J.C.MacSwell

@John Cuthber Where? You didn't take issue with Mistermack calling potential targets for Unions cash cows ready for milking? Because you quoted it directly (cherry picked from a post) and posted: Yet you seem to be very aware that Unions follow the money.

Are you suggesting that for the last 30 years in the UK, striking workers could be replaced, permanently or temporarily? If not, how does that reflect on my referring to "taking ownership of the right to work certain jobs"? For the black and white thinkers out there that think I'm entrenched in one side of this argument, just because you (by definition) must be...think again. There are good arguments for the rights of Unions...mostly due to bad arguments in favour of capitalism, which generally don't equate to free enterprise. (not saying there aren't good arguments for capitalism when it's based on the public good)

Of course. Yet you took issue with Mistermack for pointing out that Unions were very aware. i.e. cash cow Right. By taking ownership of the right to work certain jobs, to the sometimes exclusion of others. When they get there way, it's to the exclusion of others. Rarely is it fair to society as a whole. At best it's a counterbalance to Employers that have positioned themselves to "maximise commercial advantage" in the marketplace, and/or otherwise have an overwhelming advantage in the labour market...something governments generally don't enjoy. What makes this, essentially setting up a game of chicken to see who caves first, all the while to the detriment of the public, an equitable method of setting wages? No Dim. That is not exactly what I said. If I believed that, or wanted to say that, I would have.

You do realize Unions target industries and companies where they see they might have a "competitive advantage". ...and their leadership don't do it totally out of the goodness of their hearts...many get paid rather well. (though generally not as much as the top executives in the industries they target...as they don't have much interest where the money isn't flowing)

Generally speaking, the Employer/ Employee inequality doesn't exist in the same way for government employment as it does for private employment. The same arguments for the right to hold the Employer hostage can't (generally again) be made. In the worst cases Unions are able to restrict the number of entry level government service jobs below optimum, turn them into better paying careers for their members at the expense of both the public and those wishing to enter the workforce, and limit any private competition. There are of course counter arguments, but one size does not fit all with regard to fairness of right to strike, and that is especially true for many government jobs.

The latter guy would be TLG... and I'll see myself out...

I'm in for $10 on "none of the above".

kill...not know Regrettable public statement by an ambassador, even with all the civilian deaths and casualties suffered by Ukrainians, and military deaths and casualties suffered by Ukrainians, none of whom chose to be attacked in the illegal manner they have been...and even knowing the number of Russian body bags filled with naive Russian soldiers might eventually affect the wars outcome.

Okay. Fair enough and you have supported your point. The link backs it up. I apologise to both yourself and CY.

I have data that notes you haven't questioned the post I directed that at, and have a gut feeling you won't.

Yeah. No. That's the fringe. The average Trump voter holds his nose and votes Trump (the guy who would back ANTIFA to the hilt if they were pro-Trump), due to their perception that the offered alternative is worse, despite how bad he is. Hopefully they find the guts to turf him out, lest the Dems underestimate the power of the stupidity, and continue to allow it to be matched on their side, and yield another coin toss election. But as you like to inform everyone...that's off topic.

Russia can make arguments all day long, but the "see what you made me do" doesn't justify invading another country, never mind reckless killing and targeting of civilians and threatening multiple levels of nuclear disasters. Putin and his ilk are largely to blame, but the willful ignorance of the average Russian isn't so impressive either. How smart do you have to be to recognize the continuous self contradictions of the state media, the ones now calling for retribution against Kiev for the murder of Dugina. (like they know the Ukraine government was behind it, because the Kremlin said so before even investigating) No one is suggesting indiscriminate bombing of Moscow...but if they want to be consistent rather than hypocritical, the Russian state media should advocate for it. End of rant.

There's right wing extremists in most countries. Russia included. Alexander Dugin, for example.

Looks like Russia is starting to experience some of the nastier consequences of the Special Operation. Darya Dugina, 29 year old daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian far-right political philosopher and a supporter of Russian president Vladimir Putin, has been killed just outside of Moscow in what is likely to have been an assassination attempt on Dugin himself. https://news.sky.com/story/daughter-of-russian-ultra-nationalist-killed-in-suspected-car-bomb-attack-12678269

That...or he might find out who his real friends are...

I like to think I make up in quantity, what I lack in quality.

Trump thought they would only search Mar-a-Lago...as a last resort...

Not sure if anyone else follows this but this guy gives pretty good daily updates. Obvious Ukrainian bias (not that I would blame him) but I think as much honest information as he would have available and (as he admits,readily) would not compromise the Ukrainian side. (I wouldn't blame him for a bit of disinformation that might be directed at the "Ruzzians", but there is no suggestion of it that I can tell. Todays:

Probably out of respect for the size and scope of the task, the Republic of China is probably best to stick with governing Taiwan, and not attempt to take back mainland China...even though it was taken from them.

How would you like it if your neighbour was living peacefully in a property across the street that you had coveted for 70 years, and just as you were threatening to attack them for the hundredth time, Pelosi showed up on their doorstep for a nice pleasant visit?

I guess she decided to go. In the grand scheme of international politics, her arrival seems fairly innocuous to me...of course, I might feel differently if I was a dictator of a totalitarian regime.

Weighted coins? Magnets? Without symmetry why would you assume it to be 50%?

+1. Yang is in favour of ranked choice voting. Of course you have to get there first, without it, so Catch 22, and for now the new Party has no platform, just a commitment to join forces to give reasonable options. Interestingly their plan for the 2022 midterms is not to have candidates, but endorse some candidates that are running that they feel are reasonable. Of course, if it does become Trump vs Biden 2.0...I think a new party could do more than act as kingmaker...

Progress on the way? Apparently a new party is forming called Forward (the same name Yang's movement/political organization has already) to compete with the two backward parties in 2024: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/28/politics/andrew-yang-forward-party-whitman-jolly/index.html "Jolly is a former Republican congressman from Florida, Whitman a former Republican governor of New Jersey and Yang is a former Democratic presidential and New York mayoral candidate. The three will merge their political organizations into the new party, whose launch was first reported by Reuters." It will be interesting to see how the two backward parties respond especially where each of the parties was not at fault for any of the obvious problems created by recent polarization, with 100% of the blame belonging to the other party, not theirs.