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.....and further, anyone else find the extension of the deadline to register to vote slightly suspicious?
I suppose I'm paranoid, but the timing did raise a doubt in my mind. There was an outage of about 105 minutes (10.15 pm to midnight), which is probably about as long as the problem was likely to take to fix. If that had happened a day earlier on even earlier on the same day, then the judgement would probably have been taken to stick with the deadline. If I was planning a DDoS attack I'd have timed it for about the same time, figuring that a server overload that couldn't be corrected would lead to an extension and a lot of free publicity to encourage more registrations. Having said that. the crash may well just be a crash, because I am fairly sure the news will leak out if large numbers of already-registered persons took part in a coordinated attempt to overload the server.
In any event I accept that if people tried to register before midnight they should be allowed to complete the process.
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 11:41 - Jun 9 with 1946 views
Remain With or Leave the EU on 06:41 - Jun 9 by Dr_Winston
The last time there was an Indy ref in Scotland the leave camp based their economic arguments on an oil price far higher than it actually stands. They'd have been absolutely f*cked if they'd voted to go. Even now the fields are laying people off and cutting back left right and centre.
It also presumed the EU would welcome them with open arms. Spain would be against for obvious reasons.
Owen Jones is an intellectual legend. In his own mind.
He railed in the Guardian about the abuse of zero hour contracts, unpaid internships. Tory scummy companies abusing working class yadda yadda. When it was pointed out that not only did the Guardian at the time use zero hour contracts and unpaid interns, that the tax avoiders he rails against seemed to use the same techniques the Guardian do and that it was a tad hypocritical of him to write for them, what was his response?
Paraphrasing, "I'm just a columnist, nothing to do with me".
And don't dare mention to him that his income would put him in the top 1% worldwide...
Remain With or Leave the EU on 23:04 - Jun 8 by sherpajacob
Exactly , why do we need a corrupt festering gravy train in Brussels when we've got a perfectly good one in Westminster.
Indeed. There's a lot of myths posted about Brussels by the Brexit campaign and by people who frankly should know better. Westminster is more open to being milked by MPs.
Remain With or Leave the EU on 12:35 - Jun 9 by LeonisGod
Indeed. There's a lot of myths posted about Brussels by the Brexit campaign and by people who frankly should know better. Westminster is more open to being milked by MPs.
"As chairman for five years of the European Parliament's Audit Panel, I not only oversaw the 35 internal auditors checking off each department, but also witnessed a comprehensive and highly positive external audit by one of the Big Four accounting firms. As in any institution, especially one where 28 nations and many differing cultures are present, there were bad eggs. Prosecutions and prison are now the result and there are cases pending."
One wonders which of the Big Four it was and how much they were paid. I'm sure Andreassen was amused by that bit.
Remain With or Leave the EU on 12:24 - Jun 9 by blueytheblue
Owen Jones is an intellectual legend. In his own mind.
He railed in the Guardian about the abuse of zero hour contracts, unpaid internships. Tory scummy companies abusing working class yadda yadda. When it was pointed out that not only did the Guardian at the time use zero hour contracts and unpaid interns, that the tax avoiders he rails against seemed to use the same techniques the Guardian do and that it was a tad hypocritical of him to write for them, what was his response?
Paraphrasing, "I'm just a columnist, nothing to do with me".
And don't dare mention to him that his income would put him in the top 1% worldwide...
[Post edited 9 Jun 2016 12:27]
So his income puts him in the top 1% worldwide.
So what? Can't someone who is earning a shed load of cash also believe that taxes should be higher?
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 13:40 - Jun 9 with 1875 views
Remain With or Leave the EU on 15:46 - Jun 7 by yescomeon
The Poland bit. Replace Poland with Mexico.
To clarify, in case I have been misunderstood...
I am FOR immigration. I'm a Lib Dem, and I think the Poles are wonderful people....a couple of my friends are of Polish extraction (1 descended from and 1 born and raised there). The Poles work terrifically hard, in general, follow the rules....pay their taxes etc. ...and they can do what they want with the money they earned here as far as I am concerned.
The issue of immigration, for myself, is one of control. 300,000 immigrants a year could be fine as long as we are creating jobs, building houses and investing in public services fast enough. If we can't keep up for a period, we should be able to restrict the number of people coming to live and work here for a time while we sort out the infrastructure problems. I would create a cross party body with academics and members of the business community involved, who have clearly defined rules regarding how they arrive at the figure of desired numbers of migrants for the term of a parliament. This body would examine in detail all of the factors....they might arrive at a figure between 50,000 - 350,000 a year over the parliament, or they might decide that we are in a position to have no restrictions over the next 5 years. The point is control.
BUT my original post was laying out the position that David Cameron and his government have got themselves into....promising something they couldn't possibly deliver on (because it was a vote winner) and then engaging in a fake negotiation with the EU before coming back here to piss down people's necks whilst telling them it is raining.
My last point. The money being taken out of our economy by migrant workers who send it back home may not be a lot of money but consider this....
The 800,000-900,000 Poles who have come here to work and have built their life here since 2004(?) may not have sent a great deal of money home relative to their GDP....but that is 500,000 + jobs created here that Poland didn't have to create. The Polish Commissioner is going to be considering the big picture when he/she decides whether they are going to stand in the UK government's way on this issue. The Polish economy has been doing well of late....the size of their population is about half the size of ours and we have taken a million people off them in about 12 years. Make no mistake, this situation has helped Poland.
The problem with the EU is that to do what you want/need to do you have to negotiate with 28 other countries and everyone has a vested interest.
Remain With or Leave the EU on 13:07 - Jun 9 by nice_to_michu
So his income puts him in the top 1% worldwide.
So what? Can't someone who is earning a shed load of cash also believe that taxes should be higher?
When that person rails against tax avoiders yet takes money from a tax avoider...
When that person rails against zero hours contracts yet takes money from a company that used them...
When that person rails against use of unpaid interns yet takes money from a company that uses unpaid contributors...
And when challenged on that discrepancy argues that "he doesn't condone it, he just writes for them" then you have to wonder how strong his convictions really are.
All the arguments I'm listening to are convincing me that the UK would be better off if we get out, what I'm not convinced about is whether Wales would be any better off,and that,at the moment, is holding me back from voting out.
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 15:02 - Jun 9 with 1842 views
Remain With or Leave the EU on 14:52 - Jun 9 by lifelong
All the arguments I'm listening to are convincing me that the UK would be better off if we get out, what I'm not convinced about is whether Wales would be any better off,and that,at the moment, is holding me back from voting out.
The problem for your decision, based on the "Welsh" position is that the UK has absolutely no control over it whatsoever. If the EU in their wisdom decide to cut the susbidies that is it, no lobbying will make the slightest difference. Every time (72 times) the UK MEPs have recently voted against changes that were not in the UK's interest they have been totally outvoted.
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 15:04 - Jun 9 with 1841 views
Remain With or Leave the EU on 13:50 - Jun 9 by blueytheblue
When that person rails against tax avoiders yet takes money from a tax avoider...
When that person rails against zero hours contracts yet takes money from a company that used them...
When that person rails against use of unpaid interns yet takes money from a company that uses unpaid contributors...
And when challenged on that discrepancy argues that "he doesn't condone it, he just writes for them" then you have to wonder how strong his convictions really are.
Commonly known as Hypocrisy.
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 15:09 - Jun 9 with 1839 views
Remain With or Leave the EU on 13:50 - Jun 9 by blueytheblue
When that person rails against tax avoiders yet takes money from a tax avoider...
When that person rails against zero hours contracts yet takes money from a company that used them...
When that person rails against use of unpaid interns yet takes money from a company that uses unpaid contributors...
And when challenged on that discrepancy argues that "he doesn't condone it, he just writes for them" then you have to wonder how strong his convictions really are.
Your response had nothing to do with what my comment said.
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 15:32 - Jun 9 with 1823 views
Remain With or Leave the EU on 15:32 - Jun 9 by blueytheblue
All part of the utter hypocracy that surrounds Jones.
I agree that he should be highlighted his own employers as being one of the companies that use zero-hour contracts etc etc.
But you seemed to imply that if you earn a lot of money then this will exclude you from arguing for higher taxes or other left-wing arguments because it's "hypocritical".
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 16:14 - Jun 9 with 1797 views
Remain With or Leave the EU on 15:45 - Jun 9 by nice_to_michu
I agree that he should be highlighted his own employers as being one of the companies that use zero-hour contracts etc etc.
But you seemed to imply that if you earn a lot of money then this will exclude you from arguing for higher taxes or other left-wing arguments because it's "hypocritical".
Not exclude, no, but it should be taken into account when assessing the credibility of their views; especially when someone like Jones professes to be one of the people. Never worked, product of his environment, Oxford educated.
Jones arguing for higher taxes now smacks of "I've made my money already... so doesn't bother me".
Remain With or Leave the EU on 16:14 - Jun 9 by blueytheblue
Not exclude, no, but it should be taken into account when assessing the credibility of their views; especially when someone like Jones professes to be one of the people. Never worked, product of his environment, Oxford educated.
Jones arguing for higher taxes now smacks of "I've made my money already... so doesn't bother me".
Sorry mate, but this makes no sense.
Oxford educated? So what, he made it through the application process and had a good education. I would've loved to go to Oxford, wasn't clever enough.
Never worked in his life? Surely you're not one of those who says that unless someone works 9-5 at the steel works or as a postman then they haven't really worked at all? He's a journalist, if he doesn't work or work hard enough, then he's out of a job just like most other professions.
"Jones arguing for higher taxes now smacks of "I've made my money already...so it doesn't bother me" - this makes no sense. If he's as wealthy as you say he is, higher tax on the rich will of course have an impact upon him. He's not in favour of increasing taxes considerably on the poor, so why he lacks credibility on this issue I have no idea.
I disagree entirely with him on many things (foreign policy etc), but I really can't understand why you're at racking his credibility on issues such as tax. Do you have to be poor, or have been in poverty for most of your life to argue for higher taxes?
[Post edited 9 Jun 2016 18:28]
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Remain With or Leave the EU on 18:32 - Jun 9 with 1707 views
Jones' work history prior to journalism was as a union lobbyist and then a researcher for John McDonnell.
He's never worked outside the political bubble. He's a freelance journalist and also an author. His income streams are by no means comparable to what for want of a better word would be "normal" work.
The point I was poorly trying to make was that Jones has made more than enough money to comfortably live off. Higher taxation wouldn't affect him to the same degree it would affect plenty of hard working middle class families; he's got his money already, higher taxes on future income won't be as bad for him. So he's hypocritical imo in that calling for higher taxes will affect plenty of people not in his circumstances.
I do agree that's not the greatest stick that he can be beaten with.