RuamRudy

Such a British patriot that he has an Irish passport... https://m.sundayworld.com/crime/irish-crime/far-right-activist-tommy-robinson-is-an-irish-citizen-leaked-documents-show/a486535645.html

Not Baltic, but I have been working in Kazakhstan for some time and see a definite move away from Russian influence. Russian is still the dominant language there but Kazakh is gaining in its use and it's now the official language of the government. Similarly, the government has entered a process of transitioning from Cyrillic to Latin characters. For example, whereas previously the police would have Полиция on their uniforms, now they read Politzya. Of course the Russian minority is feeling unhappy but when I ask my ethnic Kazakh colleagues about it, they simply shrug. But Russian Kazakhs make up about 15% of the population so not insignificant, but I think even they struggle to muster support for the actions of Russia. Certainly I hear next to no support from any quarter for Russia's aggression.

I agree - this is not something a mentally sound person would do.

An appropriate peace-deal might be for Russia to withdraw immediately from all occupied territory in Ukraine including Crimea; pay billions in reparations to Ukraine; send Putin and his cronies to the Hague in chains.

What did he actually do to get himself into this situation? It looks like no evidence has been released. Maybe there is nothing to show?

This guy? As if he hasn't already proven how unfit he is for public service, this JSO sentencing proves it.

An utterly inexcusable sentence designed to send a political message from an utter disgrace of a judge. Having previously let a policeman convicted of rapes go free, and having given a pedophile who drugged and abused children a suspended sentence, Christopher Hehir shows how unfit he is to be a member of the judiciary when he sentences 4 people to 21 years for non violent crimes. The punishment does not fit the crime;the judge and the law are not for for purpose.

Stories such as this always make me sad - children should be children, and play with toys and mess about with other kids their age, doing childish things. A child with a precocious ability to memorise and synthesise information does not mean that they have emotional intelligence. I don't believe that they have an advanced ability to rationalise and contextualise life and situations. No wonder, as Walker88 says, few of these prodigies rise to prominence - the pressure they must be under at such a young age must be immense, and very damaging.

He certainly wasn't scared of telling Saddam Hussein how magnificent he thought he was, not long after Saddam had finished gassing those pesky Kurds. Is that the speaking truth to power to which you are referring?

Time to get rid of the old guard and bring in some fresh energy and fresh ideas. Stephen Flynn needs to plan on vacating his Westminster seat in 2 years time to become an MSP, and then lead the party with a plan of convincing the doubters that independence is both normal and desirable, and providing a means of legally extracting our country from this pernicious union.

I agree with the sentiment but the delivery is beneath someone who was once a contender for Prime Minister. That said, I hope Galloway disappears from public life for good.

Should all Holocaust deniers be imprisoned for their belief?

Just because something is written in law does not make it right. The Indian Salt Laws are a good example of that. I am not suggesting that there is an equivalence in the inherent unfairness of the laws, merely stating that simply being in the statute book doesn't automatically confer 'right'. Indoctrination goes on every day around the world, whether it's religious teaching or the dissemination of conspiracy theories and repugnant ideas. If she was inciting people to commit violence then I would agree that she deserves punishment but if it's simply the propagation of a belief then, no matter how unconscionable that belief is, I struggle to accept that this is a crime.

Yes that's what the article says. I read it. But that's not what she is being prosecuted for now. Do you really want to live in a world where we lock up people indefinitely because we don't agree with their beliefs? That sounds very totalitarian to me.

Not so much, but from what I have read she sounds like an odious individual. But being offensive and having repugnant opinions should not lead to prison per se. If she uses those views to incite criminal behaviour in others then that's a different issue but I am not sure that, in this case, she did that.

Fair enough that she has to face the music, but would you agree that, in this case, the law is unreasonable?

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Voltaire

Yet London isn't even the worst affected area in England. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/knife-crime-up-7-per-cent-map-b2534853.html

Edinburgh is not really reflective of the rest of Scotland in many ways.

I haven't seen flares like that since, hmmm, the 1980s? We've been successful in mostly eliminating the scourge of football Violence, at least internationally.

Scottish 'yobbos' sing disrespectful songs. Real English yobbos smash up bars and riot in the streets with other football fans.

Nonsense. There were more Scottish landlords than not involved, all executed by Scottish Factors. There are many excellent reasons to abolish the monarchy but the clearances are not relevant to that debate.

Who is in charge of the prison service in England? The SNP routinely gets criticised (justifiably so) on the matter of the trans rapist who was held in a female prison in Scotland; James105 suggested that Starmer would inflict the same mistake on England - but he is ignorant of the fact that this has already occured in England under a Tory government.

This farcical situation (I am in full agreement with you in that respect) already exists in England. Take that up with your local Tory party, as it's the Tories who are responsible for this. "last year, when Karen White was sent to jail pending trial for rape, Karen White “identified” as a woman. So the Prison Service allowed Karen White to be housed in the female prison estate. And in HMP New Hall, Karen White sexually assaulted women. " https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-was-a-transgender-rapist-put-in-a-women-s-prison/ Scotland is (unfortunately) still part of the UK.

Such stunts also give governments tacit justification and general public approval to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of speech. It's almost as if these are false flag events designed to get us all to willingly give up our freedoms without a fight.