[Naomily]

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[Naomily]

about time we have our own thread. So much to talk about.

Labours downfall
The BNP sadly winning 2 European votes.
The expenses mess

and much more.

[sunnykerr]

Hey Matt!

So what would you like to start with?

[Naomily]

the european/county elections that have just gone past. (which involves the first 2).

Who did you all vote for? I was unsure between Lib Dem and Conservative, ended up going for Lib Dem. Loved how Labour got next to none. I think if they have any chance at the next local election, then Brown has to go.

[sunnykerr]

Well, I'm Canadian, so obviously I didn't vote....

But it's a little scary to hear about the gains the right wing made.

[Callace]

Yeah, that is a fright all over europe how right-wingers are gaining popularity everywhere. I really dont get it. What is it they have to offer that so many wants?

[sunnykerr]

I can only hazard a guess, so forgive me if I'm way off-mark, but perhaps Europe is also gripped with fear - from the economic crisis, from the extremist Islamist movements, from the fact that they have a lot of home-grown radical elements, etc.

Usually, the hard right is all about nationalism and national strenght. That's a position that tends to do better with people who feel threatened somehow, who are seeking ultimate truths in uncertain times and for who us-versus-them dichotomies are comforting.

So that would be my guess but, like I said, I am as far from speaking with authority on this subject as it gets.

[vc318]

I posted this on the other thread but I'll post it hear too:

British Airways asks staff to work unpaid for up to a month - CNN.com

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Airways is asking thousands of its staff to work for free for up to four weeks, spokeswoman Kirsten Millard said Tuesday.

In an e-mail to all its staff, the airline offered workers between one and four weeks of unpaid leave -- but with the option to work during this period. British Airways employs just more than 40,000 people in the United Kingdom.

Last month, the company posted a record annual loss of £400 million ($656 million).

Its chief executive declared at the time there were "absolutely no signs of recovery" in the industry.

"I'm 30 years in this business and I've never seen anything like this. This is by far the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced," said Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive.

A spokesman for one of Britain's biggest unions said its workers could not afford to work for free for a month.

"It's all well and good for Willie Walsh to say he's prepared to work for free when he earns four times in a month what they do in a year," said Ciaran Naidoo, a spokesman for Unite.

He pointed out that the airline was not ordering staff to work without pay.

"It's a request -- you can take unpaid leave or you can work for free, and the chances of people working for free are very unlikely, but there might be some people who want to take unpaid leave.

Demand for the airline's passenger seats and cargo holds fell during the last financial year, while its fuel bill rocketed to almost £3 billion ($4.7 billion).

Walsh said British Airways' woes were inextricably linked to the downturn in the global economy and that there had been no sign of any "green shoots" of recovery.

Like its premium-class competitors, British Airways is losing customers to cheaper rivals.

The airline's premium passenger numbers fell 13 percent in the second half of last year, in line with the industry average.

Total traffic fell 3.4 percent and while the airline carried 33.1 million passengers last year, it was a drop of 4.3 percent from the previous year.

The dip in demand for British Airways' flights has forced a switch in strategy at the airline.

From the end of last year, it has been trying to tempt passengers with lower fares, sacrificing profit per seat for "bums on seats."

It plans to reduce capacity by 4 percent next winter by parking up to 16 aircraft.

Totally ridiculous. Maybe the banks will understand and waive all payments until these people can go back to work.

[alaster vendetta]

YouTube - David Cameron Speech

[sunnykerr]

I hope it's alright I moved this over to the UK discussion thread. I felt that, absence any discussion in your post, the best way for it to generate discussion would be to join it to a topic-related area.

Mind you, I'm not entirely clear on the purpose of this mashing together of various clips by this man... Care to enlighten?

[Naomily]

I think it's for comical effect, mind you, it's not as amusing as this speech which actually happened. How we all love Boris.
There have been a few of the remix speaches 'alaster vendetta' posted

Or maybe they're trying to have David come across as a 'bad man', when in reality he's far better then Gordon. One of the reasons I voted Conservative in the last General Elections

[sunnykerr]

Thanks for the information.

And the clip!

[SiriuslyPotter]

It's really just trying to amuse those of us who can't stand the conservative party or David Cameron. It has a lot of our perceptions such as conservative governments always treating scotland and wales bad because of thier lack of support there. And our belief that David Cameron is really just flash with no substance.

I saw this today: Brown could face Cameron in televised general election debate

Personally I don't like the idea, our electoral system means we vote for a party who vote for thier leader, and we don't have as much as a two party system as the US so too many parties would have to be represented.

It is also bad for independents, my constituency has an independent MP who I might vote for in order to keep the conservatives out! so unless they have debates by constituency then I don't like the idea.

[Naomily]

Yeah, I'm also against this. As someone who would vote for the Lib Dems, I agree it also doesn't allow the other parties to get their words across.

I really don't want this country to become like America. One of the things I love about the UK is that we're not really like anywhere else.

[Naomily]

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Last Post salute for WWI veteran

very sad news, happened last month but there was nothing here on it.

Tributes were paid to the ''long and courageous life'' of Harry Patch The funeral service for Britain's last surviving World War I veteran Harry Patch who died aged 111 has taken place at Wells Cathedral in Somerset. Thousands of people lined the streets of Wells as his coffin was taken to the cathedral where the service was relayed on big screens to crowds outside. At the end of the funeral service two bugles sounded the Last Post. Mr Patch's coffin has been taken from the cathedral for a private burial in accordance with his wishes. Mr Patch, who was born in 1898 in Combe Down, near Bath, died on 25 July at Fletcher House care home in Wells, Somerset, south west England. Harry Patch Harry Patch was the oldest man in Europe when he died aged 111 He was the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches during the Great War.

True heros



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I know I double posted, but that's one of the reasons I don't like the double post rule. I could edit my post to add it all but then it wouldn't be brought to the top and nobody would be any the wiser that I've posted it.