Boris Johnson

[Oddquine]

Hi, I really don’t know what the answer is.
The World in general has problems....of no surprise to me.
Methinks the answer is to get into Politics yourself. And of course, then u will see the difficulties of changing anything!

An example......Damage, and Drunks rampaging in Wick and Thurso.
Two men who could do something about it...Willie Mackey and Mathew Reiss.
What do they do...Nothing.....that we have heard of!

Willie Mackay...Caithness Civic Leader...poses for Photo Ops at the damaged scenes, and provides his own pics to the Newspapers!
Mathew Reiss the retired Copper, who obviously has connections, is unheard. Again!
You toe the ‘Council Line’......I would invite them to respond!
So there you are.......u take it from there!
That is why Donald Trump came to power.......just to get rid of the ...Same old......Same old!

Is that not a job for the police? What do you expect councillors to do about drunks rampaging in the streets? Isn't there a no alcohol in public places rule for the police to enforce? If not they could certainly try doing something about that.

[The Horseman]

I think I quit this conversation.
Methinks u will argue with your Shadow!
Regards.

[Oddquine]

I think I quit this conversation.
Methinks u will argue with your Shadow!
Regards.

That's your prerogative of course. I suppose sensible enough when you will never convince me, or many other people, that Westminster responded adequately and was not driven by their political ideology as opposed to the common good, when they protected the health of the economy first and foremost, rather than the health and well-being of the whole UK population they are meant to represent. They did too little, too late and did what little they did do, they did half-heartedly...as evidenced by the fact that they are seemingly intending to start coming out of lockdown, when there are still no checks on people coming into the country, still no working testing and tracing regime and still a shortage of PPE....and when other countries didn't start coming out of lockdown for a month or more after "hitting the peak", the "exceptional" UK, who only began to notice anything was wrong a fortnight after anybody else in the first place, and has the highest death rate in Europe, is intending to do it after three weeks....yet again, putting the health of the economy before the health of the population.

[The Horseman]

I realize what you are saying, but if the system has failed which most did across the World, then DO something about it.
Get like minded people ‘Up in Arms’, and get better representation For the people!

My example of the Two Politicians were not meant to demean them, or to criticize you! It was to say, if they cannot get the drunks off the street and prevent continual damage being done, how can any one of them or any of the Elected people deal competently with the Current situation.
BTW...The Council Civic Leaders/Politicians meet with the Police and there can construct strategies to counter the Drunks and Damage being done. As usual this is not being done! The Police are there to serve the Public.
In 1829 Sir Robert Peel said.....The Police are the Public and the Public are the Police! These two entities are entwined!
Above Lybster harbour there was a bench. It was damaged many times, and after if being fixed by volunteers, it was eventually thrown in the harbour.
Something has to change with local council, including the Leaders of the UK., so rather than Rant on about it, do something!
I read your ‘stuff’, and feel you are a well educated person. Take advantage of your gift.

[Oddquine]

I realize what you are saying, but if the system has failed which most did across the World, then DO something about it.
Get like minded people ‘Up in Arms’, and get better representation For the people!

My example of the Two Politicians were not meant to demean them, or to criticize you! It was to say, if they cannot get the drunks off the street and prevent continual damage being done, how can any one of them or any of the Elected people deal competently with the Current situation.
BTW...The Council Civic Leaders/Politicians meet with the Police and there can construct strategies to counter the Drunks and Damage being done. As usual this is not being done! The Police are there to serve the Public.
In 1829 Sir Robert Peel said.....The Police are the Public and the Public are the Police! These two entities are entwined!
Above Lybster harbour there was a bench. It was damaged many times, and after if being fixed by volunteers, it was eventually thrown in the harbour.
Something has to change with local council, including the Leaders of the UK., so rather than Rant on about it, do something!
I read your ‘stuff’, and feel you are a well educated person. Take advantage of your gift.

Problem with committees (and parliaments are just glorified committees) is the existence of politics. Politics polarises and divides...it doesn't strive for consensus/a workable pragmatic compromise to suit most of the people most of the time. As committees are elected via an undemocratic FPTP (or variation of it) system, (bar Scottish local councillors who are elected by STV, but also by less than the full complement of eligble voters), or by nomination from people already within the FPTP undemocratic system) by a minority of the people eligible to vote, the country is run to suit a minority, and the majority are obliged to lump it until the next election. In fact, it is not only run by a government a minority voted for, it is also run by special interest groups and advisors nobody voted for. The UK system, when a political party has an appreciable majority, is little more than an elected dictatorship. We had the chance to change the voting system in 2011, and 42% of the voters decided for us that we wanted to keep FPTP.

If, at my age, I was inclined to get up in arms in a non-sedentary way. I'd be fighting for STV, compulsory voting at pain of fine.and a written constution including something more on the lines of a contract of employment for MPs, instead of them being able to decide for themselves how the job is to be done and remunerated, which has to be approved by referendum and only altered by referendum. (I'd also ban coalition governments and lobbying by special interest and business groups). I'd expect candidates of political parties to have some reasonably recent connection with the area they want to represent, (no parachuting in), and have some more life experience than a political degree and/or a stint in a parliamentary/constituency or government departmental office. Professional politicians are not representative of anyone but politicians. I'd also like to see party manifestos setting out EVERYTHING a government is intending to do and how they intend to do it...and not have them throwing in brainfarts during their term that they have never mentioned before (and I'm thinking about the GRA bill in Holyrood here). I can't see too many agreeing with my thoughts on it all, though!

Councillors, like MPs have to pass things by majority...no majority means a fail. But it looks as if, as far as Highland Council is concerned bye-laws only apply to Wick and Thurso, unless they are using Wick and Thurso as shorthand for the East and West of Caithness from the top to Sutherland. Can community councils make bye-laws? I've never been a fan of Police Scotland, though I can understand that it does cut costs while we are existing on pocket-money, but when I lived in Caithness, before the Police Scotland days, I found that the local police were too inclined to do little about people they knew, who were breaking the law...as in vandalism/ fighting on the street, for example. In the end, it is down to the police to deal with miscreants, following the rules set up by the government and councils, but they can't be everywhere at the same time. Even a local bobby wouldn't necessarily be in that area at the time to see the bench being vandalised or thrown in the water. That's the kind of thing that CCTV cameras, or people phoning in, are useful for...isn't there anywhere around Lybster Harbour (if you are meaning the Latheron Lybster, where I used to stay) that could take a CCTV camera?

Inclined to think the police are no longer as trusted as they used to be...a bit like politicians and the media.....they have been politicised, I fear, but then so much has been nowadays. I would like to roll the clock at least as far back as to the days when being a councillor was a part-time expenses only job (because I'm blowed if I can see what they do all day) and not a salaried and pensioned income choice....but ideally, I'd prefer the town councils and district councils of my younger days, which seemed to me to work fine. I do really hate the way money has become a god to our politicians and too many of their supporters.

I am, surprisingly, not party political...I like at least one thing in the manifestos of every party, and if pushed, describe myself as a leftwing scottish nationalist with right wing tendencies. If the SNP(or some other pro-independence party) didn't exist, I'd never have voted in any election in the last 50 years as I don't vote on policies...I vote on the the principle of independence only and currently hold my nose voting SNP.

Real change will never come within the UK, because real change needs full control of the economic reins and the ability to choose for ourselves our own priorities....not a handout of pocket money,with us paying for stuff which doesn't improve our tax income, and with any benefits from growth in the economy heading back down to the Westminster Treasury.

[The Horseman]

Surprise, surprise....I agree with most if what you say.
But there is a ’New World‘, and like it or not we have to conform. Strategies must change.
I grew up in Caithness, worked in ‘Week’, and then to London, England.
Then to Canada and was based near Toronto travelling across Canada and America for a good part of 30+ years.
What we have are similar Government set ups, but they are all different! Yes I am being contradictory. Thats the way it is, and we cannot change it!
In Canada I worked for the Regional Municipal Gov’t., but was Seconded to both the Provincial and Federal Gov'ts, and the only thing constant was change. As time went by I moved to what one could call a Senior Mgm’t Position, and with it came what you are describing.
To be honest, nothing got done without Multiple meetings, to have more meetings and eventually something that could be completed and enacted on in a Month, ended up taking 2 years.
Politicians who were elected went there with enthusiasm, and turned into what you are describing.
NOW.....CCTV.. why?
The Law Enforcement theory is....if you let broken windows, and malicious damage occur without penalty, you will see an increase in other more serious crimes. What goes on in the North of Scotland would not be tolerated in most Countries, well the ones I have been to.
In Canada we do not have CCTV, and we are doing very well. In some of the Major American Inner Cities they have a few cameras, but nothing to the extent to that if the UK.
I think in Canada we have the best of both Worlds. We still have the British Justice system with a neighbour to the South who has a Beeg Gun!
My thought is that we have to adapt to a New World, where the ‘norm’ as we knew it has changed.
And of course Covid 19 will be another Game Changer.
I do find that the UK has a very liberal Social Assistance program. Much more than any other Country I know of. I do find it difficult to figure out how you can afford it!
Anyway, I didn't write this out as eloquently as you. Just bullet points!.........s

[Oddquine]

Surprise, surprise....I agree with most if what you say.
But there is a ’New World‘, and like it or not we have to conform. Strategies must change.
I grew up in Caithness, worked in ‘Week’, and then to London, England.
Then to Canada and was based near Toronto travelling across Canada and America for a good part of 30+ years.
What we have are similar Government set ups, but they are all different! Yes I am being contradictory. Thats the way it is, and we cannot change it!
In Canada I worked for the Regional Municipal Gov’t., but was Seconded to both the Provincial and Federal Gov'ts, and the only thing constant was change. As time went by I moved to what one could call a Senior Mgm’t Position, and with it came what you are describing.
To be honest, nothing got done without Multiple meetings, to have more meetings and eventually something that could be completed and enacted on in a Month, ended up taking 2 years.
Politicians who were elected went there with enthusiasm, and turned into what you are describing.
NOW.....CCTV.. why?
The Law Enforcement theory is....if you let broken windows, and malicious damage occur without penalty, you will see an increase in other more serious crimes. What goes on in the North of Scotland would not be tolerated in most Countries, well the ones I have been to.
In Canada we do not have CCTV, and we are doing very well. In some of the Major American Inner Cities they have a few cameras, but nothing to the extent to that if the UK.
I think in Canada we have the best of both Worlds. We still have the British Justice system with a neighbour to the South who has a Beeg Gun!
My thought is that we have to adapt to a New World, where the ‘norm’ as we knew it has changed.
And of course Covid 19 will be another Game Changer.
I do find that the UK has a very liberal Social Assistance program. Much more than any other Country I know of. I do find it difficult to figure out how you can afford it!
Anyway, I didn't write this out as eloquently as you. Just bullet points!.........s

In the UK the only way to change anything would be either independence for each of the countries or a federal system with a very strictly written constitution which didn't allow England to ride roughshod over the smaller counties as happens now. Devolution is little but a hostage to fortune, in the gift of Westminster and under the control of a Westminster which makes up its own rules on the hoof.
,
I'm not so convinced there is a "new world". This one seems to me not a lot different to the 18th and 19th century world, when the UK (mostly) and a few other european countries killed native brown people, took charge of their land and plundered their resources, bar nowadays, we have nominated (not elected) committees, the UN, the EU, Nato etc, run at the top by the West to suit the politics of the West, with the USA in the old UK driving seat, doing the killing, turning a blind eye to the killing or justifying the killing. I see little difference between the modern neoliberal capitalism the west is striving to install everywhere and the capitalism which encouraged the UK to colonise half the world....the methods used today are little different to those used a couple of hundred years ago.

We have gone kinda overboard with CCTV, but as the police can't be everywhere at once, and as there is generally a time lag between a crime being reported and the arrival of a police presence, it can be a useful tool in identifying perpetrators. Perhaps in this day and age of everybody and their dog taking photos or videos on their phones of crimes as they happen, and uploading them to the internet, it is no longer as necessary as it once was, but I see no problem with it, unless you are doing something you shouldn't be doing. A much bigger problem is the politicising of the police and justice system in the UK...and the lack of trust in both as a result. If people are reluctant to come forward with information, how else are any street crimes to be solved without CCTV?

The difference between Canada and Scotland is that your neighbour with the Beeg Gun doesn't park that Beeg Gun 40 miles outside Toronto, without a by-your-leave, as our neighbour does with their one.

I think the only game that will change after Covid-19 will be the game of how much austerity will the UK population wear without an uprising, as the Government feels the effects of a reduced Covid-19 economy and a pretty much simultaneous final exit from the EU.

The Social Security is not as liberal as you seem to think. The basic unemployment benefit is a flat rate of £73.10 for a single person over 25, regardless of previous earnings, about £126 Canadian dollars at todays exchange rate. The same amount, pretty much, as the £2 billion those earning o over £50,000 a year got in Income tax cuts. In 2018, the UK spent 3.3% of GDP more than Canada on Social security...more than half of which was pensions, 12% of which was corporate welfare(subsidies to companies to pay crap wages) and around 10% was housing benefit much of which was paid to private landlords, particularly in London. for inflated rents, so pretty much two thirds of Social Security goes to pensioners and the working poor with about 22% of that going into the profits of companies and private landlords...and the rest pays for child benefit, disability and incapacity related benefits and pension credits.

We can argue until the cows come home about whether the criteria for claiming social security is too restrictive, lax or riddled with loopholes which allow scamming, but in the end, every penny the government spends on welfare is spent by the ordinary person on living their lives, and by doing that they contribute to the exchequer via VAT payments, if nothing else...and to the neoliberal capitalist's benefit...that spending adds to the profits of companies, many of which then take their profits off shore and/or pay no or minimal tax in the UK. So who is taking most advantage of the Government policies .....the person on social security...or the businesses and fatcats who avoid paying their taxes?