Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

I still don't get it.

Although I basically think the general public are smart, pick up what's important and get it right 99% of the time - and that I'm just a nerdyish member of them

[Admiral Yi]

I still don't get it.

Although I basically think the general public are smart, pick up what's important and get it right 99% of the time - and that I'm just a nerdyish member of them

You made an argument in support of Tory environmental policy.  Squeeze says people who believe this have been mislead; ergo you have been mislead.  Now you don't have to take umbrage at that or defend your point or concede yours, and in fact my swipe was aimed at Squeeze's comment not you.

[Josquius]

No?
Pretty clear we were discussing politics from the outside. Sheilbh obviously knows the tories have done a shit job.

My hopes for a new deal approach would be to essentially translate climate change action to practicable things the bulk of the electorate honestly care about: economic security (jobs and improved infrastructure). The flip side of course is that as you guys pointed out a few times in the past, quite simply a lot of Brits have (or think they have) good enough not to want any changes.

Yes. The car brained world view is a hard one to break once people settle into it.
Way too many people in the UK have this whole toxic individualist fuck the commons attitude that just doesn't consider the holistics of how things could improve with better infrastructure.

I had this twice in a 10 mile journey along the quiet roads of the forest, first a woman in a car was determined to overtake me, though by doing it a slow speed, I had to actively point to the audi coming around the road curve, which for some reason she wasn't seeing. She thanked me when she eventually passed.

On the way back, a large stag was running up and down the roadside grass trying to find a way through the hedge/fencing, I slowed to a stop and had to attract a SUV driver's attention by pointing at the large several hundred pound animal that was leaping 3-4ft off the ground as it ran in a panic. The car did slow to a near stop; I don't know if they hadn't seen it or just hadn't considered it a threat to their car and itself?

I expected worse tbh :p
A rare foray onto Facebook lately randomly led me onto nutty anti clean air zone / conspiracy theorist groups. Tens of thousands in some.
The level of hate cyclists get continues to be simply insane.

Purely anecdotally and maybe a product of me being braver when biking these days but I find the number of people trying to ram me off the road much higher than it used to be. Unmarked white vans are particularly likely to be scummy.
I never used to wear a helmet since I'm not exactly going full tilt road cycling. These days I do.

[garbon]

God the Met Police are awful.

[Gups]

Must be a northern thing. I cycle about 10 hours a week in London and that's never happened to me.

[mongers]

Must be a northern thing. I cycle about 10 hours a week in London and that's never happened to me.

Ubiquity of CCTV and higher copper presence, plus possible critical mass of bikes, deters miscreants?

[Sheilbh]

I see it's Lib Dem conference time again:

Lib Dem education spox Munira Wilson said that "we need to persuade more Kens in this world to take a short break from doing beach and head on back to the Mojo Dojo Casa House" as she spoke of the party's pledge to double parental leave.

Also - not sure she understood the film

[HVC]

Is that quote misansry or racist?

[Gups]

Must be a northern thing. I cycle about 10 hours a week in London and that's never happened to me.

Ubiquity of CCTV and higher copper presence, plus possible critical mass of bikes, deters miscreants?

Possibly. I think the widespread 20mph zone, lots of traffic lights etc in inner London just changes the mindset.

[Sheilbh]

Incidentally an example of why I think something is shifting as this consolidates on age grounds, the Lib Dem leadership's proposal to support scrapping all national housebuilding was defeated at conference. Largely opposition was organised by the Young Liberals and anti-NIMBY campaigners within the party - both attacked by former leader, Tim Farron, as fundamentalist, free market Thatcherites (definitely how I'd describe centrally set targets ).

Striking that even the Lib Dems have a limit to their NIMBYism.

Edit: Also apparently Farron was loudly booed in his speech for describing the more pro-building motion as "the most right wing thing" he's heard at conference, which is good. Though seeing some ex-MPs close to the leadership backing him saying all it'll do is "benefit developers and the haves".