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Roof Top Crow's latest comments
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30th Jul 2021Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should wolf-whistling become a criminal offence?Hello Lionel You say that society has deteriorated, but that is where you and I have different opinions. Crime has reduced by over 70% since 1995. Life expectancy has increased significantly in the past 25 years, Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Polio has been just about wiped out in the UK. Antisemitism and Racism have not gone away but legislation and public attitudes have made those opinions the unacceptable voice of a small minority. Overall life in the UK is much much better, safer and healthier than when I was growing up in the forties, fifties and sixties. .. As an old bloke, I very much admire today's women who speak out about the attitudes and pressures that women of all ages experience. Long may they continue. Sexual assault often begins with catcalling and wolf-whistling. It makes sense that preventing this type of verbal assault will help to stop it from escalating into a sexual assault.ViewDate:
28th Jan 2021Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should teachers be prioritised for vaccination over half-term?Vaccinating teachers, teaching assistants and staff working in schools is not about their health, it is about getting children back to school. Children need to have the best education available and being in school is the place it will happen. It will not happen at home, despite the best efforts of parents and the BBC. We need the generations in schools and universities to have the best education they can have. In no order of priority, they are the members of society that will be the futures doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, skilled workers, front line staff, drivers, electricians, hairdressers, hospitality workers and so on. This dreadful pandemic will pass and it will take us many many years to recover. We need the generations in education to be educated and ready to take on the recovery. Silversurfers like me and presumably you are not the generations that will be part of the rebuilding of the future One more thing. For many children, the most sensible adults in their lives are the teachers at school. We already know that the incidence of child abuse and neglect at home is massively increasing. School is very often the first place that abuse, neglect and hunger in children is recognised and action is takenViewDate:
18th Sep 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?The UK has a system of representative democracy. The system represents and acts in the best interests of the 45 million people who have a vote and the further 22 million people who because of age or other factors do not have a vote. Total 67 million. What has happened now, is that Boris Johnson has chosen to take away the representative democracy of 67 million. He is doing this on behalf of a shrinking in numbers, minority common interest group, who represent at best 22% of the population. Of course it is wrong.ViewDate:
14th Apr 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Is a bad deal better than remaining in the European Union?My understanding of this Brexit chaos, is that the Conservative Government have been trying to honour the result of the 2016 referendum, but without success. The lack of success in achieving this objective is due to the lack of skill and leadership being shown by the Prime Minister. A Prime Minister the Conservative Party elected. In your second paragraph you are asking why I am not honouring the result of the 2016 referendum. My only involvement in the referendum was to walk to my local school and vote. Since the 2016 referendum I have watched in amazement and dismay as many of the elected Members of Parliament, who sit on the Conservative Government side of the house, have shown themselves to be charlatans and self-seeking opportunists.ViewDate:
14th Apr 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Is a bad deal better than remaining in the European Union?I seem to have hit a nerve. The 1975 referendum was 44 years ago. In that democratic vote, 67% voted to stay in membership and 33% voted to leave. In the 2016 referendum, 52% of voters reversed that democratic decision. Democracy at work. In your last paragraph you talk of democracy. Democracy keeps working and the leave decision taken in 2016 might be democratically reversed in the next referendum or election. Again, that is how democracy works. I do not understand why it is shameful to think of older voters dying off. I am an older voter, I was born in 1944. Polly Toynbee was born in 1946, she is also an older voter. I do not know Polly Toynbee, but I am sure, that just like me, she knows that at our age, most of our life is now behind us.ViewDate:
13th Apr 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Is a bad deal better than remaining in the European Union?In the UK there have been 27 elections since 1918. Legislation is in place to ensure we have regular general elections. The maximum period between general elections is five years. The issues that influence voters change all the time. Societies values change, circumstances change and voters make their decisions accordingly. In 2019 we would not want our representational parliament working with voting decisions that where made in the twenties, thirties and forties or through to the nineties.ViewDate:
13th Apr 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Is a bad deal better than remaining in the European Union?I keep reading and hearing that the votes of 17.4 million people in a 2016 referendum represents the will of the people. It did not then and it does not now. 17.4 million “Leave” votes represent 37% of the 46.5 million people who were able to vote in the 2016 referendum or 26% of 66 million people who lived in the UK in 2016. This tells us that these low percentage numbers from 2016 never represented the will of the people of the UK. Three years later this spurious claim now just represents the view of a declining number of “Leave” voters, and nothing more. I say declining because the middle-aged and elderly, who made up the majority of “Leave” voters, also make up most of the 500,000 (1360 a day) UK citizens that die every year. The demographics over the past 3 years are complex, but they tell a straightforward story. There are more “Leave” voters dying every day than “Remainers”. The cross over point was late in 2018 and if there was a referendum in 2019 that asked the same “ in or out “ question, remain would poll more votes. I do not want to be overly morbid, but once people have died, the vote they cast in any kind of election cannot be taken into account. If we do not do that, we may as well go back to the referendum in 1973 when the yes vote was 67% and the no vote was 32%.ViewDate:
19th Feb 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Does the future look brighter?This was my reply to an earlier post. The post was sort of asking for an explanation of why so many people voted to leave the EU. Does anyone have a better explanation. ?? …………. I would like to be able to give you a logical explanation of why the majority of those that voted in the referendum voted for Brexit. I cannot do that, because it is not logical that the voting population of the UK voted to make the UK much less successful. Voting to leave will make children, adults and particularly the elderly, much poorer. In a few years time we will be able to look back and understand why so many people made such a negative decision. The initial research about this decision indicates that the vote to leave was based on a simple fact. Over the past 20 years people in the poor and disadvantaged communities in the UK have got poorer and the opportunities to change their circumstances have massively reduced. The vote was a desperation vote. “Anything must be better than what we have at the moment, so let us try being out of the EU. It might be better than what we currently have”. Also, we live in a class dominated society. So when the "posh" people who have managed the UK for hundreds of years, said vote leave, many many voters believed them, just because they sounded as though they knew what was best for the UK. Many people who voted leave now regret that decision because they now know it was the wrong decision. To cover this regrettable decision they get very angry when challenged or asked about why they voted to leave. My few words are a very short opinion of what will historically be seen as a tragic mistake by the UK. ………….. NB.I rarely use the word “posh” but when talking about public school educated and very arrogant dimwits such as Reese-Mogg and Boris Johnson it is easier just to say “posh”. The word "posh" does not indicate intelligence.ViewDate:
19th Feb 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Does the future look brighter?I would like to be able to give you a logical explanation of why the majority of those that voted in the referendum voted for Brexit. I cannot do that, because it is not logical that the voting population of the UK voted to make the UK much less successful. Voting to leave will make children, adults and particularly the elderly, much poorer. In a few years time we will be able to look back and understand why so many people made such a negative decision. The initial research about this decision indicates that the vote to leave was based on a simple fact. Over the past 20 years people in the poor and disadvantaged communities in the UK have got poorer and the opportunities to change their circumstances have massively reduced. The vote was a desperation vote. “Anything must be better than what we have at the moment, so let us try being out of the EU. It might be better than what we currently have”. Also, we live in a class dominated society. So when the "posh" people who have managed the UK for hundreds of years, said vote leave, many many voters believed them just because they sounded as though they knew what was best for the UK. Many people who voted leave now regret that decision because they now know it was the wrong decision. To cover this regrettable decision they get very angry when challenged or asked about why they voted to leave. My few words are a very short opinion of what will historically be seen as a tragic mistake by the UK. NB.I rarely use the word “posh” but when talking about public school educated and very arrogant dimwits such as Reese-Mogg and Boris Johnson it is easier just to say “posh”. The word "posh" does not indicate intelligence.ViewDate:
26th Jan 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Does the future look brighter?What I do know is that millions of people are employed in our manufacturing industries including cars, planes and electronics etc and the people who run those industries have openly stated that leaving the EU will mean far fewer jobs in those industries. What I do know is that the farming industry will be facing a crisis if we leave the EU. What I do know is that the NHS will be facing a staffing crisis if we leave the EU. What I do know is that the service industries and the hospitality industries are already in crisis on the basis that we will probably leave the EU. What I do know is that I cannot believe the promises that were made and continue to be made by Rees-Mogg, Fox, Davies, Johnson and Farage. I almost forgot Dyson, but having seen such extreme hypocrisy in action I must have pushed him to the back of my mind. So can anyone tell me what is going to replace the jobs that will be lost when we leave the EU. Can anyone tell me how the tax that people in employment generate will be replaced.ViewDate:
24th Jan 2019Roof Top Crow commented on:
Does the future look brighter?If the EU cannot afford to have us leave and the UK cannot afford to leave can anyone explain why we are planning to leave. ??ViewDate:
7th Nov 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Would you support a delay to the final EU departure?Not sure I want to dismiss the fresh food so causally. . The problem with "buffer stocks" is that they need warehousing space. I believe that in the commercial property world they call the warehousing sector "Big Sheds". In the Big Shed sector there is a huge problem with availability. Everything in this sector is being snapped up by the on line industry giants such as Amazon, John Lewis, PC World and many others..ViewDate:
5th Nov 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Would you support a delay to the final EU departure?The leave campaigners and the remain campaigners agree that leaving the EU will cost the UK more than other countries in Europe. The difference is that the leave campaigners say it will be back to neutral in just a few years, but no timescale has been forecast. The remain campaigners say it will take many years to get back to neutral but is impossible to forecast when that will happen. ANPR technology is very very limited in its scope, to make it work you would need a technology system that held data on every vehicle within the EU, and that is years away. The owners and managers of Felixstowe, are absolutely against the UK leaving the EU. They do not have the technology and people to manage the system you suggest. Felixstowe manages containers. Within the containers there are non-perishable dry goods from the EU and other parts of the world. Fresh food and just in time products come through Dover. The Port of Dover does not have the technology or people to manage an active and day to day control and checking system.ViewDate:
3rd Nov 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Would you support a delay to the final EU departure?Why would they laugh at the PM behind her back, why would they try to make a fool of her.?? The EU negotiators would not gain anything by trying to humiliate the UK. This unfounded opinion of the EU negotiators probably comes from one of those silly headlines The Daily Express churns out. The UK made the decision to withdraw from EU membership. The remaining 27 EU countries know this decision by the UK will cost them all billions of Euros in direct costs. Holland, France, Belgium, Ireland and Germany will feel the brunt of these costs. The European country that will pay the highest cost will be the UK. Successful negotiations are vital for the future of the UK. So far they have been very slow. The fault lies entirely with the UK and it is only in the past weeks that the UK negotiating team have shown any sense of urgency. These negotiations will set in place the future of the UK for years to come and if they need more time, then they should be given more time.ViewDate:
30th Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Would you support a delay to the final EU departure?Negotiating commercially is difficult and does not stop when an agreement is reached. Both sides try to ensure that the original terms are adhered to and both sides try to change and improve the agreement as they go along. Add a political objective to the negotiations and it becomes even more complex. The comparison with Greece is wrong. Greece needed bailing out and they had to accept whatever the EU decided to offer them. The UK is to some extent negotiating from a position of strength and it is in both sides interest to agree on a deal. But remember these negotiations only take us to March 29th 2019. Assuming a departure agreement is signed and we do not crash out of the EU on 29th March 2019 that is not the end. We will then start the “transition period”. Transition discussions could last 2 years, 3 years or even longer as we negotiate our agreement with the EU.ViewDate:
26th Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Would you support a delay to the final EU departure?Hello Lionel No insider knowledge. My extended family includes people from all over Europe. To keep up with what is happening in those countries, I read many of the online news feeds from France, Germany, Belgium, Italy etc. Just about every publication I read from the rest of the world, finds it very hard to believe that the UK has chosen to end our EU membership. As we get closer to the end of March 2019 they are pushing the EU and their own governments to minimise the damage to their own economies that Brexit will cause. Along with that goes a great deal of resentment against the UK. The UK reputation has taken a real battering. In history most countries have held the UK governments and politicians in very high regard. That has ended, and politicians such as Johnson, Davis and Fox have caused very serious damage to our reputation. The general view about our PM is that she is a women totally out of her intellectual depth just as she was as Home Secretary. As for the future of the UK, I am afraid that most, if not all the press overseas, take a very negative view of our future economy. As for being in a club. I am a member of our local sports club and I have membership of the Curzon Cinema chain which gives me a discount on ticket prices. But I suspect that’s not what you mean.ViewDate:
26th Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Would you support a delay to the final EU departure?My understanding is that a number of WTO members have objected to the terms of our membership. It means it will take many years, some say up to 8 years, before we can fully trade on full WTO terms. This was in a Liam Fox announcement earlier this week.ViewDate:
24th Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Would you support a delay to the final EU departure?Scrolling down through the posts I can see that many Silversurfers believe that the EU is at fault because they are not helping the UK bring to an end its membership of the EU. The reality is different. The EU has been trying very hard to find a solution for the UK and its 65 million citizens. However, and nor unreasonably they first and foremost need to find a solution that minimises the damage for the remaining 27 EU countries and the 450 million citizens that do not plan to leave the EU. The EU does not want the UK to leave the EU, but it respects the decision of the 2016 referendum. It is not up to the EU to find a solution to the Irish border problem. The UK decided in a referendum to end its membership of the EU and it is the UK that must find a solution. The UK or should I just say this Conservative Government has demonstrated an extraordinary lack of ability and competence in negotiating our departure from EU membership. Quite simply they need more time.ViewDate:
12th Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
How confident do you feel that the Government can deliver Brexit to the benefit of the country?It should matter to you and it should matter to all of us. We now know from both leavers and remainers that leaving EU membership with a fudged together half in half out agreement will be very bad for the future of the UK. We now know from both leavers and remainers that leaving EU membership with no deal will be a disaster for the future of the UK. The result of the 2016 referendum and the inept and chaotic way in which the Tory party is trying to negotiate the UK’s withdrawal from EU membership will be remembered. All of it will be remembered as the most significant politically damaging and economically damaging event of the last 50 years.ViewDate:
11th Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?The result of the referendum does not really matter. It is in the past, and now, what really matters, is the future of the UK. We now know from both leavers and remainers that leaving EU membership with a fudged together half in half out agreement will be very bad for the future of the UK. We now know from both leavers and remainers that leaving EU membership with no deal will be a disaster for the future of the UK. In life we all make mistakes. We normally realise and acknowledge our mistake and we then do the sensible thing. We admit we made a mistake, we say we have changed our mind and then we try to correct any damage we might have caused or will cause by hanging on to the first idea. We do not hang on to the mistake and stubbornly say “that is what I have decided and I do not care what damage it does to me and anyone around me”. Yes of course we should be asked to think again and vote again.ViewDate:
5th Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
How confident do you feel that the Government can deliver Brexit to the benefit of the country?Like many Silversurfers my early memories are of food rationing and smog. The days of visas, customs posts and border delays should remain as a memory of the old days, just like smog. Travel visas for the drivers of commercial vehicles as well as export and import documents to be checked at border crossings. Travel visas for tourists in cars, coaches, trains and planes, the list is endless. No wonder the UK Government is planning to employ thousands of new civil servants to process paperwork whatever agreement or non-agreement we come to. As are the French and Dutch governments.ViewDate:
2nd Oct 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
How confident do you feel that the Government can deliver Brexit to the benefit of the country?Brexit will mean that UK citizens will have to apply for a visa to travel to the 27 EU countries. That will mean needing a visa to go on holiday, it will mean our children and grandchildren will need visas to study and work overseas and business travel will become even more difficult. I did not make this up. This was said by Theresa May at today's Conservative Party Conference 2018. And I quote Theresa May. (EU citizens will no longer be given priority to live and work in Britain in a radical overhaul of immigration policy after Brexit, Theresa May has said, admitting Britons may in turn have to apply for US-style visas to visit and work in Europe) A more backward is hard to imagine. Our UK government is negotiating an agreement that will take away UK citizens rights to travel freely within the 27 nearest countries in Europe. Are we set to become a small isolated island floating of the edge of Europe. It looks very likelyViewDate:
3rd Sep 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?Logical thinking is not a Liam Fox strength. He does not want us to believe Treasury Forecasts, that are supported by analysis and data, but he does want us to believe his guesswork forecasts that are not supported by any kind of data and analysis.ViewDate:
30th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?The Metro is owned by The Daily Mail Group. Who, as you know, have taken an extreme anti EU stance for many years. The same Daily Mail newspaper that claimed in May 2017, just days before the last election, that the Labour Party Leaders are “Apologists for Terror”. An outrageous and contemptable headline. The Daily Mail has no hesitation in demeaning and ridiculing anyone or anything that does fit their own distorted view of society. I have nothing but contempt for The Daily Mail and the newspapers within the group. I was going to finish by saying something positive about The Metro and The Daily Mail, but after a lot of thought, nothing came to mind.ViewDate:
30th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?I asked a question and so far you have not answered other than to say that a nation can change its mind at any time. Taking that view into account, Can I assume you would not object to there being another referendum before 29th March 2019.ViewDate:
30th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?My question was not about EU membership. It was about the reversal of a democratic vote taken in 1975. Can you explain why it is considered acceptable to reverse the democratic vote of 1975.... but it would not be considered acceptable to reverse the democratic vote of 2016.ViewDate:
30th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?Can you explain why it is considered acceptable to reverse the democratic vote of 1975.... but it would not be considered acceptable to reverse the democratic vote of 2016. .ViewDate:
29th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?oops bit of a typo. As I recall just under 52% voted to leave in June 2016. But I suppose it does not matter because whatever way you look at it, the democratic result of 1975 was overturned in 2016.ViewDate:
29th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?Referendum 1. 1975 We had the first referendum in 1975 and 67% of the voting population voted to join the EU. Referendum 2. 2016 We had the second referendum in 2016 and 47% of the voting population voted to leave the EU. I agree with you, having a second referendum, as we did in June 2016, makes a mockery of the whole voting system. It seems that the leavers got their way in 2016 and managed to overturn the democratic referendum result of 1975.ViewDate:
29th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?Jean-Claude Juncker and his team have continuously denied the rumours about him being dragged out of NATO meetings. The Sun, The Express and The Telegraph have all pushed this unsubstantiated story because it matches the very sad obsession they all have of vilifying the EU, and all of the people who work in the organisation. Maybe we should ask an MEP to comment about an acceptable level of alcohol intake before attending a meeting. Nigel Farage would be a good person to ask as he makes no secret about his alcohol intake. The problem is that Nigel has the worst meeting attendance record out of all 746 MEP’s. So that would not work. Churchill made no secret of his daily alcohol intake and alcohol dependence. A recent article described it as an "Epic Drinking Regimen”ViewDate:
25th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?It comes down to numbers. The population of the EU is close to 513 million. The population of the UK is close to 65 million. The UK represents under 13% of EU membership leaving 87% who will remain in membership when we leave the EU. Realistically our 13% may cause a short ripple for the remaining 87%, but it will quickly pass and they will move on. Director General Joachim Lang of the BDI (the equivalent of our CBI) recently said that both sides must move more quickly and the UK must accept a compromise.ViewDate:
24th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?I have been to Germany many times over the past 40 or more years and have never experienced or been aware of the attitude that you negatively describe as Volkesbrodt and Bratvoirst. . And where is your evidence that the EU is collapsing?ViewDate:
24th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?The list of world leaders who were known as more than moderate drinkers is very long. Four names come instantly to mind: Churchill, Roosevelt, Yeltsin, and Nixon. . Nothing will happen to the rest of the EU when UK contributions end. Unlike the UK, the EU has spent the past 2 years adjusting its financial future for post Brexit.ViewDate:
22nd Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?Liam Fox resigned from his previous cabinet position. In his own words, he said he had not been able to differentiate between his cabinet responsibilities and his private life. Are we really expected to listen and believe anything he says?ViewDate:
7th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?The UK has voted for self-harm by voting to leave the EU. So it makes sense that the UK should be given the ability to reverse the self-harm vote. Ideally, it should be whilst we are still in full membership. It may be that we would still vote to leave. If that was to happen we could be like Farage and say that we must all accept the decision whatever it is. Admittedly he went back on that a couple of days later.ViewDate:
6th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
How confident do you feel that the Government can deliver Brexit to the benefit of the country?Norway has a population of just over 5 million. They are oil-rich, they have a very small manufacturing industry and a tiny service industry. The population of the UK is circa 65 million. We have a manufacturing industry that employs millions and a service industry that employs millions. Nice idea but the comparison does not work.ViewDate:
6th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
How confident do you feel that the Government can deliver Brexit to the benefit of the country?Attitude to women, Meet the Russians, Tariff war destroying farmers in the USA, Children separated from families, Outer space force, Climate change is not happening, Mining in national parks, Healthcare removed, Education finance massively reduced, Incoherent rambling and outright lies. And much much more Do we really need that kind of government leader in the UK.ViewDate:
6th Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?You have written, that if at some time in the future the majority of voting citizens in the UK wanted to vote to return to EU membership they cannot do so?. Are you saying that it would be democratic to deny the democratic rights of the voting citizens of the UK? Have I understood what you are saying?ViewDate:
3rd Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?A question. Can anyone tell me what would happen if we leave EU and then realise that leaving was the wrong decision. A) Can we vote to rejoin the EU 0r B) We can never vote to rejoin the EU.ViewDate:
3rd Aug 2018Roof Top Crow commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?You have lost me. When did I say you were an idiot ?