The Off Topic Topic

[Duque de Bragança]

Most of our " banlieue hoodlum" here are baptists

At least Québec is spared from that plague. 

[Tamas]

I don't think it's some mass jihad in France, if there was such a movement of this huge proportions they would be doing far more and worse than looting.

But I also have no sympathy for them. I am sure there are legit grievances, and clearly something went seriously wrong with integrating minorities in France, but the way out of that is surely not this.

[Josquius]

After the champions league last year the French police have proven themselves scum - the red flags were there that time I went to see a football game in France...
So a pox on both them and the petty crooks and other idiots causing this shit.

[Duque de Bragança]

Josqu in France? His worst tightmare turned real!
 
No RP for him from the cops probably. 

Must have been fun. 

As for the cops, being led from scum as Macron and Darmanin does not help obviously, far from it, with a noticeable degradation from the yellow vests time. Not to mention anti-terrorist laws easing the use of firearms.

It's not as if it were stellar before, but in 2016 they were overwhelmed by say, Russian hooligans, and people urged for reform and stronger measures against hooligans (real ones).

[mongers]

Today is the 3rd anniversary of me getting my pet cats.  So I bought them a cake.

Wish them happy 'Birthday' from me, random bloke on the webs.

[Josquius]

Josqu in France?
 
No RP for him from the cops probably. 

Must have been fun. 

against hooligans (real ones).

RP?
I've been to France many times. I used to see France every day.

As for the cops, being led from scum as Macron and Darmanin does not help obviously, far from it, with a noticeable degradation from the yellow vests time. Not to mention anti-terrorist laws easing the use of firearms.

I somehow doubt this level of cuntishness of the rank and file can be blamed on the president. Especially one who tends not to make a point of flirting with the far right.

[Duque de Bragança]

RP?

Received pronuncation. 

I've been to France many times. I used to see France every day.

Yet your ignorance and little Englander bigotry on France and on the French (language) is legendary on Languish.

As for the cops, being led from scum as Macron and Darmanin does not help obviously, far from it, with a noticeable degradation from the yellow vests time. Not to mention anti-terrorist laws easing the use of firearms.

I somehow doubt this level of cuntishness of the rank and file can be blamed on the president. Especially one who tends not to make a point of flirting with the far right.

The president, who is a notorious classist cunt, who flirts with the far right whenever convenient (remember when he called the RN republican against the leftists of LFI? or spoke nicely of a well-known very rightist publication) chose the interior minister, another cunt, who is responsible directly for the police, not the gendarmes (paramilitary so Armed forces).

Having to do the dirty work for Micron's anti-social policies such as during the yellow vests and the pensions "reforms" protests (without a majority at the parliament unlike Sarko) took quite a toll among them.

[Sheilbh]

I somehow doubt this level of cuntishness of the rank and file can be blamed on the president. Especially one who tends not to make a point of flirting with the far right.

Among other changes to the law Macron has expanded anti-terrorism powers of the police, eased the rules/created more defences for police when they kill someone and proposed criminalising filming the police in the exercise of their duty (i.e. to stop people from sharing videos of police misconduct). He has proven very comfortable using police force to repress opposition - and the French police have had a reputation for being quick to violence for decades.

Also Darmanin, his interior ministry, has been very comfortable using far-right tropes - remember he accused Le Pen of being soft on Islam. But also talks about the "far left's intellectual terrorism". He's described France as being at risk of "ensauvagement" and explained that he is shocked at supermarkets with different sections for different cuisines.

I get that Macron positions himself as liberal and is coded that way - but the changes in law he's made around policing are really alarming. I think he gets away with it because vibes.

Having said that I think you're right - as I say the police in France have always had a reputation and you look at statements like from the police union and it's clearly not just an issue of this presidency.

[Josquius]

]

Yet your ignorance and little Englander bigotry on France and on the French (language) is legendary on Languish.

Little Englanders are quite fond of French the language if not France. It vibes with their traditional classism.

My distaste for French is based on sound knowledge and experience

The president, who is a notorious classist cunt, who flirts with the far right whenever convenient (remember when he called the RN republican against the leftists of LFI? or spoke nicely of a well-known very rightist publication) chose the interior minister, another cunt, who is responsible directly for the police, not the gendarmes (paramilitary so Armed forces).

Having to do the dirty work for Micron's anti-social policies such as during the yellow vests and the pensions "reforms" protests (without a majority at the parliament unlike Sarko) took quite a toll among them.

Yeah, you've shown before your hate for macron is such you'll make up all manner of odd things about him (I still remember you claiming the political compass was a French invention...).
But whether macron is nice or not is irrelevant. He could be the best or the worst president ever. Seems unlikely to have much to do with the recruitment and behaviour of rank and file cops.

[Sheilbh]

But whether macron is nice or not is irrelevant. He could be the best or the worst president ever. Seems unlikely to have much to do with the recruitment and behaviour of rank and file cops.

He's changed laws regarding them - and I think signals from the minister and the president matter in how institutions and people in them behave. Do they feel they have their back, will they defend them etc?

Looking at that police union statement it feels like Macron and Darmanin especially are pretty strongly backing the police. It's been unusual that they condemned the killing of the kid at a traffic stop so early - and largely because there were videos of it. But the police union feel like it's not enough and talk about themselves being at war.

[Legbiter]

Orkney council to look at proposals to become territory of Norway

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-66066448

Velkominn heim Sheilbh! 

[Sheilbh]

My family were actually involved in trying to start some Gaelic medium education when we lived up there (on the mainland, but also part of the dowry of Margaret of Denmark) and some of the opposition was on the grounds that Gaelic had never been a language in the area, instead we should be trying to set up Norse medium education.

And we didn't go fully Up Helly Aa but there was at least one year where we burned a ship on the beach

Edit: In fairness they've already got an appropriate flag (as do Shetland and Caithness):

[Josquius]

I've long had a view that we should be teaching a Scandinavian language as a first foreign language.
Even beyond the historic links it works well for teaching you how to learn a language without throwing you straight into hard mode.
Glad to hear there's like minded folks albeit in the furthest reaches of the land.

Saw that article myself earlier and thought it seemed suitably languishy. Though freaking sensationalist headline. Become part of Norway isn't the main thing they're looking at at all. Orkney independence/crown dependency status  does make a hell of a lot of sense from their pov.

[Sheilbh]

Saw that article myself earlier and thought it seemed suitably languishy. Though freaking sensationalist headline. Become part of Norway isn't the main thing they're looking at at all. Orkney independence/crown dependency status  does make a hell of a lot of sense from their pov.

"What was it that first attracted you to joining the richest country in Europe?"

[Legbiter]

Shetland's motto Með lögum skal land byggja is also the official motto of the Icelandic police today. So we get a slight shock when seeing it on a visit there.