in growth every year because old people don't like to hear Polish spoken in their towns 

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, bovril said:

I love the idea that people have been ignored over immigration when it's all we've talked about for ten years and the government decided we could do without a few extra billion in growth every year because old people don't like to hear Polish spoken in their towns 

Perhaps too many people are making the misguided conclusion that "not having all of my personally beneficial wants satisfied" = "being ignored".

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, danny. said:

I think the issue of immigration is about culture, not race, for most people. 

Undoubtedly true, however too many people assume a culture because of a person's race.

 

Religion (and in much of Western Europe, its absence) plays a large part of a person's culture and it's not racially exclusive, but many people make assumptions.

 

Not every Arab is a Muslim and within Islam there's different views on how the Qur'an should be interpreted.

 

Goa in India? Catholics abound thanks to the Portuguese influence there and their culture reflects that. In fact, the subcontinent is a melting pot of different cultures.

That's just a small part of common misconceptions. Everyone has heard the saying, "you can't judge a book by it's cover", yet so few seem to acknowledge it's wisdom.

Edited 3 December 2025 by Trav Le Bleu

[danny.]

1 hour ago, bovril said:

I love the idea that people have been ignored over immigration when it's all we've talked about for ten years and the government decided we could do without a few extra billion in growth every year because old people don't like to hear Polish spoken in their towns 

If you genuinely think that’s the reality then I am starting understand the left’s view on this much more. 

[bovril]

16 minutes ago, danny. said:

If you genuinely think that’s the reality then I am starting understand the left’s view on this much more. 

I do, yes. I wonder if there's another country in the world where immigration dominates political discourse and influences policy quite like it has done here. As always, interested in opposing views so feel free...

[st albans fox]

Nursery worker admits sexually abusing children https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2k4qd8q97eo

 

Sometimes I cant get my head around the fact that we are judged on being a civilised society by not beating the crap out of this guy every day until he’s dead. 
by spending sparse tax revenues on keeping him warm, fed and protected in a small room, probably with some kind of device to keep him ‘entertained’. 

 

still think my deserted Scottish island idea has merit 

[danny.]

12 minutes ago, bovril said:

I do, yes. I wonder if there's another country in the world where immigration dominates political discourse and influences policy quite like it has done here. As always, interested in opposing views so feel free...

Loads, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, USA…

[Trav Le Bleu]

11 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Nursery worker admits sexually abusing children https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2k4qd8q97eo

 

Sometimes I cant get my head around the fact that we are judged on being a civilised society by not beating the crap out of this guy every day until he’s dead. 
by spending sparse tax revenues on keeping him warm, fed and protected in a small room, probably with some kind of device to keep him ‘entertained’. 

 

still think my deserted Scottish island idea has merit 

Remote island is a great idea, we have plenty.

 

I'd especially promote this for violent offenders who just love to beat on others. Stick them all together and leave them to their own PUBG fantasies. Maybe even leave the odd axe or sword lying around to speed up the process.

[bovril]

3 minutes ago, danny. said:

Loads, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, USA…

"And influences policy"

 

I realise you're going to say "yes but it wasn't about immigration" but leaving not just the EU but also the SM was obviously a significant policy shift and now people are talking about leaving the ECHR. None of the countries you list above have changed trajectory so significantly in order basically to try and placate anti immigration voters. 

[leicsmac]

20 minutes ago, bovril said:

I do, yes. I wonder if there's another country in the world where immigration dominates political discourse and influences policy quite like it has done here. As always, interested in opposing views so feel free...

 

6 minutes ago, danny. said:

Loads, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, USA…

And given that migration is going to become ever more commonplace in a world where large tracts of inhabited land may well become almost impossible to inhabit any more, then there's even more ugly options coming up. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

27 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

 

And given that migration is going to become ever more commonplace in a world where large tracts of inhabited land may well become almost impossible to inhabit any more, then there's even more ugly options coming up. 

Which will have the knock on effect of countries fighting over the inhabitable lands (thereby rendering them uninhabitable - yes, we're that stupid!) and create even more migration.

[danny.]

39 minutes ago, bovril said:

"And influences policy"

 

I realise you're going to say "yes but it wasn't about immigration" but leaving not just the EU but also the SM was obviously a significant policy shift and now people are talking about leaving the ECHR. None of the countries you list above have changed trajectory so significantly in order basically to try and placate anti immigration voters. 

Sure about that? I didn’t just pluck them out of the air. 

[bovril]

Just now, danny. said:

Sure about that? I didn’t just pluck them out of the air. 

None of the European countries have implemented policy as drastic as hard Brexit. I know this is all a bit awkward for Brits who like to think of their country as pragmatic and sensible compared to the Euros. 

[leicsmac]

27 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Which will have the knock on effect of countries fighting over the inhabitable lands (thereby rendering them uninhabitable - yes, we're that stupid!) and create even more migration.

Exactly. 

 

It would be hilarious if... well, you know the rest. 

[danny.]

16 minutes ago, bovril said:

None of the European countries have implemented policy as drastic as hard Brexit. I know this is all a bit awkward for Brits who like to think of their country as pragmatic and sensible compared to the Euros. 

I agree with you on that. We were talking about immigration and policy though, not leaving the EU. 

[bovril]

4 minutes ago, danny. said:

I agree with you on that. We were talking about immigration and policy though, not leaving the EU. 

And why did we leave the single market? Why do I now need to apply for a visa to move to an EU country? 

[splinterdream]

6 hours ago, StanSP said:

I do see your point, but it could be argued that what has been said as a youngster has led him to believe in such things as he's grown older, which leads to the same rhetoric and judgments he makes today... 

just doesn’t work like that, kids say the most hurtful things without filter, it’s go on the bully or you yourself may get bullied, but that doesn’t shape your opinions for the rest of your life. Farage is labelled racist because he thinks mass immigration is an issue and his opinions are more leaning towards nationalism rather than globalism.

[UniFox21]

The South East Water event is making interesting reading. The upstream treatment works has failed, we've been given a couple of reasons as to why - first was related to the coagulant (used early on in treatment) and now there's been a disinfection issue (end of treatment). 24k on boil water notices is a bold move considering they were told normality would be returned by Tuesday.

 

Intrigued MP's calling for the PM to take charge or the CEO's head; neither of which would resolve a treatment issue. 

[danny.]

38 minutes ago, bovril said:

And why did we leave the single market? Why do I now need to apply for a visa to move to an EU country? 

I can’t give you a rational reason as to why we left the single market and customs union. You’d have to ask a Brexiteer, I was a hard remainer. 

[st albans fox]

3 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Remote island is a great idea, we have plenty.

 

I'd especially promote this for violent offenders who just love to beat on others. Stick them all together and leave them to their own PUBG fantasies. Maybe even leave the odd axe or sword lying around to speed up the process.

that rewards the most violent who can take control 

single secure cells 

part roofed to provide some shelter

food delivered by drone 

Any health issues - tough sh1t 

[st albans fox]

2 hours ago, bovril said:

And why did we leave the single market? Why do I now need to apply for a visa to move to an EU country? 

Because the EU understandably played it fairly tough. You want access to the single market ?   Then free movement must exist.  The majority of leave voters (who actually voted leave for a reason other than it wasn’t the govt position) did so because of free movement. (Yeah I know) 

[bovril]

14 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Because the EU understandably played it fairly tough. You want access to the single market ?   Then free movement must exist.  The majority of leave voters (who actually voted leave for a reason other than it wasn’t the govt position) did so because of free movement. (Yeah I know) 

I know, it was a rhetorical question. May's "red lines". I was trying to make the point that immigration sceptic voters have not been 'ignored' in the UK. We opted out of the single market and free movemtn because of them, which is hardly an insignificant decision. 

[Robo61]

9 hours ago, splinterdream said:

I don't know what type of Schools you went to or when, but I'm 50 and Schools i went to some kids were horrible, and we all said things growing up that aren't politically correct, but we were kids, it was a different time, to judge someone on what they said as a child is madness,what should be more illuminating is the hit piece being done on him, who else is getting this treatment? 

What all this does show with farage, is he's not good under pressure, he could have easily dismissed this with i can't remember any of that and we were kids anyway but he's stumbled and stuttered which has made him look more guilty than I think he is. 

Isn't that pretty much what he has tried to say.   Much more likely to have blown over had he issued a full and frank apology,  but just like Trump he is uncapable of such humility. 

[danny.]

55 minutes ago, bovril said:

I know, it was a rhetorical question. May's "red lines". I was trying to make the point that immigration sceptic voters have not been 'ignored' in the UK. We opted out of the single market and free movemtn because of them, which is hardly an insignificant decision. 

Immigration is mentioned here as a reason: https://www.essex.ac.uk/research/showcase/why-britain-really-voted-to-leave-the-european-union

The collapse of power in the Middle East
The series of protests, demonstrations, riots, coups and civil wars that began in 2010 across the Middle East and North Africa and have become known as the Arab Spring, created new waves of immigration into Europe. Many voters concluded that not only had successive UK governments mishandled this issue but so had the European Commission.

If we assume that is correct based on the data they used (and I'd say anecdotally that tallies with people I spoke to around then), they wanted less immigration from the ME and NA. Since 2020, however, migration did not go down, it went sharply up, with the bulk being non-EU citizens - so I don't think it's reasonable to assert that people who may have voted for that reason (as opposed to other reasons such as trading, bureaucratic reasons etc.) were listened to.