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Politics. The feel in your country.

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  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    edited June 2014
    Corvino said:

    O
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced "bold, persistent experimentation" as part of his presidency. They tried new things, kept them if they worked and admitted and cancelled them if they didn't. There's a reason he's the second most popular US President of all time.

    Well he also oversaw the longest economic depression in the history of the nation... then somehow got credit for ending it as if it were by nature destined to last forever. His popularity is mostly due to being the president in a time of great troubles in which his nation managed to end up on top.
    Post edited by booinyoureyes on
    CaloNordAnduinlolientbone1
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164

    Anduin said:


    Can't we make a technocracy. People give a problem and post it on the net. People give a range of solutions to it and post them . The people then all get a vote via the Internet... It will completely disfranchise those without an internet connection... but first law is...Give everyone the internet. End of politicians. Everyone becomes a politician. Amen (actually better keep religion out of it) Sorted.

    This works only until enough trolls get together and start out-voting those of us who are not trolls, either through sheer numbers or via some underhanded digital prestidigitation.
    But haven't you read the Internet Constitution?

    Typing with caps lock on apparently counts as two votes
    CrevsDaakCaloNordmeaglothAnduin
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    Didn't 4Chan do something like that to a band? They had a vote on their website for their next gig and 4Chan sent them so many votes for some place in the middle of nowhere... To many people turn into raging idiots behind their computer screens.
    AnduinDemonoid_Limewire
  • MathsorcererMathsorcerer Member Posts: 3,037
    ColbertNation ha a history of doing that, as well.
    CaloNordAnduin
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    I love that idea though, the only thing I can't figure out is an effective way to stop mass trolling. With more people then ever connected to the internet and willing to use it it's a great idea if we could just figure out a way to make it viable. o.O
    AnduinDemonoid_Limewire
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    edited June 2014
    meagloth said:


    One the other hand, it is fun to watch. I do love me some Herman Cain. (I guess that makes me a bad person?)

    That or a lover of Godfather's Pizza.
    TJ_HookerAnduin
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    Mmmm pizzzza... *drooling*
    Oh question time makes me sick. Liberals just have four answers to everything and they just repeat it every time. It's infuriating.
    "Stop the boats!" Can't have those dirty terrorist refugees getting in here can we?! Oh GOD no.
    Demonoid_Limewire
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    elminster said:

    meagloth said:


    One the other hand, it is fun to watch. I do love me some Herman Cain. (I guess that makes me a bad person?)

    That or a lover of Godfather's Pizza.
    Well, I guess you could take it that way...
    elminster
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    CaloNord said:

    the west would be Japanese now.

    I would gladly take it by the way. If it were so, all the world would be on a new technics level with robots doing all the hardwork.
    CaloNordAristilliusDemonoid_Limewire
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    Hahahaha! Yes well there is that! Unfortunately for me my ancestors would be less fortunate ;) I probably wouldn't exist ;) Some might like that though... Never the less! World Wars aren't good for much. It's hard to get your head around the sheer scale of destruction and death the human race is capable of when we put our minds to it. Nothing compared to what could be achieved by a modern total war...
    Hopefully sanity will prevail. The cold war came alarmingly close many times but never quite got there. Would be so perfect if we could just get along as a race. We're capable of SO much more then what we currently have.
    JuliusBorisovDemonoid_LimewirelolienBlackraven
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    @Pecca‌ Hahaha oh good lord. Well hopefully he can act his way out of danger ;) Hahaha maybe we should turn this into a weirdest minister competition... I'll have to poke through the rest of the Liberal cabinet after dinner... :P Must be something interesting in there! :D
    Demonoid_Limewire
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    Oh yes, we can relate! The Labor government which was in power here for the last 10ish years was left and did a fairly good job keeping the economy a float during the global financial crisis, they increased government spending and issued cash stimulus packages to get people out and spending. As such we came through that relativity unscathed in comparison to other developed countries. They understood that to keep it going they had to be willing to get into debt at the time and pay it off later. That being said they didn't get into any extreme amount of debt, we still have a AAA credit rating from several major creditors.

    The Liberals, who are in power now are much more right wing then the former Labor party. They claim to be "Bringing the budget back under control". Not that there was a problem there anyway but they're using it as an excuse to sell government assets, reduce the pension, increase the retirement age, cut government spending on schools, secondary education and university as well as scrapping the carbon reduction scheme. They don't believe in climate change and as such see no reason to do anything about it. They even scrapped the job of Minister for the environment.

    They seem to think that having a budget in surplus is more useful then using it for the betterment of the country. What use is a massive bank balance if you won't do anything useful with it?

    I do see the issues with oil-centric economies, and there are many of them. You're investing heavily into a resource that is in no way going to last forever. Once it runs out, where are your investments now?

    AristilliusNonnahswriterDemonoid_Limewirelolien
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    @CaloNord‌
    Yeah, sounds familiar :)
    To be fair, I am a bit proud with how Norway has tackled the oil economy up to this point, nationalizing it and making sure the competence has stayed in the country rather than contracting in (underpaid) foreign companies, also most direct taxation from the oil industry does *not* go into the budget, but into a savings fund (we only use approximately 4% of the income). For many countries the oil is more of a blessing than a curse - it has been a blessing up until now because we havent turned into spoiled Quatarians (no offence intended), but it might not stay that way for long.

    Anyway, interesting about the Environment minister - I am actually a bit torn on that, I think perhaps an environment minister actually should be removed, because the really important part in saving the environment is in the hands of the industry and energy minister. Id rather have a environmentalist energy/industry minister than a powerless environmental minister - my impression is that environment ministers at most can create National Parks :P
    lolien
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    Yes. I'm all for nationalization! I think it's great the state used to own things like railways and ports. They don't anymore. Apparently they needed money so they sold everything we used to own. Now Queensland Rail for example belongs to the Chinese.

    I refer you to an incident in New Zealand, the government sold New Zealand Rail to Toll, Toll didn't bother to maintain it or run it properly, the government was forced to buy it back.
    Yes I'd had the same thought! It's interesting, their job used to be more harassing the other ministers on enviromental matters and trying to keep them working towards that goal. I fear with that roll gone and with no one really caring anymore they will just proceed all speed ahead with whatever witless wonder they come up with next.

    They also tried and fail to get a huge amount of heritage listed parks and forests in Tasmania de-registered so they could be cut down and turned into wood pulp. Not to mention they want to dredge parts of/very close to the great barrier reef. It's in the way of ships. So it has to go. :P

    I'm not a tree hugging hippy type but I do think we have to treat this planet responsibly. It's our home, not just one nations home, not just the E.U. or the U.S. but for the entire race. What do we do if we manage to ruin the delicate balance beyond our ability to repair...?

    AristilliusDemonoid_Limewirelolien
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    @‌Squire The rise of UKIP (27% of the vote in the most recent local elections) is a little worrying really. Their elected Members of European Parliament have some of the worst attendance records and highest expenses claims of any MEPs, and a record of alliances with Far-Right parties throughout Europe. Their party rhetoric carefully tiptoes along the tightrope of being not-quite-racist (just very, very anti-immigrant) as well.

    Their main selling points are not being one of the main political parties and their mistrust of Europe. That's all they've got really. Which either says there are a lot of xenophobes in the UK who got rallied to vote, or that the main political parties have really disenfranchised everyone else.
    elminster
  • AnduinAnduin Member Posts: 5,745

    Anduin said:


    Can't we make a technocracy. People give a problem and post it on the net. People give a range of solutions to it and post them . The people then all get a vote via the Internet... It will completely disfranchise those without an internet connection... but first law is...Give everyone the internet. End of politicians. Everyone becomes a politician. Amen (actually better keep religion out of it) Sorted.

    This works only until enough trolls get together and start out-voting those of us who are not trolls, either through sheer numbers or via some underhanded digital prestidigitation.
    Underhanded digital prestidigitation have become my favourite three word summerisation of the week...

    @Corvino‌ UKIPs only selling point is to give the people the vote to leave the E.U. The lack of attendance is because they don't have a clue what the party line is on so many issues that they literally cannot sing from the same song sheet; meaning that when constituents come to have a chat, about the same thing in different boroughs, you can expect two completely (sometimes mindboggling according to the press) answers. As for highest expenses, they are buying there second homes, so need to pay the deposit on the house... Why can't they put 'em all in a block of flats next door to Westminster so they can also save on transport fees... Anyway... dodge... sounds all dodge... (Anduin would like to say he has not checked his sources, just read em somewhere once, and cannot be arsed to read em up again, because no one has wikied up politician expenditures yet...)

    Anyway I am worried about economic and national inefficiencies literally crippling Britian, we have more layers of govermental duvet that I predict everyone will die in the UK from cripplinging over leadership.

    We have: Local Government
    Then: National assemblies (if you live in Scotland, Wales or Ireland, if you live in Engalnd you can go screw yourself...
    Ontop of that we have: Westminster... National Government or the UK Government.
    Ontop of this and should be mentioned as they add to the tax burden we have: The Royals. Who actually do a bit of pomp and generally do work and useful stuff. HOW DID IT COME TO THIS, WHY IS MOI, THE PEASANTRY, SAYING THE ROYALS ARE DOING WORK AND THE POLITICIANS ARE DOING SWEET F.ootball A.ssociation...
    And then: European crap. Who have taken most of the powers from westminster anyway, thats why you only see stuff about education and power generation (the electrical kind) being banded about by politicians.

    Under all those politicians... And I have not even mentioned the courts that are the stuffed pillows thrown on top... We are pretty much suffocated.
    booinyoureyesCaloNordlolien
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    Anduin said:


    Anyway I am worried about economic and national inefficiencies literally crippling Britian, we have more layers of govermental duvet that I predict everyone will die in the UK from cripplinging over leadership.

    We have: Local Government
    Then: National assemblies (if you live in Scotland, Wales or Ireland, if you live in Engalnd you can go screw yourself...
    Ontop of that we have: Westminster... National Government or the UK Government.

    In the US and parts of Canada they have 4 different levels of government.

    Local (lower tier): An example would be a city like Kitchener or a city like Detroit
    Local (higher tier): the Region of Waterloo (in the case of Kitchener) or Wayne County (Detroit)
    State/Provincial: (Ontario in the case of Waterloo and Michigan in the case of Detroit)
    and then federal.
    booinyoureyesAnduinJuliusBorisovlolien
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873

    I will never understand how some people can follow up "politicians are corrupt, inept or self-serving" with "we should nationalize more industries"

    I will never understand how people can follow up "adidas and coca cola are inept and self serving", with "we should privatize more industries".

    The hyperbole might be unwarranted (if so, im sorry @booinyoureyes), but I think it displays a point very effectively: Generally, private capital investsments are made *purely* for profit, increased democratic ownership means that there are even more on stake, people *have* to take control of government. They dont want every national resource sold overseas for short-term profit, though that would make a lot of sense for a private company.
    TJ_HookerNonnahswriterlolien
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    TJ_Hooker said:

    Yeah, I guess people complain more about politicians than corporations, not because politicians are necessarily worse, but because people don't expect anything better from corporations.

    Also because while I didn't choose my politician, I can leave one corporation for one that serves me better. It is easier to correct a problem in a market than in a bureaucracy, particularly when two different people have different desires when it comes to a good/service.
    Quartz
  • TJ_HookerTJ_Hooker Member Posts: 2,438
    Well, it's easy to switch corporations if you have the money. If you don't, you're either stuck with the cheap ones, or none at all. I don't doubt privitization would likely be a good thing in most situations for those who are wealthy.
    NonnahswriterCaloNordlolien
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