Psychoactive Substances: Rolling UK Politics in The Neo-Con Era

Wrong. After the Lee Rigby murder the police shot only to maim and incapacitate

I didn't hear the interview but 'a Labour aide clarified that Corbyn was “committed to what the existing law is"' - so someone else shut the stable door on his behalf.

Wrong. After the Lee Rigby murder the police shot only to maim and incapacitate

Yes, this is a bit more nuanced than i suggested. The Rigby killer didn't have a firearm iirc though.

The police officially shoot to neutralise a threat but they are told to fire repeatedly at the torso when someone has a gun or at the head when someone is suspected of having a bomb. This is why they've repeatedly called "shoot to wound" a fiction.

Haven't heard the interview either but yes it was the aide that gave the 'easier' answer. This is all similar to the nuclear 'debate' with JC being cast as a madman for appearing not to be as hawkish or what have you.

Distracts from austerity, where the Tories are not looking so good.

Not sure how Corbyn's approach to this, i.e. to support the law of the land, is different from, errrrrr, the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary etc. Still any excuse for a bit of Corbyn-bashing.

The levels of hatred displayed towards Corbyn by Mad Dan Hodges, Rental et al are really quite astonishing.

For Rental read Johnny 'Psycho' Rentoul.

The sooner we tune this stuff out and talk about things other than how beastly people are being to Corbyn the better imo.

As far as I can see there is basically no reason for the UK to join in with air strikes other than as a symbolic gesture, one that would doubtless increase the risk of an attack here even further. It's not like ISIS are going to stubbornly resist an onslaught from Russia/France/the US only to crumble as soon as plucky Britain gets involved, although propagating that myth is almost certainly why Cameron wants air strikes in the first place.

Honestly I don't know what I would do in Hollande's situation, and I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who claims to know, with 100% conviction, what should be done in Syria, but Cameron's situation is not Hollande's by a long shot.

The whole business is mysterious. I think Russia is clearly privy to intelligence that the others aren't but idk what France, the US, etc are bombing at this stage that they haven't bombed a dozen times before. It's performative, though - the UK needs to be seen to be doing something.

it's almost as if he thinks there's political capital to be made from the threat or occurrence of terrorist attacks

Increased military action in Syria will see the Tories retain a slight majority in 2020. By which point Corbyn will have established a lunar base occasionally waving forlornly.

the UK needs to be seen to be doing something

Hence an extra billion pounds out of nowhere to fite cyberdoom and a proposed increase of 1,900 security and intelligence staff - suggesting these measures were on hold until a new attack could 'justify' them rather than something that could've been introduced to help prevent said attack.

Or that there is actually a lot more money around anyway and the cuts are being carried out on a whim.

Tom D - Rentoul did apologise for that tweet. Blaming it on the social media pressure cooker.

The UK's chances of being attacked are surely the same whether the UK joins in strikes or not - you could say its bigger if the UK don't join in, as ISIS would perhaps want more countries to attack it, increasing recruitment.

A hogpile of lifestyle journos were talking about how Corbyn's intelligence is somewhat limited, possibly to make themselves feel better/clever for disagreeing with him, or thinking themselves somehow 'realist' because they're considering bombs--->Syria and he is not.

It's very telling that these PLP meetings only started being covered by reporters fairly recently, and not during Blair, Brown or Miliband's tenure.

'Realism' seems to be the latest Conservative Central Office endorsed buzzword.

Some idiot on the news yesterday explaining that the Prime Minister has said last week that there was a half-dozen plots already foiled, and someone else (Osborne?) has said at the start of October that there had been five foiled, so reading between the lines there must have been one foiled in the last month.

need one of these for foiled terror plots

http://simpsonswiki.com/w/images/thumb/c/cb/Royal_King_Trailer_Park.png/250px-Royal_King_Trailer_Park.png

Egregious nonsense in the Economist: http://www.economist.com/blogs/bagehot/2015/11/corbyn-labour-and-paris?fsrc=gp_en%3Ffsrc%3Dscn%2Ftw%2Fte%2Fbl%2Fed%2Fcorbynssensiblesarestartingtopushback

(perhaps, in many cases, as a protest rather than a positive endorsement)

LOL

Stop the War can gtf tho

the patrician tones of the anonymous author make that post particularly infuriating

He could make things easier for himself.

― ledge, Tuesday, November 17, 2015 12:59 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thing is, I don't think he could. There's not much point worrying too much about Corbyn's presentation etc, when as we've seen this month, even if he does and says all the 'right' things, the media and his enemies within labour- before you even get to the government- will just plain make stuff up.

Pretty sure there's a section in the Economist style guide advising journalists on how to be more patrician and finger-wagging.

They're still running with this - ok they're going to hang him anyway, still think he should let them make the rope rather than hand it over himself.

Was thinking there hasn't been a lot on JC's comments - I suppose because the events in Paris are pushing almost everything else to the background.

For a hanged man Corbyn has kept pushing the lines he was elected for. Don't see him as 'learning on the job'.

Was thinking there hasn't been a lot on JC's comments - I suppose because the events in Paris are pushing almost everything else to the background.

It's because most people outside Westminster, the Labour Party and the media don't actually care either way about them.

Well I am comparing this to the stuff on Trident/would you push the button. Agree most don't care but iirc it would be harder to avoid if you watch the news in passing.

UK media working hard to bring the subject round from something they don't actually care about- dead French people- to something they very much do- pouring shit over Corbyn.

I certainly know that my first reaction upon hearing news of the atrocity was "hmmm, I wonder what Jeremy Corbyn thinks of this?"

Well, John Rentoul certainly wasn't the only one.

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2015/11/20/zac-goldsmith-would-scrap-all-london-s-bus-lanes

All bus lanes would be scrapped in London under plans being considered by the Conservative London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith.

Goldsmith told LBC's Nick Ferrari, that the rise of electric cars means that there will soon be "no point" in having bus lanes.

Only buses, cyclists and black cabs are allowed to use the lanes currently.

However, he said he would first allow electric cars to use the lanes as a perk, before scrapping them altogether.

is this total bollocks? or could electric cars become incredible cheap? i'm finding it hard to see how many more vehicles on the road is a functional solution to anything.

*incredibly cheap

"no point" in having bus laneses.

It's not like a Tory mayoral candidate to have zero understanding of normal people's lives...

Why does he think bus lanes exist, exactly? Some vague notion of pollution-busting?

I think that if I am right and I am absolutely convinced I am

I have been OTM in this manifesto

deregulate the underground and let people drive their own tube carriages to work

Who was it who said they travel on the tube "all the time", then proposed that they go sit in the buffet car/bar?

yeah it's strange - his theory seems to be nobody would get the bus anymore because... electric cars would make them to feel better about polluting. as if people choose the bus for environmental reasons.

deregulate the underground and let people drive their own tube carriages to work

move the bus lanes into the tube. more room for cars above ground.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/44/Marge_vs._the_Monorail_%28promo_card%29.png/235px-Marge_vs._the_Monorail_%28promo_card%29.png

Absolutely astonishing.

Thank you, Tory toff mayoral candidate for cheering me up this morning

He should be mocked for this to the end of his days obv

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/20/worst-uk-deficit-figures-six-years-george-osborne

Thank you, Tory toff mayoral candidate for cheering me up this morning
He should be mocked for this to the end of his days obv

Instead he'll be elected Mayor of London.

Note from building's management today.

Counter Terrorism Awareness Week

Next Monday, 23rd November, marks the start of Counter Terrorism Awareness Week. This is an annual event that takes place across London and is not linked to recent events in Paris.

With regard to the Estate, the Police will be deploying additional resources throughout the week. These include Armed Vehicle Check Points on approach roads, increased aerial observation and high visibility patrols using foot and horse mounted officers.

The intent, here and across the Capital, is to provide reassurance and will enhance the existing security regime on the Estate.

Please be assured that these operations are not in response to recent events.

Well, thanks. That's good to know. It's certainly raised my awareness of counter-terrorism.

nothing sweeter than gliding along in the bus lane past a road full of stationary cars

Twitter is going nuts bc McDonnell apparently quoted from Mao's red book and then threw it across the table at Osborne?