As someone who was a student relatively recently, I don’t agree. I don’t really see anything wrong with students wanting to have a say in what they are taught. As you say, they pay 9k so they should be getting their money’s worth. Sometimes I don’t always agree with the way they go about it, but that doesn’t change my belief that they should be able to have a say. If they don’t like what is taught, they shouldn’t have to automatically take their business aboard - if they really believe there’s an issue with the representation of BME authors on courses, they should be able to challenge that. I see nothing wrong with it. Just because someone is an expert doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have their view on literature and what the curriculum should be challenged.
Challenged by somebody who knows that they are talking about.
And lots of these challenges aren't based upon quality of alternative works for instance, they immediately invoke terms such as institutional racism. People arguing about dropping Plato and Descartes from Philosophy courses based upon the race of those individuals are just plain bonkers...no actually it is just plain racism.
Just because they are students doesn’t mean they don’t know what they are talking about, or that they have nothing useful or insightful to say.
They invoke terms such as institutional racism because it’s generally centered on concern about the representation of BME authors. These students believe that it’s important to study literature from authors from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds and they don’t agree with the elevation of white European literature over others. I don’t think that their arguments are entirely without points.
I’ve already said that I don’t always agree with the way students go about these things, and that I didn’t agree with what happened at SOAS.
Penny quotes comments about her on Staines’s site. "Perhaps Sharia might be a good thing after all, if Ms Penny was not allowed out without a member of her Family and we did not have to look at her face, also we could stone her to death...” "Call me old fashioned bt this young lady shouid [sic] be whipped through the streets of London before being made to suck Ken Livingstones cock as people throw shit at the pair of them." She asked for these to be taken down and the men who run the site told her to get a sense of humour.
Guido has allowed and encouraged a lot worse from his supporters. He's not part of the cure 'shining a light' on anything, but part of the disease.
You went BTL
Don't go BTL
Always good advice.
Frankly, on O’Mara, I’ve said as bad or worse than much of it as part of deliberately offensive humour, though rarely online (if going full racist or sexist joke for effect, best make really really sure the people receiving it are on board), and I don’t think his being a cock is worthy of resignation, but nor is Guido going after him symptomatic of much. His own comments section is foul, I am sure (I think I recall him making some changes a year or so back to curtail it somewhat), but if someone is in a position of authority and they posture about their own righteousness, they are going to be targets. O’Mara himself unnecessarily made things more complicated than he needed to by suggesting a Tory is unlikely to be able to change and thus should probably resign over such things, which added a level of self justifying nonsense to the proceedings.
Yes, it's the issue of "Do as a I say, not as I do." that matters.
In a way, it's similar to the problem faced by Rupert Myers. When you parade your feminist credentials, you've got to live up the standards you set yourself.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Because different ethnicities can have very different experiences when trying to go about their daily life? Different cultural and familial norms, different expectations, subtle or not so subtle differences in interactions, etc. It's much easier to say 'I don't see colour' if it's never been an issue for you, your family, or your community - but I'm relatively young and remember the few non-whites at school getting bullied terribly, facing daily comments about how their race made them different etc. 'Forget skin colour' is going to be a lot easier for me than for them, and then am I really forgetting it unconsciously even if I think I am? Probably not. Racism has a long history and that's going to leave a legacy.
I can't claim any proper understanding of racial issues today, but surely we should listen to people who do think it's still an issue.
Re the last thread: and the white privilege quote about maths: as if universities at large really believe what the person in that article stated. I also doubt there are really that many circles where people believe that maths and other subjects are part of some conspiracy to oppress people. As those channels on YouTube obsessed with so called SJWs have found: if you go looking for idiots, you will find them.
Agreed that it is small fry stuff at the moment. However this anti-white sentiment is growing, here's another similar story:
In the future when whites are no longer a majority and don't hold such a large proportion of power in this country who knows how far these sentiments may go. You can look at South Africa and Zimbabwe to see how things can pan out.
I’m going to have to disagree that that is ‘evidence’ of an anti-white sentiment. It seems that the lady in question simply wants the curriculum boarded to include writers that aren’t mainly/only white and male: obviously, we know that great literature has been written by those from many different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Given that many universities will look at the historical context of a text as well as any issues concerning race or gender it doesn’t seem unreasonable that those texts come from a board range of writers from many different backgrounds.
I have large doubts that whites will ever not be the majority in this country. Many ethnic minorities will (well, they already are) go on to have interracial relationships, and their kids will go on to also have interracial relationships meaning that in the long term there’s less of them. This is already happening in some black communities (especially with West Indians).
What about the those at SOAS arguing against learning about the likes of Plato and Descartes based purely on the fact they were white?
SOAS is Oriental and African Studies. Greek Philosohers are hardly the focus of their courses
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
This stinks of complacent privilege.
I bet you wonder why you don't get the blue shell when you're in first position in Mario Kart.
Re the last thread: and the white privilege quote about maths: as if universities at large really believe what the person in that article stated. I also doubt there are really that many circles where people believe that maths and other subjects are part of some conspiracy to oppress people. As those channels on YouTube obsessed with so called SJWs have found: if you go looking for idiots, you will find them.
Agreed that it is small fry stuff at the moment. However this anti-white sentiment is growing, here's another similar story:
In the future when whites are no longer a majority and don't hold such a large proportion of power in this country who knows how far these sentiments may go. You can look at South Africa and Zimbabwe to see how things can pan out.
I’m going to have to disagree that that is ‘evidence’ of an anti-white sentiment. It seems that the lady in question simply wants the curriculum boarded to include writers that aren’t mainly/only white and male: obviously, we know that great literature has been written by those from many different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Given that many universities will look at the historical context of a text as well as any issues concerning race or gender it doesn’t seem unreasonable that those texts come from a board range of writers from many different backgrounds.
I have large doubts that whites will ever not be the majority in this country. Many ethnic minorities will (well, they already are) go on to have interracial relationships, and their kids will go on to also have interracial relationships meaning that in the long term there’s less of them. This is already happening in some black communities (especially with West Indians).
What about the those at SOAS arguing against learning about the likes of Plato and Descartes based purely on the fact they were white?
SOAS is Oriental and African Studies. Greek Philosohers are hardly the focus of their courses
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Because different ethnicities can have very different experiences when trying to go about their daily life? Different cultural and familial norms, different expectations, subtle or not so subtle differences in interactions, etc. It's much easier to say 'I don't see colour' if it's never been an issue for you, your family, or your community - but I'm relatively young and remember the few non-whites at school getting bullied terribly, facing daily comments about how their race made them different etc. 'Forget skin colour' is going to be a lot easier for me than for them, and then am I really forgetting it unconsciously even if I think I am? Probably not. Racism has a long history and that's going to leave a legacy.
I can't claim any proper understanding of racial issues today, but surely we should listen to people who do think it's still an issue.
Mr. Eagles, "South Yorkshire Police have been investigating reports of a strange man roaming the streets of Sheffield today. Knocking on doors, he asks homeowners if they've heard the good news of their lord and saviour George Osborne before blinding them with his dazzlingly offensive shirt."
I reckon if George Osborne was the Tory candidate in Sheffield Hallam it'd be Con gain.
If there were a by-election in Sheffield Hallam, it would be an interesting one.
It will all depend on the candidates chosen.
I think Clegg wins but a A N Other Lib Dem might do so as well.
The Lib Dems are still pretty active and strong round here, I think this is a seat that they think they can take in 2022.
Kids won't be paying anywhere near 9k a year if the repayment threshold gets hiked to £25k + inflation.
With the interest rate now set at 3% above RPI which is itself about 1% above CPI, then on modest earnings for the rest of their working lives the sum they eventually pay back while paying an effective rate of tax 9% more than the rest of us will quite probably stretch well into 6 digits.
When I take out a mortgage, I'm required by law to be advised of the full amount I will end up paying over its full term, based on certain reasonable assumptions. Why not the same for today's students? They're still mortgaging their lives away, apart from the fact that they don't end up owning bricks and mortar to offset that debt.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Sadly, it seems to matter more now than ever, with a need to be hyper aware and probably more focused on race as part of trying not to discriminate. Remember the Oxford college which gave advice about a lack of eye contact being an unconscious racial Micro aggression? Essentially nobody there might have thought anything racist was happening, but the advice would have students and teachers questioning if they looked people of a different race in the eye enough, which probably make things worse.
Thankfully that was dropped as offensive to autistic people, but it is curious how we simultaneously suggest race no longer matters while making it matter more. Granted part of that is down to continuing issues - people with non white sounding names doing poorly in interview selection etc - but still.
Penny quotes comments about her on Staines’s site. "Perhaps Sharia might be a good thing after all, if Ms Penny was not allowed out without a member of her Family and we did not have to look at her face, also we could stone her to death...” "Call me old fashioned bt this young lady shouid [sic] be whipped through the streets of London before being made to suck Ken Livingstones cock as people throw shit at the pair of them." She asked for these to be taken down and the men who run the site told her to get a sense of humour.
Guido has allowed and encouraged a lot worse from his supporters. He's not part of the cure 'shining a light' on anything, but part of the disease.
You went BTL
Don't go BTL
Always good advice.
Frankly, on O’Mara, I’ve said as bad or worse than much of it as part of deliberately offensive humour, though rarely online (if going full racist or sexist joke for effect, best make really really sure the people receiving it are on board), and I don’t think his being a cock is worthy of resignation, but nor is Guido going after him symptomatic of much. His own comments section is foul, I am sure (I think I recall him making some changes a year or so back to curtail it somewhat), but if someone is in a position of authority and they posture about their own righteousness, they are going to be targets. O’Mara himself unnecessarily made things more complicated than he needed to by suggesting a Tory is unlikely to be able to change and thus should probably resign over such things, which added a level of self justifying nonsense to the proceedings.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I actually think for the vast majority they actively try to stay out of trouble / play it safe, because they don't want to rock the boat for the graduate schemes they are hyper-focused on getting on to.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Exactly, the genetic difference between different "races" is very small compared with the genetic variation "within" people of the same race.
And you can claim a group is "growing rapidly" when the absolute numbers are very small.
Mr. Eagles, "South Yorkshire Police have been investigating reports of a strange man roaming the streets of Sheffield today. Knocking on doors, he asks homeowners if they've heard the good news of their lord and saviour George Osborne before blinding them with his dazzlingly offensive shirt."
I reckon if George Osborne was the Tory candidate in Sheffield Hallam it'd be Con gain.
If there were a by-election in Sheffield Hallam, it would be an interesting one.
It will all depend on the candidates chosen.
I think Clegg wins but a A N Other Lib Dem might do so as well.
The Lib Dems are still pretty active and strong round here, I think this is a seat that they think they can take in 2022.
You would think the Lib Dems would have a good chance in the circumstances.Anyways I am glad all pub conversations were not recorded in the 80s .
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Exactly, the genetic difference between different "races" is very small compared with the genetic variation "within" people of the same race.
And you can claim a group is "growing rapidly" when the absolute numbers are very small.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I get the feeling my sense of humour would get me into trouble, repeatedly.
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Exactly, the genetic difference between different "races" is very small compared with the genetic variation "within" people of the same race.
And you can claim a group is "growing rapidly" when the absolute numbers are very small.
For my community area between 2001 and 2011 the Polish born population increased by 1104%. I was always surprised no one even seemed to attempt to make a point of that number. Naturally it was due to a very low base (though still sizable numbers increase). The UKIP candidate in 2015 never even mentioned immigration to me when canvassing, interestingly.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I get the feeling my sense of humour would get me into trouble, repeatedly.
Didn't you make a joke to a customs agent about purchasing weapons once?
Anyhoo, I think David Davis has dropped a bombshell.
David Davis has stunned MPs by warning they may not get a vote on any Brexit deal until after Britain has left the European Union.
It's the clearest proof yet that the government is now only going through the motions on Brexit.
Like by issuing the Article 50 Notice, you mean?
How much evidence do you have for a suggestion that the UK Govt. will ask for that Notice to be withdrawn? Because until it is - we are leaving, in March 2019.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I get the feeling my sense of humour would get me into trouble, repeatedly.
Didn't you make a joke to a customs agent about purchasing weapons once?
I once made the mistake of joking to a small town US police officer. He had pulled me over and asked me if I had been drinking, to which I said only this 3l bottle of Mountain Dew (waving it around). He had me out of the car and walking the line before I could put the top back on my massive bottle of soda.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Because different ethnicities can have very different experiences when trying to go about their daily life? Different cultural and familial norms, different expectations, subtle or not so subtle differences in interactions, etc. It's much easier to say 'I don't see colour' if it's never been an issue for you, your family, or your community - but I'm relatively young and remember the few non-whites at school getting bullied terribly, facing daily comments about how their race made them different etc. 'Forget skin colour' is going to be a lot easier for me than for them, and then am I really forgetting it unconsciously even if I think I am? Probably not. Racism has a long history and that's going to leave a legacy.
I can't claim any proper understanding of racial issues today, but surely we should listen to people who do think it's still an issue.
This is a good post.
Indeed.
Whilst we need to remember the ugly history of racism and its lasting impact, we also need to find a way to move past it and recognise the simple fact that our humanity unites us even if our cultures divide us.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I get the feeling my sense of humour would get me into trouble, repeatedly.
Didn't you make a joke to a customs agent about purchasing weapons once?
Yes.
In my defence, I was dealing with one of the most stupid people in the history of humanity.
There will be no by-election - having the whip withdrawn doesn't seem to stop people carrying on, particularly when merely suspended. Even being charged with a crime doesn't lead to one , what about Jared suggests he'd be so ashamed of past comments he'd stand down? And f there's even a chance they might lose the seat why would labour put pressure on him to do so?
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
He's only been suspended by Labour.
Mr McDonnell told the BBC: "There will be a full investigation by the Labour Party and then, as a result of that, a final decision will be made about his future." Asked about Labour colleagues who had defended Mr O'Mara in recent days, Mr McDonnell said: "They were basing that judgement on the information they had before them and the information that was provided to them by Jared himself and others. "New information has come to light, so quite rightly the Labour Party has acted swiftly. He's been suspended, the whip has been withdrawn."
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Sadly, it seems to matter more now than ever, with a need to be hyper aware and probably more focused on race as part of trying not to discriminate. Remember the Oxford college which gave advice about a lack of eye contact being an unconscious racial Micro aggression? Essentially nobody there might have thought anything racist was happening, but the advice would have students and teachers questioning if they looked people of a different race in the eye enough, which probably make things worse.
Thankfully that was dropped as offensive to autistic people, but it is curious how we simultaneously suggest race no longer matters while making it matter more. Granted part of that is down to continuing issues - people with non white sounding names doing poorly in interview selection etc - but still.
It is a bit of a minefield though. I worked with a Burmese doctor some years ago who kept failing interviews, as he wouldn't look a superior in the eye, or disagree in public, in line with Burmese cultural norms. To a British interviewer he looked shifty, and sounded evasive. He did well in the end and now is a well thought of consultant on the South coast.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I get the feeling my sense of humour would get me into trouble, repeatedly.
Didn't you make a joke to a customs agent about purchasing weapons once?
Yes.
In my defence, I was dealing with one of the most stupid people in the history of humanity.
Which makes "joking" with them even more of a high-risk strategy.
The border guards in East Germany were chosen for their low IQ. Less likely to question the order to shoot. You no longer need wonder where they got re-employed after the fall of the Wall...
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
This sort of case - where he’s not necessarily done anything illegal but is just being an idiot, and facts about the man are coming out now that affect his suitability to represent the people of Sheffield Hallam - is exactly the sort of case for which we should have a recall law on the statute books.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
This sort of case - where he’s not necessarily done anything illegal but is just being an idiot, and facts about the man are coming out now that affect his suitability to represent the people of Sheffield Hallam - is exactly the sort of case for which we should have a recall law on the statute books.
Wasn't that one of Clegg's proposals that never went through? Oh the irony.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Sadly, it seems to matter more now than ever, with a need to be hyper aware and probably more focused on race as part of trying not to discriminate. Remember the Oxford college which gave advice about a lack of eye contact being an unconscious racial Micro aggression? Essentially nobody there might have thought anything racist was happening, but the advice would have students and teachers questioning if they looked people of a different race in the eye enough, which probably make things worse.
Thankfully that was dropped as offensive to autistic people, but it is curious how we simultaneously suggest race no longer matters while making it matter more. Granted part of that is down to continuing issues - people with non white sounding names doing poorly in interview selection etc - but still.
It is a bit of a minefield though. I worked with a Burmese doctor some years ago who kept failing interviews, as he wouldn't look a superior in the eye, or disagree in public, in line with Burmese cultural norms. To a British interviewer he looked shifty, and sounded evasive. He did well in the end and now is a well thought of consultant on the South coast.
That was another reason it was stupid advice, given not all cultures treat eye contact the same.
Re the last thread: and the white privilege quote about maths: as if universities at large really believe what the person in that article stated. I also doubt there are really that many circles where people believe that maths and other subjects are part of some conspiracy to oppress people. As those channels on YouTube obsessed with so called SJWs have found: if you go looking for idiots, you will find them.
Agreed that it is small fry stuff at the moment. However this anti-white sentiment is growing, here's another similar story:
In the future when whites are no longer a majority and don't hold such a large proportion of power in this country who knows how far these sentiments may go. You can look at South Africa and Zimbabwe to see how things can pan out.
Well we're have to agree to disagree on the sentiment behind the calls for less white authors (it seems obvious to me that it was racially motivated).
But now we have stuff like this on the national broadcaster regularly - calling white people the "most violent and oppressive force of nature on earth"
If this was talking about any other race then it would be a hate crime let alone be allowed on the BBC.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
Ah, now I don’t agree with Munroe Bergdorf. Tbh, she was given air time by ITV as well (on Good Morning Britain) so it’s not just a BBC thing.
I remember reading that mixed race is the fastest growing racial group in the country, although that still might mean that most of the growth at the minute isn’t coming from those relationships, that could change.
Obviously we need to change the situations of communities segregating themselves off and not mixing with the population at large.
If you skip to the end of the video, Munroe Bergdorf basically gets destroyed by Andrew Neill. She obviously wasn't happy about it and complained about it on twitter, but it rather proves the point that no platforming people on any side of the argument isn't a good thing. They need to be given airtime but also their views need to be meaningfully challenged.
Unfortunately the very act of challenging someones views is sometimes considered to be aggressive or racist. That is the point we need to move forward from.
Bermuda-based Appleby only admitted it had suffered the breach – which actually happened last year – after a group of journos from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), who had seen the leaked information, began asking awkward questions.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I get the feeling my sense of humour would get me into trouble, repeatedly.
Didn't you make a joke to a customs agent about purchasing weapons once?
Yes.
In my defence, I was dealing with one of the most stupid people in the history of humanity.
Which makes "joking" with them even more of a high-risk strategy.
The border guards in East Germany were chosen for their low IQ. Less likely to question the order to shoot. You no longer need wonder where they got re-employed after the fall of the Wall...
I was in a party of 5 people, 2 of whom worked for QINETIQ.
The other 4 were all white, this guy just homed in on me, my colleagues took exception to this, and he doubled down when they asked why they weren't being questioned.
One of his questions was
'Have you ever discussed buying weapons on any visit to America?' and I was like 'No'
'Do you like guns' and it was a lot of silly questions, at one point he considered my electric shaver a weapon.
This went on for over an hour, stupid question after stupid question.
The denouement was
Him: Do you have any weapons?
Me: Why, what do you need? Because two of my friends work QINETIQ, whose clients include the DOD.
The non-white population is growing rapidly and the most of the growth is not through interracial relationships. In fact some communities actively don't mix with the local population and have a much higher birth rate.
White or black or brown... why does it matter?
Forget skin colour - people are people. We all bleed red blood, we all eat food and we all pee when we get up in the morning and then we all get dressed for the day. We all go to work and we all try and keep warm, dry and our families fed.
Because different ethnicities can have very different experiences when trying to go about their daily life? Different cultural and familial norms, different expectations, subtle or not so subtle differences in interactions, etc. It's much easier to say 'I don't see colour' if it's never been an issue for you, your family, or your community - but I'm relatively young and remember the few non-whites at school getting bullied terribly, facing daily comments about how their race made them different etc. 'Forget skin colour' is going to be a lot easier for me than for them, and then am I really forgetting it unconsciously even if I think I am? Probably not. Racism has a long history and that's going to leave a legacy.
I can't claim any proper understanding of racial issues today, but surely we should listen to people who do think it's still an issue.
This is a good post.
Indeed.
Whilst we need to remember the ugly history of racism and its lasting impact, we also need to find a way to move past it and recognise the simple fact that our humanity unites us even if our cultures divide us.
We must also not forget the lasting impact on the victims' mindset traumatic events such as Winstanley described can have. It's all very well the bemoan the victim mindset of, say, black youths in US inner cities - particularly the males - but without parenting, role models and learning that they are not helpless victims but have the means to mould their own future, just how much should we expect (as opposed to hope for)?
While I am still a firm proponent of personal responsibility for your own life, no matter how bad a hand birth or life has dealt you, as a society we should be realistic about our expectations of people. If we want people to overcome the mindsets created by poverty, social breakdown and racism, we - as a society - have to help them help themselves. To do so is not just socially responsible, it is also enlightened self-interest.
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
I thought he was a DJ - presumably part of the same operation? My guess is that it's much harder work and less well paid than being an MP (don't know if anyone has expertise on the work / returns involved?) but presumably he'd have something to go back to if he did stand down. Assuming he hasn't stayed involved while an MP of course.
Penny quotes comments about her on Staines’s site. "Perhaps Sharia might be a good thing after all, if Ms Penny was not allowed out without a member of her Family and we did not have to look at her face, also we could stone her to death...” "Call me old fashioned bt this young lady shouid [sic] be whipped through the streets of London before being made to suck Ken Livingstones cock as people throw shit at the pair of them." She asked for these to be taken down and the men who run the site told her to get a sense of humour.
Guido has allowed and encouraged a lot worse from his supporters. He's not part of the cure 'shining a light' on anything, but part of the disease.
You went BTL
Don't go BTL
Always good advice.
Frankly, on O’Mara, I’ve said as bad or worse than much of it as part of deliberately offensive humour, though rarely online (if going full racist or sexist joke for effect, best make really really sure the people receiving it are on board), and I don’t think his being a cock is worthy of resignation, but nor is Guido going after him symptomatic of much. His own comments section is foul, I am sure (I think I recall him making some changes a year or so back to curtail it somewhat), but if someone is in a position of authority and they posture about their own righteousness, they are going to be targets. O’Mara himself unnecessarily made things more complicated than he needed to by suggesting a Tory is unlikely to be able to change and thus should probably resign over such things, which added a level of self justifying nonsense to the proceedings.
Yep, with every election there will be more children of the ‘90s becoming MPs. By the time of the next scheduled election someone born in 1990 would be 32. Apologies in advance for making people feel old!
Penny quotes comments about her on Staines’s site. "Perhaps Sharia might be a good thing after all, if Ms Penny was not allowed out without a member of her Family and we did not have to look at her face, also we could stone her to death...” "Call me old fashioned bt this young lady shouid [sic] be whipped through the streets of London before being made to suck Ken Livingstones cock as people throw shit at the pair of them." She asked for these to be taken down and the men who run the site told her to get a sense of humour.
Guido has allowed and encouraged a lot worse from his supporters. He's not part of the cure 'shining a light' on anything, but part of the disease.
You went BTL
Don't go BTL
Always good advice.
Frankly, on O’Mara, I’ve said as bad or worse than much of it as part of deliberately offensive humour, though rarely online (if going full racist or sexist joke for effect, best make really really sure the people receiving it are on board), and I don’t think his being a cock is worthy of resignation, but nor is Guido going after him symptomatic of much. His own comments section is foul, I am sure (I think I recall him making some changes a year or so back to curtail it somewhat), but if someone is in a position of authority and they posture about their own righteousness, they are going to be targets. O’Mara himself unnecessarily made things more complicated than he needed to by suggesting a Tory is unlikely to be able to change and thus should probably resign over such things, which added a level of self justifying nonsense to the proceedings.
Yep, with every election there will be more children of the ‘90s becoming MPs. By the time of the next scheduled election someone born in 1990 would be 32.
Oh gods, I'll be 36! And I'm not even pm yet like that Austrian chap, I need to get a move on.
If Saudi Arabia can truly move away from Wahhabism and deny the stature and authority of those preaching intolerance and militant righteousness from the religion's most sacred institutions and most holy places, then there is some hope for stemming the flow of volunteers and support for Islamic extremist terrorism.
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
This sort of case - where he’s not necessarily done anything illegal but is just being an idiot, and facts about the man are coming out now that affect his suitability to represent the people of Sheffield Hallam - is exactly the sort of case for which we should have a recall law on the statute books.
Wasn't that one of Clegg's proposals that never went through? Oh the irony.
If I remember right, Nick Clegg was very keen on it in opposition, and some miraculous process happened very quickly in Government where he started talking about the need to avoid a 'free for all' and he started looking more establishment than anyone else on the issue. Serves him right!
(Zac Goldsmith led the campaign for full recall i think.)
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
This sort of case - where he’s not necessarily done anything illegal but is just being an idiot, and facts about the man are coming out now that affect his suitability to represent the people of Sheffield Hallam - is exactly the sort of case for which we should have a recall law on the statute books.
Wasn't that one of Clegg's proposals that never went through? Oh the irony.
If I remember right, Nick Clegg was very keen on it in opposition, and some miraculous process happened very quickly in Government where he started talking about the need to avoid a 'free for all' and he started looking more establishment than anyone else on the issue. Serves him right!
(Zac Goldsmith led the campaign for full recall i think.)
Sounds like Trudeau sticking with FPTP. Turns out people aren't sure what to replace it with, so never mind.
Penny quotes comments about her on Staines’s site. "Perhaps Sharia might be a good thing after all, if Ms Penny was not allowed out without a member of her Family and we did not have to look at her face, also we could stone her to death...” "Call me old fashioned bt this young lady shouid [sic] be whipped through the streets of London before being made to suck Ken Livingstones cock as people throw shit at the pair of them." She asked for these to be taken down and the men who run the site told her to get a sense of humour.
Guido has allowed and encouraged a lot worse from his supporters. He's not part of the cure 'shining a light' on anything, but part of the disease.
You went BTL
Don't go BTL
Always good advice.
Frankly, on O’Mara, I’ve said as bad or worse than much of it as part of deliberately offensive humour, though rarely online (if going full racist or sexist joke for effect, best make really really sure the people receiving it are on board), and I don’t think his being a cock is worthy of resignation, but nor is Guido going after him symptomatic of much. His own comments section is foul, I am sure (I think I recall him making some changes a year or so back to curtail it somewhat), but if someone is in a position of authority and they posture about their own righteousness, they are going to be targets. O’Mara himself unnecessarily made things more complicated than he needed to by suggesting a Tory is unlikely to be able to change and thus should probably resign over such things, which added a level of self justifying nonsense to the proceedings.
Yep, with every election there will be more children of the ‘90s becoming MPs. By the time of the next scheduled election someone born in 1990 would be 32.
Oh gods, I'll be 36! And I'm not even pm yet like that Austrian chap, I need to get a move on.
Perhaps I shouldn't remind you of Pitt the Younger ...
Penny quotes comments about her on Staines’s site. "Perhaps Sharia might be a good thing after all, if Ms Penny was not allowed out without a member of her Family and we did not have to look at her face, also we could stone her to death...” "Call me old fashioned bt this young lady shouid [sic] be whipped through the streets of London before being made to suck Ken Livingstones cock as people throw shit at the pair of them." She asked for these to be taken down and the men who run the site told her to get a sense of humour.
Guido has allowed and encouraged a lot worse from his supporters. He's not part of the cure 'shining a light' on anything, but part of the disease.
You went BTL
Don't go BTL
Always good advice.
Frankly, on O’Mara, I’ve said as bad or worse than much of it as part of deliberately offensive humour, though rarely online (if going full racist or sexist joke for effect, best make really really sure the people receiving it are on board), and I don’t think his being a cock is worthy of resignation, but nor is Guido going after him symptomatic of much. His own comments section is foul, I am sure (I think I recall him making some changes a year or so back to curtail it somewhat), but if someone is in a position of authority and they posture about their own righteousness, they are going to be targets. O’Mara himself unnecessarily made things more complicated than he needed to by suggesting a Tory is unlikely to be able to change and thus should probably resign over such things, which added a level of self justifying nonsense to the proceedings.
Yep, with every election there will be more children of the ‘90s becoming MPs. By the time of the next scheduled election someone born in 1990 would be 32.
Oh gods, I'll be 36! And I'm not even pm yet like that Austrian chap, I need to get a move on.
Perhaps I shouldn't remind you of Pitt the Younger ...
A different era, I'll give Pre 20th wunderkinds a pass.
If Saudi Arabia can truly move away from Wahhabism and deny the stature and authority of those preaching intolerance and militant righteousness from the religion's most sacred institutions and most holy places, then there is some hope for stemming the flow of volunteers and support for Islamic extremist terrorism.
Indeed so. While I can’t imagine there will be bars in the hotels of Riyadh for a while, the younger generation of Saudi royals have experience of life outside the Kingdom and seem to understand more than their fathers the need for change. Cinemas and theme parks are under construction at the moment, alongside beach resorts.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Source for pro-diversity stories = Consumption of media, especially the BBC
Source for schools concentrating on the European slave trade = reading the course notes of my nephew's GCSE History book. He didn't believe me when I told him the Arab slave trade was as big as the European one.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Surely for most white and BME Britons it is the transatlantic triangle trade that is relevant.
There are other aspects. The leading teacher training college in the West Indies is Lady Mico University College. Lady Mico had originally intended her charity for the rehabilitation of freed British and Irish galley slaves recaptured or ransomed from the Moors, before expanding into the education of freed slaves in the 19th Century. My Gr Gr Gr Grandfather was one of the original teachers there.
It merely shows how utterly clueless DD is about the real world. Businesses have already said they want the outline of an agreement early in 2018 or else they will assume the worst and organise accordingly.
This is a very late response but I’d suggest that many business managements dont live in the world, real or otherwise.
For example i know of one (genuinely) major business which holds true to 10 year forecasts and which form the foundation of their strategy. This demand for certainty means that 10 year forecast must be revised every year - it’s 6 month forecast giving the illusion of long term planning. It’s no more certain than a politician’s attention span.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Surely for most white and BME Britons it is the transatlantic triangle trade that is relevant.
There are other aspects. The leading teacher training college in the West Indies is Lady Mico University College. Lady Mico had originally intended her charity for the rehabilitation of freed British and Irish galley slaves recaptured or ransomed from the Moors, before expanding into the education of freed slaves in the 19th Century. My Gr Gr Gr Grandfather was one of the original teachers there.
Yes it's most relevant, but context of that awful business as, regrettably, not in a historical sense especially, uniquely heinous is an important detail to at least note.
Yep, with every election there will be more children of the ‘90s becoming MPs. By the time of the next scheduled election someone born in 1990 would be 32. Apologies in advance for making people feel old!
I have to wonder whether such discoveries in the future will have quite the same impact, though, provided that the person whose views have been exposed has genuinely evolved. Kids online do and say stuff that we might have done while drunk in pubs or at parties. They also have an understanding of saying extreme things to get a rise out of others.
Once the electorate comprises mostly people from generations who grew up with the internet and social media, I just can't see these stories having more impact than, say, George Bush's early cocaine use.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Yep, with every election there will be more children of the ‘90s becoming MPs. By the time of the next scheduled election someone born in 1990 would be 32. Apologies in advance for making people feel old!
I have to wonder whether such discoveries in the future will have quite the same impact, though, provided that the person whose views have been exposed has genuinely evolved. Kids online do and say stuff that we might have done while drunk in pubs or at parties. They also have an understanding of saying extreme things to get a rise out of others.
Once the electorate comprises mostly people from generations who grew up with the internet and social media, I just can't see these stories having more impact than, say, George Bush's early cocaine use.
That’s an interesting point. It’s possible we’ll have a 20-25 year transition period as the current generation of twenty somethings grow older, after which time youthful internet postings might be forgiven - or it will become commonplace to change your identity completely when you graduate, to leave all the old stuff behind.
If Saudi Arabia can truly move away from Wahhabism and deny the stature and authority of those preaching intolerance and militant righteousness from the religion's most sacred institutions and most holy places, then there is some hope for stemming the flow of volunteers and support for Islamic extremist terrorism.
Penny quotes comments about her on Staines’s site. "Perhaps Sharia might be a good thing after all, if Ms Penny was not allowed out without a member of her Family and we did not have to look at her face, also we could stone her to death...” "Call me old fashioned bt this young lady shouid [sic] be whipped through the streets of London before being made to suck Ken Livingstones cock as people throw shit at the pair of them." She asked for these to be taken down and the men who run the site told her to get a sense of humour.
Guido has allowed and encouraged a lot worse from his supporters. He's not part of the cure 'shining a light' on anything, but part of the disease.
You went BTL
Don't go BTL
Always good advice.
Frankly, on O’Mara, I’ve said as bad or worse than much of it as part of deliberately offensive humour, though rarely online (if going full racist or sexist joke for effect, best make really really sure the people receiving it are on board), and I don’t think his being a cock is worthy of resignation, but nor is Guido going after him symptomatic of much. His own comments section is foul, I am sure (I think I recall him making some changes a year or so back to curtail it somewhat), but if someone is in a position of authority and they posture about their own righteousness, they are going to be targets. O’Mara himself unnecessarily made things more complicated than he needed to by suggesting a Tory is unlikely to be able to change and thus should probably resign over such things, which added a level of self justifying nonsense to the proceedings.
Yep, with every election there will be more children of the ‘90s becoming MPs. By the time of the next scheduled election someone born in 1990 would be 32. Apologies in advance for making people feel old!
True I feel old when next year people born in 2000 will be able to vote.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
How many kids in the UK get taught about this aspect of the slave trade? (And it's a BBC source - so it must be true!)
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
This sort of case - where he’s not necessarily done anything illegal but is just being an idiot, and facts about the man are coming out now that affect his suitability to represent the people of Sheffield Hallam - is exactly the sort of case for which we should have a recall law on the statute books.
I don't think I would enjoy university these days.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I think the vast majority of students are still like that. The problem is that a tiny minority are now being given the oxygen of publicity to drive agendas against the experts of institutions and the institutions don't fight back e.g. the whole Rhodes Must Fall nonsense.
I get the feeling my sense of humour would get me into trouble, repeatedly.
Didn't you make a joke to a customs agent about purchasing weapons once?
Yes.
In my defence, I was dealing with one of the most stupid people in the history of humanity.
Which makes "joking" with them even more of a high-risk strategy.
The border guards in East Germany were chosen for their low IQ. Less likely to question the order to shoot. You no longer need wonder where they got re-employed after the fall of the Wall...
I was in a party of 5 people, 2 of whom worked for QINETIQ.
The other 4 were all white, this guy just homed in on me, my colleagues took exception to this, and he doubled down when they asked why they weren't being questioned.
One of his questions was
'Have you ever discussed buying weapons on any visit to America?' and I was like 'No'
'Do you like guns' and it was a lot of silly questions, at one point he considered my electric shaver a weapon.
This went on for over an hour, stupid question after stupid question.
The denouement was
Him: Do you have any weapons?
Me: Why, what do you need? Because two of my friends work QINETIQ, whose clients include the DOD.
My being arrested on the East German side of the East/West German border with 30-odd tonnes of firehose - aged 16 - is still Top Trumps!
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Surely for most white and BME Britons it is the transatlantic triangle trade that is relevant.
There are other aspects. The leading teacher training college in the West Indies is Lady Mico University College. Lady Mico had originally intended her charity for the rehabilitation of freed British and Irish galley slaves recaptured or ransomed from the Moors, before expanding into the education of freed slaves in the 19th Century. My Gr Gr Gr Grandfather was one of the original teachers there.
Yes it's most relevant, but context of that awful business as, regrettably, not in a historical sense especially, uniquely heinous is an important detail to at least note.
I think what makes the Atlantic slave trade stand out for its horror is precisely the attempt to give it a scientific basis in racial difference, which the Arab slave trade didn't have. There are plenty of works from the time about how black people literally lacked something of what it was to be human - they didn't have a soul, they didn't have emotions, only the kind of animal instincts which Descartes saw as just a kind of mechanic reflex, rather than 'passions of the soul', etc.
From what I gather, the Arab slave trade (for all its horrors) at least saw slaves as being a human of the same kind, with the same faculties, feelings, even legal rights within the context of that system.
To be honest, if Labour had Oliver Coppard as their candidate again, I can see a very easy Lab hold in a by election.
Why was the fragrant O’Mara selected instead?
Momentum backed him.
The “lesson” they have “learned” according to Mason is....wait for it......”automatic reselection”.....
Which is one reason why the Corbynites are likely to be favour of the boundary changes - it’s a great opportunity to introduce compulsory reselection.
Compulsory reselection is not the issue as such; that already exists in theory. What is crucial if deselections take place (in any party), is breaking the close connection that an MP has with his or her constituency activists, who will usually include a fair number who are personally loyal because of having worked together. Reselection is not a threat if it's just a process that an MP can sail through. Breaking that link, as revised boundaries do, makes it a good deal more likely that an MP can be shifted.
He is referring to the preferential trade deals that the European Union has with 60 third countries. Let the sheer stupidity of that assertion sink in. This is the European Union that we are leaving - that some people are proposing to have nothing to do with. Arrangements struck as a body of 28 nations, and which will continue anyway, can't "roll over" for the UK.
The UK can propose new arrangements somewhat based on the EU ones to each of those 60 third countries. Those countries could choose to sign up quickly to those terms. My guess is a number of less important countries will do so. The others will take their time and will hold out for more advantageous terms for themselves. We won't be without third party agreements for ever, but it will take time and we are never likely to get back to arrangements that are as favourable as those we have now.
You realise, of course, that Mark Price was Minister of State for Trade Policy until last month. And that he claims that, on behalf of the government, he visited these 60 countries who have agreed to roll over the current deal and are working through the details.
Some support for theory that many leave voters are highly motivated to punish Brexit supporting politicians. Could make the self interest calculations of many MPs interesting.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
How many kids in the UK get taught about this aspect of the slave trade? (And it's a BBC source - so it must be true!)
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Surely for most white and BME Britons it is the transatlantic triangle trade that is relevant.
There are other aspects. The leading teacher training college in the West Indies is Lady Mico University College. Lady Mico had originally intended her charity for the rehabilitation of freed British and Irish galley slaves recaptured or ransomed from the Moors, before expanding into the education of freed slaves in the 19th Century. My Gr Gr Gr Grandfather was one of the original teachers there.
Yes it's most relevant, but context of that awful business as, regrettably, not in a historical sense especially, uniquely heinous is an important detail to at least note.
I think what makes the Atlantic slave trade stand out for its horror is precisely the attempt to give it a scientific basis in racial difference, which the Arab slave trade didn't have. There are plenty of works from the time about how black people literally lacked something of what it was to be human - they didn't have a soul, they didn't have emotions, only the kind of animal instincts which Descartes saw as just a kind of mechanic reflex, rather than 'passions of the soul', etc.
From what I gather, the Arab slave trade (for all its horrors) at least saw slaves as being a human of the same kind, with the same faculties, feelings, even legal rights within the context of that system.
Oh the full hororrs of it deserve to be explored. But there's more to the whose grim business than us taught.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Yes it's most relevant, but context of that awful business as, regrettably, not in a historical sense especially, uniquely heinous is an important detail to at least note.
I think what makes the Atlantic slave trade stand out for its horror is precisely the attempt to give it a scientific basis in racial difference, which the Arab slave trade didn't have. There are plenty of works from the time about how black people literally lacked something of what it was to be human - they didn't have a soul, they didn't have emotions, only the kind of animal instincts which Descartes saw as just a kind of mechanic reflex, rather than 'passions of the soul', etc.
From what I gather, the Arab slave trade (for all its horrors) at least saw slaves as being a human of the same kind, with the same faculties, feelings, even legal rights within the context of that system.
The arab slave trade was pretty devastating, as a visit to Nkhotakota in Malawi shows.
The triangle trade is most relavent to British (mostly English) social and economic history. Not only is it a part of the ancestry of BME Britons, but also to the rise of the Atlantic ports, banking and iron manufacturing in the West Midlands.
Abolitionism is also important, but ours is a tainted heritage by the stan of slavery.
You realise, of course, that Mark Price was Minister of State for Trade Policy until last month. And that he claims that, on behalf of the government, he visited these 60 countries who have agreed to roll over the current deal and are working through the details.
Does that realisation:
a) Fill you with confidence that Liam Fox's department is on top of things and fully grounded in reality, or b) Fill you with horror that Liam Fox's department is wholly divorced from reality and believes that warm words are sufficient?
To make one obvious point, how on earth should anyone believe that 60-odd countries are currently 'working through the details' when even our own government has no idea what will happen and regards 'no deal' merely as a negotiating position?
Very few, I think. Similarly with the Irish ‘prisoners of war’ in Cromwelliam times, who ended up a slaves in the West Indies.
My great-grandfather George Palmer was a rear-admiral, involved in the Crimean War and chasing slave-traders. So far as the family knows, he wasn't political at all (unlike others in the family - two Conservative MPs including Churchill's Chief Whip). As a captain, he wrote a book, Kidnapping in the South Seas, which caused a furore because he effectively accused the New South Wales colonial authorities of collaborating with slave traders. Parliament ordered him to apologise, and he had to pay something like £1000 damages, which I suppose would be £100K today, and the British Government had to pay out too, although it doesn't seem to have prevented his later career. In hindsight it seems likely that his accusations were correct and the forced apology was political. The book, which is harshly critical of some of the settlers, is available online at
The theme of when it's safe for officers to annoy Government allies behaving badly has a topical flavour. I have his book of (very beautiful) water-colours of the Pacific from the voyages, in astonishingly good condition, and have made some effort to get an edited version of the book republished with the pictures, but never found a publisher (any suggestions welcome).
Some support for theory that many leave voters are highly motivated to punish Brexit supporting politicians. Could make the self interest calculations of many MPs interesting.
Since Conservative pbers reacted with hostility yesterday to the mere suggestion that their party's current incarnation might be offputting to Remain supporters, I'm doubtful whether many Conservative MPs even understand the calculation.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Yes it's most relevant, but context of that awful business as, regrettably, not in a historical sense especially, uniquely heinous is an important detail to at least note.
I think what makes the Atlantic slave trade stand out for its horror is precisely the attempt to give it a scientific basis in racial difference, which the Arab slave trade didn't have. There are plenty of works from the time about how black people literally lacked something of what it was to be human - they didn't have a soul, they didn't have emotions, only the kind of animal instincts which Descartes saw as just a kind of mechanic reflex, rather than 'passions of the soul', etc.
From what I gather, the Arab slave trade (for all its horrors) at least saw slaves as being a human of the same kind, with the same faculties, feelings, even legal rights within the context of that system.
The arab slave trade was pretty devastating, as a visit to Nkhotakota in Malawi shows.
The triangle trade is most relavent to British (mostly English) social and economic history. Not only is it a part of the ancestry of BME Britons, but also to the rise of the Atlantic ports, banking and iron manufacturing in the West Midlands.
Abolitionism is also important, but ours is a tainted heritage by the stan of slavery.
There are few nations which do not have terrible deeds in their past, where peoe could dominate they often did, if not always in such a stark way. References to it being stained to my mind are not overly helpful, anyone than whitewashing events is, in thinking how to learn from it today, since it encourages cultural guilt for things the modern culture, while not perfect, abhors.
Some support for theory that many leave voters are highly motivated to punish Brexit supporting politicians. Could make the self interest calculations of many MPs interesting.
Since Conservative leavers on PB reacted with hostility yesterday to the mere suggestion that their party's current incarnation might be offputting to Remain supporters, I'm doubtful whether many Conservative MPs even understand the calculation.
As one of the offput, I'll amend that if you don't mind.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
Yes it's most relevant, but context of that awful business as, regrettably, not in a historical sense especially, uniquely heinous is an important detail to at least note.
I think what makes the Atlantic slave trade stand out for its horror is precisely the attempt to give it a scientific basis in racial difference, which the Arab slave trade didn't have. There are plenty of works from the time about how black people literally lacked something of what it was to be human - they didn't have a soul, they didn't have emotions, only the kind of animal instincts which Descartes saw as just a kind of mechanic reflex, rather than 'passions of the soul', etc.
From what I gather, the Arab slave trade (for all its horrors) at least saw slaves as being a human of the same kind, with the same faculties, feelings, even legal rights within the context of that system.
The arab slave trade was pretty devastating, as a visit to Nkhotakota in Malawi shows.
The triangle trade is most relavent to British (mostly English) social and economic history. Not only is it a part of the ancestry of BME Britons, but also to the rise of the Atlantic ports, banking and iron manufacturing in the West Midlands.
Abolitionism is also important, but ours is a tainted heritage by the stan of slavery.
The Atlantic ports perhaps ((although even then restricting to Bristol would be more convincing). The rest, let’s say that that I hope that you are more accurate in your day job .
Some support for theory that many leave voters are highly motivated to punish Brexit supporting politicians. Could make the self interest calculations of many MPs interesting.
Since Conservative leavers on PB reacted with hostility yesterday to the mere suggestion that their party's current incarnation might be offputting to Remain supporters, I'm doubtful whether many Conservative MPs even understand the calculation.
As one of the offput, I'll amend that if you don't mind.
Apologies. There are some on here who think that people like you don't exist.
Very few, I think. Similarly with the Irish ‘prisoners of war’ in Cromwelliam times, who ended up a slaves in the West Indies.
My great-grandfather George Palmer was a rear-admiral, involved in the Crimean War and chasing slave-traders. So far as the family knows, he wasn't political at all (unlike others in the family - two Conservative MPs including Churchill's Chief Whip). As a captain, he wrote a book, Kidnapping in the South Seas, which caused a furore because he effectively accused the New South Wales colonial authorities of collaborating with slave traders. Parliament ordered him to apologise, and he had to pay something like £1000 damages, which I suppose would be £100K today, and the British Government had to pay out too, although it doesn't seem to have prevented his later career. In hindsight it seems likely that his accusations were correct and the forced apology was political. The book, which is harshly critical of some of the settlers, is available online at
The theme of when it's safe for officers to annoy Government allies behaving badly has a topical flavour. I have his book of (very beautiful) water-colours of the Pacific from the voyages, in astonishingly good condition, and have made some effort to get an edited version of the book republished with the pictures, but never found a publisher (any suggestions welcome).
I’ve read a few pages and it seems a fascinating book Mr P. I’ve noted it, and look forweard to reading it at some point.
Also also, Mr. Sulphate, a few months ago I had some demented fools attacking me on Twitter for suggesting authors should be judged by quality not the demography of the author. Apparently, that stance was too pro-male and pro-white.
Young people are constantly being bombarded with messages that indicate that white people are bad/evil and non-white are good/virtuous. Diversity is a codeword for non-white and is celebrated whilst the opposite is seen as insular, non-inclusive and a bit racist.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Source please or is it just another one of your deranged fantasies?
How many kids in the UK get taught about this aspect of the slave trade? (And it's a BBC source - so it must be true!)
Fascinating! I never knew that! Which I suppose is your point.....two wrongs don’t make a right - least of all if one of the wrongs was orders of magnitude greater - but it’s a nuance which is lost - or buried?
Some support for theory that many leave voters are highly motivated to punish Brexit supporting politicians. Could make the self interest calculations of many MPs interesting.
Since Conservative leavers on PB reacted with hostility yesterday to the mere suggestion that their party's current incarnation might be offputting to Remain supporters, I'm doubtful whether many Conservative MPs even understand the calculation.
As one of the offput, I'll amend that if you don't mind.
Apologies. There are some on here who think that people like you don't exist.
It's because we make (much) less noise. Oh for an alternative to vote for...
Comments
They invoke terms such as institutional racism because it’s generally centered on concern about the representation of BME authors. These students believe that it’s important to study literature from authors from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds and they don’t agree with the elevation of white European literature over others. I don’t think that their arguments are entirely without points.
I’ve already said that I don’t always agree with the way students go about these things, and that I didn’t agree with what happened at SOAS.
In a way, it's similar to the problem faced by Rupert Myers. When you parade your feminist credentials, you've got to live up the standards you set yourself.
I can't claim any proper understanding of racial issues today, but surely we should listen to people who do think it's still an issue.
I bet you wonder why you don't get the blue shell when you're in first position in Mario Kart.
I think Clegg wins but a A N Other Lib Dem might do so as well.
The Lib Dems are still pretty active and strong round here, I think this is a seat that they think they can take in 2022.
When I take out a mortgage, I'm required by law to be advised of the full amount I will end up paying over its full term, based on certain reasonable assumptions. Why not the same for today's students? They're still mortgaging their lives away, apart from the fact that they don't end up owning bricks and mortar to offset that debt.
Thankfully that was dropped as offensive to autistic people, but it is curious how we simultaneously suggest race no longer matters while making it matter more. Granted part of that is down to continuing issues - people with non white sounding names doing poorly in interview selection etc - but still.
The most passionate discussions I can recall are
1) Who was better, Blur or Oasis?
and
2) Zip then button, or button then zip?
I actually think for the vast majority they actively try to stay out of trouble / play it safe, because they don't want to rock the boat for the graduate schemes they are hyper-focused on getting on to.
And you can claim a group is "growing rapidly" when the absolute numbers are very small.
Teaching of the slave trade at school concentrates on that carried out by Europeans and doesn't even mention the Arab slave trade or the role Britain had in ending the practice entirely.
This is not going to have good long term consequences.
Nick Clegg has retired: https://www.markpack.org.uk/150837/nick-clegg-sheffield-hallam-selection/
Could he be persuaded to change his mind if there was a by-election? I reckon he could, as he clearly wouldn't have expected this, however I'd think Joe Otten or Shaffaq Mohammed would be potential candidates if not.
However why would Jared O'Mara stand down? There's nothing about him that suggests he could hold down a job paying anything like as much outside parliament so it would be financial suicide, even as an outcast. If only we had a proper recall law - this is exactly the sort of behaviour where the citizens should decide whether they want a by-election based on what they now know.
And if Labour spinners had a bit more sense, they'd have a rule that every sentence put out in a statement at the moment contained at least 2 references to Anne-Marie Morris.
Even though May is shit and disliked, the Tories were never going to let it get to a stage where they acted as enablers for another GE this year.
How much evidence do you have for a suggestion that the UK Govt. will ask for that Notice to be withdrawn? Because until it is - we are leaving, in March 2019.
17 months, 4 days.
Whilst we need to remember the ugly history of racism and its lasting impact, we also need to find a way to move past it and recognise the simple fact that our humanity unites us even if our cultures divide us.
In my defence, I was dealing with one of the most stupid people in the history of humanity.
Mr McDonnell told the BBC: "There will be a full investigation by the Labour Party and then, as a result of that, a final decision will be made about his future."
Asked about Labour colleagues who had defended Mr O'Mara in recent days, Mr McDonnell said: "They were basing that judgement on the information they had before them and the information that was provided to them by Jared himself and others.
"New information has come to light, so quite rightly the Labour Party has acted swiftly. He's been suspended, the whip has been withdrawn."
The border guards in East Germany were chosen for their low IQ. Less likely to question the order to shoot. You no longer need wonder where they got re-employed after the fall of the Wall...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_O'Mara
Unfortunately the very act of challenging someones views is sometimes considered to be aggressive or racist. That is the point we need to move forward from.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/25/bermuda_law_firm_hack/
Coming to the Guardian / BBC soon then....
The other 4 were all white, this guy just homed in on me, my colleagues took exception to this, and he doubled down when they asked why they weren't being questioned.
One of his questions was
'Have you ever discussed buying weapons on any visit to America?' and I was like 'No'
'Do you like guns' and it was a lot of silly questions, at one point he considered my electric shaver a weapon.
This went on for over an hour, stupid question after stupid question.
The denouement was
Him: Do you have any weapons?
Me: Why, what do you need? Because two of my friends work QINETIQ, whose clients include the DOD.
While I am still a firm proponent of personal responsibility for your own life, no matter how bad a hand birth or life has dealt you, as a society we should be realistic about our expectations of people. If we want people to overcome the mindsets created by poverty, social breakdown and racism, we - as a society - have to help them help themselves. To do so is not just socially responsible, it is also enlightened self-interest.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41747476
If Saudi Arabia can truly move away from Wahhabism and deny the stature and authority of those preaching intolerance and militant righteousness from the religion's most sacred institutions and most holy places, then there is some hope for stemming the flow of volunteers and support for Islamic extremist terrorism.
(Zac Goldsmith led the campaign for full recall i think.)
Someone's shopping 1/3
Sectarian nutjob 4/1
ISIS/ISIL/DAESH/whateverthefucktheyrecalled 10/1
Source for schools concentrating on the European slave trade = reading the course notes of my nephew's GCSE History book. He didn't believe me when I told him the Arab slave trade was as big as the European one.
There are other aspects. The leading teacher training college in the West Indies is Lady Mico University College. Lady Mico had originally intended her charity for the rehabilitation of freed British and Irish galley slaves recaptured or ransomed from the Moors, before expanding into the education of freed slaves in the 19th Century. My Gr Gr Gr Grandfather was one of the original teachers there.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mico_Foundation
For example i know of one (genuinely) major business which holds true to 10 year forecasts and which form the foundation of their strategy. This demand for certainty means that 10 year forecast must be revised every year - it’s 6 month forecast giving the illusion of long term planning. It’s no more certain than a politician’s attention span.
Once the electorate comprises mostly people from generations who grew up with the internet and social media, I just can't see these stories having more impact than, say, George Bush's early cocaine use.
Amazon Key is a new service that lets couriers unlock your front door
You’ll need a smart lock and Amazon’s new Cloud Cam
https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/25/16538834/amazon-key-in-home-delivery-unlock-door-prime-cloud-cam-smart-lock
And then robs you.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/white_slaves_01.shtml
After a few minutes it wore and felt a bit awkward.
A bit like when I hired a violin player to serenade us at dinner.
From what I gather, the Arab slave trade (for all its horrors) at least saw slaves as being a human of the same kind, with the same faculties, feelings, even legal rights within the context of that system.
https://www.newstatesman.com/2017/10/how-remainers-cost-theresa-may-her-majority-2017-election
Some support for theory that many leave voters are highly motivated to punish Brexit supporting politicians. Could make the self interest calculations of many MPs interesting.
The triangle trade is most relavent to British (mostly English) social and economic history. Not only is it a part of the ancestry of BME Britons, but also to the rise of the Atlantic ports, banking and iron manufacturing in the West Midlands.
Abolitionism is also important, but ours is a tainted heritage by the stan of slavery.
a) Fill you with confidence that Liam Fox's department is on top of things and fully grounded in reality, or
b) Fill you with horror that Liam Fox's department is wholly divorced from reality and believes that warm words are sufficient?
To make one obvious point, how on earth should anyone believe that 60-odd countries are currently 'working through the details' when even our own government has no idea what will happen and regards 'no deal' merely as a negotiating position?
My great-grandfather George Palmer was a rear-admiral, involved in the Crimean War and chasing slave-traders. So far as the family knows, he wasn't political at all (unlike others in the family - two Conservative MPs including Churchill's Chief Whip). As a captain, he wrote a book, Kidnapping in the South Seas, which caused a furore because he effectively accused the New South Wales colonial authorities of collaborating with slave traders. Parliament ordered him to apologise, and he had to pay something like £1000 damages, which I suppose would be £100K today, and the British Government had to pay out too, although it doesn't seem to have prevented his later career. In hindsight it seems likely that his accusations were correct and the forced apology was political. The book, which is harshly critical of some of the settlers, is available online at
https://ia902606.us.archive.org/28/items/kidnappinginsou02palmgoog/kidnappinginsou02palmgoog.pdf
The theme of when it's safe for officers to annoy Government allies behaving badly has a topical flavour. I have his book of (very beautiful) water-colours of the Pacific from the voyages, in astonishingly good condition, and have made some effort to get an edited version of the book republished with the pictures, but never found a publisher (any suggestions welcome).
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2017/oct/25/pmqs-theresa-may-jeremy-corbyn-brexit-david-davis-tory-mp-monitoring-brexit-university-teaching-receives-fresh-rebuke-from-government-politics-live
Still, holding up Varoufakis as a negotiating exemplar possibly isn't the smartest of suggestions....
All eyes on 2018?