[Bill McCarthy]

It’s a blessed relief to be quiet about COVID for a while anyway.

[Trent772]

More fun would be to follow Ursula Von Leyen who is prone to taking 31 mile jet air taxi flights …..

Republic of Croatia just flew Prestwick to Glasgow, along with 4 other similar jets..........

[johnm]

I don’t get this concept of respect for politicians......suspicion of I can understand

[MikeE]

I have worked with Ministers from all three main parties and had the greatest respect for most of them, trying to do a good job in difficult circumstances. I often briefed them on contentious issues and then watched as interviewers frequently sought not to find out what the Minister or Government was trying to do so they and the public would have a better understanding of the issues raised, but rather sought to trap them into saying things they could then use against them - one of the favourites being repeating a question they knew full well the Minister could not answer in the way demanded (along the lines of "yes or no, Minister, do you beat your wife often?").

I suspect that many people whose default position is that all politicians are somehow contemptible have never actually worked with them or properly understand their role and the difficulties they face in that role.

Just a personal view

Regards

Mike

[rikur_]

I have worked with Ministers from all three main parties and had the greatest respect for most of them, ....
I suspect that many people whose default position is that all politicians are somehow contemptible have never actually worked with them or properly understand their role and the difficulties they face in that role.

I've had a pretty mixed experience. Many good ones, a couple outstanding, some less so.
Not sure in the round it's that different than other areas of life .... similar ratio of good to bad Ministers than we've had good to bad landlords of the local pub!
What I have found interesting is the very different ways in which they approach their roles, and the different level of autonomy that they are given or not.

[kanga]

I have worked with Ministers from all three main parties and had the greatest respect for most of them, trying to do a good job in difficult circumstances. ..

I have known, sometimes well (and in some cases been more or less distantly related to) MPs or lower echelon 'Party' politicians of 4 UK 'national' Parties; and would say the same

[eltonioni]

I would agree. I would also say that the current political regime does lead to very many capable people not putting themselves forward for office. Also that there are an awful lot of politicians (more in the lower echelons) who wouldn't know when to put their hands up to vote if they weren't being whipped.

Giving more respect to the individuals would go a long way to resolving that. Which of us would think of standing for office without immediately thinking of all the carp it would entail and just not bothering. If the BBC think they can speak to the PM like that, who in their right mind would want to be on their local council unless they were politically obsessed, had nothing to lose, or were so bent/psychotic that they didn't care?

Hats off to those that do. We don't have to agree with them or accept what they do, but they all deserve respect for even being there. Apart from Jared O'Mara and Nick Clegg.

[rikur_]

I would agree. I would also say that the current political regime does lead to very many capable people not putting themselves forward for office. .....
Giving more respect to the individuals would go a long way to resolving that.

Agreed. Whilst a much lower level, I've been a local Councillor for most of the last 10 years, and am in the process of getting out of it. Unacceptable levels of abuse from people who (a) don't understand what (limited) powers you have and the processes by which you have to exercise them (b) don't accept that others might have a different view to them; (c) need to learn manners and tolerance.

I cannot set speed limits; I cannot stop your neighbour parking outside your house; I cannot make the man at no 39 abandon his rewilding project and manicure his lawn; I cannot ban fireworks; I cannot evict a business that you think is causing too much traffic; I cannot demand a landowner creates a right-of-way across his farm; I cannot prevent the water company discharge sewer overflow into the stream; etc etc. All I can do is bring things to the attention of officers or propose motions to relevant committees to consider, who invariably will conclude they don't have the powers to intervene.

I do fear the only people getting into the game nowadays are those with an agenda to pursue, with very few focused on full spectrum of issues for full community.

[rikur_]

blimey @eltonioni I didn't expect a Councillor to get a 'like' from a property developer

[Paultheparaglider]

blimey @eltonioni I didn't expect a Councillor to get a 'like' from a property developer

Did it come in a plain brown envelope?

[kanga]

... I would also say that the current political regime does lead to very many capable people not putting themselves forward for office. ....

Hats off to those that do. We don't have to agree with them or accept what they do, but they all deserve respect for even being there.

...

Apart from Jared O'Mara and Nick Clegg.

I have no brief for nor against either individual, although I could postulate some. However, I reckon it's a pity to introduce ad homines allusions, as debate why (or why not) these should be exceptions to calls for respect would fall foul of Mods' proper standards.

[eltonioni]

@kanga well K, as a Sheffield Hallam voter I may have had my tongue firmly in my cheek. I had a nice lunch with NC a long time ago and I I think that he's quite genuine in his beliefs. I'm also pals with a few of his (previously?) close confidants. The trouble is that his beliefs are fluid and change day to day according to what works best for one Sir Nick Clegg. He's a very nice chap, good company, extremely earnest and committed... and as shallow as my birdbath.

[StratoTramp]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ed-america

This is turning out as another example of ideology / narrative over truth.

The MSM (foul demons lol) pasted him as some MAGA hat wearing terrorist. Sleepy Joe waded in before the trial even started and said it was very clear he was guilty.

What actually happened in a nut shell:

17y/o went down there to protect property with his first aid kit. Grabs a fire extinguisher, runs all around town putting fires out at petrol stations and at the local church. Even removes some graffiti He administers first aid to an injured woman. This is all captured on video.

Gets trapped in the wrong area by police.
Obeys the police by not trying to get around the roadblock.

Ends up shooting 3 people killing 2, blasting the bicep off another. BUT this is only after one of them raised a gun at him... After a chemical bomb had been thrown at him.... After he had been hit around the head with a skateboard. And... After one of the protesting manaic swinging a chain says "I'm going to cut your * heart out", "I'm going to kill you N*" which is ironic given why the rioters were there.

They had also been following him around.

Complete self defense. Naturally the guys shot are all scumbags / history of domestic abuse etc.

Question the wisdom of him going there in the first place but the guy is a champ.

It's not enough for the media to post retractions. They need to stop being so completely wrong in the first place / pushing agendas and narratives.

It's this reality detachment that got people like trump elected. It could happen again.

The medja are all back tracking now. Hope he sues the Carp out of them. Like the Covington Catholic kid did. Cost CNN and about 4 others $800 million for defamation.

[Flyin'Dutch']

A 17 year old running around with an AR 15 is a champ?

That's an interesting point of view.

[kanga]

A 17 year old running around with an AR 15 is a champ?

That's an interesting point of view.

The latest (which I could find) summary of the latest developments in the trial by that epitome of the 'wicked MSM', the BBC; I have no reason to suppose that it is not factually accurate, but (of course) happy to be corrected:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59243406

AIUI, the defendant is on trial under the State law of Wisconsin, where the shootings took place, and he lives in Illinois, where he acquired the weapon:

"..counts including .. illegal possession of a firearm.."

Also AIUI, the Wisconsin firearms charges include (as an unsupervised minor without reasonable excuse) bringing a firearm into the State, and possessing it unsupervised in a public place; and he may also be facing charges in Illinois (again as an unsupervised minor without excuse) of acquiring and transporting it; and there may be related Federal firearms charges also.

He may have, possibly laudably and competently, brought and used a First Aid kit, but his choice to acquire and bring an assault weapon a long way from home and across a State line (which he should have learnt in mandatory High School 'Civics' class is a big deal) does not suggest 'champ' to me. Obviously, others may disagree.