Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Don't underestimate infiltration of the (hard) left by the Muslim brotherhood though. If France is an indication it'll be significant.

[Josquius]

We used to be far more committed to freedom than we are today. The IRA, for example, was not banned until the 25th of November 1974....five years into the troubles https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1974-11-25/debates/8422b814-468c-4637-97ef-77184fe1cde2/Terrorism

Needless to say that I dislike nearly all of these groups (probably all of them but the list may include Tunbridge Wells WI for all I know), in a free country there is no need to break the law to make your point. Conflating these troublemakers with the likes of ISIS or hamas though....utterly ludicrous and counter-productive. Though there is the rub, are we still a free country?

However the playing field today is far 'freer' than it was 50 years ago.
Its not like the IRA back then had social media channels where they were freely communicating with the public at large. Just imagine if even moderate Irish nationalists had that kind of reach with the establishment being what it was at the time.

Its completely understandable that in modern times laws on people calling for violence would be a lot harsher than when they really had to make an effort to have people hear it.

[HVC]

So, does the cat have a scouse accent?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLR3i55IIWT

[Sheilbh]

We used to be far more committed to freedom than we are today. The IRA, for example, was not banned until the 25th of November 1974....five years into the troubles https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1974-11-25/debates/8422b814-468c-4637-97ef-77184fe1cde2/Terrorism

Needless to say that I dislike nearly all of these groups (probably all of them but the list may include Tunbridge Wells WI for all I know), in a free country there is no need to break the law to make your point. Conflating these troublemakers with the likes of ISIS or hamas though....utterly ludicrous and counter-productive. Though there is the rub, are we still a free country?

To go full RETVRN to tradition, Palestine Action can protest provided they inhale helium first.

[Tamas]

Now I see Labour is in-fighting over not ruling out potentially decreasing aid for disabled children.

FFS will the government finally get a clue and forget welfare cuts for a year?!

[Sheilbh]

It's the bond of Reeves' fiscal rules and election pledges. Fiscal rules that are stricter than Jeremy Hunt's, economically bumpy times (some things in our controls, others like Trump not) plus a commitment to not raise taxes on "working people".

I think I mentioned with the rebellion on disability benefit - I'm really not sure the PLP will wear the cuts to special education needs provision (which is this cut - and again a ballooning cost that needs real, not Treasury-driven, reform) or immigration changes.

I often agree with Labour MPs but ultimately they ran on a manifesto ruling out revenue raising from two thirds of the tax base, have big spending plans on infrastructure, the NHS and (now) defence and they're rejecting all other cuts. I think at some point somewhere something will have to give and it won't be pretty.

[Tamas]

Interestingly the Guardian comment section under an opinion article on the neurodivergent kids thing seem, if anything, in the side of curbing the current system.

[Sheilbh]

That is interesting - anecdotally from listening to stories at work a lot of parents think there's a lot of "over-diagnosis" of special educational needs in schools (I don't think it's necessarily "diagnosis" because I don't think it's actually a review by a health professional - more by the schools and local authority).

[Tamas]

A kid can be put into the special needs category without a health professionnal? That's ridiculous.

[HVC]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c17wzr1n5xvo.amp

Parents fined for taking kids on vacation during school year. Is this a thing in any other countries? I don't *think* it's a thing here, at least I never heard of anyone being fined for missing school.

[Syt]

During my time in school I don't recall such things, but generally parents would not just take their kids out of school for going on holiday.

[Josquius]

I was thinking about that the other day.
Taking kids on holiday at school time is bad.
But homeschooling is perfectly fine and accepted....
Seems a weird disconnect.
So what about taking your kids on an educational trip? Should that not be OK? Or is there some weird arbitrary minimum length of time behind home schooling?


Special needs kids.... I agree there is an "over diagnosis" though this is in the sense that all SEND kids are just grouped the same.
A woman I know recently had trouble with this. She moved house to another part of the country and couldn't get her teenage kids into school for months - the school used the excuse they couldn't handle any more SEND kids.
One of her kids was classed as special needs because she had a pretty minor social anxiety disorder. She was otherwise perfectly fine at doing her school work.
But she was grouped in just the same with a kid with serious autism who requires constant oversight.

[HVC]

During my time in school I don't recall such things, but generally parents would not just take their kids out of school for going on holiday.

Let's just say I'd never win any attendance awards and no truancy cops were banging on my door

[garbon]

During my time in school I don't recall such things, but generally parents would not just take their kids out of school for going on holiday.

Let's just say I'd never win any attendance awards and no truancy cops were banging on my door

[HVC]

During my time in school I don't recall such things, but generally parents would not just take their kids out of school for going on holiday.

Let's just say I'd never win any attendance awards and no truancy cops were banging on my door

You saying I wasn't missed?

Besides, I had good grades still. It wasn't until university that my bad tendencies bit me