politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Local By-Election Preview : October 8th 2015

MP_SE said:

Pulpstar said:

How on earth is "Europe" relating to our security. That's NATO surely !

Who suggested that?

Agree about NATO, but 'Europe' can offer different kinds of security, or it could...it has the potential. Issues relating to none military. But even there if we think of Poland it was once a communist satellite.

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

Tykejohnno said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Is that the polish people's party in the lead ?

The Polish People's Party (the PSL) is on 5% in the latest poll. The Law & Justice Party is currently leading on about 35% in the polls. They would best be described as soft Eurosceptics, who do not wish Poland to leave the EU, but would like integration to have stopped about five minutes ago. They would be good allies to the UK.

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

Longer, really, than Switzerland too. Or Belgium. Or the Netherlands.

rcs1000 said:

Tykejohnno said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Is that the polish people's party in the lead ?

The Polish People's Party (the PSL) is on 5% in the latest poll. The Law & Justice Party is currently leading on about 35% in the polls. They would best be described as soft Eurosceptics, who do not wish Poland to leave the EU, but would like integration to have stopped about five minutes ago. They would be good allies to the UK.

Thanks.

AndyJS said:

"A cross-party group campaigning to leave the European Union is to support moves to allow a referendum vote for 16 and 17-year-olds, heaping pressure on David Cameron to follow the precedent that was set for last year’s Scottish independence poll.

Peter Cruddas, the former Conservative party treasurer, and Joe Foster, the entrepreneur who founded Reebok, are among new supporters announced by the campaign, which will be called Vote Leave."

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article4580575.ece

No.

The franchise should be the same as for the General Election. No more, no less.

rcs1000 said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

Longer, really, than Switzerland too. Or Belgium. Or the Netherlands.

Very true

What happened in those two by-elections yesterday?

Was that Portillo rapping ;-)

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

HYUFD said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

And soccer is as bad in both as Dair says it is in Scotland.

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

And soccer is as bad in both as Dair says it is in Scotland.

They have better cheerleaders in Dallas though.
You could argue that the USA was only fixed in 1865.
Then we have Alaska and Hawaii.

NickPalmer said:

What happened in those two by-elections yesterday?

Britain Elects ‏@britainelects

Riverside (Cardiff) result
LAB 45.9% (-0.8)
PC 33.5% (+2.3)
CON 6.6% (-1.1)
UKIP 4.7% (+4.7)
GRN 4.7% (-3.3)
LD 3.6% (-0.2)
TUSC 0.9% (-1.8)

And an Indy got an absolute landslide in the Western Isles.

flightpath01 said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

And soccer is as bad in both as Dair says it is in Scotland.

They have better cheerleaders in Dallas though.
You could argue that the USA was only fixed in 1865.
Then we have Alaska and Hawaii.

Cheerleaders yes, but without Tony and Dez and Sean and Lance, not a better football team

Still America's Team though, but requires increasing amounts of wishful thinking.

NickPalmer said:

Tissue_Price said:

NickPalmer said:

What happened in those two by-elections yesterday?

Britain Elects ‏@britainelects

Riverside (Cardiff) result
LAB 45.9% (-0.8)
PC 33.5% (+2.3)
CON 6.6% (-1.1)
UKIP 4.7% (+4.7)
GRN 4.7% (-3.3)
LD 3.6% (-0.2)
TUSC 0.9% (-1.8)

And an Indy got an absolute landslide in the Western Isles.

Thanks! Not much change on 2013 in Cardiff. Amused to see the TUSC still plugging away - honestly, what do we have to do to please these guys?

TUSC are eurosceptic and earlier on today announced their intention to form a Leave group:

http://www.tusc.org.uk/17132/08-10-2015/socialists-to-challenge-ukip-for-exit-eu-crown-says-ex-labour-mp?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

UKIP ---> LD switchers nearly win them Totnes - 570 v 558

GRN - 30.1% (-3.4)
LDEM - 29.5% (+12.1)
LAB - 22.8% (+3.7)
CON - 14.2% (+0.1)
IND - 3.3% (+3.3)

Those following the competition for House Speaker.

Kevin McCarthy, favorite to win, withdrew today - the day of the vote!

John Boehner and Mitt Romney have called Paul Ryan urging him to run. Ryan has said he won't, and that he can best serve the country by staying as Ways and Means chairman.

The vote has been delayed.

This has saturated news coverage today, drowning out potentially major developments in the Clinton email scandal from the Benghazi committee, which could be very damaging to her..

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

And soccer is as bad in both as Dair says it is in Scotland.

True

Fenster said:

Farron just made a tit of himself on the living wage/tax credits.

Tim Farron IS a tit, no question. It looks like LDs are in the same hole as Labour.

HYUFD said:

NickPalmer said:

A batch of 4 new polls seem to confirm a Liberal surge in Canada:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_in_the_Canadian_federal_election,_2015

The Momentum seems to be with Trudeau

Gary Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury?

Pulpstar said:

Dair said:

foxinsoxuk said:

Hosie blinks a lot. Balls always did too.

Whatever his condition is with his eyes, it seems to be exacerbated by him taking off his specs. Dunno why he's been told to do it because the blinking looks a hell of a lot worse than wearing glasses does.

Is it related to his stroke ?

I didn't know he rowed

One more thing I didn't know. You don't have to be a congressman to be speaker of the house - they can vote for anyone.

foxinsoxuk said:

isam said:

Priti just waffles doesn't she? I think I only rated her because she is half tidy

Nandy looks constantly on the verge of tears

safe to strike them both off the potential leaders list.

I must have missed that list. However I must say that the discussion has been distinctly misogynistic.

Dair said:

Pulpstar said:

Dair said:

foxinsoxuk said:

Hosie blinks a lot. Balls always did too.

Whatever his condition is with his eyes, it seems to be exacerbated by him taking off his specs. Dunno why he's been told to do it because the blinking looks a hell of a lot worse than wearing glasses does.

Is it related to his stroke ?

Wasn't aware he had had a stroke but I've seen him do the "take off the glasses" thing a few times starting on Election Night. And it always looks bloody stupid. He doesn't blink when he keeps his glasses on.

I don't know where he got the advice, if he thinks it might help him to the SNP leadership after Sturgeon but, frankly, there isn't going to be any leader other than Humza Yousaf, so I don't know what he's trying to be honest.

He justs end up looking stupid. Constant blinking does not come across well.

It might be instinctive if you're drowning.

The NHL started its season last night - TWO SECONDS into the Flames Canucks game, there was a fight.

isam said:

Amazing,... Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Caroline Flint all praising Putin

I thought Caroline Flint came across as quite adult particularly in the context of today's Labour. Worth a punt? No innuendo now! Putin is not as stupid as USA paints him

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

NickPalmer said:

A batch of 4 new polls seem to confirm a Liberal surge in Canada:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_in_the_Canadian_federal_election,_2015

The Momentum seems to be with Trudeau

Gary Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury?

A distant relative? Night

MP_SE said:

Vote Leave have the Green peer Jenny Jones on board as well.

Is peer similar to plank? Oh no, I've just realised I've spelt it wrong.

foxinsoxuk said:

NickPalmer said:

Tissue_Price said:

NickPalmer said:

What happened in those two by-elections yesterday?

Britain Elects ‏@britainelects

Riverside (Cardiff) result
LAB 45.9% (-0.8)
PC 33.5% (+2.3)
CON 6.6% (-1.1)
UKIP 4.7% (+4.7)
GRN 4.7% (-3.3)
LD 3.6% (-0.2)
TUSC 0.9% (-1.8)

And an Indy got an absolute landslide in the Western Isles.

Thanks! Not much change on 2013 in Cardiff. Amused to see the TUSC still plugging away - honestly, what do we have to do to please these guys?

Shift to the left towards Anarcho-Syndicalism?

Anarcho-Syndicalism appears to be identical to fascism. Which kind of makes Situationists comical. Which they are supposed to be. I think.

ReggieCide said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

By your criteria you can disqualify most if not all of the civilised world which obviously leaves Scotland qualified.

Scotland pretty much is the entire civilised world.

We did invent the modern world, after all.

HYUFD said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

NickPalmer said:

A batch of 4 new polls seem to confirm a Liberal surge in Canada:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_in_the_Canadian_federal_election,_2015

The Momentum seems to be with Trudeau

Gary Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury?

A distant relative? Night

an unfortunate name - Justin.

His dad was PM when I lived in Canada, and the whole Maggie T thing was in full flight.

ReggieCide said:

Dair said:

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

USA is not a nation, Russia is not a nation. You really should go easy on the Buckie. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is what we are. We'll still be that even if, god willing, you FO.

So imperialism is good and self-determination is bad.

Good to know.

ReggieCide said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

And soccer is as bad in both as Dair says it is in Scotland.

SOCCER? The game is FOOTBALL!!!

Not where I live

CarlottaVance said:

But whatever the excesses of the police in the Lord Brittan and related cases, they have been acting in good faith. There are questions to be asked about the bruiser Tom Watson, who has had close dealings both with Jane and Nick, two seemingly unreliable accusers.

I’ve no doubt he is genuinely enraged by paedophilia, and he said yesterday he had been concerned with helping victims. It is also true he has passed evidence to police in at least one other instance that led to a successful prosecution. However, his motivations in the case of Lord Brittan may not be entirely pure.

Why did he prevail on the Metropolitan Police to reopen their case against Lord Brittan? Was he driven by a simple love of justice? Or did he also relish the chance to damage a prominent Tory? A few days after the former Cabinet Minister’s death, Mr Watson reiterated in the Daily Mirror his conviction he was guilty of multiple child rape.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3264327/Corbyn-s-deputy-troubling-questions-VIP-abuse-fiasco-STEPHEN-GLOVER-Tom-Watson-s-campaign-trash-Leon-Brittan-s-name.html

I struggle with the concept of Watson having had a pure thought; a slug in human (nearly) form

Tim_B said:

ReggieCide said:

flightpath01 said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Good night to you and good riddance to Dair and his crass comments.

You must forgive him. He's Scottish so knows no better.

So are my wife and her identical twin sister, but they do.

On the other hand they have not lived there for forty years. Wait, do you think....

Nature or nurture?

Dair said:

ReggieCide said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

By your criteria you can disqualify most if not all of the civilised world which obviously leaves Scotland qualified.

Scotland pretty much is the entire civilised world.

We did invent the modern world, after all.

Christ, that Buckie must be good!

Dair said:

ReggieCide said:

Dair said:

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

USA is not a nation, Russia is not a nation. You really should go easy on the Buckie. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is what we are. We'll still be that even if, god willing, you FO.

So imperialism is good and self-determination is bad.

Good to know.

Self determination's ultimate destination is a pygmy state. You may be on the way to proving it.

Tim_B said:

Dair said:

ReggieCide said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

By your criteria you can disqualify most if not all of the civilised world which obviously leaves Scotland qualified.

Scotland pretty much is the entire civilised world.

We did invent the modern world, after all.

scotch, haggis, irn bru, Oor Wullie, flat sausage, wee frees, para handy....

Yup, that should do it

You missed out Buckie, tinnies and Trainspotting

ReggieCide said:

Tim_B said:

Dair said:

ReggieCide said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

By your criteria you can disqualify most if not all of the civilised world which obviously leaves Scotland qualified.

Scotland pretty much is the entire civilised world.

We did invent the modern world, after all.

scotch, haggis, irn bru, Oor Wullie, flat sausage, wee frees, para handy....

Yup, that should do it

You missed out Buckie, tinnies and Trainspotting

Buckie is a tonic wine (I think?) which they have elsewhere too, people trainspot everywhere, and I think a tinnie is a can of beer, available everywhere.

ReggieCide said:

Tim_B said:

ReggieCide said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Tim_B said:

HYUFD said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

All nations are artificial to some extent, we just choose different points, events and peoples as justifications for whatever tribe we feel closest to. Declaring it unreal, as you have with Britain in the past to my great irritation, is worse than merely insulting them as it shows no respect for others defining themselves and their cultural and national identity as you declare it invalid. Despicable opinion.

Good night all.

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

And soccer is as bad in both as Dair says it is in Scotland.

SOCCER? The game is FOOTBALL!!!

Not where I live

I never could figure out why the yanks tried to call their game (which in conceptual terms is a more a steal from rugby) football where, if you needed to kick a ball, you summoned a special player who did nothing other than kick the ball (over the bar - sounds familiar?). Are you American or Canadian? If you come from anywhere else on the planet the name of the game (THE GAME) is FOOTBALL. COYS.

Rugby is called 'Rugby football' is it not?

Born and raised in England, have lived here for 35 years, US and UK citizen.

COYS?

ReggieCide said:

Tim_B said:

ReggieCide said:

Tim_B said:

Dair said:

ReggieCide said:

Dair said:

MaxPB said:

Dair said:

AndyJS said:

The Polish governing party is seemingly heading for a serious defeat on 25th October. The latest poll puts them on 19% compared to 39% at the last election:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliamentary_election,_2015#Opinion_polls

Poland should be nuked. They have nothing worth preserving and no longer deserve to exist. Also Ireland. What's the point of having nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them.

I like Poland, what do you loathe about it so much?

I don't loathe anything about it. It;s just not a country. Bits of Lithuania, bits of Germany, bits of Bohemia, bits of Ukraine, bits of Belarus and pretending to be an actual place. It's much like England, an artificial nation.

By your criteria you can disqualify most if not all of the civilised world which obviously leaves Scotland qualified.

Scotland pretty much is the entire civilised world.

We did invent the modern world, after all.

scotch, haggis, irn bru, Oor Wullie, flat sausage, wee frees, para handy....

Yup, that should do it

You missed out Buckie, tinnies and Trainspotting

Buckie is a tonic wine (I think?) which they have elsewhere too, people trainspot everywhere, and I think a tinnie is a can of beer, available everywhere.

There are Scottish angles which you may not be aware of or, if you are, you're choosing to ignore.

I'm probably not aware.

Y0kel said:

The Whitehouse reaction to Putin making a goat out of Obama over Syria is pathetic.

Trying to brush it off and adopting a patronising tone that Putin's moves are a strategic mistake is such bull. Maybe it is, but it sure hell is no worse a mistake that the shambles of the current administration's policy on Syria. Everything was subjugated to Obama's desire for a bit of peace making history with Iran, a hollow deal if ever there was one and he intends not top upset that applecart even if the US is made look like a useless lump.

Memo to the President. Don't sit there saying its a mistake on Putin's part, help make it one. Russians are surprisingly sensitive to their young men being sent into a meat grinder.

Apparently Congress is to look into US intelligence failures in failing to see what the Russians were upto. Problem is, there was no failure, the agencies knew, they just didn't want to face up to it because they knew it wouldn't go down well with the boss.

Anything that doesn't fit Obama's world view he either ignores or minimizes. His world view doesn't change in spite of experience.

ReggieCide said:

Britain doesn't even pretend to be a nation. It is a state of made up of constituent countries. There's nothing consolidated or even unified in that. It is nothing close to a nation. It makes Poland sound like a real place.

What a load of rubbish. The UK has been united for 3 centuries, longer than Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

That has to be true - the UK is responsible for the existence of the United States.

Well no arguing with that. Of course the Republic of Texas only joined the US in 1845 and California in 1848, around 130 years after Scotland joined the UK

And soccer is as bad in both as Dair says it is in Scotland.

SOCCER? The game is FOOTBALL!!!

Not where I live

I never could figure out why the yanks tried to call their game (which in conceptual terms is a more a steal from rugby) football where, if you needed to kick a ball, you summoned a special player who did nothing other than kick the ball (over the bar - sounds familiar?). Are you American or Canadian? If you come from anywhere else on the planet the name of the game (THE GAME) is FOOTBALL. COYS.

Rugby is called 'Rugby football' is it not?

In the rugby world the only differentiating adjective is "union" or "league".

So why does the web page talk about the RFU?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_Football_Union

I know League - I could do a passable Eddie Waring impression

Boy, did you screw up the formatting on this one

ReggieCide said:

Good night Tim

Good night.

Tim_B said:

Certainly this one. He is the most divisive president (deliberately so - he does identity politics) in my lifetime. He's visiting the Oregon massacre town tomorrow, even though they've asked him not to come.

Hopefully we'll do better next time.

My best friend has been going though NHS treatment for myeloma. He had a stem cell transplant in July. He had his blood tested last week - his numbers are fantastic and he is in remission. He has now started on a 'trial' for a drug which was approved here in 2006. What is wrong with these people?

Poor bugger - 2 days after getting his great bloodwork numbers his father died. As his daughter told me - it's been a roller coaster week.

What a bugger for your friend, a prize from God and a kick in the bollocks at the same time. Sometimes I think Terry Pratchett had it right - there are numerous Gods and they like to play games.

Now then, Mr. B, just because the Septics say a drug is safe doesn't mean it's safe in Europe. A total bloody nonsense and I thought it had been squared away years ago with both sides agreeing to accept the findings of the other's FDA or equivalent. Completely daft that it hasn't been (probably down to the French, most problems in Europe are and always have been), which can only add to the sum of human suffering and costs.

Mind you the attitude of the medical profession over here to pharmaceuticals can be a bit strange. There was a proposal a while ago to allow patients who were terminally ill and beyond any further treatment, save palliative care, to volunteer to try out new drugs that could help them but in doing so short circuit the normal drug testing regime. The British Medical Association objected strongly because taking such drugs could harm the patient.

Going back to the US President situation. Obama might be an extreme example but you haven't really had a good one for a long time and now it seems, if her old man wasn't bad enough, there is a fair chance La Clinton will be elected. I mean, all the scandals that got hushed up the first time around would disqualify the woman from even having her name put forward anywhere in Europe and that is without considering her performance as Secretary of State. Yet from this distance there doesn't seem to be a serious, good candidate on either side of the party divide.

In a nation the size of the USA there must be a goodly number of people who would make fantastic presidents yet the system seems to have stopped allowing them to come to the fore.

Close local byelection results with Greens holding Totnes and Tories gaining and LDs holding one each in Goldsworth.