What people like politicians in Austria probably don't realise is that a lot of people actively choose to live totally reclusive lifestyles, with some people never leaving their house for any reason. If you bring in mandatory vaccinations, it means agents of the state are going to be entering those people's homes and forcing them to have a vaccine which they don't need to have because they never go anywhere else.
What we don’t get 100% over here is that, in most of Continental Europe - which operates on civil law - the principle is that the community / state is more important than the individual, whereas in Common Law systems, there tends to be the opposite view.
For comparison, imagine a UK prime minister saying he is ‘angry and concerned’ about a Not Guilty verdict, brought by a jury, in a highly charged and politicized Old Bailey trial - and imagine him or her saying it just two hours after the verdict.
It just wouldn’t happen. I hope. Because we are not so corroded by the Culture Wars, yet.
There is Separation of Powers for a reason. America is perilously close to abandoning this, besieged by the extremists on both sides
Not yet but not far off.
Yougov today had more 2019 Tory voters going to ReformUK than Starmer Labour or the LDs, our politics too is increasingly polarised
And yet. We have the most Centrist Labour leader since they left government. And a Tory Party who have abandoned austerity and Thatcherism in word, if not entirely in deed, for a more social democratic direction. We have no one to the extreme of either polling 10 % regularly either.
RefUK are on 5% and the Greens on 10% with Yougov today, the divide is more over culture (over here including Brexit) than economics, as to some extent it increasingly is in the US too
Is it? I think "culture" unless so broadly drawn as to be meaningless, is overblown here. No one on here, for example, argues for roaming the streets with an assault weapon as being fine and dandy.
The 'culture wars' and 'wokism' are today's equivalent of the 'commie threat' and 'reds under the bed' for modern Rightists. Gotta have something to stoke fear about.
Completely off topic but just spent a sublime hour listening(and watching) Khatia Buniatishvili playing Rach 3 at the Verbier Festival. Not only amazing playing but excellent sound and photography. It's on YouTube - check it out. On topic I am off to North Shropshire on Monday - will report back.
What people like politicians in Austria probably don't realise is that a lot of people actively choose to live totally reclusive lifestyles, with some people never leaving their house for any reason. If you bring in mandatory vaccinations, it means agents of the state are going to be entering those people's homes and forcing them to have a vaccine which they don't need to have because they never go anywhere else.
What we don’t get 100% over here is that, in most of Continental Europe - which operates on civil law - the principle is that the community / state is more important than the individual, whereas in Common Law systems, there tends to be the opposite view.
That's what I find so confusing about the vaccination rates - I had assumed that would mean that the people in countries like Austria and Germany would all dutifully be vaccinated for the good of the community.
So clearly it's not quite as simple as the community principle being stronger there.
Not so easy for ex cons, though I suppose he could try washing dishes or stacking shelves if he can get a job doing that. Bit of a come down from being a former Reed Smith tax partner and Tory MP but it might help pay the bills
We're regularly told on here by PB Tories that there are plenty of job vacancies.
There are a number but he has the added hurdle of a criminal conviction before he gets another job
Yes, that will make it much more difficult for him.
He won't be getting UC if he is living as a couple with his MP wife though.
He isn't now, they have separated
Ah, ok. Wikipedia is out of date then:
"On his release from prison in September 2021 Elphicke returned to the couple's marital home."
Not so easy for ex cons, though I suppose he could try washing dishes or stacking shelves if he can get a job doing that. Bit of a come down from being a former Reed Smith tax partner and Tory MP but it might help pay the bills
We're regularly told on here by PB Tories that there are plenty of job vacancies.
There are a number but he has the added hurdle of a criminal conviction before he gets another job
Yes, that will make it much more difficult for him.
He won't be getting UC if he is living as a couple with his MP wife though.
He isn't now, they have separated
Ah, ok. Wikipedia is out of date then:
"On his release from prison in September 2021 Elphicke returned to the couple's marital home."
For comparison, imagine a UK prime minister saying he is ‘angry and concerned’ about a Not Guilty verdict, brought by a jury, in a highly charged and politicized Old Bailey trial - and imagine him or her saying it just two hours after the verdict.
It just wouldn’t happen. I hope. Because we are not so corroded by the Culture Wars, yet.
There is Separation of Powers for a reason. America is perilously close to abandoning this, besieged by the extremists on both sides
Not yet but not far off.
Yougov today had more 2019 Tory voters going to ReformUK than Starmer Labour or the LDs, our politics too is increasingly polarised
And yet. We have the most Centrist Labour leader since they left government. And a Tory Party who have abandoned austerity and Thatcherism in word, if not entirely in deed, for a more social democratic direction. We have no one to the extreme of either polling 10 % regularly either.
RefUK are on 5% and the Greens on 10% with Yougov today, the divide is more over culture (over here including Brexit) than economics, as to some extent it increasingly is in the US too
Is it? I think "culture" unless so broadly drawn as to be meaningless, is overblown here. No one on here, for example, argues for roaming the streets with an assault weapon as being fine and dandy.
The 'culture wars' and 'wokism' are today's equivalent of the 'commie threat' and 'reds under the bed' for modern Rightists. Gotta have something to stoke fear about.
Yes. But I think it is wider than that. We pretty much have a broad economic consensus just now. So most people, and both main Parties are "centrists", in that sense. So we resort to arguing about peripheral matters. Which we broadly dump in a box and call it "culture". But the vast majority have nuanced views on these issues as well, far from the extremists on either side. It is the narcissism of small differences mostly focused on. Which is why the Paterson stuff has been so damaging. Open corruption, openly covered up? Open utter incompetence in the mechanics of so doing? No thanks say most.
For comparison, imagine a UK prime minister saying he is ‘angry and concerned’ about a Not Guilty verdict, brought by a jury, in a highly charged and politicized Old Bailey trial - and imagine him or her saying it just two hours after the verdict.
It just wouldn’t happen. I hope. Because we are not so corroded by the Culture Wars, yet.
There is Separation of Powers for a reason. America is perilously close to abandoning this, besieged by the extremists on both sides
Not yet but not far off.
Yougov today had more 2019 Tory voters going to ReformUK than Starmer Labour or the LDs, our politics too is increasingly polarised
And yet. We have the most Centrist Labour leader since they left government. And a Tory Party who have abandoned austerity and Thatcherism in word, if not entirely in deed, for a more social democratic direction. We have no one to the extreme of either polling 10 % regularly either.
RefUK are on 5% and the Greens on 10% with Yougov today, the divide is more over culture (over here including Brexit) than economics, as to some extent it increasingly is in the US too
Is it? I think "culture" unless so broadly drawn as to be meaningless, is overblown here. No one on here, for example, argues for roaming the streets with an assault weapon as being fine and dandy.
Yes but that has never been the case, the US has always been exceptional on its gun laws.
However battles over immigration, globlalisation, wokeism, racial inequality, gender and trans, statues, lockdowns, facemasks and vaccine passports, the extent of measures to tackle climate change etc rage here just as in the US and indeed most of the western world now
Comments
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/scary-future-american-right-national-conservatism-conference/620746/
So clearly it's not quite as simple as the community principle being stronger there.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-59354059
So we resort to arguing about peripheral matters. Which we broadly dump in a box and call it "culture". But the vast majority have nuanced views on these issues as well, far from the extremists on either side.
It is the narcissism of small differences mostly focused on.
Which is why the Paterson stuff has been so damaging. Open corruption, openly covered up?
Open utter incompetence in the mechanics of so doing?
No thanks say most.
However battles over immigration, globlalisation, wokeism, racial inequality, gender and trans, statues, lockdowns, facemasks and vaccine passports, the extent of measures to tackle climate change etc rage here just as in the US and indeed most of the western world now