UK 2020: What’s Not Shit?

[Bjornebye]

1 minute ago, YorkshireRed said:

This seems to have become a thread about cakes with an acknowledgement that other countries do cakes better. 

I guess that kind of answers your original query. 

[PestiRed]

Just now, Bjornebye said:

This is a piss take right? 

and to be honest the history thing is relevant to pretty much every country in the world except the USA and Australia

[PestiRed]

Also the freedom thing reminds me of Americans banging on about being the land of the free when almost every index disagrees with them. The majority of countries are free these days but you tend not to believe it because all you hear about is ones that are not

[Bjornebye]

 

 

 

[Champ]

1 minute ago, YorkshireRed said:

I do, although Wakefield where I live, doesn’t really reflect the best of Yorkshire. For this thread I meant the UK as a whole. The society we’ve built, or had thrust upon us, and the geography of the Islands we call home. 

Then I feel the same as you. I watch and read with horror the policies and behaviour of the UK government and the voice it and the internet has given to the most appalling views and I feel powerless to do anything about it.

I despise everything I hear from these people and yet I know I will never give any thought to leaving the country (the UK, which seems less and less United the longer the Tories remain in power) which I call home.

I think it maybe helps to know I’m not the only one who feels like this but at the moment it feels like very small comfort and I’m reduced to talking about fondant fancies

[Tony Moanero]

17 minutes ago, PestiRed said:

 

Hard-pushed to put these in order

- New York cheesecake

- Key Lime Pie ( with meringue topping)

- Szamos Mandula Torta (layers of sponge and creamy filling flavoured with almonds)

- Vanilla sponge lathered in whipped cream and fresh strawberries

- Tiramisu 

Authentic Tiramisu is lovely but it’s not a cake.

[Bjornebye]

2 minutes ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

No not all. It’s very easy to become a councillor, join a party, start your own party, hold a rally, write a petition to get an issue debated, submit freedom of information requests even see your MP in person at their weekly surgery including the pm himself every Friday afternoon . Very few world leaders take weekly questions on live Tv.
 

These mechanisms dont exist everywhere else believe me. The fact is people are too fucking lazy to get involved but the mechanisms for scrutiny and challenge  are there.

 

Look at the Gina Miller success in challenging the Government over Brexit. One individual using the courts to challenge and change the entire parliamentary process. She wouldn’t have been successful in many other countries. 

Yeah suppose you make good points but this government (and I'm sure many many others) are far from held to account anywhere near as much as they should be. 

 

Where was the media outcry when Boris Johnson the PM went on his 5th holiday of the year? Why are the scandals like Jennifer Acuri, Patels bullying, Jenricks corruption, Cummings and Stanley Johnson breaches, Goves backhanders and beak addiction, Jacob Rees-Moggs tax havens etc etc etc all so easily brushed under the carpet? 

 

Not to turn this from the friendly cake society to the lets set fire to every tory on the planet thread but I wouldn't hold up anything about this government as a positive in 2020 unless someone intends to feed them to the fucking congo. 

 

Anyway, Someone mentioned New York cheesecake above and its not doing my already poor attempt at keto any fucking good. 

[PestiRed]

2 minutes ago, Champ said:

Then I feel the same as you. I watch and read with horror the policies and behaviour of the UK government and the voice it and the internet has given to the most appalling views and I feel powerless to do anything about it.

I despise everything I hear from these people and yet I know I will never give any thought to leaving the country (the UK, which seems less and less United the longer the Tories remain in power) which I call home.

I think it maybe helps to know I’m not the only one who feels like this but at the moment it feels like very small comfort and I’m reduced to talking about fondant fancies

There’s a lot to be said for living in a country where you don’t fully understand the subtleties of the culture and language. If you can be a safe outsider, then certain amounts of ignorance can be bliss - at the very least it’s probably better for your mental health in current times

 

[PestiRed]

6 minutes ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

In Denmark the Government maintains a central list of what you can call your own kid. Any other names not on the list are illegal.
Freedom is relative and to my mind, this is a very free country. 

Same here and in Germany. But the list is very long and you can always apply to have another name put on the list in a short and easy process 

 

So what? On personal freedom, Denmark ranks 9th in the world, Germany is 7th, UK is 20th

 

Using Fraser Institute https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/human-freedom-index-2019-data-tables-figures.xlsx

[mattyq]

17 minutes ago, PestiRed said:

Also the freedom thing reminds me of Americans banging on about being the land of the free when almost every index disagrees with them. The majority of countries are free these days but you tend not to believe it because all you hear about is ones that are not

Hungary doesn't sound very free at the moment with that weirdo Orban

[PestiRed]

2 minutes ago, mattyq said:

Hungary doesn't sound very free at the moment with that weirdo Orban

It’s certainly not ideal but not nearly as bad as the press make out. Gay rights needs a lot of work and the Roma have a rough time but that’s true in many countries including France. Don’t forget that for all the bluster we live in the EU and are governed by the European Convention of Human Rights with ability to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. There are lines drawn that Orbán knows he cannot cross - especially as his economy is dependent on the EU

[Bjornebye]

20 minutes ago, PestiRed said:

Same here and in Germany. But the list is very long and you can always apply to have another name put on the list in a short and easy process 

 

So what? On personal freedom, Denmark ranks 9th in the world, Germany is 7th, UK is 20th

 

Using Fraser Institute https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/human-freedom-index-2019-data-tables-figures.xlsx

I wish they had a list of names here. Our kids agreed to let his bird call the baby 'Aurora' for fuck sake. 

[Champ]

28 minutes ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

In Denmark the Government maintains a central list of what you can call your own kid. Any other names not on the list are illegal.
Freedom is relative and to my mind, this is a very free country. 

I think there’s a lot to be said for that seeing some of the names people get saddled with

[YorkshireRed]

30 minutes ago, Champ said:

I think it maybe helps to know I’m not the only one who feels like this but at the moment it feels like very small comfort and I’m reduced to talking about fondant fancies

One of the reasons I like the GF is that the majority hold views that are closer to my own than the people I interact with in real life. Some by choice, long friendships that are stronger than political differences. Others that just infest the work I do and places I go. Not that I want everyone just to think the same. The posters on here that go against the grain are worth their weight in gold as long as lines aren’t crossed and I’ve learned much from the debates in other threads.

 

I think there are many of us that think the same, or similar. At the moment, though, our voice isn’t being heard enough. Maybe some of us a guilty (I certainly am) of not making ourselves heard.
 

It does help to know that you’re not completely swimming against the fishes. You’re not, I’m not, many others are not. 
 

Until the revolution comes we will always have our fondant fancies. 

[Bjornebye]

16 minutes ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

The key point is that the mechanisms for accountability exist but most people can’t be arsed to get involved. Political apathy is a big problem in this country, people hate the current Government probably as much as they hated Thatcher but turnout in elections is still only 67% and went down by 1.5% Thats 15 million people not bothering to walk to a polling station once every 5 years but still complain daily about the Government.
 

Total membership of political parties is less than 1 million or 1 in 65 people. It’s a bigger issue for the Tories who only have 180, 000 members and most of them will be dead within ten years. 

 

if you care about politics, get involved and change things. 

I cast my vote. Thats as involved as the vast majority. 

[KMD7]

3 hours ago, Karl_b said:

My ambition for the next few years is to see more of it: the Highlands, Wales, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, etc.

I definitely want to do the Highlands someday. Been through Wales which was great, and love Yorkshire

[Jairzinho]

50 minutes ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

In Denmark the Government maintains a central list of what you can call your own kid. Any other names not on the list are illegal.
Freedom is relative and to my mind, this is a very free country. 

So is Denmark, to be fair.

 

And it's more democratic, and more economically equal. By most measures it appears to be one of the best countries in the world.

[TheHowieLama]

1 hour ago, YorkshireRed said:

This seems to have become a thread about cakes with an acknowledgement that other countries do cakes better. 

That's after you get past the bread.

[Tourt]

Premiership starts in 3 days time.

 

Beavers are thriving in the UK.

 

Bernhard Doherty plays Blues for two hours on the radio every Thursday evening.

 

Netflix will soon broadcast Scandinavian and Belgian crime series that are said to be exceptional and weird.

 

Publication of a new Ray Celestin novel is imminent.

 

[TheHowieLama]

7 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

By most measures it appears to be one of the best countries in the world.

Just ask a Dane, they will tell you.

[cloggypop]

1 hour ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

In Denmark the Government maintains a central list of what you can call your own kid. Any other names not on the list are illegal.
Freedom is relative and to my mind, this is a very free country. 

Highest personal freedom is the Netherlands 

 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/freest-countries

 

[Bjornebye]

The Human Freedom Index Report gave more than 160 countries a rank in all three categories to determine which countries were the freest in the world. The country with the highest rank for the personal freedom index was the Netherlands, followed closely by Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Hong Kong had the highest economic freedom index, followed closely by Singapore. For overall human freedom, New Zealand came in first, closely followed by Switzerland and Hong Kong.

 

 

[YorkshireRed]

I know it’s FB, which is never the place to go if you’re in search of some form of faith restoration but for fucks sake...

[Tony Moanero]

13 minutes ago, YorkshireRed said:

I know it’s FB, which is never the place to go if you’re in search of some form of faith restoration but for fucks sake...

I’m not on Facebook, could you call Stevie Bennett a “CUNT” from me, please?

[PestiRed]

13 minutes ago, YorkshireRed said:

I know it’s FB, which is never the place to go if you’re in search of some form of faith restoration but for fucks sake...

I’m choosing to believe that he wants to ensure that immigrants receive adequate social distancing in the accommodation provided for them