One for non-UK members of the BB

[DaddyHoggy]

OK guys (and gals) (and aliens) (etc)

Just what does the rest of the world make of the current "crisis" in the UK Government - does it even make your news?

Just curious.

DH

[Cmdr Wyvern]

No, not really. But there's the Register and the Inquirer which have plenty to say about it, often with overdoses of snark and sarcasm.

If it makes you feel any better, the news in the US can be just as depressing. The spin doctors here sensationalize the bad news and rarely have anything good to report. I can stand only ten minutes of it before I'm turning the channel or pressing the off button.

[goran]

OK guys (and gals) (and aliens) (etc)

Just what does the rest of the world make of the current "crisis" in the UK Government - does it even make your news?

Just curious.

I'm currently too busy trying to save my business from collapsing to notice anything but the breaking news. It seams that somebody convinced the people of Croatia that there is some kind of recession...

Now that You mentioned google-worthy phrase (crisis UK Government) I'll be informed in a minute.

[Lestradae]

Yeah, well, actually made/makes big news in austria, sounds to me that the so-called "new labour" is nearing its end, due to forms of corruption so everyday that many people didn't get it at first that it even was corruption.

A bit curious about what will follow - can't see any left (not that new labour was left) alternatives on your islands political landscape. And how someone can ever vote tory after Thatcher misses me, perhaps not enough imagination for that over here ...

My thoughts in a nutshell,

L

[Cmd. Cheyd]

Been too busy with the crap going on in the States... Nominating either an idiot judicial activist or a racist (depending on your viewpoint) to the SCOTUS; witnessing the illegal nationalization of one of the cornerstones of American manufacturing; the rapid socialization of a democratic republic...

[Cmdr James]

A bit curious about what will follow - can't see any left (not that new labour was left) alternatives on your islands political landscape. And how someone can ever vote tory after Thatcher misses me, perhaps not enough imagination for that over here ...

Politics is a pragmatic game. No one party will every fully represent the wishes of any individual -- not even the leader of that party.

So next election people will vote against nu labour, possibly conservative, or lib dem, or maybe for a minority party as a kind of vote of no confidence in the system overall.

Its also worth remembering that parties are "living" and that the tory party under cameron is as different to that under Thatcher as Labour under Blair/Brown from the sociaist Labour party of old.

If you want to vote left, there are the Liberal Democrats, who I would describe as left of Labour/Conservative right now, or there are Greens and other protest parties.

It is also possible that after NuLabour, the Labour party will swing leftish back towards old labour, which together with ejecting many discredited politicos will almost create a new left wing party. Interesting times.

[Screet]

Just what does the rest of the world make of the current "crisis" in the UK Government - does it even make your news?

At least Spiegel online in germany constantly reports about how the scandals extend, which ministers are lost and so on. In the main evening news there were also extensive reports about those who had to lay down their duties.

Maybe our news like to report so much about it so that they can turn the focus away from what's going on in this nation. Police is becoming quite nasty, ignoring our constitution and turn down on demonstrants very hard. The latest incident was stopping a carnival procession because people did include political messages. However, I've only found one news site so far which does report such incidents - and interestingly that newssite came onto a juvenile-protection programs censorship list. After they did notice and complain, the did reduce it from "18 years minimum" to "16 years minimum"...and the program is currently the only one tested by our government.

Screet

[Rxke]

In Belgium it gets mentioned quite regularly in the hourly news. (I only have radio, don't have a TV)

Esp. The pr0n-tapes fiasco gets its fair share of attention

Overall view seems to be that the current legislative forces are in deep crisis mode (probably unrecoverable: heading for their doom...)

[overmage]

People here are going, "there those crazy Brits go again... O.o"

[Frame]

It made the News in Denmark for a brief mention...

So they took some tax pounds and watched porn...

Big deal!!!

Seriously though, I think its a storm in glass of water , all be it is stupid to use tax pounds to watch porn, off course you cannot do that.. however one of our ministers was fired back in the 70s when she choose to stay at the RITZ and let the tax payers cover that... I believe she was minister of education back then... socialistic government back then... so that was a big no no... anyway back on topic...

They should just have been allowed to pay back what they used, since I bet, her wages was large enough to cover it right ?.

Although I think nothing "large" of your tabloid papers. They show no respect at all for anything.. not to mention the latest about harry not being Charles SON because he does not look like him...

Since allegedly paparazzi was a part of the accident of princess Diana. the fact that the British public apparently keeps supporting these tabloid news papers speaks volume, since they apparently has learned nothing.

Freedom of speech yes.. but with responsibility... anything you write about anybody else, better be well supported by evidence... Speculations is useless without proof..

I for one do not care about your government, they are human just like us, and thus make mistakes...

[Screet]

So they took some tax pounds and watched porn...
Big deal!!!
They should just have been allowed to pay back what they used, since I bet, her wages was large enough to cover it right ?.

This makes clear that you are missing the biggest parts of the scandal!

Some politicians did get over 80000 (was it pound or euro?) per year illegally to finance castle-like homes, second and third homes, have their private parks being maintained and the like.

On another occasion a news company was able to fool some politicians by telling them their reporters were businessmen from another nation and would like to set up business in the UK, but that they'd require modifications to the tax laws beforehand. They paid and the politicians went for the law changes...

Screet

[Frame]

The porn thing was the latest thing that made it here.. cannot recall that other stuff...

but if that is the case as you write

banana republic..

Thus not saying, the same thing cannot happen here, because it can...

[goran]

I Say let 'em hang.
At least Your politicians resign or something when caught, here in Croatia when caught with hands in our pockets, they make public statement, inquiry committee is formed and nothing happens. Minister is still a minister. And we are so stupid that the same guy is elected again.

Of course, you can only get away if you steal a ridiculous amount of money. If you steal only couple of hundreds, you'll go to jail. I'm getting legal threats because I'm late with my tax payment for april (around 1k euros). At the same time, government is writing off 57 million euros of taxes that one big football club "forgot" to pay.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

Combine the porn tapes fiasco with the extreme porn law and censorship of 'indecent' web sites, and you have to wonder what the hell are they smoking over there.

It's down to a question of who flings the most BS, the farmers or Nu Labor.

@DH: Can I interest you in a Guy Fawkes costume and some explosives?

[DaddyHoggy]

@DH: Can I interest you in a Guy Fawkes costume and some explosives?

I'm re-reading the fantastic "V for Vendetta" (not to be mistaken for the considerably less brilliant movie of the same name) for hints and tips!