The UK Politics and EU Referendum thread - merged

[TightEnd]

thought this was a very interesting read, gives a lot of the background to the Trident issue

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2015/11/how-will-labour-resolve-its-nuclear-dilemma

[TightEnd]

Question of the day

Should Britain stay in the European Union, and why do you think that?

a rarity for this thread, and such a big issue too

 no views given?

[AlunB]

I'm not 100% sure what my view is. Knee jerk is want to remain, but the longer I think about it the less I see the value.

[DaveShoelace]

I'm not 100% sure what my view is. Knee jerk is want to remain, but the longer I think about it the less I see the value.

Yeah this is me right now, hence my asking to see what others think.

[Doobs]

Question of the day

Should Britain stay in the European Union, and why do you think that?

a rarity for this thread, and such a big issue too

 no views given?

We already have a thread for that discussion?

[DMorgan]

Question of the day

Should Britain stay in the European Union, and why do you think that?

a rarity for this thread, and such a big issue too

 no views given?

The whole referendum thing is so tiresome.

Aren't civil servants in all sorts of departments paid to find out the answer to precisely the kind of question like is EU membership good for the country? I certainly don't know whether EU membership is good or bad for Britain, but I'd vote to stay simply because the out campaign to this point has been eye-wateringly infantile, as if we should maybe take our ball home to show the other countries how much they need us. If what we were really looking for was the most +EV position for the country then how about putting the cash for the cost of a referendum into a comprehensive, independent study to actually answer the question properly. Instead we're just gunna get a bunch of flag waving and Out votes because the Lithuanian guy at work keeps smelly pasta in the fridge.

If the Out campaign is so convinced that we would be so much better off outside the EU then I think that the burden of proof has to lie with them. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and all that...


 

[AlunB]

Question of the day

Should Britain stay in the European Union, and why do you think that?

a rarity for this thread, and such a big issue too

 no views given?

The whole referendum thing is so tiresome.

Aren't civil servants in all sorts of departments paid to find out the answer to precisely the kind of question like is EU membership good for the country? I certainly don't know whether EU membership is good or bad for Britain, but I'd vote to stay simply because the out campaign to this point has been eye-wateringly infantile, as if we should maybe take our ball home to show the other countries how much they need us. If what we were really looking for was the most +EV position for the country then how about putting the cash for the cost of a referendum into a comprehensive, independent study to actually answer the question properly. Instead we're just gunna get a bunch of flag waving and Out votes because the Lithuanian guy at work keeps smelly pasta in the fridge.

If the Out campaign is so convinced that we would be so much better off outside the EU then I think that the burden of proof has to lie with them. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and all that...


 

Yep

Yeo

Yep

[DungBeetle]

The "in" campaign is pretty infantile as well.  They rarely point out the benefits of membership - they just use fear tactics about what will happen if we leave.  Or call people xenophobes.

I think both sides need to up their game and present a good case.  Seems little hope of that though.

I'm on the fence.  Probably would play safe and stay in if vote was today.

[AlunB]

Surprised we haven't seen any discussion of the junior doctors strike. I've been pretty appalled at the BBC coverage of it. Seems really biased against the doctors and the government while Mr Hunt gets a complete free pass and is allowed to put out PR without ever being interviewed or answering questions. This post on Twitter just now did make me laugh.

https://twitter.com/cbrookmyre/status/686871591498723328

[DaveShoelace]

Surprised we haven't seen any discussion of the junior doctors strike. I've been pretty appalled at the BBC coverage of it. Seems really biased against the doctors and the government while Mr Hunt gets a complete free pass and is allowed to put out PR without ever being interviewed or answering questions. This post on Twitter just now did make me laugh.

https://twitter.com/cbrookmyre/status/686871591498723328

In what way? No need to give concrete examples, just an idea of general sentiment. It surprises me that the BBC would appear biased in such a way (Sky News seemed pro doctors for this bits I saw).

[AlunB]

Surprised we haven't seen any discussion of the junior doctors strike. I've been pretty appalled at the BBC coverage of it. Seems really biased against the doctors and the government while Mr Hunt gets a complete free pass and is allowed to put out PR without ever being interviewed or answering questions. This post on Twitter just now did make me laugh.

https://twitter.com/cbrookmyre/status/686871591498723328

In what way? No need to give concrete examples, just an idea of general sentiment. It surprises me that the BBC would appear biased in such a way (Sky News seemed pro doctors for this bits I saw).

In fairness reading some of the coverage this morning the tone appears to have softened a lot. Maybe they had complaints. It was leading with the government line, pushing comment from BMA way down the piece, talking about how 11,000 doctors had not gone on strike (despite this being pre agreed for emergency cover) and operations being cancelled (when they had been postponed) and so on. It felt pretty biased to me at any rate. More than language and the way the facts were presented. Here is what's happening (mix of government line and populist scaremongering) and here is an alternative view (what the strikers say). Same way with tube strikes to be fair.

[TightEnd]

to get this thread up and running again

Click to see full-size image.

[TightEnd]

meanwhile in the daily mail, henry is looking up how to perform a triple heart bypass on himself

[horseplayer]

Surprised we haven't seen any discussion of the junior doctors strike. I've been pretty appalled at the BBC coverage of it. Seems really biased against the doctors and the government while Mr Hunt gets a complete free pass and is allowed to put out PR without ever being interviewed or answering questions. This post on Twitter just now did make me laugh.

https://twitter.com/cbrookmyre/status/686871591498723328

In what way? No need to give concrete examples, just an idea of general sentiment. It surprises me that the BBC would appear biased in such a way (Sky News seemed pro doctors for this bits I saw).

In fairness reading some of the coverage this morning the tone appears to have softened a lot. Maybe they had complaints. It was leading with the government line, pushing comment from BMA way down the piece, talking about how 11,000 doctors had not gone on strike (despite this being pre agreed for emergency cover) and operations being cancelled (when they had been postponed) and so on. It felt pretty biased to me at any rate. More than language and the way the facts were presented. Here is what's happening (mix of government line and populist scaremongering) and here is an alternative view (what the strikers say). Same way with tube strikes to be fair.

Without a doubt someone had a word with Beeb after the coverage two days ago which was so far in favour of Hunt it was beyond belief.

[Doobs]

Surprised we haven't seen any discussion of the junior doctors strike. I've been pretty appalled at the BBC coverage of it. Seems really biased against the doctors and the government while Mr Hunt gets a complete free pass and is allowed to put out PR without ever being interviewed or answering questions. This post on Twitter just now did make me laugh.

https://twitter.com/cbrookmyre/status/686871591498723328

In what way? No need to give concrete examples, just an idea of general sentiment. It surprises me that the BBC would appear biased in such a way (Sky News seemed pro doctors for this bits I saw).

In fairness reading some of the coverage this morning the tone appears to have softened a lot. Maybe they had complaints. It was leading with the government line, pushing comment from BMA way down the piece, talking about how 11,000 doctors had not gone on strike (despite this being pre agreed for emergency cover) and operations being cancelled (when they had been postponed) and so on. It felt pretty biased to me at any rate. More than language and the way the facts were presented. Here is what's happening (mix of government line and populist scaremongering) and here is an alternative view (what the strikers say). Same way with tube strikes to be fair.

Without a doubt someone had a word with Beeb after the coverage two days ago which was so far in favour of Hunt it was beyond belief.

without a doubt? 

Every report I hear seems to suggest that Hunt thinks they are close and then states BMA thinks they are much further apart.  They have also been reporting survey results that suggest the doctors have public backing.   They reported the ballot results etc.  I heard a five live report the other day where both doctors were very much for the strike and against the Givernment.  I suspect one of them was supposed to be pro Government, as you could hear the presenter desparately trying to lead one of the doctors to say something to support the other side. 

Though you sometimes hear stuff that appears biassed, a lot of the time they do bend over backwards to give the other side even if it means bringing some right lunatics in front of camera.