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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The chink in LAB’s armour in South Shields – it has never h

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  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    edited April 2013
    "James - you appear to be labouring under the misapprehension that I am some sort of 'James Kelly random questioning answering service.'"

    Carlotta - you appear to be labouring under the misapprehension that if you dish it out, you don't have to take it.

    I'm guessing you don't have an answer to the question "why is the design of banknotes more important than getting inhuman weapons of mass destruction off our shores?".

    I'm stunned, I tell you. Stunned.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    Tho not a fan (to put it mildly) of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar does rather seem to hit the nail on the head:

    "“Like some bizarre form of constitutional blankety blank, [the SNP] make up any answer to fill in the space.”
  • JohnOJohnO Posts: 4,287
    Neil said:

    JackW said:

    not as long as John O's long drinkies that often take a few hundred miles to complete !!

    Are we at a place where we can joke about that yet? I've been holding back for fear it may still be a sore point.
    Help, I've reached Eastleigh on the Long March back. I'm not sure I like the place.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216

    I'm stunned, I tell you. Stunned.

    Blankety Blank!
  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    "Tho not a fan (to put it mildly) of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar does rather seem to hit the nail on the head:"


    Carlotta, my love, do I get the slight impression here that you're a tad concerned about the prospect of Scottish independence? You do seem to talk about both it and the SNP a great deal for someone who a) doesn't live in Scotland, and b) claims to be utterly relaxed about the referendum result.
  • SlackbladderSlackbladder Posts: 9,767
    tim said:

    James Chapman (Mail) ‏@jameschappers
    No10 steps into Suarez furore: football authorities should take into account fact 'high profile players are often role models'

    Liz Truss quote: there are toddlers "running around with no sense of purpose".

    Shut up.
    Both of you, just shut up.

    Don't worry tim, if theres a bandwagon starting, ed will be jumping on it shortly.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    "I see you're engaging in throwing terms about rather than engaging in actual argument."

    Would you listen to yourself, man? You're the one who has just described the NHS as "socialist"! Tell me, does an absolute monarchy become "socialist" just because the government owns all the prisons and employs all the prison guards?

    I'm using "socialist" as an economic term, as commonly used in the economic literature. Having a socialist healthcare sector doesn't mean our monarchy or economic system more generally is socialist. It isn't. We live in a mainly private economy. Our healthcare system, provided for free for the benefit of the general public, also isn't comparable to a penal system for the benefit of an absolute monarch.

    Could you tell me what a socialised sector looks like, if it's not government-ownership, government management and provision of its goods and services for free to everyone?
  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    "Can anyone on PB explain what Humane weapons are..as opposed to Inhumane ones..as the purpose of both types appears to be to kill someone."

    Here's a quick pointer for Mr Dodd and anyone equally befuddled - a weapon that can kill several million civilians in the blink of an eye can probably be safely be regarded as inhumane.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    James, petal - did the Scottish Greens ever publish the results from their poll on the level of support for independence?

    I wonder why not?

    I'm glad you are happy to fight to use Bank of England bank notes in the Sterlingzone, with monetary & fiscal policy set to suit England - but it does strike me as a tad unambitious, myself.
  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    "Could you tell me what a socialised sector looks like, if it's not government-ownership, government management and provision of its goods and services for free to everyone?"

    Take the Lansley "reforms" and try to imagine something different. Then you'll be getting warmer. Alternatively, try Cuba rather than Buckinghamshire.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,593
    Socrates said:

    "I see you're engaging in throwing terms about rather than engaging in actual argument."

    Would you listen to yourself, man? You're the one who has just described the NHS as "socialist"! Tell me, does an absolute monarchy become "socialist" just because the government owns all the prisons and employs all the prison guards?

    I'm using "socialist" as an economic term, as commonly used in the economic literature. Having a socialist healthcare sector doesn't mean our monarchy or economic system more generally is socialist. It isn't. We live in a mainly private economy. Our healthcare system, provided for free for the benefit of the general public, also isn't comparable to a penal system for the benefit of an absolute monarch.

    Could you tell me what a socialised sector looks like, if it's not government-ownership, government management and provision of its goods and services for free to everyone?

    A socialised sector is not the same as socialism.

  • SlackbladderSlackbladder Posts: 9,767

    "Can anyone on PB explain what Humane weapons are..as opposed to Inhumane ones..as the purpose of both types appears to be to kill someone."

    Here's a quick pointer for Mr Dodd and anyone equally befuddled - a weapon that can kill several million civilians in the blink of an eye can probably be safely be regarded as inhumane.

    I would have thought any weapon which would kill 'in the blink of an eye' would be rather more humane than one which took longer.

    I'd rather be at ground zero of a nuclear blast than suffer chemical or biological weapons.
  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    "James, petal - did the Scottish Greens ever publish the results from their poll on the level of support for independence?

    I wonder why not?"


    Given that the only question they published was called "Question 13a", I'm guessing it was for the same reason they didn't publish all the others. I don't know what that reason was, because contrary to your apparent belief I'm not a Green (do you see me singing Osborne's praises on PB?).

    "I'm glad you are happy to fight to use Bank of England bank notes in the Sterlingzone, with monetary & fiscal policy set to suit England - but it does strike me as a tad unambitious, myself."

    So let me get this straight - it is MORE ambitious for Scotland to seek to hold on to a particular design of banknote than it is to get inhuman weapons of mass destruction off our shores?

    Just talk me through that?
  • NeilNeil Posts: 7,983
    @JohnO

    The original Long March was a retreat, yours should be a confident advance!
  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    "I'd rather be at ground zero of a nuclear blast than suffer chemical or biological weapons."

    Call me fussy, but I'd rather not face either fate. But you seem to think that's a choice we have to make - welcome to the world of inhuman weapons of mass destruction.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    edited April 2013

    Socrates said:

    "I see you're engaging in throwing terms about rather than engaging in actual argument."

    Would you listen to yourself, man? You're the one who has just described the NHS as "socialist"! Tell me, does an absolute monarchy become "socialist" just because the government owns all the prisons and employs all the prison guards?

    I'm using "socialist" as an economic term, as commonly used in the economic literature. Having a socialist healthcare sector doesn't mean our monarchy or economic system more generally is socialist. It isn't. We live in a mainly private economy. Our healthcare system, provided for free for the benefit of the general public, also isn't comparable to a penal system for the benefit of an absolute monarch.

    Could you tell me what a socialised sector looks like, if it's not government-ownership, government management and provision of its goods and services for free to everyone?

    A socialised sector is not the same as socialism.

    Can you provide me a link where a distinction is made?

    @JamesKelly I accept the Lansley reforms are moving things in a more private direction, with the greater role for commissioning from the private GP surgeries. But still, that's equivalent to a system where the government provides money to petrol stations to buy petrol from a choice of government owned and government run petrol companies, which they then need to provide, for free, to the general public.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,578
    stodge said:

    I should just add - in case he appears later - that for Sunil's benefit, Mrs Stodge and I had a wonderful time on the Epping-Ongar railway on Saturday including a very pleasant lunch in Ongar and an excellent dinner in Epping. For me, the highlight was the ride on the top deck of an old RT bus from Epping out to Ongar.

    It will be marvellous when the line is fully restored to Epping - the plan is to build a platform about 500 yards from the current Epping Underground station. There's a huge potential market for a restored commuter service from Ongar but the big problem is parking. All the potential sites went for residential development when the line was originally closed and there is nowhere left.

    The book shop at Ongar was a mine of fascinating reading on old London transport links - I'd forgotten for example about the link from Newbury Park to Ilford which was closed in 1971 as well as Loughton Sidings but I'll leave Sunil to enlighten us on those.

    Glad you enjoyed it Mr Stodge (and good to meet you on Friday!). Sadly I work on the railway Sundays usually, but it just so happens I was chatting to a bloke from Sevenoaks about Newbury Park to Ilford yesterday - I live just a ten minute walk from the "ghost" bridges over th former alignment. I told him to go on Wiki and check this article out:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlop_Loop
  • richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    Sorry Mr Kelly, not befuddled at all..I just wonder why one weapon that is killing you is more inhumane than another type of weapon that is doing the same job I feel sure that the person being killed will fail to spot the subtle difference that you seem able to identify..as in "Oh look, I am being incinerated by a Thermo nuclear blast", as opposed to "Oh look I am being blown apart by a 1000 pound high explosive bomb"..both of which would take about a nano second but the result would be the same.. the Humane one is so much more acceptable of course.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    Robertson : "upon independence we will inherit our NATO treaty obligations"

    Scotland doesn't have any NATO treaty obligations, so they can't be inherited.

    Does he mean Scotland would inherit UK treaty obligations?

    So, nuclear weapons then...

  • PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    Pulpstar said:

    "fun·ny [fuhn-ee]
    adjective
    1. providing fun; causing amusement or laughter; amusing; comical."


    I'm familiar with the concept, and I promise you I ponder it at some length every time Plato reminds us that she is a floating voter.

    She is. She has voted Lab and Con in the past and once Lib Dem I think. How does she not qualify as a floating voter ?
    I see that when cornered by his own arguments - Mr Kelly once again uses my name in vain as a deflection point ;^ )

    He's not fooling anyone. I look forward to him pressing the Disagree Button!
  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    edited April 2013
    "I see that when cornered by his own arguments - Mr Kelly once again uses my name in vain as a deflection point"

    'Name in vain'? Do you actually think you're God, Plato? The Holy Quartet - the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, and the Libertarian Floating Voter With A Fiscal Conservative Twist.
  • JamesKellyJamesKelly Posts: 1,348
    "I just wonder why one weapon that is killing you is more inhumane than another type of weapon that is doing the same job"

    Because it doesn't do the same job. To the best of my knowledge no police truncheon has yet been devised that can kill several million people at the push of a button.
This discussion has been closed.