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#336350 Euro 2016 tournament thread
Ninja
The sad thing is that those two are still probably better shouts than who they'll actually give it too.
#336315 Game of Thrones
Ninja
Bit harsh. Nichola Sturgeon is a woman.
#336314 Euro 2016 tournament thread
Ninja
Have been since Thursday.
Oh, we lost the football?
#336196 EU Referendum
Ninja
Good job it was all scaremongering.
#336195 Transfer Rumours 2016/17
Ninja
#336121 EU Referendum
Ninja
In fairness to Cameron, I think he's played an absolute blinder on this front.
#335986 EU Referendum
Ninja
I agree with you mostly, and I sympathise. I just don't know if I can blame Corbyn because of a bunch of Turkey's who voted for Christmas. Regardless of the campaign Labour ran, we knew what would happen post-Brexit, we knew that growing discontent in the North East was pushing people towards UKIP and we knew that the newspapers and politicians had blamed the EU for decades for problems that the EU had not caused.
We also know that, after years of being told it was the EU's fault, people reacted strongly when they were told in the three months up to the referendum that it wasn't, and that it was seen as a protest vote against the establishment. If Labour had more vociferously backed Remain I can see it having the opposite effect: 'Well fuck you, you haven't helped us for years, why should we trust you now'. Besides, Corbyn actually led an active campaign and mostly said the right things (stupid immigration comments aside), but the press (who have slaughtered him since day one) ignored him in favour of the internal Tory party divide.
Corbyn has to go. It's drastically unfair, he's a principled man with mostly sensible left wing views who's been undermined by constant infighting by a party thats refused to get behind him, and his most high profile intrusions into most peoples lives have been a result of Labour's infighting and inconsequential shit (does it really matter if he doesn't sing the anthem?) its clear that Labour will never be an electoral force under him. Corbyn's policies could have been exactly what the North East needs, but any Labour leader left of centre faces an unwinable battle against the Murdoch press (like Red Ed), its no surprise that the only elected Labour PM for 40 years moved to the centre and cozied up to Murdoch.
Labour won't get wiped out, but they're in turmoil (more because of SNP wiping them out in Scotland than UKIP though) and have a party membership ridiculously out of step with the concerns of Labour voters – for example, Hilary Benn is an excellent orator and would do well, I think, in a world of style over substance, but he's little more than a Tory wearing a red rosette and won't get the leadership nod – this will be coupled with the backlash against Westminster when we end up either still in the EU, or in a free movement EEA style deal that Conservatives favour which will see UKIP surge further still in their heartlands.
What can we do? We're in a country now where rampant xenophobia can be dressed up as 'just caring about immigration' and defended leading to people who actually have legitimate concerns about immigration unable to express their legitimate fears without being tarred with the same brush. We're in a country now where an election was won of the promise of spending £350m a week that didn't exist on the NHS and cutting immigration, only for those claims to be backtracked upon a day later and the stories of racist abuse people have suffered in the wake off Brexit because people feel empowered to do so having 'taken their country back' should chill people to the bone.
I don't think I recognise this country anymore, I don't know how it happened, but the caring, tolerant society that welcomed people and always tried to do the right thing is disappearing in front of my eyes. Maybe it had already gone and I'm only just realising it now, and it would have been equally true regardless of the outcome of the vote. Fuck knows.
Anyway, this turned into an unrelated rant that has nothing to do with what I originally wanted to say or talk about and I don't expect anyone to agree with me but whatever, I needed to get it off my chest.
#335923 EU Referendum
Ninja
I don't think so. I think Corbyn is the dictionary definition of a reluctant remainer. Someone that dislikes what the EU has become but recognises its importance. Of all the arguments advanced by the leaders of political parties his comes closest to how I feel myself.
But its just not a vote winner is it? And its, understandably, a message thats failed to get heard over the amount of crap everyone else came out with.
I also don't think he's got anywhere near the political nous to play both sides like being suggested which is probably not a great indication for his future prospect as Labour leader. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he'll be devastated we left, but I do genuinely think he wanted us to stay.
#335905 Euro 2016 tournament thread
Ninja
I've been pretty impressed with what I've seen. Been man of the match twice I think? Not sure how good he'll be, but certainly could have had a more worrying tournament form your point of view (for example, god help us if we sign Embolo based on his performances so far).
Just don't let him take penalties and your grand.
#335884 Euro 2016 tournament thread
Ninja
#335880 EU Referendum
Ninja
I really don't know the answer. It's complicated. And if you spent most of your life as a steel worker you probably know more about it this than me, so forgive me if my comments aren't very insightful. But the problem with our industry is that we need it to employ people, pay people, house people, feed people etc... etc... which means when it comes to manufacturing something like steel or other raw materials it makes it really expensive compared to parts of the world where they pay people substantially less like China.
So yeah, while we could introduce protectionism and pay people really well to make steel for domestic uses (providing we can afford that as a country) in order for the steel industry to boom and provide a substantial amount of jobs we need to export too, and as soon as we export then we're competing against places like China which then puts a squeeze on wages and jobs as the companies try and cut costs to be competitive.
The best thing we could do would be to join a large, rich, trading block that agrees to buy our exports and not import from outside of that block. But we just voted to leave a block that could do that largely on the back of votes from people who benefit the most out of it so what do I know?
#335872 EU Referendum
Ninja
Oh. Sorry. I think you mis-understood what I said.
The EU wanted to protect the steel industry (including in this country) from cheap Chinese steel dumps. That would have propped up our industry and would probably have lead to Tata steel staying. The UK fought tooth and nail to stop them from doing that for over 3 years, and in 2016, as I'm sure you're aware, that led to Tata steel pulling out, at which point the UK government refused to bail out the steel industry in the same way they did the banks.
The crisis of manufacturing in this country, like most other things, is entirely a problem of our own making.
And on the topic, the issue I assume you're talking about is the Bombardier/Siemans bid for the Thameslink contract. As far as I'm aware, the main problem was the process that was set out by the Labour government that the Tories followed (they said they would change it afterwards, but in typical Tory fashion didn't), again it was largely a problem of our own making.
#335868 EU Referendum
Ninja
Irony right here is that EU wanted to impose tariffs on Chinese exports of Steel to protect the European market.
That was blocked by...
Yep. The UK government you guessed it.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/01/steel-crisis-uk-accused-blocking-eu-attempts-regulate-chinese-dumping
#335867 Euro 2016 tournament thread
Ninja
#335863 EU Referendum
Ninja
If we held the referendum again, and its confirmed that the 'trade deal' we will sign with the EU is what Boris and Gove favour which is to join the EEC on the same deal as Norway or Switzerland which means paying in (probably more than we did now because we won't get the rebate), having no say in how the EU makes its laws, and accepting free movement of people would you still vote leave or would you prefer to remain?
#335860 Euro 2016 tournament thread
Ninja
Did you turn on after the first minute and miss Milik dreadful miss today too?
#335859 EU Referendum
Ninja
It's not hugely out of the realms of possibility. Parliament overwhelmingly backs remaining, Scotland and Northern Ireland overwhelmingly backed remaining, some leave voters are realising that they were lied to. Nissan 'no commenting' stories that they're about to move out of Sunderland which overwhelmingly backed to leave. And Leave are backtracking on claims they made on the campaign trail. Oh and reports that the senior conservative's that backed Leave favour the Norway/Switzerland model which solves none of the issues that people voted on and causes more problems.
Not saying it will happen, but its not impossible that it might.
#335856 Euro 2016 tournament thread
Ninja
Least Lewandowski hasn't been as bad as Milik.
#335714 EU Referendum
Ninja
Given what you've said are you happy with the outcome or would you have preferred a Remain vote with a strong enough Leave % to give Brussels a kick?
#335710 EU Referendum
Ninja
Has there been much about that in Sweden? I've heard a few say there's, at best, an utter sense of bewilderment in Europe. At the fact we hate the EU migrants we get - young, working age adults or students who contribute to the economy and don't make huge use of public services like the NHS - compared to what we export - old, retired, pensioners who cost their host country through the nose to use their healthcare system.
#335708 EU Referendum
Ninja
Ah I knew it was an Essex seaside town, just got which one wrong.
Well either way, I don't think your stupid. I just think you've been duped. Rochford has one of the lowest % of immigration in the entire country, and Southend's not far off. It reflects the general national trend that areas most likely to vote Leave have the lowest % of immigration. Yet I suspect thats all you've really heard about the debate in that part of the world? It's been the same here. People pinning decades of problems caused by our own government on immigration and based off immigration fears stoked up by national disgraces like the Sun and the Mail deliberately lying.
Either way, whichever way you voted, my only real qualm with what you said is your use of the word 'expert' as a dirty word. I don't think anyones professing to some higher understanding of facts that can't be easily googled but, even if we did, why does that matter?
#335699 EU Referendum
Ninja
I'm hardly surprised, you out Clacton way yeah?
#335696 EU Referendum
Ninja
If people voted Leave but are too ashamed to admit they voted Leave, then maybe they should question why they voted that way in the first place.
#335679 EU Referendum
Ninja
Stop scaremongering with your facts.
#335677 EU Referendum
Ninja
Good job we're getting that £350m back hey.
#335675 EU Referendum
Ninja
Fucking Brexit can't even let me enjoy a moment I've been waiting for for 6 years.
#335669 EU Referendum
Ninja
Oi at least blame the Welsh too.
#335658 EU Referendum
Ninja
#335643 EU Referendum
Ninja
Scotland to back Remain by 20 points, England to drag it out of the EU.
#335640 EU Referendum
Ninja
Pound since the Sunderland result.