General Politics Thread

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Are people really arguing about political morality with a guy who admitted to spitting in peoples food?

[renton]

1 minute ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Are people really arguing about political morality with a guy who admitted to spitting in peoples food?

Proper working class spit, mind you.

[welshbairn]

4 minutes ago, renton said:

Proper working class spit, mind you.

And fart loudly in Church. Bless them, they really don't know better.

[DrewDon]

TCK is 100% one of those people who thinks working-class folk never drink in coffee shops. 

[Jeff Venom]

In Airdrie social mobility is a pub crawl on giro day amirite

Edited February 8, 2018 by Jeff Venom

[Chapelhall chap]

A bit pedantic. More folk in the UK voted for May than did for anyone else. He would I assume extend the same logic to Brexit voters and probably No voters as well...

Pedantic is what I do. May only got votes in her constituency. I know its shorthand but it is still not a majority of UK people.

[pandarilla]

Agreed. It's somewhat condescending to working class people to suggest that they should be exempted from criticism for being arseholes. Plenty of working class people are capable of educating and informing themselves to the level where they don't come across as bigots.

If anyone in a workplace starts using homophobic or racist language, they won't have their class background means-tested to find out if they get working class exemption from arseholery, they'll just get sacked.

But who has suggested he be exempted from criticism?

I'd also point out that using the language he used (as opposed to something like malky mackay's texts) would not usually get him sacked from a workplace. He'd be reprimanded.

This is exactly what has happened.

The response (made by quite a few on here) that 'his type' should not be an MP is over the top, in my opinion.

[JamieThomas]

4 hours ago, Granny Danger said:

The only sort of folk who would vote Tory or Republican are:

a) wealthy folk with a vested interest; and

b) thick and/or self deluded folk.

I come for the bun fights; I stay for the veracity.

[Granny Danger]

50 minutes ago, pandarilla said:

But who has suggested he be exempted from criticism?

I'd also point out that using the language he used (as opposed to something like malky mackay's texts) would not usually get him sacked from a workplace. He'd be reprimanded.

This is exactly what has happened.

The response (made by quite a few on here) that 'his type' should not be an MP is over the top, in my opinion.

You seem to be missing the point which surprises me.  I'm not suggesting that you should agree with me but at least acknowledge the point.

He made racist and homophobic remarks because he's a racist and a homophobe.  He can possibly learn not to make such remarks (though, given his position, you would have thought he would already realise this) but it will not stop him being a racist and a homophobe.

Regardless of people's class background and/or political affiliation I don't want such people to be elected politicians.

 

 

[DrewDon]

I hope anybody defending Gaffney on the basis of his class background and lazily stereotyped associated characteristics isn't going to moan about 'identity politics' on this forum at any point in the near future. 

[pandarilla]

You seem to be missing the point which surprises me.  I'm not suggesting that you should agree with me but at least acknowledge the point.
He made racist and homophobic remarks because he's a racist and a homophobe.  He can possibly learn not to make such remarks (though, given his position, you would have thought he would already realise this) but it will not stop him being a racist and a homophobe.
Regardless of people's class background and/or political affiliation I don't want such people to be elected politicians.
 
 

I mentioned this on the Scotland job thread but I see quite a big difference between gaffney's gaff and the texts sent by malky mackay.

I think there are a lot of people who use the terms that gaffney used just because that's the language they use (especially in relation to the local Chinese take away). Don't get me wrong, I think that needs to change - but I don't think these people should be necessarily written off entirely.

It's a subtle difference, I know.

The fact that he posted this himself suggests to me that he possibly didn't know how serious these things are viewed - or just how offensive they are. Maybe I'm being naive, but for me he does deserve the chance to make amends.

I've had conversations before with pals who I know are not racist, but who pass on racist jokes. Some folk don't think about these things that much.

[NotThePars]

I mentioned this on the Scotland job thread but I see quite a big difference between gaffney's gaff and the texts sent by malky mackay.

I think there are a lot of people who use the terms that gaffney used just because that's the language they use (especially in relation to the local Chinese take away). Don't get me wrong, I think that needs to change - but I don't think these people should be necessarily written off entirely.

It's a subtle difference, I know.

The fact that he posted this himself suggests to me that he possibly didn't know how serious these things are viewed - or just how offensive they are. Maybe I'm being naive, but for me he does deserve the chance to make amends.

I've had conversations before with pals who I know are not racist, but who pass on racist jokes. Some folk don't think about these things that much.

What’s your response when someone makes a racist joke in your company?

[pandarilla]

What’s your response when someone makes a racist joke in your company?

It hasn't happened for a long, long time. If I know the person, I pull them up for it (but hopefully without making things too awkward). If I don't know the person, I'd just quietly distance myself from their company.

I pulled up an ayr fan once, during a game. He just harrumphed and moved away.

[NotThePars]

It hasn't happened for a long, long time. If I know the person, I pull them up for it (but hopefully without making things too awkward). If I don't know the person, I'd just quietly distance myself from their company.

I pulled up an ayr fan once, during a game. He just harrumphed and moved away.

Not good enough! You should be putting them in the stocks.

[welshbairn]

It was the idea that because he had a working class background he wouldn't know that acceptable behaviour varies according to context that got me. Upper class people tell jokes in their clubs that they wouldn't tell on a public stage, or to their elderly aunt, but because this guy was working class he was too thick to realise that? Never mind that he thought it was funny.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

Depends on your workplace. You trying to tell me a builder, a spark, a factory worker, a stockroom worker etc general recoil in horror when a colleague uses such terms?

It may surprise you to learn that some homosexuals work in jobs other than musical theatre and hairdressing.

[welshbairn]

26 minutes ago, The Chlamydia Kid said:

Laugh encouragingly out of respect for his working class roots.

FTFY.

[JamieThomas]

Just read the costs of replacing Trident have now risen by £1billion in the last 12 months.

I hope those people starving and dying in the streets appreciate the sacrifices that are being made so an unnamed lunatic who really, really hates tinpot islands with hilariously poor governance* doesn't ping a world ending nuclear warhead at us.

Spoiler

*I almost said "really, really hates Dundee", but then realised I couldn't blame him

 

[Father Ted]

I neither support nor endorse capitalism but I accept its inevitability for the foreseeable future.  I won't criticise others for disagreeing with that but I do believe it is naive to think that it will be replaced anytime soon.
What is both desirable and achievable is to utilise the surplus wealth in a more equitable way and to change the power structures to reflect a society where wealth does not equate power.  This will not be easy, but I genuily think we would have a better shot of that in an Independent Scotland than we ever will in the UK.
 

England is so embedded with crony capitalism and the class system. We will only be free of these curses, if we go independent.

I just wish Scottish population would wake up to it. As both are robbing us blind.

Tories and their supporters are abhorrent human beings, who lack empathy, a soul, and a moral compass.

[ayrmad]

5 hours ago, pandarilla said:

I mentioned this on the Scotland job thread but I see quite a big difference between gaffney's gaff and the texts sent by malky mackay.

I think there are a lot of people who use the terms that gaffney used just because that's the language they use (especially in relation to the local Chinese take away). Don't get me wrong, I think that needs to change - but I don't think these people should be necessarily written off entirely.

It's a subtle difference, I know.

The fact that he posted this himself suggests to me that he possibly didn't know how serious these things are viewed - or just how offensive they are. Maybe I'm being naive, but for me he does deserve the chance to make amends.

I've had conversations before with pals who I know are not racist, but who pass on racist jokes. Some folk don't think about these things that much.

As always nowadays, it's just over the top rage from those that think they do nowt wrong, if everyone using the term ch***y for a chinese meal is a racist then there are far far more racists in Scotland than anyone believes.