Okay, so prospective candidates are coming to my university this month for a Questiontime. What questions would you ask them? I'm looking for really good and airtight questions that would be difficult for them to answer and press them on issues.
I want to know how the opposition plans on dealing with Labours Human Rights policy. I think it driven the country down to stupidity and it would be fantastic to know if anyone has the bollocks to take a step back from me. It's quite literally a get out of jail free card, and people use the whole HR approach to evade jail, or to be allowed to get away with misdoings and it often seems to work. It's vague, and it stems into so many different aspects, but if they mention that then that would be interesting. Political correctness has people going up the wall at the moment. Out of interest, which Uni? You a South Wales student or a Bangor guy?
What HR examples are you referring to? I've yet to hear someone escape a prison sentence based on grounds of political correctness. Actually the percentage of black people in prison has actually risen, according to a 2003 study, by 53%. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/mar/30/prisonsandprobation.race I hate it when people think political correctness has 'gone made'. The majority of 'political correctness' is dreamt up by tabloids to rile and excite the many ignorant people who think you can't call a 'blackboard' a 'blackboard' anymore, or 'Baa Baa Blacksheep' has to be changed to something more 'politically correct'. I don't go to uni. in Wales. Being brought up there I have more sense than that. I go to the University of London.
I probably would want to ask something about ID cards, as that's one of those topics no one seems to mention anymore.
You are obviously pretentious, but equally a bit of a dick but i'm in Cardiff University, and I feel it is a perfectly attuned school. Free speech is fair enough (HR ), but it's a really stupid thing to say. You are though, obviously a man who has never fallen victim to the Political Correctness around him, how lucky you must have been to live such a sheltered life. You can think what you like, but these days i'm not sure if I can call a black person black, if i'm allowed to open a door for a woman or even if a parent is allowed to discipline they're kids. If you raise a hand to them you are invading their rights and you can be fined. That is bullshit. Even all my local parks have been basically torn down because some of the amusements, like monkey bars and swings, are deemed to dangerous to use. And the muslim girl and her head mask last year? PC said she could wear it, but no one else could as it was probably deemed racist, not that it wasn't to allow different rules for different people. There are hundreds of examples. The funniest is the Government considering the renaming of Snow White. They wanted to call i ' Snow White and the Seven Vertically Challenged Men? Got a nice ring to it, eh? I guess all that is Herstory (Oh ho ho :rofl. You know, History has been deemed sexist by feminist groups, that isn't even a joke. As for HR's, yeah my brother is stupidly a soldier. I hate it, but after hearing accounts of kids getting al their limbs blown of and being compensated like ten grand for it, and yet some immigrants getting nearly as much a year in benefits, where's the justice? Where is the Human Right? I can recall a lady living with a family of maybe six to eight children, and she was reportedly being given two thousand pounds a month, and she was living rent free in a brand new flat in Cardiff Bay. My friend couldn't pay her rent and was kicked to the curb. The irony? And this is stupidly true, a Polish family moved in thereafter. They claimed benefits for a while and then went home again, where they stayed for however long living like kings- the benefits are so high and they cost of living in Poland is so low all the people are doing this. Other than a persons human rights, I guess you can let me know about immigration policy as well please. I am no racist by any means, but I just want fairness amongst all. BY THE BY!!!!! I mentioned in another thread, a man decided to sleep in my parents garden for months. The coopers wouldn't move him because of squatters rights, and human rights. Things are fuckin' stupid. And I was interested by what you had to say before, now I couldn't care less.
This is not true. (And it's up to you if you want to open doors for women or call black people black, obviously) This would be in regard to health and safety legislation, not political correctness, which is a distinct thing. If playgrounds are deemed too dangerous to use then surely it's rather a good idea that children are not allowed to use them? Not all playgrounds are deemed too dangerous to use, there are plenty of playgrounds which are perfectly safe, (though perhaps not in your area)... Not seeing the problem... Not sure what case you're referring to, but this comes up quite often and is obviously a sensitive issue, which I believe is down to the discretion of individual organisations isn't it? Some will obviously make good decisions and some bad... This is not true either. It came from a typical Daily Mail nonsense scare story. Seriously..? There's been a lot of good feminist scholarship and a lot of bad; yes most history has been written by men and most human societies have excluded and oppressed women until quite recently; women only got universal suffrage in about 1929 in the UK I believe, so yes most of our history has been sexist. This is a simple fact not really anything to do with political correctness. Well I suppose it shows the positive side of political correctness: it's quite a good thing that women are now treated equally and fairly in the advanced democracies... Getting your limbs blown off is something of an occupational hazard for a soldier. If economic migrants have lived and worked in this country and paid their taxes into the system like everyone else in the country then they become entitled to the welfare system, just like everyone else... (Asylum is a distinct issue and is about helping those fleeing from persecuation and oppression abroad) The figures are probably tabloid fabrications like so many of the right wing scare stories you seem to be quoting, but yes the welfare system gives priority to people with children, on the basis that it's a particularly bad idea to let children starve or live in poverty and deprivation... personally I would support this notion... Your friend would be similarly entitled to housing benefit or income support if eligible... "All the people" is obviously not true. This is probably another urban myth or tabloid scare story with little basis in reality. The cost of living is comparatively low in Poland but benefits here are by no means "high", especially when compared to the cost of living in this country. What you suggest is almost certainly not feasible. A little basic research will demonstrate that most of what you've said here is simply not true... "Political correctness gone mad" is one of those really irritating sayings that means very little. I regard as quite a positive thing that we have a society that wants to treat people with compassion, dignity, equality and respect...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IYx4Bc6_eE"]YouTube- Stewart Lee on Political Correctness Sorry Matthews, I'll have a think for some questions for your debate...
ask them if they'd be happy to follow Uncle Sam into Iran, how long should we stay in Afghanistan, should we replace Trident, what is their policy towards a green economy, what public sector cuts do they plan to make to reduce the budget deficit, what do we do when the oil runs out
I don't see what basis you have to call me pretentious, let alone 'a bit of a dick'. Unlike you I actually have factual evidence to the fact political correctness hasn't in fact 'gone mad'. Surely you can't expect me to take you seriously when you try and counter facts with passion and opinion. Also, I never said anything of the sort that Cardiff, or any university for that matter, in Wales is crap. You're assumption in me thinking so kind of goes hand in hand with your assumption on how the country is run. Not sure if you were brought up in the South Wales valleys, but if you were you'd notice that after so many years there you realise how little there is to benefit your life. No jobs. No prospects. No ambitions. It's a dead and depressing black hole caused, in part, because of the Tories. I would've thought that someone studying at university level would be slightly more enlightened to their own environment, rather than resulting to insults. Good luck with life.
Back to the topic: I was thinking of asking: 'Why is it that when you realised you couldn't get away with expense claims anymore you then morally felt something needed to be done about it? Does that mean you lacked any morality when it was being claimed and what's stopping you from taking advantage of possible loopholes in the future?'
I'm not from the Valleys at all, i'm Vale. I do apologize for calling you a dick. However my environment is nothing like the Valleys, i'll admit it's a dreadful, soul sucking area. And Lithium, I think you're being pretty naive. It's not simply a case of 'what the newspaper says', this stuff happens all around us every day. I am very aware of the subjectivity of the case I made, but it's just something you see around you, it's much more qualitative to the eye. I think it's pretty insulting to put everything I said down to crap when it's simply not. Health and legislation in parks? Okay, that's fair enough. Why was it altered. Political Correctness. Health and safety in any instance has gone stupid. Economic Migrants who pay taxes entitled to welfare system. Welfare is to help people pay for things after taxes, so in essence, tax. Contradicts itself. The Snow White comment. Sarcasm. And so was the feminist part. Kids starving? That's not a good thing, but ultimately immigration did a pretty awful job if they were allowing starving people into Britain in the first instance. You are making that seem silly. Finally, calling people black and opening doors. Yeah, again, maybe a myth but the majority of the country are worried about doing it. Whether you know better is indeed a lucky thing. If you disagree, then fair enough. I obviously share a view with a majority, and you have said yourself it's basically crap that we read about in the papers. I am not a politics major, I was only asking a question and I was answered in such an elitist way it was insulting. As it stands, you cannot tell me what I am saying is urban myth, I cannot tell you you are wrong. Neither of us know. However it does sound like you herald from a different political background, and it all sounds very labour to me. In the end, I am just respectfully disagreeing, but I think you are acting maybe a little too pedantic, and sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade. If you beleive all our safey rules, government spending and benefits system are all great, good, but don't expect many to agree with you. And I would love you to tell any grieving parents they lost a child down to a occupational hazard. That makes it sound like they are operating machinery in a factory, not risking their lives for the UK. Meh, I am obviously a walking contradiction- a total cliche of a UK citizen. This doesn't warrant a response, but it's just the first time on this site that I have felt elitism that is actually alienating.
Does it? The only people saying it does is the tabloids, as far as I'm aware, who're about as much as a reliable source as Fox News. Sorry, but it seems like it's the only thing you see around you because it's the only thing you're looking for. Political correctness, by its very definition, is the the suppression of language that's deemed offensive with intent to marginalise certain people by race, sex, et cetera. Health and safety in parks has NOTHING to do with political correctness. The fact that people think it is is hilarious, ridiculous and even pitiful. What do you mean 'in essence, tax'? Welfare isn't a taxation...It's the complete opposite. It seeks to help people who can't even afford to pay taxes due to certain circumstances that makes them financially inept. So if a starving child turned up at your doorstep you would refuse him help? Do you really lack so much compassion? The 'majority of the country'? Like who? Sounds like you have some subconscious problems with people of different race and look at their skin colour before you even think of opening the door for them. What makes you think the majority of people think the same way you do? Also, there was nothing elitist about your given response. Calling someone who has different opinions to you 'elitist' is ridiculous. Well what I can say is that you're response is nothing more than opinion, due to the lack of evidence, so essentially it warrants as much credibility as an urban myth. So yes, I can say it's an urban myth. Nobody expected you to agree with what I said, but at the least I expect you not to be so ignorant as to ignore basic facts. Also, a spade isn't always a spade. An intelligent person would analyse and scrutinise every little detail before they come to a conclusion, rather than answering aimlessly and with such simplicity. An answer that occurs to you within a second isn't a thoughtful answer. Risking their lives for the UK? Sorry, but I don't see that. We were never in threat prior to the war more so than we are now. Now I have the biggest respect for soldiers, and many of my friends are currently on tour, but they go into the army with the full knowledge that there's a possibility they may die. They know it. They're families know it. They're friends know it. It's a hazard that they choose to risk for an occupation they choose to take. You can call it a 'hazard of their occupation', if that sounds better?
Political correctness puts people in a corner, and constantly worries them with regard to what they can say. People worry about having an opinion. I have one, and call me a subconscious racist more or less? Hmm, sounds like it really does exist after all. Glad we got to the bottom of that one.
Really it doesn't, it's all about perceptions. The fact you quoted the typical tabloid fabricated scare stories as if they were true and gave the typical "political correctness gone mad" bullshit, repeating all the nonsense we get bombarded with by ideologically motivated, usually right-wing journalists and populist commentators really ought to give you cause to think. You're on this site, which probably means to some extent you must be open minded and interested in issues around you. A little basic research will demonstrate that most of what you said was simply factually inaccurate, and the rest ideological rubbish, focusing on the minority of cases where things do go wrong (which they inevitably do) in order to make erroneous generalisations... Yes governments make mistakes, but no the country is not going to the dogs, most of the legislation we have is intended to keep people safe and well (health and safety) and to keep the country prosperous and the economoy and welfare system healthy (immigration policy - yes, shock horror, immigration is good for the economy). I think you're a well meaning person, but I think you need to think a little more about what you read and hear, because we are surrounded by people talking bollocks. Whenever anyone says "political correctness has gone mad" or that health and safety legislation is a bad thing, or that the country is going to the dogs because of immigrants, it just sets alarm bells ringing that that person is probably an idiot who hasn't given much thought to the ideological guff that's been spouted in the tabloids for decades...
As much as that does annoy me, whatever. I am no idiot, and am simply not an aficionado of politics. I am entitled to my opinion regarding Human Rights. I just think the system can be exploited is all, and I still am perplexed as to how the conversation became so stream-lined in regards to PC. I don't need to be lectured by anybody. It's like me telling you that some music you listen to is crap, because objectively speaking the musicians are substandard. I wouldn't, but should I because I 'do' know better? But all in all, I just don't want to argue. Okay, i'm obviously not as 'educated' in politics, but it's not like i'm sitting here hoping all I said was right, I would love it all to be untrue. I value your opinion, and for what it's worth I am sorry for the differing of suggestion. You are obviously a clever individual and I have no interest in continuing any of this. I don't want any more offense, fact or figure thrown my way, but I suppose we simply must agree to disagree This is the nature of politics though, is it not? A bunch of bullshitters sitting around moaning like a bunch of pedantic little children Peace, The Ignorant Being
I wanna know just what they are gonna do about spontaneous combustion, it's out of hand now, there's cinders all over the place... Peace
