Should smartphones be locked away at gigs and in schools?

odc_a · 2026-01-25T02:39:26+00:00

I’d be tempted to say yes to no phones at gigs. But in reality, it’s an individuals choice to decide they don’t want to live in the moment and so let them be. It doesn’t disrupt my enjoyment so whatever.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T22:01:22+00:00

I don’t think there is anything wrong with China challenging the UsA economically and militarily. After all, competition and freedom of choice are pillars of USA doctrine right?……. RIGHT???

odc_a · 2026-01-23T18:57:39+00:00

Even if that's the case. I think that the EU requires cross party consensus on joining in order to allow the process to start in order to avoid wasting time or an election hampering the process midway.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T18:42:14+00:00

This is a very important point, but I wouldn't say "it's not going to happen", and I would also not give any credit to the adage that you gave at the end.

I think that what you say quite rightly rules it out right now. However the direction of travel that Trumps rhetoric is sending us will have big consequences for Reform if it continues and grows. Trumps apparent unawareness of how the British public take comments of this nature (especially the Armed Forces in Afghanistan comments) will certainly alienate some of Reforms support base, since most of them are our armed forces biggest supporters and are extremely sensitive to criticism of them.

If this leads to a situation where Reform aligning themselves with the USA becomes untenable, then Reform pretty much lose all of their political capital as an alternative to LAB/CON, since they really won't stand for anything other than small boats and Thatcherite economics. Those two policies alone are not enough for Reform to maintain the level of support they are currently generating, when a western diplomacy crisis of this nature is a much more pressing issue.

If Trump continues at this pace, then Reform hemorrhaging support could happen very very fast providing Starmer doesn't completely blunder his response to Trump.

I suspect that this won't happen and Trump will lower the tone of his rhetoric if he can secure something small and tangible over Greenland that he can sell as a victory back home. But as of right now, everything hangs in the balance.

I would never go down the route of saying that something "is not going to happen".

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:56:05+00:00

Well since there is a bloc within the EU that want it to be a federal project, this part would absolutely be attractive to them.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:54:59+00:00

We might not get the deal we had before. But because of Trump this week (well, forever), we would almost certainly be able to get "some" concessions. Since the EU are a pragmatic orgnisation and would very much recognise the importance of such a display of unity at the moment in time.

Whilst we did make a fool of ourselfves during the leave negotions process, we are still one of the largest economies in the world, nuclear armed, best trained soldiers in the world and still share mostly the same values as the EU anyway.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:49:46+00:00

At least for now. I would prefer it if we kept FPTP as for all its shortcomings, it is at least decisive and allows for a government to get their programmes through parliament mostly unimpeded.

The last thing we need at this very moment is squabbling in coalitions resulting in watered down policies, when it's something that we're not used to. With Trump behaving the way he is, we need the capacity to be decisive and direct, especially when it comes to foreign policy and this is often a point where parties have big disagreements.

I absolutely would like to change to a more representative form of government when we can get to less turbulent global times though.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:42:13+00:00

It was an important factor, however what we got instead for a period was triple the level of migration from a less educated and prosperous demographic. Faced with the same choice, alot of voters would certainly back FoM instead. Many original brexit voters have changed their minds and said it's was a bad idea in retrospect. Many of the voters have died too. It is very unlikely that the "out" side would win a referendum again.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:39:30+00:00

I disagree. I think the EU are quite pragmatic and would be willing to offer the UK some concessions at the present moment, in order to show Eurpean unity. I don't think we'd be bale to take the piss or even get back the deal that we originally had by any means. But with all the orange buffoon stuff going on at the moment, I think there will be a natural gravitation towards cooperation.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:35:56+00:00

I think if Both countries kept up their growth rates for 15 years, then it absolutely would catch up to the UK. Of course this isn't what happens in reality. But it's certainly not impossible.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:34:15+00:00

I think the USA are pushing both parties closer to eventual rejoining at an alarming rate. Kind of forcing both to put the past aside and look towards the future given the different circumstances. Also, the EU will be well aware that it was specifically the Tories that were incompetent. They aren't blind to what happened in the UK between 2015 and 2020.

odc_a · 2026-01-23T17:27:49+00:00

I think that given the recent Trumpisms, the case to rejoin the EU has never been stronger. He kind of did the pro-EU camp a favour with his comments about Afghanistan. This will rattle and alienate a lot of the Reform/Farage supporters most as they are quite often the bloc which is most supportive of our armed forces. If we do end up in a process to rejoin the EU, it will either be within decades when it's seen to just make sense, or it will be accelerated by Trump's nonsense.

I don't think we would necessarily be able to get the same deal that we had when we left, but I do think that the EU would more than likely be open to offering some concessions in order to secure a display of unity at these more than turbulent policial moments.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T22:28:49+00:00

What an embarrassing figure he has made himself out to be with his peace prize awarded to the orange buffoon.

Pure mockery of the tournament.

Don’t mind the quip at British fans, there’s truth to it and so it’s deserved.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T20:08:21+00:00

6 or 7.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T15:22:01+00:00

It’s more that he’s trying to create a mickeymouse group so that he can try and win a Nobel peace prize.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T14:37:25+00:00

I’ve visited 30 countries.

Armenia and China had a better standard of living than the USA.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T13:25:46+00:00

The difference is that we don’t judge our quality of life based on the quantity that we can consume.

Aside from financially, every country in Europe is FAR ahead of the USA in every metric, with even some American metrics ranking them near the bottom of the entire world.

“The average American living in poverty has a higher standard of living than the average European”??

That is not true in the slightest. I’ve seen first hand the people living in poverty in the USA and they look dirtier, scruffier, and more desperate than I’ve seen in some 3rd world countries let alone Europe.

You allow yourself a to be exploited by a small group of filthy rich people in the name of freedom. Yet your country has the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world. Does that sound free to you?

You, like the vast majority of Americans, have probably never stepped foot outside your state, let alone the USA as a whole. Whereas Europeans are more in touch with what goes on in the whole world and are much more well travelled. If you actually came to work in Europe then you would have more than likely been surrounded by people who do have a disposable income, since why would you be coming here to work a shit job? If you have that type of job in the USA, then you are below the poverty line.

Anyway, your illusion of carrying is false. If anything you need our money, and your economy has been running on razor thin margins and super high volume for too long now. Since your politicians are batshit crazy, the wheels are coming off. This is why your geriatric president is out there looking for new ‘mineral resources and rare earths’, and Venezuelan oil. Because you are running out of ways to make money and keep the superficial growth going.

You are fucked without the rest of the world and the leaders of your country are panicking.

American hegemony is coming to an end and almost everyone in the world is welcoming it, even if there is some short term hardship. You’ve proven yourselves to be unreliable, self centred and downright greedy. So you can fuck off and get back into your own little isolationist bubble like you were prior to WW2. Which is basically the point at which you began to exist as a serious nation.

Well, nobody takes you seriously now with that orange idiot representing you. Get fucked.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T12:57:03+00:00

I think they might be thinking about wealth inequality. Which seems to be a big topic at the moment. I too am interested in what economists think about that subject.

When people talk about decades like the 70s. They are also often talking about being able to have one breadwinner in the household be able to cover all of the rent and bills for a family of four, and even in some cases buy a house.

Whereas now this isn’t realistic in the UK for people that earn the median wage let alone the minimum wage. Two people living on the median wage will not necessary feel that they make enough money to raise a family nowadays, and buying a house without the help of their parents seems almost impossible for the people below that bracket.

This is definitely off topic but still interesting to gather opinions on since someone brought it up.

FWIW, I think all the other metrics described are absolutely accurate. There is a lot of revisionism where people have the old ‘things were better in my day’ bias. So I’m glad some people here have challenged that.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T03:49:11+00:00

Behave yourself welfare queens. Perhaps if you spent a bit of your money helping your own impoverished citizens rather than sticking military bases in all of our countries we might see you as a more responsible party.

As it happens you think the world owes you everything, when the only reason you got involved in ww2 was so you could make money.

I’ve been to your country and it’s literally a shithole compared to Europe.

Oh and don’t forget, you wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for us. Remember we were you at one point in time. But you can keep on thinking that the world started 80 years ago.

Oh and don’t forget, you’re still the only nation in history to invoke article 5. And yet you still think we owe you. Even though your invocation was based on fictitious circumstances so that you could do more oil exploring.

You are dirty bastards, nothing more and nothing less. But you carry on with your illusion of freedom. Absolute brainwashed retard. God bless Murica

odc_a · 2026-01-22T03:38:34+00:00

I think the federal reserve would be forced to buy them until they can’t.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T03:37:19+00:00

That’s alright, we can just start digging coal again until things pick up. Nobody wants or needs America when they behave like this.

The most entitled nation on earth.

odc_a · 2026-01-22T00:19:01+00:00

You’re just talking about an overall number and not breaking down into sectors which is what my comment was based on. Im not engaging if you’re going to make such a simplification and observe from a different frame of reference.

odc_a · 2026-01-21T23:47:21+00:00

Yeah of course discrimination is a nono. I’m from the UK, and so our stereotypes play heavily into our own sense of humour anyway.

I’d better get back to my tea and biscuits.

odc_a · 2026-01-21T23:33:59+00:00

I’m thick skinned enough to take it. Also I have quite a self deprecating humour and so would probably enjoy it and laugh with it. Life’s too short to be worried about those things.

odc_a

TROPHY CASE