All-purpose news and politics thread: One Step Beyond!

[Iangould]

The coalition are looking like they'll lose the EU budget vote which is another defeat in the Commons for them if it happens.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/b...eu-budget-vote

So what triggers an early election in the British system?

[Charles RB]

Vote of no confidence, or Cameron & the Cabinet decide to hold one.

The coalition are looking like they'll lose the EU budget vote which is another defeat in the Commons for them if it happens.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/b...eu-budget-vote

They did.

Which is a sign Cameron's right, Miliband isn't ready to be PM - in order to score short-term points, Miliband has helped mess with the EU budget planning and how friendly states will view us. And how they'll view him if he gets in.

[bringthenoise]

So what triggers an early election in the British system?

Either the PM calls it, or the government loses a Vote of No Confidence in the Commons. The Coalition won't lose the latter because the rebels all quite like being in government (and in parliament, in most of the Lib Dems case)

[Charles RB]

Good news and bad news for Middle Eastern politics:

Good news, Libya's General National Congress has agreed on a new Cabinet. It's a mix designed to keep both of the largest party blocs and the regions happy, and there's two women ministers - it's a step forward for stability.

Bad news, Turkey's terrifyingly Muslim AKP party have been in power for ten years, overseeing such fundamentalist terror as taking their country out of economic crisis, stabilising inflation, reducing the ability of the army to overthrow government... wait, hang on... That means they're not scary terrifying fundamentalists that only the army can save Turkey from! That's good news too! (The AKP have decided to not reform some things that, in power, make their lives easier, and they've been doing some vicious crap against the Kurds, they're not perfect. But they've still been a step up from many of their predecessors)

Some actual bad news, Bahrain has banned protests. ALL protests. Also gatherings.

[king mob]

Which is a sign Cameron's right, Miliband isn't ready to be PM - in order to score short-term points, Miliband has helped mess with the EU budget planning and how friendly states will view us. And how they'll view him if he gets in.

As much as it pains me to agree with a cunt like Cameron, he's right. This is shocking opportunism by Labour not to mention it pisses all over traditional Labour values. Sadly, it will win Labour some credit and that's a fucking disgrace.

[king mob]

Another celebrity has been nicked in the Jimmy Savile case. Freddie Starr was arrested this evening, which was probably brought on by him lying his tits off about his involvment with Savile in the 70's. This however was expected as Starr was clearly lying, but there's some other larger names due to have their collar felt if the internet is telling the truth.

Also, in Jerry Sadowitz's new show he's going to spend time proving Savile was innocent. Clever big nosed twat that he is.

[Iangould]

A (nonsourced but mostly from enduringamerica.com) recap of events in syria.

1. After the FSA advanced into Kurdish areas of Aleppo as part of a deal with local Kursdish leaders. things went badly wrogn with FSA troops firing on anti-FSA demonstrations and Kurdish fighters shooting back. Apparently, peace has been restored for the moment at least.

2. The Syrian National Council which claimed to be the political leadership of the revolution but which was mostly made up on western-based emigres ahs agreed to dissolve itself in favor of a new group representing priamrily the groups actually active on the ground inside Syria. The Local Co-ordinating councils - the civil non-violent opposition groups that are acting already as a de facto government in much of northern Syria and the FSA leadership are in favor. The LCC's official spoeswoman was really outspoken about the need ot restrain Islamists. ("Better an American occupation than a Saudi one.")

3. FSA advances in the north continue with them increasingly using heavy artillery to attack regime strongpoints. Apart from anything else that suggests a degree of comfort that they can openly deploy these units without too great a risk of an airstrike.

4. There are now multiple, verified incidents of FSA fighters summarily executing captured government soldiers. Not only is this a war crime, it's spectacularly stupid when you're trying to convince other SAA soldiers to defect.

5. Fighting has returned to the Damascus area on a large scale. The government is nowbombing its own capital on a daily basis. Miltary aviation experts who've analyzed amateur videos also say that they're regularly deploying chaff - which is only used if the pilot thinks there's a threat from surface to air missiles.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Another celebrity has been nicked in the Jimmy Savile case. Freddie Starr was arrested this evening, which was probably brought on by him lying his tits off about his involvment with Savile in the 70's. This however was expected as Starr was clearly lying, but there's some other larger names due to have their collar felt if the internet is telling the truth.

Also, in Jerry Sadowitz's new show he's going to spend time proving Savile was innocent. Clever big nosed twat that he is.

If anyone reads the article you will see Gary Glitters name involved. At this point how many children does this dude gotta abuse before someone locks him up and throws away the key ?

[Muggs]

If anyone reads the article you will see Gary Glitters name involved. At this point how many children does this dude gotta abuse before someone locks him up and throws away the key ?

To be fair. Everyone in the UK thinks Glitter is a fucking monster, who should be banged away for life. And has done for years.

[thehod]

To be fair. Everyone in the UK thinks Glitter is a fucking monster, who should be banged away for life. And has done for years.

I can remember a few years back, Channel 4 was doing one of their Top 100 programmes, and this one was the Top 100 selling recording artists, and they counted down the artists that have sold the most records in the uk.

They did the usual thing of dedicating two or three minutes to each artisit, their achievements, where they were now, that sort of thing.

When it came to Glitter (who sold a fuck load of records in the 70s) it was done within ten seconds.

"Gary Glitter sold xxm records over a recording career that lasted xx years.

(slight beat)

Still, doesn't really matter anymore, does it?"

And that was it.

[Iangould]

I was vaguely curious how glitter was not in prison.

So i looked up his Wikipedia page.

He was convicted on multiple charges of child rape in Vietnam and could have faced the death penalty.

His sentence was reduced when he offered compensation to the victims - just over US$300 each.

[king mob]

If anyone reads the article you will see Gary Glitters name involved. At this point how many children does this dude gotta abuse before someone locks him up and throws away the key ?

Glitter and Starr (whose body language screams ''oh fuck I've been caught!!'') are small fry. The point was made on Radio 4 the other morning that for Savile to get the access he did to the royals and Prime Ministers (one of Savile's frequent boasts was he spent 11 Hogmanay's with Thatcher at Chequers) then he'd have to have been screened by MI5, so surely something would have become clear if the bloody security services are going through his life?

The latest person to be accused of rape is Leonard Rossiter and this has caused Jonathan Dimbleby cause to kick off.

[Iangould]

So the coverage of the capture of the city of Saranqeb by the FSA focused mostly on the massacre of prisoners by the FSA.

But the city is critical to the whole government position in northen Syria. The road from Latakia to Aleppo intersects the main north-south highway here. So as well as being cut off from Dasmascus, Aleppo is now cut off from Latakia as well.

Also the main air base in northern Syria is just outside the town and is now under attack. up to 50 helicopters - rougly 50% of the whole government fleet - are beleived ot be based there.

[Vibranium]

I was vaguely curious how glitter was not in prison.

So i looked up his Wikipedia page.

He was convicted on multiple charges of child rape in Vietnam and could have faced the death penalty.

His sentence was reduced when he offered compensation to the victims - just over US$300 each.

kind of how it works over there, aside from what they consider really serious crimes...if you can offer financial compensation (which is usually set by the court) they either reduce your sentence or let you go

[Gryphon]

In Canadian politics

So, I was reading the Toronto Star today and in the letters to the editor there were more accusations lobbed at the Tories of voter fraud with Robocalls. I thought the investigation concluded that the liberals were involved? And someone said 76% voted against Harper. Where are they getting these numbers from?