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Nearly a quarter of 2024 Tories are switching to Reform – politicalbetting.com

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  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,084
    rcs1000 said:

    OK;

    But if we're doing that, are we going to do the same with some of the more Frum bits of Orthodox Judaism that means that a woman cannot even shake the hand of a male acquaintance.

    Because we do want to be consistent right?
    Do we?

    Where am I, and what has happened to PB?
  • rcs1000 said:

    OK;

    But if we're doing that, are we going to do the same with some of the more Frum bits of Orthodox Judaism that means that a woman cannot even shake the hand of a male acquaintance.

    Because we do want to be consistent right?
    I hope that all the female Imams are up in arms about it


  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,840
    TimS said:

    Wrong. This is the TwiX era. You have to choose. Beliefs now come as a package deal.
    More that beliefs come with a matrix.

    Drunken racism is career ending providing the racism is by the right group against the right group.

    Otherwise it is just social commentary. For some, anyway.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785

    How many mosques treat men and women as equals?
    How many Christian, Jewish or Hindu religious establishments do?

  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394
    Cyclefree said:

    And all the people on here who talk about sky fairies would need to be hauled off to the gulag. And most religions' holy books would have to be banned too.

    "The proposed ban on incitement to "religious hatred" makes no sense unless it involves a ban on the Koran itself; and that would be pretty absurd, when you consider that the Bill's intention is to fight Islamophobia."
    - A. B. d P. Johnson writing in the Daily Telegraph, 21 July 2005.
  • Foxy said:

    How many Christian, Jewish or Hindu religious establishments do?

    I don't know about the Hindus and don'ts

    Plenty of female Bishops and Rabbis

    How many lady Imams?
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785
    Cyclefree said:

    I do not know what you mean by the term "Islamophobia" which I consider to be a weaselly term designed to obscure the difference between criticism of a religion (necessary, desirable and not to be constrained) and discrimination against individual Muslims because of their religion. The latter exists, is undesirable and is dealt with by the existing law. Criminal offences against Muslims which are religiously aggravated are also adequately dealt with by the law.

    Criticising a religion should not be prevented as the ECHR and other courts have repeatedly ruled.

    Freedom of thought and expression are essential in a free democratic society and no-one should be obliged to respect or think well of any set of ideas or religious beliefs. More they are - and should be - free to ridicule, dislike or criticise any religion, no matter whether this offends its adherents or not. (The law should not concern itself with politeness.) I think certain aspects of Orthodox Judaism in relation to its treatment of women are abominable; ditto Islam's view of women and gay people and sharia law. I don't think much of the Plymouth Brethren either and my own church has behaved atrociously over child abuse and the treatment of single mothers and their babies in Ireland.

    What this will, I fear, be used for is to stop criticism of anything which upsets some Muslims. Well, boo - fucking - hoo. If upset is going to be the measure, we'd have stopped all those pro-Palestinian marches for the last year and a half with people cheering on what happened on Oct 7 and praising Hamas et which upset a lot of Jews in this country. And all the people on here who talk about sky fairies would need to be hauled off to the gulag. And most religions' holy books would have to be banned too.

    So no.


    Why don't we wait to see what definition and examples this group led by Grieve and Rayner comes up with before condemning it?

    Anyone who frequents this board sees frequent prejudice against Muslims expressed.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785

    "The proposed ban on incitement to "religious hatred" makes no sense unless it involves a ban on the Koran itself; and that would be pretty absurd, when you consider that the Bill's intention is to fight Islamophobia."
    - A. B. d P. Johnson writing in the Daily Telegraph, 21 July 2005.
    Theres's plenty of incitement to religious hatred (not to mention misogyny) in the Bible too.
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 24,017
    rcs1000 said:

    OK;

    But if we're doing that, are we going to do the same with some of the more Frum bits of Orthodox Judaism that means that a woman cannot even shake the hand of a male acquaintance.

    Because we do want to be consistent right?
    Or the likes of Mike Pence unable to be in the same room as a woman without a chaperone perhaps. There are nutters available in all flavours.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,520

    I wouldn't say I am mortified, but definitely a little disappointed to note that you are as uncritical of Starmer as HYUFD was of Johnson. I thought that you were more intelligent than the type of person that believes "my party right or wrong".

    The Labour government of Kier From HR is shit. He is utterly hopeless.
    Well I would be happier if they'd done a wealth tax, cancelled Trident and banned X, but I knew none of that was in the manifesto, so it hasn't come as some massive disappointment.
  • Foxy said:

    Why don't we wait to see what definition and examples this group led by Grieve and Rayner comes up with before condemning it?

    Anyone who frequents this board sees frequent prejudice against Muslims expressed.
    They already came up with the somewhat problematic APPG definition
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 24,017

    I'll make a fourth if you like.
    Will you multiply it?
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    Foxy said:

    Why don't we wait to see what definition and examples this group led by Grieve and Rayner comes up with before condemning it?

    Anyone who frequents this board sees frequent prejudice against Muslims expressed.
    Do they? Examples please.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,617
    algarkirk said:

    The jury will have been told that each individual case must be proved individually beyond reasonable doubt, no job lots, - and as we know they didn't return 100% guilty verdicts so they heard that point.

    They will also have been given guidance on how and whether certainty on count X might help them in deciding count Y etc, and whether it could be corroboration.

    But in logic, proof that you did not murder P is no evidence that you did not murder Q. There will always be lots of people you didn't murder - like unmurdred babies in the hospital. It is no help.

    So for an appeal to be any use (except perhaps for slightly reducing the sentence but put that aside) has to clearly show the unsafety of all 14 convictions individually. If, say, 9 were set aside it stuill leaves 5 and so on. This is an exceedingly uphill task, as I suspect the next few years are going to show.
    Mm, thanks. Though that assumes the prosecutions were truly independent of each other for each case (so to speak). If they all relied on the same dodgy analysis, for example, things might work a bit more quickly for 2, 3 and so on.

    I'm still surprised at the asymmetry, given that prosecuting more than one crime at a time was seen as v. dodgy for many years. But IANAL.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394
    I wonder what poor Salman Rushdie thinks about all this.
  • Foxy said:

    Theres's plenty of incitement to religious hatred (not to mention misogyny) in the Bible too.
    And the Church of England fucking endlessly bangs on about those bits
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785
    TOPPING said:

    Do they? Examples please.
    some people are just willfully blind.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,084

    I wonder what poor Salman Rushdie thinks about all this.

    I just hope he doesn't write it down.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394
    Foxy said:

    some people are just willfully blind.
    Examples please.
  • Does "Onward Christian Soldiers" still get sung in 21st century English churches?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,084
    edited February 4

    Does "Onward Christian Soldiers" still get sung in 21st century English churches?

    Not when I have any choice over the hymns. I like them to be vaguely musical.
  • I wonder what poor Salman Rushdie thinks about all this.

    I hope Christopher Hitchens is now a ghost who can haunt people
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 65,092
    From two days ago:

    Sweden’s gang violence has become the new normal
    https://unherd.com/newsroom/swedens-gang-violence-has-become-the-new-normal/
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785
    Cyclefree said:

    I do not know what you mean by the term "Islamophobia" which I consider to be a weaselly term designed to obscure the difference between criticism of a religion (necessary, desirable and not to be constrained) and discrimination against individual Muslims because of their religion. The latter exists, is undesirable and is dealt with by the existing law. Criminal offences against Muslims which are religiously aggravated are also adequately dealt with by the law.

    Criticising a religion should not be prevented as the ECHR and other courts have repeatedly ruled.

    Freedom of thought and expression are essential in a free democratic society and no-one should be obliged to respect or think well of any set of ideas or religious beliefs. More they are - and should be - free to ridicule, dislike or criticise any religion, no matter whether this offends its adherents or not. (The law should not concern itself with politeness.) I think certain aspects of Orthodox Judaism in relation to its treatment of women are abominable; ditto Islam's view of women and gay people and sharia law. I don't think much of the Plymouth Brethren either and my own church has behaved atrociously over child abuse and the treatment of single mothers and their babies in Ireland.

    What this will, I fear, be used for is to stop criticism of anything which upsets some Muslims. Well, boo - fucking - hoo. If upset is going to be the measure, we'd have stopped all those pro-Palestinian marches for the last year and a half with people cheering on what happened on Oct 7 and praising Hamas et which upset a lot of Jews in this country. And all the people on here who talk about sky fairies would need to be hauled off to the gulag. And most religions' holy books would have to be banned too.

    So no.


    I have often criticised Islam on here. I think the various forms of facial veiling intrinsically misogynist (and misandryist too for that matter). Even as a Christian myself, I am happy to criticise Christianity, it's leaders and it's history too.

    But that's not what we see with the Islamophobia of people like Tommy Robinson etc, or of last summers riots after the Southport murders. There was an outpouring of Islamophobic hatred and violence that had been simmering away, including attacks on mosques.

    We do need to get to grips with it as a society.

  • Foxy said:

    I have often criticised Islam on here. I think the various forms of facial veiling intrinsically misogynist (and misandryist too for that matter). Even as a Christian myself, I am happy to criticise Christianity, it's leaders and it's history too.

    But that's not what we see with the Islamophobia of people like Tommy Robinson etc, or of last summers riots after the Southport murders. There was an outpouring of Islamophobic hatred and violence that had been simmering away, including attacks on mosques.

    We do need to get to grips with it as a society.

    Its

    Possessive pronouns don't have apostrophes

    Teaching the woke about pronouns, eh..
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,045

    I hope that all the female Imams are up in arms about it


    And all Female Roman Catholic priests, presumably.

    It's right to criticize Islam - particularly Wahhabi and its relatives - for its treatment of women. But to do so while ignoring that other religions -perhaps even your own- have their own deeply misogynistic bits is pretty hypocritical.

    Fortunately, as a evangelical agnostic I don't have to make these distinctions.
  • BlancheLivermoreBlancheLivermore Posts: 6,203
    edited February 4
    Foxy said:

    I have often criticised Islam on here. I think the various forms of facial veiling intrinsically misogynist (and misandryist too for that matter). Even as a Christian myself, I am happy to criticise Christianity, it's leaders and it's history too.

    But that's not what we see with the Islamophobia of people like Tommy Robinson etc, or of last summers riots after the Southport murders. There was an outpouring of Islamophobic hatred and violence that had been simmering away, including attacks on mosques.

    We do need to get to grips with it as a society.

    What if criticism of the most holy veil is deemed illegal Islamophobia?
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,560
    England’s Marcus Rashford swaps struggling mid-table side for Champions League football

    https://newsthump.com/2025/02/03/englands-marcus-rashford-swaps-struggling-mid-table-side-for-champions-league-football/
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    Foxy said:

    some people are just willfully blind.
    So give us the examples. You have just told us, dare I say accused PB of being racist so let's have some examples.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 37,551
    Donny and Bibi in the Oval Office talking about ethnic cleansing of Gaza...
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785
    TOPPING said:

    So give us the examples. You have just told us, dare I say accused PB of being racist so let's have some examples.
    Perhaps go back and read the threads here immediately after the Southport murders before it became clear that the killer was neither an asylum seekers nor a Muslim.
  • rcs1000 said:

    And all Female Roman Catholic priests, presumably.

    It's right to criticize Islam - particularly Wahhabi and its relatives - for its treatment of women. But to do so while ignoring that other religions -perhaps even your own- have their own deeply misogynistic bits is pretty hypocritical.

    Fortunately, as a evangelical agnostic I don't have to make these distinctions.
    I don't have a religion

    I'm an Aleist; I believe in the goodness of beer
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785
    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    I have no problem with that at all, but blasphemy is different to Islamophobia.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 65,092
    Here we go. I've been expecting this. Looks like a total fucking clusterfuck from NHS mental health over the Nottingham killer.

    Allowed not to take medication because he didn't like needles? FFS


    George Mann
    @sgfmann
    ·
    8m
    The Times: NHS allowed Nottingham killer to skip
    medication #TomorrowsPapersToday

    https://x.com/sgfmann/status/1886901062084247822
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,084
    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Very soon there will be no more Bishops anyway given the CofE appear unable to appoint to any see going.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,520
    Foxy said:

    Theres's plenty of incitement to religious hatred (not to mention misogyny) in the Bible too.
    Is there a term for being concerned about misogyny only where it's coming from Muslims?

    If not I think we need one.
  • Foxy said:

    I have no problem with that at all, but blasphemy is different to Islamophobia.
    How many books am I going to be arrested for.burning?

    I think there is only one
  • How many books am I going to be arrested for.burning?

    I think there is only one
    How many prophets is it dangerous to draw?

    One
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,902
    Scott_xP said:

    Donny and Bibi in the Oval Office talking about ethnic cleansing of Gaza...

    And possibly the West Bank.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,520
    Scott_xP said:

    Donny and Bibi in the Oval Office talking about ethnic cleansing of Gaza...

    Only Palestinians. Not proper people.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,735
    Foxy said:

    I have no problem with that at all, but blasphemy is different to Islamophobia.
    It’s tricky. I need to be able to say I think believing in Religion X is stupid and harmful. I need to be able to say its practices are silly and that it advances harmful ideas which kill people*.

    A follower of that religion will say I am inciting hatred.

    *I think these things are broadly true of all organised religion.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,902
    Late financier Evelyn de Rothschild accused of abuse during banking career
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/04/evelyn-de-rothschild-accused-banking-career
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,597
    Foxy said:

    How many Christian, Jewish or Hindu religious establishments do?

    For a doctor you can be
    Foxy said:

    Why don't we wait to see what definition and examples this group led by Grieve and Rayner comes up with before condemning it?

    Anyone who frequents this board sees frequent prejudice against Muslims expressed.
    Foxy said:

    I have often criticised Islam on here. I think the various forms of facial veiling intrinsically misogynist (and misandryist too for that matter). Even as a Christian myself, I am happy to criticise Christianity, it's leaders and it's history too.

    But that's not what we see with the Islamophobia of people like Tommy Robinson etc, or of last summers riots after the Southport murders. There was an outpouring of Islamophobic hatred and violence that had been simmering away, including attacks on mosques.

    We do need to get to grips with it as a society.

    And we have all the laws we need to deal with it. So once again. Why is another definition needed when we already have the laws necessary to tackle criminal behaviour?

    You are being naive in not realising that this will be used who want to silence all and any criticism of Muslims. No group is some special caste beyond criticism. Every time this happens it leads to problems and scandals. We have seen it here. We saw it with Irish priests and nuns in Ireland

    We not need to wait for a new definition. The first question to ask is why a definition is needed at all and for what purpose? Since we already have the necessary laws, the government has failed the first basic test and to argue about what the definition says is to ignore the much more important question of whether it is necessary at all.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394

    I don't have a religion

    I'm an Aleist; I believe in the goodness of beer
    Atheists of the world unite!
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785

    Here we go. I've been expecting this. Looks like a total fucking clusterfuck from NHS mental health over the Nottingham killer.

    Allowed not to take medication because he didn't like needles? FFS


    George Mann
    @sgfmann
    ·
    8m
    The Times: NHS allowed Nottingham killer to skip
    medication #TomorrowsPapersToday

    https://x.com/sgfmann/status/1886901062084247822

    It is in practice very difficult to enforce treatment on an unwilling patient. It requires both a community treatment order and a certain amount of muscle. The only real alternative is to section to a locked ward, but we now have very few of those.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394
    kinabalu said:

    Is there a term for being concerned about misogyny only where it's coming from Muslims?

    If not I think we need one.
    The main irony of Wokeness is that it's soft on certain, shall we say, seriously un-woke cultures.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,902
    TSMC's planned 1nm feature size fab is going to be very large - six 300mm production lines.
    And in Taiwan.

    The idea that the US can onshore that kind of capacity any time soon, without an enormous increase over current investment, is fanciful.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394

    How many prophets is it dangerous to draw?

    One
    Not-for-prophet?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,840
    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Is there any evidence of Bishops of the CoE engaging in acts of religion?

    Vague niceness doesn’t count.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    Foxy said:

    Perhaps go back and read the threads here immediately after the Southport murders before it became clear that the killer was neither an asylum seekers nor a Muslim.
    So there should be plenty of examples. Just a few will do.

    tia
  • kinabalu said:

    Is there a term for being concerned about misogyny only where it's coming from Muslims?

    If not I think we need one.
    We'll need another three for ignoring misogyny, homophobia and religious hatred when coming from Islam
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    Go Bibi. Go The Donald.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 9,602
    rcs1000 said:

    OK;

    But if we're doing that, are we going to do the same with some of the more Frum bits of Orthodox Judaism that means that a
    woman cannot even shake the hand of a male acquaintance.

    Because we do want to be consistent right?
    But where’s the fun in that?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,840

    Atheists of the world unite!
    I’m a Devout Capitalist (Yen Buddhism sect)

    Anyone who commits heresy against The Word of The Prophet Smith shall be smitten by the Invisible Hand.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,534
    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Absolutely not we have an established church headed by the King and with a presence in the Lords (just add some other faith leaders). The Lords is completely unelected and now fully appointed anyway.

    Though I am not that keen on this particular law. We already have laws for targeting individuals for acts of violence as they belong to a particular religion. Not sure why we now need laws to forbid criticism of religions too, as this law will make criticism of Islam illegal
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,560
    kinabalu said:

    Only Palestinians. Not proper people.
    I believe the phrase is "from the river to the sea".
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,735

    I’m a Devout Capitalist (Yen Buddhism sect)

    Anyone who commits heresy against The Word of The Prophet Smith shall be smitten by the Invisible Hand.
    I follow the rulings of the MCC myself. I am, of course, sworn enemy of anyone who thinks the rulings of the ICC or BCCI are superior.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,534
    ydoethur said:

    Very soon there will be no more Bishops anyway given the CofE appear unable to appoint to any see going.
    A new Bishop was appointed just before Christmas and a new Archbishop will be appointed by autumn

    https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/new-bishop-aston
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394
    TOPPING said:

    Go Bibi. Go The Donald.

    Not sure Egypt or Jordan would accept either of them :lol:
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,840
    dixiedean said:

    And be quick about it, if you don't mind.
    On the subject of those two, I feel this expresses my feelings…


  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,876
    edited February 4

    I’m a Devout Capitalist (Yen Buddhism sect)

    Anyone who commits heresy against The Word of The Prophet Smith shall be smitten by the Invisible Hand.
    1 How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
    No idea.
    But here's pages of turgid prose on the most efficient way to make the pin.
    2 ??
    3 Profit (or prophet?).
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394
    HYUFD said:

    Absolutely not we have an established church headed by the King and with a presence in the Lords (just add some other faith leaders). The Lords is completely unelected and now fully appointed anyway.

    Though I am not that keen on this particular law. We already have laws for targeting individuals for acts of violence as they belong to a particular religion. Not sure why we now need laws to forbid criticism of religions too, as this law will make criticism of Islam illegal
    House of Lords = House of Unelected Has-Beens!
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 37,551
    dixiedean said:

    1 How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
    No idea.
    But here's pages of turgid prose on the most efficient way to make the pin.
    2
    3 Profit (or prophet?).

    For the words of the profits
    Were written on the studio wall
    Concert hall
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,840
    dixiedean said:

    1 How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
    No idea.
    But here's pages of turgid prose on the most efficient way to make the pin.
    2
    3 Profit (or prophet?).
    1. Exactly as many angels as creates an optimum return on capital, combined with moderate risk. Obviously.
    3. A true Prophet is known by his Profit. And verily, this shews that Donald The Orange is a heretic.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,520

    The main irony of Wokeness is that it's soft on certain, shall we say, seriously un-woke cultures.
    Yes, fair comment, you do get some of that. It's rather pathetic. It's the mirror image of what I was referring to - people who give not the slightest shit about misogyny or homophobia except as cover to vent their dislike of Muslims. They will always, when challenged, roll out, "oh I'm merely critiquing the religion of islam, I'm not prejudiced against Muslim people". Pull the other one it's got bells on.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 65,092
    Foxy said:

    It is in practice very difficult to enforce treatment on an unwilling patient. It requires both a community treatment order and a certain amount of muscle. The only real alternative is to section to a locked ward, but we now have very few of those.
    I shall read the full report, assuming it is becoming public rather than just the Times journos who pressed for it. There may be nuance, as you say, about what could and could not be done.

    Looks to me on face of it that he should have been sectioned to a locked ward and if resource is the issue then the inquiry should state that.
  • Foxy said:

    It is in practice very difficult to enforce treatment on an unwilling patient. It requires both a community treatment order and a certain amount of muscle. The only real alternative is to section to a locked ward, but we now have very few of those.
    So, as a medical professional do you have any policy proposals because otherwise your comment seems like hand wringing.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,534
    Nigelb said:

    Late financier Evelyn de Rothschild accused of abuse during banking career
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/04/evelyn-de-rothschild-accused-banking-career

    Somewhat convenient that these allegations often tend to come out when the accused is dead and cannot defend himself in court
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,840
    biggles said:

    I follow the rulings of the MCC myself. I am, of course, sworn enemy of anyone who thinks the rulings of the ICC or BCCI are superior.
    Are you Charters or Caldicott?
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    HYUFD said:

    A new Bishop was appointed just before Christmas and a new Archbishop will be appointed by autumn

    https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/new-bishop-aston
    You have to understand that atheism has won. Certainly in the West. There are only remnants of religion and these are petering out at a rapid rate. It is of course the natural conclusion of Protestantism. Get rid of all the trappings until you eventually get rid of religion itself.

    You should be delighted.
  • We can't have laws to protect people from criticism or mockery of their beliefs

    It could only work as a universal ban on criticism and mockery of all beliefs, which would be fucking ludicrous

    Hiding one's beliefs behind a religion is childish. Believe it because you believe it, not because you've joined a gang
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,534
    edited February 4
    TOPPING said:

    You have to understand that atheism has won. Certainly in the West. There are only remnants of religion and these are petering out at a rapid rate. It is of course the natural conclusion of Protestantism. Get rid of all the trappings until you eventually get rid of religion itself.

    You should be delighted.
    No it hasn't, there are more Christians on earth today than there have ever been in human history and more Muslims too.

    Population wise it is the West in decline as a percentage of the world's population, not the religious and of course that is partly due to the few if any children atheists have relative to the religious.

    Protestantism is in its purest form bible based but in that sense pure religion in form
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,534

    We can't have laws to protect people from criticism or mockery of their beliefs

    It could only work as a universal ban on criticism and mockery of all beliefs, which would be fucking ludicrous

    Hiding one's beliefs behind a religion is childish. Believe it because you believe it, not because you've joined a gang

    Under Rayner's ludicrous law, Salman Rushdie could have been arrested for Islamaphobia as could Douglas Murray and Christopher Hitchens
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,520
    Driver said:

    I believe the phrase is "from the river to the sea".
    From the river to the sea
    Free of Palestinians it will be
  • HYUFD said:

    Under Rayner's ludicrous law, Salman Rushdie could have been arrested for Islamaphobia as could Douglas Murray and Christopher Hitchens
    I might be doing time too..
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 4,564
    Cyclefree said:

    For a doctor you can be And we have all the laws we need to deal with it. So once again. Why is another definition needed when we already have the laws necessary to tackle criminal behaviour?

    You are being naive in not realising that this will be used who want to silence all and any criticism of Muslims. No group is some special caste beyond criticism. Every time this happens it leads to problems and scandals. We have seen it here. We saw it with Irish priests and nuns in Ireland

    We not need to wait for a new definition. The first question to ask is why a definition is needed at all and for what purpose? Since we already have the necessary laws, the government has failed the first basic test and to argue about what the definition says is to ignore the much more important question of whether it is necessary at all.
    There are still some edge-cases where the government/plod/etc can't just f*ck around with people though. Something must be done!
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 65,092
    You gotta say one thing for Trump. He lets the press into his office a lot and answers questions. That might not last. And obviously the answers are often not grounded in the real world.

    But it is a major contrast with Biden.

  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,876
    The world's most powerful politician is recommending ethnic cleansing.
    And the richest man is taking executive control of the richest nation without ever standing for election.
    This is exactly why religion matters.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 23,955
    So, @Andy_JS , given the discussion above, do you still think hyper-liberalism is dying in the UK?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,698
    TOPPING said:

    You have to understand that atheism has won. Certainly in the West. There are only remnants of religion and these are petering out at a rapid rate. It is of course the natural conclusion of Protestantism. Get rid of all the trappings until you eventually get rid of religion itself.

    You should be delighted.
    Well you might think that. But we're about to get a blasphemy law.
    Religion has won. But that religion isn't Christianity.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394

    You gotta say one thing for Trump. He lets the press into his office a lot and answers questions. That might not last. And obviously the answers are often not grounded in the real world.

    But it is a major contrast with Biden.

    Sleepy Joe is just a doddery old fool.
    Dodgy Donald is a DANGEROUSLY UNHINGED doddery old fool.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,698
    The good news about the Chagos deal is tbat if we can afford £18bn to give away the Chagos, we can certainly afford HS2 and NPR. We're clearly awash with cash.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,520

    We'll need another three for ignoring misogyny, homophobia and religious hatred when coming from Islam
    We have those covered. Cultural cringe. And tbf we have the opposite covered too. Islamophobia. Let's see if they include it in the definition as one of the examples.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 65,092
    Incoming split in the new regime surely? Rubio has written to congress to say they still have say over what happens to USAID iirc? I think he wants to move it back inside State not just obliterate it?


    Sara Cook
    @saraecook

    NEWS: USAID missions overseas were told to shut down and all staff are being recalled to the US by Friday, multiple sources tell
    @CBSNews
    . New USAID Deputy Admin Peter Marocco told State Dept leadership today if they didn’t do it they’d be evacuated by the military, per sources

    https://x.com/saraecook/status/1886904290767208948
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    HYUFD said:

    No it hasn't, there are more Christians on earth today than there have ever been in human history and more Muslims too.

    Population wise it is the West in decline as a percentage of the world's population, not the religious and of course that is partly due to the few if any children atheists have relative to the religious.

    Protestantism is in its purest form bible based but in that sense pure religion in form
    You've lost. Suck it up.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394
    Cookie said:

    The good news about the Chagos deal is tbat if we can afford £18bn to give away the Chagos, we can certainly afford HS2 and NPR. We're clearly awash with cash.

    A railway connecting Manc with the Chagos?

    Cool! Count me in!
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,534
    TOPPING said:

    You've lost. Suck it up.
    No it is reality, the West is in relative decline driven by decline in population driven by decline in fertility rates due to declining rates of religion.

    The fastest growing areas as a percentage of global gdp like Africa, India and Brazil also tend to be more religious
  • BlancheLivermoreBlancheLivermore Posts: 6,203
    edited February 4
    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    edited February 4
    HYUFD said:

    No it is reality, the West is in relative decline driven by decline in population driven by decline in fertility rates due to declining rates of religion.

    The fastest growing areas as a percentage of global gdp like Africa, India and Brazil also tend to be more religious
    I'm sure they do. But in time they too will grow out of religion. As we have done, by and large.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 65,092

    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk

    [Chuck Schumer's] mad that @DOGE is dismantling the radical-left shadow government in full view of the public.

    This is our ONE CHANCE to return POWER to the PEOPLE from an unelected BUREAUcracy back to DEMOcracy!!

    Only with the support of YOU can this succeed. Thank you, unknown soldiers.

    ===

    That tweet is a keeper given the 2028 election is going to be cancelled due to "national emergency" conditions.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,537
    Cookie said:

    The good news about the Chagos deal is tbat if we can afford £18bn to give away the Chagos, we can certainly afford HS2 and NPR. We're clearly awash with cash.

    And that's the problem with the Chagos deal - it's utterly insane given we supposedly haven't got a pot to piss in.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394


    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk

    [Chuck Schumer's] mad that @DOGE is dismantling the radical-left shadow government in full view of the public.

    This is our ONE CHANCE to return POWER to the PEOPLE from an unelected BUREAUcracy back to DEMOcracy!!

    Only with the support of YOU can this succeed. Thank you, unknown soldiers.

    ===

    That tweet is a keeper given the 2028 election is going to be cancelled due to "national emergency" conditions.

    Elon Musk = Leon Skum :lol:
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    I mean it's a dangerous game to play asking people to go back to the early religious texts of any religion. Plenty of shockers in them all I dare say.

    That said, few today take these texts literally. But some of course still do.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,394

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    The Manu Smriti in Hinduism is pretty sexist, but I'm not aware of it normally being quoted verbatim by Modi & co.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,617
    edited February 4


    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk

    [Chuck Schumer's] mad that @DOGE is dismantling the radical-left shadow government in full view of the public.

    This is our ONE CHANCE to return POWER to the PEOPLE from an unelected BUREAUcracy back to DEMOcracy!!

    Only with the support of YOU can this succeed. Thank you, unknown soldiers.

    ===

    That tweet is a keeper given the 2028 election is going to be cancelled due to "national emergency" conditions.

    Odds please. I'll have a tenner that it won't tyvm.
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,729

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,785
    edited February 4

    So, as a medical professional do you have any policy proposals because otherwise your comment seems like hand wringing.
    I am not a psychiatrist, but it's undeniable that Psychiatric services have been under funded and under resourced for decades. I think too that there has always been a need for places of asylum for people with severe mental illness. Sure the vast mental hospitals of the past weren't great, but I think the swing to "care in the community" went too far, not least because by and large the community doesn't care.

    I think too the prevalence of long term paranoid psychosis from cannabis use is under recognised.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/10/nottingham-killer-valdo-calocane-visited-drug-gang-member/
This discussion has been closed.