Britain - The Official Thread

[UKMikey]

^Thanks but I'm perfectly capable of reading my own link. 

Any chance of providing your source regarding the would be bomber's ethnicity and the speculation regarding a "sex scandal"? We know the second guy was of Arabic descent but from what I've read the teenager was "white, but not English".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-suspect-18-year-old-man-police-a7951271.html

 

[Dotini]

^Thanks but I'm perfectly capable of reading my own link. 

But are you capable - or willing - of reading mine?
I believe the national origin at least one of the suspects was reported in my 3rd edit above. I had not been aware of that until minutes ago.

They potential for a sex scandal was the sum of "dimwit" teenager + British foster home + outraged fundamentalist relatives + notorious British sex-scandal-a-day rag reporting an attack seemingly motivated by nothing more than family rage against maltreatment by a foster home. The thought occurred to me that this would be preferable to an attack in perpetual and un-ending revenge by ISIS against the UK for unpardonable crimes against an entire region for over a century.

" A beautiful, useful or necessary lie is sometimes preferable to an ugly truth".
- George RR Dotini

 

[UKMikey]

But are you capable - or willing - of reading mine?
I believe the national origin at least one of the suspects was reported in my 3rd edit above. I had not been aware of that until minutes ago.

They potential for a sex scandal was the sum of "dimwit" teenager + British foster home + outraged fundamentalist relatives + notorious British sex-scandal-a-day rag reporting an attack seemingly motivated by nothing more than family rage against maltreatment by a foster home. The thought occurred to me that this would be preferable to an attack in perpetual and un-ending revenge by ISIS against the UK for unpardonable crimes against an entire region for over a century.

" A beautiful, useful or necessary lie is sometimes preferable to an ugly truth".
- George RR Dotini

The Mail article you linked to alleges the arrested teen is "believed to be" Iraqi. The Sun article linked to at the bottom of the article contains an interview with a neighbour who thinks he might be Syrian, but doesn't know. The frankly lurid speculation that the foster couple might be child abusers seems to be purely yours.

Considering how mad you seem to get when non-US citizens' speculation on American affairs isn't to your liking, wouldn't it be fairer to at least reciprocate and at least wait until more concrete facts emerge before speculating rather than relying on the "reporting" of two of the UK's least reliable news sources? Just a suggestion.

 

[Dotini]

... wouldn't it be fairer to at least reciprocate and at least wait until more concrete facts emerge before speculating rather than relying on the "reporting" of two of the UK's least reliable sources? Just a suggestion.

I have been studiously avoiding the terms Islam, Muslim, Arab, et al. My sources were linked from mainstream US search engines, and I qualified them as generally not welcomed in this thread. But they are out there in the real world. My hypothetical suggestion of sex scandal seems to be clearly a preferable motivation to that of Islamic terrorism, and is reasonably in accord with the few reported facts. I thought it would be to your liking, and you would leap at the option! But okay - sorry if I offended you merely trying to have a polite conversation. I do appreciate your efforts to be polite and not put words in my mouth. 👍 But you are the guy who asked for more and more information from me. It may have saved some time and effort if we had both simply avoided all communication and never posted in the first place. Lesson learned. Less is more.

 

[TenEightyOne]

2nd edit: I suppose the realistic possibility exists the "dimwit" was sexually exploited at the foster parent's home. If so, the motivation becomes revenge for the exploitation or defilement of the child. If so, does another quotidian British sex-scandal become the uglier truth, or the more useful lie, to the motivation behind this act of terrorism?

If the motive was revenge against them then he wouldn't have tried to blow up a train - he'd have physically attacked them, surely? Abuse of children in care wouldn't be unheard of and then nor would retaliation. In this case however it seems like useless, salacious speculation.

"18 year old in foster care with parents dead has mental health issues" is hardly news (or a surprise) in itself. I'm not suggesting sympathy for an attempted murderer but surely if we need to understand who is most vulnerable to psychological exploitation we should take note of these circumstances?

 

[Dotini]

All available reports now figure an 18 year old Iraqi refugee and a 21 year old Syrian refugee. So I'm willing to rule out a sex scandal.

ABC news has interviewed Teresa May, and she was willing to suggest increased police powers and internet controls. IMO, you'd do better by digging up Sykes and Picot and putting their heads on spikes. Over here we are busy removing the names of Franklin, Jefferson and other founders of the republic from public buildings.

 

[UKMikey]

So I'm willing to rule out a sex scandal.

Dashed generous of you.

IMO, you'd do better by digging up Sykes and Picot and putting their heads on spikes.

I don't think Picot comes under our jurisdiction.

 

[Dotini]

I don't think Picot comes under our jurisdiction.

It's symbolism. It works like magic!

 

[TenEightyOne]

It's symbolism. It works like magic!

Only if an individual is celebrated for their part in history. Sykes and Picot weren't/aren't.

 

[Dotini]

Only if an individual is celebrated for their part in history. Sykes and Picot weren't/aren't.

Their ghosts are sitting on your shoulders. What are you going to do about it?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Their ghosts are sitting on your shoulders. What are you going to do about it?

Nothing. The ghosts of thousands of questionable forefathers sit on all our shoulders. What's to be done? As long as we try to avoid celebrating the worst of society's decisions then surely we're moving forward.

 

[TenEightyOne]

There's a job going for anyone who fancies having the door slammed in their face in parliament. BBC.

 

[polysmut]

There's a job going for anyone who fancies having the door slammed in their face in parliament. BBC.

I know the words that are used to summon the Members to attend the Queen & can handle any jokes the Member for Bolsover decides to throw at me. If I looked good in silly costumes I'd be the ideal candidate.

 

[Touring Mars]

New UKIP logo looks suspiciously familiar...

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...-premier-league-clash-with-choice-of-new-logo

 

[UKMikey]

^Oh dear, looks like they scored a bit of an own goal.

 

[m8h3r]

Where do I find these British lions?

 

[UKMikey]

Where do I find these British lions?

Longleat? Paddy McAloon's garden?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Where do I find these British lions?

If you go back the most definite source (heraldicly) seem to be from royal marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. So zey are, 'ow you say, ze French lions. Onh honh.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Amber Rudd, a genius....

Asked by an audience member if she understood how end-to-end encryption actually worked, she said: "It's so easy to be patronised in this business. We will do our best to understand it.

"We will take advice from other people but I do feel that there is a sea of criticism for any of us who try and legislate in new areas, who will automatically be sneered at and laughed at for not getting it right."

She added: "I don't need to understand how encryption works to understand how it's helping - end-to-end encryption - the criminals.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Amber Rudd, a genius....

As one expert (a proper expert) tartly pointed out... she can't uninvent maths, however much she'd like to. Removing encryption end-to-end is perfectly possible in any system under the control of the good guys. The bad guys need to sign up too, of course.

 

[BobK]

Amber Rudd, a genius....

I don't need to understand how the automobile works to understand how automobiles help criminals. By her logic, we should ban automobiles too.

 

[TenEightyOne]

By her logic, we should ban automobiles too.

They'd never ban something so eminently taxable.

 

[Liquid]

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, joked that Sirte in Libya could be the new Dubai once they've cleared the dead bodies.

Yes he did really say that

Not some unknown backbencher.
Not a BNP guy trying to go legit.
Not a bloke down the pub.

The Foreign Secretary. Britain's chief diplomatic representative to the world.

 

[Dotini]

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, joked that Sirte in Libya could be the new Dubai once they've cleared the dead bodies.

Yes he did really say that

Not some unknown backbencher.
Not a BNP guy trying to go legit.
Not a bloke down the pub.

The Foreign Secretary. Britain's chief diplomatic representative to the world.

I really appreciate the man who is realistic, yet still has a sense of humor.

If the liberals in the UK (and France) want something to be angry about, let them be angry at themselves for toppling the nation of Libya in the first place.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I really appreciate the man who is realistic, yet still has a sense of humor.

It's a funny thing to say. The problem is Boris's sense of time and place. I'm not sure which source suggested to you that only the Libs were angry about it, his own party are too - there are plenty of Cons baying for blood.

Again, that doesn't go to the insensitivity of the joke but the insensitivity of the joke delivered at a public meeting at a party conference.

 

[Dotini]

It's a funny thing to say. The problem is Boris's sense of time and place. I'm not sure which source suggested to you that only the Libs were angry about it, his own party are too - there are plenty of Cons baying for blood.

Again, that doesn't go to the insensitivity of the joke but the insensitivity of the joke delivered at a public meeting at a party conference.

I think he's brilliant. Too many thin-skinned folks.

 

[Touring Mars]

Just caught the end of Theresa May's career speech at the Tory party conference in Manchester today and it was, by all accounts, a car crash. Not only did she cough her way through it, a prankster (Lee Nelson) was able to get up to the stage and hand her a P45. Then, to cap it off in hilarious style, the letter F fell off the slogan behind her, as if the political Gods were trying to tell her something....

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/letters-fa...t-calamitous-conference-speech-memory-1641847

 

[TenEightyOne]

 

[Liquid]

Sometimes I really do find it hard to believe that we're not living in The Thick Of It.

 

[Touring Mars]

Theresa May's speech was so horrendous I wouldn't be surprised if ISIS tried to claim responsibility for it.