UKMT February 2017 - Welcome to Tiny Train World

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > UKMT February 2017 - Welcome to Tiny Train World

ronya: Nov 8, 2010; I'm the normal one.

You hate ridden fucks will regret your words when you eventually grow up.

Peace.

Cerv posted:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/news-opinion/derek-hatton-i-now-serious-12531334

Now even Militant-ites are speaking out against Corbyn. This is turning into a big whoops

to be fair, that's Derek Hatton

his career arc is a little akin to Jerry Rubin

# ? Feb 1, 2017 16:47

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 19, 2024 05:28

Private Speech: Mar 30, 2011; I HAVE EVEN MORE WORTHLESS BEANIE BABIES IN MY COLLECTION THAN I HAVE WORTHLESS POSTS IN THE BEANIE BABY THREAD YET I STILL HAVE THE TEMERITY TO CRITICIZE OTHERS' COLLECTIONS

IF YOU SEE ME TALKING ABOUT BEANIE BABIES, PLEASE TELL ME TO

EAT. SHIT.

jBrereton posted:

"Despite an economic meltdown rightwing populists failed to gain a foothold in [Spain]. Why?"

Because the meltdown was caused very directly by the right lol

Here's the article behind the paywall, it's quite an interesting read. Though they quote an analyst claiming the lack of benefits helped prevent the rise of the populist right, albeit without saying it's a good thing. Not sure how he squares it with the case of the US which certainly doesn't have much in the way of welfare. Anyway from the concluding comment it doesn't sound like FT puts much faith in his explanation:

quote:

Villaca�as still bears the scars of Spain�s economic crisis. Driving into the small Castilian town, the first thing you see is a row of vast, silent factories. Some are plastered with faded �for sale� signs. Others face a slow, losing battle against the weeds encroaching from all sides.

These factories were once the pride of Villaca�as. Although home to just over 10,000 people, the town used to be known as the �door capital� of Spain. Before the collapse of the country�s decade-long housing boom in 2008, it boasted 10 large manufacturers that produced millions of doors a year. Local unemployment hovered below 2 per cent and workers had money to burn: luxury cars became a common sight, fancy overseas holidays a regular treat.

When the property bubble burst, six of the main manufacturers were forced to close. Some 3,000 workers lost their jobs. Unemployment in the area increased more than tenfold, eventually peaking at 28 per cent in 2012. So jolting was the transformation that Villaca�as became famous once again: as a symbol of Spain�s crisis and its economic woes.

In political terms, however, the real story is what happened next � or what didn�t happen. For all the obvious parallels with the rust-belt states in the US or the hard-hit industrial heartlands of England and France, Villaca�as experienced no populist backlash, no anti-immigrant wave and no revolt against globalisation. Despite brutal economic decline and mass unemployment, the political centre held in towns like Villaca�as, and across the country.

A decade after the start of the crisis, Spain has yet to see the arrival of a populist far-right party like the National Front in France, an anti-immigration platform like the Alternative for Germany, or an anti-EU movement like the UK Independence party.

Outside Spain, only a handful of smaller European countries, such as Portugal and Ireland, have been able to resist the tide. But recent polls and election results all point to the same conclusion: Spaniards are overwhelmingly in favour of EU membership, and remain untroubled by immigration.

�People here worry about jobs, not about migrants,� says Jos� Manuel Carmona, a member of the Villaca�as local council for the centre-right Popular party, the ruling party in a minority government. �If they blame anyone for the crisis it is the politicians.�

Sentiment towards the EU has been profoundly marked by decades of subsidies for local farmers and � once the crisis hit � for retraining workers who were laid off during the downturn. �I think locals here understand that the EU is an institution that has provided funds and help,� says Santiago Garc�a Aranda, the town�s Socialist mayor.

Rise of the left

On the face of it, Spain has long seemed like an inviting target for political parties with an anti-EU and anti-immigration message. Since the collapse of the housing boom, the country has suffered a deep recession and a sharp rise in unemployment and inequality. A budget crisis meant Madrid had to slash spending and raise taxes � measures that were blamed at least in part on EU pressure. Trust in the political elite was shattered by corruption scandals.

Moreover, the crisis erupted at the end of a decade that saw unprecedented numbers of migrant arrivals. In 1998, immigrants accounted for just 3 per cent of the population. By 2008, the share had jumped to 13 per cent � one of the highest in Europe � according to official data. And yet, at no point has a far-right anti-immigrant party gained traction at the national or regional level. At last June�s general election, the only party that came even close to fitting that description, a three-year-old movement called Vox, secured just 0.2 per cent of the vote. In Villaca�as, Vox obtained just 10 out of 5,771 votes � far behind the local offshoot of the animal rights� party.

The main political beneficiary of the crisis has been the far-left, not the far-right. Since its creation three years ago, the anti-austerity Podemos party has emerged as a powerful force, winning 21 per cent of the national vote last year. It is, in many ways, a proudly populist movement, whose leaders rail against the elites and are not averse to using divisive rhetoric.

However, the party�s base of supporters and its political platform have little in common with far-right populists: Podemos backers are typically found among the young, well-educated and urban population, who are generally open to migration and support EU membership.

What, then, explains the Spanish exception? Analysts argue there is no single reason, but rather an idiosyncratic bundle of causes and conditions. Lack of strong leadership is one obvious factor. Another is the complex legacy of the Franco dictatorship, which has instilled a profound scepticism towards rightwing authoritarianism. There is also a collective understanding that tough times force people to seek work abroad � as many Spaniards did during the 1960s, and then again during the crisis. A fourth cause cited by researchers is the nature of the recent migration flows into Spain: many of the arrivals hail from Ecuador, Peru and other Latin American countries. They were foreigners, but familiar ones � with the same language, religion and culture as the native population.

These explanations, however, only go so far. Latin America indeed accounted for a significant number of migrant arrivals, but the two largest groups were from Romania and Morocco. According to official data, there are 1.4m migrants from the two countries living in Spain � almost a third of the foreign population.

For a deeper understanding of Spain�s resilience, two additional elements help to set the country apart: national identity and the welfare system.

�The main difference between Spain and other European countries is that, here, people see no link between immigration and national identity,� says Carmen Gonz�lez Enr�quez, a senior analyst at the Real Instituto Elcano think-tank. �The sense of national identity is generally rather weak in Spain. You sometimes hear local complaints. People will say: �All the local shops have gone�. Or: �This village has changed so much�. But it is never expressed in any political form.�

In a forthcoming report for the Elcano Institute and Demos, the UK think-tank, Ms Gonz�lez Enr�quez argues that the sense of identity in Spain continues to be shaped by the experience of dictatorship. �The overuse of national symbols and of references to national identity during Francoism caused a countermovement which still persists. The pro-democratic opposition to the regime rejected the exhibition of national symbols, the flag and the anthem, and Spanish nationalism was completely absent from their discourse. Instead, they looked to Europe,� she argues.

Even today, the attachment to Europe and the EU remain strong. According to a poll conducted for the Elcano/Demos study, only 10 per cent of Spaniards want to leave the EU, compared with 22 per cent in France and 45 per cent in the UK (though more than half of British voters chose to leave in June). That level of support reflects Spain�s status as a net recipient of EU funding, but also less tangible factors. For many Spaniards, the EU continues to represent modernity and progress � while Spanish membership of the union offers reassurance that the country has finally joined the European mainstream.

Regional focus

A political appeal to Spanish national identity is further complicated by the long-running tensions between the central state and its regions, specifically Catalonia and the Basque country. Many Catalans and Basques claim a national identity that is not just distinct from the Spanish one but in direct conflict with it. Both regions have strong secessionist movements that hope to eventually achieve statehood and independence from Spain.

For any rightwing movement seeking to activate nationalist sentiment, that presents an immediate problem. If its leaders try to tap into Spanish pride, they risk losing support in two crucial regions that account for almost a quarter of the total Spanish population. If they appeal exclusively to Catalan or Basque national identity, they shut themselves out of the rest of Spain.

At the same time, the political conflict between Spain and the regions has allowed the ruling Popular party, led by Mariano Rajoy, to protect its rightwing flank without stoking or pandering to anti-immigrant sentiment. �The PP has been able to remain a catch-all rightwing party, in part because it has a strong message about defending the unity of Spain. That is a key issue for rightwing voters,� says Crist�bal Rovira Kaltwasser, a political scientist at Diego Portales University in Santiago, Chile.

Spain�s centre-periphery tensions aside, analysts also highlight a welfare system that grants generous access to core services such as health and education but offers little in the way of social housing and direct support payments.

�You don�t have this conflict between natives and non-natives over welfare that you have in other countries,� says Jos� Fern�ndez-Albertos, a political analyst at the CSIC research centre in Madrid. �Spain has pretty good public services but when it comes to housing and cash benefits it�s very weak. And those are precisely the areas where it becomes visible that the state is making transfers from one sector of the population to another.�

As a result, headlines about foreigners claiming benefits and migrant families living off welfare are rare in Spain. �Part of this is always about competition for resources. When there are no resources to compete for, the potential for conflict decreases,� says Sergi Pardos-Prado, a researcher at Oxford university.

It is an argument that goes hand-in- hand with another feature of Spain�s crisis: the fact that migrants were usually hit much harder than the native population, which could rely on family networks to cushion the blow. Foreign workers had no safety net to fall back on. It was, as Mr Fern�ndez-Albertos points out, �objectively difficult to argue that Spain treated its migrants too well during the crisis�.

FT Comment
The side of Spain that seeks sound governance
It is to Spaniards� credit that they have denied a political market to populist xenophobia

Back in Villaca�as, that is certainly the impression of hard-hit locals. At the height of the boom, migrants accounted for 5 per cent of the town�s population � but their share has decreased markedly in the years since. �When the crisis came, most of them just left,� says Mr Garc�a Aranda.

Looking ahead, most experts voice confidence that Spain will continue to resist the populist far-right surge. Most of the factors that explain the country�s exceptional status are deeply rooted in its history and society, and are therefore unlikely to change in the short term. What is more, Spain is in the midst of recovery � annual growth in gross domestic product hit 3.2 per cent last year � suggesting that some of the social and economic pressures will recede.

For the leaders of Europe�s political centre, the story of Spain after the crisis offers a glimmer of hope � but not much more than a glimmer. The Spanish exception is less the result of smart politics than of historical accidents and complex social trends that are hard to replicate. Policymakers in Berlin, Brussels and London will find plenty to admire in the country�s resilience to the populist backlash � but not a lot to copy.

Private Speech fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Feb 1, 2017

# ? Feb 1, 2017 16:51

Pretty rad dad pad: Oct 13, 2003; People who try to pretend they're superior make it so much harder for those of us who really are. Philistines!

Pencils R Cool posted:

How likely is it that similar groups are targeting UK users? I'm talking about BBC News articles being swarmed with far-right comments minutes after being posted, Twitter users with dubious profiles posting generic pro-Brexit/pro-Trump comments etc.

Beyond that people have mentioned that it's a thing, it specifically isn't a new thing - the pervasiveness of f.e far-right BBC commenters has been a noticeable and talked-about thing for...god, probably as long as there have been BBC comments sections. But at least a long time! (including here, a lot over the years).

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:01

OwlFancier: Aug 22, 2013

Jose posted:

they're both clear tubes but different enough sizes that it would take some effort to mix them up

NHS clearly needs to follow networking practice and put tags on all the connectors saying what they're for.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:21

Zephro: Nov 23, 2000; I suppose I could part with one and still be feared...

TheHoodedClaw posted:

It'd have to have a certain sturdiness to allow it to be rammed up your knob, I imagine

good point

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:35

jBrereton: May 30, 2013; Grimey Drawer

Private Speech posted:

Here's the article behind the paywall, it's quite an interesting read. Though they try to claim that the lack of benefits helped prevent the rise of the populist right, albeit without saying it's a good thing. Not sure how they square it with the case of the US which certainly doesn't have much in the way of welfare, but hey:

OK I completely disagree with most of the salient points this article lol

I mean you can say that there was no populist backlash but there was no government for nearly a whole year because no party had enough votes to form one, and all bets are off regarding coalitions, due to a massive scandal in PP's history, PSOE and Unidos Podemos being enemies, and the Spanish Liberals being a complete waste of time, which is also really a reaction against globalism (PSOE only recently ousted its own equivalent of Corbyn and abstained on Rajoy's investiture which allowed the formation of the government).

And as to the idea that Catalonia and the Basque region are vital to electoral success and a key check on nationalism - the two main parties, PSOE and PP, are both very much parties of national unity. Same as Labour and the Tories here. Unidos Podemos is the only national bloc that says their referenda should matter (they're always having referenda on independence). Even the Spanish Lib Dems aren't up for it! They're so postnational they're post-regional!

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:36

Dead Goon: Dec 13, 2002; No Obvious Flaws

I am grateful to have been under general anaesthesia when they rammed the catheter up my knob.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:38

Serotonin: Jul 14, 2001; The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of *blank*

Zephro posted:

Why are catheters so thick, then? Wouldn't a thinner version be less uncomfortable?

Enquiring minds want to know

They aren't

The large tube you see attached to the bag is much wider than that that goes in the urethra

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:38

OwlFancier: Aug 22, 2013

I do not recommend jamming stuff up your knob.

Be careful with what you do with your willy lest the NHS have to shove a camera up it to figure out why you keep pissing blood.

Should be in sex ed, imo.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:41

minema: May 31, 2011

CatheterChat: They do come in different sizes, mostly the same size is used but occasionally it won't drain quickly enough or it'll get blocked so the size is changed. They can't go too small or the tube gets too clogged up with sediment in the urine.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:03

TomViolence: Feb 19, 2013; PLEASE ASK ABOUT MY 80,000 WORD WALLACE AND GROMIT SLASH FICTION. PLEASE.

The bad part isn't when it gets shoved up your knob, it's the bit where they pull it back out that really hurts.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:04

WeAreTheRomans: Feb 23, 2010; by R. Guyovich

OwlFancier posted:

I do not recommend jamming stuff up your knob.

Be careful with what you do with your willy lest the NHS have to shove a camera up it to figure out why you keep pissing blood.

Should be in sex ed, imo.

I learned this from the Palahniuk book where a kid sticks a long piece of candlewax up his knob but it ends up snapping off. It does not end well. Not that I had any intentions to that end, but it was useful information all the same

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:06

ukle: Nov 28, 2005

This thread has found a new low.

Catheter chat is far worse than Train or Rowing chat.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:07

WeAreTheRomans: Feb 23, 2010; by R. Guyovich

ukle posted:

This thread has found a new low.

Catheter chat is far worse than Train or Rowing chat.

welcome to narrow urethra world

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:10

Mozi: Apr 4, 2004; Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die; Nap Ghost

OwlFancier posted:

I do not recommend jamming stuff up your knob.

Be careful with what you do with your willy lest the NHS have to shove a camera up it to figure out why you keep pissing blood.

Should be in sex ed, imo.

Sound advice, indeed.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:11

Dead Goon: Dec 13, 2002; No Obvious Flaws

TomViolence posted:

The bad part isn't when it gets shoved up your knob, it's the bit where they pull it back out that really hurts.

Truth.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:11

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

https://twitter.com/Daniel_Cousins/status/826814761656582144

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:15

HJB: Feb 16, 2011; I can't get enough of are Dan

ukle posted:

This thread has found a new low.

Catheter chat is far worse than Train or Rowing chat.

I find it fascinating that whatever the subject, half the thread can call upon their personal experiences of it.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:16

Pochoclo: Feb 4, 2008; No...; Clapping Larry

Get ready for the pound to get pounded after the vote passes this evening without any loving significant amendments.

And in 2 years, better get ready to emigrate or something because gently caress.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:30

communism bitch: Apr 24, 2009

minema posted:

CatheterChat: They do come in different sizes, mostly the same size is used but occasionally it won't drain quickly enough or it'll get blocked so the size is changed. They can't go too small or the tube gets too clogged up with sediment in the urine.

I'll need an extra large one :smug:

Because you see ive got a huge knob :smuggo:

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:30

jBrereton: May 30, 2013; Grimey Drawer

Pochoclo posted:

Get ready for the pound to get pounded after the vote passes this evening without any loving significant amendments.

And in 2 years, better get ready to emigrate or something because gently caress.

You'll need a special passport for that, and doubters are off the list of potential claimants.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:31

Pochoclo: Feb 4, 2008; No...; Clapping Larry

jBrereton posted:

You'll need a special passport for that, and doubters are off the list of potential claimants.

Yeah at this point I'm talking to my fellow EU filthy forrins working in the UK. You UK locals are pretty much hosed with no hope.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:34

Private Speech: Mar 30, 2011; I HAVE EVEN MORE WORTHLESS BEANIE BABIES IN MY COLLECTION THAN I HAVE WORTHLESS POSTS IN THE BEANIE BABY THREAD YET I STILL HAVE THE TEMERITY TO CRITICIZE OTHERS' COLLECTIONS

IF YOU SEE ME TALKING ABOUT BEANIE BABIES, PLEASE TELL ME TO

EAT. SHIT.

jBrereton posted:

You'll need a special passport for that, and doubters are off the list of potential claimants.

He's not a Briton IIRC. No passport for him.

Not that's a particularly enviable position either.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:35

TinTower: Apr 21, 2010; You don't have to 8e a good person to 8e a hero.

TACD posted:

https://twitter.com/Daniel_Cousins/status/826814761656582144

UKIP have actually filed a formal complete with the (unelected :supaburn:

) President of the European Parliament (who acts as speaker).

Special snowflakes.

e: Screenshot

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:51

Rakosi: May 5, 2008; D&D: HASBARA SQUAD
NO-QUARTERMASTER

From the river (of Palestinian blood) to the sea (of Palestinian tears)

"I would like you to rule on this matter please sir"

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:55

WeAreTheRomans: Feb 23, 2010; by R. Guyovich

Rakosi posted:

"I would like you to rule on this matter please sir"

UKIP members borrowing their syntax from Indian call centre employees, something ironic there...

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:58

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

oh look wikileaks is doing in france what it did in the US. leaking the emails of people Putin doesn't want in power

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:57

Jedit: Dec 10, 2011; Proudly supporting vanilla legends 1994-2014

Rakosi posted:

"I would like you to rule on this matter please sir"

Dear President of the EU, whose authority I utterly shun along with the rest of your corrupt union,

Please punish this man for being naughty.

Yours sincerely,

Someone who should be taken seriously.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:58

Dead Goon: Dec 13, 2002; No Obvious Flaws

Please do the needful.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 18:59

ShaneMacGowansTeeth: May 22, 2007; I think this is it... I think this is how it ends

So I got a breakdown of where my tax goes and less than 1% went to the EU (apologies for the crappy quality)

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:03

WeAreTheRomans: Feb 23, 2010; by R. Guyovich

ShaneMacGowansTeeth posted:

So I got a breakdown of where my tax goes and less than 1% went to the EU (apologies for the crappy quality)

Honestly I looked at this for a couple of minutes trying to make some joke about how poor Britain is going to be in a few years but then I just became sad. And I'm not even British or living in Britain

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:07

MikeCrotch: Nov 5, 2011; I AM UNJUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF MY SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

YES, IT IS AN INCREDIBLY SIMPLE DISH

NO, IT IS NOT NORMAL TO USE A PEPPERAMI INSTEAD OF MINCED MEAT

YES, THERE IS TOO MUCH SALT IN MY RECIPE

NO, I WON'T STOP SHARING IT

more like BOLLOCKnese

TinTower posted:

UKIP have actually filed a formal complete with the (unelected ) President of the European Parliament (who acts as speaker).

Special snowflakes.

e: Screenshot

I'm sure this person likes to rail against PC CULTURE and SAFE SPACES on a daily basis too

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:10

OwlFancier: Aug 22, 2013

ShaneMacGowansTeeth posted:

So I got a breakdown of where my tax goes and less than 1% went to the EU (apologies for the crappy quality)

You could have bought most of a cheap pair of pants with that almost-tenner.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:10

mehall: Aug 27, 2010

I thought pensions took up about 70% of the welfare budget? From those figures it looks more like 1/3

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:11

ShaneMacGowansTeeth: May 22, 2007; I think this is it... I think this is how it ends

OwlFancier posted:

You could have bought most of a cheap pair of pants with that almost-tenner.

Matalan do jeans for a tenner, and they're good quality jeans

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:21

OwlFancier: Aug 22, 2013

I have to wear dress trousers for work so all my jeans are literally the pairs I had when I was 16.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:27

Prince John: Jun 20, 2006; Oh, poppycock! Female bandits?

Rakosi posted:

"I would like you to rule on this matter please sir"

Hilarious given that Farage was asked to be more respectful and polite during that very rant, but carried on being rude and abrasive.

Also, please stop catheter chat. :ohdear:

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:27

mehall: Aug 27, 2010

ShaneMacGowansTeeth posted:

Matalan do jeans for a tenner, and they're good quality jeans

Their sizes are also all over the place.

Top Tip: If ever buying from Matalan, try on the jeans.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:31

jabby: Oct 27, 2010

Zephro posted:

Why are catheters so thick, then? Wouldn't a thinner version be less uncomfortable?

Enquiring minds want to know

Someone already said, but they come in a variety of sizes. As a general rule the size is inversely proportional to how annoying a patient you are.

Just kidding. It's generally the first acceptable size I can find in the drawer.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:33

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 05:28

Gorn Myson: Aug 8, 2007

TinTower posted:

UKIP have actually filed a formal complete with the (unelected ) President of the European Parliament (who acts as speaker).

Special snowflakes.

e: Screenshot

One of my favourite things to do with Ukip supporters (and the alt-right with any of their heroes) is to just mock Farage by flipping their insults aimed at the left directly at him. Like the fact that hes never been able to win a seat as an MP (proving that hes a loser), that hes quit the Ukip leadership twice when things got tough (proving that hes a coward) and that his attendance and expense claims at the EU are shocking (proving that he doesn't care about who he represents and happily steals their money).

This is even better. Now I can say hes a special snowflake that doesn't like his feelings getting hurt.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:34

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