Snap General Election called

[Digby]

Is anyone else wondering how it is that May is allowed to delay and delay the Queen's speech? Surely there must be some sort of deadline?

I expect she still collect the pm salary whilst she is delaying. She won't make a penny on the public speaking circuit once she's out. She doesn't like talking to people.

I happen to think they could have used the fire in the tower block to illustrate why having a government in place was a good idea, but it seems they'll use it to say they don't think any announcement is appropriate right now and even if one doesn't agree it's a tricky area to hit back on.

[Zhivago]

Is anyone else wondering how it is that May is allowed to delay and delay the Queen's speech? Surely there must be some sort of deadline?

I expect she still collect the pm salary whilst she is delaying. She won't make a penny on the public speaking circuit once she's out. She doesn't like talking to people.

I happen to think they could have used the fire in the tower block to illustrate why having a government in place was a good idea, but it seems they'll use it to say they don't think any announcement is appropriate right now and even if one doesn't agree it's a tricky area to hit back on.

Apparently they are not announcing their deal today because of the fire. Call me a cynic, but I think it's a lame excuse for prolonging all this uncertainty.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

I don't think its a lame excuse, but I think it is symptomatic of the apparently essential need to not offend at all costs. Suspending politics in order to concentrate on a more immediately pressing matter is one thing, but continually suspending the governing of a country as a futile mark of respect to the victims of tragedy or atrocity is bollocks. Those who have died in this fire, those who are fighting for their lives or who have received life-changing injuries, those who have lost their homes and everything in it deserve a government that is prepared to put the PC politics to one side and begin the process of finding out what went wrong, ensuring it never goes wrong again, bringing anyone who is culpable before the courts and helping the victims to begin life again.

Since this general election was called, we have lost almost a week of political process as a consequence of days stood down out of respect. I wonder if the victims wouldn't have been served better if those days had been used constructively to give us all a working government. God help us if we're ever struck by a catastrophe - will the government just take a couple of respectful months off?

[jared_7]

So Farron basically admitting he resigned because he couldn't cope having to stand for LBGT rights.

Thought so.

[Which Tyler]

Surely this "taking a break from government as a mark of respect" is.... bull, we don't have a government until parliament has been opened again.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

So Farron basically admitting he resigned because he couldn't cope having to stand for LBGT rights.

Thought so.

He's a committed Christian; that's about as compatible with the liberalism his eponymous party stands for as being a committed Muslim - although we like to describe the latter as extremist or radicalised.

Perhaps he should join the DUP?

[Digby]

So Farron basically admitting he resigned because he couldn't cope having to stand for LBGT rights.

Thought so.

He's a committed Christian; that's about as compatible with the liberalism his eponymous party stands for as being a committed Muslim - although we like to describe the latter as extremist or radicalised.

Perhaps he should join the DUP?

I'd assume lots of committed god botherers wouldn't have issues with LGBT rights, depends which bit of the yarn they buy into.

[Mellsblue]

Yep, seems to me that being devoutly Christian and being a Liberal are completely incompatible. Of course, being a smug liberal and Christian, this is the media's fault for
bringing it up rather than hypocrisy on his part.

[canta_brian]

Being a God botherer gets awkward fast. People seem keen to quote leviticus 18 and 20 to support their anti homosexual views. Odd that they skip leviticus 19:19 with yhe phrase
"Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material."

I know you've lived a blameless life, but your suit jacket has a bit of polyester as well as wool, so you are off to hell with the sodomites.

[Which Tyler]

I'd assume lots of committed god botherers wouldn't have issues with LGBT rights, depends which bit of the yarn they buy into.

This, I'm no christianist; but some branches of christianity recognise gay weddings, have women high up the chain of command, don't disapprove of abortion etc.
Christianity, like all religions, has a large number of sects, all of them technically different from each other, even if those differences are as visible as their gods are to the rest of us

[Lizard]

You guys really are new at this, aren't you? A week is no time at all for this stuff. NZ's record is something like 6 weeks to form a government after an election produced no absolute majority. Belgium once took over 500 days.

[Zhivago]

You guys really are new at this, aren't you? A week is no time at all for this stuff. NZ's record is something like 6 weeks to form a government after an election produced no absolute majority. Belgium once took over 500 days.

6 weeks? Hahaha. How quaint. Here in NL it has been 3 months since the election and still no government.

[Lizard]

Lucky you. We only have 100 or so MPs to wrangle so we're never going to be world class at it.

[Mellsblue]

I'd assume lots of committed god botherers wouldn't have issues with LGBT rights, depends which bit of the yarn they buy into.

This, I'm no christianist; but some branches of christianity recognise gay weddings, have women high up the chain of command, don't disapprove of abortion etc.
Christianity, like all religions, has a large number of sects, all of them technically different from each other, even if those differences are as visible as their gods are to the rest of us

Very true. Hence my judicious use of devout Christians.

[Zhivago]

Lucky you. We only have 100 or so MPs to wrangle so we're never going to be world class at it.

We have 13 parties in the parliament here. Crazy! Still a better governed country than the UK though...

[Lizard]

Lucky you. We only have 100 or so MPs to wrangle so we're never going to be world class at it.

We have 13 parties in the parliament here. Crazy! Still a better governed country than the UK though...

We've got 5%/1 electorate seat threshold so only 7 parties, although 3 of them have 4 seats between them.

[Zhivago]

Lucky you. We only have 100 or so MPs to wrangle so we're never going to be world class at it.

We have 13 parties in the parliament here. Crazy! Still a better governed country than the UK though...

We've got 5%/1 electorate seat threshold so only 7 parties, although 3 of them have 4 seats between them.

Here there is no formal threshold, but the system is such that in effect there is a threshold of 0.667% per seat.

[Digby]

I'd assume lots of committed god botherers wouldn't have issues with LGBT rights, depends which bit of the yarn they buy into.

This, I'm no christianist; but some branches of christianity recognise gay weddings, have women high up the chain of command, don't disapprove of abortion etc.
Christianity, like all religions, has a large number of sects, all of them technically different from each other, even if those differences are as visible as their gods are to the rest of us

Very true. Hence my judicious use of devout Christians.

I don't think devout is the right word, in that I wouldn't care to suggest those with no LGBT hangups couldn't be devout Christians. Orthodox maybe?

[Which Tyler]

Very true. Hence my judicious use of devout Christians.

Differences of sect (what you believe in) not devotion (how hard you believe it).

[Sandydragon]

Very true. Hence my judicious use of devout Christians.

Differences of sect (what you believe in) not devotion (how hard you believe it).

Maybe not within small sects, but certainly in mainstream Christianity there are a range of views held on the major ethical subjects. I haven't noticed a connection between devotion and intolerance.

[Which Tyler]

What sect of "mainstream Christianity"?

Again though, I'm no expert on christ-ists.

[jared_7]

So may is now officially on record as being warned this harms the peace process. Interesting, and worrying.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams warned British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday that any agreement between the Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) would be in breach of the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking to media in front of 10 Downing Street, Adams said he delivered a blunt message to the prime minister. “We have just finished a meeting with the British prime minister and her secretary of state [Damian Green]. And we told her very directly that she was in breach of the Good Friday Agreement and we itemized those matters in which she was dilatory or in default in relation to that agreement,” the Guardian reported.

http://www.politico.eu/article/gerry-ad ... agreement/

[Mellsblue]

So may is now officially on record as being warned this harms the peace process. Interesting, and worrying.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams warned British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday that any agreement between the Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) would be in breach of the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking to media in front of 10 Downing Street, Adams said he delivered a blunt message to the prime minister. “We have just finished a meeting with the British prime minister and her secretary of state [Damian Green]. And we told her very directly that she was in breach of the Good Friday Agreement and we itemized those matters in which she was dilatory or in default in relation to that agreement,” the Guardian reported.

http://www.politico.eu/article/gerry-ad ... agreement/

It's good to get an impartial opinion.

[kk67]

http://rochdaleherald.co.uk/2017/06/09/ ... -the-arse/

may cause offence.

[jared_7]

So may is now officially on record as being warned this harms the peace process. Interesting, and worrying.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams warned British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday that any agreement between the Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) would be in breach of the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking to media in front of 10 Downing Street, Adams said he delivered a blunt message to the prime minister. “We have just finished a meeting with the British prime minister and her secretary of state [Damian Green]. And we told her very directly that she was in breach of the Good Friday Agreement and we itemized those matters in which she was dilatory or in default in relation to that agreement,” the Guardian reported.

http://www.politico.eu/article/gerry-ad ... agreement/

It's good to get an impartial opinion.

I never implied that. Its just there is a clear difference between media talk and pundits coming out and saying this alignment affects the peace process, and a leader of a very relevant and involved party coming out and doing so. If shit hits the fan in Ireland because of this then May can't say she wasn't warned. She is happy risking stability so she can cling to a thread of power.