Jeremy Corbyn - Not Not Labour Party(?), not a Communist (BBC)

BobbyManc

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During the campaign people changed their minds, this was reflected in the polling too, with the Tory lead narrowing significantly during the last 3/4 weeks of the campaign until the actual day when they won the national vote by 2.5%, slightly less than the polling averages would have predicted but well within the error margin and exactly what you'd expect in a tightening race. The polls didn't get it wrong, they tracked a tightening race pretty well, albeit a few days behind due to the delay between the poll being conducted and the results released. Overall they were pretty good on average.

Calling something ludicrous without evidence because it doesn't confirm what you already believe is absurd. Find some evidence to the contrary. BTW it isn't ludicrous at all given the way the young feel about Brexit and Corbyn's current ambivalence toward and historical hostility to the EU. It wouldn't surprise me if someone like Swinson or Starmer was far more popular with 18-24 year olds, with Johnson being popular with the much smaller number of young leavers.
Find me one person in the country who genuinely believes that if voting was restricted to only people aged 18-24 that the result would be anything other than annihilation for the Conservative party. And then try and square that reality with the apparent poll that Johnson is more popular with that age group than Corbyn. I'll have a look for it but I remember reading a study based on the 2017 election that said if voting was only down to people in that age bracket or similar, the Conservatives would not have won a single seat.
 

NWRed

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Find me one person in the country who genuinely believes that if voting was restricted to only people aged 18-24 that the result would be anything other than annihilation for the Conservative party. And then try and square that reality with the apparent poll that Johnson is more popular with that age group than Corbyn. I'll have a look for it but I remember reading a study based on the 2017 election that said if voting was only down to people in that age bracket or similar, the Conservatives would not have won a single seat.
It isn't 2017.

I'm not saying Labour wouldn't win, if it was a choice between the current Tories and a Corbyn led Labour I'd have to vote Labour too, and I think Corbyn is the worst Labour leader, and possibly the most incompetent party leader, in my lifetime.
 

BobbyManc

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It isn't 2017.

I'm not saying Labour wouldn't win, if it was a choice between the current Tories and a Corbyn led Labour I'd have to vote Labour too, and I think Corbyn is the worst Labour leader, and possibly the most incompetent party leader, in my lifetime.
It doesn't matter what your opinion is. I'm asking you to marry the two claims that (a) an election where only people aged 18-24 can vote would result in an overwhelming Labour victory with (b) that Johnson is deemed to be a better PM than Corbyn by that very same group.
 

finneh

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It doesn't matter what your opinion is. I'm asking you to marry the two claims that (a) an election where only people aged 18-24 can vote would result in an overwhelming Labour victory with (b) that Johnson is deemed to be a better PM than Corbyn by that very same group.
The poll asked who would make a better Prime Minister... Not who you would vote for. The two are very different.
 

sullydnl

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It doesn't matter what your opinion is. I'm asking you to marry the two claims that (a) an election where only people aged 18-24 can vote would result in an overwhelming Labour victory with (b) that Johnson is deemed to be a better PM than Corbyn by that very same group.
Well the poll itself also shows that Labour would win among that age group, so there isn't any particular mystery to it.

People don't necessarily vote for MPs based on who the leader of the party is. If they did then Labour would be faring worse in the polling than they are. It's perfectly possible to think the leader of a party you detest is as (or slightly more) competent personally than the leader of a party you are inclined to support. Though obviously carrying a leader with rock-bottom popularity hamstrings what you can hope to achieve in an election.

A quick look at the poll would tell you that 29% of those asked said they were "unsure" as to who would be the better PM of the two. That 29% is where the gap between Corbyn and Labour's popularity comes from, as voters in that age bracket would clearly swing heavily against the Tories when it comes to casting their vote. Unfortunately for Labour, the size of that cohort who are likely to vote anti-Tory regardless of what they think of the Labour leader diminishes rapidly once you move up the age brackets. Which, again, is where Corbyn's rock-bottom popularity is an issue.

So yes, in an election solely based on 18-24 year olds Labour would certainly win. The only question is how much of their majority would be cannibalized by the Lib Dems, who perform most strongly in this age bracket, presumably because of their approach to Brexit. None of that means that Corbyn himself is popular with that cohort of voters though, or that his lack of popularity among them can't be held up as an indictment of his performance generally.

Also, it's not like Corbyn's declining popularity among younger voters hasn't been flagged before now. His performance in this exact metric has been declining steadily across multiple polls for quite a while, from 65% in 2017 to 35% in October 2018. It isn't a shock, nor is it particularly odd given his stance on Brexit (by far the most important issue to these voters) has been so far apart from what they actually want.
 

BobbyManc

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The poll asked who would make a better Prime Minister... Not who you would vote for. The two are very different.
Well that's another point I was going to make. The way the question is framed ensures that answers are going to favour the incumbent. Which is only one further problem with the poll. Regardless, my point remains that we have to question the validity/worth of a poll that suggests Johnson is deemed to be a better PM than Corbyn among people aged 18-24 yet in an election among that same age group would likely not win a single seat. Are we to believe most people aged 18-24 would vote Labour in spite of Corbyn and/or deem a man whose politics and history must be so anathema to them (seen as they are Labour voters) would nevertheless be a better PM? I mean it's such a laughable notion it cannot be taken seriously.
 

finneh

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Well that's another point I was going to make. The way the question is framed ensures that answers are going to favour the incumbent. Which is only one further problem with the poll. Regardless, my point remains that we have to question the validity/worth of a poll that suggests Johnson is deemed to be a better PM than Corbyn among people aged 18-24 yet in an election among that same age group would likely not win a single seat. Are we to believe most people aged 18-24 would vote Labour in spite of Corbyn and/or deem a man whose politics and history must be so anathema to them (seen as they are Labour voters) would nevertheless be a better PM? I mean it's such a laughable notion it cannot be taken seriously.
Yes people would absolutely vote Labour in spite of Corbyn. If Satan himself were standing on a manifesto giving wads of free cash to young people, they would vote for him irrespective of character or ability to do the job.
 

Flying high

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Yes people would absolutely vote Labour in spite of Corbyn. If Satan himself were standing on a manifesto giving wads of free cash to young people, they would vote for him irrespective of character or ability to do the job.
How do you square your cynicism for people with your faith in business?
 

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I posted this thread in the Brexit thread but its worth putting in here.



Thread -
My point is that nobody has really been out campaigning for Remain. Labour hasn't. The most visible opposition has been legal and procedural-led rather than activist-driven. The Lib Dems were politically dead until very recently and are reverting to their usual role as vehicle for protest votes. Swinson isn't the face of remain in the same way Farage is the face of Brexit. We've had some People's Vote stuff but who's really the face of that? So I'd still argue that nobody has been out making a positive remain case designed to swing the polls.

That aside, I'm not surprised about the ComRes poll. I am a remainer, but I understand the need to respect the referendum result. But Brexiters aren't interested in winning people like me around with a version of Brexit that we might swallow.
 
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Sweet Square

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My point is that nobody has really been out campaigning for Remain. Labour hasn't. The most visible opposition has been legal and procedural-led rather than activist-driven. The Lib Dems were politically dead until very recently and are reverting to their usual role as vehicle for protest votes. Swinson isn't the face of remain in the same way Farage is the face of Brexit. We've had some People's Vote stuff but who's really the face of that?
20 October 2018

On 20 October 2018, protestors marched from Park Lane to Parliament Square in support of a referendum on the final Brexit deal.[25] The march was started by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and featured speeches by Delia Smith and Steve Coogan. Former Downing Street Director of Communications Alastair Campbellsupported the march, saying "the Brexit that was campaigned successfully for [...] doesn't exist".[26] The organisers of the march said that almost 700,000 people took part. Police stated that they were unable to estimate the numbers involved[27][26][28] and a later police debriefing document prepared by Greater London Authority estimated the number to be 250,000.[29] Another estimate by Full Fact gave around 450,000.[30]

13 November 2018

On 13 November 2018, a rally organised by the People's Vote and Best for Britain groups at 3 days' notice filled the Methodist Central Hall in London. The rally was introduced by Andy Parsons and featured an interview of Jo Johnsonby Gary Lineker, and speeches by MPs Anna Turley, Justine Greening, Ian Blackford, Caroline Lucas, Layla Moran, Dominic Grieve, Liz Saville Roberts and David Lammy.[31][32]

23 March 2019

On 23 March 2019, organisers said that over a million people took part in the Put It to the People march in London in support of a second Brexit referendum;[33] independent estimates by experts in crowd estimation, researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University, put the figure between 312,000 and 400,000 people.[34][35] A rally at the end of the march was addressed by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, Conservative peer Michael Heseltine, former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and MPs Jess Phillips, Justine Greening and David Lammy.[36][37]

The campaign is a collaboration between several groups. They use a campaign office based in Millbank central London, apart from Wales for Europe which is based in Wales.[39][40] The European Movement UK and Britain for Europe also have roughly 150 local campaign groups

And in two days time

19 October 2019

A Let Us Be Heard march is planned for 19 October 2019

So I'd still argue that nobody has been out making a positive remain case designed to swing the polls.
You can argue that but its simply not true.
 

finneh

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How do you square your cynicism for people with your faith in business?
I think looking at people themselves is a misnomer. You have to look to their inherent greed and make this greed beneficial to society. To make the world a better place you have to leglislate on the assumption that everyone is a sociopath. Irrespective of the intention of a government policy or regulation, if it can be corrupted by someone who you'd see as morally bankrupt, then it will be corrupted as such.

So for example let's take rent controls. Someone might believe they're a great idea as they make housing cheaper for the poor. In reality if a landlord can't increase the rent on his property to the level that he wants, the only way to sustain or increase his profitability is to reduce his costs. The greater the rent controls the more squalid the conditions of his housing will become, as his profit will have to come from cutting corners in terms of keeping the residence in a good and habitable condition.

Or let's look at Schooling. You force wealthy parents to send their children to state school and those parents will band together and influence admissions to such an extent that certain schools in certain areas will be de facto private schools in terms of class sizes, funding and pupil background (they'd donate to these schools). You'd have a situation where poor and middle class people were direct funding sending rich children to a school that middle and poor earners couldn't attend.

Or let's look at Hospitals. Someone who's running a Hospital would obviously believe patients are the bane of their existence. If there were 30% less patients their life would be infinitely easier. Therefore the only incentive is to get rid of patients. This could be done by turfing them back home despite them being too sick. It could be turfing them to care homes where they're someone elses problem; or it could be liberally employing the "Liverpool Pathway" to ensure people passed away far quicker than they naturally would.

Or let's look at Trade Unions. It would be easy to believe these are socially progressive organisations who enrich the poor at the expense of the ultra wealthy. However union leaders aren't poor, they're upper middle earners who want to enrich themselves. What is the best way to do this in a low skilled job that anyone could do? Create a cartel to prevent poor people from doing the job at a lower salary of course! The result being that these unionised jobs end up being a closed shop for middle class workers that the poor don't have access too. If you're a poor person living in London who wants to be a train driver and would be happy to earn £30k being one... You aren't able to get a job. They're hugely oversubscribed due to the artificially inflated salaries and therefore often jobs are given to friends and family members of existing union members. The result for the public? More expensive tickets. A lose-lose for poor people and for the customers.

This isn't to say that the intentions aren't pure, or that in an angelic society they wouldn't be good ideas. However we live in a society that is inherently imperfect, so every policy has to be incorruptible. The only way to do that is make the enrichment of the people in control perfectly align with the customers they serve... Funnily enough that's capitalism.
 

BobbyManc

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Yes people would absolutely vote Labour in spite of Corbyn. If Satan himself were standing on a manifesto giving wads of free cash to young people, they would vote for him irrespective of character or ability to do the job.
Hilarious.

Well the poll itself also shows that Labour would win among that age group, so there isn't any particular mystery to it.

People don't necessarily vote for MPs based on who the leader of the party is. If they did then Labour would be faring worse in the polling than they are. It's perfectly possible to think the leader of a party you detest is as (or slightly more) competent personally than the leader of a party you are inclined to support. Though obviously carrying a leader with rock-bottom popularity hamstrings what you can hope to achieve in an election.

A quick look at the poll would tell you that 29% of those asked said they were "unsure" as to who would be the better PM of the two. That 29% is where the gap between Corbyn and Labour's popularity comes from, as voters in that age bracket would clearly swing heavily against the Tories when it comes to casting their vote. Unfortunately for Labour, the size of that cohort who are likely to vote anti-Tory regardless of what they think of the Labour leader diminishes rapidly once you move up the age brackets. Which, again, is where Corbyn's rock-bottom popularity is an issue.

So yes, in an election solely based on 18-24 year olds Labour would certainly win. The only question is how much of their majority would be cannibalized by the Lib Dems, who perform most strongly in this age bracket, presumably because of their approach to Brexit. None of that means that Corbyn himself is popular with that cohort of voters though, or that his lack of popularity among them can't be held up as an indictment of his performance generally.

Also, it's not like Corbyn's declining popularity among younger voters hasn't been flagged before now. His performance in this exact metric has been declining steadily across multiple polls for quite a while, from 65% in 2017 to 35% in October 2018. It isn't a shock, nor is it particularly odd given his stance on Brexit (by far the most important issue to these voters) has been so far apart from what they actually want.
Some very valid points. For clarity, I should add I am not arguing that Corbyn is especially popular among that particular demographic. I am arguing only that the idea that more people within that age group would prefer Johnson as PM (or deem him to be a better PM, however you want to frame it) is simply false. Yet the narrative courtesy of that poll is that Corbyn 'trails' Johnson within that demographic. If a direct preference had to be expressed for a PM among people aged 18-24, does anyone believe Johnson would prevail over Corbyn? In fact, that it would be anything other than a fairly comfortable victory for Corbyn?
 

Sweet Square

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I think looking at people themselves is a misnomer. You have to look to their inherent greed and make this greed beneficial to society. To make the world a better place you have to leglislate on the assumption that everyone is a sociopath. Irrespective of the intention of a government policy or regulation, if it can be corrupted by someone who you'd see as morally bankrupt, then it will be corrupted as such.

So for example let's take rent controls. Someone might believe they're a great idea as they make housing cheaper for the poor. In reality if a landlord can't increase the rent on his property to the level that he wants, the only way to sustain or increase his profitability is to reduce his costs. The greater the rent controls the more squalid the conditions of his housing will become, as his profit will have to come from cutting corners in terms of keeping the residence in a good and habitable condition.

Or let's look at Schooling. You force wealthy parents to send their children to state school and those parents will band together and influence admissions to such an extent that certain schools in certain areas will be de facto private schools in terms of class sizes, funding and pupil background (they'd donate to these schools). You'd have a situation where poor and middle class people were direct funding sending rich children to a school that middle and poor earners couldn't attend.

Or let's look at Hospitals. Someone who's running a Hospital would obviously believe patients are the bane of their existence. If there were 30% less patients their life would be infinitely easier. Therefore the only incentive is to get rid of patients. This could be done by turfing them back home despite them being too sick. It could be turfing them to care homes where they're someone elses problem; or it could be liberally employing the "Liverpool Pathway" to ensure people passed away far quicker than they naturally would.

Or let's look at Trade Unions. It would be easy to believe these are socially progressive organisations who enrich the poor at the expense of the ultra wealthy. However union leaders aren't poor, they're upper middle earners who want to enrich themselves. What is the best way to do this in a low skilled job that anyone could do? Create a cartel to prevent poor people from doing the job at a lower salary of course! The result being that these unionised jobs end up being a closed shop for middle class workers that the poor don't have access too. If you're a poor person living in London who wants to be a train driver and would be happy to earn £30k being one... You aren't able to get a job. They're hugely oversubscribed due to the artificially inflated salaries and therefore often jobs are given to friends and family members of existing union members. The result for the public? More expensive tickets. A lose-lose for poor people and for the customers.

This isn't to say that the intentions aren't pure, or that in an angelic society they wouldn't be good ideas. However we live in a society that is inherently imperfect, so every policy has to be incorruptible. The only way to do that is make the enrichment of the people in control perfectly align with the customers they serve... Funnily enough that's capitalism.
Do you agree with the civil rights act of 1964 ?
 

finneh

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Hilarious.
Who's joking?
Do you agree with the civil rights act of 1964 ?
I agree with all steps taken to ensure people aren't forced to do anything they do not want to do.

I also believe in the case of the Civil Rights Act that it was government legislation trying to solve an issue that was mostly created by government. Bizarrely this is the case with a lot of good government policy; it's required due to previous governmental incompetence. Better for them to try to solve a created problem than not solving it of course.
 

Sweet Square

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I agree with all steps taken to ensure people aren't forced to do anything they do not want to do.

I also believe in the case of the Civil Rights Act that it was government legislation trying to solve an issue that was mostly created by government. Bizarrely this is the case with a lot of good government policy; it's required due to previous governmental incompetence. Better for them to try to solve a created problem than not solving it of course.
Yeah thats not an answer.

If a white restaurant owner refuses to serve a black couple because they are black should this be illegal or not ?
 
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Flying high

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I think looking at people themselves is a misnomer. You have to look to their inherent greed and make this greed beneficial to society. To make the world a better place you have to leglislate on the assumption that everyone is a sociopath. Irrespective of the intention of a government policy or regulation, if it can be corrupted by someone who you'd see as morally bankrupt, then it will be corrupted as such.

So for example let's take rent controls. Someone might believe they're a great idea as they make housing cheaper for the poor. In reality if a landlord can't increase the rent on his property to the level that he wants, the only way to sustain or increase his profitability is to reduce his costs. The greater the rent controls the more squalid the conditions of his housing will become, as his profit will have to come from cutting corners in terms of keeping the residence in a good and habitable condition.

Or let's look at Schooling. You force wealthy parents to send their children to state school and those parents will band together and influence admissions to such an extent that certain schools in certain areas will be de facto private schools in terms of class sizes, funding and pupil background (they'd donate to these schools). You'd have a situation where poor and middle class people were direct funding sending rich children to a school that middle and poor earners couldn't attend.

Or let's look at Hospitals. Someone who's running a Hospital would obviously believe patients are the bane of their existence. If there were 30% less patients their life would be infinitely easier. Therefore the only incentive is to get rid of patients. This could be done by turfing them back home despite them being too sick. It could be turfing them to care homes where they're someone elses problem; or it could be liberally employing the "Liverpool Pathway" to ensure people passed away far quicker than they naturally would.

Or let's look at Trade Unions. It would be easy to believe these are socially progressive organisations who enrich the poor at the expense of the ultra wealthy. However union leaders aren't poor, they're upper middle earners who want to enrich themselves. What is the best way to do this in a low skilled job that anyone could do? Create a cartel to prevent poor people from doing the job at a lower salary of course! The result being that these unionised jobs end up being a closed shop for middle class workers that the poor don't have access too. If you're a poor person living in London who wants to be a train driver and would be happy to earn £30k being one... You aren't able to get a job. They're hugely oversubscribed due to the artificially inflated salaries and therefore often jobs are given to friends and family members of existing union members. The result for the public? More expensive tickets. A lose-lose for poor people and for the customers.

This isn't to say that the intentions aren't pure, or that in an angelic society they wouldn't be good ideas. However we live in a society that is inherently imperfect, so every policy has to be incorruptible. The only way to do that is make the enrichment of the people in control perfectly align with the customers they serve... Funnily enough that's capitalism.
I already understood your comtempt for people in general. Maybe you judge by your own standards?

The last sentence is how you square the double standard? Blimey. It's hilarious.
 

NWRed

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It doesn't matter what your opinion is. I'm asking you to marry the two claims that (a) an election where only people aged 18-24 can vote would result in an overwhelming Labour victory with (b) that Johnson is deemed to be a better PM than Corbyn by that very same group.
Because every Tory voting 18-24 year old thinks Johnson is the best current PM they could have but not every Labour voting one thinks Corbyn is, i.e. they think Starmer, Long-Bailey or even Khan would be far better, but they're stuck with Corbyn so there's nothing they can do but put up with it.
 

sun_tzu

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Hilarious.



Some very valid points. For clarity, I should add I am not arguing that Corbyn is especially popular among that particular demographic. I am arguing only that the idea that more people within that age group would prefer Johnson as PM (or deem him to be a better PM, however you want to frame it) is simply false. Yet the narrative courtesy of that poll is that Corbyn 'trails' Johnson within that demographic. If a direct preference had to be expressed for a PM among people aged 18-24, does anyone believe Johnson would prevail over Corbyn? In fact, that it would be anything other than a fairly comfortable victory for Corbyn?
yes - I believe pretty much anybody would prevail over Corbyn - hes toxic
Because every Tory voting 18-24 year old thinks Johnson is the best current PM they could have but not every Labour voting one thinks Corbyn is, i.e. they think Starmer, Long-Bailey or even Khan would be far better, but they're stuck with Corbyn so there's nothing they can do but put up with it.
Essentially... Who do you think is the better manager klopp or ole...
Who do you want to win at the weekend
 

finneh

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Yeah thats not an answer.

If a white restaurant owner refuses to serve a black couple because they are black should this be illegal or not ?
We've had this discussion before. That business wouldn't exist (certainly not for any length of time) as I wouldn't buy from them and I'm assuming you wouldn't and 99% of the public wouldn't either. I'd advocate for no-one else to buy from them and also advocate for the right of anyone to protest at their existence. Likewise I'd bring the restaurant to the attention of the press who would provide wholesale negative coverage.

Therefore it's clearly a fatuous question as the illegality of it has no bearing on its existence. I think the best way to punish ignorant idiots is for them to lose a portion of their wealth by remaining true to their own stupid ideology. Others might feel a slap on the wrist from big brother is the correct way but in my opinion with my method they learn the stupidity of their actions, by your method they resent the law and double down on their idiotic beliefs.

Do you think that climate change should be illegal?
 
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Sweet Square

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We've had this discussion before. That business wouldn't exist (certainly not for any length of time) as I wouldn't buy from them and I'm assuming you wouldn't and 99% of the public wouldn't either. I'd advocate for no-one else to buy from them and also advocate for the right of anyone to protest at their existence. Likewise I'd bring the restaurant to the attention of the press who would provide wholesale negative coverage.
These business did exist
On February 1, 1960, 4 African American students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College went into the Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at the lunch counter and ordered cups of coffee. The waitress refused to serve them coffee unless they stood up to drink it because only whites were allowed to sit at the lunch counter.

The black students sat at the lunch counter until the store closed, but were never served their coffee. The next day they returned with more students and the peaceful protest called a "sit-in" was begun. Across the South, peaceful sit-ins by students took place in more than 100 cities in 1960. Although the protesters were beaten, and sometimes sent to jail, they continued to peacefully sit-in until they achieved their goals - desegregation of places of public accommodation.
So why did the civil rights act of 1964 include outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce ?

I think the best way to punish ignorant idiots is for them to lose a portion of their wealth by remaining true to their own stupid ideology.
Well then you don't agree with the civil rights act. I don't want to come across rude(Although I always fail at this)but can you at least see now why people think your type of politics is just astrology for white guys.

Do you think that climate change should be illegal?
What ?
 
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Kentonio

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These business did exist
Always the big flaw with libertarianism. It never actually stands up to history in any way. It’s just some fantasy ideology about how great things would be if people could do whatever they wanted (and also not actually act like people at the same time).
 

Sweet Square

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Always the big flaw with libertarianism. It never actually stands up to history in any way. It’s just some fantasy ideology about how great things would be if people could do whatever they wanted (and also not actually act like people at the same time).
I guess its nice people are into something, maybe ? But yeah its a complete fantasy.
 

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Always the big flaw with libertarianism. It never actually stands up to history in any way. It’s just some fantasy ideology about how great things would be if people could do whatever they wanted (and also not actually act like people at the same time).
True. Thatcher said there is no such thing as society. Except there is, it's how the world is organised, people rely on others in countless ways to get the things done that they depend on. Even if they don't know it.
 

Mockney

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We've had this discussion before. That business wouldn't exist (certainly not for any length of time) as I wouldn't buy from them and I'm assuming you wouldn't and 99% of the public wouldn't either. I'd advocate for no-one else to buy from them and also advocate for the right of anyone to protest at their existence. Likewise I'd bring the restaurant to the attention of the press who would provide wholesale negative coverage.

Therefore it's clearly a fatuous question as the illegality of it has no bearing on its existence. I think the best way to punish ignorant idiots is for them to lose a portion of their wealth by remaining true to their own stupid ideology. Others might feel a slap on the wrist from big brother is the correct way but in my opinion with my method they learn the stupidity of their actions
Wait... I get it now... Are you the geriatric evil CEO from a 1980s life-swap comedy?
 
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MadMike

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John McDonnell, in his infinite wisdom, said on BBC Breakfast this morning that the backstop wasn't even a big issue for Labour. :houllier:
He’s not lying. Labour wanted closer integration and had no issues with the backstop. Their main sticking points were Health & Environmental alignment and Workers Rights. Although one suspects it’s mostly because it was a Tory deal
 

sun_tzu

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He’s not lying. Labour wanted closer integration and had no issues with the backstop. Their main sticking points were Health & Environmental alignment and Workers Rights. Although one suspects it’s mostly because it was a Tory deal
indeed whenever they say :
we have to stop a damaging tory brexit,
it always sounds like the emphasis is on:
we have to stop a damaging TORY brexit

suspect they will install a 3 line whip to vote against the boris deal - some will ignore anyway (perhaps 5 or 6?) I think and then labour will be on around 238mps... rapidly approaching ed miliband teritiory
 

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True. Thatcher said there is no such thing as society. Except there is, it's how the world is organised, people rely on others in countless ways to get the things done that they depend on. Even if they don't know it.
That is kind of the point she was making. The full quote: "If children have a problem, it is society that is at fault. There is no such thing as society. There is living tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate."

She was describing society but as a network of mutual relationships based on personal responsibility, rather than society being an arm of government (I think). Personally, I think it was a bit one-eyed but I don't think her view was quite as nihilistic as has been made out.
 

711

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That is kind of the point she was making. The full quote: "If children have a problem, it is society that is at fault. There is no such thing as society. There is living tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate."

She was describing society but as a network of mutual relationships based on personal responsibility, rather than society being an arm of government (I think). Personally, I think it was a bit one-eyed but I don't think her view was quite as nihilistic as has been made out.
Thanks. Was she not basically saying it's up to people to be charitable then? Leaving an awful lot of holes and cracks for the unfortunate, as she puts it, to fall in to, often through no fault of their own? Not such a beautiful tapestry for them then. It does go to the heart of whether you lean to left or right though, I suppose.
 

sun_tzu

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Thanks. Was she not basically saying it's up to people to be charitable then? Leaving an awful lot of holes and cracks for the unfortunate, as she puts it, to fall in to, often through no fault of their own? Not such a beautiful tapestry for them then. It does go to the heart of whether you lean to left or right though, I suppose.
context
"They are casting their problems at society. And, you know, there's no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbours." – in an interview in Women's Own in 1987
 

finneh

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Always the big flaw with libertarianism. It never actually stands up to history in any way. It’s just some fantasy ideology about how great things would be if people could do whatever they wanted (and also not actually act like people at the same time).
In terms of libertarian economies the two most libertarian which were pre-China Hong Kong and Singapore both were/are very successful, especially given their regions. It's like any political ideology though, there's a spectrum. The most extreme form of libertarianism (anarchism) for example is similar to communism in that it would and could never work.

I think historically the correct political term for laissez faire economics combined with maximum civil liberties, with government big enough to protect its citizens but small enough for citizens not to be coerced by government in every facet of their lives; would be liberalism rather than libertarianism. However most people that define themselves as liberals (as I do) are (mis)interpreted as supporting Liberal Democrat policy, which is not the case. So I suppose I'm agreeing with you in the sense that the purest and most extreme form of libertarianism (anarchism), just like and other political view (e.g. socialism), is a fantasy ideology.
 

11101

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indeed whenever they say :
we have to stop a damaging tory brexit,
it always sounds like the emphasis is on:
we have to stop a damaging TORY brexit

suspect they will install a 3 line whip to vote against the boris deal - some will ignore anyway (perhaps 5 or 6?) I think and then labour will be on around 238mps... rapidly approaching ed miliband teritiory
Some MPs have already come out saying they want to vote for the deal but senior Labour figures are pressuring them to abstain.