Britain - The Official Thread

[Famine]

Interesting news...

Bear in mind that I'm no fan of the BBC, but...

OFCOM regulations prohibit politicians appearing as presenters or in the effective role of a presenter on television shows during "an election period". Allen, although not standing as an MEP, is the leader of Change UK, which is a "designated organisation" and is putting candidates forward for the European Parliament Elections.

Farage appeared on Newsnight last night, so not as a presenter or in the effective role of a presenter. However...

... Allen was not booked as presenter - that was Jo Brand. That suggests that the BBC classes HIGNFY panel members as "effective role of a presenter".

But Farage, then leader of UKIP, did indeed appear on the panel on 11th April 2014, just under 7 weeks before the 2014 European Parliament Elections.

The answer is actually that timing. Allen's appearance would have been under 2 weeks before the election. OFCOM's rules define the "election period" as:

Meaning of “election period”:

For a parliamentary general election, this period begins with the dissolution of Parliament. For a parliamentary by-election, this period begins with the issuing of a writ or on such earlier date as is notified in the London Gazette. For the Scottish Parliament elections and National Assembly for Wales elections, the period begins with the dissolution of the Scottish Parliament or the National Assembly for Wales as appropriate or, in the case of a by-election, with the date of the occurrence of a vacancy. For the Northern Ireland Assembly, the London Assembly and for local government elections, it is the last date for publication of notices of the election. For European parliamentary elections, it is the last date for publication of the notice of election, which is 25 days before the election. In all cases the period ends with the close of the poll.

Farage's appearance was over 25 days beforehand, Allen's was not.

 

[baldgye]

Farage appeared on Newsnight last night, so not as a presenter or in the effective role of a presenter. However...

... Allen was not booked as presenter - that was Jo Brand. That suggests that the BBC classes HIGNFY panel members as "effective role of a presenter".

This is I think indeed the issue... clearly the production team and the bbc don’t seem to agree on this, otherwise why would they have even filmed it, it’s not as though European elections or hignfy are ‘new’

 

[Lizard]

On the topic of BBC appearances. Should Question Time be renamed the Nigel Farage show?

 

[Famine]

This is I think indeed the issue... clearly the production team and the bbc don’t seem to agree on this, otherwise why would they have even filmed it, it’s not as though European elections or hignfy are ‘new’

Officially, although everyone except the Conservative Party was actually preparing for it, nobody knew if it was actually going ahead until last Friday. I'm guessing Hat Trick booked Allen a few weeks ago and then recorded the show on Thursday, but then the BBC had a wibble yesterday afternoon.

 

[baldgye]

On the topic of BBC appearances. Should Question Time be renamed the Nigel Farage show?

I think at the very least, if he continues to take part, maybe “No answers time” might be a better name;

 

[TenEightyOne]

On the topic of BBC appearances. Should Question Time be renamed the Nigel Farage show?

Yes.

And then axed.

 

[Liquid]

We've only had two revolutions - one to put a dutch dude everyone loved on the throne

Have you ever been to Ireland?

 

[MaxAttack]

Have you ever been to Ireland?

No, but revolution is a stretch of a term for what basically amounts to a war for independence. I don't consider 1776 a 'revolution' so much as a war of independence, based on it being a foreign government on a different landmass being overthrown. I'd extend that to Ireland - but this is semantics in its absolute purest form.

Shout out to Ireland, though. It's like a bigger Cornwall where you can see further and the roads aren't madness. Would like to go poke around someday. Great motorsports there.

 

[TenEightyOne]

No, but revolution is a stretch of a term for what basically amounts to a war for independence.

That's a shifty definition. If a self-identified state rises up against another self-identified state in order to take power over its self-identified territories/governance then it's arguably both things.

 

[MaxAttack]

That's a shifty definition. If a self-identified state rises up against another self-identified state in order to take power over its self-identified territories/governance then it's arguably both things.

Makes sense. The original joke is an Al Murray plagiarism. He, of course, has an Oxford history degree, so the nuances of its innacuracy probably aren't exactly lost on him.

 

[HenrySwanson]

The Jeremy Kyle show is no more:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48279613

 

[MaxAttack]

The Jeremy Kyle show is no more:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48279613

Couldn't be more pleased! Known cokehead and his creepy lets-all-laugh-at-the-proles social experiment of a tv show.

know a guy who got dragged on there by an absolute piece of work of a girl. He has PTSD now.

**** this guy

 

[Lizard]

To be honest I am also glad it's gone, it didn't really help anyone.

And 'the lie detector' was considered the be all and end all of arguments, yet I think you will find no court will accept it as evidence because it's too unreliable.

 

[MaxAttack]

To be honest I am also glad it's gone, it didn't really help anyone.

And 'the lie detector' was considered the be all and end all of arguments, yet I think you will find no court will accept it as evidence because it's too unreliable.

Said PTSD may or may not be related to said ****** unreliable test.

 

[Dennisch]

I just watched a video of a man getting a fine after telling cops to piss off after he hid his face for facial recognition cameras. Him hiding his face was enough reason for the cops the stop the man and checking him.

Does this mean that face covering veils will be banned? Or are you exempt because of your religion?

Link.

 

[Liquid]

Was he fined for hiding from a facial recognition camera or fined for a public order offence in telling police to piss off?

 

[Dennisch]

Was he fined for hiding from a facial recognition camera or fined for a public order offence in telling police to piss off?

The fine was for the insult.

 

[baldgye]

Was he fined for hiding from a facial recognition camera or fined for a public order offence in telling police to piss off?

Technically for telling the ol'bill to piss off... but it was an example of increasing worrying police tactics. From reading a bit deeper into it, this isn't a new policy but part of a trial of hardware/software the MET is currently deploying in the capital.
Due to the cost, public backlash and poor success-rate I'm not sure it's something that'll be adopted properly. But then who knows... if 10 years ago you'd have told me I needed to get a special porn card to watch or look at porn online I'd have laughed at you, but here we are...

 

[TenEightyOne]

Technically for telling the ol'bill to piss off... but it was an example of increasing worrying police tactics. From reading a bit deeper into it, this isn't a new policy but part of a trial of hardware/software the MET is currently deploying in the capital.
Due to the cost, public backlash and poor success-rate I'm not sure it's something that'll be adopted properly. But then who knows... if 10 years ago you'd have told me I needed to get a special porn card to watch or look at porn online I'd have laughed at you, but here we are...

Quite, and it's a worrying precedent. @Dennisch is right to worry that women whose cultural wishes involve them wearing face coverings may be about to have their common, decent human rights violated.

 

[Dennisch]

I don't understand why people are letting all of this happen. The government is taking over every aspect of your life and privacy and where are the mass protests?

 

[baldgye]

I don't understand why people are letting all of this happen.

Yet the video you posted showed people doing the literal opposite of 'letting it happen'...

privacy

good one

 

[Dennisch]

Yet the video you posted showed people doing the literal opposite of 'letting it happen'...

where are the mass protests?

good one

Not sure what you're trying to say with this.

 

[baldgye]

Not sure what you're trying to say with this.

Why would their be a ‘mass protest’ to a very small trial conducted by the police?

And you and every other person connected to the internet has had their privacy taken-and sold-en mass by many entities already.
The idea of privacy in the 21stC is unfortunately hilarious.

 

[Dennisch]

Why would their be a ‘mass protest’ to a very small trial conducted by the police?

Because it isn't the only thing the government is doing to you. You said it yourself.

if 10 years ago you'd have told me I needed to get a special porn card to watch or look at porn online I'd have laughed at you, but here we are...

And you and every other person connected to the internet has had their privacy taken-and sold-en mass by many entities already.
The idea of privacy in the 21stC is unfortunately hilarious.

Most of those entities are privately owned companies, people have a choice to use those.

The government just does it and says **** you and your privacy. We own you.

 

[baldgye]

Because it isn't the only thing the government is doing to you. You said it yourself.

Right and at the moment what is the most pressing issue facing the UK? Freedom to watch porn isn't high up on the list, and was backed by large numbers of idiotic parents...

Most of those entities are privately owned companies, people have a choice to use those.

The government just does it and says **** you and your privacy. We own you.

Did you choose for Facebook to make a shadow account for you, even if you refuse to use Facebook?
Or how about the meta-data collated and sold by Amazon and Google, do you actually have a choice in using either one of their services (how would you even know what sites you use run from amazon servers or at least ping them)?

You talk about governments, but what good would protesting do when my government steals information from foreign countries and vice-versa?
Yeah, its ****, but it's already happened. Snowdon leaked the info years after these governments started doing this. You can't role time back.

You can pretend that your government isn't doing the same, it makes no odds, even if it was true, another government or private company is.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, to roll back to your original question. That street level face-scanning was challenged (by the people in the video), people 'mass' protest all kinds of things (though generally not small scale trial runs).

 

[MaxAttack]

So my dad answered the door to a random caller this morning, saw an orange tie and a pamphlet and thought oh cock, not the lib dems...

No, not the lib dems, in fact, but a Jehovah's Witness who asked him "Do you worry about death?", To which my dad gives the always-ready reply of, "No, I have had a heart attack and died once already". Quick as lightning the missionary replies "Oh! That happened to my father! Isn't it amazing what they can do in hospitals!"

i was sat on the loo at the time, but I hear the look on his face was precious, and his pitch lost some of its weight after that...

what a way to shoot yourself in the foot.

 

[Famine]

Cross-party Brexit talks have failed, because Theresa May is unwilling to compromise and Jeremy Corbyn has absolutely no idea what he actually wants.

 

[PeterJB]

A succinct summary of the last three years.

 

[Liquid]

Corbyn wants Brexit but he doesn't have the minerals to admit it.

 

[Touring Mars]

Cross-party Brexit talks have failed, because Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn

FTFY