Apech

Just because different movements display similar behaviour - group think, intolerance, love of the state as a solution and so on does not mean they are ideologically aligned. If they gained power (God forbid) the results would differ.

It's probably time we got rid of the left/right spectrum anyway.

From BBC News

I'd have to write an essay. But I can offer the thought that the confusion comes from the left/right axis in the first place and also the fact that the fascists were a radical movement in 20 Cent. Europe in response to the depression and so on. While conservatives want to hold to the traditional hierarchical social structure (to conserve) the fascist want to replace it with subservience to the state and party. They opposed the Marxists who were internationalists and were nationalists (sometimes ethno-nationalists) and were able to get to power by gaining support from the centrists (conservatives and liberals) because they opposed the left. This is really why they are placed on the right - but it is misleading to see this as a spectrum as they may end up having little in common with the conservatives.

Was he wearing a suicide vest?

Nice bit of muddying the water by D'Souza ... it is stuff like this that makes the issue fuzzy in the first place. But he has a point that the modern progressive left is quite fascistic in its outlook just replace national identity with intersectional identity.

I think the political landscape is quite confusing these days - and probably always was. Certain words like Liberal have different means in Europe compared to America (where it means Left). I think that the historical fact of 'Liberals' siding with Fascists against Communism doesn't mean that the Liberals were fascist but simply they underestimated its ruthlessness and they thought they could control it. Fascists essentially are collectivist and see the best way to run a state is to embody the state in person of the leader plus his elite. They maintain corporate capitalism but the companies are expected to work for national aims. Individual liberty is subsumed under the 'destiny' of the state. Socialism is also collectivist but sees state ownership of the means of production as the way forward - in its pure form. However in the West there are various cases of democratically elected socialist governments which while introducing a variety of social reformed like state medicine and so on created a mixed economy, with both private and public ownership of key industries. In fact this is the standard model in Europe. Whatever the current position is has evolved through time - mostly with the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' approach. What distinguishes left and right is very fuzzy these days but its still correct to call Fascism far-right and Communism far-left.

Sajid Javid (not that I like him particularly) was born in Rochdale, describes himself as not religious and is married to a practicing Christian. I don't know anything about Raab but I doubt if he's a Marxist culturally or otherwise. I like Rees-Mogg as he seems a decent human being who sticks to his principles (even though I don't agree with him on some major things) - he'd do a hard Brexit of course, although I suppose he might offer something to the EU to see if they want some kind of 'deal'. i stick to my initial thought - which ever way we are fucked - and I don't mean the Westminster elite or big business I mean us 'ordinary folks'.

I think that 'pre-life' and 'life' are ok as terms (a bit like Early Heaven and Later heaven) - as long as 'pre' doesn't mean temporality. I don't think it is about a serial development e.g. out of pre-life comes life. i think some the problem with Buddhist emptiness is because it comes from Nagarjuna who was specifically refuting proposed first substances or fundamental realities proposed by others. So it has this negative tinge in the sense that it effectively refutes other views without providing an alternative. That is what the Prasangika Madhyamika does but this is not true of Yogacara and Great Madhyamaka of course.

I think the main problem is that the British Govt. have always described this as getting a 'deal'. But the EU consider it as 'you are leaving so what do you owe us'. There isn't any deal really - not anything that makes any sense. From the EU side why should they grant anything to what will become a major competitor? Also any concessions they make would set precendents for other potential leave countries and make membership more meaningless or less advantageous. So all this 'we're going to get the best deal' stuff is a pantomime. May hasn't handled this well - but the pressures on her must be immense. Not helped by the little shits in her own party i.e. Gove, Davis, Johnson et al. Their own personal political ambition seems more important than the country's future which has always been the case. The only thing they are good at is knifing each other in the back.

I think the dubious May plan is to get her 'deal' rejected by Parliament - which then resolves to Hard Brexit or Remain - which is the choice which will be put back to the electorate by another referendum which will be won by remain. Or alternatively another general election but then the choice will be blurred as Labour doesn't seem to have a defined position. This will have to happen in January.

yoohoo

We're fucked whichever way you look at it.

Yes I am.

there's nothing common about us!

I don't see how they will have time to monitor Twitter and Facebook if they are stopping and searching too much.

I vote an emphatic no, depending on the question of course, in which case, yes.

If you choose a life of quiet contemplation then you should avoid politics - which by its very nature is adversarial and often full of hate. But then if the DBs was nothing but quiet contemplators exchanging snippets of wisdom every year or so - what a dull, anodyne place it would be. In fact it would end up like so many other 'spiritual' forums out there. I wonder if in our attempts over the years to amputate the worst excesses of ad hominem attack and personal venom, the surgeons knife has slipped and cut off a little too much. Perhaps we really have a thirst for controversial views and a little 'heat' now and then. In fact isn't Trump himself analogous to this, even if you despise him, isn't it a bit more entertaining with him around? So, I think we should keep the Trump thread - and a few more like it - even if only in the dark underbelly of this beast - just to keep us simmering along with a little energy. If someone gets their feelings hurt occasionally - well just suck it up guys and gals - this is Daobums after all.

A whole generation has been manipulated and is suffering psychological imbalance as a result.

Cheer up old bean.

the poll is, poll dancing

You would think it important enough for investigative journalists to uncover the basic issues here. Then perhaps there's a chance of tackling the problem properly.

yet again the report gives us no clue as why the man was stabbed - which leaves us with the impression that the attacks are just random acts of violence.

Toodle pip old chap.