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RayC
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UK doctors involved in climate protests face threat of being struck off
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
Why not? As soalbundy has pointed out continuously throughout this thread. These doctors' personal opinions re the climate have nothing to do with their professional lives and expertise. Not for the first time, you make false assumptions about me. For the record, I don't have much time for 'Just Stop Oil'. However, having said that, if scientists with a deeper understanding of this subject matter than me or you suggest that climate change is a major problem, I'm inclined to listen and learn. Unlike you, I don't simply dismiss it because it doesn't fit a very narrow political narrative. -
The uncomfortable truth about Kate and William that nobody wants to admit
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
The author of the article, Tessa Dunlop, is an historian and describes herself as a "soft" monarchist. So much for republican bias. -
The uncomfortable truth about Kate and William that nobody wants to admit
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
You could vote against him becoming HoS. If enough Brits shared your opinion, Blair would not be elected. -
UK doctors involved in climate protests face threat of being struck off
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
The Spiked 'Free speech unless we don't agree with it' school of thought raises it's head again. -
The uncomfortable truth about Kate and William that nobody wants to admit
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
I agree that UK elections could be more democratic, however the election for a Head of State couldn't follow the 'first past the post' system. At least other three possibilities for deciding a winner spring to mind: 1) 'Winner takes all' i.e. person with the highest number of votes wins 2) Runoff if no candidate gets >50% e.g. similar to French Presidential elections 3) Single Transferable Vote. Whatever system is chosen, by definition it will be more democratic than the system based on inheritance which we currently have. -
Tories in chaos as senior MPs call plot to overthrow Sunak ‘madness’
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
In any other era Sunak would correctly be regarded as being on the right-wing of the Tory party. That he is portrayed as a liberal Conservative shows how far to the right the Tory party has lurched. Given the absolute mess that Labour will inherit if elected - and the time it will take to try to turn things around - it wouldn't be a great surprise if things got worse before they get better. Unfortunately, the whole of Europe seems to be moving right at the moment. Hopefully, in five years time - if not before - it will become clear how divisive and destructive these right-wing policies are, and we can revert to a more beneficial state of affairs i.e. policies based around a mixed economy and socially liberal values. -
Tories in chaos as senior MPs call plot to overthrow Sunak ‘madness’
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
Such as? She liquidated her interest in one company which was a beneficiary of government policy. Another child-care organisation where she had an interest received a government grant of £350k, which isn't even loose change to her. She was effectively forced to give up her non-dom status. If anything, Rishi being PM has cost the Sunak household money. Reform will be overjoyed if that's the case. If Sunak thinks that a FTA with India will make a blind bit of difference to the outcome of the election, then he has even less political nous than I thought. Any FTA with India is bound to include concessions re Indian mitigation to the UK. That won't sit well either with the flat earthers in the Tory party or the wider Tory supporting electorate. True of some, not of others. -
Tories in chaos as senior MPs call plot to overthrow Sunak ‘madness’
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
Sunak and his wife are worth a combined £500+m. Whatever his reasons for wanting to be PM, I very much doubt that boosting their wealth was the main motivating factor. -
The uncomfortable truth about Kate and William that nobody wants to admit
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
Why rubbish? Assuming that the UK constitution doesn't change and that he doesn't predecease his father, William will be the next unelected UK Head of State so issues surrounding him are of public interest. I hope that his wife recovers from her health problems but if there are aspects of his life - such as his obvious concern for her well-being - which might restrict his ability to perform his future role effectively then the public should be aware of the fact. The public also has every right to know how he is likely to approach his future role. If William is unable and/or unwilling to meet those conditions then he should step aside. We could then install a Head of State who is democratically elected by the UK electorate.- 105 replies
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Tories in chaos as senior MPs call plot to overthrow Sunak ‘madness’
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
Sunak may well be a very clever person with an impressive work ethic, however, imo what his tenure as PM has shown is that he lacks three crucial attributes necessary to succeed in the role: 1) charisma - he has none 2) public performance - he is uneasy being in the spotlight and 3) political nous - very lacking in this regard. -
Institute of Dermatology (Bangkok), how to get a new lesion assessed
RayC replied to RC8's topic in Health and Medicine
Not sure that this adds anything to Sheryl's excellent advice? Anyway for what it's worth. My wife attended the walk-in evening clinic at the Institute last Tuesday re a lesion. She waited for about an hour to be examined and was given an appointment for removal of the lesion (last) Thursday (2 days later; no biopsy necessary in her case). Good luck. -
I wonder who controls the Borough....
RayC replied to transam's topic in UK & Europe Topics and Events
If the 2022 World Cup is anything to go by, there will be plenty of St. George's (and St. Andrew's) flags flying this summer during the Euros -
I wonder who controls the Borough....
RayC replied to transam's topic in UK & Europe Topics and Events
Depends where you flew it from. You need permission to erect a flagpole in the UK but, other than that, you can display the Union Jack or flag of St. George to your heart's content. -
J.K. Rowling Insinuates Nazis Did Not Burn Trans Books
RayC replied to Social Media's topic in World News
Given that the first recorded gender reassignment surgery didn't take place until 1931, it's hardly surprising that there aren't many books dating from the 1930s and earlier about transgender issues. -
Jetstar flight fiasco: Passengers grounded as 24 hour delays soar
RayC replied to snoop1130's topic in Thailand News
If only all countries would follow the EU in this matter https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm -
I would say that inferring that there are six million East Europeans living in the UK is a vast exaggeration. Estimates put the number of nationals from all EU states at around 3.5 million so, to hazard a guess, the number of East Europeans currently in the UK is probably no more than 2 million or so. If there is a shortage of social housing stock and if net migration is positive, then it will almost certainly excabarate any problems. However, the overwhelming majority of the Eastern Europeans who came to the UK did so to fill job vacancies and satisfy demand for services that couldn't be filled locally. If they had not done so, then the UK's economic growth would have shrunk. Eastern Europeans - or any other immigrants for that matter - don't decide UK government economic and/or housing policy. Consequently, they can't be blamed for the failure of successive UK governments to increase the amount of affordable housing available in the UK.
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No it doesn't. The 'White Other' category includes Australasians, North Americans, South Americans, white Africans, white Asians as well as (other) white Europeans. Moreover, these figures are about occupancy. Many occupants will have been in their homes for years. I'd suggest that the number of social housing homes in the UK occupied by East Europeans is small. In any event, the main reason for the shortage in social housing is that the stock of such housing is being reduced as such homes are sold or demolished and the number of social housing being built is insufficient to compensate for the loss.
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The connection is tenuous to say the least. The availability of social housing has been on a downward trend for decades. To suggest that, pre-Brexit, "all available council housing was going to Eastern European immigrants" is ridiculous and factually incorrect; over 90% of those in social housing are British or Irish. If people voted for Brexit in the belief that the availability of social housing would increase, they were misguided and/or sold yet another pup.
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Never let it be said that you miss an opportunity to portray Putin and Russia as the victim. The EU (and its' member states) didn't much care for Trump or Johnson, and their respective attitudes towards the rest of Europe. However, the EU did not deem it necessary to freeze US and UK assets in the EU. Why? Well no end of justifiable reasons, one being that neither the US nor the UK had illegally invaded a neighbouring European sovereign state and threatened the stability of the region as a whole. In the unlikely event that the Kremlin is concerned about what is published on AN, I think they should give you a medal in recognition of your efforts re the promotion of pro-Putin and pro-Russian propaganda.
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I'm not sure that there would be an outcry in the UK if ex-pat pensions were unfrozen, but equally there is no groundswell of public support for doing so and imo that is one reason why it is effectively a non-issue electionally. Secondly, for all the talk of there being 450,000 disgruntled ex-pat votes up for grabs for the party which promises to unfreeze pensions, this number is relatively insignificant as it equates to +/-700 votes per constituency. I realise that the potential ex-pat voters may not be spread completely equally across the UK but, unless they are concentrated in the most marginal seats, it's of little import.