politics

Politics does not dictate our collective cultural mindset as much as it simply reflects it; We've got to look in the mirror sometimes, and we've got one.

Green Party: A Near Future Alternative
The ongoing stalemate in the Houses of Parliament would have left some UK voters questioning the loyalty to any of the three established parties. With Conservatives and Labour attempting to undermine each other rather than cross party divides to give the country the best Brexit deal possible, and the Liberal Democrats being out in the wilderness, a smaller party could try to capitalise.
By Patrick Hollis7 years ago in The Swamp
BREXIT: Why Extending Article 50 Isn't Going to Happen
The Withdrawal Agreement was voted down on January 15, 2019 in the House of Commons by a record margin of 202 to 432, the largest defeat in Parliamentary history. Following this, a no confidence motion tabled by leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn failed to unseat Prime Minister Theresa May by a narrow margin of 325 to 306 against, securing (for now) the Conservative Party as the leading force in Parliament for the negotiation of Britain’s exit from the European Union.
By Tom Stock7 years ago in The Swamp
Pavlovian Politics
BRYCE ON POLITICS Conditioned responses by the Democrats are intensifying. Click for AUDIO VERSION. We have all seen people on both sides of the political aisle use catch phrases routinely in response to political topics, but it seems the Democrats have honed this skill to razor sharpness. For example, in her recent "60 Minutes" interview, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was asked by Anderson Cooper if she thought President Trump was a racist, to which her reflexive response was,
By Tim Bryce7 years ago in The Swamp
What Would Theresa May Give to Deliver ANY Sort of Brexit?
On Saturday, January 19, 2019, a car bomb blew up in Derry, Northern Ireland. It hasn't taken long for the Troubles to start up again, with a firelighter held by UK PM Theresa May.
By Laura McBride7 years ago in The Swamp
The Left and Right Paradigm Is a Lie - We Need to Talk About the Centre
The idea of left and right in politics is always divisively subjective and relative to your own presupposed position on that spectrum. If you were to say that your natural political position is occupying the centre right, then you could refer to anyone on the right of you as far right and anyone on the political left as on the left of you, irrelevant of whether or not those people are on the centre left or far left. So, if you consider yourself as on the far right, then even the people on the hard right will often be termed as leftist. I saw this while I was investigating the Traditional Britain Group, a right wing conservative pressure group who often referred to centre right politicians as on the left of politics.
By Johnny Vedmore7 years ago in The Swamp
Putting Your Country Through Hell on a Lie and Criminal Acts: Brexit
On June 23, 2106, the United Kingdom held a referendum on whether to remain in the European Union (EU) or leave it. The first question anyone would ask might be: Why would a nation choose to leave the world's premier trading and peace-keeping organization, envisioned by none other than Winston Churchill, WWII Prime Minister of Britain, saviour of the nation from Hitler's dreams of world domination?
By Laura McBride7 years ago in The Swamp
Had Enough of Gridlock Yet?
BRYCE ON POLITICS - Actually, there is nothing new here. Click for AUDIO VERSION. Even though the session is still young, I am already tired of the shenanigans going on between the President and the new 116th Congress. The news media takes pleasure in reminding us of the number of days the government has been partially shut down, but a more important statistic is that we are now 15 days into our political gridlock (as of today). While the Congress is stalled, the President moves on with new appointees, such as William Barr for Attorney General, sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo around the world to secure peace, and negotiating trade deals behind the scenes with other countries.
By Tim Bryce7 years ago in The Swamp
The Death of Mainstream Media
It is said that anything that has a beginning will inevitably come to an end. This premise is one of the only things that is guaranteed for any person, place or thing in the known universe. Although I would have never guessed that we would see the end come for something as enveloped in today’s society as mainstream media. Big time news networks like CNN, FOX, and MSNBC have all been victims of a downward spiral in both content quality and ratings within the last decade. Presentation of biased opinions, partial information, and over-all edited versions of the truth have spear headed this downward spike in viewers for major news networks. A few months ago, a Knight Foundation and Gallup poll was released stating Americans trust in these news networks was at an all-time low. In addition to the kamikaze-like internal dilemmas of mainstream media today, there are a few outside factors playing a role in its downfall as well.
By Carlos Guerra7 years ago in The Swamp
Theresa May Pushed to Brink as Her Brexit Deal Suffers Commons Vote Defeat
The United Kingdom’s European Union departure took yet another hit last night as Theresa May’s Brexit deal received its expected heavy defeat in the MP’s vote. Before this vote, the Prime Minster suggested to MP’s that it was her deal—no deal or no Brexit. Now it looks as though her days could be numbered.
By Patrick Hollis7 years ago in The Swamp
NHS 10 Year Plan—Has It Ticked the Boxes?
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Theresa May announced the Conservative Party’s 10-year plan for the NHS. It pledged to save seven million lives by tackling dangerous diseases through earlier diagnosis and better living standards. Cases of heart attacks, strokes, and dementia will be reduced by 150,000 according to the plan which was published on Monday. However, there are bigger problems which need to be addressed much sooner by May and her government.
By Patrick Hollis7 years ago in The Swamp
The 116th Congress Is Off and Running... But Where To?
BRYCE ON POLITICS - Do not expect too much as we will be embroiled in gridlock. Click for AUDIO VERSION. The 116th U.S. Congress was sworn in on January 3rd. As expected, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (CA) was elected Speaker of the House, who has the unenviable job of binding up a divided chamber of Congress, as well her own party, the Democrats. This will be Mrs. Pelosi's last hurrah and will likely mark her legacy in the history books. Whereas the House is in the hands of the Democrats, the Senate remains under Republican control. Translation, nothing of substance will happen for the next two years as the two chambers will be hopelessly gridlocked. In terms of House Democrats, the Speaker will likely have trouble controlling the far left who fought her election as Speaker.
By Tim Bryce7 years ago in The Swamp
How the UK Poverty Problem Caused by a Faltering Government Is Being Overlooked
There is an issue in UK society which only tends to come into the spotlight when there is little else in the news. It is usually mentioned more around the festivities but with many political heads turning back towards Brexit after their much-deserved festive break, there is a need to address this issue now more than ever. Poverty and homelessness in the UK is an ugly scar on this government, but it seems like one which the Conservatives will forever show little empathy to.
By Patrick Hollis7 years ago in The Swamp