British Politics

British Politics

Been on holiday for a few weeks, surprised to find no general discussion of British politics so though I'd kick one off.

01 June 2019 at 06:29 AM
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6296 Replies


Earlier posts are available on our legacy forum HERE

by jalfrezi

Are classes in Irish universities taught in Gaelic?

No, English would be the first language unless you're studying Gaelic. There are areas in the west and northern parts of the republic such as Galway and Donegal known as the Gaeltacht in which Gaelic is the first language. There's also Gaelic speaking schools. I went to one and used to be fluent in Gaelic and I'm still passable at it although not as fluent as I was years ago.


by corpus vile

No, English would be the first language unless you're studying Gaelic. There are areas in the west and northern parts of the republic such as Galway and Donegal known as the Gaeltacht in which Gaelic is the first language. There's also Gaelic speaking schools. I went to one and used to be fluent in Gaelic and I'm still passable at it although not as fluent as I was years ago.

Right. I asked because I remembered when that rule was introduced and the controversy it caused. It's good news for immigrants that they and specifically their children won't find any language barriers to studying there.


by chezlaw

Our leaders arent listening. They aren't tackling anything. Theya re pandering to the right or part of the right. That is why discontent is rising and it's why extremist and populist nutters are rising fast. This is not a an EU problem which is both democratic and accountable. I'm not one who says you cannot reasonaby argue to leave the EU - I think you are wroign and if we had

You're not engaging this dishonest Brexit clown again are you?

Funny how he disappears for months then reappears as soon as he thinks he has something to attack "ze Euros" over.


by diebitter

Of course. As the right wingers seem to be the only ones with any chatter about not laying down and getting a good bumming from the EU (Whether they mean it or not)

QF homophobia


by chezlaw

Brexit aided the right of the far right in european countries which is bad for them and bad for us. It also raised the far right in the uk which is also bad for them and bad for us. We haven't fled anyhting in that regard.

uh? no it didn't? Lega has lost a lot of votes since brexit, and that was the most important "far right" party in the EU. Now it's AfD, which grows just because every other party is leftist in Germany , there is no normal rightwing option unlike Meloni in Italy. AfD is rising because there is a will to the right everywhere, as the horrendous disasters of european leftism, in particular the energy-related ones, and the environmental regulations ones, and the immigration ones, have pushed the right a lot.

No one mentions brexit around here, it had no effect on our internal italian politics, we stopped discussing it a month after it happened. We only keep talking about it wrt italians needing passports to go to the UK and how that is creating us problems with passport issuance , stuff like that. No1 claims Meloni won because of brexit lol.


by Husker

Yes, of course.Ben Chu is the economics editor for Newsnight (there's a very good analysis by him today on the UK's trade)

Thanks for the link, I usually check out the Irish Times so I'm surprised I missed this, thanks again. 👍


by jalfrezi

Right. I asked because I remembered when that rule was introduced and the controversy it caused. It's good news for immigrants that they and specifically their children won't find any language barriers to studying there.

I don't think it's the same in the actual primary & secondary schools system, but some migrants don't mind it anyway. This is anecdotal but A Polish neighbour of mine told me his kids were exempt from learning it but he wanted them to as they were living here (his kids also play GAA/Gaelic Athletic Association football), and a Romanian colleague's kid was learning Irish at schools. There are only exemptions in certain circumstances in actual schools, more on it here
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/ed...


by corpus vile

I don't think it's the same in the actual primary & secondary schools system, but some migrants don't mind it anyway. This is anecdotal but A Polish neighbour of mine told me his kids were exempt from learning it but he wanted them to as they were living here (his kids also play GAA/Gaelic Athletic Association football), and a Romanian colleague's kid was learning Irish at sch

This is what I'd expect to see, judging from anecdotal experiences here in London.

Some people's xenophobia takes over and they assume immigrants will always be speaking foreign languages but they're not thinking straight about how big a step it is to move yourself and your family to a country the other side of Europe, and how that usually implies learning the indigenous language.


by Luciom

uh? no it didn't? Lega has lost a lot of votes since brexit, and that was the most important "far right" party in the EU. Now it's AfD, which grows just because every other party is leftist in Germany , there is no normal rightwing option unlike Meloni in Italy. AfD is rising because there is a will to the right everywhere, as the horrendous disasters of european leftism, in pa

We're having different conversations. I talking about decades or even generations. That the time scale in which politics plays out. Short term election reults aren't relevant - it's like many if us being relived when Obama repalaced an insane nutty regime - it didn't change the underlying dynamics and the symptoms come back harder. We have to actually change things.

Talk of brexit is largely irrelevent as this is real political impact not chatter. It does matter to some extent and in the short term people remember the mess and pain. That will fade and it will come back with a vengence if and when the time is ripe.


by jalfrezi

This is what I'd expect to see, judging from anecdotal experiences here in London.Some people's xenophobia takes over and they assume immigrants will always be speaking foreign languages but they're not thinking straight about how big a step it is to move yourself and your family to a country the other side of Europe, and how that usually implies learning the indigenous languag

Some migrants here, such as Polish and Chinese have also joined the Gardai/Irish police, so their language actually comes in handy when dealing with said communities when investigating crimes against them. I worked in Hospitality for 15 years and most of my workmates were migrants and the majority of them integrated, and spoke English in an Irish style, such as slang and whatnot.
I never understood the fuss regarding their native languages anyway, as obviously anyone living abroad will speak their own language at home or skyping with their family or fellow migrants from their own country. Whenever me & my partner visit Italy for example, I'll speak what little Italian I have to my in laws and in shops, but my partner and I will speak English when strolling about.


by Luciom

uh? no it didn't? Lega has lost a lot of votes since brexit, and that was the most important "far right" party in the EU. Now it's AfD, which grows just because every other party is leftist in Germany , there is no normal rightwing option unlike Meloni in Italy. AfD is rising because there is a will to the right everywhere, as the horrendous disasters of european leftism, in pa

I wouldn't call Meloni a normal right winger, she's been involved with the far right since her mid teens, wasn't she in the MFI youth wing? She was also involved with the National Alliance. Considering her neo Fascist background, I've found her surprisingly restrained wrt her comments in general, actually.


by chezlaw

Our leaders arent listening.

The key difference is we, the electorate, have the power to kick them out.

Do you really understand this difference and how important it is? I know you understand the difference intellectually, but I really, really don't think you get just how important it is for national democracy. You just hand-wave it like it's no big deal and talk about how the EU is becoming more democratic. Which shows you understand it isn't really democratic now, but dont think it's a big deal.


I see the difference of course but since Lisbon it doesn't apply. It may still be developing but so is the extent of the sharing of sovereignty.

National democracy is more to the point but I'm not a nationalist

And I think I do really get it. The failure to address sovereignty and democracy was the biggest problem by far . Its not that we had no case, we had a strong case. We just never fought for it.


by corpus vile

I wouldn't call Meloni a normal right winger, she's been involved with the far right since her mid teens, wasn't she in the MFI youth wing? She was also involved with the National Alliance. Considering her neo Fascist background, I've found her surprisingly restrained wrt her comments in general, actually.

Well she is ultra pro EU and criticized by the alt right for it. Also pro military help to Ukraine, pro Israel, very neo-con normal right


by chezlaw

We're having different conversations. I talking about decades or even generations. That the time scale in which politics plays out. Short term election reults aren't relevant - it's like many if us being relived when Obama repalaced an insane nutty regime - it didn't change the underlying dynamics and the symptoms come back harder. We have to actually change things.Talk of bre

Then I truly don't understand what you are saying help me understand.

What Brexit did is making it clear to most, even if you are powerful, a nuclear nation, you already have you own currency, have an international network of 10+ countries linked to you on favourable terms (commonwealth) and your language is the most spoken second language worldwide, if you exit is going to be a real pain in the ass.

How did Brexit help "the far right"?? How did it "decrease democracy"?

Btw Obama ordered more extrajudicial assassination of actual enemies of the west than Bush, this is why people like me can like him and people like you don't possibly


Brexit increases nationalism and division. That helps the far right. The far right is an enemy of democracy. That is simple to understand - agree or disagree as you see fit

The problems we need to tackle imo require far more cooperation and far less self-interest. Brexit makes that harder and failures are exploited by the far right who are the enemy of democracy.

USA needs to be stood up to on economics and so much more. Brexit makes that much harder and failures are exploited by the far right who are the enemy of democracy.


by Luciom

Well she is ultra pro EU and criticized by the alt right for it. Also pro military help to Ukraine, pro Israel, very neo-con normal right

Like I said she's surprised me in general. I very very strongly suspect she's a Fascist at heart though.



by corpus vile

Like I said she's surprised me in general. I very very strongly suspect she's a Fascist at heart though.

why?.she is acting like every center-righr democristian would have acted 1946-1990


by chezlaw

Brexit increases nationalism and division. That helps the far right. The far right is an enemy of democracy. That is simple to understand - agree or disagree as you see fitThe problems we need to tackle imo require far more cooperation and far less self-interest. Brexit makes that harder and failures are exploited by the far right who are the enemy of democracy.USA needs to be

ah you mean inside the UK lol sorry.

I thought you meant Brexit helped the far right IN THE EU (I. countries staying in the EU). got it.

yes ofc inside the UK Brexit galvanized people, including the far right, who have strong nationalism as their core identity.

but man your polls are the most leftwing polls pre-election like in what, 40 years? 60? you should be thrilled, it's two generations that the left wasn't as strong in popular opinion as it is today.

so I don't get your pessimism. your side in the UK is going to win in a landslide


I mean in every country

My side is barely even running in the next election in the uk


by chezlaw

I mean in every country

My side is barely even running in the next election in the uk

Green party is too much to the right for you? What do you want, Mao resurrected, or that's too moderate?


by Luciom

Green party is too much to the right for you? What do you want, Mao resurrected, or that's too moderate?

I sometimes vote green (did just a few days ago). An important group imo but I usually find I have big issues with some of their thinking so want them as a significant pressure group rather than the major party in government.

I want democratic socialism and if I'm lucky I might get to vote that way,. They are not a significant electoral force though - it's all right wing of various flavours


by chezlaw

I sometimes vote green (did just a few days ago). An important group imo but I usually find I have big issues with some of their thinking so want them as a significant pressure group rather than the major party in government.I want democratic socialism and if I'm lucky I might get to vote that way,. They are not a significant electoral force though - it's all right wing of vari

The Greens have been a significant force in Scotland for some time, despite feeble poll numbers (in fact they have been the somewhat crazy tail wagging the SNP dog, until Yousaf broke the pact), because of the proportional representation system up there. Which is why proportional representation is a bad idea. It always over-promotes fringe groups, letting them hold the balance of power in a hung parliament and putting the lunatics in charge of the asylum. See under: Israel, where religious far-right settlers always hold the balance of power and dictate policy to everyone else.


by Luciom

why?.she is acting like every center-righr democristian would have acted 1946-1990

Well due to her being a member of MSI (Founded by Mussolini supporters) and National Alliance. That's what kinda put the thought into my head. 😀

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