[worry]

Aside from some iffy language (e.g. "normal") -- and the fact that this is a 'debate' at all -- solid clip.

[Mentalist]

So, are India and Pakistan gonna have a serious go at Kashmir this time around?

Doesn't really seem like the best time for it, but I've seen analysis that after the pro-Indian head of Bangladesh got ousted and the caretaker govt is being chummy with China, Modi is feeling boxed in, with Sri Lanka, The Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan all favouring Bejing over New Delhi.
And Pakistan is seen as the weakest link to break this encirclement. Still, I somehow doubt any sort of blitzkrieg is viable here.

At the same time, both China and the Philippines are staging flag raises on a contested South China Sea island, that's technically Vietnamese? Obviously, trump's signals that he might recognize the Anschluss of Crimea as legitimate is emboldening others would-be-map-redrawers.

[Cause]

Mentalist, on 28 April 2025 - 05:56 PM, said:

So, are India and Pakistan gonna have a serious go at Kashmir this time around?

Doesn't really seem like the best time for it, but I've seen analysis that after the pro-Indian head of Bangladesh got ousted and the caretaker govt is being chummy with China, Modi is feeling boxed in, with Sri Lanka, The Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan all favouring Bejing over New Delhi.
And Pakistan is seen as the weakest link to break this encirclement. Still, I somehow doubt any sort of blitzkrieg is viable here.

At the same time, both China and the Philippines are staging flag raises on a contested South China Sea island, that's technically Vietnamese? Obviously, trump's signals that he might recognize the Anschluss of Crimea as legitimate is emboldening others would-be-map-redrawers.

I feel like I went to bed and woke up and this was suddenly a story. What happened, is it as sudden as it seems or has the news failed me.

[Mentalist]

Cause, on 30 April 2025 - 03:06 AM, said:

Mentalist, on 28 April 2025 - 05:56 PM, said:

So, are India and Pakistan gonna have a serious go at Kashmir this time around?

Doesn't really seem like the best time for it, but I've seen analysis that after the pro-Indian head of Bangladesh got ousted and the caretaker govt is being chummy with China, Modi is feeling boxed in, with Sri Lanka, The Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan all favouring Bejing over New Delhi.
And Pakistan is seen as the weakest link to break this encirclement. Still, I somehow doubt any sort of blitzkrieg is viable here.

At the same time, both China and the Philippines are staging flag raises on a contested South China Sea island, that's technically Vietnamese? Obviously, trump's signals that he might recognize the Anschluss of Crimea as legitimate is emboldening others would-be-map-redrawers.

I feel like I went to bed and woke up and this was suddenly a story. What happened, is it as sudden as it seems or has the news failed me.

There was a terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, and it was aimed at Hindu men. The terrorists were protesting the fact that hindus were settling India-held part of Kashmir, altering the region's demographics.
New Delhi was quick to blame Pakistan for the attack and seems to have started buildup on the border. Islamabad is mirroring teh reaction, and neither side seems pre-disposed towards de-escalating.

[Tiste Simeon]

Hey Garak, what's the mood like in Romania atm? Do you think that the Georgescu party will win? (I know he himself can't run but they seem to have a lot of no doubt Susan paid influencers on their side)

[Macros]

Sweet suffering fuck Labour.
You win a generational majority and fuck it up so badly Reform and cleaning up in the by elections.

You useless bastards

[Cyphon]

I would posit that Labour didn't wind a landslide, the tories lost one. Not much governance of leadership going on from Labour pre and post election.

[Tsundoku]

Macros, on 02 May 2025 - 12:44 PM, said:

Sweet suffering fuck Labour.You win a generational majority and fuck it up so badly Reform and cleaning up in the by elections.You useless bastards

Yeah, got to admit it's pretty much the fastest I've ever seen a new govt go from popular to reviled. We don't include Trump and his bunch of ****s.

Cyphon, on 02 May 2025 - 04:31 PM, said:

I would posit that Labour didn't wind a landslide, the tories lost one. Not much governance of leadership going on from Labour pre and post election.

Yes. In a democracy the new govt isn't voted in, the old govt is voted out.

[Macros]

Potatoes potatoes

They had a chance to make lasting changes and fucked it which ever way you cut it.

Inheritance tax, absolutely needed reformed to stop mass land purchase.
They half ass it and piss everyone off. Make it the full 40%, cap at 3m to protect nearly every active farm in the country. Add in caveats must be a working farm, actively worked by the Inheritaning people to be exempt etc. 20% rate is still a saving, land prices will not come down, and they have been driven up solely by non farming land grabbers as tax dodges, even the sanctimonious Jeremy Clarkson (although he conveniently has forgotten this) admitted he originally bought his farm as an Inheritance tax dodge.
Wishy washy on every front.

I'd still rather them than any of the ghouls in the tories or certainly reform but my God have they been a let down with the golden position they have been handed

Eat the rich

[Tiste Simeon]

Sounds like the Aussies have booted their trump wannabe?

[Tsundoku]

Tiste Simeon, on 03 May 2025 - 02:50 PM, said:

Sounds like the Aussies have booted their trump wannabe?

Hmmmm ... interesting question. Yes, the party who used a couple of Trump-y type slogans got smashed (Liberals), but honestly they weren't really Trump-y in and of themselves.
Conservatives - yes. They tried the Trump-y stuff just after the orange turd got in but it went down like a lead balloon with the electorate so it sort of got sidelined pretty early.

There was a billionaire piece of shit (Clive Palmer) who tries it on every election fielding candidates who mostly work for him, and this time he rebranded them as "Trumpet of Patriots" (more like bum trumpets).
They got completely smashed. I think their highest vote was around 3-4% of the primary vote (preferential system here).

Labor (yes, it's always been spelled like that unfortunately) was returned to Govt with an increased majority, with a few seats still to be counted (prepolls etc) over the next few days.
They are pretty middling, nowhere near as stupid as Keir etc, so the population has pretty much responded with ... "Meh, OK". Our election campaigns are generally pretty tame compared with US and UK. Thank goodness.

Most Australian politics tends to stick reasonably close to the centre, there's not a whole lot of difference between the 2 main parties.

They're often referred to as a Uniparty since they both seem to govern with the interests of the big boys in kind, just badged differently. Just not as badly as the Republicans. I think both would be considered centre-right and centre-left here but lefty compared with the USA and centre compared with the UK.

A fair assessment:

https://www.bbc.com/...es/cdxgwnj8v5eo

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 04 May 2025 - 12:56 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

Thanks man, appreciate that.

[Maark Abbott]

Macros, on 03 May 2025 - 07:11 AM, said:

Potatoes potatoes

They had a chance to make lasting changes and fucked it which ever way you cut it.

Inheritance tax, absolutely needed reformed to stop mass land purchase.
They half ass it and piss everyone off. Make it the full 40%, cap at 3m to protect nearly every active farm in the country. Add in caveats must be a working farm, actively worked by the Inheritaning people to be exempt etc. 20% rate is still a saving, land prices will not come down, and they have been driven up solely by non farming land grabbers as tax dodges, even the sanctimonious Jeremy Clarkson (although he conveniently has forgotten this) admitted he originally bought his farm as an Inheritance tax dodge.
Wishy washy on every front.

I'd still rather them than any of the ghouls in the tories or certainly reform but my God have they been a let down with the golden position they have been handed

Eat the rich

I think the most galling thing for me is that the only winners here (as evidenced by the recent by-elections) are the fascist party.

Make sure to remind all Reform voters on Thursday that they should not be celebrating VE Day (because their side lost).

[Tsundoku]

So ... anyone else think Trump is going to claim bigly credit for there being an American Pope now?

[Lady Bliss]

Tsundoku, on 08 May 2025 - 09:58 PM, said:

So ... anyone else think Trump is going to claim bigly credit for there being an American Pope now?

I thought he already had.

[Tsundoku]

Lady Bliss, on 08 May 2025 - 11:53 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 08 May 2025 - 09:58 PM, said:

So ... anyone else think Trump is going to claim bigly credit for there being an American Pope now?

I thought he already had.

Haven't seen anything from Presidente por vida Trumplestiltskin yet, but this is interesting:

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly criticised Donald Trump and his policies
The newly elected Pope has been fairly outspoken on social media in the past, and his opinions on Donald Trump may prove to be controversial.

https://www.news.com...a6ae392990c6250

[Tiste Simeon]

Lady Bliss, on 08 May 2025 - 11:53 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 08 May 2025 - 09:58 PM, said:

So ... anyone else think Trump is going to claim bigly credit for there being an American Pope now?

I thought he already had.

There is a full on MAGA meltdown because he is compassionate and has spoken out against their cruelty (you know, actually displaying characteristics of Jesus) and they're claiming he's woke etc. it's beautiful to behold.

[Tiste Simeon]

Good news from Romania it seems Garak?

[Tiste Simeon]

Ugh a pro-Trump guy won in Poland.

[Tsundoku]

Same guy as before? Or a new guy?