UK Politics Thread X: Upcoming Local Elections in May

[Fartsniffage]

There were individuals that committed sexual offences, admitted to it or were found guilty in court, and the BBC kept them on? I don't know if I believe that but I wouldn't put it past them.

Gary Lineker insinuated that the government were like the Nazis. The BBC is supposed to be independent and impartial. Sorry but what he said was not right and incredibly offensive.

Gary Lineker said the comparisons between certain speeches were like the nazis.
Yes, the BBC is supposed to be impartial, but did Gary Liniker say this on any BBC show?

Offensive how? The same language the is degrading migrants is the same language that was used to degrade the Jews.

The language is clearly different.

The Nazis said it in German, the Tories are using English.

[Tinhampton]

The BBC's Linekergate liveblog says that Football Focus (shorn of Alex Scott and mooted replacement Kelly Somers) and Final Score (left without Jason Mohammad) are both not going ahead today.

Well worth noting that Mohammad, in normal times, also co-presents BBC Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday program (wide-ranging Sunday breakfast show; not dedicated to football) with the Reverend Kate Bottley. He's still scheduled to take the air on that occasion but if that gets hit...

[Emotional Support Crocodile]

Less football more Bargain Hunt. Isn't that what we all want really?

[Hurdergaryp]

Less football more Bargain Hunt. Isn't that what we all want really?

At least we'll be entertained while we enter the Age of Endarkenment, so it's all good.

[The Archregimancy]

Mind you, I stopped watching MOTD over 20 years ago. So long as the Scotland - Ireland rugby's still on the BBC tomorrow, I'm fine.

[The Archregimancy]

While acknowledging that this happened before the current series of The Apprentice went on the air, if the BBC hasn't had a conversation with Lord Sugar over his use of social media, it might perhaps be sensible to suspend the current series until they can undertake that clarification.

Lord Sugar is not a news presenter, of course, but it was surely inappropriate for one of the very highly paid host of a highly-rated peak-time flagship programme to be taking such strong views on a party political issue by supporting the government in criticising union leaders during the current contentious strikes.

(Image)

And before anyone decides to reply by stating 'but those two cases aren't really identical though, are they Arch?' Perhaps not - that's a debateable point - but the key point is that part of the problem for the BBC here is the appearance of partiality from being seen to selectively bow to government pressure over the latter's demands for impartiality. And appearances matter.


Also, I now see that the commentary teams for MOTD have now also pulled out of tonight's coverage in support of Lineker, forcing the BBC to use the generic Premier League world feed to supply coverage. This is turning into a fairly spectacular own goal [analogy fully intended].

Hmmmm.....

Admittedly not recent, but remind me what we were saying about the need for senior freelance BBC presenters who make comparisons between prominent political figures and Nazism to be a bit more careful with their social media activity?

[Fartsniffage]

Mind you, I stopped watching MOTD over 20 years ago. So long as the Scotland - Ireland rugby's still on the BBC tomorrow, I'm fine.

The way things are going I wouldn't get your hopes up.

[Forsher]

Let us not hoard the fascinating topic of Gary Lineker to ourselves any longer, but instead give the bounty of this news cycle to the common masses who don't peruse this thread.

#freedomfrommegathreads #endarbitraryconstraintsonplatformrights #supportGary

But seriously I made a separate thread.

[The Archregimancy]

Mind you, I stopped watching MOTD over 20 years ago. So long as the Scotland - Ireland rugby's still on the BBC tomorrow, I'm fine.

The way things are going I wouldn't get your hopes up.

I'll admit that I'm getting a bit nervous.

[The Blaatschapen]

So, what steps need to be taken to get Gary Lineker into the house of lords?

[Fartsniffage]

So, what steps need to be taken to get Gary Lineker into the house of lords?

£3 million in donations to the Tory party is the usual fee.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Westminster voting intention:

LAB: 50% (+5)
CON: 26% (-)
LDEM: 7% (-4)
REF: 6% (-)
GRN: 5% (-1)

via @Omnisis, 09 - 10 Mar

Ed Davey live reaction

[-Astoria-]

So, what steps need to be taken to get Gary Lineker into the house of lords?

£3 million in donations to the Tory party is the usual fee.

And not for the donation form itself?

Typical.

[The Archregimancy]

So, what steps need to be taken to get Gary Lineker into the house of lords?

Fairly straightforward.

Assuming that the Conservative Party are unlikely to nominate Mr Lineker, then either one of the opposition parties would need to nominate him on a political list to sit as a party-affiliated member of the house, or the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission would need to recommend his appointment as a non-party cross-bencher. The Appointments Commission also vets political list nominees, so the government would be unable to veto Mr Lineker's appointment on a political list.

A more entertaining route would be for Mr Lineker to become an Anglican bishop, and then sit as one of the 26 Church of England Lords Spiritual.

[Forsher]

A more entertaining route would be for Mr Lineker to become an Anglican bishop, and then sit as one of the 26 Church of England Lords Spiritual.

Our striker who art in Hendon
hallowed be thy goal...

[Vassenor]

Pointing out similarities between what this government is doing and how the Holocaust started isn't trivialising the Holocaust. It is actually fundamental to the "Never Again" ethos.

And stopping a fascist government by any means necessary is also fundamental to that.

Good energy there I think.

[Emotional Support Crocodile]

Only 16% of DUP voters back Sunak's NI deal

Only 16% of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party voters would back British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules if a referendum were held, a poll showed on Saturday.

The survey by polling company LucidTalk for the Belfast Telegraph newspaper found that just 38% of the region's wider unionist electorate would vote in favour of the Windsor Framework agreement if a referendum were held.

While 73% of DUP voters and 50% of unionist voters would oppose the deal, 67% of all voters in the region were in favour thanks to strong support among nationalists, the poll showed.

Depressingly as expected.

[Greater Kuomintang China]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/me ... r-AA18mymc

I predict a Sexodus from Scotland if this passes. I know that I wouldn't stay in a place where a criminal offence is all based upon perception that I offended someone. If I'm watching smut with a girlfriend and then she breaks up with me and suddenly lodges a complaint....I could be arrested for that? Seven years?

[El Lazaro]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/men-in-scotland-who-loudly-boast-about-sexual-conquests-in-public-could-face-jail/ar-AA18mymc

I predict a Sexodus from Scotland if this passes. I know that I wouldn't stay in a place where a criminal offence is all based upon perception that I offended someone. If I'm watching smut with a girlfriend and then she breaks up with me and suddenly lodges a complaint....I could be arrested for that? Seven years?

I don’t see anything wrong with the proposals beyond free speech concerns already present in prior hate speech legislation. If the government can prosecute alleged racism, why not add sexism to the list?

[Vassenor]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/men-in-scotland-who-loudly-boast-about-sexual-conquests-in-public-could-face-jail/ar-AA18mymc

I predict a Sexodus from Scotland if this passes. I know that I wouldn't stay in a place where a criminal offence is all based upon perception that I offended someone. If I'm watching smut with a girlfriend and then she breaks up with me and suddenly lodges a complaint....I could be arrested for that? Seven years?

So what part of the proposal talks about making it illegal to boast about sexual conquests as per the headline?

[Greater Kuomintang China]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/men-in-scotland-who-loudly-boast-about-sexual-conquests-in-public-could-face-jail/ar-AA18mymc

I predict a Sexodus from Scotland if this passes. I know that I wouldn't stay in a place where a criminal offence is all based upon perception that I offended someone. If I'm watching smut with a girlfriend and then she breaks up with me and suddenly lodges a complaint....I could be arrested for that? Seven years?

I don’t see anything wrong with the proposals beyond free speech concerns already present in prior hate speech legislation. If the government can prosecute alleged racism, why not add sexism to the list?

Free speech is enough, not to mention that crime is defined so vaguely that it is all based upon subjective opinion and emotions, something difficult to prove or disprove, quite in addition to the unequal application. You don't see any reversal of the situation.

[Greater Kuomintang China]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/men-in-scotland-who-loudly-boast-about-sexual-conquests-in-public-could-face-jail/ar-AA18mymc

I predict a Sexodus from Scotland if this passes. I know that I wouldn't stay in a place where a criminal offence is all based upon perception that I offended someone. If I'm watching smut with a girlfriend and then she breaks up with me and suddenly lodges a complaint....I could be arrested for that? Seven years?

So what part of the proposal talks about making it illegal to boast about sexual conquests as per the headline?

Apparently, that's covered under the whole "talking loudly about sexual matters" business, which is again far too subjective. What's loud for one person is normal range for someone else. Laws and their application should not be based upon subjective criteria, such as emotions, or for that matter, applied unevenly to different people. Yeah, I would vote with my feet if I were a Scotsman.

[Vassenor]

I don’t see anything wrong with the proposals beyond free speech concerns already present in prior hate speech legislation. If the government can prosecute alleged racism, why not add sexism to the list?

Free speech is enough, not to mention that crime is defined so vaguely that it is all based upon subjective opinion and emotions, something difficult to prove or disprove, quite in addition to the unequal application. You don't see any reversal of the situation.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people get incensed at the idea of sexual harassment being a crime.

[Greater Kuomintang China]

Free speech is enough, not to mention that crime is defined so vaguely that it is all based upon subjective opinion and emotions, something difficult to prove or disprove, quite in addition to the unequal application. You don't see any reversal of the situation.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people get incensed at the idea of sexual harassment being a crime.

You want sexual harassment defined as anything that subjectively offends one person, regardless about whether or not it actually involves pressure, coercion, or retaliation? You really want hurt feelings to be the determinative factor in deciding what is or isn't a crime? With real, enforceable sanctions and penalties over hurt feelings, applied unevenly against one gender, and subjectively based upon whether or not those comments are from an attractive person?

It's Orwellian. And it will almost certainly cause abuses....and probably a brain drain or something to that effect. Do any radical feminists not realize how insane these kinds of policies are?

[The Blaatschapen]

Can I still boast about my sexual conquests of men?

It's not misogyny