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Philip PM's latest comments
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31st May 2015Philip PM commented on:
Should Britain stay in the EU or is now the time to leave?I'm afraid you're just plain wrong there. Part again of the mythology, I'm afraid, of why the EU is cast in the role of the wicked stepmother. NATO was set up by the western powers after the war to [prevent Soviet domination of Europe, by providing mutual assistance from the whole alliance in the event of one of them being attacked. It was never needed as such for its original purpose on the European continent, and was only invoked once after the Twin Towers attack on 9/11. Part of the founding intention of what became the EU was the desire to prevent wart ever breaking out again among the nations of western Europe. The founding members included France, West Germany, Italy and the three Benelux countries. France and Germany in particular were determined never to repeat the calamities of 1870, 1914 and 1940. In this, the EU has been enormously successful, and we have all enjoyed some 70 years of continuous peace in western Europe. True, this hasn't resolved ethnic tensions ion certain countries, particularly in eastern Europe, and true also, the EU wasn't able to make a positive contribution when the Balkans blew up, but it was never set up with a military capability to do so. As for your final statement about the EU being set up to ferment civil war, that is beneath contempt and doesn't deserve any answer.ViewDate:
29th May 2015Philip PM commented on:
Do you iron your bed sheets?Even stephens on this one. I'm an ironer, it's a much easier job than some of the other stuff which needs ironing, and it does provide a much better and more comfortable bed to sleep in.ViewDate:
29th May 2015Philip PM commented on:
Is it right for the EU to impose refugee quotas on the UK?We have always been a place of asylum for genuine refugees, and have a proud record down the centuries for doing so. This should continue, and the overall numbers involved are relatively small. However, what's upset the apple cart in recent years has been the surge in the number of economic migrants seeking a better life in the west. Membership of the EU is intended to facilitate the free movement of capital and labour between members states, but unfortunately the capital markets, which are increasingly global, are a law to themselves, which leaves the EU as the whipping boy for the problems associated with labour movement. This is all then exacerbated by the general lawlessness and exploitation apparently endemic to large regions of Africa and Asia, which has produced a new generation of migrants fleeing real dangers and hardships at home, and seeking a better and safer life in the process. If there's going to be a workable solution to this problem, it needs to focus around ways of dealing with these issues in the 'home' countries. Not easy, when any measures we may take will be condemned as imperialist or neo-colonialist. However, we do need to persevere if we are to persuade migrants to stay at home and not risk swamping our ability to support our own population.ViewDate:
29th May 2015Philip PM commented on:
Should National Service be reintroduced in the UK?There could be a lot of merit in reintroducing it, provided it wasn't allowed to deteriorate to the level of 'if it moves, salute it, if it doesn't, whitewash it!' I was too young to do it, but spent my teenage years in boarding school, so probably had a similar experience. The important thing to realise is that it isn't intended as some form of boot camp, simply to get the youth of the parish off the streets. Providing life training and skills acquisition is an important part of the function, and it should apply to girls as well as boys.ViewDate:
29th May 2015Philip PM commented on:
Does courtesy on the road still exist?Interesting to see the current poll result. My own experience is that courtesy is still widespread and frequent, and courtesy begets courtesy. At the same time, bad behaviour on the roads is much more commonplace than formerly. Whether this is caused in part by the massively increased number of road users is debatable, and could probably have been foreseen, with the increase in population and the resulting clogging up of our roads for much of the time. Bad practices are easy to spot, and are probably down to the usual combination of selfishness, indifference and carelessness. Don't think it's particularly age-related, nor gender-related, all sports of folk seem able to wind you up if you let them.ViewDate:
29th May 2015Philip PM commented on:
Should the World Cup be held in Qatar in 2022?I'm not a natural soccer supporter (rugby union is my game), but I think the level of endemic corruption in Fifa has reached such a level that drastic measures are needed to restore public confidence. It seems to be the end of the road for Blatter and his cronies, and all credit to the US authorities for blowing the whistle, as it was apparent that no other football body or government had the courage to face up to the task. Corruption is corruption, wherever and by whomever it may be practised. If Blatter refuses to go, then Uefa and British football authorities should abandon Fifa and set up a new international organisation. In any event and given the level of hubris over Qatar and Russia too, it would be sensible to rerun the bidding competition for these two events, no matter what rhetoric is thrown at us by Putin and other interested parties. No comment to offer on where they should be played.ViewDate:
26th May 2015Philip PM commented on:
Should Britain stay in the EU or is now the time to leave?I'm generally in favour of remaining within the EU, but this is subject to a number of stringent conditions. The most important has to be a recognition and acceptance that we are not condemned to the formulaic doctrine of 'ever closer union.' Although this was stated in the original Treaty of Rome, it was never revealed to us by our political leaders in the 1975 referendum, for which they will be eternally condemned. Secondly, our national life and future have been bound up with those of Europe for centuries, and the attempt on the part of some vested interests to retreat into a new laager of nostalgic post-imperial arrogance does not deserve to be supported. We have always been a major player on the European stage, and this has never required us to sulk off and hide behind the mists of the Channel. The old adage here is true - if you don't like things, get stuck in and change them! If we don't like the way European institutions are being run, and the growing lack of local control over our participation and destiny, let's back our government in negotiating a new settlement for us. Finally, those of us with longer memories are only too aware of what destruction and destitution can be brought about by national conflagration and war. The concept of a European 'family' has maintained the peace on this war-torn continent for 70 years now, and we should never allow ourselves to forget that. I watched a programme on BBC 4 recently, uncovering another nasty little corner of our recent history, when some 12 million ethnic Germans were forced to leave their historic homes in Eastern Europe immediately after WW2 through a programme of what we would now call ethnic cleansing, approved by Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta. Understandable in the circumstances, perhaps, but accompanied by a wave of reprisals and barbaric treatment of which the previous Nazi regime would have been proud. Some 500,000 people were either slaughtered or died of disease on enforced marches westwards, including the sadistic treatment of children as young as six. I don't know about you, but I never again want to be a citizen of a continent in which such atrocious behaviour can even be contemplated, let alone tolerated. That is a great risk of retreating into nationalistic isolation and rivalry, and there are two many examples around at present to remind us of it.ViewDate:
18th Apr 2015Philip PM commented on:
Which coalition do you find more palatable?I'm basically a social democrat (though not a socialist), and belief ion the importance of community over the 'me first' philosophy of the free market jamboree we have suffered for the past 30 years or so. The problem with the Labour Party is that, while it may have a number of good policies to offer, I don't have much confidence in their ability to deliver. As against that, the Tory spin machine is a frightening monster, and is capable of shredding the reputation of any other party to its own advantage. The country was running quite well before the banking crisis, but the Tories have made the international collapse and resulting need for austerity seem to be all the fault of Labour, which is just not true. Giving the present electoral offerings, with their totally negative turn-off and the fundamentalist wings of both main parties waiting to seize absolute power, I hope the Lib Dems will do better than expected, and provide some moderating 'ballast' or leavening within a coalition with whichever one of them is better placed to form a government.ViewDate:
18th Apr 2015Philip PM commented on:
Are you plagued by nuisance phone calls?After the PPI scandal, I'm anticipating shoals of tele-sharks now looking for fresh business in persuading us all to invest our pensions with them.ViewDate:
18th Apr 2015ViewDate:
18th Apr 2015Philip PM commented on:
Do you find beards attractive?Interesting to see the current poll results. I've had a beard since my student days (now reaching 70), have always kept it fairly short (light Nordic is what I call it), neat and tidy, and regularly trimmed. I've no intention of losing its now, but I do appreciate the comments about big, hairy overgrown versions. Keep your shears handy!ViewDate:
29th Dec 2014Philip PM commented on:
What are your views on hospital car park charging?While hospital car parking charges are an unfortunate necessity, there is good reason for this. Having worked in the NHS for over 30 years, it was my experience in several hospitals that car parks were inappropriately used by people who were not visiting as either patients or relatives, but were simply looking for a free daytime dumping place for their cars, while they on to their places of work. This situation arose in many city hospitals where the city council had introduced its own meters or other car charging mechanisms, so wasn't such a great problem on rural hospital sites. An associated problem, of course, is the volume of parking given over to staff vehicles, often apparently at the expense of patients and visitors. No easy answer to this one, both groups have reasonable claims, but giving priority to visitors for shorter parking times might seem stronger than to all day parkers. Some hospitals have experimented with off-site staff parking with the use of ferry buses to bring staff in.