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SannyFerrien's latest comments
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1st Sep 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Forget constituency numbers; 'People's Vote' -- the clue is in the name. Therefore the MP is under no obligation to follow. So, the OP's points are relevant to current decisions, and MPs are entitled to follow their consciences, or what they perceive as best for the country/populace. It is not a question of "usual suspects"; it is recognition, with the advantage of much revelation and fresh information, that the whole Brexit issue has been mismanaged and thus needs to be brought back to the people, not imposed with a bludgeon.ViewDate:
1st Sep 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Is that your best response? :DViewDate:
31st Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Confused, perhaps, as to who controls parliament? Recess is not MPs' personal choice; it is timetabled by the government of the day, though parliament can attempt to control it. They cannot control prorogation. You point out the urgency, yet it is Bojo's cabinet that is keeping parliament closed; and it is the MPs who are actually having to try to find a way to debate parliamentary business despite this arrogant ruse.ViewDate:
31st Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Bear in mind that the referendum was non-party-aligned and 29m constituents did NOT vote Leave, let alone No Deal.ViewDate:
31st Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?He's an apologist for wrong, disingenuously fudging the issue. Having longer holidays, or not, is fine. Recalling parliament when necessary for an issue is fine. Deliberately avoiding sitting, when a hugely urgent national decision is at hand, is arrogant abuse of our democratic system.ViewDate:
31st Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Here is why "...the public voted leave..." is not a strong argument: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/10/24/brexit-is-not-the-will-of-the-british-people-it-never-has-been/ViewDate:
31st Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?You are twisting words, Robin did not call Boris a Fascist. However, his current intentions do fit with the following parts of the definition of fascism: "dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition". It is not about defining Johnson or the Tories -- it is about recognising the thin end of a wedge driven into parliamentary democracy.ViewDate:
31st Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?"... quite a small Remain voice..."? Quite a small margin! Read the following for a clear view of the arguments why pro-Remain is a very reasonable position. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/10/24/brexit-is-not-the-will-of-the-british-people-it-never-has-been/ On the politicians, I agree most follow their vested interests, but especially the 'independently wealthy'.ViewDate:
31st Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?The referendum was never a mandate; it was advisory. Given the majority of less than 4%, much should have been examined and taken into account by parliament. I am fed up having 17.4m rammed into my ears; the other side of that, rarely mentioned, is 29m who did not vote to leave. Ignoring that figure is not democracy. The following article is a couple of years old, but still wholly relevant: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/10/24/brexit-is-not-the-will-of-the-british-people-it-never-has-been/ViewDate:
30th Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Now you are sounding quite leftie, and I totally agree. Baby shortage: hmm... no bad thing. Anyway, I did my bit, but no more now!ViewDate:
30th Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?https://www.ted.com/talks/carole_cadwalladr_facebook_s_role_in_brexit_and_the_threat_to_democracy?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare#t-903292ViewDate:
30th Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?"The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is the European Union's (EU) course of action in the fields of defence and crisis management, and a main component of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The CSDP involves military or civilian missions being deployed to preserve peace, prevent conflict and strengthen international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter." Also see: https://fullfact.org/online/EU-army-conscription/ Child poverty: the Danish comparison is enough to show the absurdity of your suggestion that our child poverty is a result of EU taxes. From Harvard.edu: On the Rebound: Prospects for a US-UK Free Trade Agreement. NON-TARIFF AND REGULATION "Potential benefits in sectors like financial services are unlikely to be realised; concessions to US demands are politically fraught." "USA will expect concessions on sectors like food, digital and healthcare. Likely to concede little. "ViewDate:
29th Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Better an international peace-keeping army than our past histories with our neighbours. Several EU countries have voting systems that give their citizens far better representation than does our FPTP system. How do the child poverty figures compare with Denmark's or Sweden's? -- it is not the EU that lives off the backs of workers; it is CEOs, directors, billionaires who are protected by British/City of London legislation. As for your last point, perhaps. But, sticking to known facts, the European Working Time Directive was the biggest boost to workers' rights that I saw in my working life; and American companies are already rubbing their hands at the possibility of trading with a UK with reduced food labelling requirements, for example.ViewDate:
29th Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Indeed neither was on the ballot paper; but the Withdrawal Agreement is part of the process following Article 50; just one example of the sort of information that was not put out before the referendum.ViewDate:
29th Aug 2019ViewDate:
29th Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?Yes, bring on democracy! -- put this back to the people, including the three years of new voters whose lives will be most affected by political decisions.ViewDate:
29th Aug 2019SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you support Boris's decision to suspend Parliament?1. We were not given full information; we know far more now than then. 2. It is proven that the Leave campaigns were substantially and illegally funded, therefore the resulting figures were not a true representation. 3. It is wrong to believe that the Leave vote covered 'no deal'; Withdrawal Agreement is written in to the implementation of Article 50. 4. Nobody blinks at the idea of a General Election to vote in a complete change of Government every five years or less, when circumstances call for such action; so it is not unreasonable to put this decision back to the people, regardless of the reasons why it has taken so long.ViewDate:
8th Sep 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you believe it's right to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars?The same as they always do. We are currently paying over 60% of our fuel prices as tax. Are the roadsides full of poor people with empty tanks? Of course they will find a system to tax it, and the poorest will not have cars, as now. Let's just hope whatever government that's in charge will recognise pollution, and climate effects, and put its money where its mouth is by improving public transport.ViewDate:
8th Sep 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you believe it's right to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars?What load-shedding? The 1973/4 three-day week, imposed by the Tory government because of the shortfall in coal-fired electricity generation caused by the miners' strikes, caused by the government's refusal to keep their wages up with inflation? That's the only significant one I remember, and it was caused by ideological politics, not by unforeseen demand, The only lesson I draw from it is to vote for a party that believes in society, for councillors who will stand up for the environment. To see change for the better, we need to speak out to achieve it, not bury our heads in the sand because we don't like the growing desert around us, hoping it will go away. Tens of thousands of early deaths in the UK are attributed to air pollution, and asthma alone costs our health service a billion pounds annually.ViewDate:
7th Sep 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Do you believe it's right to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars?I'm dismayed at the high percentage of resistance to what is, in my view, a life-saving, life-enhancing, necessity. Firstly, let's get some perspective on it. New sales are not banned until 2040 so we are looking at a transition of thirty or more years; talk of being compensated for having to change is pointless, as is a fear of suddenly draining our electricity production capacity. Who knows what advances there might be in renewable energy, and means of storing it, before then? Secondly, a good few posts have included thoughtful comments on parallel issues which could all help to improve matters, such as effective public transport, or development of hydrogen cells. Let's just hope that successive governments will have the foresight and will to push ahead. Everything possible needs to be done to reduce burning of fossil fuels; living in cleaner air can be a win/win effect.ViewDate:
7th Sep 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Should families be able to overrule your wishes on organ donation?I've been registered for about fifty years; it clutches at my heart when I hear of people dying/being bereaved for want of permission; just think of the ways in which our health and medical training systems have helped so many of us, from penicillin to corneal implants -- I believe we all owe a debt to that service and we should immediately bring in the opt-out system for donations. In fact, I'm going further, having got the papers to sign my body over to the local university hospital for use in training. My OH is not at ease with my decision - she has a very active visual aspect to her imagination! -- but she, and my sons, all agree to respect my wishes.ViewDate:
28th Jun 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
The future of the Labour party!Definitely! Look where we are now -- governed by a party which got 29% of the electorate to vote for it, tries to tell us it has a mandate from the people, has had to scupper chunks of the manifesto on which it got that 29%, and has had to promise £1 billion of our taxes to one corner of the country, and scuttle the Good Friday Agreement, just to stagger on. And we await investigations into overspent and fraudulent canvassing.ViewDate:
27th Jun 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
The future of the Labour party!Lionel, you and I have very similar working histories; I raise my farmworkers', or my bus drivers', cap to you if you have managed to earn and save enough to fear Labour's proposed taxes! As for "scurrilous pair", almost every savvy politico I have heard talk of Corbyn has emphasised his honesty, principles, likeability and affability, if nothing else. I know less of McDonnell but when interviewed he is one of those rare politicians who listens to, and tries to address, the questions asked of him, and rarely resorts to personal attack. Whereas, the sustained ad hominem attacks by the Tories and their supportive press barons, not to mention Labour's own Torylite PLP, are definitely worthy of the adjective.ViewDate:
26th Jun 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Does the country need a new 'caretaker' prime minister?Vote Labour -- socialism would liven politics considerably!ViewDate:
26th Jun 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Does the country need a new 'caretaker' prime minister?"Yes -- for as long she lasts"ViewDate:
26th Jun 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Does the country need a new 'caretaker' prime minister?May chose her personal advisors; she chose to have the election; she chose to ignore cautionary voices. She lost her party the entirety of its working majority. Why do you expect her abilities or popularity to turn around? Anyone who wants to engage with young voters had better not tell them that a differing political stance means they have been brainwashed.ViewDate:
26th Jun 2017SannyFerrien commented on:
Does the country need a new 'caretaker' prime minister?A hung parliament is certainly not a win "no matter how you look at it". It is an indication that another election is urgent, with a strong focus on the differences between the two highest contenders; and an indication that a better form of representation might be desirable. How did the party you went with impress you? -- presumably with its manifesto? -- and why would that be more or less believable than the manifestos of the others?