UK Politics Thread XII: The Lockdown

[The New California Republic]

The government will give the go-ahead for the entire High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line to be built, the BBC can confirm.

An announcement on the rail project linking London to Birmingham and Manchester and Leeds is expected by the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

While the whole line will be built, the government will seek a review of the second phase covering the North.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51443421

[Farnhamia]

The government will give the go-ahead for the entire High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line to be built, the BBC can confirm.

An announcement on the rail project linking London to Birmingham and Manchester and Leeds is expected by the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

While the whole line will be built, the government will seek a review of the second phase covering the North.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51443421

One feels compelled to ask what the catch is.

[The New California Republic]

One feels compelled to ask what the catch is.

Well the article also says "Boris Johnson will also announce a series of other transport projects on Tuesday"; I am loath to ask what they are. Given he has been talking about it, it may have something to do with the Celtic Crossing. Given HS2 is already overbudget as it is, then I dread to think how much the Celtic Crossing would be. If that's the case, then the catch might be that BoJo is spending money that he doesn't have to spare.

[Hirota]

One feels compelled to ask what the catch is.

Well the article also says "Boris Johnson will also announce a series of other transport projects on Tuesday"; I am loath to ask what they are. Given he has been talking about it, it may have something to do with the Celtic Crossing. Given HS2 is already overbudget as it is, then I dread to think how much the Celtic Crossing would be. If that's the case, then the catch might be that BoJo is spending money that he doesn't have to spare.

Some healthy cynicism never went far wrong.

I keep wondering if these big building projects are intended to stimulate the economy like the New Deal back in the 30's. Add in the planned tax reform I mentioned earlier, and there is some ambitious ideas in there with the potential to annoy a lot of traditional Tories.

I said before the Tories have moved slightly to the left before, this is more evidence of it, and I'm not the only one to notice.

[Agarntrop]

The government will give the go-ahead for the entire High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line to be built, the BBC can confirm.

An announcement on the rail project linking London to Birmingham and Manchester and Leeds is expected by the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

While the whole line will be built, the government will seek a review of the second phase covering the North.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51443421

I predicted they'd cut off the northern part. Fucking scandalous tories.

[The Notorious Mad Jack]

I said before the Tories have moved slightly to the left before, this is more evidence of it, and I'm not the only one to notice.

It looks a lot like rather than being a Thatcherite, Boris is the first Tory leader in a long time to ascribe to the pre-Thatcherite national consensus regarding things like big engineering and construction projects - both parties were fully in favour of such things.

[Liriena]

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

The absolute state of the British press and British feminism jfc

[Fartsniffage]

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

The absolute state of the British press and British feminism jfc

The BBC is required by law to be unbiased. It leads to some odd people getting on there.

[Hirota]

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

Yeah I saw about that. Linehan has always been a bit of a hypocrite when it comes down to free speech - feels he's a victim because people want to take it away from him, but has no qualms taking it away from others.

It would be easy to laugh it off as schadenfreude, and it is difficult not to find this amusing. But as a unapologetic free speech advocate I have to be consistent and argue (through gritted teeth) that even a twat like Lineham should be allowed to blaspheme against dogmas and ideologies in a mature civilised society without police warnings and censorious idioctic stunts in reprisal. His beliefs should be challenged in the public sphere, not buried by his critics.

[Vassenor]

So after that whole "there's going to be no border checks" rhetoric Gove has now confirmed there will indeed be border checks on imported goods.

[The New California Republic]

So after that whole "there's going to be no border checks" rhetoric Gove has now confirmed there will indeed be border checks on imported goods.

You mean we were lied to about Brexit again? Who'da thunk it?

But in all seriousness I think in the previous case it was NI that was being discussed.

[Hirota]

So after that whole "there's going to be no border checks" rhetoric Gove has now confirmed there will indeed be border checks on imported goods.

The "rhetoric" was for non border checks between Northern Ireland and the UK. The article talks about border checks between the EU and the UK.

As far as I can tell, the only overlap at this stage is talking about when the smart border might be implemented.

[Vassenor]

Also apparently today's deportation flight includes people who were granted a stay by the courts after winning their appeals.

And yet they're being deported anyway.

[The Huskar Social Union]

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

The absolute state of the British press and British feminism jfc

I was having a right laugh at the British press and commentators trying to insert themselves into the heart of the Irish Election. Hilarious stuff tho they need to learn not everything is about you Britain, Sinn Fein did not rise in support because of an anti british sentiment, Fine Gael did not fall in support because of an Anti British Sentiment (cough cough andrew neil who easily gave one of the weakest fucking takes on the election despite being such an intelligent man its mind boggling he came off with something so fucking stupid). You mattered fuck all in this election for the overwhelming majority of voters.

[Dumb Ideologies]

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

The absolute state of the British press and British feminism jfc

Online trans community is toxic and hypocritical as fuck when it comes to trolling and nastiness, but I have zero sympathy for Linehan because he quite obviously wants to be the centre of attention, makes unpleasant posts himself and encourages his followers to act badly too. Playing the innocent victim as another way of begging attention, he's got a bad case of the Katie Hopkins and the BBC shouldn't be giving him, personally, any attention.

He's a nasty piece of work and if you want someone on to make a cautionary argument against "transgenderism" get a detransitioner or a qualified psychologist on, not an attention-seeking twitter hypocrite.

[Nimzonia]

The government will give the go-ahead for the entire High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line to be built, the BBC can confirm.

An announcement on the rail project linking London to Birmingham and Manchester and Leeds is expected by the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

While the whole line will be built, the government will seek a review of the second phase covering the North.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51443421

I travel from Leeds to Kent about twice a year, so that journey will be about 20% less arduous when I'm old. Hooray. By that point, I will probably have a self-driving car and not bother getting the train anyway. Assuming I still live in the north at that point, and it hasn't become a Mad Max wasteland causing me to flee and live in an underwater house in London instead.

I'm all in favour of major infrastructure projects, but HS2 just seems like it will be obsolete by the time it's finished and will be pointed to for decades after as a classic case of the sunk cost fallacy. I can't help but feel there are better and more future-proof ways to spend 20 years and the GDP of Slovakia.

[Salandriagado]

Anyone had their house blown away yet?

No, but my bike's under 2m of water.

[Salandriagado]

What's anti-military about it?

Richard Burgon set out the proposal last night as he declared that Labour activists should “never again” have to experience the “shame” brought about under Tony Blair’s premiership.

The so-called “Labour Peace Pledge” would require the next party leader to ballot members through either a special conference vote or a referendum before they can announce support for military intervention.

Short answer: It's called the "Labour Peace Pledge".

Long answer: Implying that national defence is so terrible that there must always be a pseudo-referendum on it rather than doing as standard. Not that I'm literally saying we should go to war without any thought or debate, but he's also not ruling out the other extreme; asking Momentum & Co if we should defend against direct attacks on British soil. It's a good thing that Momentum isn't constantly going on about western imperialism- oh wait!

Military intervention is, by definition, not "national defence".

[New haven america]

So is the UK moving away from Europe yet?

[Vassenor]

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

The absolute state of the British press and British feminism jfc

The BBC is required by law to be unbiased. It leads to some odd people getting on there.

Someone should probably have told them that during the election then.

[Dumb Ideologies]

The BBC is required by law to be unbiased. It leads to some odd people getting on there.

Someone should probably have told them that during the election then.

Now now, they just didn't want coverage of Dear Leader's mistakes to bias the license fee discussions voters.

[Phoenicaea]

So is the UK moving away from Europe yet?

in december, coming winter if i understood

[New haven america]

So is the UK moving away from Europe yet?

in december, coming winter if i understood

Well, back to the living under the rock I go.

Wake me up when they start installing the propellers.

[The New California Republic]

in december, coming winter if i understood

Well, back to the living under the rock I go.

Wake me up when they start installing the propellers.

If we put up some sails just now then the wind will carry us away, such is the force of the wind in the current storm. The Greens are more likely to get on board with that idea.

[Souseiseki]

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

Yeah I saw about that. Linehan has always been a bit of a hypocrite when it comes down to free speech - feels he's a victim because people want to take it away from him, but has no qualms taking it away from others.

It would be easy to laugh it off as schadenfreude, and it is difficult not to find this amusing. But as a unapologetic free speech advocate I have to be consistent and argue (through gritted teeth) that even a twat like Lineham should be allowed to blaspheme against dogmas and ideologies in a mature civilised society without police warnings and censorious idioctic stunts in reprisal. His beliefs should be challenged in the public sphere, not buried by his critics.

pretty much all brits are hypocritical when it comes to free speech because they want to live in a country where they can have the morality police stop the bad men but also keep the PC nanny state out of their own hair. somehow, the problem with this never occurs to them.

So... apparently the BBC had Grahan Linehan on to talk about how he's been persecuted by trans activists just because he wants to set up a TERF conversion therapy network.

The absolute state of the British press and British feminism jfc

Online trans community is toxic and hypocritical as fuck when it comes to trolling and nastiness

can confirm.