So, Britain...new prime minister, eh?

[alienjesus]

Damnit Bobby you beat me to it!

The Mail just LOVES these kind of stories, they love spreading these sensationalist stories about how 'they' are going to change the name of christmas so as not to offend muslims and other such utter nonsense. The mail's absolute favourite phrase in the world is "political correctness gone mad!". It's all bollocks really.

I find myself agreeing with pretty much everything you've said in this thread. Have a high five from me!

[Niode]

I really think it's interesting how you guys on the other side of the pond think of Margaret Thatcher. In the US, it tends to follow party lines: if you're Republican, Thatcher was a great ally to Ronald Reagan, and while American and British interests might not have always coincided, the British were valuable partners against the Soviet Union. The Democrats don't seem to mention Thatcher much, which leads me to think they don't think much of her. But I see the Brits, or at least the group on this site, don't like her.

Thanks for all the incites you've given us concerning your political system.

If you were brought up in a working class family, especially a working class Yorkshire family you were taught to hate the conservatives. It's the reason why Labour is so strong in the North. The Tories, and more specifically Thatcher closed the pits (read: Coal mines) down. Causing hundreds of thousands to lose their jobs. If you had a dad that worked down't pit you hated Thatcher for closing the pits because it meant you went from a half decent state of living (for a working class family) to the lowest of the low through no fault of your own. For that, all the working class will despise the Conservatives and it will never change. Well, at least for the time being whilst that generation is still kicking. It's a shame I haven't seen my real dad in close to a decade, it would be interesting knowing what he thinks about having conservative government again.

Don't even get me started on Black Wednesday...

[Ack]

That's...somewhat surprising. I understand not liking government for destroying a job, but...well, I've always been taught that coal mines flat out sucked to work in. What reason was given for closing them down? Health risks, not economically feasible, union troubles, anything like that?

[MrPopo]

That's...somewhat surprising. I understand not liking government for destroying a job, but...well, I've always been taught that coal mines flat out sucked to work in. What reason was given for closing them down? Health risks, not economically feasible, union troubles, anything like that?

I'm sure coal mines do suck to work in, but it's still a job and it pays fairly well. Imagine if the city replaced all the garbage men with robots. Sure, it's not that great of a job, but the garbage men would still be pissed.

[Niode]

That's...somewhat surprising. I understand not liking government for destroying a job, but...well, I've always been taught that coal mines flat out sucked to work in. What reason was given for closing them down? Health risks, not economically feasible, union troubles, anything like that?

Oh yeah, they were shitty places to work in but they paid well and it was well paid job for somebody with next to know education and no skills. The people that lost their job had no experience of work in anything else, the vast majority of them became benefit scroungers because they didn't have the means to get a job elsewhere. That's all they knew.

[Ack]

So nobody knows why they closed the mines?

[Octopod]

Was it related to this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_miners% ... %931985%29

[MrPopo]

So nobody knows why they closed the mines?

I've heard rumors that they dug too greedily and too deep.

[Pulsar_t]

So, then, what about the imposing of aspects of sharia law in the UK? It seems strange to allow people into a nation that then adhere to a different justice system, even though they're citizens of that nation.

The only "alien" judicial elements you speak of are related to marital and financial issues, and I believe certain leeway is granted to followers of various "recognised" religions in a number of secular countries. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234870.stm

[MikeyW]

That's...somewhat surprising. I understand not liking government for destroying a job, but...well, I've always been taught that coal mines flat out sucked to work in. What reason was given for closing them down? Health risks, not economically feasible, union troubles, anything like that?

I'm sure coal mines do suck to work in, but it's still a job and it pays fairly well. Imagine if the city replaced all the garbage men with robots. Sure, it's not that great of a job, but the garbage men would still be pissed.

Anyone in Leeds during the bin-men strike? This place was a fucking shit-hole for about 3 months. The bin-men were pissed at the crap pay they would be getting due to some wages reform thingy; and they went on strike. A shitty job, but it definantly needed doing.