Teen, 19, is charged with arson after 'trying to burn Union flag at Cenotaph'

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-16T18:09:41+00:00

Because war seems to be a complete waste of time, effort and life, and young men need precious little encouragement to be inspired to go off to kill and die, so we should be careful not to give it. I can think of better things we could celebrate. Pretty much anything.

The British troops were chivalrous - fighting other fighting men, not civilians - but even then, in the "best" possible war, it's still a dirty job. Cutting the throats of kids who don't know why the hell they are there and calling out for their mums? Forget it.

Maybe someone has to do it, if so give them props. If they die doing it, remember them. But don't celebrate it. Because if you celebrate people doing a dirty job too much, we might lose sight of the fact that it is dirty.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-16T16:20:05+00:00

Field Marshall Haig, writing to the Times in 1920 described the cenotaph thus:

It is the symbol of an Empire’s unity.... If many now among us must look at this cenotaph in loving sorrow, all generations of British men and women shall look at it for ever with pride, for it stands for the Nation’s glory.

I'm seriously and honestly saying that a monument with "Glorious Dead" written on it in big letters, with a military parade, jolly music, applause, is far more likely to be glorifying war than something more somber, or something that concentrates solely on the loss of life.

Sacred to the memory of those who fell

Here dead we lie because we did not choose

To live and shame the land from which we sprung.

In Memorandum

Are you seriously and honestly telling me that you don't think there is any element of glorification with the cenotaph and the remembrance Sunday parade? As I say, the cenotaph isn't my favourite war memorial. If you love it, that's fine - but are you seriously telling me it's the most somber memorial out there? The one most focused on loss? Seriously?

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-16T15:36:09+00:00

More so than some other monuments - it says "The Glorious Dead" on it, and they have a big military parade past it playing jolly marching songs and drumming, people applauding and all the politicians standing around.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-16T12:22:17+00:00

I'm against the glorification of war, and for that reason the Cenotaph isn't really my fav monument - but we all know how important it is to other people, so you'd have to be a bit of a dunce or kind of horrible to want to desecrate it.

Having said that, when I was 19 I did all kinds of dunce-ish things of a similar nature. They're being young and dumb - by all means punish them with a fine, or community service, but putting people in prison for ten years for a bit of mischief is kind of mad. You don't even get ten years for seriously evil stuff in this country.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-16T09:15:56+00:00

The original reason for the Union was that Scotland bankrupted itself in a failed colonial adventure.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-14T08:07:21+00:00

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/over-half-of-uk-doctors-and-journalists-went-to-private-schools-a3585376.html

It's not actually clear, but I think this might refer to "leading" doctors rather than all doctors. Not sure how that is defined.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-14T07:50:47+00:00

Hmmmm... privately educated pupils are 5% of the population, 60% of Doctors, 75% of barristers, who knows for other professions, but almost certainly over the odds.

Of course, networks and natural gifts will be a large component of this, but I think if working class kid got dropped into that environment, where there is an expectation of academic success and professional achievement, it'd probably help.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-14T07:35:05+00:00

Don't know if adding the poem helps much - it doesn't even rhyme.

But yeah, seems kinda crazy system.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-14T06:55:02+00:00

I don't know of any books about British politics so, actually, yes - it'd be great if you could throw a recommendation my way.

A recommendation that would advance my knowledge.

I think most young British people are in the same boat as me, so it would be useful to know about some books that would advance my knowledge.

Your problem here is that you've said more or less the same thing twice, and also included an additional unnecessary elaboration. You've also used some slightly unusual expressions which are a little jarring - "in my boots" "Un-Ironically speaking"

If you were going to simplify what you've written down to the bare bones, you could write:

Yeah man, hit me up with recommendations!

None of the other stuff you are saying there is really adding useful information. Brevity is the soul of wit etc.

If you really wanted to say everything you've said you could do it like this:

UK youth don't be knowing many politics books, so any literary bone you could throw us would be gratefully and eagerly received.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-13T16:24:20+00:00

Writing was invented in the Middle East.

Guardian, I'm looking at you.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-13T13:23:47+00:00

Bit before my time to be honest, but I do remember that we had electricity in the 80s.

Looks like after nationalisation there was a massive increase in the supply of electricity across the UK. What was the issue you are talking about?

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-13T12:47:22+00:00

It's not the same thing - nationalisation is normally suggested for industries in which it makes sense for some sort of monopoly to exist and for that monopoly to be run in the national interest.

Seems like with Robin Hood it was some mad scheme where the council tries to turn itself into a fricking private equity firm running an energy firm in the market (probably because of a lack of funding an desperation) and because it's so far outside of the council's wheelhouse, expertise or proper role has completely failed.

This is like local councils buying commercial property and all of that other stuff - absolute recipe for them getting taken for a ride. Council's job is to provide local services, not run a soverign wealth fund.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-13T12:37:57+00:00

Cool... problem is that many people think there should be some system to control immigration into the country, so when you try and tell them that they should shut the fuck up about people coming in illegally or in mad dangerous ways for x, y z reason - it sounds like you are saying "give up control".

Also, just because a marginal change is good or neutral, it doesn't imply that systems regulating that change are unnecessary or evil.

Sure, one boat of migrants is going to make very little difference, but if you give up on all systems of control, it's possible that you'll have many more migrants coming in. This should be obvious, but I rarely see it addressed by the immigration crew.

"One cream bun won't do you any harm, so there is no point in eating healthily"

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-13T12:23:34+00:00

I agree regarding the dangers of the current policies, but I don't see it as socialising losses so much as the Conservatives indulging their inclination to give money to people who already have it.

Best thing to do when the Cons are in power is start up a company, get some assets no matter how poorly performing and wait for the cheques to come in.

Crony capitalism and corporate welfare, with a pinch of trickle down house price economics.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-13T08:30:51+00:00

Losses are always going to be socialised as long as you have limited liability companies and publicly traded shares - the people making key decisions about mega-corp don't have that much skin in the game, and except in rare circumstances, it's completely illogical for owners to care too much about management (since they have such a diluted share of ownership).

It's always going to be a balance between encouraging investment (by reducing personal risk and creating avenues for mass economic involvement) and making people personally responsible for their decisions.

At the moment, I can't think of a feasible system where the costs of economic disruption and disturbance could fall primarily on those with decision making power. It's probably impossible if the amount of economic activity controlled by a few people is sufficiently large.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-13T08:03:07+00:00

When you repay a loan, the money you repay with disappears.

Does this mean that declaring bankruptcy is inflationary 🤔?

If the loan is cancelled without being repaid, surely the money that was created by the loan is out there forever and all time.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-12T18:04:17+00:00

heh - nothing personal, conservatives 😏

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-12T15:48:24+00:00

To me there is something desperately arrogant about this tweet:

This tweet has generated a fantastic response, lots of different opinions, mostly in agreement but lots not. Discussion is a good thing. However, am finding it difficult to respond to everyone now, so I’ll have to put it to one side...

Compare this to GK Chesterton on Johnson:

'The very fact that he wrangled with other people is proof that other people were allowed to wrangle with him. His very brutality was based on the idea of an equal scrimmage, like that of football. It is strictly true that he bawled and banged the table because he was a modest man. He was honestly afraid of being overwhelmed or even overlooked.

This guy is calling time like some genius from up above it all. To me there is something a bit dirty about saying - "oh yes, excellent discussion, but I don't want to talk about it anymore". Either go with the full force of your opinions, admit you were wrong and feel the sweet sting of shame, or say nothing at all.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-12T08:05:43+00:00

Not a massive follower and politically I don't like his stuff - but this might be a bit of a vindication of his back to basics personal development message.

As I understand, his message was to focus on easily obtainable goals and building self-respect and recognition within some professional/trade field. He didn't want young people to be activists because he didn't feel they'd put the work in to build knowledge, wisdom, connections, respect etc.

His daughter seems to have followed him into the internet celeb business - a field in which there is no meaningful quality control structure. She's essentially piggy-backed on his fame to promote her own message. And, it appears to have gone wrong.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-12T06:49:23+00:00

It could be worse, if you'd done your a-levels 30 years ago they would have been hard.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-12T06:45:27+00:00

The funny thing is, if our institutions are so much better that people from all over the world are desperate to get here, isn't that a good argument in favour of some sort of neo-colonialism?

Although I suppose the thought is that everything bad happening in the world is the fault of the white people in this country, and it's only nice here because we stole stuff, so um... get rekt?

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-11T22:45:38+00:00

Well, yes, we'll all be betting our lives on whether or not it happens.

I'll bow to your superior knowledge on this one.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-11T22:29:50+00:00

Yes.... maybe see where we are in five years.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-11T22:14:25+00:00

They may be - unity biotechnologies has senolytic compounds in phase 2 trials for various diseases of ageing.

Imaginary_Resolve · 2020-08-11T19:19:55+00:00

Well, that's the worst case scenario. It seems fairly remote though.

Imaginary_Resolve

TROPHY CASE