BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 17 Feb 26 - 03:15 AM

On reflection, Nigel, I believe your question was indeed rhetorical. According to the several resources I checked (my quote is from Wikipedia, but they are all in agreement), a rhetorical question is one which is asked to make a point or provoke discussion, rather than to receive an answer. So yes, unless you actually expected anyone here to have ‘inside information’ about decisions made in the highest echelons of the Labour Party your question is, AFAIC, rhetorical. And if that was your expectation, I’d have to say it was entirely unrealistic.

From Wikipedia…

”A rhetorical question is a question asked for a purpose other than to obtain information.[1] In many cases it may be intended to start a discourse, as a means of displaying or emphasizing the speaker's or author's opinion on a topic. A simple example is the question "Can't you do anything right?" This question is not intended to request a response about the listener's competence but rather to insinuate their lack of it. In many instances, rhetorical questions serve as a literary device with the purpose of persuading an audience or making them reflect on a topic.”

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Feb 26 - 06:51 AM

Well, that answers the age old poser, "What's the point of rhetorical questions..?"

:-D

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 18 Feb 26 - 01:41 PM

> I think it is time UK Govt defined Terrorism and they
> discovered the legal term "arms length"

Maybe slightly shorter than the length of two eighteenth-century swords :-) ?

Note to self: check back on threads more often.

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: r.padgett
Date: 19 Feb 26 - 02:44 AM

Yep cannot be described in physical terms ~ words are needed and impartial judges ~we have in UK

Ray

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: r.padgett
Date: 23 Feb 26 - 02:45 AM

Franky the Epstein affair is simply a media profiting from celebrity change the focus and get back to fighting the Big T

Ray

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 23 Feb 26 - 02:13 PM

Next up: Peter Mandelson* gets taken in for police questioning. The phrase "misconduct in public office" has been uttered.

I'm starting to think: "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

* We're so used to him being called "Mandy" that I had to look up his first name.

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: r.padgett
Date: 25 Feb 26 - 04:47 AM

A fishing trip

Ray

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 26 - 06:08 AM

"Franky the Epstein affair is simply a media profiting from celebrity..."

You must not have a daughter.

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 27 Feb 26 - 03:19 AM

Good news from Gorton and Denton. In my opinion anyway. Even though the left wing vote was split between Labour and Green the Greens still beat the odious Matt Goodwin of Deformed Ltd. He claims that the Greens won because of all the Islamists voting for their candidate. A female plumber... The even more obnoxious Farage has taken a leaf out of the Trump playbook and put it down to cheating.

Starmer should sit back and take notice too as it is his move to the right and stopping the more left wing Andy Burnham from standing that cost him the seat.

I said on here, ages ago, that I can see an alliance of the more progressive parties being a much better option for disillusioned voters than the extreme right. Hopefully this is a step in that direction.

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: r.padgett
Date: 27 Feb 26 - 03:24 AM

Gorton and Denton (North West England/ Greater Manchester) Labour from 1931 gone to the rising Green Party ~knee jerk job ~ Labour current record not liked and scandalous politics elsewhere ~

No positive measures and working classes and "shop keepers" picked on to fund the economy desperate measures too soon by Labour

For me wrong focus ~ Farage and Co follow the far right policies and appeal to the disgruntled as of old

Wrong path,but hey well done Greens a good alternative

Ray

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Feb 26 - 03:43 AM

The introduction of a system of PR is very much overdue. Without it, there will be a Far-Right government elected by a minority in the very near future, possibly in at the next GE.

Farage is operating straight out of the Trump/MAGA Playbook, and the Deformers will love it.

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 Feb 26 - 07:42 AM

"The introduction of a system of PR is very much overdue."
With PR the last General Election would not have given Labour a massive majority (or any majority at all)
The top polling parties were:
Labour 33.7%
Conservative 23.7%
Reform 14.3%
Lib Dems 12.2%
Greens 6.4%
Scots Nationalist 2.5%
No other party achieved more than 1% (although that may be because of the small number of seats they contested)

Be careful of what you wish for.

The two 'main' parties (until now) have kept power between them by virtue of not having PR. Their view may change as they start losing their influence.

Subject: RE: BS: Brexit and other UK politics thread 4
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Feb 26 - 07:58 AM

The Trump/MAGA Playbook is far ahead of UK politics.
Many of the more outspoken Nazis in American MAGA are posing the question, "What about all the good things Hitler did?" That was a joke 20 years ago, but today it is a Republican argument in the cloakroom.

Free speech is not a pretty thing, but bad ideas are only diminished by good ideas. Inside Nazi MAGA, they say, "We had the best policy for the Jews, including Jesus. If he comes back, we'll kill him and his kind again". (big laugh among white Christian Nationalists)

Trump and MAGA are using antisemitism as a false issue and employ it to extort Universities and individuals.