The UK Politics and EU Referendum thread - merged

[AndrewT]

"I used to slip off to Florida to chair a gathering of 'young leaders'"?

Ah, so the rumours about Hague are true, though I've never heard it called that before.

[TightEnd]

Corbyn needs help at PMQs

cameron should be vulnerable on housing (any government would be, intractable problems) but the questions are so rambling that Cameron just bats it off, and breezes through the session

abnd why isn't he raising the junior doctor's strike, something on which the NHS and public opinion agrees on and on which Jeremy Hunt is widely disliked. why wouldn't he be going on this at PMQ?

[PokerBroker]

this is an interesting read

SNP imagined oil revenues of £8bn.Forecast now: £100m. the mess an independent Scotland would be in now

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/12141257/Imagine-the-mess-an-independent-Scotland-would-be-in-right-now.html?fb_ref=Default

That's slighty ungenuine though, this is from March last year:

At First Minister’s Questions yesterday, Sturgeon accepted the SNP got it wrong.

She said: “When the Scottish Government was projecting an oil price of $110 a barrel, the OBR was projecting an oil price of $100 a barrel and the UK Government’s department of energy and climate change was projecting an oil price of upwards of $120.

Source: Daily Record.   

I also believe unless the old grey matter is playing tricks that Sir Donald Mackay got the figures terribly wrong and he is considered to be one of the foremost experts  regarding the North Sea. 

That said, I don't believe that Scotland is totally reliant on NSO.  It seems the Scots are the only nation to have found oil to be a problem if you believe the hysteria from the RUK. 

During the Referendum campaign, fear one the day.  The same way I am sure it will again during the EU referendum.  Frankly, I wish the debate was honest and open on all sides.

[DaveShoelace]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

[Woodsey]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

They are mates with Assad and helping him out basically under the pretence of bombing ISIS.

[neeko]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

There are at least 3 sides in Syria

Daesh - v bad
Assad (govt) - bad
Rebels - not exactly good
Kurds - ok ( although they are the enemy of turkey who are our allies, and who could send 3m refugees to Europe if we piss them off)

The US, U.K., France etc are bombing daesh, as they would like he rebels to take over their territory.

Russia are bombing the rebels as they hold territory next to Assad so it is an easy win for the old govt. this means that Russia is killing all of the troops we are rellying on to kill off daesh. (Mainly as the west does not want to send any actual troops into the area (officially)

[DaveShoelace]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

There are at least 3 sides in Syria

Daesh - v bad
Assad (govt) - bad
Rebels - not exactly good
Kurds - ok ( although they are the enemy of turkey who are our allies, and who could send 3m refugees to Europe if we piss them off)

The US, U.K., France etc are bombing daesh, as they would like he rebels to take over their territory.

Russia are bombing the rebels as they hold territory next to Assad so it is an easy win for the old govt. this means that Russia is killing all of the troops we are rellying on to kill off daesh. (Mainly as the west does not want to send any actual troops into the area (officially)

So Russia are not bombing Daesh? What is the (official) reason they have given for bombing the rebels?

[Woodsey]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

There are at least 3 sides in Syria

Daesh - v bad
Assad (govt) - bad
Rebels - not exactly good
Kurds - ok ( although they are the enemy of turkey who are our allies, and who could send 3m refugees to Europe if we piss them off)

The US, U.K., France etc are bombing daesh, as they would like he rebels to take over their territory.

Russia are bombing the rebels as they hold territory next to Assad so it is an easy win for the old govt. this means that Russia is killing all of the troops we are rellying on to kill off daesh. (Mainly as the west does not want to send any actual troops into the area (officially)

So Russia are not bombing Daesh? What is the (official) reason they have given for bombing the rebels?

None other than they are mates with Assad....

[doubleup]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

There are at least 3 sides in Syria

Daesh - v bad
Assad (govt) - bad
Rebels - not exactly good
Kurds - ok ( although they are the enemy of turkey who are our allies, and who could send 3m refugees to Europe if we piss them off)

The US, U.K., France etc are bombing daesh, as they would like he rebels to take over their territory.

Russia are bombing the rebels as they hold territory next to Assad so it is an easy win for the old govt. this means that Russia is killing all of the troops we are rellying on to kill off daesh. (Mainly as the west does not want to send any actual troops into the area (officially)

So Russia are not bombing Daesh? What is the (official) reason they have given for bombing the rebels?

Russia doesn't do truth.  There is no point in asking them anything.

[PokerBroker]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

There are at least 3 sides in Syria

Daesh - v bad
Assad (govt) - bad
Rebels - not exactly good
Kurds - ok ( although they are the enemy of turkey who are our allies, and who could send 3m refugees to Europe if we piss them off)

The US, U.K., France etc are bombing daesh, as they would like he rebels to take over their territory.

Russia are bombing the rebels as they hold territory next to Assad so it is an easy win for the old govt. this means that Russia is killing all of the troops we are rellying on to kill off daesh. (Mainly as the west does not want to send any actual troops into the area (officially)

So Russia are not bombing Daesh? What is the (official) reason they have given for bombing the rebels?

Russia doesn't do truth.  There is no point in asking them anything.

Do any of the major powers do truth? 

[doubleup]

Can someone explain to me (like I'm five) what exactly Russia are doing in Syria that is causing all this tension, given that we (The West) are also bombing the shit out of that place? Is it because they are bombing opposing sides to whom we are bombing, or are they just bombing more places beyond what we have deemed the necessary targets?

Literally know sod all about the Russia situation.

There are at least 3 sides in Syria

Daesh - v bad
Assad (govt) - bad
Rebels - not exactly good
Kurds - ok ( although they are the enemy of turkey who are our allies, and who could send 3m refugees to Europe if we piss them off)

The US, U.K., France etc are bombing daesh, as they would like he rebels to take over their territory.

Russia are bombing the rebels as they hold territory next to Assad so it is an easy win for the old govt. this means that Russia is killing all of the troops we are rellying on to kill off daesh. (Mainly as the west does not want to send any actual troops into the area (officially)

So Russia are not bombing Daesh? What is the (official) reason they have given for bombing the rebels?

Russia doesn't do truth.  There is no point in asking them anything.

Do any of the major powers do truth? 

None of them do lying to Russia's extent.  No one can believe a word they say and this is causing huge difficulties in the search for diplomatic solutions to various problems.

[TightEnd]

ComRes/Indy on Sunday/Sunday Mirror:

CON 41 (+1)
LAB 27 (-2)
LIB 9 (+2)
UKIP 15 (-1)
GRN 3 (=)
SNP 5 (+1)

10th-12th Feb N=2,018

CON + UKIP 56%

Comres net approval ratings: John McDonnell -17%, Labour Party -21%, Jeremy Corbyn -29%

[TightEnd]

The most popular politician in the country is...

[doubleup]

The most popular politician in England is...

fixed

[DaveShoelace]

The most popular politician in the country is...

I wonder how much of the favourability for Boris is based on the fact that he is an entertaining comedy baffoon with funny hair, rather than his politics?

Not saying that as a dig, I actually really like Boris both for entertainment value and for much of what I've heard him say in the past.

Is he popular as a mayor? I mostly get the impression he is quite well liked as a Mayor, even by non-conservative voters, but my sample size on that is probably 9 people.