UK and European Politics 2024 Thread

[Grecian2K]

Firstly, with regard to the "mysterious expungion" of the previous and venerable thread on this subject I'm again in agreement with dear old Al (three times in a day??? The world has truly gone weird ). We shall no longer to refer back to past hypocrisies of some, or in a couple of cases, chart their claimed "journey" from "Commie Corbynism" to toward "Full Fat Far-Righteousness".

Secondly, if a new thread is really deemed necessary why conflate UK and Europe? It's almost as if Brexit never happened.

But lastly, it has been hugely amusing in the last couple of hours to witness the sheer outrage being expressed by some Tories (both local and national) to Ms Elphicke's defection. (Although, just given her forename, mightn't the Gr**n Party been a more predictable home?)

 

[BigBanker]

Nail on head I think here BB. All part of the pathetic party politics kids games IMHO.

P.S. The Politics thread seems to have disappeared altogether so I cannot read the posts including our exchanges on climate change and weapons of mass destruction. I put you in the same boat as @arthur with the view that climate change is the biggest threat to the planet/mankind wheres I go for weapons of mass destruction.

Apologies if I accused you incorrectly. I would be interested to know what your biggest fear is if you care to share that with us.

Thanks Al, much obliged.

I guess my answer to your question is two fold...

1) I try not to live in fear. I think it's overrated.

2) I'm very aware of my own limitations in understanding the full detail of both climate science and geopolitics. To pick a winner of 'most threatening to our existence' just doesn't really work for me.

What worries me most probably isn't really related to the downfall of our species, but more the backward steps we're seeing in developed Western society in terms of financial inequality. The continued transfer of wealth and assets from the poor and middle classes (and the state) to the super rich continues unabated and barely mentioned. And its a disaster for the living standards of the majority.

 

[Socrates]

To my mind she has more in common with Reform UK.

She's a plant! All part of Sunak's cunning plan...

 

[BigBanker]

She's a plant! All part of Sunak's cunning plan...

A plant? Is this some sort of CO2 absorbing net zero conspiracy?

 

[Alistair20000]

Does Ms Elphick eat up blanket weed as if she does I have a job for her.

 

[Grecian2K]

Does Ms Elphick eat up blanket weed

Well she eventually kicked her ex-hubby out of the marital boudoir. So on balance I'd suspect that the answer might be yay.

 

[tavyred]

The maid Elphicke’s defection to Labour is testament to the mind numbing centrism of both of the two main parties.
Political inertia rules.

 

[BigBanker]

The maid Elphicke’s defection to Labour is testament to the mind numbing centrism of both of the two main parties.
Political inertia rules.

Nice nerdy infographic of defections here.

British lawmakers switching sides

In the UK, there has been 167 instances of MPs switching parties since 1979 - with 62 of those changes happening since the Brexit vote.

www.reuters.com

 

[DB9]

Ms Elphicke has already stated she intends to stand down at the next GE, Long before crossing the house. To me this sort of defection is just self indulgence narcissism, My view with it being so close to a GE, She should be given the elbow completely and since she's a "Tory" MP, the party should appoint a 2 or 3 person group who would oversee her constituency and also do her surgery. Only saying this idea because it's so close to a GE. Then a law comes in that if an MP defects and its min of 12/15 months from a GE then they must resign that seat so a by-election can be held and that law would incorporate my idea if the MP resigns so close to a GE (Under 12 months say) the party that MP represents appoint the group to oversee things.

 

[arthur]

I put you in the same boat as @arthur with the view that climate change is the biggest threat to the planet/mankind wheres I go for weapons of mass destruction.

Yes, I'm being ridiculous, I know. Climate change is nothing to worry about and there's nothing much we can do about it anyway. Leave it to the big polluters to sort out..

Almost 80% of the respondents, all from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), foresee at least 2.5C of global heating, while almost half anticipate at least 3C (5.4F). Only 6% thought the internationally agreed 1.5C (2.7F) limit would be met.

Many of the scientists envisage a “semi-dystopian” future, with famines, conflicts and mass migration, driven by heatwaves, wildfires, floods and storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond those that have already struck.

Numerous experts said they had been left feeling hopeless, infuriated and scared by the failure of governments to act despite the clear scientific evidence provided.

“I think we are headed for major societal disruption within the next five years,” said Gretta Pecl, at the University of Tasmania. “[Authorities] will be overwhelmed by extreme event after extreme event, food production will be disrupted. I could not feel greater despair over the future.”

Bloody experts - who needs them? They're just being alarmist in a pathetic attempt to ensure governments keep funding them. And it's from the Guardian, so can be safely ignored. Carry on, nothing to see here

World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target

Exclusive: Planet is headed for at least 2.5C of heating with disastrous results for humanity, poll of hundreds of scientists finds

www.theguardian.com