Random Thoughts (Political Edition)

Finally some good news.

Metropolitan Police apologizes to family of Ian Tomlinson

It's great that finally, the family gets the apology they deserve. But there are a few issues with this case.

First and foremost, it's the PC who assaulted him. He overstepped the mark, but in reality, PC Harwood, were just acting how he was expected to act. It was a freak accident that made this a fatal case. We're far more likely to see a death from asphyxia during a kettling operation, just to mention one facet modern policing. When it comes to crowd policing, the use of force PC Harwood applied was perfectly common. Guy in front of him was moving a little slowly, so he gave him the truncheon in the leg. And then he gave him a push.

I'm willing to bet that happened at least a hundered times within 24 hours of that moment. Without incident. The use of force against peaceful protesters has become accepted in some countries. When Lt. John Pike assaulted young people sitting down by hosing them with a high concentration chemical spray.. that was perfectly acceptable in his mind. He had been conditioned to act that way. So was PC Harwood.

The chief officers, the Chief inspectors, superintendants and above, they're the guys responsible. They made it possible.

PC Harwood was doing his job.
 
Finally some good news.

Metropolitan Police apologizes to family of Ian Tomlinson

It's great that finally, the family gets the apology they deserve. But there are a few issues with this case.

First and foremost, it's the PC who assaulted him. He overstepped the mark, but in reality, PC Harwood, were just acting how he was expected to act. It was a freak accident that made this a fatal case. We're far more likely to see a death from asphyxia during a kettling operation, just to mention one facet modern policing. When it comes to crowd policing, the use of force PC Harwood applied was perfectly common. Guy in front of him was moving a little slowly, so he gave him the truncheon in the leg. And then he gave him a push.

I'm willing to bet that happened at least a hundered times within 24 hours of that moment. Without incident. The use of force against peaceful protesters has become accepted in some countries. When Lt. John Pike assaulted young people sitting down by hosing them with a high concentration chemical spray.. that was perfectly acceptable in his mind. He had been conditioned to act that way. So was PC Harwood.

The chief officers, the Chief inspectors, superintendants and above, they're the guys responsible. They made it possible.

PC Harwood was doing his job.

So by that logic, the East German border guards for example were also just doing their job when killing refugees... Because they were drilled that way, because they did what they were told to do. Is that so?

Sorry but in my book it's always the person who commits the act, that is responsible. And no prevarications. One can expect, that people who represent the monopoly of violence of the state, have to be extra careful and must be able to think for themselves.

Excuse me if this sounds a bit harsh and I really mean no offence but coming from Germany, I have a very special relationship with the term "I was just following orders" ;)
 
Thought I might ask this in here. In the E.U. Free trade deal that probably might not go threw now, would we get french cars here in the USA? I see no reason why the french wouldn't try to sell them here with a free trade deal. I would buy a DS3 or a Twingo RS or other hot hatch if I had the money. Renault/Nissan could easily sell cars here I would imagine.
 
Thought I might ask this in here. In the E.U. Free trade deal that probably might not go threw now, would we get french cars here in the USA? I see no reason why the french wouldn't try to sell them here with a free trade deal. I would buy a DS3 or a Twingo RS or other hot hatch if I had the money. Renault/Nissan could easily sell cars here I would imagine.

They'd still need to get them through your traffic laws, no?

From my understanding of what's being discussed in the free trade talks, their aim is to recognize each other's legislation (as far as possible) as equivalent, minimizing the tweaks a carmaker needs to do to get it legal in each region. So Peugeot and Citroen could bring their cars over to the US by just changing all the buttons to English and sorting out a distribution network, instead of what they would have to do now in modifying each model to comply to US standards and submitting them to crash and EPA tests.

If the talks go through, the US and Europe would keep their existing regulations, but recognize the other's as equivalent. (i.e. it would still be in the books that DOT headlamps would need an amber retroreflector on the side, but DOT would accept E-code lights that don't have them). Future regulations would then be written in a harmonized way, so that in some decades the legislation between the US and EU would be essentially identical, changing only slightly where necessary, such as allowing deer killer bumpers in the US where deer are a problem but not in Europe.
 
Hoping for the best then, but from what I understand the main thing blocking this deal is the french at this moment. As shown in the recent top gear episode French don't like English/American culture slipping into French living rooms. Citroens/Renaults would sell like hot cakes here, not sure about Peugeot unless they sell the car Seb Loeb drove.
 
Not 100% sure that is correct, we have different laws governing lights to the yupes - rear Fogs are mandatory hear (The weather you know) and not in mainland Europe as far as I know, and some countries insist that you drive with running lights 100% of the time which is not a requirement here.

My guess is a lowering of fiscal trade barriers is why it is intended. Do not know how things like this DVD region coding nonsense fits in with that either.

Personally I wish that Ukania could do its own deal with the US/Canada but then I am odd.
 
Last edited:
Not 100% sure that is correct, we have different laws governing lights to the yupes - rear Fogs are mandatory hear (The weather you know) and not in mainland Europe as far as I know, and some countries insist that you drive with running lights 100% of the time which is not a requirement here.

My guess is a lowering of fiscal trade barriers is why it is intended. Do not know how things like this DVD region coding nonsense fits in with that either.

Personally I wish that Ukania could do its own deal with the US/Canada but then I am odd.

We require a rear fog light as well.

Ooh, right, rear fogs...

Well, the goal is to recognize them as equivalent as far as possible. This is because the differing regulations have been calculated to be equivalent to a 26% tariff both ways, so reducing that as much as possible will help companies on both sides of the pond. Specific regulations like required fogs are not as expensive to design around as completely different emissions and crash regs. It'll probably just mean US cars heading east will have a different rear light to include the rear fog and EU cars heading west will have the rear fog bulb removed and a switch blank over the rear fog controls.
 
He used inflammatory words to get Ukip noticed, as Spectre said paying bribes, buying Flats in Paris and AK-47s is NOT a good use of money we had to borrow in the first place to give to an Less Developed Country.

Some one should have had the guts to say - until this fiscal disaster is over we can not afford to give money away. Did you know one of the recipients was India a country with a nuclear weapon and space programme. One of those things we can not afford - it seems insane, perhaps all is not as it seems?
 
While politically incorrect and insulting in the extreme, he has a point.

Personally, I think that if a country or organization wastes aid dollars on a significant scale, they should get no more.

There is something fundamentally wrong with the way aid is given to third-world countries these days, no doubt about it. But I think no abuse of money on whatever scale justifies to rather let people starve and die instead...

It's the system that needs to be reformed but as long as "geopolitical interests" are involved (e.g. resources), nothing will change.
 
One aspect of foreign aid is that at least part of the money comes right back in the form of purchases. Another one is that, once it has had its positive effect - which is rare enough, sadly - the recipients can become trading partners. So in some ways and cases, the aid money can be seen as an indirect subsidy to the industry in the giving nation or, in the latter case, as an investment.
 
I'm surprised anyone still rises to the bait over anything he says anymore.
 
I'm surprised anyone still rises to the bait over anything he says anymore.

It seems he was trying to raise a very reasonable and thought provoking point, but twitter didn't allow him to do that well. It is a good question why the Muslim world, which use to be at the front of science and mathematics, is really so far behind today. Phrasing it as the Muslim world might be wrong though. Perhaps saying the Near East would be more appropriate?
 
I don't think it would be more appropriate, maybe just PC. His hypothesis is about the educational culture in muslim societies; just because there is correlation to geographical location doesn't make it an equally well description.
 
Well, german "voting season" is in full effect with general election in one and a half months and the bavarian federal election in one month. So it was time to up the bullshit quota in the news these last few days ...

The current Bavarian Ministerpresident (campaining for reelection) says he want?s to make the Autobahn toll-rountes - for foreigners. Only. Everybody knows that?s bullshit as that would be against several laws (EU and domestic) and the only way would be to make them a toll-rounte for all - but he gets huge airtime for that no less and analysts say that this will help him gain voters - despide it will obviously never going to happen (or only for everyone, wich would be very unpopular). This sort of stuff makes me really angry when politicians treat their voters like idots ... and get away with it (he will most prob get reelected, Bavaria is not really a changing state here, the strong Party has the rule since 1957).
 
Top