All-purpose news and politics thread

[mikekerrIII]

Mike's a good guy and I was in a lousy mood when I responded but yes this is the essence of what I was angry about.

Mike: as much as I like you and value your input to this forum you do seem to have two flaws.

One is a view of non-US developed countries that borders on contempt. (As seen by your claims that the European NATO members would cut and run from Libya at the first opportunity leaving the US to fight alone to give one example amongst many.)

The other is your extreme aversion to admitting you were wrong which we see at work here. If you feel inclined to continue this particular argument feel free to do so but I won't be responding.

May claims about NATO on Libya, were based largly upon the Dutch where cutting and running an leaving civilians to die can earn you a promotion, and things like them not moving on Kosovo at all until the US committed Miltary resources. the fact that they could not have sustained the effort without the US is another reason since after the first part they were dropping US ordinance, fueled by US tankers and operating under the protection of US SEAD.

Any you still haven't explained how having the government or a government proxy controlling the content of the press is a good idea.

[mikekerrIII]

According to him, he is. That's what he just said, isn't it?

Only if you can't understand English, where did I say that?

[mikekerrIII]

The FCC should at least have the ability to trustbust media conglomerates and prevent unfair business practices. Although they seem to have either lost or abrogated that responsibility in the last couple of decades. Nowadays it appears their chief purpose is to issue a fine every time a fundamentalist is reminded that breasts exist.

The FCC doesn't and should not have that power since it is outside thier purview. The SEC and the Justice Department do have that power under existing law but they don't use it. Increasing regulations or writing new laws will not fix a governments unwillingness to enforce long existing laws/

The major media companies like the banks are basically immune from the law since it's been many decades since we had an administration willing to fight them.

[king mob]

The Lib Dems continue to be mouthy, as Cable gives the bleakest view on the economy of any Cabinet minister so far, says banking reform is a necessity and so is tax reform that taxes the rich more and the poor less, says he wants to make executive pay more reliant on the shareholders, and admits that many Brits don't find the cuts fair. Or lots of stuff Tories will hate, basically.

And then their Scottish Secretary insulted the whole Eurosceptic wing of the Tories.

Cable and others are saying it was right to go into coalition, but despite that rhetoci they're clearly unhappy with the way the last year has gone.

They need to be a lot more mouthy too, with stuff coming out like how the end of education maintenance allowances may have indeed discouraged poorer students from uni as people thought it would.

And normal service will be resumed next month as the Lib Dems tug their forelocks at the Tories.

[Charles RB]

things like them not moving on Kosovo at all until the US committed Miltary resources.

All of them? Because Tony Blair was pretty up for military action over Kosovo. And a number of Nato nations had been involved in Afghanistan, Britain and Canada committing a big chunk of their military. And the French had not only been the ones agitating for action in Libya, they'd been doing it in the Ivory Coast shortly before so we could see that the French were unlikely to cut and run.

[king mob]

I don't follow politics/news in the UK very closely, but from what you cats post in this thread, it sounds like a bad Dickens novel these days.

Do realise that the coalition programme of cuts is a template for the Republican's and now Obama seems to be looking at us for inspiration.

[king mob]

A regulatory agency with more than the minimal ability to regulate the press is an obscenity. Unlike you I prefer to judge what I want to here on my own not let somebody spoon feed me government approved pap.

So would you be happy to let multi millionaires dominate the news media and pump out propaganda because that's what you've got.

[Charles RB]

And normal service will be resumed next month as the Lib Dems tug their forelocks at the Tories.

I dunno about that. It's leaked out that ministers are discussing a £5 billion stimulus, and that's a climbdown from the previous government "RARRRR DEFICIT CANNOT SPEND" rhetoric. And if it turns out to be on infrastructure, the Tories will have done a climbdown for a Lib Dem suggestion.

Things are getting messy. They might get cleaned up later but the Tories don't see the type to forgive a whole load of public comments that make them sound like useless twats.

[Charles RB]

The Italian credit rating was downgraded.

And the European stock markets rose including Italy's MIB index, Italian bonds & borrowing costs weren't affected, and the euro got slightly stronger against the dollar.

I'd guess The Markets have become a bit more rational but the MIB rising is an odd one.

[Paul McEnery]

Only if you can't understand English, where did I say that?

What you can't understand, apparently, is logical consequence.

These are the three options for mass/broadcast media:
1) Control by a single party state
2) Control by a corporatist agenda
3) A mixed information economy subject to democratic regulation.

You're strongly opposed to the third option, therefore you're in favour of one of the other two.

Although, in practice, the other two are identical.

[Paul McEnery]

Things are getting messy. They might get cleaned up later but the Tories don't see the type to forgive a whole load of public comments that make them sound like useless twats.

Oh, surely they must be used to it by now.

[Iangould]

The Italian credit rating was downgraded.

And the European stock markets rose including Italy's MIB index, Italian bonds & borrowing costs weren't affected, and the euro got slightly stronger against the dollar.

I'd guess The Markets have become a bit more rational but the MIB rising is an odd one.

The weird thing is the Australian and Asian markets were the first to open after the announcement and THEY fell and their currencies dropped.

The claim that Greece will have a primary surplus (i.e. before interest payments) next year may have had more impact in Europe than the downgrade of Italy.

[Charles RB]

The weird thing is the Australian and Asian markets were the first to open after the announcement and THEY fell and their currencies dropped.

You're right, nobody can bloody tell what makes the markets do what on a day-to-day basis.

[berk]

You're right, nobody can bloody tell what makes the markets do what on a day-to-day basis.

The proneness of the market to sudden panics and general herd mentality makes you wonder if it's really such a great idea to leave our economic destiny a prey to its often irrational whims.

[Iangould]

Faced with consumers shifting to McDonalds for their supposedly healthier and lighter menu, Wendy's have revamped their own burger.

The secret ingredient: more fat.