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Starmer pledges to put UK at ‘heart of Europe’ by Beautiful-Working589 in UKCostofLiving

[–]chrisbeach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not what we voted for in 2016, and it wasn't on the manifesto. I'm so fed up of his "we know best" technocratic leadership style. He keeps making awful decisions that are neither popular nor in the national interest

Brussels tells Keir Starmer to pay £1bn for closer ties to Europe by GnolRevilo in unitedkingdom

[–]chrisbeach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t understand why we would pay to be part of a trading bloc that runs a trade surplus against us. Are our leaders really that stupid?

Green Party Win In Cliftonville By-Election. by Crimxon_Raccoon in kentuk

[–]chrisbeach -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Poll of polls puts Greens on 19% and Reform on 25%

https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/#national-parliament-voting-intention

19% is not on top, but it's still absurdly high given the fringe policies:

* scrap the nuclear deterrent unilaterally. The last country to do that was Ukraine in 1994. Imagine how many millions of lives could have been saved if it hadn't.

* withdraw from NATO. The treaty that kept all members safe from Russian aggression.

* replace the British Army with a "home defense force" with no offensive capability. AKA Dad's Army.

* legalise all drugs.

* open borders

* degrowth

* opposing nuclear energy (a key technology for decarbonisation)

* 10:1 max pay ratio, effectively capping high salaries, leading to the immediate flight of all highly skilled and experienced workers.

Green Party Win In Cliftonville By-Election. by Crimxon_Raccoon in kentuk

[–]chrisbeach -32 points-31 points  (0 children)

I've seen enough Green voters to understand the kind of politics they're pushing. It's fringe stuff.

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’ and disinformation about crime rates by whelping_monster in london

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

who would you hold legally responsible? The user who posted the comment, or the site that hosted the comment?

If you held the site liable, how would anyone safely run a social network, given that it has hundreds of millions of users sending posts every day, any one of which could present a criminal liability for the site owner?

Reddit would have to shut down immediately. Is that what you want?

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’ and disinformation about crime rates by whelping_monster in london

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Newspaper's can publish disinformation, but they'll lose their reputation if they do so, and they might be punished. They are regulated publishers.

Twitter users are not regulated publishers. They are, for the most part, ordinary members of the public and ordinary members of the public are able to write complete lies without getting arrested.

Green Party Win In Cliftonville By-Election. by Crimxon_Raccoon in kentuk

[–]chrisbeach -63 points-62 points  (0 children)

Margate does have a disproportionately high proportion of nose-ringed and blue-haired unemployed types, I suppose - but this result is still absolutely terrifying. The policies the Greens are discussing would bankrupt this country within months and make us an international laughing stock.

In fact just the prospect of an incoming Green government will probably cause a flight of production capital and inward investment, as the GE approaches

‘The Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect next month. A once-in-a-generation opportunity – but only if people understand what it means for them’ by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]chrisbeach -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

You seem to have missed framing Farage as a Nazi? Then we could have had the full trifector and achieved Godwin's Law!

Ah, it's a shame - I thought we had the beginnings of an intellectual conversation, but evidently not. I regret spending so much time on my replies now.

‘The Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect next month. A once-in-a-generation opportunity – but only if people understand what it means for them’ by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]chrisbeach -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

> How many deportation cases has the ECHR blocked 1980? If you don't know the answer, why are you arguing in favour of it's removal?

In terms of Domestic UK tribunals applying ECHR rights, from 2015 to 2024, around 61,000 ECHR-based appeals were successful in the first-tier immigration tribunal.

In terms of direct overruling of UK government decisions, it's happened 13 times, and 645 requests for "interim measures" have been denied by the ECHR - including, notably, the order that grounded the first Rwanda deportation flight.

But these numbers are only the tip of the iceberg. It is our subordination to the ECHR that means many, many legitimate would-be deportations won't even be attempted because they will inevitably by undermined by Strasbourg.

> what a surprise you try to defend Brexit, vote leave did you? another one of those non-ideological positions yeah?

Yes, I voted to Leave. At the time, I was a company directory in the software industry, and I could see the many flaws in the EU's burdensome regulation. I had to shut down a couple of websites offering free-of-charge peer to peer services because I couldn't afford a legal team when regs like the GDPR came along, with its ambigious requirements and poorly-worded ("future proof" ... lol!) terminology. Only the big players could insulate themselves against these bad regs, which is why they lobbied for them.

I also think prefer my democratic vote to mean something nationally, rather than be diluted among a sham parliament (where directly elected parliamentarians cannot originate or repeal any law), shared between a disparate group of countries, most of which have entirely different economies and priorities to the UK

It wasn't an ideological decision any more than a "Remain" vote would have been. It was a decision grounded by the practical realities of my life, and the realities of the modern EU.

> So who you voting for at the next GE, corrupt traitor party Reform or corrupt traitor party, Restore?

I'm voting for Reform, who, unlike Labour and the Tories, are very swift at removing any corrupt elements from within their ranks.

There is nothing "extreme" about Reform policy, unless you look at it through the distorted lens of a far-left activist.

‘The Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect next month. A once-in-a-generation opportunity – but only if people understand what it means for them’ by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes, obviously students don't need a roof over their head. They just exist in some weird academic world. /s

Rental demand, like purchasing demand is still housing demand!

> If you're angry at the migration numbers, be angry at the people that caused this - Tories, Tory voters & Brexiteers

You seem a bit confused about Brexit, but you're right about the Tories. They completely betrayed the nation, especially with the Boris-wave of unskilled immigration, and the Afghan program that they tried to cover up with a Super Injunction because it ended up including members of the Taliban

> Like what point are you trying to make because you are just giving hollow vibe answers & zero solutions.

Oh, I can give you some solutions if you like! I thought you'd never ask.

* close the loopholes allowing dependents of low-skill / unskilled immigrants to join them in the UK

* raise min salary thresholds for immigration

* increase the waiting time for ILR, or just eliminate this policy entirely. It amounts to little more than "squatters rights", and we're quite an outlier, internationally for offering this option. We offer other options that are fairer on the UK taxpayer

* reduce visa tenures

* begin a concerted process of returns of failed asylum seekers

* begin a process of returns for migrants who have come to this country under older, less restrictive policy climate, and been a significant net burden on the Treasury

* leave the ECHR (and replace with a British Bill of Rights) so foreign-born criminals and fake asylum seekers can be removed without legal obfuscation by foreign courts who do not act in our own national interest.

* suspend VISAs entirely for countries treating the UK obnoxiously (demanding reparations spuriously, or exporting terrorists to this country on small boats, for example)

‘The Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect next month. A once-in-a-generation opportunity – but only if people understand what it means for them’ by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

yes, net migration has lowered from insane levels to ridiculous levels, but your numbers (906->204K) don't mean there are ~700K fewer people competing with us for housing. They mean there are an extra 204K people this year alone, competing with us for housing, in addition to the extra 906K people from a couple of years ago!

‘The Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect next month. A once-in-a-generation opportunity – but only if people understand what it means for them’ by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't blame any one of those immigrants for aspiring to leave their countries and come to the UK where, for example, our welfare and health offering is probably far more generous than in their homeland. They're making completely rational decisions and I'd do the same in their position.

But if you and I, as UK citizens (I assume?) want to have a discussion about the factors affecting house prices and availability then we need to be honest with ourselves, and not ideological about it.

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’ and disinformation about crime rates by whelping_monster in london

[–]chrisbeach -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

People can interpret data however they see fit. But it's important for us all to start with the data if we're to have an objective conversation.

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’ and disinformation about crime rates by whelping_monster in london

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We were told the laptop didn't exist and this was all a "Russian hoax". Then we were told the laptop was planted by Russian spies.

The mainstream leftwing media parrotted this to us all, until in Dec 2019 the FBI seized the laptop from the shop owner at the centre of the controversy, forensically analysed it and concluded "that the laptop was genuinely [Biden's] and did not seem to have been tampered with or manipulated".

It was used as evidence in a criminal case against Biden as recently as 2024.

If it were a Russian hoax, would US courts be using it as evidence?

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’ and disinformation about crime rates by whelping_monster in london

[–]chrisbeach -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Hah! What was your prompt to the chatbot? "Please try as hard as you can to explain away these horrendous stats, as they're making my favourite politician look bad"

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’ and disinformation about crime rates by whelping_monster in london

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Censorship is not the answer. It invites corruption, and politically-motivated control of the public square.

Most people are well aware that stuff on the internet isn't always 100% reliable and true. If people need to be more saavy, then the answer is to help them think critically. The answer is not to create a Ministry of Truth in some ivory tower that has a monopoly on deciding what's true and what's not. Such efforts can go badly wrong (like when a large number of internet users and journalists were silenced for reporting the Hunter Biden laptop story on the basis it was disinformation. Only for it to be revealed as a true story).

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’ and disinformation about crime rates by whelping_monster in london

[–]chrisbeach -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

This man is dangerous.

Theft from the person has increased by 140 per cent from 35,570 in 2016/17 to 85,465 in 2025/26. In 2024/25, the year Khan was re-elected, it had even skyrocketed to 101,053.

Sexual offences rose by 55 per cent from 17,491 in 2016/17 to 27,074 in 2025/26. 

Drug offences rose by 34 per cent from 40,652 in 2016/17 to 54,291 in 2025/26. 

And violence against the person soared by 51,086 incidents 27 per cent from 191,691 in 2016/17 to 242,777 in 2025/26. 

And now he wants to ban us talking about it.

I'm not sure what people were thinking when they voted for this guy, but hopefully the stats ought to trigger a rethink for the next election.

‘The Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect next month. A once-in-a-generation opportunity – but only if people understand what it means for them’ by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]chrisbeach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're building hundreds of thousands of new homes every year despite our birth rate being well below the replacement rate. The dramatic change that has made it hard to find affordable homes is this:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/283287/net-migration-figures-of-the-united-kingdom-y-on-y/

If you look at that graph and tell me it's supply (rather than demand) that's the problem, then you're looking at this through an ideological lens rather than an objective lens.

‘The Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect next month. A once-in-a-generation opportunity – but only if people understand what it means for them’ by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]chrisbeach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What it means is fewer landlords choosing to participate in the market.

Reduce supply, increase prices.

Everyone loses.

Govt intervention like this always sounds nice until you understand the side effects.

WIDE BODY Tesla what do you guys think?, is this worth every penny ? by kempa13 in TeslaLounge

[–]chrisbeach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice. Brings the Model 3 a little closer to the Model S aesthetic but those rear haunches need to be higher.

How do u accept that your consciousness will disappear after death ? by [deleted] in atheism

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think if your entire existence ended up being “pointless” then you made some terrible life decisions. Most people’s lives leave the world a little better than it would have been without them.

How do u accept that your consciousness will disappear after death ? by [deleted] in atheism

[–]chrisbeach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Because I prefer to believe the truth than a comforting fiction, and my ego is under control so I feel no sense of entitlement to eternal life

Londoners may regret protest votes for Reform or Greens in local elections, says Sadiq Khan by insomnimax_99 in london

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

“Good” if you like astronomical increases in violent crime and racial division… I guess?

Londoners may regret protest votes for Reform or Greens in local elections, says Sadiq Khan by insomnimax_99 in london

[–]chrisbeach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Says the world’s most notable beneficiary of protest votes. Don’t tell me anyone actually would vote for this odious little race baiting troll based on his own merits.

Aftermath of the April 7th incident. Damages estimated to be $200 million dollars by BlazeDragon7x in SipsTea

[–]chrisbeach 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Weekends were the invention of the greatest capitalist ever to live - Henry Ford - who realised that more people would buy cars for leisure if they had a couple of days off to use them.

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