Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Tamas]

I'm not a hate-monger!

Obviously he shouldn't have to do this - but Marcus Rashford is an absolute star. Watching him organise and shout out businesses and councils across the country offering holiday free school lunches for kids on his social media today has been incredible.
https://twitter.com/MarcusRashford

Yes it's really awesome. Didn't he get some kind of a medal for it recently? Made me think that perhaps the royal family could spend money on this cause instead.

[The Larch]

I'm not a hate-monger!

Obviously he shouldn't have to do this - but Marcus Rashford is an absolute star. Watching him organise and shout out businesses and councils across the country offering holiday free school lunches for kids on his social media today has been incredible.
https://twitter.com/MarcusRashford

Yes it's really awesome. Didn't he get some kind of a medal for it recently? Made me think that perhaps the royal family could spend money on this cause instead.

He was made an MBE, which AFAIK is the triffle-est of British honours.

On related news (stolen from Berry's twitter):

Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, wrote that she 'very much' hoped businesses who helped feed hungry children 'will not be seeking any further government support'

[Richard Hakluyt]

"Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, wrote that she 'very much' hoped businesses who helped feed hungry children 'will not be seeking any further government support'"

Well she sounds like a delightful charmer 


I mean it is pretty close to "...are there no workhouses?"  and "...decrease the surplus population"

[The Minsky Moment]

100% behind this. Especially as they've clearly avoided the Yorkshire issues (and they've got the Yorkshire Party).

Do the Midlands really identify with the north these days?

[The Minsky Moment]

Personally I'd hold out for the return of the Heptarchy.  The upstart Norman-Krauts have had their run.

[Legbiter]

It's rightful Norse clay. 

[Syt]

I'm seeing posts on Twitter from Brits about how to feed families, cooking on a budget etc. Are you guys ok over there?

[Tamas]

I'm seeing posts on Twitter from Brits about how to feed families, cooking on a budget etc. Are you guys ok over there?

I read a few years ago that a lot of poor households don't even have stoves/ovens and they just live on ready meals and a microwave.

[Richard Hakluyt]

There are some facts and figures in this BBC piece :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/54693906

Income is distributed pretty badly in the UK and the welfare state is hollowed out and pays poor benefits; as a consequence I do feel obliged to support our local food banks, there is some genuine hunger out there 

[Josquius]

Yep. Torys kill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIWARrp_A68

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I'm not a hate-monger!

of course not.

the absolute majority of nationalists aren't. On the contrary. Self rule and independence are gateways to liberalism and democracy as often as putting everyone in the same country is a gateway to oppression and imperialism.

[Valmy]

I'm not a hate-monger!

of course not.

the absolute majority of nationalists aren't. On the contrary. Self rule and independence are gateways to liberalism and democracy as often as putting everyone in the same country is a gateway to oppression and imperialism.

You can have oppression and Imperialism in countries of all sizes. Nation states have had them just as much as multi-national states. What matters is rule of law, human rights, and a the form of government.

I see no evidence what you are claiming is true.

And if you are not a hate monger why would simply being in the same country with people not exactly like you be a gateway to oppression and imperialism?

[crazy canuck]

I'm not a hate-monger!

of course not.

the absolute majority of nationalists aren't. On the contrary. Self rule and independence are gateways to liberalism and democracy as often as putting everyone in the same country is a gateway to oppression and imperialism.

You can have oppression and Imperialism in countries of all sizes. Nation states have had them just as much as multi-national states. What matters is rule of law, human rights, and a the form of government.

I see no evidence what you are claiming is true.

And perhaps more to the point, self rule did not work out so well as gateways to liberalism and democracy in large numbers of countries that gained independence in the last 70 or so years.  Rather the opposite.

Things like the Rule of Law and protection of human human rights don't develop in a void.  Significant effort is needed to develop the governmental institutions and public institutions that allow those things to develop and thrive.  And, importantly, as demonstrated in your country at the moment, once developed they need to be maintained and continually strengthened. 

Ivan's notion that these things develop magically on their own by way of some kind of mystical gateway is where we went terribly wrong in the 90s (and earlier when Africa became decolonized).   

[Tamas]

I'm not a hate-monger!

of course not.

the absolute majority of nationalists aren't. On the contrary. Self rule and independence are gateways to liberalism and democracy as often as putting everyone in the same country is a gateway to oppression and imperialism.

Former USSR heavily disagree.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

lots of dogma coming from people who have their own states.
Rule of law, human rights, form of state all are important. But so is culture.
And different cultures will have different opinions on how to get that organised.

You can not like that all you want and call nationalism 'evil' all you want. It doesn't change reality.
Neither does it change the fact that nationalism is neither good, nor evil, nor left, nor right, nor authoritarian, nor democratic. It is nothing more than the desire of a nation to organise their society as they see fit and thus can be any of these things, and often at once.

At no instance -CC- do I carry the notion that democracy comes forth fully formed out of nothing. It takes centuries.

anyways, you're free to believe what you want. And the same goes for me.