SleafordMod @ SleafordMod @feddit.uk Posts 26Comments 175Joined 4 mo. ago
Cameron had already decided to ask the British public how to settle the question of EU membership. Since politicians were bickering about how to implement this referendum result, maybe they could have asked the public to choose a form of Brexit. Whether to stay in the single market and/or the customs union.
Anyway I suppose it's all a moot point since it's in the past. I think EU membership will probably be a possibility for the UK again in the future. It might take a decade or two though.
What's dim is refusing to recognise that this war was started by Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, then increased their invasion in 2022. Ukraine asked the West for military help so the West provided military help.
Maybe Ukraine should have been allowed to join NATO years ago when they asked, and then they might not have been invaded.
NATO has already been on Russia's borders - the Baltics and Poland were already NATO members that bordered Russia.
I think the invasion of Ukraine was indeed a conquest for land. John McCain over 10 years ago predicted that Putin wanted to grab a "land bridge" between mainland Russia and Crimea:
proxy war
So you think Russia waged this war just to stick it to the West? To me it looks like a war of conquest - Russia invaded so they could take land.
True. I still think I'd prefer the firing squad though. Maybe it's because I think the effects of the other two options could be less predictable and therefore more unpleasant.
Blame David Cameron I guess. The result was 52-48 by the way although I guess that's an insignificant difference.
In principle I think a majority should count... but maybe there should have been a second referendum to clarify what type of Brexit people wanted. The UK could have remained in the EU single market and/or customs union while fulfilling the mandate of the first referendum to leave the EU. Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland all participate in the EU single market to some degree, without being EU members.
Interesting idea. I suppose you could start a Lemmy community for meet ups for people in your country. I don't know how easy it would be to find willing people who are relatively local to you though.
I think I'd choose firing squad if I had the choice. Lethal injections and electrocutions can go wrong, and I think they sometimes do go wrong, causing a lot of pain and suffering. Firing squad should be a pretty quick death with less suffering.
True to an extent. Also though I guess there are people who felt like Brussels told Britain what to do. I don't agree with that, because Britain was part of the decision making process, in the EU parliament. But I guess in a democracy the majority view wins out, even if you don't agree with that view. If we ignore democratic views then voters get very angry and more extreme.
However I'm definitely not someone who thinks democracy ended in 2016 regarding the Brexit question. Democracy obviously continues, so I think it would be completely legitimate if the UK had another EU membership referendum at some point.
Yeah there's some truth to that. Working at home can be lonely in my experience. But on the other hand you save all the hassle with commuting.
The stasi would blush at the surveillance foreign corporations and the British government now engage in as a matter of course
My understanding is that the Stasi were very repressive - "using torture, intimidation and a vast network of informants to crush dissent". I'm not aware of the UK government using torture to crush dissent.
But spying on all of the public all of the time comes at a cost to society I would rather not pay. It quells dissent in the short and maybe mid term, but that extreme intrusion, ultimately drives otherwise moderate people into the hands of extremists
I don't think the public should be spied on all the time. But if there is some way that illegal communications (like planning murder) could be intercepted, without spying on others, that would be good.
The terrorists win when we sacrifice liberty for temporary security (or whatever that quote was)
There's a quote by Benjamin Franklin which apparently is: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety". I always thought that quote was a bit weird though, because humans do give up some form of liberty in return for safety. E.g. we give up the freedom to murder other people without legal consequences, because in return we get some safety: protection from being murdered by others.
Well, shit. I will just follow the news and hope for the best while expecting the worst.
Do you think Labour are catering to xenophobes? I don't think they're saying much that is xenophobic. I think it's just that they know many people voted for Brexit and Labour doesn't want to upset those voters.
Maybe I will end up disappointed then. I just hope to see Europe standing on its own two feet if the US has no interest in Europe anymore. And I hope to see Europe continuing to back Ukraine.
True. On Lemmy I can still be bombarded by stuff about the two billionaires running the USA, if I look at the active threads on all instances. But I can avoid that by just looking at threads from the instance I'm on, or by visiting particular communities individually.
I've been thinking how socialising on the internet with strangers is so hugely different to socialising with people in real life.
In real life you can see someone face to face, you can get a sense of their personality, and you learn to trust them. Those things are harder on the internet. You can't see a person's face, or hear their accent. Someone on the internet could be lying when they tell you about themselves, and it's harder to tell if they're lying.
Also of course on the internet people are much more willing to be rude and offensive because there are few penalties. If you meet someone in a pub, they probably won't be rude to you, most of the time. If you disagree about something, you might say "okay, agree to disagree" and move onto another topic. But on the internet people will just be disrespectful cunts because they can get away with it, without negative social consequences for themselves.
In conclusion, internet socialising should be better than it is.
Fair enough. I will probably read more about him within the near future. I'm not saying I absolutely believe he will stick to support for Ukraine and European independence, I'm just saying that I hope he does.
I don't think xenophobia is motivating Labour to stay clear of the EU at the moment... I think it's just political reality, unfortunately. There are quite a few working class people who traditionally vote for Labour, but they also backed Brexit, and Labour doesn't want to lose those voters to the Conservatives or Reform.
Maybe I'm wrong but that's my perception.
Merz has ruled out forming a government with AfD hasn't he? I think he did on TV last night. So I assume he will try to form a government with SPD.
Anyway, I really am not massively informed on German politics. But I've heard a couple of good things from Merz so far (his support for Ukraine, and his desire to make Europe more independent of the USA). I hope he will maintain his commitment to those ideas.
Realistically I don't think Britain is going to rejoin the EU (or even the single market or customs union) any time soon.
I think it can happen one day. Maybe in at least 10 years' time.